Friday, September 4, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

We fully enjoyed our first week with your daughters in our hybrid schedule! We appreciate all of our students and parents who have followed our new hybrid policies and protocols.  We greatly appreciate your support and cooperation. 

We also officially celebrated the start to the school year with our Virtual Opening Prayer Service on Wednesday.  Our students, faculty, and staff did a beautiful job praying together and reflecting on how our school theme “We Are Home” inspires all of us to be “home” to one another.  

At our parent orientations, we shared the following information about the importance of COVID-19 reporting and our legal obligation to do so.  As a reminder, in order to help stop the spread of COVID-19, parents are required to notify our school nurse if their daughter: 

  • has tested positive for COVID-19, or 
  • suspects she may have COVID-19, or 
  • has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or    
  • undergoes testing because she has COVID like symptoms or has been advised by her health care provider to undergo testing; or  
  • if anyone in her home is being tested for COVID-19 due to symptoms. 

In each of these situations, your daughter should not come to school.  Parents should contact our school nurse, Laura Burnam, at Laura.Burnam@ahsrockets.org or 271-2507 for further direction and guidance regarding when their daughter can safely return to school.  Furthermore, as part of our Healthy at Assumption plan, if your daughter is not feeling well for any reason, she should stay home and refrain from coming to school.  Again, parents must contact our school nurse in this situation.  Students will have the ability to attend school virtually in any of the situations above if she is well enough to do so.  Please see our full STUDENT REPORTING AND RETURN TO SCHOOL POLICY UNDER COVID. We know that no one wants or intends to catch coronavirus.  Please don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed to report.  This is not about passing judgment but about working together to keep our community safe which allows for in-person instruction to continue.   

As you may know, Governor Beshear began posting the number of COVID-19 positive cases at schools throughout Kentucky. For those interested in seeing this data, it is available on the State’s COVID-19 website (kycovid.19.gov) under K-12 Schools Public Health Report tab.  As of September 2, the State has reported seven COVID positive cases at Assumption High School – 6 students and 1 staff.  In the interest of transparency, AHS will share the number of positive cases that we have reported to our local department of health each week in the Rocket Report. Our reported number will likely be higher than that reported by the State since there is a lag in the State reported numbers.  Please note that Assumption is legally required to report any student or employee who is COVID+ no matter where they contracted the disease.  Therefore, any time a student or employee notifies us that they have COVID, we must report it to the local department of health and the Archdiocese.   

Since the start of the school year on Monday, August 17, there have been 14 COVID+ cases associated with Assumption.    

It’s important to note that none of these cases were transmitted at our school.  These transmissions occurred mostly through social activities held outside of school.  Of these fourteen cases, only one individual who was COVID+ came to our campus and that was before she knew she had been exposed.  That resulted in the notification that was sent to all parents and guardians on August 24. 

The good news is that with our strong COVID policies in place combined with the education we are doing with parents, students, and employees, those who are sick are staying home.  In addition, when an employee or students does contract COVID, they are reporting it to AHS immediately and most importantly they are quarantining and not coming to school. This is critical for maintaining the health and safety of everyone in our community.  

Assumption is working diligently to minimize the risk of spreading the virus here on our campus. We have developed and implemented numerous health and safety policies and procedures as well as building modifications to combat the spread of the disease. We are asking parents and students to do their part.  If you have not done so already, please familiarize yourself with our HEALTHY AT ASSUMPTION PLAN including our Student Reporting and Return to School Policy under COVID (found above) and we ask that you take the extra step of limiting  your daughter’s socialization outside of school. Working together, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community.  

CALENDAR NOTES FOR NEXT WEEK:  

  • DAILY SCHEDULE:  Next week we will have a slightly altered schedule with no LEAD & Learn Wednesday due to the Labor Day Holiday on Monday: 
  • Monday, September 7 – Labor Day Holiday – NO SCHOOL 
  • Tuesday, September 8 – Day 1: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort 
  • Wednesday, September 9 – Day 2:  In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort 
  • Thursday, September 10 – Day 3: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort 
  • Friday, September 11 – Day 4:  In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort 
  • SCHOOL PICTURES: Next week, September 8-11, photographers will be here to take individual school portraits to order and for the yearbook. They will be here each day so that in-person students will have their photo taken during their in-person study block. There is NO uniform break for school pictures; pictures will be taken of students in their school uniforms.  Please help your daughter make sure her uniform is clean and in good repair for her school portrait.  Everyone will receive a picture order form in homeroom that they will need to bring with them on the day they have study. All students must have their pictures taken for our yearbook. For virtual students or for any student who will not be here in person next week, we will have another day during the spring semester for you to have your photo taken. We have not scheduled that date yet, but when we do we will communicate that information to you. 
  • FRESHMAN PARENT MANDATORY DRUG/ALCOHOL EDUCATION NIGHTS: Freshman Parent Mandatory Drug/Alcohol Education Nights to be held via Zoom on Wednesday, September 9, and Monday, September 14. – Please plan now to attend one of our mandatory parent education programs. This is an important program designed to familiarize you with the school philosophy and policies in the area of drug and alcohol prevention.  We know that what parents say and do makes a difference in the choices their daughters make. At this meeting, you will hear from a local therapist from Innerview who will present vital information in the area of drug and alcohol prevention. It is a program that will be worth your time and attention. At least one freshman parent or guardian is required to attend. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom and will last approximately one hour. Please complete this Wufoo survey to sign up for the event and receive the Zoom link: https://assumption.wufoo.com/forms/pwtklw1162y5te/ 

FROM CAMPUS MINISTRY:   

  • FRESHMAN–PARENT MASS – Each year we celebrate the beginning of your freshman daughter’s high school journey as a community of faith with our Freshman-Parent Mass.  This special liturgy is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Raphael Catholic Church.  If you have RSVP’d, please attend with your family.  Families can also attend virtually via St. Raphael’s YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPFD_8dZpEr4lMWZ4uTwmKg. We look forward to celebrating with you and your family. 
  • PARENT PRAYER on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8:  All AHS parents are invited to begin the day in prayer once a week on Tuesdays from 8:30-9:00 a.m. join us every Tuesday or just any Tuesday you can make it!  No need to RSVP!  If you are unable to attend but would like the group to pray for a particular intention, please email it to our campus minister at MARY ANN STEUTERMANN. We hope you find comfort in knowing that we are praying for your intention even if you can’t be present.  A few specific directions for this school year: Parents should park in the AHS lot in a visitor space or in any open space.  Parking is no longer available at the McAuley Center itself, so parents will need to cross Tyler Lane from the AHS lot to enter the McAuley Center. 

PARENT ORIENTATIONS:  Thank you to our sophomore, junior, and senior parents who were able to attend the parent orientations this week.  If you were unable to attend your daughter’s orientation night, please contact the her guidance counselor: 

Sophomore Guidance Counselor: Jennifer.ruckriegel@ahsrockets.org;

Junior Guidance Counselor: dawn.deweese@ahsrockets.org;

Senior Guidance Counselor: Kristin.walsh@ahsrockets.org.  

COLLEGE INFORMATION NIGHTS FOR SENIORS AND PARENTS:  Leigh Jackson and Kimberly Habich, college counselors, have provided detailed information about the college application process to every senior.  To further assist seniors and their parents with the college process, there will be a college information night for all seniors and parents on Wednesday, September 16, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.  Admission representatives from a variety of colleges and universities will discuss the college application process.  This panel will provide helpful hints and advice to seniors as they begin their own college process. If you have any questions, please contact LEIGH JACKSON.  We will also be hosting a virtual Financial Aid Information Night on Monday, September 21, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.  If you have any questions, please contact KIMBERLY HABICH. All seniors and parents are welcome to attend both events. A link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed prior to the events.  

DROP/ADD DEADLINE:  Our drop/add period for classes ends on Friday, September 11.  If you or your daughter has questions about her schedule, please have her schedule an appointment  with her appropriate dean of studies via the following youcanbookme links: Student Last Name A-K:   Judy Fieldhouse YouCanBookMe,  Student Last Name L-Z:  Theresa Schuhmann YouCanBookMe 

PLEASE CHECK YOUR DAUGHTER’S FLIK LUNCH ACCOUNT BALANCE:  Please check your daughter’s lunch account at www.myschoolbucks.com if she is pre-ordering lunches. All of the balances that were left from last year have been carried over to the new school year. You can add money to your account online or have your daughter drop off the check in the cafeteria drop box during school hours.  A few reminders: 

  • LUNCH ORDER:  Lunch orders must be submitted by 6:00 p.m. the day prior but can be ordered a week in advance through this link: www.flikisdining.com.  For full information about the lunch ordering process, please click on this link: INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING LUNCH MENU AND ORDERING.  
  • CANCELLING ORDERS IF DAUGHTER IS ABSENT: If your daughter has pre-ordered lunch and is absent on that day, please go to the website and cancel your daughter’s order before 8:00 a.m. on the day the lunch is to be delivered or the lunch will be charged to your account.  

IS YOUR DAUGHTER’S UNIFORM SKIRT TOO SHORT? The uniform skirt is to be worn at or near the waist and should be of moderate length (all the way around, front and back) at least an inch longer than the student’s fingertips when her relaxed arms are down at her side. As we have been monitoring the students as the move through the halls at class changes, we are seeing many, many, many skirts that are several inches too short. You may need to let the hem out of the skirt or buy your daughter a new (and longer) skirt. Our long weekend would be an opportune time to take care of this. Please help your daughter avoid receiving a detention by making sure that her uniform skirt is in compliance with our uniform code. 

IMPORTANT ADDITION TO OUR POLICY ON FACE MASKS:  Masks with exhalation valves or vents may not be worn at school because they allow air to be exhaled through a hole in the material, which can result in expelled respiratory droplets that can reach others.  This type of mask does not prevent the person wearing the mask from transmitting COVID-19 to others. If this is the type of mask your daughter has been wearing, she will need to replace it with an approved mask—she might want to wear one of the two masks that we have provided to all students since they meet all the requirements to be worn at Assumption. 

STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK:  The complete version of the Student-Parent Handbook is available on our website at this link: STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK 2020-2021.  Please take time to review the handbook carefully as it is part of the legal agreement between you and Assumption High School—it lets you know what you can expect from us and what we expect from you and your daughter. You may want to consider putting a shortcut to it on your desktop so you can quickly access a wealth of information about all things Assumption.  Your daughter will be asking you to sign a Student-Parent Handbook Agreement Form verifying that you have read and agree to be governed by the rules and policies in the handbook. The printed form is on the first page of her Student Planner and must be signed by both the parent and student and returned to your daughter’s homeroom teacher by Friday, September 17 (the planners had to be printed in July before we knew exact re-opening plans so the deadline date on the form has been modified). 

COVID-19 SUPPLEMENT TO THE STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK: As part of your handbook review with your daughter, please also review the COVID-19 HANDBOOK SUPPLEMENT. The supplement contains information specific to our policies and procedures related to Assumption’s response to the coronavirus global pandemic and our hybrid/virtual schedule—and also needs your careful review! We did not modify our traditional student-parent handbook  to include COVID-19 specific information as we hope to be back in-person traditionally at some point during this school year. 

CARPOOL LINE: PLEASE AND THANK YOU: The carpool line and traffic flow went especially well during our first week of in-person classes–thank you! Here are some tips that will make the process even better and faster, and we would ask all those who drop off and/or pick up students from Assumption to please keep them in mind: 

  • If you can, please wait until 3:10-3:15 to arrive for afternoon pickup; with our staggered dismissal, carpool riders are dismissed last and the traffic is much lighter after 3:10 so you will be able to get through the carpool line more quickly. 
  • If you come early in the afternoons, you absolutely may not wait/park on Tyler Lane. It’s against the law to park in the middle of the street and there’s no shoulder there for pulling off the road; it also can be a source of accidents and actually hurts our flow of traffic. Students have been notified that if they are picked up (or dropped off) on Tyler Lane, they will receive detentions. 
  • When traveling to/from campus for drop-off and pick-up, avoid Bardstown Road and Tyler Lane as much as possible. For example, instead of turning left from Bardstown Road to get in the carpool line, use the neighborhood streets to get to Bardstown Road north of Tyler Lane and then head south on Bardstown Road so you can turn right into the carpool lane. Here’s an annotated map of our neighborhood streets that can help you work out an alternate route that will help you avoid Bardstown Road and Tyler Lane and save you time: http://www.ahsrockets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Carpool-Procedures-and-Traffic-Flow-2020-2021.pdf
  • When you are exiting campus, TURN LEFT on TYLER, instead of turning right and going to the light at Bardstown Road. When you turn left, go to Eleanor Avenue, the first cross street, and then turn left (to take you down to Gardiner Lane for easy access to the Watterson Expressway) or right (to take you up several blocks before making another right to access Bardstown Road away from all the traffic). 
  • You can avoid the carpool line all together by making a quick stop at Gardiner Lane Shopping Center to drop off or pick up your daughter. They don’t mind as long as it is a quick stop and you don’t use the parking spaces near the stores that they need for their customers. It’s very short block and a safe walk for your daughter from the shopping center to Assumption. 

CARPOOL LINE “NO IDLING” REMINDER:  A message to parents from the ECC:  The Environmental Concerns Committee has made many changes over the years to help AHS be a more sustainable community.  A few years ago, no idle signs were put by the main entrance to the CAC so in the afternoon drivers would turn off their cars while they waited to pick up their students. The no idle zone is so important because car exhaust can damage not only the environment but our health. Idling puts off hazardous pollutants such as carbon dioxide and can cause serious health problems such as asthma, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, and cancer. It also causes serious environmental issues; carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming. If you idle for one hour, you waste about $2 on gasoline, and the more you do it the more it adds up. Instead, we invite parents to turn off their cars as they wait or simply arrive just a few minutes before school dismisses. We thank everyone for helping the earth and invite everyone to take part in a greener community.  

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL REMINDERS:  

  • TIME: The school day begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 2:50 p.m.  
  • DROP-OFF:  The building opens to students at 7:55 a.m. If your daughter is being dropped off at school, please plan to have her arrive at the time you indicated in the parent survey (7:55 -8:10 a.m. or 8:10-8:25 a.m.). Students dropped off in the carpool lane should enter through the CAC doors. If you arrive before 7:55 a.m., please do not drop off your daughter and drive away.  Please have her wait in the car with you in the carpool lane until the building opens at 7:55 a.m. Even though the tardy bell doesn’t ring until 8:30, your daughter needs to be in the building no later than 8:25 if she is going to go through the temperature scanner, get her wristband, and follow the one-way hallway requirements and be in her first block classroom by 8:30.  
  • TARDY STUDENTS: All students who are tardy or otherwise arrive late to school must enter the building via the main entrance on Tyler Lane. A staff member will meet them there, make sure they are wearing masks before they enter the building, scan their temperatures, and provide them with wristbands before sending them on to class. 
  • PICK-UP:  We will have a staggered dismissal from 2:50-3:00 p.m.  Students who drive and walk to school will be dismissed first and those who will be picked up in the carpool lane will be dismissed last. Since those being picked up from the carpool lane won’t even start exiting the building until 3:00 p.m., those who are picking them up are encouraged to wait to come pick them up until 3:10-3:15 to allow some of the traffic to clear and avoid wasting time and resources sitting in traffic on Bardstown Road. 
  • REQUESTED BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL SUPERVISION: Parents who requested an exception for early drop off can drop off beginning at 7:15 a.m. and ending at 7:45 a.m. Students must enter the school building through the courtyard cafeteria door. Before school supervision will take place in the cafeteria. Parents who have requested after school supervision must pick up their daughters no later than 4:30 p.m.  After school supervision will also take place in the cafeteria. 

ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES REMINDERS:   

  • All students (Hybrid and All Virtual) must be physically present either in a classroom or online via Microsoft Teams when the teacher takes attendance at the beginning of each class/study. With Microsoft Teams, students can both see and hear the teacher say their name, and they will be required to verbally confirm their presence unless the teacher directs them to do otherwise. Students who are not in the physical classroom or do not indicate their presence via Microsoft Teams will be marked absent.  
  • Hybrid students may opt to learn virtually from home on their in-person day if they are ill but still feel well enough to attend classes virtually. The student will not be marked absent, but a parent/guardian does need to notify the attendance office by 8:30 a.m. so we will know that she is not physically in the building as expected; we have a legal responsibility to know which students are in the building on any given day. 
  • If a Hybrid student is experiencing a possible COVID-19 symptom, she needs to stay home and learn virtually for the safety of others, and her parent/guardian must contact the school nurse for advice regarding next steps and the student’s eventual return to school. The student will not be marked absent as long as she is present virtually. This also applies to Hybrid students who are in quarantine. 
  • If a student is too ill to attend in-person or virtually, a parent/guardian must notify the attendance office by 8:30 a.m.  Attendance policies will be revised to accommodate illness due to coronavirus and concerns regarding the number of absences will be addressed on an individual basis.  If a student becomes too ill to continue during the school day when she is learning from home, the parent/guardian needs to contact the attendance office to let us know she will be absent for the remainder of the day. To encourage students to stay home when ill, the school will not include this year in the four-year perfect attendance recognition. 
  • Leaving school for an appointment on an in-person day is strongly discouraged. If a student must leave for an appointment, we ask that she not return to school physically for the remainder of that day but would encourage her to complete the day virtually from home. Whether learning in person or virtually, the parent/guardian needs to contact the attendance office to request the early dismissal and then to let us know when the student resumes her attendance virtually. 

ATHLETICS UPDATE: Thank you to all fall sport participants and parents for your patience and understanding this year.  A few updates:   

  • Parents-only spectators for fall athletic contests for volleyball, soccer and field hockey due to KHSAA requirements and healthy return to sports recommendations: As we begin our return to contests at AHS, we are proceeding with caution. Until further notice, we will only be allowing parents of rostered students to attend contests. Thank you for supporting our community as our main focus this fall is to make decisions to allow fall sports to continue and to keep all involved safe and healthy.  
  • Transportation to the Green for practice or games: In the past we have transported student athletes to the Green for contest or practices that began at 5:00 p.m. or before. Due to shortened practice, less practices per week, and keeping with the Healthy Return to Sports Guidelines, we are trying to schedule all games and practices to begin after 5:00 p.m. on school days. In the event we find a need to schedule events before 5:00 p.m., we will provide students transportation to the Green using the school bus or vans. We will provide a transportation schedule weekly in the Friday Rocket Reports. 
  • Storage for students’ sports and after school activities bags: In the past we had students store any additional bags or backpacks that are needed for after school activities in the locker rooms in the gymnasium. Keeping in line with the Healthy Return to Sports Guidelines, we are not using locker rooms until further notice. Therefore, if your daughter has a bag that needs to be stored during the school day, she should enter school through the CAC doors and follow the hallway to the gymnasium. Once inside, she can place her bag on the floor against the bleacher or on that bleacher to her right (St. Raphael side of the gymnasium). After the bell rings at the end of the day, she may make her way back to the gymnasium, retrieve her bag, and exit through the gymnasium doors to the parking lot. She may not return to her bag during the school day so remind her to place anything she needs for school in her purse/backpack or carry it with her separately; also, students should never leave money or valuables in their sports bags during the day. 
  • Our athletic COVID-19 policies can be found here:  https://www.ahsrockets.org/athletics/covid-19-athletics/

TERRIORISTIC THREATENING: State law now requires all schools to inform students and parents about laws regarding terroristic threatening and its potential penalties. Unfortunately, in recent years, Kentucky’s schools (even Catholic schools) have experienced an escalation of terroristic threats being made by students and others with intent to do harm to either other students or school staff members or to disrupt the educational process. Plainly stated, threats have been made to shoot people or detonate bombs with lethal intent. In fact, between January 23 and April 30, 2018, Kentucky schools experienced 294 terroristic threats that caused widespread fear throughout school communities and resulted in total disruption to the educational process–whether the threat was a “serious” one in which the person truly intended to do harm (terroristic threatening in the first degree) or whether it was a “hoax” threat made without any real intention to carry it out but for the purpose of being disruptive to the school and upsetting and causing fear among students, parents, and school personnel (terroristic threatening in the second degree). Regardless of the intention of the person making the threat, school officials and law enforcement officials were forced to close schools to investigate the threats that had been made. School leaders have said that the emotional, instructional, and financial impacts of these acts are incalculable. 

 The information below is about the new state law addressing “hoax threats” and is included in the Student/Parent Handbook and was shared with all students during class orientation sessions on Wednesday. Please review it carefully and discuss it with your daughter. According to Kentucky state law (KRS 508.078), a person is guilty of terroristic threatening in the second degree when he or she intentionally makes false statements by any means, including by electronic/online communication, for the purpose of:  

  • Causing evacuation of a school building, school property, or school-sanctioned activity; 
  • Causing cancellation of school classes or school-sanctioned activity; or 
  • Creating fear of serious bodily harm among students, parents, or school personnel. 

A threat directed at a person or persons or at a school does not need to identify a specific person or persons or school in order for terroristic threatening to occur. Use this link to read the full text of KRS 508.078. Terroristic threatening in the second degree is a Class D Felony punishable by one to five years imprisonment and/or a $1,000-$10,000 fine for adults (KRS 532.020) or, for juveniles, a fine not to exceed $500 (KRS 635.085), with fine assessed at the court’s discretion in lieu of commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice. 

Terroristic threats cause widespread fear throughout a school community and totally disrupt the educational process. Any such threats to Assumption students or employees are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The administration, in coordination with responding law enforcement agencies, will pursue legal charges for felony terroristic threatening in the second degree, to the absolute fullest extent of the law, against anyone who makes such threats, including students. Moreover, the administration will strongly advocate that the prosecution of these individuals be swift and their punishment be severe. A student suspected of making terroristic threats may be placed on home study pending the results of an investigation; appropriate disciplinary action (suspension, dismissal) will follow if warranted. 

MAIN OFFICE AVAILABILITY:  To adhere to state mandates in response to COVID-19 and to continue to keep our entire community safe and healthy, we are continuing to recommend that parents email or mail any school-related items instead of dropping them off at school.   Assumption’s Main Office is open from 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday.  In line with Assumption’s Re-opening and Learning Plan, visitors to the school will continue to be limited.  Any visitor who has an appointment that requires them to come into the building should come to the Tyler Lane door, ring the buzzer, and will be met there.  Visitors must wear a mask, undergo a temperature scan, and complete a health screening before entering the building.  Please feel free to contact Amy Schelb at 502-458-9551, option 0, or email at amy.schelb@ahsrockets.org for questions regarding the above or if you need assistance during this time.   

Gratefully, 

Martha Tedesco 

Principal