Friday, January 8, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We trust you had a restful Christmas break and are happy to say goodbye to 2020 and welcome a new year! As we start off a new semester, we remain grateful to our parents and students for their continued patience, understanding, and support during these challenging times. A few updates at this time:
HYBRID SCHEDULE RESUMES MONDAY: After meeting with the Archdiocese earlier this week, Catholic schools will resume in person instruction on Monday, January 11. That means Assumption will resume our hybrid schedule starting Monday. That said, and per the direction of the Archdiocese, we will begin this semester with all our health and safety protocols in place. Right now, cases remain high in the community. We know that this is not the time to relax our protocols or let our guard down. Our measures have proven effective as evidenced by the fact that we have had no known transmissions of the disease in our school which is why we need to continue to adhere to our protocols for the health and safety of our community at this time. We remind parents to check your daughter for any COVID-like symptoms before she leaves for school. If she has any symptoms, she should remain home and attend school virtually. In that event, please remember to contact Gail King in our attendance office at 271-2599 as well as notify our school nurse, Laura Burnam at 271-2507.
ADDITIONAL COVID RESOURCES FROM OUR LOCAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: The Archdiocese has also notified schools that additional resources are being dedicated for case reporting and contact tracing purposes. Our local department of health has contracted with a company called Lacuna Health to assist schools with the ongoing requirements of COVID case reporting and contact tracing. Schools will have designated staff from Lacuna Health as a point of contact to streamline the reporting process and support their contact tracing efforts. This is great news for our Catholic schools in managing the heavy demands of reporting and contact tracing. As a reminder, parents must notify our school nurse, Laura Burnam, if their daughter
- Tested positive for COVID-19, or
- Suspects she may have COVID-19, or
- Has been exposed to someone with COVID-19
In addition, a student should stay home and not return to school while COVID-19 testing is in progress under these scenarios:
- If she has been advised by her health care provider to undergo testing; or
- Is undergoing testing because she has symptoms or believes she may have COVID-19; or
- If anyone in her home is being tested for COVID-19 due to symptoms.
A few reminders about quarantines. Our local health department still recommends a full 14-day period of quarantine in instances where an individual has had close contact with someone who is COVID positive as well as for out of state travel. If your daughter has close contact with someone who is COVID positive, she will need to serve a 14-day period of quarantine before returning to the building. In addition, parents are asked to adhere to the State of Kentucky’s travel advisory which currently discourages all out of state travel. If your daughter does travel out of state, again, she is required to serve a 14-day quarantine. In both of these scenarios, students have the ability to attend classes virtually.
COVID VACCINE: Finally, some good news about COVID. K-12 school personnel are in the Phase 1b priority group for COVID vaccine administration in the state of Kentucky. February 1, 2021 is the current date to begin vaccines for school personnel throughout the state. We are working with the Archdiocese and our local health department on having our faculty, staff, coaches, and other school personnel vaccinated.
COVID NUMBERS: As we did last semester, Assumption will report our number of COVID positive cases and quarantines for any individuals associated with our school on a weekly basis in the Rocket Report. We will begin reporting based on the start of the semester which was Tuesday, January 5. As of yesterday, we had 2 positive COVID cases and 0 quarantines. (1/5 through 1/7). Both cases were students. As a reminder to our parents, Assumption is required to report positive cases and quarantines of all individuals associated with our school to the State of Kentucky, our local health department as well as the Archdiocese of Louisville.
As always, thank you for your support and commitment to the safety of our entire community.
CALENDAR NOTES:
- DAILY SCHEDULE: Next week we resume our traditional hybrid schedule:
- Monday, January 11 – Day 1: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort
- Tuesday, January 12 – Day 2: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort
- Wednesday, January 13 – LEAD & Learn Wednesday: All Cohorts Digital at Home
- Thursday, January 14 – Day 3: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort
- Friday, January 15 – Day 4: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort
- COLLEGE WORKSHOP AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION FOR SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS, AND PARENTS: Attention, all sophomore and junior parents and students – please mark your calendars for Thursday, January 14, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a college workshop. This event will be virtual via Teams. An email with more specific information will be sent next week. Parents and students will have the opportunity to choose from breakout sessions on topics such as Mastering the College Application Essay, Helpful Strategies for Standardized Testing, the Governor’s Scholars Program, Purposeful Planning and Course Selection, Career Exploration and Choosing a Major, and many more. If you have any questions, please contact LEIGH JACKSON or KIMBERLY HABICH, our College Counselors.
CAMPUS MINISTRY:
- PARENT PRAYER: Prayer will resume its weekly schedule on Tuesday, January 12, from 8:30-9:00 a.m. via Zoom by using this link and ID/Password: Join Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75488139027?pwd=UDQrM3BDWlZRbElEbWdUL1FQRE4wZz09, Meeting ID: 754 8813 9027, passcode: prayer. All are invited!
CLASS OF 2021 SPECIAL INFORMATION – Senior Parents:
- SPECIAL CLASS OF 2021 SECOND SEMESTER OPENING ACTIVITY: On our LEAD and Learn Wednesday next week, seniors will be participating in a special afternoon class activity via Teams designed to give our seniors an opportunity to come together to reflect on how to make the most of their final semester at Assumption. There will be a special guest speaker and activities designed to dialogue and set personal and class commitments as they come together for the first time in THEIR year – 2021! Please make sure your senior has this special activity on her calendar for 12:15-1:30 p.m. next Wednesday!
- SENIOR RETREAT: Senior parents – We are excited to offer a senior retreat experience for the Class of 2021. The retreats will include the traditional components of our Christian Awakening retreat and will be taking place from Tuesday evening to Thursday early afternoon but will not include an overnight stay due to health concerns. This experience mirrors what other Catholic schools have decided. These retreats will take place at Highland Hall with all health and safety protocols in place. Tuesday evening will be virtual with Wednesday and Thursday being in-person. An email was sent yesterday, January 8, from Retreat Director, Julia Scudder, filled with information on the details of senior retreat this semester. Your daughters were sent a registration form in which they were invited to rank their date choices. Please encourage them to fill this out no later than Friday, January 15. We know this will be a different experience, but we are very excited to offer this opportunity to your daughters! Please contact Julia Scudder at Julia.scudder@ahsrockets.org if you have any questions regarding retreat.
DROP/ADD DEADLINE: Drop/add for second semester elective courses ends on Friday, January 15. Mrs. Fieldhouse and Mrs. Schuhmann met with students before Christmas break and have been meeting with students this week for schedule changes and will continue to do so next week. Students were notified via morning announcements and email about how to book a schedule change appointment with their deans via youcanbookme. They will be available from 3:15-4:15 Monday-Thursday of next week and from3:15-3:45 on Friday. Students can go to the corresponding link below to schedule an appointment with her dean:
- Mrs. Fieldhouse (A – K): https://fieldhouse.youcanbook.me
- Mrs. Schuhmann (L – Z): https://schuhmann.youcanbook.me/
The student’s dean will call during the appointment time on Microsoft Teams. Students should be available and able to meet on Teams during the appointment time that they choose. Any elective schedule change request must be verified by an email from a parent before the change will be made. Elective changes will not be possible after next Friday.
FIRST SEMESTER REPORT CARDS: First semester report cards were emailed to parents on Tuesday, January 5. If you believe you have not received your daughter’s report card, please check your junk mail folder as emails from Assumption are sometimes diverted to these folders. If it is not in that folder, please contact our registrar, KATHY FLEISCHER, for assistance.
LEAD & LEARN WEDNESDAY UPDATE: During next week’s LEAD & Learn Wednesday, students who are enrolled in second semester dual credit classes will meet via Teams with Mrs. Fieldhouse about the registration process for these courses at 8:30 a.m. After meeting in homeroom, students will have independent learning time through lunch while the faculty and staff meet for professional development in preparation for our accreditation visit in March. After lunch, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will meet for their first class meetings of the semester. Seniors will have a special Class of 2021 second semester opening activity. Our freshmen will continue with Heart to Heart meetings as part of an on-going virtual retreat experience led by senior retreat leaders, and our sophomores will continue their virtual ACTS service with Semple Elementary. Additionally, our elected student leaders will participate in their annual winter student leadership workshop via Teams to prepare for second semester.
IMPORTANT LUNCH REMINDERS FROM FLIK: Please remind your daughter to pre-order her lunch for Monday if she plans to have FLIK provide her lunch on her hybrid in-person days. Lunch orders must be submitted by 8:30 a.m. the morning of but can be ordered a week in advance through this link: www.flikisdining.com. Your daughter will receive an email confirmation when the order is placed, If she does not receive a confirmation email, the order was not received by FLIK. For full information about the lunch ordering process, please click on this link: INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING LUNCH MENU AND ORDERING
- MAIN ENTRÉE LUNCH MENU for January 11-15: Pita Pizza Foldover (Tomato Basil, Cheese, or Pepperoni), Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Beef Chili with Noodles
- CANCELLING ORDERS IF DAUGHTER IS ABSENT: If your daughter has pre-ordered lunch and is absent on that day, please go to the website and cancel your daughter’s order before 8:00 a.m. on the day the lunch is to be delivered or the lunch will be charged to your account.
- FORGOTTEN LUNCH: If a student realizes that she has forgotten her lunch once she is at school, she can order from www.flikisdining.com until 8:30 a.m. After 8:30 your daughter can order from a limited menu through a “Late Flik Orders” link on Student SharePoint. Orders must be submitted by 8:45 a.m.
FINANCIAL AID FORM: The financial aid link for 2021-2022 has been added to the school’s website. The due date is February 28 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.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY (NHS) APPLICATIONS: Any sophomore or junior who is interested in applying for NHS should receive an email about this process on Wednesday, January 13. A student must have at least a 3.70 unweighted cumulative GPA, no more than one demerit on her discipline record at the time records are checked, and experience in school extracurricular activities, leadership, and documented service. Any student who wishes to apply MUST view an informational video. Students will complete a follow-up form that attests to the fact that they have viewed the video. The video will address how to apply and what can and cannot be considered for the application. Students already inducted and granted membership in NHS do NOT need to go through this process again. Students may attend one of two different Q&A sessions for follow-up questions. Those dates for the Q&A sessions will be supplied in the email on January 13. Applications will be due by 3:10 p.m. on Thursday, February 18. NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS DEADLINE! Questions about applying to NHS can be directed to NHS advisers KELLY KIRWAN or KIM HABICH.
CARPOOL LINE “NO IDLING” REMINDER: A message to parents from student Katherine Hudson of the Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC): Did you know that for every 10 minutes your car is off, you can prevent over one pound of carbon dioxide being released? Research has shown that idling cars produce over 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, which is one of the leading sources of pollution. Please try to keep Assumption green by turning your cars completely off when in carpool or sitting in the parking lot! Here are two idling tips the Environmental Defense Fund has to share: Warm up your car by driving it, not by idling. Turn off your ignition when waiting more than 10 seconds. Practicing these healthy habits will save your money and fuel, the air, and the environment!
RPN NEWS: The Rocket Parent Network has two new helpful resources to recommend to parents:
- Talking to Your High Schooler About Alcohol: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/320335/ (Hit “skip” at the sign-in page)
- 5 Strategies to Raise Drug-Free Kids: Drug-Free Kids
We would love for you to join our next planning meeting on Tuesday, January 12, at 6 p.m. Here is a Zoom link for the meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85761234053?pwd=RWp6d3RvU3YrUzNsMXl6TVlHK0c0QT09. Meeting ID: 857 6123 4053 Passcode: 7bs8VN
For more information about the Rocket Parent Network or to join, please visit: Link to RPN
ROCKET RAFFLE TICKETS: 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. 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! The final deadline for ticket sales is January 12, Maroon Cohort, and January 15, Blue Cohort. 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@ahsrockets.org.
ASSUMPTION PARENT ORGANIZATION (APO) NEWS: Rocket Spectacular Virtual Benefit Auction: Last call for donations to the Rocket Spectacular! If you have not yet had the chance to donate and would like to, now is your time. Help make this event a terrific success! All proceeds benefit the financial needs of our students. Please send in any donations no later than Friday, January 15. Thank you for any support you can provide to ensure the success of the Rocket Spectacular. Any questions, please contact TRICIA FERREE.
- FREE TUITION RAFFLE: We are very excited to announce our FREE tuition raffle for the 2021-2022 school year. Each raffle ticket is $100 and only 300 tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to read more about the official rules and purchase raffle tickets online!
- “NEW” WHEEL OF CHANCE RAFFLE: Only 25 chances will be sold per item. Check it out now! https://www.ahsrockets.org/support-ahs/rocket-spectacular/. Don’t wait they will go fast!
HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST MAKE-UP DATE: The make-up High School Placement Test (HSPT) for students who were unable to make the December 12 online test is Saturday, January 9, at 9:00 a.m. held virtually with Assumption. Eighth-grade students register online here.
Gratefully,
Martha Tedesco
Principal