October 12, 2022

Theresa Schuhmann and Judy Fieldhouse

The month of October is an important one as we work to help empower our students to reach their full academic potential. As a college preparatory environment, we want to make sure students are prepared with skills to help achieve their college and scholarship goals. One aspect of that process is preparing students to take the standardized tests that play a role in the college admission process. Throughout October, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have the opportunity to take standardized tests that serve as building blocks toward the ACT and SAT. Today freshmen, sophomores, and juniors completed either the PreACT or the PSAT. Next week on Tuesday, October 18, all juniors will take the National ACT at school as part of the school day. They will have the same opportunity again in March. 

Providing students the opportunity to take these tests is only one piece of the puzzle. When these test results are returned to students later this year, teachers will take time in classes and during LEAD & Learn time to coach students on how to analyze their performance on these tests and use the results to set personal goals for growth. The process of reviewing their strengths and areas for improvement each year helps to demystify the standardized testing process for students and provide tools and resources that empower them to take ownership of their preparation and planning leading up to the ACT or SAT. 

We know that you are doing your part at home to emphasize how your daughter can maximize this opportunity, including by encouraging her get a good night’s sleep the night before the test, to come prepared with her calculator and pencils, and to eat a good breakfast! We will follow up in the Rocket Report later this year to tell you more about the standardized test prep analysis work and how you can support her in that review at home as well. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to contact us for additional follow up.

It was wonderful celebrating our grandparents at our Grandparents Mass on Sunday. It is always a blessing to have the opportunity to share in prayer with our students and their families!

UPCOMING FALL BREAK – Thursday, October 13 – Monday, October 17: On our Fall Break holidays, school will not be in session.  Classes will resume on Tuesday, October 18, for freshmen, sophomores, and seniors. Juniors will take the National ACT at school on this day.

NATIONAL ACT FOR JUNIORS: All juniors will be taking the National ACT on Tuesday, October 18. Juniors will not attend any of their classes on this day and will be dismissed at approximately 12:30. This test is offered at no additional cost to our families and can be used to send to colleges and universities; it also serves as an excellent resource to use as a baseline and goal-setting score for the March 22, 2023 National ACT, also given to juniors during the school day. Please help your daughter remember to eat a good breakfast, check her calculator battery, and to bring her favorite #2 pencil.

ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group will NOT meet on October 18 due to Fall Break. We wish all our families a safe and restful break!

ALL SAINTS DAY AND ALL SOULS DAY: The Assumption community will celebrate All Saints Day with a Mass at St. Raphael at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1.  At this Mass, we will honor the saints who have come before us as well as those in our own lives. Because November 2 is All Souls Day, we will also prayerfully recognize the family members of anyone in the AHS community who has died during the past year as well as ALL Assumption alumnae who have passed on at any time during a prayer service in students’ theology classes that week. We will ask students to share the names of any family members they may have lost this past year so they can be part of this special remembrance, and we invite you to do the same. If you have lost a family member in the past calendar year, please send this person’s full name to GAIL KING by Monday, October 24.

This week, students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday with an activity planned by Assumption’s Diversity Club. After Fall Break, students will hear from our Mary Byron Scholars about domestic violence awareness. Additionally, freshmen and seniors will have class meetings after Fall Break. Seniors will discuss Mission Week plans and freshmen will hear about our aviation program and international travel opportunities. All students will enjoy a mental health break during homeroom on Friday, October 21, as they enjoy some unstructured time. 

WORK IT WEDNESDAY – OCTOBER SCHEDULE: There will be NO Work It Wednesday on October 19 due to a faculty meeting. However, the Achievement Center will be hosting a Work It Wednesday on October 26. Students are invited to come to the Media Center from 7:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to receive extra support in their classes. We ask students to please RSVP in advance to ensure we can meet everyone’s needs.

ROSE THEATRE PRODUCTION: This fall, Rose Theatre Company is proud to present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In this musical, an eclectic group of spellers vie for the championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the group of tweens spells its way through a series of words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! Performances will be October 28 and 29 at 7:00 p.m.; October 30 at 2 p.m.; November 3, 4, and 5 at 7:00 p.m.; and November 6 at 2:00 p.m. November 3 will be a Rocket Night with special features for future Rockets and alumni! Tickets are available at www.showtix4u.com. If you or anyone in your party needs assistance with handicap accessibility, please contact Colleen Murphy at colleen.murphy@ahsrockets.org or by calling Assumption x2559.

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE: Assumption is hosting an American Red Cross blood drive on October 20-21. Interested student donors must be at least 16 years old and may sign up to donate during their study block. Students who are 16 must have parental permission; students 17 and older may give without parental permission. We encourage you to talk with your daughter if she plans to donate and ensure that she understands the importance of eating well and drinking lots of fluids several days prior to donation day. The Red Cross provides more information for students at this link: Red Cross Student Guide to Blood Donation.pdf. If a parent of a student is interested in donating at this drive, we do have some open appointment times. Please contact diane.darst@ahsrockets.org for scheduling.  Thank you.

POWDERPUFF FOOTBALL: Save the date! Family Council is partnering with Athletics for our first AHS Family Powderpuff Tournament on Sunday, October 23, at 1 p.m. at The Green. Family and friends are welcome to come cheer on their Rockets as each family competes in the tournament. Admission is $3 for kids and $5 for adults with all proceeds being donated to local nonprofits supported by our Family Compassion Connections. Interested in living out your NFL coaching career dreams? Contact Julia Scudder if you may be able to help our teams on the field on October 23!

FRESHMAN-SOPHOMORE SEMI-FORMAL DANCE We hope that our freshmen and sophomores are looking forward to attending this year’s dance for their classes on Saturday, November 19. This dance is a traditional semi-formal school dance, and students may choose to bring a guest if they wish. We are aware that many students who are excited about attending have started shopping for the dance!  With that in mind, our dean of students, Cindi Baughman, emailed information about the dress code for the dance to the freshmen and sophomores this week. That information is linked here: DRESS CODE INFORMATION. Please take a few minutes to look it over and to review and then to discuss with your daughter so you can help her know what is expected if she is making plans to attend and deciding what to wear to the event. As the dance gets closer, we will share information about our usual dance policies and expectations along with information about the theme and ticket details in a class meeting and with reminder emails and announcements.   

CANDY DONATION REQUEST & ASSUMPTION FAMILY HALLOWEEN NIGHT: The Assumption Alumnae Association and Marketing & Admissions office have teamed up to host the annual Family Halloween Night on Thursday, October 20, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. This event is open to all AHS alumnae, faculty, staff, and families! There will be activities including trick or treating, character stops, face painting, cookie decorating, coloring, and more. Parents are invited to donate a bag of candy that would be used to support the event. Click here to sign up to donate candy. If you wish to attend the event, please sign up here for a time slot. The event is open to all but is geared towards elementary-aged children or younger. For more information about the event, please contact ABBY MARTIN. 

ROSE AWARD NOMINATIONS: Current parents, past parents, alumnae, students, faculty, and staff are invited to nominate a current administrator, faculty, or staff member who has made a significant difference in their lives or the lives of their daughters. The Rose Award is a $5,000 grant endowed by an anonymous donor to recognize an Assumption employee who serves as a role model and is a positive influence in our community. Past winners are Katie Hughbanks, Cindi Baughman, Kelly Kirwan, Kathy Fleischer, Dawn Deweese, Angela Lincoln, Barry Haworth, Jackie Metry, Doug Sumey, Judi Erskine, James Sutherland, Mary Ann Steutermann, and Janet Adkins along with several other retired faculty and staff members. These individuals aren’t eligible to win again. Nominations may be submitted HERE and are due by Friday, October 21. Nominations must include a detailed description (three-paragraph minimum) supporting your nomination. The award will be presented at the Thanksgiving Celebration on Tuesday, November 22. If chosen, your nomination submission may be read at the prayer service.

ASSUMPTION ROCKET MEN (ARM) NEWS: The Assumption Rocket Men will host the First Annual Assumption Cornhole Invitational on Sunday, October 23, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the Assumption Green. Students and their dads or a significant Assumption RocketMAN in their life can come and enjoy an afternoon of cornhole, music, snacks and fun! RSVP by Wednesday, October 19, through this link: https://assumption.wufoo.com/forms/rocketman-cornhole-invitational/ If you have any questions, please contact Tricia Ferree tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org or Chad Dierken at 502-939-3175.

CLASS OF 2023 INFORMATION CONFIRMATION MAILING: Parents of the Class of 2023: The week, a hard copy memo was sent to your daughter via homeroom. It contained a form asking for confirmation of the spelling/accuracy of your daughter’s name for official graduation documents and programs. It is due in the school office by Wednesday, November 9. Even if no changes need to be made, please make sure to return a signed copy to the main office by November 9.

JUNIOR ACTS SERVICE HOURS: This is a reminder that the first seven (7) service hours for Junior ACTS are due on Friday October 21, for all students who are currently taking Catholic Social Teaching. These hours will need to be logged and verified in MobileServe by 8 a.m. on October 21 for them to be approved and counted. The remaining eight (8) hours will be due on December 9. Fall break would be an excellent time to get some service in!

ADDITIONAL ACTS SURVEY: Thank you so much to those of you who filled out the survey sent about your daughter’s ACTS agency placement. Your information and insights will be so helpful in matching your daughter to a meaningful service experience. On ADDITIONAL ACTS SURVEY: Thank you so much to those of you who filled out the survey sent about your daughter’s ACTS agency placement. Your information and insights will be so helpful in matching your daughter to a meaningful service experience. On Wednesday, you should have received a special email message explaining that many of our ACTS agencies have  new policies regarding vaccinations, immunizations, and TB testing. To place your student in an appropriate agency, we need to gather some information from you regarding these matters. In the email was a link to THIS FORM. Please complete by Friday, October 21. If you do not feel comfortable sharing all or some of this information, please still complete the survey. There is a “prefer not to answer” option for every question on the survey. If we do not have this information about your student, we will have to place her in an agency that does not have a vaccine or immunization requirement. As was previously shared with both you and your student, we will do our best to honor what you have said in your survey and what she has shared about her preferences, but her vaccination and immunization status could influence her agency placement. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Katie Culver at katie.culver@ahsrocket.org.

Pam Conway, Achievement Center Director, for being honored with a WLKY Community Bell Award for her amazing volunteer work at the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs. Pam is so passionate about this cause and has given countless hours to helping others in need. A special one-hour telecast of the Bell Awards will be aired on WLKY on Saturday, October 15, from 8:00-9:00 p.m. if you would like to tune in! Here is a link about the awardees: WLKY BELL AWARDS

Congratulations to:

  • Both the varsity and JV cross country teams for winning their races at the Manhattan Invitational in New York.
  • The field hockey team for going 2-1 in Virginia Beach beating two teams ranked in the top 15 nationally.
  • The soccer team for beating Central 14-0 in the first round of the regional tournament.

Next week in Athletics:

Wednesday, October 12

  • Field hockey vs. North Oldham 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 13

  • Volleyball @ Notre Dame (freshman 5:30 p.m., JV 6:30 p.m. and varsity 7:30 p.m.)
  • Soccer regional semifinals 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 15

  • Field hockey regional semifinals 11:00 a.m.
  • Soccer regional semifinals TBD

Monday, October 17

  • Field hockey regional finals TBD

Tuesday, October 18

  • Volleyball district finals 7:45 p.m.

Winter Sport Tryout Information:

Archery: Tuesday, November 1, at Highland Hall from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Student athletes must attend to be on the team. Parent meeting to follow tryouts at 7:00 p.m. Please email archery@ahsrockets.org with questions.

Basketball: Freshman tryouts in the Assumption gym on Tuesday, October 18, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, October  19,from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Please follow Rocket Sports on Social media for schedule updates and scores!