Bear Essentials - February 22, 2019  

Welcome back to our student and staff volunteers who spent the past week in Camden, New Jersey at the Romero Center, participating in its Urban Challenge Program, an immersive urban service-learning program. The Romero Center is a Catholic urban education and retreat center inspired by Archbishop Oscar Romero's prophetic witness. 

This Week at a Glance

 Golf Tournament

Registration is Open for the 27th Annual Fore the Girls Golf Tournament
Our Fore the Girls Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, June 3, at the Walpole Country Club. Click here for complete information about the event, including sponsorship and registration. If you are interested in helping on the planning committee for this event, please email Joe Ziska in our Advancement office at jziska@ursulineacademy.net. 

This Week's Announcements

Progress Reports Now Available
Progress reports are now available to parents and students on the portal. This report includes narrative comments on each student's progress towards course learning objectives and a summary of course contents. Parents are encouraged to follow up with individual teachers if they have concerns or questions about the comments or grades. Although we don't have spring parent-teacher conferences, parents are always invited to discuss with the teachers their daughter's work in each class.

Reminder! Re-Enrollment Forms Due Now
Parents of grades 7-11 are reminded that the Feb. 15 deadline to confirm enrollment for this coming fall has now passed. All parents must complete the Tuition Agreement Form to reserve a seat for your daughter for the upcoming year.  Thank you to those who have confirmed to date; if you have not yet completed the form, please do so as soon as possible. 

Fitness Center This Week

The UA Fitness center will be open to all from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesday - Thursday this coming week. Yoga will be offered on Thursday as well. 

Bears in Action

Winter Play Last Weekend

Kudos to the performers and crew for last weekend's Winter One Act plays, especially to student directors Sabrina Nedder and Faith Banach. The three one-act plays tackled challenging themes and the performances were followed by discussions with the audience.

Speech Team Updates
Congratulations to Speech Team members who attended last weekend's fierce Harvard National Forensics Tournament! In this challenging weekend-long competition, Hamsa Shanmugam (Informative Speaking) and Mary Kate McDonald (Dramatic Interpretation) broke to Octo Finals! In addition, the following students qualified for the National Competition in Milwaukee at the NCFL Qualifier meet on February 9: Maddie Mullen and Mary-Kate McDonald (Duo); Jamie and Maggie Folwell (Duo); Bridget Dwyer and Mia McDonald (2nd alternate for Duo); Kendra Miller (1st alternate for Dramatic Performance); 
and Marie Kimball (4th alternate for Dramatic Performance).

Left to right: Hamsa Shanmugam '20, Jamie Folwell '19, Maggie Folwell '20, Mary Kate McDonald '20, Kendra Miller '20 at Harvard Tournament

Life on Lowder Street

Service Opportunities This Week

Tuesday, February 26: Join us at Casserly House after school,  helping elementary school students with their homework.

Thursday, February 28: Have some fun with the residents at White Oaks Cottages.

Transportation is provided.

Please email Ms. McNally if you are interested at kmcnally@ursulineacademy.net and pick up a permission slip in the Campus Ministry office.

Dangers of Vaping Presentation Rescheduled for March 13
According to the CDC, more than 2 million middle and high school students were current users of e-cigarettes in 2017. We feel it is important to address and educate our students on this topic. On March 13, Grades 7-12 will attend a presentation given by Sydney Conti, UA '15 and currently a senior at Boston College/Connell School of Nursing, on the dangers of e-cigarettes, vaping, and juuling. Sydney created this presentation for adolescents as part of her course work at BC. She will address the students in Grades 7/8, 9/10, and 11/12 for 30 minutes each and Mrs. Ferrucci has reviewed her program. We will also review this topic in guidance classes during the week after Sydney's presentation. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Ferrucci at mferrucci@ursulineacademy.net or 781-493-7723.

Perils of Perfectionism Panel Discussion at Winsor School

Parents and faculty are invited to attend a program called "Perils of Perfectionism" on February 27, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at The Winsor School in Boston. Four expert panelists will lead a discussion on ways to create healthier and more balanced perceptions of success for our children and ourselves. Please click here for a detailed description of the program. The program is free and parking is available at The Winsor School but attendees MUST register through this link. Parents can skip the questions about your daughters' name and class. Any and all who would like to come are welcome!

On the Calendar

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