Friday, April 23, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It’s been an exciting week as we have begun our spring celebrations with a beautiful Senior Mother-Daughter Prayer Service on Saturday and a fun-filled Senior Celebration Day on Wednesday.  As we continue to celebrate April School Spirit Month, the seniors and juniors were on campus this week to film their class field dances and the entire school had the opportunity to participate in our Pink and White celebration to support and fundraise for the Norton Hospital Breast Health Center. We are so proud of our entire TEAM PINK Assumption community who played, cheered, and/or donated for this very important cause! 

Next week we continue to invite students on campus to provide unique ways to celebrate some traditional school activities.  Please be sure to read the CALENDAR and LEAD & LEARN sections of today’s Rocket Report for important reminders and details about our unique schedule and activities for next week including the Walk for Assumption on Thursday! 

COVID NUMBERS:  As we did last semester, Assumption will report our number of COVID positive cases and quarantines for any individuals associated with our school on a weekly basis in the Rocket Report. As of yesterday, Assumption had no reported cases or quarantines for this week: (4/16; 4/19; 4/20; 4/21; and 4/22).    

  • 0 new positive COVID-19 cases  
  • 0 new quarantine cases  
  • 39 total positive COVID-19 cases as reported to our local department of health as of January 5, the start of this semester (35 students and 4 faculty/staff)    

In addition, we continue to have no known transmissions of COVID here at AHS.   As a reminder to our parents, Assumption is required to report positive cases and quarantines of all individuals associated with our school to the State of Kentucky, our local health department as well as the Archdiocese of Louisville. 

Seniors who opted for a four-day week returned on Monday. It was good to see so many of them together as we made adjustments to accommodate them in the classrooms and during lunches.  We are pleased with what we have observed with this transition this week. As we stated in our special message on April 14, our goal is to offer every student the opportunity to return to campus for a four-day week sometime this school year. As mentioned, the prevalence of COVID in our local and school community as well as our ability to safely accommodate the number of students wishing to return four days a week all play into our plans to bring more classes back to campus.  At this time, we are still analyzing and finalizing our plan for additional classes to return and we look forward to sharing the details of our next steps in a special message to our school families early next week.    

CALENDAR NOTES:   

  • DAILY SCHEDULE:  Next week we will follow a special schedule:  
  • Monday, April 26 – Day 1: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort 
  • Tuesday, April 27 – Day 4: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort 
  • Wednesday, April 28 – LEAD & Learn Day:  All cohorts digital and/or in-person activities 
  • Thursday, April 29 – Walk for Assumption:  Special in-person class walk schedule 
  • Friday, April 30 – Oaks Holiday: No School 
  • JUNIOR “MASK”ERADE – LOCATION CHANGE: We are looking forward to celebrating with the juniors this year at their “Mask”erade this Saturday, April 24!  This event was originally scheduled to be held at the Green, but with rain and colder temperatures forecasted throughout the evening, we announced to the juniors on Thursday that the maskerade would be moved to the school building this Saturday. We were able to make that decision knowing that based on the number of juniors who had RSVPed and purchased a ticket that we could host the event indoors while still providing physical distancing for all involved. Juniors will begin their staggered arrival in small groups at the CAC doors beginning at 7:50 p.m. with the “mask”erade ending at 10:00 p.m. and will stay within their small groups throughout the experience. This year only juniors will be able to attend. Guests will not be permitted. A virtual “mask”erade will also be offered alongside the in-person event. Students have received information about the virtual event, dance rules and expectations, and dress code information.    
  • WALK FOR ASSUMPTION 2021 – “Walk Down Memory Lane” Staggered Walk Schedule: There are many reasons that we are very excited in this unusual year to be able celebrate our annual Walk for Assumption as a community.  First, the success of our Rocket Raffle which is each student’s ticket to the Walk is a testament to the strength of our community and the support we provide to each other, even in such trying times.  Second, this event is always a memorable one for our community and a great time to celebrate together.  That is why we are so pleased that we are the only area high school who has been approved by the city to receive a walk permit during this school year.  One of the reasons that our walk was approved is that we submitted a staggered walk plan which will have each class walking together as they usually do at a designated time, but they will be the only class on the route at that time.  In order to facilitate this, we will have a staggered arrival and dismissal schedule for each class as outlined below: 
  • Freshmen:  8:10-8:30 Staggered Arrival in Homerooms; 9:00-10:30 Walk Assembly and Walk for Assumption; 10:30 Dismissal 
  • Juniors: 9:10-9:30 Staggered Arrival in Homerooms; 10:00-11:30 Walk Assembly and Walk for Assumption; 11:30 Dismissal 
  • Sophomores: 10:40-11:00 Staggered Arrival in Homerooms; 11:00-12:30 Walk Assembly and Walk for Assumption; 12:30 Dismissal 
  • Seniors: 12:10-12:30 Staggered Arrival in Homerooms; 12:30-2:00: Walk Assembly and Walk for Assumption; 2:00 Dismissal 

In light of this unusual Walk schedule, Assumption will be providing supervision throughout the day for students who may need it.  Supervision will be available from 7:15 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the cafeteria for students prior to or after walking.  The campus will close at 2:00, and students must be picked up at that time.  

CAMPUS MINISTRY – PARENT PRAYER: Parent Prayer takes place every Tuesday morning from 8:30-9:00 a.m. via Zoom 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.  All are invited!  

LEAD & LEARN UPDATE: During our LEAD & Learn Wednesday this week, our students had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of events throughout the day.  Our sophomores and juniors participated in a timed writing with their English classes.  The results of these timed writing responses will be assessed for skill mastery by the English department and will be an integral part of planning for next year for both individual students and the department as whole.  In addition, all freshmen, sophomores and juniors participated in class meetings where they received initial information about student leadership positions for next school year as well as overarching logistics for the Walk for Assumption on April 29.  In addition, juniors received initial information about the upcoming Junior Ring Blessing Ceremony in May, sophomores and juniors received information about applying for parking in 2021-22, and sophomores were introduced to the Governor’s Scholars Program.  Juniors also had the opportunity to gather at Highland Hall for our physically distanced version of our traditional Spirit Week bleacher dances…this year’s field dances, and then freshmen, sophomores, and juniors all had the opportunity to engage in class activities supporting our annual Pink and White event by either gathering for an in-person watch event on campus or via livestream at home.  For seniors, Wednesday provided wonderful opportunities to come together as a class as they engaged in two traditional culminating activities for their class – our Senior Celebration Day and the Pink and White Game. 

Next week’s LEAD & Learn Wednesday also offers a variety of opportunities for student learning and whole person activities for our entire student body. Seniors will begin the day in homeroom and class meeting where they will receive details about their Walk for AHS experience the following day, hear about their opportunity to continue their class’ legacy of leadership by contributing to the Class of 2022’s Junior Ring Blessing Ceremony, and learn more about crucial conversation skills which will be essential as they move into new college communities.  Seniors will then transition with their class into our annual Prevention Assembly which will be followed by a timed writing assessment which will be taken in their senior English classes.  After lunch, seniors are invited to campus to participate in another 21 for ’21 class activity, decorating the campus and parking spaces with chalk art.  Juniors will also learn more about Walk for AHS details for their class in a class meeting and review crucial conversation skills.  Freshmen will complete their English class timed writing.  And all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will participate with their classes in the annual prevention assembly.  In addition, freshmen and sophomores will each have the opportunity to come to campus to participate in this year’s field dances with their Field Dance Filming and Popsicle Party.  Details of times for these events are below.  Students will meet at the CAC and then travel together to Highland Hall where they will be filmed for future viewing.  After lunch, a variety of meetings will also take place, including the National Honor Society New Member Welcome and Senior Farewell as well as AP Exam information meetings which will have multiple options for participation.    

  • Sophomore Field Dance and Popsicle Party:  The event will last from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. with staggered arrival at the CAC beginning at 10:45 a.m. 
  • Freshman Field Dance and Popsicle Party:  The event will last from 12:15-2:00 p.m. with staggered arrival at the CAC beginning at 12:00 p.m. 

AP EXAMS:  All students, whether virtual or hybrid, who have signed up to take an AP exam are scheduled to take the paper and pencil exam May 3 – May 17 at Highland Hall.  If a student is on quarantine or unable to make this scheduled date due to illness, College Board has also scheduled two additional weeks of exam administration windows for students unable to test on the original dates.  Your daughter’s AP teachers are keeping her informed, and full information can be found here:  AP Test Information for 2021  Please contact JUDY FIELDHOUSE if you have any questions. 

STANDARDIZED TESTING FOR GSP APPLICATIONS: Sophomores interested in applying for the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) next fall are strongly recommended to take an ACT in June, July, September, or October or an SAT in June, August, or October. Information about this program was shared with sophomores this week during their class meeting. For questions, email KELLY KIRWAN or visit the GSP website at  http://gsp.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx. 

ACT TEST PREP FOR SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS:  We are offering our students the opportunity to partner with TorchPrep, an innovative test training program that cracks the code on improving ACT scores. TorchPrep has continually yielded outstanding ACT scores for our students. Last year, Assumption students who participated in TorchPrep saw an average score increase of 2.2 points. All courses include 30 hours of direct training, four full-length simulated tests, TorchPrep training manual, customized study plan, and guaranteed results.  The training program will take place at Assumption June 7 – 11 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.  Early registration deadline is June 1.  More information about programs, registration, and fees can be found at www.torchprep.com. 

END OF THE YEAR TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION from the IT Department: If you have any questions regarding the information below, please contact our IT Director, Joyce Koch. 

  • SENIOR TABLET PCs: Seniors have been informed to turn in their Tablet PCs in on or before their last day of class, so we can remove the web filter and any other school-owned software. If they would like to purchase their computer for $5.00, they need to tell us that when they bring it to the Boeckmann Lab. We do not need their charger, pen, or case, only the laptop. If they would like to donate the computer to the school to be used as a loaner or for parts, we very much appreciate that and will take the charger and pen as well if they want to donate them.  The last day of classes for most seniors is Thursday, May 7 but those with AP exams after that date, of course, may keep their Tablet PC until after their exams. AP and other teachers who know their seniors will need to keep their laptops longer have sent lists to Mrs. Koch with the names and dates we should expect the graduates’ laptops. Students may return with $5.00 to purchase their Tablet PC beginning June 6. If you have questions, please contact Russ Wallace. 
  • FRESHMAN, SOPHOMORE, JUNIOR SUMMER TABLET PC USE: We will not collect underclassman computers at the end of this school year. This year we will allow students to keep their computers over the summer months. Our plan is to reimage them during the school year in batches. We will start sometime in October collecting computers from students and allowing them to use loaner computers for a few days until we reimage theirs. We have asked the students to please get in the habit of saving as much as they can to the cloud such as OneDrive to minimize any disruption to their classes next fall.  
  • If a computer is malfunctioning this spring, of course we want it brought to the Boeckmann Lab, and we will deal with it and may even reimage it before summer if need be. As always, if there is any accidental damage to the computer such as cracks or dents that affect its operation, it should be brought to the lab as soon as possible whether that is during the spring or summer. HP requires us to report accidental damage within a few days of an accident. If a student computer malfunctions during the summer, they should email Mr. Wallace explaining what is happening. He will get back to them when he can, but please be aware that the cafeteria and Boeckmann Lab are being renovated this summer, and the IT Department will also be busy with helping get technology in the new building addition ready, so his time may be limited, but he will help you. We want everyone to return to school in August with a working computer. 
  • If a student is not returning to Assumption in the fall for any reason, she should bring her computer in its case along with the power cable and the pen to the Boeckmann Lab on her last day of classes. 

DIVERSITY CLUB: Parents and students are invited to join the Diversity Club for our next meeting on Wednesday, May 12 at 3:15 p.m. on Zoom.  Our featured speaker for the May meeting is Dr. Jakia Marie from Bellarmine.  Dr. Marie is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department and teaches classes in Anthropology and African and African American Diaspora Studies (AAADS).  Additionally, Dr. Marie started the Butterfly Project at Bellarmine which involves multiple community partnerships.  Dr. Marie will be speaking to the group about ways to engage in diversity initiatives on college campuses and in our community. To join the Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82602663135?pwd=TVR4UERYV0hQcGFiSnV1RnpJYTlxUT09  Meeting ID: 826 0266 3135, 

Passcode: nD1tnY​ 

ROSE THEATRE SPRING PRODUCTION:  The Rose Theatre Company is proud to present their spring musical Working this month – a musical about honoring the average American worker. The hopes, dreams, joys, and concerns of the average working American are the focus of this wonderful musical. Based on Studs Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews with American workers, Working paints a vivid portrait of the women and men who the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the check-out worker, the restaurant server, the mill worker, the mason, the trucker, the firefighter, and the homemaker just to name a few. This year’s in-person musical will take place beginning April 22. At this time, tickets are limited to the family and friends of the cast and crew due to indoor capacity health and safety restrictions. Masks will be required, and all Healthy at Assumption protocol will be followed. However, members of the Assumption community have a virtual option to watch the performance! A video option will be available May 7, 12, 14, and 19 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on www.showtix4u.com. This is a scheduled stream, so you have to tune in at the right time, and the cost is $5 per device.  

HAS YOUR DAUGHTER RECEIVED A COVID-19 VACCINATION? A number of our students have been able to receive a COVID-19 vaccination because of their jobs or medical conditions. If your daughter has been vaccinated against COVID-19, please send a copy of her vaccination record to our school nurse, Laura Burnam, to keep on file in case a question about whether she would need to quarantine should arise. 

LUNCH UPDATE FROM FLIK:  Please remind your daughter to pre-order her lunch for next week if she plans to have FLIK provide her lunch on her hybrid in-person days. Lunch orders must be submitted by 8:30 a.m. the morning of but can be ordered a week in advance through this link: www.flikisdining.com.  Your daughter will receive an email confirmation when the order is placed. If she does not receive a confirmation email, the order was not received by FLIK. For full information about the lunch ordering process, please click on this link: INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING LUNCH MENU AND ORDERING  

  • MAIN ENTRÉE LUNCH MENU OPTIONS for April 26-27: Bowtie Pasta with Olive Oil, Bowtie Pasta with Alfredo, Roasted Chicken Alfredo Pasta, Small Caesar Salad, Steamed Broccoli 

SUMMER ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES: Academic opportunities for the summer have been UPDATED. You can find these on our guidance department page by clicking here: Academic Summer Opportunities 2021.  There are numerous opportunities available with many costing less than $1,000. Programs are grouped according to areas of interest like STEM or Creative Arts/Design or General Summer Pre-College Programs, etc. Please contact LEIGH JACKSON or KIM HABICH with any questions.  

Gratefully,  

Martha Tedesco  

Principal