October 10, 2024

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. On Tuesday, October 29, all juniors will take the National ACT at school as part of the school day. They will have the same opportunity again in March. And we appreciate your shared commitment to helping your daughters prepare for testing as indicated by the families who have ensured that almost 150 freshmen and sophomores in AP and Advanced English came to school on the weekend so they could take both the PreACT and PSAT! 

Providing students with 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 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. 

Fall Pep Rally

Monday, our community gathered in the gym to celebrate Fall sports teams, get hyped up for our new Flag Football Team, watch the dance team, shout with the cheer team, and participate in our AHS-exclusive bleacher mob dance for sports games this year! #RocketNation

UPCOMING FALL BREAK – Friday, October 11 – Tuesday, October 15: On our fall break holidays, school will not be in session.  Classes will resume on Wednesday, October 16. Remember that a doctor’s note must be provided if your daughter misses school the day before or after any holiday break. If your daughter is absent and does not have a doctor’s note for her absence before or after a break/holiday, her absences will count towards her cumulative absence totals for the semester.  

DRESS DOWN DAY FOR HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS – Friday, October 18: We’ve heard the horrible news and seen the devastating images—over 220 lives lost, access roads closed indefinitely, homes and important infrastructure destroyed, and continued reunification searches as a result of the recent storms in North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, and other Southeast states as a result of hurricane Helene. This is an unprecedented disaster in these rural and mountainous areas, and it brings such ache to the heart of our community. With the suggestion from a few compassionate seniors, our Family Council will host a dress-down day on Friday, October 18 to raise money for relief efforts through Catholic Relief Services. For a minimum donation of $3, students can leave their uniforms at home and dress down! Guidelines for appropriate attire on dress-down days can be found in the handbook and in an email sent to students by Mrs. Wesley. If you would like to contribute to this effort, please send your donation in with your daughter on Friday, October 18. 

ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group will NOT meet on October 15 due to Fall Break.  We wish all our families a safe and restful break! 

GRANDPARENTS MASS: All Assumption students and their families are invited to celebrate a special Mass with their grandparents on Sunday, October 20, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Raphael Church. We hope our school families will extend the invitation to all grandparents, and the whole family is welcome for this special celebration. 

ALL SAINTS DAY AND ALL SOULS DAY:  The Assumption community will celebrate All Saints Day with a Mass at St. Raphael on Friday, November 1. Archbishop Shelton Fabre will be our celebrant. 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 the following 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 email that person’s full name to Gail King at Gail.King@ahsrockets.org by October 28. 

PRAYER INTENTIONS: All Assumption parents and alumnae are invited to share prayer intentions. Periodically, we will include the line of “prayer intentions posted online by AHS parents and alumnae” as part of our morning prayer over the P.A. Likewise, feel free to include the intentions you find there in your own personal prayer. To participate, please follow this link.  

Engagement is strong leading in to fall break!  We had a thrilling blackout pep rally this Monday sponsored by Varsity Club to celebrate our fall athletes, and we’re watching our many clubs and activities bring girls together around things they enjoy. Our new knitting & crocheting club, Crafty Loopers, meets after school every Wednesday and is open to any student willing to learn.  Quick Recall is on a winning streak among local school competition, and we had amazing participation in our volleyball intramurals this month.  Our Culinary Club is meeting several times in October to decorate Halloween themed cookies—a sweet, not scary treat!  Our Pickleball club draws a large crowd and always presents fun competition, while our Best Buddies and American Sign Language clubs provide opportunity for inclusion beyond Assumption.  We’re so excited to see this engagement for our students and want to remind parents that it’s never too late to get involved.  For students who are still looking for their niche, take a look at our Digital Club Catalog or e-mail Kristin.Walsh@ahsrockets.org with any questions.   

MID-SEMESTER PARENT/TEACHER/STUDENT CONFERENCE COMMUNICATION: This semester, teachers will be sending an email to the parents of any student whose grade in their class is a D or F as of Thursday, October 17.  We ask all parents who receive an email to respond in a timely fashion. Parents may request a conference virtually through Teams during the conference window of Tuesday, October 22 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. A link will be provided in the teacher’s email. Of course, any parent may request a conference call via phone or team or in-person meeting with a teacher at any time during the school year to discuss a student’s progress in a course.  We appreciate your shared commitment to our partnership to best help our students achieve academic success. 

ROSE THEATRE PRODUCTION: This fall, Rose Theatre Company is proud to present Jesus Christ Superstar with an all-Assumption cast. This thrilling rock opera, which imagines the last week of Jesus’ life through Judas’ perspective, has captivated audiences for over 50 years. With memorable hits like “What’s the Buzz?,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” and “Superstar,” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the challenges of faith and discipleship in a celebrity-driven world. Performances run Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 10, and tickets can be purchased at www.cur8.com by searching “Assumption High School.” If you or anyone in your party needs assistance with handicap accessibility, please reach out to us at rose.theatre@ahsrockets.org. For more information about our Wednesday, November 6 school performance for eighth-grade audiences, please check our Theatre Arts page on the Assumption website. 

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 16. This dance is a traditional semiformal 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 Kamaria Wesley will discuss dance policies and dress code with students next week. As the dance gets closer, we will share information about the theme and ticket details in a class meeting and with reminder emails and announcements.  Please reference the handbook Dance Dress Code Policy for more information. 

CANDY DONATION REQUEST & ASSUMPTION FAMILY HALLOWEEN NIGHT: The Assumption Alumnae Association, along with the Advancement and Marketing & Admissions offices, are once again hosting the annual Family Halloween Night on Thursday, October 24 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. Current families are invited to donate a bag of candy to support this important engagement event. Please click here to sign up to donate candy. This event is open to all AHS alumnae, families, faculty, staff, and future Rockets but is most suited for elementary aged children and younger. There will be activities including trick or treating, face painting, coloring, and more. For more information about the event, please contact ELISABETH CASSADY OR KELSEY GUNTER.  

PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST – KENTUCKY CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT 2:  The Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools has asked us to share:  On November 5, 2024, Amendment 2 will appear on the ballot, offering a critical opportunity to expand educational resources to all Kentucky students, no matter their zip code or background.  Supporting Amendment 2 will provide financial support for students in addition to public schools, so every child has access to the education they deserve and allow parents the right and ability to make better choices surrounding their child’s education.  This amendment has the potential to benefit many of our current and future students, but we need your support—encourage your family and friends to vote YES on Amendment 2. For more information, visit www.Kentuckystudents.org or Putting Student First materials here.  

ROSE AWARD NOMINATIONS: When you think of an Assumption employee who is a role model and positive influence on our community, who comes to mind? Please take a moment to nominate a current administrator, faculty, or staff member who has made a significant difference in your life or your daughter’s life.  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 Sandy Maxted, Katie Hughbanks, Kelly Kirwan, Kathy Fleischer, Dawn Deweese, Angela Lincoln, Barry Haworth, Jackie Metry, 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 through this link:  2024 Assumption High School Rose Award Survey and are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 18.  Nominations must include a detailed description (two-paragraph minimum) supporting your nomination.  The award will be presented at the Thanksgiving Celebration on Tuesday, November 26.  If chosen, your nomination submission may be read at the prayer service. 

FLAG FOOTBALL ROCKET NIGHT: 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are invited to join us for a special Flag Football Rocket Night on October 17 at 6:00 p.m. Future Rockets will get the chance to meet the players, watch them play in a team scrimmage, and then join them on the field to run drills. This will be a one-of-a-kind flag football event with hands-on experience and the opportunity to take home a special, limited-edition, Rocket football to keep practicing at home. Sign up for the event using this link: https://ahsrockets.myschoolapp.com/app/embed…

JUNIOR ACTS SERVICE HOURS: This is a reminder that the first seven (7) service hours for Junior ACTS are due on Friday October 18 for all students who are currently taking Catholic Social Teaching. These hours will need to be logged in and verified in MobileServe by 8 a.m. on October 18 for them to be approved and counted. The remaining eight (8) hours will be due on December 6. Fall break would be an excellent time to get some service in!  

Congratulations to our Varsity Quick Recall team in their phenomenal 22-9 win over Sacred Heart last week. Our team’s collaborative strength and perseverance is what lead the team to victory. Shout out to top scorer Nikita Nair, along with teammates Ellie Hertel, Maureen Lally, and Elise Crump for their strong performance! 

Winter Sports Tryout Information 

Archery:  

First practice October 29 @ Highland Hall 6:00 p.m. 

Basketball:  

October 15 Varsity and JV 5:30-7:00 p.m. and Freshmen 7:00-8:30 p.m.     

October 16 Freshmen 4:00-5:30 p.m. and Freshmen 5:30-7:00 p.m.  

Swim: October 15 7:45-9:15 p.m., October 16 6:45-7:45 p.m. All tryouts @ St. Xavier  

All athletes trying out must have a current KHSAA physical on file.  Please email Christy.hulsewede@ahsrockets.org if you have questions regarding the status of an individual’s physical. 

Congratulations to:

  • The Varsity Soccer team for winning the District Championship with wins over Collegiate and Brown 
  • The Varsity Field Hockey team for wins over Villa Duchesne (MO), Cor Jesu (MO), and Atherton 
  • The Varsity Volleyball team for beating Marquette (MO), Huntley (IL), Xavier (IA), and Holy Cross 

Next Week:

Thursday, October 10 

  • Volleyball @ Mercy. Freshmen 5:00 p.m., JV 6:00 p.m., Varsity 7:00 p.m. 
  • JV Flag Football vs Central 6:00 p.m. 

Friday, October 11 

  • Golf State Finals @ Bowling Green CC 
  • Varsity Field Hockey vs Thomas Worthington (OH) in Columbus, OH 5:30 p.m. 
  • Varsity Field Hockey vs Olentangy (OH) in Columbus, OH 7:00 p.m. 

Saturday, October 12 

  • Golf State Finals @ Bowling Green CC 
  • Soccer first round regionals TBD 
  • Cross Country @ Haunted Woods @ Oldham County HS  

Monday, October 14 

  • Field Hockey @ Highlands Latin 6:00 p.m. 
  • Soccer Regional Semifinals @ Sacred Heart TBD 

Tuesday, October 15 

  • Volleyball @ Notre Dame. Freshmen 5:30 p.m., JV 6:30 p.m., Varsity 7:30 p.m. 
  • Varsity Field Hockey vs Christian Academy 7:00 p.m. 
  • Varsity Flag Football vs North Bullitt @ Mercy 

Wednesday, October 16 

  • Soccer Regional Finals @ Sacred Heart TBD 

Thursday, October 17 

  • Volleyball vs Manual. Freshmen 5:00pm, JV 6:00 p.m. Varsity 7:00 p.m..  **Senior Night** 

Saturday, October 19 

  • Volleyball JV Tournament @ KIVA 
  • Field Hockey Regional Semifinals @ Highlands Latin 1:00 p.m.