COVID-19 Updates from Assumption High School

April 20

Dear Parents,

Today is a hard day for all of us as Governor Beshear announced that all school buildings will remain closed for the remainder of the school year.  We know that we were all hoping that we would be able to be together again before the school year closed – and we are particularly heart-broken for our seniors.  But we continue to hold onto the wise words of their class motto:  Always together, never apart, maybe at distance but never at heart.

We will be sending communication to you and your daughters later this week regarding our May calendar and events.  We will be adjusting our calendar to follow the archdiocesan decision that all Catholic schools will finish virtual instruction by Friday, May 15 as indicated in their letter below. We will make plans to creatively celebrate the end of the school year together as a community. 

Senior Parents – We want to assure you that we remain committed to creatively celebrating your daughters in May, and we remain hopeful that we will be able to recognize and celebrate them at senior events as allowed later in 2020! 

Please know that we continue to keep you and your daughters in our prayers. We ask that you keep the entire community of Assumption in your prayers as well as we navigate these last few weeks of school together.

Gratefully,

Martha Tedesco and Mary Lang

Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic Schools
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
April 20, 2020

Dear Catholic School Leaders and Parents,

Given Governor Andy Beshear’s recommendation today that all Kentucky schools cease in-person classes for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville will continue online/alternative instruction through no later than Friday, May 15, 2020. By that date, Catholic schools will have met annual requirements for instructional days and/or hours.

Each Catholic school will communicate its last day for online/alternative instruction directly to parents.

All Catholic school activities remain canceled during this time.

The Archdiocese of Louisville will continue to resource and support Catholic school leaders and teachers as they serve students in the coming weeks.

Thank you,
Leisa Schulz
Superintendent of Schools

March 20

Dear Parents,

As you may be aware at his press conference tonight, Governor Andy Beshear asked all school superintendents to cease in-person classes until Monday, April 20.  As we communicated in the Rocket Report today, we are confident that our teachers are prepared to continue to offer quality instruction to your daughter through our virtual learning plan that begins on Tuesday.  We will provide additional information next week in regard to this extension.

Please know that we are keeping your families in our prayers this weekend. We ask that you keep the entire community of Assumption in your prayers as well as we navigate this ever-changing situation together.

Gratefully,

Martha Tedesco and Mary Lang

Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic Schools
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
March 20, 2020 (5:00 p.m.)

Dear Catholic School Leaders and Parents,

Given Governor Andy Beshear’s recommendation today that all Kentucky schools cease in-person classes until Monday, April 20, 2020, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville will not resume in-person instruction for that time period. As previously communicated, online/alternative instruction will continue as announced. All Catholic school activities also are canceled during this time.

The Archdiocese of Louisville will resource and support Catholic school leaders and teachers as they serve students in the coming weeks.

Thank you,

Leisa Schulz
Superintendent of Schools

March 17

Dear Assumption Community, 

First, we hope above all that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe.

In response to Governor Beshear’s recommendation that all Kentucky schools close as a preventive measure to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus, as of now, Assumption High School will be closed Monday, March 16 through Friday, April 3. All Catholic school activities including events, extra-curriculars, rehearsals and athletics are canceled. Additionally, Assumption is taking the extra steps to clean and sanitize our building at this time using an commercial team to electrostatically clean and sanitize the school. Spring break will take place as scheduled Friday, March 27 – Friday, April 3.

Although the building is closed, we continue to meet the mission of Assumption during these uncertain times. While there is no way to predict the duration of this closure, our Advancement Team is working remotely and we continue to focus on our role in advancing the mission and working with you, our supporters, during this closure. We are available to talk or answer questions by email or phone at any time, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us. For more information, you may also visit our website or follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on what’s happening here at AHS.

Please be assured that our students welfare and their learning are always our highest priority. Because of our substantial technological capacities, Assumption is prepared to educate our students through a combination of learning methods. We will begin with digital learning and then move to virtual learning days which allow classes and instruction to be held in real time between teachers and students.  

We also wanted to reassure you that our students received detailed information about our plans for online and virtual learning prior to the closure and we continue to inform them of all the resources available to them during this time, including counseling services through our guidance department. In addition, all faculty and staff are available to help students with any issues that may arise. 

Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you during this challenging time. As always, we are so very grateful for your continued support and prayers. We know the Community of Assumption is strong and we will continue to be there for one another in the days and weeks ahead. 
Sincerely,
Michelle Coke Farmer ‘94
Executive Director of Advancement

March 16

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you know, the health and safety of your daughters are always our top concern. We will continue to monitor local, state, and national authorities regarding the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus).   With that, we wanted to address the issue of travel for you and your families. 

To help safeguard our school community, Assumption High School will follow the CDC Travel Guidelines as well as advisories from our state and local health officials as they are updated. 

We ask everyone to check the CDC site for guidance and recommendations on postponing or canceling travel. These are called travel notices and are based on assessment of the potential health risks involved with traveling to a certain area. A list of up to date destinations with travel notices is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.  We respectfully ask that families not travel to restricted areas between now and April 6.

In addition, the CDC also offers guidance on COVID-19 and cruise ship travel at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/covid-19-cruise-ship.   The CDC recommends travelers, particularly those with underlying health issues, defer all cruise ship travel at this time. 

If you, your daughter, or anyone living in your home, plans to travel internationally or take a cruise between now and April 6, please report your travel plans by completing this form no later than March 23rd: https://assumption.wufoo.com/forms/international-travel-form/

As regulations and recommendations change daily, please note that there is a high probability that your daughter may not be able to return to school or school-related activities until after serving a 14-day period of self-quarantine after disembarking from a cruise or travelling internationally.

Due to our responsibility to our school community, Assumption High School reserves the right to require a student to stay away from school and all school-related activities for a period of 14 days and/or to provide appropriate medical documentation before returning to school if deemed necessary by school administration.  

We may update the parameters of this request if indicated by public health departments, government officials, and/or the CDC.   We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding as we work to keep our community safe during these uncertain times. 

Sincerely,

Mary Lang and Martha Tedesco

Special Message from the President and the Principal – Friday afternoon, March 13

Dear Parents,

In response to Governor Beshear’s recommendation that all Kentucky schools close as a preventive measure to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Assumption High School will be closed Monday, March 16 through Friday, April 3.  All Catholic school activities including events, extra-curriculars, rehearsals and athletics (including workouts, practices, games, competitions, and travel) are canceled at this time.  Additionally, the building will be closed for an outside team to professionally electrostatically clean and sanitize the school. Spring break will take place as scheduled Friday, March 27 – Friday, April 3. 

Today, students received detailed information about our plans for the continuation of learning during this closure.  

  • We will begin by taking our two unused built-in “snow” days on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17.
  • We will then take four traditional digital learning days from Wednesday, March 18-Monday, March 23.
  • Because we have always planned for digital learning to be a short-term plan for inclement weather, then we will move to virtual learning days which allow for interactive learning between teachers and students in real time beginning Tuesday, March 24.  The students have been introduced to this virtual process today and we will continue training them during their study blocks on Thursday and Friday of next week.

Your daughters were informed of all the resources available to them and were encouraged to check their email regularly for updates and detailed information about accessing these resources.

We will continue to update you with additional information over the next two weeks. As always, we are so grateful for your support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Martha Tedesco and Mary Lang

MARCH 12 UPDATE

Dear Parents,

At his 5:00 press conference this evening, Governor Beshear directed that all public and private schools close as of Monday, March 16, and remain closed through spring break. As noted in our communication yesterday, Assumption High School has a plan and we will be sharing the details of the plan with your daughters tomorrow. We will follow up with a communication to you tomorrow as well.

It is vitally important that your daughter is at school tomorrow (March 13) so that she can be informed of our plan and be ready to learn over the next two weeks.

We have been attempting to communicate to you through SwiftReach, our group email distribution system, but we have received word from their parent company that they are currently overloaded and our email message has been cancelled.  Please help spread the word to any parent who may not be on social media. 

Thank you for your continued support as we work together through this uncertain time and ever-changing situation. 

Sincerely,

Martha Tedesco and Mary Lang

MARCH 11 UPDATE

Dear Parents,

Over the last week and a half, we have shared updates from the Archdiocese of Louisville about COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), and we have been following this issue very closely.  At this time, we want to provide an update to you specific to Assumption High School.

Today, Governor Beshear presented more aggressive recommendations for keeping the people of Kentucky safe. While he is not yet recommending school closures at this time, he does recognize that this may become a possibility as new information comes to light. 

With that in mind, we want you to know that Assumption is prepared with a comprehensive plan to not only safeguard students’ safety but also ensure the best possible educational experience in the event of a building closure.  Today we worked with our faculty to prepare them for any instructional adaptations that may become necessary if Assumption is closed for an extended period of time.   

We also spoke with the students about the very human feelings of frustration and fear with regard to this virus.  We reminded them that it’s very often the things that are beyond our control that cause us the most discomfort. But we can find comfort in some things that are perfectly under our control including:

  • Continuing to clean and sanitize our school facilities;
  • Keeping ourselves healthy by remembering to use preventive personal hygiene measures;
  • Maintaining an attitude of caution but not living in fear as well as not spreading rumors that cause panic;
  • And, as always, praying for all who are affected. 

Please know we place the highest priority on our students’ safety while also working to make rational and informed decisions based on the latest expert medical advice and guidance. We thank you for entrusting your daughters to us, an honor we consider a sacred responsibility.

Sincerely, Martha Tedesco and Mary Lang

MARCH 9 UPDATE

Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic Schools
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
March 9, 2020

As of this morning, four (4) cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Kentucky with one (1) of those cases in Jefferson County. The state of Kentucky has a web page with the latest information about the coronavirus: https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/Pages/covid19.aspx

Following news briefings from state and local leaders in Frankfort and Louisville today, our Catholic schools will continue to operate on normal schedules. We will continue to monitor conditions in conjunction with our local health departments, and if conditions change, we will adjust our recommendations and practices accordingly.

We are taking all precautions to provide safe and healthy environments for our students.

We will continue to emphasize and follow good hygiene practices and these preventive measures::

  • Voluntary Home Isolation: Stay home when you are sick with respiratory disease symptoms. Now, these symptoms are more likely due to influenza or other respiratory viruses than to COVID-19-related virus.
  • Respiratory Etiquette: Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw it in the trashcan. Cough into elbow.
  • Hand Hygiene: Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60%-95% alcohol.
  • Environmental Health Action: Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects

We ask everyone to check the CDC site for guidance and recommendations on postponing or canceling travel. These are called travel notices and are based on assessment of the potential health risks involved with traveling to a certain area. A list of destinations with travel notices is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html. Please check this information if you have travel plans. Our schools are also monitoring this information.

Thank you for your support as we work together to ensure the safety of our students.

Leisa Schulz
Superintendent of Schools