November 10, 2023

With Open House preparations in full swing, our community is actively reflecting upon what sets Assumption apart as we prepare to welcome prospective students and their families.  While we are confident of the high quality of the Assumption experience, outside validation is always welcome too!    

At this time of year, NICHE publishestheir data about schools and reveals its rankings for the coming year. If you’re not familiar with NICHE, they are recognized as the market leader in connecting families and schools by providing in-depth profiles on every school in America.   

For 2024, we are humbled to report that NICHE has recognized Assumption not only as the BEST all-girls Catholic High School in Kentucky, but the overall #1 Catholic High School in Kentucky!   While we are grateful for this recent accolade, along with being recognized as The Courier-Journals’ Best Private High School in Louisville for the second year in a row, our pride in these honors pales in comparison to the pride we feel each day at the many wonderful opportunities and experiences happening at Assumption.   

The first few days of November offers a snapshot of the many things to celebrate.   In the last two weeks, we hosted not one but TWO victory assemblies on back-to-back Mondays for our state champion cross country and volleyball teams.   Amid those celebrations, the Rose Theatre Company wrapped up a highly successful two-week run of sold-out performances of their production of Mamma Mia!   Morning announcements were a little longer than usual on Monday as we celebrated the prowess of our Quick Recall, academic, and speech teams at weekend tournaments as well as the accolades earned by our journalism students.  They competed at the Journalism Education Association’s National High School Journalism Convention in Boston and won awards in several categories, outperforming hundreds of other high school journalists from across the country.   

Closer to home, we had the pleasure of witnessing events that may not make headlines but are the essence of Assumption including another successful LEAD & Learn Day allowing students the opportunity to design a day to benefit themselves academically and sharpen their time management skills while our teachers engaged in professional development.  And rounding out the week our Rocket Parent Network hosted our annual Mother-Daughter Bunco, and our Best Buddies Club hosted a Corn Hole Tournament for our friends who are clients at Dreams with Wings.   

While recognition is nice, it’s the purposeful and intentional work with and for our students in and outside of the classroom each day that is our greatest source of pride, and we hope it is yours as well.  Thank you for all you do to advance the mission of our school and for sharing it with other potential future Rockets and their families! 

Fall Signing Day

On Tuesday, we had 15 Assumption seniors take part in an athletic signing ceremony committing to 12 different university athletic programs. Congratulations to our senior student athletes! 

Acro and Tumbling 

  • June Cubbage-Troop: Duquesne University 

Field Hockey 

  • Lucy Cohen: Transylvania University  
  • Ashley Hamilton: Centre College 
  • Anna Krebs: Northwestern University 

Soccer 

  • AG Gibson: University of Louisville 
  • Riley O’Bryan: University of South Carolina Upstate 
  • Olivia Thomas: Transylvania University 
  • Zoe Thompson: Transylvania University 

  Volleyball 

  • Nicole Bentz: Thomas More University 
  • Ally Magre: Middle Tennessee State University 
  • Charlotte Moriarty: Xavier University 
  • Layla Padgett: Colorado School of the Mines 
  • Sara Sass: Belmont Abbey College 
  • Chloe Smith: Wofford College 
  • Ava Swan: Colorado School of the Mines 

OPEN HOUSE 2023: We will be hosting Open House on Saturday, November 11 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Families will have the opportunity to receive a personalized tour and meet teachers, students, and other future Rockets as they learn more about our community. They may register online to secure their arrival time here. As always, we want to thank you for your support of this event and sharing it with prospective families!  

OPEN HOUSE HOLIDAY: Monday, November 13, is our Open House holiday, and school will be closed. 

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS:  Thanksgiving is only two weeks away! Please note: Assumption will close for Thanksgiving break from Wednesday, November 22 – Friday, November 24.    

ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group will meet on Tuesday, November 14 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 Cork Family juniors and seniors. Please join us for any or all of these opportunities. 

FUNDS RAISED FOR OUR CAMBODIA SCHOOL:  Last Friday, November 3, we held a dress-down day to raise money for Assumption’s school in Cambodia. Students from the AHS Class of 2010 learned in their geography class about the genocide in the country during the reign of the Khmer Rouge in the late 70’s and the subsequent difficulties that girls still have attaining an education in Cambodia. They wanted to do something about it and raised enough money to build a rural school there. They named it “Change – Hope Through Education.” Assumption has supported this school ever since. We raised $3,020 that will go a long way in supporting our school’s English and computer programs when their school year begins on December 1.  

PRAYER INTENTIONS: The Community of Assumption knows the power of prayer! All AHS parents and alumnae are invited to submit prayer intentions online. These intentions are then lifted in prayer all together during Five-Minute Prayer in the chapel on Wednesdays and weekly on the PA during morning prayer. If you would like to submit an intention, you can do so here. They will remain there for about two weeks, but feel free to post the same intention again later if needed. Also, you may wish to consider adding the intentions you find there to your own personal prayer! 

This week during LEAD & Learn time, our freshmen and sophomores will hear from Ms. Wesley about expectations for their upcoming homecoming dance.  These expectations have been shared in the Rocket Report for parents/guardians to understand as well.  Tickets for this dance on Saturday, November 18 are $20 and will be sold starting Tuesday, November 14 during all lunches.  No tickets will be sold at the door. Our freshmen will also hear from their classmates who chose to run for student leadership positions, Family Council or Class Officer.  Students will give their speeches in homeroom, and then the homeroom will have time to vote for a representative from each family.  We are so proud of each member of the freshman class who turned in applications, and we know that the class of 2027 will take their voting duties seriously in choosing leaders for their class and school. Our juniors will hear from our junior class moderators and class officers regarding details of upcoming spring events such as their Junior Prom and Junior Ring Ceremony. Everyone will end the week in homeroom with a November family celebration. 

AP EXAMS: If your daughter is taking an AP course this year, she has been busy signing up for AP college exams and AP portfolio submissions. These AP courses will be administered the first few weeks of May at Assumption High School. AP exam and AP portfolio submission invoices will be sent to parents via email from Blackbaud Tuition Management in January. Please take a moment to talk with your daughter about the exams she is registered to take.  Exam art portfolio submissions are $98 each except for AP Research and AP Seminar which are $146 each. For more information about AP exams and CollegeBoard, visit https://parents.collegeboard.org/college-board-programs/advanced-placement-program. Please contact Judy.Fieldhouse@ahsrockets.org or Kathy.Fleischer@ahsrockets.org if you have any questions. 

NOVEMBER’S WORK IT WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE: The Achievement Center is hosting two Work It Wednesdays in November in the Media Center from 7:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. This is a great opportunity for students to receive extra support in their classes from peer tutors, study groups, or the AC teachers. It is also the perfect environment to work on homework and projects. Students receive an email each Monday to reserve their spot. Mark your calendar now for November 15 and 29.  

TESTING ALERT SYSTEM ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15: We will conduct our annual test of our weather and emergency alert system on Wednesday, November 15 at 5:05 p.m. All parents who have set their options in PowerSchool will be sent a test message to their email and/or phone via text or voice. If you do not receive the message as expected, please check your options by logging into PowerSchool or contacting our IT Department for assistance. Please email Brent Miller or call him at 271-2527. 

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 Kamaria Wesley 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) 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 46 in the STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK.  

GOING HOME SICK: On a related note, if your daughter contacts you during the day telling you that she is sick and needs to come home, please do not just come to school to pick her up; instead, please call the attendance office at 271-2507 and make our school nurse, Mrs. Miranda, aware of the situation. She will find your daughter, assess the situation from a medical perspective, and then give you an update and let you know if you should come to take your daughter home, make arrangements for her to be seen by a doctor, etc.  

CANSTRUCTION: Canstruction has begun! 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 facing food insecurity in our Louisville community. An Assumption tradition since 2006, Canstruction not only provides food for the community at large (over 20,000 cans collected during our collection last year—an Assumption record!), but also provides an opportunity for Assumption family bonding. Each family collects cans in their homerooms throughout the month of November in order to come together to Can-struct a visual made of those cans during our Canstruction event. Canstruction will be held on Friday, December 1, so that will be the last collection day, but we will collect cans each day until then. We are looking forward to having the Assumption community help the Louisville community through our partnership with Dare to Care! 

GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS: Applications for GSA are available now! This program is open to sophomore and junior students interested in the performing, visual, and creative arts. The application deadline is Sunday, January 14, 2024, and information can be found HERE. Interested students should watch the informational video found at the link above and contact their guidance counselor for additional information.  

FLIK DINING SERVICES SURVEY: FLIK Dining Services, our cafeteria food service provider, is seeking your input.  As part of their commitment to providing delicious and healthy dining options, they are asking that you complete this short survey. Your feedback will help guide them towards providing the best dining experience possible for your daughter. The survey closes on Friday, November 17.  FLIK thanks you in advance for both your participation and your patronage. FLIK SURVEY 

AP CAPSTONE PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT: On Monday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m., parents and their daughters are invited to attend a virtual AP Capstone information night via Teams. 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. You can join the call at THIS LINK. The program will last one hour. Any questions? Contact COLLEEN MURPHY .  

FRESHMAN-SOPHOMORE SEMIFORMAL DANCE: We hope that our freshmen and sophomores are looking forward to attending this year’s dance for their classes on Saturday, November 18, which will be held from 8:00-11:00 p.m. in the gym. This dance is a traditional semiformal school dance, and students may choose to bring a guest if they wish. Some important highlights include:   

  • Tickets are $20 per person and must be purchased in advance.  No tickets will be sold at the door.  Every student and her guest must have a ticket. 
  • Tickets will be sold during lunches beginning Tuesday, November 14. 
  • In order to ensure student safety, all students and guests must arrive by 9:00 p.m. and stay at the dance until 10:30 p.m.   
  • All Assumption students must show their student ID when entering the dance.   
  • All students and their guests will be monitored with the use of a passive alcohol sensor. 
  • Information about dance dress code requirements has been reviewed and emailed to each student.  

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 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 2023-2024. If you have any questions, contact JUDY FIELDHOUSE. 

ROCKET SPECTACULAR BENEFIT DINNER AND AUCTION 2024: Saturday, February 3, 2024. Please mark your calendar–you won’t want to miss it! This year’s theme is “BOW TIES & BUBBLY,” and plans are underway! Becoming a Sponsor guarantees your spot at this sold-out event. If interested, please contact Michelle Farmer at 502.271.2518 or michelle.farmer@ashrockets.org. We also need your help with donations toward our silent and live auctions and the bourbon pull. Please contact tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org if you are interested in helping.  Watch for more details in the coming weeks.  We hope to see you there!  

CLASS OF 2024 INFORMATION CONFIRMATION MAILING:  Parents of the Class of 2024:  This 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 29.  Even if no changes need to be made, please make sure to return a signed copy to the main office by November 29.  

COLLEGE APPLICATION DEADLINE REMINDERS: If your daughter is applying to a college with a December 1 deadline, her Transcript Request & Application Checklist (TRAC) form is due to Guidance by Monday, November 6.  If your daughter is applying to a college with a December 15 deadline, her TRAC form is due to Guidance by Tuesday, November 21.  If you have any questions about the college application process or deadlines, please reach out to Leigh Jackson  (A-L) or Kim Habich  (M-Z).   

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FAFSA: As you may have heard, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is changing! The FAFSA Simplification Act was passed by Congress in 2020 and represents a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid. This includes the FAFSA form, the need analysis that determines federal aid eligibility, changes in terminology, and many policies and procedures for schools that participate in federal student aid programs. Though historically available October 1 for the upcoming award year, the 2024-25 FAFSA will not be made available by the U.S. Department of Education until sometime in December 2023.  The delay is due to major changes and improvements coming to the FAFSA, which will result in a more streamlined application process with fewer questions and expanded eligibility for federal student aid. 

What can you and your student do now? Students and parents are encouraged to create an FSA ID at least two weeks prior to December 1. The FSA ID is an account username and password combination that allows students and parents to log in to StudentAid.gov and to identify themselves electronically to access U.S. Department of Education systems. To create an FSA ID, the individual will need her Social Security number as well as a mobile phone number and/or email address. At this time, it is recommended the student and both biological parents (if applicable) create FSA ID’s. 

Mark your calendars for our College Financial Aid Night, which will be at Assumption on December 7 at 6:30 in the Humana Foundation Performing and Fine Arts Center (theater). If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to college counselors Kim Habich and Leigh Jackson. More information will be relayed to your daughter as we learn more. 

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, pricing information, instructions, and a contract here: 2024 SENIOR TRIBUTE INFORMATION AND CONTRACT. The deadline to submit tribute contracts is Tuesday, November 21. Please feel free to reach out to Melissa Fette, yearbook adviser, at melissa.fette@ahsrockets.org with any questions. Thank you for your support of the Assumption Rosecast!   

SENIOR MUG ORDERS: Senior Mug Orders are due by December 7 at 11:59PM.  The cost of the mugs are $38.00 with payments made to Assumption High School through the Campus Online Store.  You can place your orders by clicking on the following link.  There is a picture of the mugs on the order form.  https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=-WJNppAkg062waQIN8P7UNDqPrUcAKROowQGybkblWpUQlVKMVo2TkM3RE1FR1I1MEJDMjRRMUk4Ry4u

Please contact Stacy Johnson at stacy.johnson@ahsrockets.org or MeriLou Mattingly at merilou.mattingly@ahsrocket.org with any questions.

The entire cast and crew of the Rose Theatre Company for a successful SOLD-OUT run of the fall musical production, Mamma Mia! 

The Varsity Quick Recall Team who defeated Providence High School! 

The JV Quick Recall Team who placed third in this year’s JV Challenge. Congratulations to the follow students who placed individually at the competition: 

  • Sophomore Elise Crump placed first in Arts & Humanities and sixth in Science  
  • Sophomore Ellie Hertel placed fifth in Language Arts 
  • Sophomore Agnes Boyer placed fourth in Composition  
  • Sophomore Lily Barker placed fifth in Composition 

The Speech and Debate Team who competed in a tournament at Beechwood High School in Northern Kentucky. Congratulations to sophomore Leah Johnson, who won first place for her performance in Original Oratory!   

Members of the AHSRocketLaunch Broadcast staff who won awards at the National High School Journalism Convention held in Boston last weekend: senior Abigail Wissing was ranked ”Excellent” in Broadcast Anchor, and the senior team of Sydney Doyle and Erin Hynes were ranked “Excellent” in Online News Package.  These students beat out hundreds of other high school journalists from across the country to win these awards! 

Congratulations to:

  • The Volleyball team for winning the state championship! They defeated reigning champion Notre Dame Academy in the championship match, 3-1.   Chloe Smith and Emma Barnett were named to the All- Tournament team and Charlotte Moriarty was the Tournament MVP! 
  • The 15 senior athletes who signed their letter of intent to play at the collegiate level!