Friday, November 13
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Yesterday, we had 13 Assumption seniors take part in an athletic signing ceremony committing to 10 different university athletic programs. Congratulations to our senior student athletes!
We continue to monitor our number of COVID-19 positive cases associated with our school, and we continue to report this information to our school community. As of yesterday, Assumption’s COVID-19 numbers for this week are:
- 6 new positive COVID-19 cases this week.
- 17 new quarantine cases this week.
- 39 total positive COVID-19 cases as reported to our local department of health as of August 1, 2020 (34 students and 5 staff). It’s important to note that there have been no known transmissions of COVID here at AHS.
As you know, Assumption has worked 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. However, we cannot control what goes on outside of school. We are aware of several large Halloween parties that took place over the last two weekends that resulted in several positive cases in the local Catholic high schools. We want to again reinforce that parents limit their daughter’s socialization outside of school. In the majority of our positive cases above, the transmission occurred through a social activity where health and safety precautions were not practiced. Although we have been fortunate that our current protocols and hybrid model appear to have prevented spread of COVID-19 within our building, individual cases do impact others in our community, including requiring others in the building to quarantine as a result of exposure. We are asking parents and students today to do their part. Talk to your daughter about the importance of maintaining good hygiene, wearing a mask, and practicing physical distancing wherever she goes. Most importantly, we must emphasize how important it is that each family limit students socializing outside of school.
CALENDAR NOTES FOR NEXT WEEK:
- DAILY SCHEDULE: Next week we continue our traditional hybrid schedule:
- Monday, November 16 – Day 1: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort
- Tuesday, November 17 – Day 2: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort
- Wednesday, November 18 – LEAD & Learn Wednesday: All Cohorts Digital at Home
- Thursday, November 19 – Day 3: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort
- Friday, November 20 – Day 4: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort
FROM CAMPUS MINISTRY:
- VIRTUAL THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION: The Community of Assumption will celebrate Thanksgiving and the blessing of gratitude during a virtual assembly on Wednesday, November 18, from 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. The theme of our gathering is “unsung heroes,” so we recognize lots of people in our own lives who have made us into the people we are today. All students will receive a link via email to participate virtually. The senior class is invited to attend virtually either from home or in-person in the gym.
- PARENT PRAYER: The Parent Prayer group meets each Tuesday morning from 8:30-9:00 a.m. in the chapel in the McAuley Center (formerly St. Catherine’s Convent), which is right across Tyler Lane from AHS. 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. If you are unable to attend but would like for the group to pray for a particular intention, please email it to our campus minister at maryann.steutermann@ahsrockets.org We hope you find comfort in knowing that we are praying for your intention even if you can’t be present. New Zoom option for parent prayer: If you are unable to join us in person, please consider joining us via Zoom on Tuesdays @ 8:30 a.m. by using this link and ID/Password: Join Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75488139027?pwd=UDQrM3BDWlZRbElEbWdUL1FQRE4wZz09, Meeting ID: 754 8813 9027, passcode: prayer.
DUAL CREDIT TUITION DUE TO WKU, JCTC, AND UL: Students enrolled in a dual credit class this semester need to make sure they pay any tuition owed by the beginning of December. Students should log into their accounts on www.KHEAA.com to double check which colleges they chose for disbursement for the Dual Credit Scholarship and then need to log into their JCTC, WKU and/or UL account to pay any remaining tuition due for this semester. This includes all first semester and yearlong DC courses with the exception of PreCalculus and Calculus that will register for credit in January. If you need help knowing which course is associated with which university, consult this sheet from our website: Dual Credit Reference Sheet. If you have any questions, contact JUDY FIELDHOUSE .
INCLEMENT WEATHER: With winter not far away, we would like to take the opportunity to inform parents of our revised inclement weather policies for the hybrid school calendar. This is a great time to check your PowerSchool information and make sure you are signed up for text PowerAlerts. When the Archdiocese of Louisville makes a call about school closings due to inclement weather, we will send PowerAlerts to those who have registered. You may also listen to local radio and television stations for an announcement that all Catholic high schools in Jefferson County are closed or on a delayed schedule. When the school is closed, classes will continue virtually using our current hybrid schedule but all activities, including sporting events, will be cancelled for the entire day. When the school is on a delayed schedule, Assumption will have a one-hour delay and will use a modified version of our hybrid schedule. In the case of a delayed opening, the school building will open at 8:55 a.m. with classes beginning at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 2:50 p.m. If your daughter drives to school or carpools with another student, please note: If parents have concerns about their daughter driving in inclement weather, they should not allow her to drive to school on a day when inclement weather is predicted. If it appears that inclement weather is on the way, we will allow students to leave early (prior to dismissal) only if their parents come to get them — students will not be released on the basis of a phone call or because their carpool driver is going home early.
TESTING ALERT SYSTEM ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16: We will test our weather and emergency alert system on Monday, November 16, at 5:00 p.m. All parents who have set their options in PowerSchool will be sent a test message to their email and/or phone via text or voice. If you do not receive the message as you expect, please check your options by logging into PowerSchool or contact our IT Department for assistance. Please email Brent Miller or call him at 271-2527.
UPCOMING CLUB OPPORTUNITIES: Clubs are in full swing in November! Be sure to ask you daughter to take some time to check out the upcoming club meetings that are posted regularly on the website calendar linked here: https://www.ahsrockets.org/events/event/
LEAD & LEARN WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Our November 11 LEAD & Learn Wednesday was a busy one! All classes participated in class meetings as well as a virtual kick-off for Rocket Raffle sales which will not only assist with financial aid for the student body but is also our students’ ticket to participate in our 38th annual Walk for Assumption this spring! In addition, freshmen had the opportunity to participate in virtual Heart2Heart meetings facilitated by senior retreat leaders, sophomores engaged in training for their virtual ACTS service, and students representing Assumption in classrooms at Open House this Saturday participated in a virtual training.
Additionally, this Wednesday, juniors and freshmen had the opportunity to meet in person with their classes. Juniors were invited to gather in the gym for the “Epic Team 22 Trivia Competition” planned by their class officers, which was also offered virtually via Teams. Freshmen met at the Assumption Green for an hour of Games and Gratitude which included activities facilitated by senior leaders from each of their families. Next week, seniors will have the opportunity again to come together at Assumption. The Class of 2021 is invited to gather in the gym to view the virtual version of our Thanksgiving prayer service together on the jumbotron screen. After the prayer service concludes, those seniors in attendance will participate in activities celebrating what is good now and moving forward as a class. This prayer experience is one of our most beloved Assumption traditions, and we look forward to giving the seniors the opportunity to be together to celebrate it one last time.
ROCKET RAFFLE TICKETS COMING HOME WITH YOUR DAUGHTERS TODAY AND MONDAY! We are very excited to kick off our student ticket sales which benefit financial assistance. Our goal is to have another RECORD-BREAKING Rocket Raffle which will mean another amazing student Walk! This year The Walk for Assumption (which typically takes place in September) will take place in April 2021! The WALK is our largest fundraising event that our students participate in each year, and the raffle drawing will take place at our Annual Rocket Spectacular Benefit, which will be a virtual experience this year on Saturday, January 30, 2021 (more details to come).
In order to participate in the Walk for Assumption, students must sell a minimum of three Rocket Raffle tickets. Tickets cost $25 each, and the purchaser is entered into a drawing for $20,000! Students who turn in a minimum of three tickets will receive a Walk for AHS T-shirt in the spring and will be eligible for great incentives (these have been shared with your daughters), which they will receive in the weeks before Christmas break. We are looking for 100% participation!
The deadline for ticket sales is Tuesday, December 8, for the Maroon and Pink Cohort and Thursday, December 3, for the Blue Cohort. Tickets will be collected in study hall on hybrid students’ in-person days of instruction. Collection information will be provided to Pink Cohort students.
Be on the lookout for your Rocket Raffle tickets that are coming home on the following dates:
- Maroon Cohort tickets will be distributed in homeroom Monday, November 16.
- Blue Cohort tickets will be distributed in homeroom Friday, November 13.
- Pink Cohort tickets were mailed home to you on Thursday, November 12.
You can begin selling online tickets right now: https://one.bidpal.net/assumptionrocketspectacular
If you have any questions, please contact Tricia Ferree tricia.ferree@ahsrockets.org.
DISCOVER SOUTH AFRICA – SPRING BREAK 2022: If you are looking for a once in a lifetime experience, then consider traveling with us to South Africa. The lions, elephants, zebras, and giraffes are fascinating, but important social, political and cultural lessons will make even a bigger impression. Visit the former homes of Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu; travel along the Panorama Route: Blyde River Cannon, God’s Window and Bourke’s Luck Potholes; visit a local school and walk through a traditional Shangaan Village; enjoy a full-day game drive through Kruger National Park learning about the million acres with 16 eco-zones; take a morning bush walk before traveling to Cape Town where you will enjoy the views from a cable car ride to the summit of the Table Mountain; visit the South African Museum; reflect on Nelson Mandela’s fight for freedom when you see his jail cell on Robben Island; and much more. This trip is open to all current freshmen and sophomores and juniors. Please join us at the Parent/Student Information Meeting on Thursday, November 19, at 8:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. via TEAMS to learn more about this fantastic trip. RSVP by emailing Stacy Johnson at stacy.johnson@ahsrockets.org or Stasia Polston at stasia.polston@ahsrockets.org. We are starting early so you can start saving.
OPEN HOUSE 2020: We will be hosting an in-person Open House on Saturday, November 14, for eighth graders and their families. Registration is available online and families will follow all Healthy at Assumption protocols. While it will look much different this year, we are excited to offer this opportunity before future Rockets make their high school decision in December. As a valuable part of the Assumption community, we ask you to personally invite any prospective eighth grader and her family to Open House. Thank you, in advance, for your continued support!
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 Reopening and Learning Plan, visitors to the school will continue to be limited. Any visitor who has an appointment requiring 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