September 19, 2025

To address the goals of our strategic plan and recommendations from our accreditation report, we have spent the last several years becoming a professional learning community (PLC). We wanted to share with you some keys ways that this work has come to fruition in our building.  

As a PLC, we focus on cultivating an ongoing process in which administrators, faculty, and staff work collaboratively to achieve the best results for our students and their learning.  Our PLC model is the core of how we ensure every student receives an exceptional education. At its heart, a PLC is a collaborative team dedicated to one mission: your daughter’s success. Instead of working in isolation, our educators work together in a structured, ongoing cycle to: 

  • Align Learning: We work to ensure that every lesson is purposeful and builds on what students have already learned. Our teacher teams regularly meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to discuss curriculum with the goal to confirm that all students are mastering essential skills. 
  • Use Data to Personalize Learning: Teachers analyze student performance data together to identify what’s working and where a student might need extra support. This allows us to quickly adapt our teaching strategies to meet the unique needs of our learners. This means conversations revolve around essential questions like What do we want students to learn? How will we know if they’ve learned it? How will we respond when they don’t? 
  • Share Best Practices: Our teachers constantly learn from each other. Whether it’s a new, engaging project idea or a more effective way to explain a complex topic, this collaboration allows our students to benefit from the collective expertise of our entire faculty. 

Our teams work each day to create an environment where we harness our collective excellence as a professional learning community to ensure that your daughter has every opportunity to learn and achieve at high levels and become the best version of herself in and out of the classroom. 

We are truly blessed to have an amazing, mission-driven faculty and staff who are committed to continuous improvement that directly impacts your daughter’s high school experience! 

RTI Recap

At Assumption, our community continues to go above and beyond to provide meaningful academic, leadership, and enrichment opportunities for our Rockets. From teacher-to-teacher collaboration to student-led engagement, RTI is where growth and connection thrive. Here are some of the awesome sessions that occurred this week:

  • LEO: The Art of Persuasion
  • Club Carnival
  • AP U.S. History Short Answer Questions Review
  • University of Louisville Information Session
  • PSAT Prep
  • Walking Group with President, Mary Lang
  • Athletics Recovery & Mobility Training…and many more!

MERCY WEEK: This coming week is Mercy Week at Assumption! Wednesday, September 24 is Mercy Day, which marks the day in 1847 when Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, opened the House of Mercy in Dublin to care for the poor, sick, and uneducated. We will celebrate with a full week of activities, and each day will focus on a different Critical Concern of the Sisters of Mercy. 

  • Monday (Non-Violence): Students can choose to advocate for policy measures supported by the Catholic Church and related to the Sisters of Mercy during RTI time and sign a letter to elected officials about gun violence during lunch. 
  • Tuesday (Anti-Racism): There will be PA announcements and activities during lunch promoting the gift of racial diversity. 
  • Wednesday (Earth): We’ll come together as a community for our Mercy Day Celebration assembly at 10:50 in the AHS gym where we’ll celebrate Mercy values, recognize past alumnae who live out those values, and name Models of Mercy in our school community today. 
  • Thursday (Immigration): Students can choose to sign a letter to elected officials about immigration and refugee policies supported by the Catholic Church and Sisters of Mercy during lunch. 
  • Friday (Women): For a minimum donation of $3, students can dress down on this day to raise money to support our school in Cambodia. Alumnae from the Class of 2010 built that school to support women and girls in Cambodia who struggle to access educational opportunities. We’ll have fun activities during lunch as well. 

ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group will NOT meet on Wednesday, September 24.  St. X will host an All-School Parent Prayer Group on Friday, September 26 in honor of the St. X/Trinity football game. The service will be from 8:00-8:30 a.m. at St. Xavier High School. Enter St. X at the traffic light, park in the first parking lot on your left, and enter the school at Ryken Hall. Please bring a photo ID and arrive a few minutes early to sign in. There will be a coffee reception after the prayer service. 

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.  

This week we held our third annual Club Carnival event during RTI.  Our sophomores and freshmen were able to visit the carnival as a class and explore the 60+ options for special interest, service, and academic opportunities. Our juniors and seniors served as ambassadors for their own involvement and engaged with our newest community members to recruit and share their respective passions.  All students were then afforded an opportunity to express their interest to club moderators and take action to get involved this school year.  We look forward to the way all our students engage in our community and continue to commit to their own personal development.  To support our engagement opportunities, parents can explore the current club and organization offerings this school year by visiting the Club Catalog, available on Assumption’s website through this link https://www.ahsrockets.org/student-life/clubs-organizations/ and encouraging their daughters to seek out involvement that celebrates connection, creativity, service, and leadership.  Any questions about clubs and organizations should be directed to Kristin Walsh, director of Leadership & Engagement, at Kristin.walsh@ahsrockets.org  

YEARBOOK PHOTO SELECTION AND ORDER: Links to your daughter’s school pictures should have been texted and emailed. ALL STUDENTS need to go into their gallery to select their yearbook photo by Thursday, October 27. If a photo is not selected, we will select one for you!  There is a photo makeup day on Wednesday, October 1 for any student who has not had her photo taken yet or needs a retake. If your daughter plans to have a retake taken, please have her fill out this form. Retouching is available for photos. For any questions about school photos, please contact our photographer, Michelle Haas Hutchins ’04 at michelle.hutchins@ahsrockets.org for questions.  

NEWS FROM THE ACHIEVEMENT CENTER: Considering it is the middle of September, the AC team is encouraging parents to check PowerSchool and review their student’s grades. Be sure to celebrate their successes and look for academic opportunities where a student might receive a little extra support in a class. Encourage your daughter to reach out to her teachers during RTI or to come to the AC for academic help during their study. Don’t hesitate to contact us at AC@ahsrockets.org if you see an academic need. Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see our weekly schedule of RTI offerings, @assumption.ac.  

ROCKET PARENT NETWORK: This is your last chance to join the Rocket Parent Network and/or order a Student/Parent Directory. The Rocket Parent Network is a trustworthy group of Assumption parents united to provide a drug- and alcohol-free social environment for teens. Parents commit to chaperoning their daughters and their friends to be sure that alcohol and drugs are not used while at their home. Membership dues are $10 per year, or $30 for four years. A directory is free in a parent’s first year of membership and may be purchased for $5 per year in subsequent years. If you would like to join the RPN, please visit this website:  RPN Website for a membership form. If you would like to order a parent directory, please contact Meghan Rogers at 458-9551 ext. 2539 or by email at meghan.rogers@ahsrockets.org. 

RTC PARENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY:  Assumption’s 70th birthday also marks a milestone for our theatre program: 25 years since students selected the name Rose Theatre Company! In honor of our special anniversary season, BRAVE NEW WORLDS, we’re looking for parents and guardians who would like to support our student artists, engage our audiences, and help make this RTC’s best year yet! We will hold a volunteer interest session on Saturday, September 27 from 2-3 p.m. in the Assumption cafeteria. Please email RTC Volunteer Coordinator Colleen Murphy (colleen.murphy@ahsrockets.org) with any questions. 

APO MEETING: The Assumption Parent Organization (APO) will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday, September 23 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the café. We have a variety of opportunities for anyone interested in volunteering with AHS.  We are still looking for a couple of freshman class parent reps to help us with various communication pieces throughout the year and to serve as a liaison for freshman parents.  Please reach out to Michelle Farmer michelle.farmer@ahsrockets.org if you have any questions.   

DRIVER’S ED: AHS and the Kentucky Driving School will be providing a driver’s education program September 29-October 3. Click here to learn more.  

  

KHEAA DUAL CREDIT SCHOLARSHIPS: DC students were invited to attend an RTI session on Monday, September 15 to get the tools and information necessary to request her KHEAA Dual Credit scholarships for this school year.  If she did not attend on Monday, she should attend on September 29.  The PowerPoint presented at the session is listed below as well as the worksheets. If she needs help, she can come see Mrs. Fieldhouse or Ms. Friedenberg in the main office.  This should be completed by October 1, 2025.  Important note: Freshman and sophomore students are only eligible for the Work Ready Dual Credit Scholarship, so if they are enrolled in a Spanish or math class, they will need to pay the college or university for their dual credit.  We will also have sessions later this month to set up their WKU, UL and JCTC accounts to be able to make those payments.  PowerPoint:  ​pptx icon KHEAA Scholarship Program and Creating Accounts for Dual Credit Courses.pptx 

FRANCE AND ITALY INTERNATIONAL TRIP:  Bonjour! Assumption Rockets are traveling to Paris, Nice, and the Italian Riviera during spring break in 2027.  If interested, please contact Madame Shirley at jennifer.shirley@ahsrocket.org. The early bird deadline to register is Thursday, September 25 to save $300.  After this date, the price will increase.  Please see this link to view information about the trip and what it includes: France and Italy PowerPoint 

COSTA RICA SCIENCE RESEARCH TRIP: We are so excited to offer an amazing Costa Rica Science Research Experience.  Students will conduct real field research as they study antibiotic potential with leaf cutter ants on a gorgeous chocolate farm in the heart of Costa Rica!  Trinity High School, Lexington Catholic, and Mercy Academy will join us on from May 24- June 2, 2025 for this opportunity, and dual credit from Bellarmine University is available for students that register and pay.  An informational session for parents of students who are interested will be held on Monday, September 22 at 6:00 p.m. in the Trinity High School cafeteria (Alumni Hall). This is open to current freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Please contact Johanna Schrage at Johanna.schrage@ahsrockets.org with any questions about this student trip:  STEM | Seeds of Change – SOC | Costa Rica 

GRADUATION VENUE UPDATE:  Graduation has typically been held at Bellarmine University in the past. Unfortunately, Bellarmine University is no longer able to host graduation ceremonies, so our graduation ceremony will be held at the Palace Theatre on Sunday, May 17 at 11:00 a.m.  More details will be shared next semester, but we wanted to make you aware of this change in location along with the event being hosted on a Sunday.   

ARISE SERVICE TRIPS: ARISE service trips are offered to seniors and take place during Mission Week. Seniors who join an ARISE team will learn about and participate in service, prayer, community, and simplicity. We are hopeful that we will be able to offer two direct service trips where students will be able to serve in traditional capacities such as building projects and working in food pantries. These trips would go to Auxier, KY with Hand-in-Hand Ministries and Cincinnati, OH with Franciscan Ministries. We would also like to offer an advocacy service trip. This group of students will travel to Washington, DC to learn about the Sisters of Mercy’s work on the Critical Concern of immigration. Then they will plan to visit the Capitol to meet with our lawmakers about this issue and advocate on behalf of the Sisters of Mercy. In the past, seniors have said that their mission trips are some of the most amazing and profound experiences they had during their time at AHS. If your student is considering participating in an ARISE trip, please encourage her to commit to joining us.  Students had a chance to learn more during RTI this week and received a commitment form at that time.  I hope you will support and encourage your student to consider this wonderful opportunity. Commitment forms and deposits can be turned in beginning September 15 until September 26 There are limited spots available on each trip, so students will reserve their spot as they turn in their commitment form and deposit. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Katie Culver at Katie.culver@ahsrockets.org 

GOVERNOR’S SCHOLARS PROGRAM (GSP): All juniors should have received an email from COLLEEN MURPHY this week that included the join code for a team on Microsoft Teams where information about the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program will be distributed and student applications will be collected. GSP is a prestigious summer program for high school juniors in the state of Kentucky who plan to return to a Kentucky high school for their senior year. Students must complete a rigorous application process and submit a standardized test score. Acceptable tests include the ACT, SAT, and PSAT. Informational sessions about how to complete the application and maximize a student’s chances for admission were held during RTI time on September 3. If your daughter is interested in applying for this program, please encourage her to follow up on Dr. Murphy’s email and enter the join code on Teams!  

ACTS PARENT SURVEY: On September 4, an email was sent to all parents and guardians of sophomores regarding the sophomore ACTS service program. Included in this email was a link to a form that asks for your insights about your student’s strengths and interests to help match her with an ACTS agency that will be a good fit. The survey also asks for information regarding your student’s immunizations so that we can make appropriate agency assignments. We ask that you complete this form by September 19. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Culver at katie.culver@ahsrockets.org 

ATHLETICS MEET & GREET: On Tuesday, September 23, we are hosting an Athletics Meet & Greet Night for seventh-, eighth-, and current ninth-grade families to meet coaches, players, and parents from all sports. This is a great evening to hear a little bit about our athletic department and make contact with coaches and sports your daughter might be interested in. Fill out this form to let us know you are coming! 

Our Varsity Quick Recall team for their season opening win over Holy Cross this week!  Shout out to top scorers seniors Elise Crump and Nikita Nair followed by Ellie Hertel, Lily Barker, Stella Derenge, and Olivia Harris. 

Please join us at The Assumption Green for field hockey and soccer games, at the gym for our volleyball home games, and at the courses for our cross country meets and golf matches.  All of our athletic team schedules can be found on the Athletics page of our website: ATHLETICS. 

Ticket to all home games can be purchased at the door for $8, cash or credit card. 

ARCHERY TEAM MEETING:  There is a mandatory parent and athlete meeting for INTERESTED, NEW and EXISTING archers on Monday, September 29th at 7PM in the Cafeteria.  Any questions, e-mail archery@ahsrockets.org. 

Congratulations to:

  • The Soccer team for beating Simon Kenton and Brown 
  • The Field Hockey team for beating Mercy 
  • The Volleyball team for picking up wins over St. Joseph’s (MO), Cardinal Gibbons (NC), St. Thomas Aquinas (FL), and Sacred Heart 

Next Week: 

September 19-20 

  • Volleyball Durango Classic in Las Vegas, NV 

Friday, September 19 

  • Field Hockey vs Garrison Forest (MD) @ Proving Grounds, PA 3:00 p.m. 
  • Field Hockey vs Mamaroneck (NY) @ Proving Grounds, PA 7:00 p.m. 

Saturday, September 20 

  • Field Hockey vs West Perry (PA) @ Proving Grounds, PA 9:00 a.m. 
  • Volleyball Freshman LIVT @ KIVA 

Sunday, September 21 

  • Soccer vs Sacred Heart. JV 4:30 p.m., Varsity 6:00 p.m. 

Monday, September 22 

  • Golf Regionals @ Seneca Park 8:00 a.m. 
  • Field Hockey AHS White vs Sacred Heart @ Highlands Latin 6:30 p.m. 

Wednesday, September 24 

  • Cross Country St. X JV Meet #2 @ Champions Park 4:30 p.m. Senior Night 
  • Soccer @ Central Hardin. JV 6:00 p.m., Varsity 7:30 p.m. 

Thursday, September 25 

  • Varsity Field Hockey @ Atherton 5:30 p.m. 

Saturday, September 27 

  • Cross Country Palatine Invitational in Chicago, IL 

Sunday, September 28 

  • Field Hockey @ Sacred Heart. Freshman 3:00 p.m., JV 4:15 p.m., Varsity 5:30 p.m.