October 28, 2022

Kelsey Gunter, Manager of Marketing & Admissions

If I were to say the phrase, “it’s the most magical place on Earth,” I imagine that most people would think of Disney. But for me, I immediately think of Assumption Open House. There is a certain level of Disney magic that takes over our building as more than half of the Assumption community willingly shows up on a Saturday afternoon to welcome Future Rockets and their families. It’s an incredible sight to see hundreds of students motivated by the love and passion we share for the Community of Assumption.

During Open House, families of sixth, seventh, or eighth grade students are invited to explore Assumption and the things that matter most in their high school search. In recent years we have created an experience that allows every Future Rocket to have a personalized view of the ways she can find her unique excellence at Assumption. On Open House day everything about our community is on full display, from academics and clubs, athletics and intramurals, McAuley Scholars and Learning Differences, the family program and leadership opportunities, guidance and the achievement center, and so much more.

As we near the two week countdown before this year’s Open House, we ask you, our parents, to help us continue the legacy of Assumption by personally inviting a prospective family to our Open House on Saturday, November 12, between 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Families can register for the event online by visiting our website here. We also posted the event information to Facebook and Instagram and encourage you to share via social media.

Thank you for all that you do to support Assumption High School!

Break a leg to our Rose Theatre Rockets on their opening night of the fall musical! Come out and see this hilarious, family-friendly comedy: The Putnam County 25th Annual Spelling Bee. Shows are happening this weekend and next and tickets can be purchased here.

ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group will meet on November 1 from 8:30–9:00 a.m. in the AHS chapel and will continue to meet each Tuesday morning throughout the school year. Please park in any open space and enter the school through the main entrance. During the year, we pray for every student by name twice. Next week, we will be praying for the CARLOW Family Freshmen. Please join us for any or all of these opportunities!

This past week, students learned about bystander empowerment through our Green Dot Week sponsored by our Green Dot club. Juniors learned about class ring options from Balfour, and sophomores learned about simple technology repairs.  Also, students had a mental break with unstructured homeroom time on Friday. 

Next week, freshmen and sophomores will hold a collaborative class meeting to learn more information about the upcoming school dance.  Additionally, all students will have time to plan and prepare for our upcoming LEAD & Learn Day on November 9 by setting goals and hearing about options for their time on that date. 

LEAD & LEARN WEDNESDAY ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9: We are looking forward to our second LEAD & Learn Wednesday of the year which will take place on Wednesday, November 9. Students invited specifically to attend an academic help session will be notified by their teachers by Thursday, November 3, via email, and a parent/guardian will be copied on the email. Please remember, we strongly recommend that students attend if an invitation is extended. During LEAD & Learn Time on Friday, November 4, students will receive information in homeroom about educational extension opportunities offered by faculty and staff and will be asked to develop their plans for their purposeful use of November 9 to specifically work to achieve their academic and co-curricular goals for this semester. Please be sure to talk with your daughter about her plans for this day as her plan must be submitted for her attendance on November 9 via an attendance online survey. Students may arrive for their scheduled meetings, if applicable, after 12:00 p.m. Supervised study in the cafeteria is available between 12:00-4:30 p.m.  Please consult this message sent out prior to our first LEAD & Learn Wednesday on September 28 to review general details of these days: SPECIAL MESSAGE TO PARENTS – LEAD & LEARN WEDNESDAYS.

STRATEGIC PLAN SURVEY: AHS is in the process of developing our next institutional strategic plan, and we are seeking your critical input as to what success looks like for AHS in 2028 and beyond. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and provide your feedback as we work to chart the future course of Assumption. The survey closes on Monday, October 31. Thanks so much! CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY

MOTHER-DAUGHTER BUNCO: A long-standing Assumption tradition is back this year in a big way. The Rocket Parent Network’s Mother/Daughter Bunco will be held on Tuesday, November 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Students are encouraged to bring their mom or a female role model in their life to this super fun event. RPN will have lots of door prizes and lots of snacks. Admission is only $5 per duo, and you do not need to have any prior knowledge of bunco to play and have a great time.  

AP CAPSTONE PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT – Save the date!  On Thursday, November 17, at 6:30 p.m., parents and their daughters are invited to attend the AP Capstone information night in the Media Center. Access will be available through the CAC entrance. The AP Capstone Diploma 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 recommend that you and your daughter attend this meeting. The program will last one hour. Any questions? Contact COLLEEN MURPHY .

WORK STUDY PROGRAM – HELP WANTED: Assumption is accepting applications for our Work Study program. Students participating in Work Study receive a $400 tuition credit for 40 hours worked. At this time, we are only looking for students who are available to work Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Please submit applications for Work Study by Friday, November 11. For more information about Work Study and to apply, please click here.

INCLEMENT WEATHER: With winter not far away, we would like to remind parents of our inclement weather policies. You may also refer to 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 2022-2023 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).
  • 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 on the basis of a phone call or email or because their carpool driver is going home early. This information will be reviewed with students in November.

SOCIAL SECURITY CARD: Please make sure we have a copy of your daughter’s Social Security card on file so we can properly submit each student’s end-of-year grading info to the Kentucky Higher Education Association, which provides scholarship monies (KEES money) to students who qualify. There is a time when it becomes too late for us to submit the KEES report, so making sure we have the copy of the student card on file now ensures the proper documentation can be submitted before a student graduates and the deadline runs out.  Please contact registrar KATHY FLEISCHER with any questions or to confirm or verify information we have on file.

SOME REMINDERS ABOUT ABSENCES: Please note that Assumption does not excuse students from school for family trips/vacations unless there are significant mitigating circumstances involved; we have to be especially consistent in enforcing this policy on the Monday and Tuesday prior to our Thanksgiving holidays (November 23-25).

Also, please bear in mind that absences not related to illness/medical appointments need to be approved ahead of time to be excused. To request an excused absence in advance (for something like driver’s testing, a club team competition, a family wedding, a college visit, etc.), you may email your request to attendance@ahsrockets.org. Requests need to be submitted one to two weeks in advance of the planned absence; sending them more than two weeks in advance is too early because we need to check a student’s current grades and attendance to evaluate the request. If you need to know sooner than two weeks ahead of time if an absence will be excused because you need to purchase airline tickets, etc., please contact Dean of Students Cindi Baughman. Remember to review the handbook for all attendance-related information in the STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK 2022-2023.

And speaking of driver’s testing: We are happy to excuse students for up to a half day of school so they may take permit tests and road tests–as long as their grades are good and they haven’t had too many absences and we receive the request in advance. Apparently, several counties now require people to go to Frankfort to take permit tests; if you live in one of these counties and are scheduling a permit test for your daughter, please be sure to schedule either an early morning or late afternoon appointment so your daughter will be able to attend school for a half day either before or after her test.

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ON OCTOBER 31: We are so proud of the student body for not only meeting but exceeding our stretch Rocket Raffle ticket sales goal for the 40th annual Walk for Assumption—and thus earning the privilege of wearing Halloween costumes to school on Monday, October 31. As with every privilege, this one comes with some responsibilities! Students will be expected to follow the costume rules, which will be emailed to each of them, posted on student SharePoint, and reviewed via announcements during the weeks prior to our Halloween Dress Up Day. Some key highlights of these rules include:

  • Students must be in full costume or full uniform (or full spirit wear since it’s a Monday).
  • Costumes need to be “real” costumes.
  • No big, inflated costumes will be allowed: they get too hot to wear all day, they make it difficult to walk up and down the steps safely, they are impossible when a student needs to go to the bathroom, and kids seldom can sit in a desk when wearing one. They were fine for the Walk for Assumption, but they won’t work on a day when students are going to be having a regular day of school and going to classes.
  • Students may not wear costume masks over their face or eyes (minimal face paint and makeup/accessories are okay, though). Students opting to wear disposal face masks due to COVID may, of course, wear these with their costumes.
  • Costumes must be appropriate for a Catholic school and must cover the student “from neck to knees.”  No bathing suits or undergarments may be worn over clothing, and tights/leggings/yoga pants may NOT be worn unless they are worn under a skirt or shorts.
  • Costumes must be respectful, should not support stereotypes, and should not offend or make anyone feel uncomfortable because of their sex, race, ethnic background, or cultural heritage.
  • Our regular school shoe policies apply (for safety reasons). 

As noted above, detailed rules will be shared in advance for the students’ planning purposes. If your daughter has questions after reviewing the rules, please encourage her to email either THERESA SCHUHMANN or CINDI BAUGHMAN.

2021-2022 YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION: Yearbooks were distributed this week during lunches. If your student was absent on the day she was supposed to pick up her book, then she can now get one from the Media Center beginning Monday, October 31.

ASSUMPTION PARENT ORGANIZATION (APO) NEWS – ROCKET SPECTACULAR SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES: We are excited for our 42nd annual Rocket Spectacular Benefit Dinner and Auction on Saturday, February 4, 2023.  All proceeds benefit the financial needs of our students, and there are many ways you can support this effort! 

  • Sponsorships: Several levels of support are available, and with your sponsorship, you will receive promotional opportunities and tickets to the event. Interested in sponsoring? Contact Tricia Ferree: tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org before November 14. 
  • Donations Needed: We are currently collecting donations for our live and silent auctions. In the past, donors have asked if there are any specific items that were needed, or if they could purchase and donate. For this reason, and to simplify the process, we have created a “Wish List” on Amazon https://bit.ly/AHSRS23. Please know that all donations will be appreciated. Any questions, contact Tricia Ferree: tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org  

SENIOR YEARBOOK TRIBUTES: Over the years, senior parents have developed a tradition of supporting certain activities important to their graduating daughters at Assumption. One of these is helping to underwrite the cost of printing the yearbook by purchasing “Senior Tributes” that can contain text, personal photos, senior drapes, or professionally created senior pictures. “Senior Tributes” can be a great way to document and celebrate your daughter’s time as an Assumption Rocket. If you are interested in purchasing a “Senior Tribute”, you will find size and pricing information at this link. The deadline to submit tribute contracts is Tuesday, November 22. Please feel free to reach out to Kayla Daley, yearbook adviser, at kayla.daley@ahsrockets.org with any questions. Thank you for your support of the Assumption Rosecast!

CLASS OF 2023 INFORMATION CONFIRMATION MAILING: Parents of the Class of 2023: Recently, 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.

GOVERNOR’S SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Juniors should have received an email in September inviting them to join a group for Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) applications on Microsoft Teams. Students were invited to attend a virtual meeting about the application process. Applications are due via Microsoft Teams no later than Tuesday, November 22, at 8:15 a.m. Please contact COLLEEN MURPHY regarding any questions about the application.

SHOUT OUT FROM SERVICE LEARNING: Many thanks to the freshman class for their service work! Home of the Innocents and St. Joseph’s Children’s Home have received over 500 Halloween treat bag to help their clients and residents celebrate Halloween. During their theology classes last week, all the freshmen learned about these organizations then decorated and filled bags with treats from their donations. We are proud of their generosity and enthusiasm for serving others!

The Debate Team, who competed in their first tournament of the year this past weekend. Assumption’s team of 11 students did extremely well, with 10 students advancing to the semifinals and eight students winning speaker awards.  Special congratulations to the team of Anna Alphin and MC Schmidt, who were tournament champions in Varsity Public Forum Debate!

The Family Council Powderpuff Football tournament family point winners! Earning 150 points for their families by playing in the semifinal matches–families Charleville and Cork! Winning 300 points for their family and the runner-up title, family Birr. And with a well-fought victory, earning 500 points for their family, family Limerick! ​

The winners of the first-ever Assumption Cornhole Tournament hosted by our Assumption Rocket Men (ARM)! Congratulations to Runners-up: Raeleigh West and Justin Thornsberry and to the Winning team: Kate and Robert Sherman!

The students who most recently completed three LEOs outside of what’s required who are now eligible for one or more or our Christian Leadership Distinctions: sophomore Ellie Early and seniors Emily Shearer and Jordan Warfield! 

The leaders of our 2022-2023 Family Points Competition! Currently, Family Cork remains at the top of the leaderboard for family points! Birr is in second with Booterstown just a tiny bit behind in third! 

Congratulations to:

The Soccer team for winning their first regional championship in 10 years by defeating Manual 4-1. Also to the following players for receiving All-Region Team honors:

  • The Field Hockey team for winning the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! They defeated Sacred Heart 3-2 on Monday night. 
  • The Cross Country team for winning the Regional Championship! The Rockets had the top four finishers in the meet.
  • The Cheer team for winning the Bullitt Central Cougar Classic!
  • The Volleyball team for winning the Regional Championship by defeating Manual on Thursday night!

Next week in Athletics:

Saturday, October 29

  • Cross Country @ State Meet @ Bourbon County Cross Country Course, 4:00 p.m.

Monday, October 31

  • First Round of Volleyball State Tournament TBD

Thursday, November 3

  • Cheer @ New Albany High School Showcase
  • Volleyball State Quarterfinals @ George Rogers Clark HS TBD

Friday, November 4

  • Volleyball State Semifinals and Finals @ George Rogers Clark HS TBD

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.

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