From the President and Principal Although we've had both 60 degree temperatures and snow in the past week, winter activities are in full swing on campus. Winter sports teams have started practice, classmates are coordinating their secret Santa gift exchanges, performers are rehearsing their musical numbers, and we're seeing new forms of creativity in the ways teachers and students are decorating their classrooms for Christmas (including a life-size Santa!) It is also a joy to witness the return of a beloved tradition to Ursuline this season. Thanks to our newly invigorated Parent Guild, Ursuline's campus has been beautifully decorated with Christmas trees, lights, wreaths, and festive bulletin boards. These enthusiastic parent volunteers have worked diligently over the last several weeks to create a holiday ambience for our students, admissions visitors, staff, and faculty, and their efforts are much appreciated. This hard work will be capped off at tonight's Christmas Tree Lighting and Gathering. Please join us at 5:30 p.m. at the Reynolds Center plaza for the tree lighting, followed by cocoa and cookies in Angela Hall, and ending with beautiful musical performances at 6:30 p.m. The Parent Guild is a growing group of volunteers on campus and we welcome your involvement. Whether you give of your time, your talent, or your treasure, please know that you are in our prayers and we are blessed to have your involvement. You can learn more about the Parent Guild here. We hope to see you this evening. Correction: In last week's Bear Essentials, Sr. Diane Fulgenzi's name was misspelled. We apologize for the error. Updates and Announcements Christmas Gathering and Tree Lighting Friday Evening Our annual Christmas performing arts gathering will begin with a tree lighting and visit from Santa on the Reynolds Center plaza this year. The Tree Lighting begins at 5:30 p.m., refreshments follow at 6 p.m., and the performance starts at 6:30 p.m. in Angela Hall. The event is sponsored by the Ursuline Parent Guild and all are welcome to attend. Donations of LEGOS, gift cards, socks, and underwear for boys and girls ages 5 thru 12 may be brought to the tree lighting event and will be delivered to the Italian Home for Children by our alumnae. Thank you. New Blog Contributions from Communications Interns Our communications intern team, in cooperation with the Director of Marketing and Communications, has been contributing their experiences and observations to our Life on Lowder Street blog. So far, they have written about their own and their classmates' experiences in academics and the arts, as well as campus events. Visit the blog and select "Student Voices" to see what they have to say. Last Call for Campus Ministry Service Trips Sign-ups for service trips to Camden, NJ over February break and Bethlehem Farm in West Virginia from June 13-21, 2020, will close this weekend. The Camden trip brings students to the Romero Center, a Catholic urban education and retreat center, to participate in its Urban Challenge Program, an immersive urban service-learning program. The Bethlehem Farm trip, open to current 10th and 11th grade students, includes a week serving on a sustainable living farm in Appalachia with stops at national historical sites on the way down and the way back. Please consider participating in one of these life-changing trips. Contact Ms. Murphy or Mrs. Morrison ASAP if you are interested or have any questions. Important Info for Students Who Ride the Bus XB Bus: Friday, December 20, the XB bus will pick up students as usual in the morning, but the afternoon route will not stop at Ursuline. Please make alternate arrangements for afternoon transportation. CM Buses: On Monday-Thursday of next week, the afternoon pick-up time is 3:30 p.m. Buses will run as scheduled in the morning. Morning and afternoon pick up is as usual on Friday, December 20.
Winter Semi-Formal Dance Ursuline's winter semi-formal dance is scheduled for Saturday, January 11th, 2020 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. in the Reynolds Center. Information about how to purchase tickets and permission slips will be emailed to parents on Monday. Parking Lot and Traffic Safety Reminder Parents and others picking up students at the end of the day are reminded that they must drive up to the head of the line, all the way along the front of the building to the science wing. This is a safety issue for those cars that are waiting to get into the parking lot from Lowder Street. Also, now that we're in the season of slippery roads and lessened visibility due to snow banks, all drivers, particularly students, are reminded to drive slowly and carefully through the neighborhood. Thank you! Cold Weather Dress Code - Boots are Approved With the arrival of colder weather, students are allowed to wear black or navy blue leggings under their skirts. Sweatpants, joggers, and patterned leggings are not allowed. Along with the leggings, boots are now allowed as part of the winter uniform. Boots must be brown, black, or navy. Ugg-style boots are also permitted. Students, please continue to follow the uniform guidelines which include your lanyard, uniform-approved sweatshirts and quarter zips, and knee socks. Teddies for Tots - Donations and Drivers Needed by Monday, December 16 Classrooms are filling up with teddy bears for our 18th annual Teddies for Tots! If you would like to participate, we ask you to send in a brand-new teddy bear. Size does not matter; only that it is new. Donations must be brought in by Monday, December 16 for delivery to various shelters, where they will be distributed during the Christmas season and beyond. We also need parents to assist us by driving our teddy bears to their destinations at Casa Nueva Vida in Jamaica Plain, Casserly House in Roslindale, St. Ambrose Family Inn in Dorchester, Dove in Quincy, and Carolina Hill in Marshfield. If you can deliver bears to one of these locations, please contact Donna O'Connor, P '03, '08, at doconnor2@comcast.net. Thank you in advance for your help with this project! Clothe-a-Child Donations Due Monday, December 16 Homerooms have been assigned a child from the Yawkey Center, a Catholic Charities daycare in Dorchester, that many students have visited. Please help out in any way you can to provide clothing to our little friends this Christmas! All questions can be directed to Campus Ministry at 781-493-7791. All gift items are due to Campus Ministry NO LATER than homeroom on Monday, December 16. The gifts will be delivered to the Yawkey Center later that week. School and College Counseling News Junior Parent College Meeting January 8th The UA School and College Counseling team will be holding its annual Junior Parent College Meeting on Thursday January 8th at 6:30 p.m. On this night, parents will get an overview of the UA College Counseling practices and Lauren Silverman, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Northeastern University, will speak about the "college side" of the application process. We ask that one parent/guardian for each junior attend this important meeting. Please RSVP to mferrucci@ursulineacademy.net. PSAT Score Results The PSAT scores will be released this week. Students should check their CB accounts to see their results. Grade 9 students will be creating a College Board account in guidance classes with Mrs. Scott so that they can see their results. New England Math Contest The third New England Math Contest of the year was held on Tuesday, December 10. Well over 100 enthusiastic students participated. Congratulations to our high scorers! In a three-way tie for first place were seniors Allie Myers and Hamsa Shanmugam, as well as sophomore Tara Feeney! Senior Siobhan O'Sullivan and Freshman Erin Uniacke tied for second place. Congratulations to all who participated. Speech and Debate Tournament in Philadelphia Congratulations to Speech Team members Maggie Folwell, Kendra Miller, and Hamsa Shanmugam for their outstanding performances at the Villiger Speech & Debate Tournament at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia on November 23-24th. Hamsa won 1st place, and Kendra won 2nd place in their Informative Speaking event, and Maggie semi-finaled in the Oral Interpretation event. Speech Team "Warrior Showdown" at Lincoln-Sudbury High Congratulations to the Ursuline Speech Team for its outstanding performances last weekend at the Lincoln-Sudbury Warrior Showdown at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Special congratulations go out to: Kendra Miller, first place in both Informative Speaking and Impromptu Speaking Maggie Folwell, first place in Poetry Hamsa Shanmugam, 2nd place in Informative Speaking Mary Powers, 5th place in Novice Oral Interpretation Erin Melley, 7th place in Programmed Oral Interpretation Maggie Folwell '20, Hamsa Shanmugam '20 and Kendra Miller '20 (l. to r.) at the Villiger Speech and Debate Tournament at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. The Ursuline Speech team at the Lincoln-Sudbury Warrior Showdown. Eighth Grade Retreat Eighth grade students spent Thursday off-campus at St. Mary's Life Teen Center in Dedham for their annual class retreat. Thanks to all who helped make this a meaningful day for all. Mexican lunch at "El Centro" Restaurant Students in Spanish IV classes enjoyed a special pre-Christmas luncheon of empanadas, quesadillas, enchiladas, y churros at El Centro restaurant in Dedham. Friday - December 13, 2019 Saturday - December 14, 2019 Monday - December 16, 2019 Tuesday - December 17, 2019 Wednesday - December 18, 2019 Friday - December 20, 2019 Monday - December 23, 2019 Tuesday - December 24, 2019 Wednesday - December 25, 2019 Thursday - December 26, 2019 Friday - December 13, 2019 4:00 PM Ursuline Academy Saturday - December 14, 2019 7:40 PM Ursuline Academy Monday - December 16, 2019 6:00 PM Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center Tuesday - December 17, 2019 5:00 PM Notre Dame Academy - Hingham 6:30 PM Notre Dame Academy - Hingham Wednesday - December 18, 2019 4:30 PM Saint Catherine of Siena School 7:00 PM Milton High School Saturday - December 21, 2019 3:30 PM Fitchburg State University Ursuline Academy | 85 Lowder Street | Dedham, MA 02026 | 781.326.6161 |