September 13, 2019 To our readers - Welcome to our newly redesigned Bear Essentials. We hope the new design will be more readable and inviting for everyone. Look for a message each week at the top of Bear Essentials from the President and Principal, followed by updates and reminders about important school news and deadlines. In the interest of length, please look for important dates at the end of the newsletter in our school calendar module. We will also include links to the fitness center schedule and athletic games schedule each week. Depending on your email provider, you may need to click "View entire message" to see to the end of the newsletter.
From the President and the Principal This past year, an eager group of 7th grade students formed the Flag Club, and took on the responsibility of raising and lowering the U.S. flag in front of the school and in front of our admin building at 112 Lowder Street. Small in number, they were faithful to their responsibilities and made us proud.
Kate Levesque President Mary-Kate Tracy Principal
Updates and Reminders Back-to-School Night Next Thursday This year, Back-to-School Night will take place on Thursday, September 19, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Back-to-School Night is designed to provide parents the opportunity to attend an abbreviated version of their daughter's class schedule. Parents will move from class to class using the same schedule their daughter follows. Parents will meet briefly with each teacher to learn about course content and policies for homework, testing, and grading in each of the classes their daughter takes. Read the full details here. Breakfast and After-School Food Service Breakfast sandwiches and other items are now available in the Tea Room beginning at 7:30 a.m. This is a pilot program so please encourage your daughters to try it! After-school snacks are also served daily from 2:45-3:30 p.m. in the Tea Room. If students do not see someone at the register, they should walk into the service area for assistance.
Detentions Start on Monday
New Drop-Off and Pick-Up Instructions Thank you to all who continue to comply with drop-off and pick-up procedures. We are also grateful to our faculty and staff for helping our mornings and afternoons run smoothly.
Parent Info on Opening Assembly We will have our opening assembly during Activity Block on Monday. Traditionally, this is the time Student Council introduces the Making Strides for Breast Cancer event. As part of the assembly, several community members will share their experiences with breast cancer. Please have a discussion with your daughter in preparation for the assembly. If breast cancer is a particularly sensitive topic, please encourage your daughter to reach out to her school counselor, Director of School Counseling Mrs. Ferrucci, or Dean of Students Ms. Mayo prior to the assembly. SAT Prep Classes The Summit Educational Group will be offering SAT prep classes at Ursuline this fall for the November 2, 2019 SAT exam. Classes will run from 3-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15, Oct. 22, and Oct. 29. Learn more about the SAT class here. Summit is also offering a free presentation for parents, "The SAT, ACT, and other standardized tests for college admissions," on Tuesday evening, November 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. See details here. Ursuline Bumper Magnets If you kindly put an Ursuline bumper magnet on your car last year (the one with the Open House date on it), thank you! Now that we have this year's Open House coming up on a different date - November 3 - we don't want to confuse our prospective families. If you have not cut off the date portion of the bumper magnet, please do so this weekend.
Upcoming Events Ursuline Homecoming Our annual Homecoming celebration is Saturday, September 21, and includes athletic events, a barbecue, family games and activities (new this year: cornhole!), and a Community Mass at 4 p.m.
GAME SCHEDULE 10 a.m. - Field Hockey vs. Dedham
All are welcome to attend. RSVPs are appreciated for planning purposes. Parents, please check our sign-up form for volunteer opportunities. Making Strides Walk on September 29 On Sunday, September 29th, Ursuline Academy will participate in the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Walk in Boston, an annual tradition for our school. Help us meet our goal of raising $10,000 and donate towards to the Ursuline Academy team today!
Students can register to walk here. Students may ride a bus from Ursuline to and from the event with a permission slip and $10 fee. Local Motion generously donates buses for this event, and fees go directly to Making Strides. To ride the bus, students should sign up on the Google Doc that was emailed to them. (Do not write over someone's name! If sign-ups are full, please see Ms. Mayo.)
Also, Wall of Hope cards are now for sale for $1 in Ms. Mayo's office. Purchase them to show why you walk! You can buy them "In Celebration" of a survivor and "In Honor of" someone's memory. All proceeds benefit Making Strides.
Life on Lowder Street AP Computer Science Classes in iHub Our AP Computer Science classes have been hard at work, rapid-prototyping innovations that could make their experience of their favorite activities even more enjoyable. In addition, they have been exploring many of the challenges that the inventors of the Internet would have encountered originally, particularly along the lines of how information is shared and transmitted. (Photo pictures students in the iHub creating devices to answer binary questions out of ordinary items). Guest Speaker in Spanish Classes Carolina Prieto, an industrial engineer from Medellin, Colombia visited Sra. Mahoney's Spanish IV and AP Spanish classes this week. She spoke to the girls in Spanish about her city and her work in Colombia finding sources of sustainable energy that have a positive impact on the environment.
Sra. Elizabeth Mahoney Awarded Scholarship Sra. Mahoney of the World Language Department has been awarded a Spanish Embassy Scholarship from the Ministry of Education and Professional Development of the Spanish Government. This award will enable her to study for two weeks at the Universidad de Salamanca (one of Spain's oldest universities) during the summer of 2020. The course is for teachers of Spanish as a second language and deals with various topics relating to innovative methodology.
Bears in Action DRAMA Fall Play Auditions Students are encouraged to audition for Ursuline Drama Club's fall play, Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," on Tuesday, September 17 from 3-5 p.m. in the Auditorium. Sign up for an audition slot here or by contacting Mrs. Schnatterly. Callbacks, if necessary, will be on Wednesday, September 18 from 3-5 p.m. Auditions will consist of readings from the script and a quick interview. Show dates are Thursday, November 14 and Friday, November 15. ATHLETICS Team Updates
Junior High games begin this coming week.
Click here for the full athletic calendar. Click here for the fitness center schedule for next week.
CHORAL GROUP Catholic TV Telethon Tune in to the Catholic TV Telethon this weekend to hear the Choral Group. We will be performing LIVE on Saturday, September 14 at 1:15 p.m. Please note that because the Telethon is live, times are subject to change and may vary slightly from the schedule. You can watch the performance live on cable, CatholicTVLIVE.com, or via a variety of apps. A video of our performance will be available after it airs on the Catholic TV website and YouTube channel.
Parent News Announcing a New Ursuline Academy Parent Guild This year, Ursuline has a new Parent Guild, a volunteer organization made up of all current parents, committed to advancing the mission of the school to families and friends of Ursuline Academy. Its mission is:
Please click here to learn more and register for specific committees. Grandparents ~ Special Friends Day on October 16 Students in grades 7 and 8 will be inviting grandparents or a special friend to visit the Ursuline campus with them on Wednesday, October 16. Invitations will be going out this week. If you would like your daughter's grandparents or another adult friend to receive a mailed invitation, please remember to fill out this form. Parents will also have the opportunity to register grandparents for this event. Social Media Workshop for Parents This fall, we are 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 at 6:30 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. You are cordially invited and encouraged to bring a friend. Please RSVP here. 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 during school. For any questions, please contact Dean of Students Natalie Mayo. 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.
Save the Date A Conversation with Hank Phillippi Ryan Investigative journalist and best-selling mystery writer Hank Phillippi Ryan will be sharing her life story and career accomplishments with the Ursuline community on Tuesday, October 8 at 7 p.m., in the auditorium. Parents, students and alumnae are welcome to attend. The presentation will include a book sale and signing at the end of the program.
Community News Charity Tennis Tournament The Well Charity Tennis Tournament is on Friday, September 20th at Edgewood Pool and Tennis Club in Raynham, MA. There is a "Just for Fun" division from 6-8 p.m. and a "Competitive" division from 8-10 p.m. Tickets are $50 for players and $25 for spectators. Spectator tickets include food and beverages. Event sponsorships are also available. Click here for more information and to register. The Well: A Center for Hope and Healing is an organization whose mission is to help individuals, families, and the community experience spiritual, emotional, and physical healing and wellness through holistic care of the mind, body, and spirit. Their work helps those in the community who feel lost or broken through counseling and holistic health care. Quick Links On the Calendar Saturday - September 14, 2019 Apponequet Regional High School |