Friday, November 20

Dear Parents/Guardians,

On Wednesday, we took special time to thank God for all of the blessings in our school community during our Thanksgiving Celebration assembly. It was a blessing to take time to express gratitude for those people in our lives who have helped us be “home” to one another this school year.  In addition, we announced the winner of the Assumption Rose Award given to a faculty or staff member who has made a significant difference in the lives of our students.  Assumption is proud that Mary Ann Steutermann, Campus Minister, was our recipient of this award – congratulations to Mrs. Steutermann!

As we have done now for the past several weeks, we continue to monitor our number of COVID-19 positive cases associated with our school and we continue to report this information to our school community.  As of yesterday, Assumption’s COVID-19 numbers for this week are: 

  •  2 new positive COVID-19 cases (both students)
  •  No new quarantine cases.
  •  41 total positive COVID-19 cases as reported to our local department of health as of August 1, 2020 (36 students and 5 staff).    

It’s important to note that there have been no known transmissions of COVID here at AHS. 

Our recent health department inspection yielded high praise for our COVID protocols and building modifications including:

  • Seating charts, physical spacing using “dots”, staggered passing times, arrival and dismissal
    • One- way hallways and stairwells
    • Plexiglass in classrooms and other spaces like study, media center, etc.
    • Ample and easy access to hand sanitizer and wipes
    • Cleaning and sanitizing high touch surfaces frequently specifically between classes periods and use of disinfecting “foggers”
    • Requiring masks on at all times – even during lunch
    • Creating a medical “wing” of designated and separate space for those who are well, sick, and in isolation

The health department inspector was impressed with our high level of commitment to the health and safety of our entire school community and the measures we have implemented to minimize the spread of the disease at our school.  This assurance means we are doing things right here at AHS and we will continue to do so during this pandemic.  

As you are aware, starting Monday, we will move to fully virtual at the direction of the Governor, our local health department, and by recommendation of the Archdiocese.  Even though we will be all virtual, AHS has a continuing legal obligation to report any positive cases and quarantines to the Archdiocese, our local department of health, and the state for every day school is in “session”.   This applies to faculty, staff, and students and will help us continue to monitor case impact on schools as we plan for the remainder of the year.   Please contact our school nurse Laura Burnam at laura.burnam@ahsrockets.org or at 271-2507 in the event your daughter is under quarantine or has COVID-19 so we can continue to report as required.  Again, this is for when school is in session and does not apply to school holidays.

It is important to note that this is not a complete lock-down as was done last spring. Our offices will remain open and purchases can be made online from our campus store.   Our athletic department will be communicating changes from the Kentucky High School Athletic Association regarding winter sports through the individual coaches. 

We look forward to welcoming our students back in person with our hybrid schedule on Monday, January 11 barring any recommendations and/or directives from the state or local level.  

As always, thank you for your support and commitment to the safety of our community.  Please continue to be safe and honor our holiday buffer days so that we can all return to school safely. We talked with your daughters again this week about limiting their socialization outside of school.  Please continue to talk to your daughter about the importance of maintaining good hygiene, wearing a mask, and practicing physical distancing wherever she goes as we know this is a key aspect in our ability to return to in-person instruction.  

CALENDAR NOTES: As we move to all virtual starting on Monday, we will move to our all virtual schedule that was stated in the Covid-19 supplement handbook at the beginning of the year.  It’s a slightly condensed model of our hybrid schedule based on what we learned from our successful virtual learning in the spring as well as the most updated research currently available on virtual learning for all students every day.

Additionally, as we move to an all virtual schedule for everyone, it’s very important to remind students about student and class expectations during this time.  Each class will have a mandatory 15-minute class meeting as listed below on one morning before school next week to review these expectations. 

We will also be following the day schedule that is listed on the website calendar for consistency purposes. Please note that next week Monday is a Day 1 and Tuesday is a Day 4.  This was originally scheduled so that each hybrid cohort would have an in-person day but we are going to keep it this way to stay consistent with the website calendar. 

Guidance counselors will continue to email weekly schedule reminders to your daughters each week.  Additionally, the morning prayer and announcements will be emailed each morning.   

  • WEEKLY SCHEDULE: We will begin our ALL virtual schedule next week with Day 1 and Day 4 as planned:
  • Monday, November 23 – Day 1:  All Virtual (No In-Person School)
    • 8:30-8:45 a.m. – Mandatory class meetings for Freshmen and Sophomores via Teams
  • Tuesday, November 24 – Day 4:  All Virtual (No In-Person School)
    • 8:30-8:45 a.m. – Mandatory class meetings for Juniors and Seniors via Teams
  • Wednesday, November 25:  No School/Holiday Break
  • Thursday, November 26:  No School/Thanksgiving Day
  • Friday, November 27:  No School/Holiday Break
  • DAILY SCHEDULE:
    • First Block:         9:00-10:00 a.m.
    • Second Block:    10:15-11:15 a.m.
    • Third Block:       12:00-1:00 p.m.
    • Fourth Block:     1:15-2:15 p.m.

FROM CAMPUS MINISTRY: 

ALERT SYSTEM TEST:  We sent a test weather and emergency alert on Monday, November 16, at 5:00 p.m. All parents who set their options in PowerSchool were sent a test message to their email and/or phone via text or voice.  If you did not receive the message as you expected, please check your options by logging into PowerSchool or email Brent Miller in our IT Department or call his office at 271-2527 for assistance.

RPN NEWS: The Rocket Parent Network would like to recommend the following two webinars:

  • Teens and Mental Health: Are you struggling to parent through the pandemic? Join a Norton Children’s child psychologist for a free virtual class, “Teen Talk: Mental Health.” This parent-teen discussion will address the challenges facing teens during the coronavirus pandemic. Get tools to relieve stress and hear about available resources. Recommended for boys and girls ages 11 to 17 and their parents.   This meeting will be held on Thursday, December 10  from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. An internet-connected computer or mobile device and email address are needed. To register, go to NortonChildrens.com/ LetsTalk-  https://nortonhealthcare.secure.force.com/pmtx/evt__quickevent?id=a2Ef4000001GUk3EAG
  • Teen Suicide on the Rise: Here is a link to a recorded webinar from Operation Parent on the topic of teen suicide:  LINK TO WEBINAR ON TEEN SUICIDE FROM OPERATION PARENT

CREDIT TUITION DUE TO WKU, JCTC, AND UL:  Students enrolled in a dual credit class this semester need to make sure they pay any tuition owed by the beginning of December.  If your daughter is eligible for a scholarship but has not applied, both she and you received an email from Mrs. Fieldhouse today that they are still accepting submissions.  Students should log into their accounts on www.KHEAA.com to double check which colleges they chose for disbursement for the Dual Credit Scholarship and then need to log into their JCTC, WKU and/or UL account to pay any remaining tuition due for this semester.  This includes all first semester and yearlong DC courses with the exception of PreCalculus and Calculus that will register for credit in January.  If you need help knowing which course is associated with which university, consult this sheet from our website:  Dual Credit Reference Sheet. If you have any questions, contact JUDY FIELDHOUSE .

UPCOMING CLUB OPPORTUNITIES:  Clubs will take place virtually in November and December.  Be sure to ask you daughter to take some time to check out the upcoming club meetings that are posted regularly on the website calendar linked here:  https://www.ahsrockets.org/events/event/

LEAD & LEARN WEDNESDAY UPDATE:  Our November 18 LEAD & Learn Wednesday was a special one!  All classes participated in our Thanksgiving Prayer Service which focused on unsung heroes in our community and in our lives and the gratitude that we experience even in this most difficult of times.  At the prayer service’s conclusion, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors rejoined their homerooms to reflect upon their shared experience of the prayer service.   Along with our independent learning time, our freshmen again had the opportunity to participate in virtual Heart2Heart meetings facilitated by senior retreat leaders and sophomores engaged in final training for their virtual ACTS service which will begin in December.

Our seniors spent the day in a Celebration of the Good.  Members of the Class of 2021 gathered in the gym to view the virtual version of our Thanksgiving prayer service together on the jumbotron screen while others joined from home.  At the conclusion of the prayer service, seniors were joined by alumna Michelle Jones ’04 who led the seniors both in-person and virtually in reflecting upon the unique opportunities for leadership that are a result of our unusual circumstances.  Seniors then had the opportunity to gather at the Green to eat and engage in a physically distanced class dance to celebrate the good between them. 

ROCKET RAFFLE TICKETS: We are very excited as we kicked off our student ticket sales which benefit financial assistance last week!   Our goal is to have another RECORD-BREAKING Rocket Raffle which will mean another amazing student Walk! This year The Walk for Assumption (which typically takes place in September) will take place in April 2021!  Thisis our largest fundraising event that our students participate in each year as a community. The raffle drawing will take place at our Annual Rocket Spectacular Benefit, which will be a virtual experience this year on Saturday, January 30, 2021 (more details to come). 

In order to participate in the Walk for Assumption, students must sell a minimum of three Rocket Raffle tickets. Tickets cost $25 each, and the purchaser is entered into a drawing for $20,000!  Students who turn in a minimum of three tickets will receive a Walk for AHS T-shirt in the spring and will be eligible for great incentives (these have been shared with your daughters. We are looking for 100% participation!  

Due to the recent change to go to all virtual instruction, we will be sending an email to the students regarding updated deadlines, drop off times, and incentive updates.  In the meantime, we encourage students to try to sell as many online as possible before DECEMBER 16.  You can begin selling online tickets right now: https://one.bidpal.net/assumptionrocketspectacular. If you have any questions, please contact Tricia Ferree tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org.

CAMPUS STORE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING:  The Assumption online Campus Store has all of your Christmas needs for that special Rocket in your life! Custom/special order pieces for Christmas must be placed by Tuesday, December 1 and all other Christmas orders must be placed by Monday, December 14. Shipping and curbside pickup are available. Please email lauren.lega@ahsrockets.org or call 502-271-2675 to schedule your pickup appointment.

Gratefully,

Martha Tedesco

Principal