March 22, 2024

Guidance and Counseling Program Director, Dawn Deweese 

On Thursday, we held our annual Prevention Assembly planned by our Substance Abuse Committee.  This year, we continued our educational approach of individualizing our programs by choosing topics that were relevant and grade-level appropriate. We hope that you will take time to ask your daughters about what they learned! 

We are especially grateful for the following individuals who shared information and led activities to help our students be healthy and informed decision makers.   

  • AHS counselors Jennifer Ruckriegel and Lynnzi Hoehler who coordinated our Peer Leaders and Mental Health Awareness Club students who taught lessons in freshman homerooms about peer pressure and prevention. 
  • Two medical professionals who shared the dangers of vaping from a medical perspective with our sophomores. 
  • Representatives from MADD who spoke to juniors about impaired/distracted driving. 
  • An AHS alumna and parent of a current senior who discussed family addiction and making good choices in college with our seniors.   

AHS in Focus

Last night, we hosted our second AHS in Focus of the year! 6th, 7th, and 8th graders joined us for interest sessions to learn more about Assumption and to get to know each other. Interest sessions included the Wonders of Science, Canva 101, PAWSitively Post-Its, Swiftie Snacks, and Balancing High School. They also got to enjoy snacks and decorating a tote bag that they took home at the end of the night!

SENIORS – MOTHER/DAUGHTER BREAKFAST: Just a reminder to our seniors and their mothers or mother figures – the Mother/Daughter Breakfast is Saturday, March 23, at the Crown Plaza Hotel by the airport (830 Phillips Ln, Louisville, KY 40209) from 9:30-11:00 a.m.  Optional pictures will be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. Please note that it’s best to arrive early for photos so that you don’t have to wait until after the breakfast to get yours.  After the event, you can go online to order photos at https://shop.studioillumination.com/.   

NATIONAL ACT FOR JUNIORS: All juniors will be taking a National ACT on Tuesday, March 26.  Juniors will not attend any of their classes on this day and will be dismissed at approximately 12:45 p.m. This test is offered at no additional cost to our families and can be used to send to colleges and universities.  Please encourage your daughter to continue to complete practice questions this weekend and help her remember to eat a good breakfast, check her calculator battery, and to bring her favorite #2 pencil on Tuesday. 

SENIOR ASSEMBLY: On Tuesday, March 26, seniors will participate in an assembly centered around the award-winning documentary, The Hunting Ground. Current statistics indicate that one in five women will be sexually assaulted in college. The documentary features the stories of several victims of campus sexual assault and shows the emotional aftermath on the victims and their individual journeys for justice. At the assembly, seniors will view the documentary and hear from guest speakers about campus resources, consent, and bystander empowerment. We hope that this program will spark a discussion at home about the prevalence of sexual assaults on college campuses. If you would like to view the documentary with your daughter to foster a follow-up discussion at home, the documentary is available for purchase or rent on Amazon.com: Amazon Link. Seniors will be dismissed from school following the conclusion of the assembly at approximately 12:30 p.m. If you have any questions about this documentary or the assembly planned for seniors, please contact Abby Asfahl via email at abby.asfahl@ahsrockets.org   

SPRING BREAK: Spring break will begin Friday, March 29, since we met our Rocket Raffle ticket sale incentive.  School will resume on Monday, April 8 with a digital learning day due to the solar eclipse. The school building will re-open with in-person classes on Tuesday, April 9.   

HOLY WEEK PRAYER SERVICE: Our Holy Week Prayer Service this year will focus on the events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.  It will take place on Thursday, March 28, at 10:40 a.m. in the CAC/gym.   

LENTEN OPPORTUNITIES:   

  • Throughout Lent, we continue the Rice Bowl collection to support the important work of Catholic Relief Services, which meets the needs of people most in need around the world and here at home in Louisville. Your daughter can donate in theology class or homeroom or via Venmo using the QR code sent to her via email. If you’d like to contribute, please ask her to share the QR code with you! 
  • Also during Lent, we are challenging ourselves and each other to serve others. As part of our Compassion Connections program, this year all students are encouraged to do service work (outside of ACTS service) at any agency of their choosing and log it on MobileServe. Each hour of service logged earns 15 family points, and for every five hours of service, the student’s name goes into a drawing for a gift card! This service drive runs through April 7. Encourage your daughter to get involved in the community! 
  • On Thursday, April 11, Fr. Dustin Hungerford will be present during LEAD & Learn time for an optional short Mass. He will stay on to hear confessions for any students who wish to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during their lunch period. Encourage your daughter to check her email for more information on these great opportunities! 

ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group will meet on Tuesday, March 26 from 8:30-9:00 a.m. in the AHS chapel and will continue to meet each Tuesday morning throughout the school year. We will be praying for all freshmen.  Please park in any open space and enter the school through the main entrance.  

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! 

Next week during LEAD & Learn time, we are excited to host our first ever Sustainable Fashion Show, sponsored by our Environmental Concerns Committee.  Students, faculty and staff will model sustainable fashion choices, including items purchased from secondhand stores, repurposed from older clothing and materials, as well as those owned for more than 10+ years!  Our ECC works hard to educate our student body about care for our Earth as an important critical concern of the Sisters of Mercy.  

Our freshmen and sophomores will later hear about leadership opportunities available for application during the 2024-2025 school year.  Applications will be due later this spring, but all students are encouraged to apply for these servant-leader positions: Family Council, Class Officer, Homeroom Mom (sophomores only), Advancement Council and Recruitment Team.

TUITION AND REGISTRATION FEES FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR: Parents or guardians of current freshman, sophomore, or junior students will be receiving an email in March announcing tuition for the 2024-2025 school year.  This year we will continue using Blackbaud Tuition Management (BBTM) for registration and tuition.  BBTM will automatically re-enroll your account in March for the 2024-2025 school year.  Once that process is complete, you will receive a verification email from BBTM with instructions on how to log in to your 2024-25 account or call them directly to make any changes (payment plan, banking information, etc.)  Your registration fee will be included with your July payment.  If your daughter will not be returning for the 2024-25 school year, please contact our registrar KATHY FLEISCHER for the proper withdrawal process so we have release of records authorization.  If you have any questions about your account, please contact TAMMY FINCH.   

2024-2025 COURSE SELECTIONS & DEADLINES:   We collected the signed course selection forms from your daughters Thursday and Friday of this week, March, March 21 and 22.  If you have not finalized and submitted her course selections, please do ASAP this weekend and turn in on Monday, March 25 so we may begin working on our 2024-2025 master schedule.  If she still has some questions or concerns about courses, have her contact her dean of studies.  If you have forgotten your parent username or password for PowerSchool, please contact IT Specialist Brent.Miller@ahsrockets.org or Registrar Kathy Fleischer at Kathy.Fleischer@ahsrockets.org 

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE: Assumption is hosting an American Red Cross blood drive on Wednesday, April 17. Student donors must be at least 16 years old. Students who are 16 must have parental permission; students 17 and older may give without parental permission. Student sign-ups will begin soon. We encourage you to talk with your daughter about how to prepare for being a donor if she expresses interest. The Red Cross provides more information for students at this link: Red Cross Student Guide to Blood Donation.pdf.  

DIGITAL LEARNING DAY – MONDAY APRIL 8 – SOLAR ECLIPSE: On the Monday after spring break, April 8, a total solar eclipse will occur and be visible in some areas of Kentucky and southern Indiana.  We will see a partial eclipse in Louisville beginning around 2:00 p.m. with the largest impact occurring locally at 3:07 p.m. So that students, faculty, and staff can be home or travel to see this once-in-a-lifetime eclipse, we will utilize a digital learning day. Teachers will post lessons for the day’s classes on Teams by 8:15 a.m. and will be available via email for students until 1:00 p.m. Students will be required to complete their digital class work by the next class meeting day. Student attendance for this day will be determined by completion and submission of work by the established due date. The school building will be closed.  

ABSENCES BEFORE/AFTER SPRING BREAK: Please note that Assumption does not grant excused absences for college days on days immediately before or after Spring Break. We also cannot excuse students from school for family trips and/or vacations. If you are planning to take your daughter out of school for the whole day or before 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, whether to incorporate a college visit or to get a jump start on Spring Break travel, please bear in mind that the absence will be unexcused and she will not be able to receive full credit for anything collected for a grade (including tests) in her classes while she is gone; makeup work that is completed and turned in will receive 50% of the grade earned. If your daughter becomes ill and is unable to attend school on Thursday, March 28, or Tuesday, April 9, she will need to provide a doctor’s note for the absence to be excused. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact Dean of Students Kamaria Wesley.  Full details about our attendance and absence policies and procedures can be found in the STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK. 

DRIVER’S EDUCATION CLASSES IN APRIL: The Kentucky Driving School is offering classroom instruction and private driving lessons at Assumption on April 15-19.  Please click on this link for additional information: SPRING DRIVER’S EDUCATION CLASSES 

SUMMER ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES: Academic opportunities for the summer have been updated. You can find these on our guidance department page by clicking here: SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES 2024. There are numerous opportunities available with many costing less than $1,000. Programs are grouped according to areas of interest like General/Pre-College, Leadership, STEM, etc. Many applications are due in March and require the assistance of guidance for transcript releases, recommendations, and other documentation. Please contact LEIGH JACKSON or KIM HABICH with any questions. 

AHS SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: We are excited to announce that registration for the 2024 camp schedule is now open! Assumption is offering over 40 stimulating enrichment and athletic summer camps for girls and boys in grades K-9. Click here to learn more. Please contact Lauren Lega with any questions.  

ROCKET MADNESS: We are halfway through the Rocket Madness family participation fundraiser! If you haven’t yet, please consider making a donation in support of a program, activity, or fund you care about. The goal is participation, so every donation – no matter the dollar amount – makes a difference. We also want to see which class has the most Rocket pride! The grade with the highest participation will get a sweet treat at lunch next week. Plus, as an added thank you, donations of $100 or more will get a limited-edition backpack cooler just in time for Spring Break. Make your donation here or learn more. 

NEGATIVE LUNCH BALANCES: Beginning April 9, as FLIK works to close out the school year with our graduating class, seniors who have a negative FLIK lunch account will not be able to charge their account until the account is brought positive.  

LETTERS FROM COLLEGES: Attention, senior parents! Please have your senior daughters submit ALL letters received from colleges regarding admissions decisions, scholarship offers, and admission to special programs and honors colleges to the Guidance Office. The majority of colleges DO NOT provide this information directly to high schools, so your daughter is often our only source of information about this.  Her timely sharing of this information is vital to the Senior Honors Celebration as we work to make sure we have all the correct information to celebrate your daughter and the Class of 2024.  These letters can be hard copies, faxes, or scanned copies and can be emailed directly to COLLEGE.LETTERS@ahsrockets.org.  We ask that students submit all of this information by Monday, March 25, 2024. 

SENIOR EVENT DATES & PARENT LETTER: An email will be sent out before spring break to parents of seniors giving details about senior activities and graduation events that will be occurring in April and May.  Senior parents – please be sure to look for this email in your inbox next week.  For now, below is a listing of important senior event dates: 

  • Saturday, March 23, at 9:30 a.m. – Mother/Daughter Breakfast at Crown Plaza Hotel by the airport (830 Phillips Ln, Louisville, KY 40209) 
  • Friday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. – Pink and White Game at St. Xavier High School 
  • Friday, April 26– Senior Celebration Day – 1:00 p.m. Dismissal for Seniors 
  • Friday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. – Senior Holiday (No School for Seniors) & Senior Prom at Mellwood Art Center – DaVinci Room (1860 Mellwood Avenue) 
  • Monday, May 13, and Tuesday, May 14 – Senior Exams 
  • Wednesday, May 15 from 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. – Mandatory Graduation Practice at Assumption (gym) 
  • Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m. – Senior Honors Ceremony at Assumption (gym) 
  • Thursday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. – Baccalaureate Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church (1000 N Beckley Station Rd) 
  • Friday, May 17 from 9:00 -11:00 a.m. – Mandatory Graduation Practice at Bellarmine University – Knights Hall 
  • Saturday, May 18 at 11:00 a.m. – Graduation at Bellarmine University – Knights Hall 

SERVICE HOURS REMINDER: This is a reminder that juniors who are currently taking Catholic Social Teaching have the remainder of their 15 Junior ACTS service hours due on Friday, April 26.  All hours will need to be completed, logged, and verified in MobileServe by 8:15 a.m.to receive full credit. Please reach out to Katie Culver katie.culver@ahsrockets.org if you have any questions. 

JUNIOR PROM SEMIFORMAL DANCE: On Saturday, April 13, the junior class is hosting a juniors-only prom from 8:00-11:00 p.m. Every student and her guest must have a ticket that was purchased in advance.  Each student must also present her student ID when entering.  Tickets will be sold during all lunches April 9-12, and the cost is $20.00 per ticket.  Tickets will not be sold at the door. Students have received information about dance rules and expectations via SharePoint, email, and class meetings.  In order to ensure student safety, all students and guests must arrive by 9:00 p.m. and may not leave until 10:30 p.m. All students will be monitored with the use of a passive alcohol sensor upon arrival and departure of the dance.   

SERVICE HOURS REMINDER: This is a reminder that all freshmen students have five service hours for their ACTS freshman service requirement due by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 (the day before spring break begins). These hours need to be logged and verified on MobileServe by that time to receive full credit. Please reach out to Katie Culver katie.culver@ahsrockets.org if you have any questions. 

ROCKET PHOTOS: Be sure to check out Rocket Photos:  https://mhaasphotography.shootproof.com/gallery/ahs2023-24/ 

Congratulations to:

  • The Softball team for defeating Harrison County 9-5 
  • The Lacrosse team for defeating Avon Lake (OH) 11-7 and Dixie Heights 25-5 
  • The JV Tennis team for beating Collegiate 4-3 

March 22-23 

  • JV Lacrosse @ CAL Icebreaker 

March 23-24 

  • Varsity Tennis @ Greenwood Match Madness Tournament 

Saturday, March 23 

  • Varsity Softball vs Butler County 12:00 p.m. 
  • Varsity Softball vs Bob Jones 4:00 p.m. 

Sunday, March 24 

  • Lacrosse vs Pickerington (OH). JV 10:30 a.m., Varsity 12:00 p.m. 

Monday, March 25 

  • Varsity Softball vs Menasha (WI) 5:30 p.m. 
  • Varsity Tennis @ Christian Academy 4:00 p.m. 

Tuesday, March 26th 

  • Lacrosse vs Mercy. JV 5:30 p.m., Varsity 7:00 p.m. 
  • Tennis @ Sacred Heart Varsity 4:00 p.m., JV 5:00 p.m. 

Wednesday, March 27 

  • JV Tennis vs Atherton @ Trinity 3:45 p.m. 
  • Track @ North Oldham Girls Meet 5:00 p.m. 
  • Track @ AOC Distance Meet 6:00 p.m. 

Thursday, March 28 

  • Softball @ Silver Creek (IN). JV 5:30 p.m., Varsity 7:00 p.m.