Image

Bear Essentials - December 21, 2018  

Image

Spanish students made poinsettias in class this week, after learning how Joel Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, introduced the popular Christmas flowers to the United States.

Christmas Blessings

  Featured Content

 Christmas Break: Dec. 22 - Jan. 6;
classes resume Monday, January 7.

 

Reflection for Advent

We are happy to share a last Advent Reflection for December, from the Ursuline Sisters of the Central Province. Beginning with Gaudete Sunday, this week in Advent is all about joy... and the Ursuline sister in this reflection calls us to consider how we can be joyful when there is turmoil in our nation, in our communities and within ourselves.

 
Image

From the Main Office

Bear Essentials Schedule

Please note that there will be no Bear Essentials next week on December 28.  Bear Essentials will resume on Friday, January 4, in advance of students coming back to school on January 7.

 

College Acceptances Beginning to Arrive

Our office of school and college counseling has released a list of acceptances for early action and early decision college applications. Congrats to all seniors who have received decisions thus far.  See the updated list here.

 

Trip to Italy Open to Freshmen

Any 9th grade students interested in the trip to Italy in June 2019 should contact Ms. Cummins at ecummins@ursulineacademy.net or Ms. McNeill at mmcneill@ursulineacademy.net for more information. Students will spend two weeks living in Rome, studying Theology or Latin at sites like the Forum, Villa Borghese, and San Clemente. There will also be side trips to Florence, Pompeii, and Assisi. Interested students must apply to be selected for this opportunity.

Holiday Happenings

Image

Thanks for the Teddies! A great big 'thank you!' goes out to everyone who sent in teddy bears for the Teddies for Tots program this year. The photo of all 285 of them together is overwhelming! Many thanks to our drivers who delivered all of the bears: Laura and Claire Massimo, Hope and Carrie Alto, Georgia and Mary Kazis, Mike O'Connor, and Natalie Mayo! Special thanks to Mr. O'Connor and Ms. Mayo for their organizational efforts, and to Mrs. Donna O'Connor who organizes this program for Ursuline each year. Mrs. O'Connor P'03, '08, thanks our students and parents for their participation in this beloved project, noting that "these shelters are filled with gratitude for Ursuline's labor of love....Merry Christmas!"

Image

¡Feliz Navidad! The students in Senorita Meade's 8th, 9th, and 10th grade Spanish classes created Ojos de Dios, a traditional Mexican decoration. While creating their designs, the students learned about the indigenous beginnings of this type of adornment. When a child was born in Mexico, the father immediately created the center of the Ojo. Each year on the child's birthday, another layer of yarn was added. When the child turned five years-old, the Ojo was ready to be displayed as a decoration. The indigenous people of Mexico used the Ojo to ward off evil spirits. With the introduction of Christianity, the shape of the cross was added and now these decorations are hung around the house and on the Christmas tree.

Image

Clothe-a-Child Donations Wrapped and Delivered! Thank you to everyone in the Ursuline community who contributed to our Clothe-a-Child program this month.  After homerooms and staff departments collected and wrapped gifts earlier this week, the gift bags were delivered to the Yawkey Center in Boston. Mrs. Stacie Dowling and her homeroom (above) sponsored just one of many children who will have a very merry Christmas thanks to Ursuline Academy!

Life on Lowder Street

Catherine Treseler '18 Home for the Holidays

Midshipman Catherine Treseler, UA '18 returned to campus this week and visited Mrs. Ferrucci's grade 11 guidance classes to talk about her college process and her plebe year at the US Naval Academy.

Image
Image

Charlotte Marquis '13 Visits Junior Guidance Classes

Mrs. Ferrucci's 11th-grade guidance classes welcomed back to campus Dr. Charlotte Marquis '13 (pictured with Mrs. Ferrucci, left). Charlotte graduated from Edinburgh College in Scotland and is doing her Veterinary work at a practice she started in Arizona. She gave an informative talk on her experience applying to colleges and choosing a school overseas. Her remarks to the juniors included sage advice about persistance. "The important thing is what happens after you fail and how you respond the next time." She encouraged the girls to cast a wide net as it will bring them to where they are meant to be.

Speech Team Holly Festival Results

Congrats to Ursuline's Speech Team who competed in the Holly Festival at Natick High School last week with the following results:  
Kendra Miller: 3rd place Children's Literature, 7th place Impromptu Speaking and 5th place Original Poetry
Bella Coe: 4th place Children's Literature
Mary-Kate McDonald: 3rd place Dramatic Performance and 1st place Duo Interpretation
Jamie and Maggie Folwell: 4th place Duo Interpretation
Maddie Mullen: 4th place Poetry Reading and 1st place Duo Interpretation
Marie Kimball: 2nd place Program Oral Interpretation
Bridget Dwyer, Mae O'Neil and Mia McDonald: 4th place TV News Team
Pentathlon category: Kendra Miller 1st place, and Maddie Mullen 3rd place

Image

Hockey Team Visits Italian Home

Members of UA's Ice Hockey team visited the Italian Home for Children in Jamaica Plain this past Monday with Coach Keady. The team spent about two hours there with the children and helped to gift wrap some gifts as well. This group (pictured right) was on a tour of one of the dorms which was called the Bears. 

Image

School and College Counseling

Junior Parent Meeting on January 9

Our Junior Parent College Planning Meeting will be held on Wed. Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. (snow date is Jan. 10). Deb Zatkowski, admission application reader for Boston College and Northeastern University, will talk about the college side of the process and Mrs. Ferrucci will give an overview of the UA process. Please RSVP to mferrucci@ursulineacademy.net.

 

Spring SAT and ACT Prep Classes

Summit will be offering ACT and SAT prep classes at Ursuline in the spring for the April 13, 2019 ACT Exam and the May 4, 2019 SAT Exam. Classes will run from 3-6 p.m. on the following dates:

ACT class: Tuesdays, March 5, 12, 19 and 26; April 2 and 9.
SAT class: Tuesdays, March 12, 19 and 26; April 2, 9 and 30.
Learn more about the ACT class here and the SAT class here.

 Comm Arts Celebrates Christmas

December 2018 Edition of Lowder News – Celebrating Christmas Around Ursuline!

UA Film Club Presents "Elfin' Around"

The UA Film Club is new this year, started by juniors Faith Banach and Catherine Tracy. After facing a few setbacks, they are excited to present their first video of the year, "Elfin' Around," in which a girl prepares for Christmas with the help of an elf she finds in her closet. Enjoy and stay tuned for new videos throughout the year! 

 

On the Calendar

Friday - December 21, 2018
 
Monday - December 24, 2018
 
Tuesday - December 25, 2018
 
Wednesday - December 26, 2018
 
Thursday - December 27, 2018
 
Friday - December 28, 2018
 
Monday - December 31, 2018
 
Tuesday - January 1, 2019
 
Wednesday - January 2, 2019
 
Thursday - January 3, 2019
 
Image

The students in Senorita Meade's 8th, 9th, and 10th grade Spanish classes created Ojos de Dios, a traditional Mexican decoration now used on Christmas trees.

 Ursuline Academy | 85 Lowder Street | Dedham, MA 02026 | 781.326.6161 

Unsubscribe from this eNotice.