Friday, December 18, 2020
Dear Parents,
This is the last Rocket Report of the semester – and what a semester it has been! We are so grateful for our faculty and staff who have worked tirelessly and creatively despite the challenges presented by a global pandemic to continue the tradition of excellence that is inherent to an Assumption education. We are also thankful for our students who have shown resilience and tenacity as they have navigated this unique school year while maintaining their commitment to stay true to who we are as a community and make Assumption home. Lastly, we are blessed to have the support of our parents as we have walked this unusual journey together. On behalf of the faculty and staff, we wish you all a blessed Christmas.
May your celebration of the birth of Jesus this season
Open you to the true joy and lasting peace of Christ.
May what began in a simple manger on that night so long ago
Continue in our hearts every day of the coming year.
As we have done now for the past several months, we continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 positive cases associated with our school and report this information to our school community. As of yesterday, Assumption’s COVID-19 numbers for this week are: (12/11, 12/14, 12/15, 12/16, 12/17)
- 3 new positive COVID-19 cases (students)
- 0 new quarantine cases
- 56 total positive COVID-19 cases as reported to our local department of health as of August 1, 2020 (51 students and 5 staff)
It’s important to note that there have been no known transmissions of COVID here at AHS.
As part of our Student Return to School under COVID-19 policy, students and their families are asked to comply with Kentucky’s travel advisory then in effect. On December 14, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) revised its travel guidance to discourage all out-of-state leisure travel until further notice. If persons do engage in out-of-state leisure travel, they are urged to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days when they return to Kentucky. Although the CDC indicates that the there are instances when the quarantine period can be reduced to 10 days, our local health department still recommends maintaining a 14 days travel quarantine as the surest and safest way to curb the spread of the disease.
As you know, the Archdiocese under direction from our local health department instituted a holiday buffer to allow families the opportunity to celebrate the holidays together while providing a period of time for “quarantine” between holiday celebrations and the safe return to in-person school. As we stated in the past, the holiday buffer is not meant to extend travel but to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and help keep our schools safe upon returning to in-person instruction.
In line with this recent change from the state, we recommend families avoid travel over break. In the event a student does travel over break, she must serve a 14-day travel quarantine prior to returning to in-person instruction. In this situation a student may attend school virtually during her quarantine and must notify the school nurse on January 5. As a reminder, school resumes virtually January 5th through the 8th (holiday buffer days) with in-person instruction under our hybrid model starting January 11th.
As a reminder, AHS has a continuing legal obligation to report any positive cases and quarantines to the Archdiocese, our local department of health, and the State of Kentucky for every day school is in “session”. This applies to faculty, staff, and students. Beginning again on Tuesday, January 5, 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.
As always, thank you for your support and commitment to the safety of our entire community.
CALENDAR NOTES:
- CHRISTMAS BREAK: Assumption will be closed for Christmas Break from December 21 – January 4. Virtual classes will resume on Tuesday, January 5.
- SECOND SEMESTER – WEBSITE CALENDAR: The school calendar has been updated for January and February 2021. As previously announced, we will begin second semester with our all-virtual schedule January 5-8. We plan to return to our hybrid schedule on Monday, January 11. For planning purposes, we have set the calendar through February at this time. As we have throughout the year, we will continue to monitor the course of the pandemic circumstances and guidance given to us by the Archdiocese of Louisville, the local health department, and the state. As always, we feel confident in our ability to pivot to any of our three learning models as indicated by current circumstances. Website calendar: https://www.ahsrockets.org/events/event/
CAMPUS MINISTRY – PARENT PRAYER: The Parent Prayer group will not meet next week. Parent Prayer will resume its weekly schedule on Tuesday, January 12, from 8:30-9:00 a.m. via Zoom.
STUDENTS WHO MISSED TESTS/QUIZZESS THIS WEEK: If your daughter missed a test or quiz this week, she MUST take it in testing pool on Monday, December 21 so her teacher can get it graded and include the score in her grade for first semester. If she doesn’t take it in testing pool on Monday, her teacher will have no option but to record the grade as a zero. Students will receive information via email from Kevin Monaghan, who conducts testing pool via Teams, regarding testing pool times and other important information; Mr. Monaghan will schedule a specific time for your daughter to make up her missed test/quiz. If there are extenuating circumstances that make it impossible for your daughter to take make-up tests/quizzes in testing pool on Monday, please contact her dean of studies (JUDY FIELDHOUSE for students A-K last names or THERESA SCHUHMANN for students L-Z last names) ASAP if your daughter hasn’t already done so.
ACCREDITATION SURVEY: Because of Assumption’s commitment to continuous improvement for excellence, we are currently preparing for a Cognia (formerly AdvancEd) accreditation review in March 2021. We are surveying students, parents, faculty, and staff. If you haven’t done so already, please take 15-20 minutes TODAY to take the survey in the link below. This survey is a confidential survey – all responses are anonymous. For best results, it is suggested to open the survey in Chrome browser. Our goal is to have each student represented in the parent survey response, so we ask that at least one parent of each student take the survey – more than one is even better! Please respond to this survey by TODAY, Friday, December 18. Thank you, in advance, for helping us shape the future of Assumption High School with your feedback. We value your input! Cognia Accreditation Parent Survey: https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/150502/17617
LEAD & LEARN WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Our last LEAD & Learn Wednesday of the semester showed the heart of our Assumption community. Students began the day in homeroom where their homeroom community of students and teachers had the opportunity to celebrate the season of Christmas together. Each class then met to mark the season of Advent by praying together as part of their class meetings. Director of campus ministry, Mary Ann Steutermann, led freshmen, sophomores, and juniors through a reflection upon waiting, something that is particularly poignant for us in this challenging year, and asked students to reflect upon how this time of waiting may provide time for growth or rebirth in them. Our seniors’ focus was slightly different as the Class of 2021 gathered to remember their classmate, Chioma Obi, who died unexpectedly in December of their freshman year. The seniors gave thanks for Chioma and for each other. In addition, freshmen participated in virtual Heart to Heart meetings facilitated by senior retreat leaders and sophomores continued their virtual ACTS service with students from Semple Elementary. Additionally, juniors and seniors involved in our STOP advocacy program met to continue their work as well.
FIRST SEMESTER GRADE REPORTS: First semester grade reports will be emailed to parents on Tuesday, January 5.
SECOND SEMESTER STUDENT SCHEDULES: Students should follow their schedule in PowerSchool for virtual classes beginning on Tuesday, January 5. Hard copies of the second semester schedules will be given to students during in-person homeroom the week of Monday, January 11. Students have already had the opportunity to schedule a meeting with their deans with any scheduling questions. Drop/Add for second semester elective courses ends on Friday, January 15. Any elective schedule change request must be accompanied by a note or an email from a parent.
SECOND SEMESTER BOOKS: Christmas break is a good time to check and make sure students have all of their second semester books. Please go to https://bnck-12.com/ahsrockets to review this list.
SECOND SEMESTER COHORT CHANGE REQUESTS: As previously announced, we will begin second semester with four days of all virtual learning for all students, January 5- 8. We are currently planning to return to our Hybrid model combining both in-person and virtual learning options on Monday, January 11. We will send all parents/guardians a special message via email on Wednesday, December 30, with a link to a Cohort Change Request Form for Second Semester. We are waiting to send the form until after Christmas so you will be able to have the most current COVID-19 data available as you make a decision about your daughter’s schooling for second semester. At that time, if you would like your daughter to move to a different cohort than what she was in at the end of first semester, you will need to complete and submit the change request form no later than Wednesday, January 6.
DRIVING PERMIT TEST FORM: Kentucky requires that your daughter obtains a School Compliance Form from her high school in order for her to take the driving permit test. If your daughter is planning on taking her permit test over the Christmas break and she has not obtained this form, please contact the school before Friday, December 18, at 4:00 p.m. The office will not open again until Tuesday, January 5, at 8:00 a.m., so please plan ahead to obtain this form to ensure your daughter can take her test at her scheduled time. Per requirements of the DMV, this form cannot be emailed, scanned or faxed; therefore, the original copy will need to be mailed or picked up at school. Please call 502-458-9551, option ”0” if you need further assistance regarding this issue.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY APPLICATIONS: The Assumption High School chapter of the National Honor Society is a robust group of students who demonstrate the highest standards in their academics, leadership, character, service, and extracurricular involvement. An eligible student 1) is a sophomore or junior, 2) has an unweighted 3.7 GPA, 3) has no more than one demerit on her discipline record, and 4) can demonstrate extracurricular involvement and leadership at AHS, and 5) has a record of performing service in her community. In mid-to-late January, there will be virtual informational meetings held for any sophomore or junior interested in applying. Applications will be due in late February. Students who are interested should consider finding ways in the next couple of months to add service opportunities to their experiences. Because of the pandemic, students are encouraged to think outside of the box regarding these service opportunities. Have questions? Contact Kelly.Kirwan@ahsrockets.org.
FINANCIAL AID FORM: The financial aid link for 2021-2022 has been added to the school’s website. The due date is February 28, 2021, and the form must be submitted online to FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment. FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION LINK. As a reminder, you are required to file every year to receive assistance.
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! This is our largest fundraising event 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 all-virtual instruction, we have provided more dates and times for you to drop off your paper Rocket Raffle ticket stubs/payment and Rocket Spectacular donations. Students or parents may pull up next to the CAC lobby and someone will run out to get them on the following dates and times:
- From 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5; Thursday, January 7
- From 5:00-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6
In the meantime, we encourage students to try to sell as many online as possible. https://one.bidpal.net/assumptionrocketspectacular. If you have any questions, please contact Tricia Ferree tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org.
ASSUMPTION PARENT ORGANIZATION (APO) NEWS: The Rocket Spectacular Virtual Benefit Auction will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2021 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. DONATIONS: Do you have a connection to a business? We need help in building a great selection of items for our guests to bid on in our auction. Contact Colleen Nawab at colleennawab@gmail.com or Laura Matis at lauramatis@yahoo.com. For more information please go to https://www.ahsrockets.org/support-ahs/rocket-spectacular/
FAIR TRADE SHOPPING WEEK: The Environmental Concerns Committee is hosting a fair trade shopping week at Just Creations, 2722 Frankfort Avenue. The ECC will receive 15% of any purchase by an identified AHS supporter from Monday, December 14, through Saturday, December 19. Join the ECC as they support a store that not only protects the rights and dignity of workers but also strives for environmental sustainability! Remember to tell the store clerk you are from Assumption High School. This fundraiser applies to in-store and curbside purchases but not online purchases.
Gratefully,
Martha Tedesco
Principal