Rocket Report – Friday, November 5, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It’s been a great week of celebrating! On Tuesday, we hosted a victory assembly to celebrate our cross country team who won the Cross Country State Championship on Saturday afternoon. We are so proud of our Rocket Runners. Thanks to everyone who came out this season to support the team!
On Wednesday, the Archdiocese of Louisville hosted a luncheon to honor faculty for their years of service to Catholic education. Assumption had a number of honorees for the following years of service: 5 years – Kim Habich; 10 years – Christina Elpers, Judi Erskine, Tiffany Hall, Kevin Monaghan, Stephanie Shelton; 15 years – Leigh Jackson, Erica Lasley; 20 years – James Sutherland; 25 years – Janet Adkins, Teri Campisano, Mary Ann Steutermann, Meg Wicke; 30 years – Jody Schaefer, Paula Spugnardi. Congratulations to all of our faculty who were honored!
HEALTHY AT SCHOOL: To keep our families informed of our COVID cases on campus, we will continue reporting our COVID cases each week via the Rocket Report.
- Since the start of the school year, we have had 35 total COVID cases.
- This week (reporting since 10/29/2021) there were no new COVID cases!
Our vaccination rates continue to rise with 69% of our student body and 100% of our faculty and staff being fully vaccinated for a combined 73% of our school community vaccinated against COVID.
Due to low demand, Wild Health is discontinuing rapid testing here on site at AHS. However, Wild Health will continue to offer free COVID testing on a daily basis at Sullivan University’s College of Pharmacy. This includes both rapid and PCR testing. To receive a rapid test, you must request it otherwise Wild Health will administer a PCR test. Testing is available weekdays from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. and weekends from 12:00-4:00 p.m. To make an appointment, contact Wild Health here.
CALENDAR NOTES:
- 12:30 DISMISSAL DAY: On Friday, November 12 we will be preparing for our Open House on Saturday, November 13. We will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. on Friday to prepare for our visitors. After-school supervision will not be provided, so please make arrangements for your daughters to be picked up by 12:45 p.m.
- OPEN HOUSE HOLIDAY: Monday, November 15, is our Open House holiday, and school will be closed.
- ROSE THEATRE PRODUCTION – SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCES! Thanks to everyone who has made Rose Theatre Company’s production of Steel Magnolias a huge success. We are currently sold out, but we look forward to greeting ticketholders for our performances on November 5 and 6 at 7:00 p.m. and November 7 at 2:00 p.m. Please come to the doors closest to the corner of Tyler Lane and Bardstown Road. Contact COLLEEN MURPHY if you or anyone in your party requires seating without the use of stairs or with the use of a wheelchair.
CAMPUS MINISTRY:
- ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group continues to meet each Tuesday morning from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. in our new chapel. Please park in any open space and enter the school through the main entrance. Please join us for any or all of these opportunities!
- SUPPORT FOR AHS SCHOOL IN CAMBODIA: Students, faculty, and staff participated in a dress-down day in support of Assumption’s school in Cambodia for a minimum donation of $3. This school was built by 2010 AHS alumnae after they learned about how hard it was for young women their own age to get an education there. We raised a total of $3,493.65, which allows nearly 300 students in rural Cambodia to learn English and computer skills.
DUAL 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. 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 except for PreCalculus and Calculus, which 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 Information 2021 – 2022. If you have any questions, contact JUDY FIELDHOUSE .
COLLEGE APPLICATION DEADLINE REMINDERS: If your daughter is applying to a college with a December 15 deadline, her TRAC form is due to Guidance by Thursday, November 18. If your daughter is applying to a college with a January 1 deadline, her TRAC form is due to Guidance by Monday, November 22. If you have any questions about the college application process or deadlines, please reach out to Leigh Jackson (A-K) or Kim Habich (L-Z).
AP CAPSTONE PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT: On Thursday, November 18, at 6:30 p.m., parents and their daughters are invited to attend the AP Capstone Program information night in the Media Center. Access will be available through the CAC entrance. The AP Capstone Program is an “innovative program [that] equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges.” If your daughter is a freshman or sophomore who may take AP Seminar her junior year, or if she is a junior currently enrolled in AP Seminar, then we highly recommend that you and your daughter attend this meeting as it will provide information about the benefits of completing the AP Capstone certificate or diploma. Assumption is the only Catholic high school in Louisville, one of only 23 high schools in the state of Kentucky, and one of only 2,000 schools in the nation to offer this robust research experience. The program will last one hour. Any questions? Contact Kelly Kirwan.
SOME REMINDERS ABOUT ABSENCES: Assumption does not excuse students from school for family trips and/or travel. Please keep this in mind as you are making holiday plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas in particular. If there are mitigating circumstances that might warrant an exception to this policy, please contact Dean of Students CINDI BAUGHMAN well in advance of the dates involved. Students are required to provide a doctor’s note for an absence just before or after an extended break from school for the absence to be excused. Requests for excused absences must be made by the parent/guardian in writing (email to attendance@ahsrockets.org is fine) and should be submitted at least a week an advance. Also, please note that a student must have no grade lower than a C in any of her classes and have strong attendance for an absence that is not medically necessary to be excused. Full details about our attendance and absence policies and procedures can be found beginning on page 44 in the STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK.
INCLEMENT WEATHER: With winter not far away, we would like to remind parents of our inclement weather policies. You may also refer to pages 34-35 of the STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK for detailed information. This is a great time to check your PowerSchool information and make sure you are signed up for text PowerAlerts. When the Archdiocese of Louisville makes a call about school closings due to inclement weather, we will send PowerAlerts to those who have registered. You may also listen to local radio and television stations for an announcement that all Catholic high schools in Jefferson County are closed or on a delayed schedule.
- When the schools are closed, Assumption High School will declare a traditional snow day, virtual learning day, or a digital learning day via the PowerAlert system. The first snow day of the 2021-2022 school year will be a traditional snow day with no digital or virtual learning. When school is closed, all extracurricular and athletic events are cancelled (unless a special exception is approved by the president or principal). See page 54 in the Student-Parent Handbook (link above) for details regarding attendance and assignments and activities on digital and virtual learning days.
- When the school is on a delayed schedule, Assumption will follow our 9:15 a.m. schedule (our usual “Wednesday schedule”), but all morning activities will be cancelled including detention, testing pool, and meetings. In the case of a delayed opening, the school building will open and before school supervision will begin in the cafeteria at 8:15 a.m. If your daughter drives to school or carpools with another student, please note: If parents have concerns about their daughter driving in inclement weather, they should not allow her to drive to school on a day when inclement weather is predicted. If it appears that inclement weather is on the way, we will allow students to leave early (prior to dismissal) only if their parents come to get them — students will not be released based on a phone call or email or because their carpool driver is going home early. This information will be reviewed with students in November.
LEAD & LEARN UPDATE: During LEAD & Learn Time this week, students had the opportunity to participate in activities focused on engagement and leadership. On Tuesday, the school gathered to celebrate our state champion cross country team with a victory assembly. Then on Thursday and Friday, students moved through a rotation of family meetings to plan for Canstruction, participated in homeroom activities for French Week, and attended club leader training. Next week our focus will be how Assumption can come together as a community to support, promote, and execute a successful Open House as we look toward welcoming the Class of 2026.
CANSTRUCTION: Canstruction is coming up! Canstruction is one of the biggest events in our Assumption community. This event provides the opportunity to donate to Dare to Care by bringing in canned goods for those in need. An Assumption tradition since 2006, Canstruction not only provides food for the community at large (over 15,000 pounds of food during our last collection!), but also provides an opportunity for family bonding. The families collect cans in their homerooms as well as strengthen family relationships. Canstruction is Monday, November 22, so that will be the last collection day, but we will begin collecting cans on November 8. We are looking forward to having the Assumption community help the Louisville community through our partnership with Dare to Care!
COMPETITIVE SUMMER PROGRAMS: Parents of juniors interested in applying for the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP): Applications are due to the Guidance Office on Thursday, November 11, at 8:15 a.m. A timeline, helpful online links, and a checklist can be found here: GSP Timeline. Please contact KELLY KIRWAN regarding any questions about the application.
Two other programs available to students include the Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) and the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs (GSE). GSA is available for sophomore and junior students interested in the performing, visual, and creative arts. The application deadline is Sunday, January 9, 2022, and information can be found at here. Students serious about applying are strongly recommended to attend a virtual information session. If a student is interested in GSA, she needs to contact her guidance counselor.
Another program, GSE, is available for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors interested in innovation in business. The application will be available on November 15, 2021. Information about GSE can be found at http://kentuckygse.com/. On Wednesday morning, November 17, Assumption has invited the executive director of GSE to come and speak to interested students. This is a Lead and Learn day, and the meeting will take place before school at 8:30 a.m. in the theater. Even if a student is not enrolled in a business course, we encourage any freshman, sophomore, or junior to attend. For more information about GSE, go to https://kentuckygse.com/. Further questions? Contact SANDY MAXTED or KELLY KIRWAN or any guidance counselor. Students may earn scholarships to attend schools in Kentucky if they are selected for any of these programs.
ASSUMPTION FATHERS’ CLUB – Strengthening Father/Daughter Relationships, Serving the Assumption Community and Socializing: We heard from many of you, and we are very excited to announce a new opportunity for dads to get involved – the Assumption Fathers’ Club. The focus of this group is to strengthen the father/daughter relationship and increase father involvement in the Assumption community from the time your daughter starts as a freshman through her senior year. It is a great way to enhance your daughter’s high school experience and also allowing you to get to know other current AHS dads. More exciting news will be coming in our Rocket Reports. Since this club is just starting, we are in the process of developing the mission, purpose, social activities, etc. There will be a meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 18 in the Assumption cafeteria for those interested in assisting in the club’s development. Please RSVP to Tricia Ferree by November 16th if you plan on attending this formation club meeting. Any questions? Contact Tricia Ferree or Chad Dierken at 502-939-3175 or email tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org
OPEN HOUSE 2021: We will be hosting Open House on Saturday, November 13, from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Families will have the opportunity to receive a personalized tour, meet teachers, students, and other future Rockets as they learn more about our community. They may register online to secure their arrival time here. If you daughter has been asked to work Open House, she will receive training next week during LEAD & Learn time. As always, we want to thank you for your support of this event and sharing it with prospective families!
Gratefully,
Martha Tedesco
Principal