Bear Essentials - Special Summer Edition: August 15, 2019 Looking Ahead Mark Your Calendar with these Upcoming Dates August 20-21: ImPact testing for athletes (see info below) August 22: Fall sports tryouts begin August 28: Senior parent reception and information session (see info below) September 3: First day of school for new students 8 - 11 a.m. September 4: First day of school for all students 8 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. September 5: Parent social for grades 7-11 (see info below) September 19: Back to School night September 21: Homecoming Back to School Reminders Summer School Work and Book Information All families should have received an email on August 9 entitled "Important Reminders from Ursuline" including summer work and book ordering information. If you did not receive this email, please contact support@ursulineacademy.net. You can access the content of the email here. If you have questions about summer work or textbooks, please email Dean Ginnetty at kginnetty@ursulineacademy.net.
Please remind your students to begin checking their Ursuline email daily for messages from teachers and administration relating to the upcoming school year. Parking Permits for Juniors Juniors, remember that the deadline to submit your name for a parking permit is Tuesday, August 20 at noon. Please use the Google Form that was emailed to you to apply. If your name is not submitted through the form by the deadline, you will not be in the lottery drawing to receive a parking permit. If you need a spot next year, don't delay and fill out the form today!
Senior Yearbook Photo Appointments Two additional dates have been added for seniors to have their yearbook photo taken on campus by O'Connor Studios. The first date is October 10 (a no-school day for students) and the second is October 23 (a regular school day). There may be very limited appointments remaining on August 20. You can book your appointment at www.creativebyoconnor.com. Note: Students are required to have their yearbook photo taken through O'Connor Studios for a nominal fee. Optional portrait packages are available for an additional charge.
New Food Service This fall, Ursuline will be working with a new food service provider. Please do not add funds to your daughters' existing lunch accounts. If you have funds remaining on last year's lunch account, however, they will be transferred to the new food service. Look for an email next week with details.
Transportation Thank you for your patience. We understand that families are eager to finalize bus transportation plans for the fall. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the information from the bus company. We expect that the routes will remain very similar and you may still view last year's information on the UA website for reference. We hope to send an email with confirmed bus routes and new registration forms in the next few days. Those families who are interested in carpooling may still enter their information on Ursuline's Carpool Request Form.
Health and Allergy Forms Ursuline school nurse Heather Smart reminds parents that physical health forms for all new students and all sophomores are now due and should be submitted as soon as possible. Click here to review all health form requirements and to download allergy/epi-pen forms.
Tech Help for Students on September 3rd After the half-day session for new students on September 3, the UA Tech team will be available in the library until 1:30 p.m. to answer tech questions, and assist with downloading e-texts. Athletics Fall Tryouts Fall team sports tryouts begin on August 22 for cross country, field hockey, soccer, swimming & diving, and volleyball. Students in grades 7 through 12 may try out for a sport. In order to be considered for any team, a student must attend tryout sessions. Check the UA website here for times and locations for all tryouts. In the event of inclement weather, please check the website on Wednesday evening after 6 p.m. for alternative sites. Note: all athletic forms were due earlier this month. No forms will be accepted on the day of tryouts. For more information, contact Athletic Director Mike O'Connor at athletics@ursulineacademy.net or 781-493-6413. ImPact Testing All students interested in trying out for a fall sport need to have ImPact testing done. The testing will be offered at Ursuline Academy next week on August 20 and 21. To schedule an appointment or get more info, contact Ms. Kim Munsey at kmunsey@ursulineacademy.net. If you had testing done this past year, you do not have to do it again. Test results are good for two years. Parent Events Senior Parent Reception and Meeting on August 28 Ursuline President Kate Levesque and the administration warmly invite Parents of the Class of 2020 to begin the school year with a reception and information meeting on Wednesday evening, August 28th from 6 - 8:30 p.m. in the Reynolds Center. The evening is a celebration of the incoming Senior Class and a light supper will be served. In addition, the administration and school counselors will hold a short presentation on what to expect for seniors over the coming year. Please RSVP to parentevents@ursulineacademy.net by August 23.
Back-to-School Parent Reception for Grades 7-11 on September 5 Parents of all students in grades 7-11 should have received an email invitation earlier this week for our back-to-school parent social on Thursday evening, September 5 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Meet your fellow parents and school staff to celebrate the start of a new year. Refreshments will be served. RSVP by August 31 to parentevents@ursulineacademy.net. Social Media Workshop for Parents on September 26 This fall, Ursuline Academy is partnering with MEDIAGIRLS, a nonprofit that teaches girls and young women how to know their true self-worth and harness the power of media for positive change. On September 26, from 6:30-8 p.m., Executive Director Michelle Cove will lead a talk for parents and guardians that provides a road map to help girls navigate social media in healthier, more positive ways. In October, MEDIAGIRLS staff will lead workshops for girls in grades 7-9 about how social media influences their well-being, and how girls can band together to make it more empowering. A speaker from MEDIAGIRLS will also give a presentation to students in grades 10-12. Please RSVP here (parents only) and contact Dean of Students Natalie Mayo with any questions. Click here for more information or watch this video. The average teen girl spends 3+ hours a day on social media, mainly to be entertained and connect with peers. But too often girls log off from social media feeling lonelier and more insecure.
An Evening for Ursuline Save the date for An Evening for Ursuline, our 12th annual gala, scheduled for Saturday, November 16, 2019 on campus in the Reynolds Center gym. The "Brescia Ball" name has been retired and we're ready to build on last year's excitement with a fresh new look! If you would like to join our host committee and work alongside a great group of parents, please email Susan Hehir at shehir@ursulineacademy.net. It's a great way for parents to meet each other, have fun and give back to UA all at the same time! Faculty Summer News Ursuline art teacher Caroline Rufo is working this summer to prepare for the new AP Art and Design curriculum. She spent time in Chicago attending a workshop co-sponsored by The College Board and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
This year marked math teacher Stacie Dowling's tenth consecutive year attending the Lincoln Cabell Work Camp in Cabell County, West Virginia. She and other volunteers completely sided a home (which had previously been sided only with plywood), replaced handrails to the front door, and built a deck, new stairs, and a ramp. The homeowner and recipient of this generous work has lived in this home since she was a child, and now cares for her disabled adult daughter and two grandsons. Director of School and College Counseling Mary Ferrucci participated in Northeastern University's Secondary School Counselor Overnight Program in July and also attended Bentley University's summer college counselor program run by their Admissions Office.
Math teacher Kathy Mackenzie spent a week this summer at the National Coalition of Girls' Schools conference "Dream, Dare, Do: Girls as Makers, Inventors, Engineers, & Entrepreneurs" inspired by many educators and entrepreneurs, including four women Disney Imagineers. She also spent time this summer in workshops to enhance UA's upcoming AP Computer Science Principles course.
Dean of Students Natalie Mayo accompanied senior student council members to Michigan this summer to participate in the Ursuline Education Network Leadership Conference. They met staff and students from other Ursuline schools around the country and learned about how to be an effective leader grounded in the Ursuline core values. English teacher Ms. Olivia Griffiths (above) has finished her master's degree from Middlebury's Bread Loaf School of English at Lincoln College in Oxford, England. She graduated this month and is spending the last weeks of summer touring London and the surrounding area. School and College Counseling SAT and ACT Prep Classes The Summit Educational Group will be offering ACT and SAT prep classes at Ursuline this fall for the October 26, 2019 ACT exam and the November 2, 2019 SAT exam. Classes will run from 3-6 p.m. on these dates:
Learn more about the ACT class here and the SAT class here.
Mark your calendars! Summit is also offering a free presentation, "The SAT, ACT, and other standardized tests for college admissions," for parents on Tuesday evening, November 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Learn more here. Community News Dedham Country Day School Internship Dedham Country Day is seeking applicants for a paid internship in its extended day program (EDP) during the upcoming 2019-2020 school year. An EDP Intern supports all aspects of classroom operation. They assist the lead teachers and are responsible for creating and maintaining an orderly and safe learning environment. The ideal candidate will be well-organized and flexible, have strong communication skills, have the ability to function in a cooperative team-teaching environment, and able to collaborate with other educators within the community. Projected hours are 3-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday. It may be possible to split the position among two or three students. Interested candidates should reach out to Megan Saia at msaia@dcds.net. |