Friday, February 12, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
What a week! We hope this email finds you and your family staying safe and warm during our recent snowy and icy weather. We are so proud of our students and faculty for continuing to excel academically despite the move to all virtual instruction this week due to the vaccination and inclement weather. We wish you all a happy and safe winter break!
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’s COVID-19 numbers for this week are: (2/5; 2/8; 2/9; 2/10; and 2/11):
- 4 new positive COVID-19 cases (3 students/1 faculty/staff)
- 21 new quarantine cases (20 students/1 faculty/staff)
- 25 total positive COVID-19 cases as reported to our local department of health as of January 5, the start of this semester (21 students and 4 faculty/staff)
It’s important to note that there have been 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.
Although statewide the positivity rate is declining, we are seeing an increase in cases and quarantines in our Catholic schools. Just this past week – AHS has 4 positive COVID cases and 21 new quarantines. That is in addition to the 7 positive cases and 20 new quarantines last week. 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 to continue to do their part. Please reinforce with your daughter the importance of maintaining good hygiene, wearing a mask, and practicing physical distancing wherever she goes.
VACCINE UPDATE: That said, we are thrilled that our faculty and staff were able to receive the first dose of the COVID vaccine on Monday and are scheduled to receive the second dose on Monday, March 8. This is a significant step in halting the spread of the disease and bringing an end to this pandemic. While widespread vaccination will likely expedite the return to normalcy, according to the Kentucky Department of Education in their directive to schools dated 2/11/2021, “the exponential spread of the COVID-19 virus and new variants will remain a threat to communities for many months”. Because of this, all schools are required by the KDE to continue to adhere to these five safety expectations even if faculty and staff are fully vaccinated:
- Social distancing
- Masks and other PPE
- Screening and school exclusion
- Sanitation and environmental factors
- Contact tracing
This is especially true since vaccination against COVID 19 prevents severe illness but doesn’t prevent against infection or limit the ability of an individual to spread the disease. In addition, students are currently ineligible to receive the vaccine as it has not been approved for use in children. Infected students may spread COVID to unvaccinated family members and others, leading to increased community spread.
SCHOOL CALENDAR: That means we will continue under our hybrid schedule until Spring Break where we will once again pause to assess the situation and determine if conditions warrant a change in schedule. Next week we will publish our March calendar. Please know that while our goal is to get every student back in our building safely, a change in our mode of instruction to fully in-person requires the approval of our local department of health and the Archdiocese of Louisville and our ability to meet the requirements of the KDE. That also applies to events. We are tentatively planning on hosting celebratory events safely in person when possible but realize that the spread of the virus and directives from local or state health departments will dictate our plans depending on the circumstances. We are planning for all possibilities.
Currently, the CDC is issuing new guidelines in several key areas and we are in communication with the Archdiocese regarding these changes. In next week’s Rocket Report, we will address any changes to our policies and procedures based on these revised guidelines.
While there is the light at the end of the tunnel, we know these next few months will continue to be challenging for all of us. As always, we remain grateful for your support and commitment of Assumption and to the safety of our entire community.
CALENDAR NOTES:
- DAILY SCHEDULE: Next week, we will not have a LEAD & Learn Wednesday due to the winter break holiday:
- Monday, February 15 – No School/Winter Break Holiday
- Tuesday, February 16 – Day 1: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort
- Wednesday, February 17 – Day 2: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort
- Thursday, February 18 – Day 3: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort
- Friday, February 19 – Day 4: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort
- MISSION WEEK: Mission Weekis Monday – Thursday, February 22-25. We will begin school each morning at 9:00 a.m. and dismiss each day by 2:00 p.m. All hybrid students are required to attend and participate in the activities as scheduled throughout the week virtually and in-person. Pink cohort students will have the option to attend all events virtually but are welcome to attend in-person events on campus if they so choose. Detailed schedules, assignments, and other expectations will continue to be shared with your daughters over the next week. All attendance policies and health and safety protocols apply during Mission Week. If your daughter is ill and/or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms and unable to participate on a given day, please call the attendance office as usual. If at all possible, please do not schedule medical appointments for your daughter on days when she will be participating in activities both in-person and/or virtually. During Mission Week, students may be dropped off on their in-person day(s) from 8:30-8:55 a.m. and go directly to their assigned room or area. Before–school supervision will be available in the cafeteria beginning at 8:00 a.m. and after-school supervision until 2:30 p.m. There is no school on Friday, February 26. More details about Mission Week were sent in a Special Message from the President and Principal email on Thursday, February 4.Please be sure to check your email from last week for this important message!
CAMPUS MINISTRY:
- PARENT PRAYER: Parent Prayer will not meet on February 16 or February 23.
COHORT CHANGE REQUESTS: The end of February brings the opportunity to request a cohort change for your daughter. Parents of students in the Pink/All Virtual Cohort, please watch your email in the week ahead for information about moving your daughter to hybrid learning (attending school in-person two days a week) if you would like to do so. Parents of students in the Maroon Cohort and Blue Cohort, if you need to switch your daughter’s in-person learning days, please email dean of students Cindi Baughman no later than Friday of next week (February 19) to request the change. Cohort changes will go into effect when we return to school after Mission Week on March 1. In requesting a cohort change for your daughter, you are committing to her remaining in that cohort until Spring Break, when the next opportunity to change cohorts will be offered.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY (NHS) APPLICATIONS: Completed applications are due by 3:10 p.m. on Thursday, February 18 (before Mission Week). Applications must be turned into TEAMS as explained in the informational PowerPoint sent to sophomores and juniors in mid-January. NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS DEADLINE! The application requires both student and parent/guardian signatures. Questions about applying to NHS can be directed to NHS advisers KELLY KIRWAN or KIM HABICH.
IMPORTANT 2021-2022 REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
- REGISTRATION FEE AND TUITION SELECTION VIA MYSCHOOLBUCKS: Parents or guardians of current freshman, sophomore, or junior students were emailed a letter from Mary Lang announcing our tuition for the 2021-22 school year on Wednesday, January 27. Parents/Guardians will need to log into their PowerSchool Parent Portal (direct link: PowerSchool) and pay their $225 registration fee using MySchoolBucks, which can be found on the left-hand side library of the parent portal. This is a credit/debit, non-touch payment in which MSB receives a transaction fee that is included in the $225 registration fee. Contact Brent.miller@ahsrockets.org or Kathy.fleischer@ahsrockets.org if you encounter difficulties with logging into PowerSchool and MySchoolBucks. If you are unable to pay the online $225 registration fee or have other arrangements with our finance office, please contact TAMMY FINCH.
- PARENT POWERSCHOOL LOG IN FOR 2021-2022 REGISTRATION: Teachers will conference with students February 4 through February 11. Course registration will OPEN on Friday, February 12. This is a great time to have a conversation with your daughter about her classes for next year and to review the course offerings in the 2021-2022 Course Catalog.The course registration link in PowerSchool will open on Friday, February 12. At that time, the course registration link will appear and be available for you to work with your daughter on her course selections. Please ask your daughter to share the information provided during class meetings, meetings with her teachers, and guidance provided her by her guidance counselors and academic deans to complete this course registration by Friday, February 19. We will be sending a special message with more detailed information next week with information for parents regarding assisting with this process, but please make note that you will need to log into your parent PowerSchool account to register your daughter for classes next year. If you have forgotten your parent username or password for PowerSchool, when you go to the login screen for PowerSchool, just click on the link “Having trouble signing in?” and follow the directions to obtain a forgotten username or forgotten password.
- FINANCIAL AID FORM: The financial aid link for 2021-2022 has been added to the school’s website. The due date is February 28 and the form must be submitted online to FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment. FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION LINK. As a reminder, you are required to file every year to receive assistance.
- SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS: Scholarship applications for the 2021-2022 school year are now on our website. Applications are due by 4:00 p.m. via email on March 2. Please contact Advancement Services Manager JACKIE BLOYD with questions. Scholarship winners will be announced at our end-of-year celebration. You may access the applications through the following link – SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS.
TEST PREP – Attention, Junior Parents: Your daughter received an email last week reminding her of ALBERT, the important test prep tool provided by Assumption. This online test prep program provides practice in each of the section of the ACT and the SAT as well as full length practice tests. Now is a great time to start this prep to achieve her goals for the Tuesday, April 13 National ACT at Assumption High School.
RPN (Rocket Parent Network) NEWS: Our Rocket Parent Network wants to invite all parents to attend a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, February 23, at 6:30 p.m. Our guest speaker for this meeting will be local therapist Amy Greenamyer who will present, “Talking to Your Teens about Drugs and Alcohol.” We hope that you will join this informative conversation with Amy Greenamyer. Watch your e-mail for a Zoom link to join the meeting which will be sent a few days prior to the event
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 February 16-19: Pita Pizza Foldover (Tomato Basil, Cheese, or Pepperoni), Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Roasted Zucchini, Small Caesar Salad
UPCOMING CLUB OPPORTUNITIES: Be sure to ask you daughter to take some time to check out the upcoming club meetings that will continue to be posted regularly on the website calendar linked here: https://www.ahsrockets.org/events/event/
ATHLETICS: From the Athletic Office: Tryouts for lacrosse, softball, tennis, and track & field will begin Monday, February 16. Students who are interested in trying out can get more detailed information at this link: https://www.ahsrockets.org/athletics/winter-sports-tryouts/. Competitions will begin as early as March 10. Updated schedules will be posted on our website.
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 and 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, February 18 at 6:30 p.m. via TEAMS to learn more about this fantastic trip. Join TEAMS page using code: 8ta8v6w or 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.
Gratefully,
Martha Tedesco
Principal