From the President and Principal Much happens behind the scenes at Ursuline in our effort to provide a positive experience for our students and families. Often unnoticed but essential to our school operations is our Facilities Team. From pre-dawn shoveling to emergency repairs to never-ending maintenance, we rely heavily on Jerry, Mike, Jose, Larry, Brian, and Matt, along with Louise, who keeps the Facilities department organized with her administrative wizardry. When you're on campus in the evening to catch a performance or a game or simply to pick up your daughter, it's Matt whom you'll see, the newest member of our Facilities team. We decided to add a later shift to our team to provide an added layer of support and enhanced safety for all those present on campus long after classes let out. If your paths cross with any member of Facilities, please join us in offering your thanks for their wonderful behind- the-scenes work! UA Drama's Winter One-Acts to be Performed Today and Tomorrow Our students have been working hard at preparing Ursuline Drama's Winter One-Acts Production, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Three of the four plays presented are student-directed: "Still Life" by Caroline Crooks '20 and Sophia Gioioso '20, "To Burn a Witch" by Faith Banach '20, and "Murder by Midnight" by Claire Dirks '21. This production will also include a presentation of our METG (Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild) High School Drama competition play, "The Infamous Soothing System of Professor Maillard," an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe short story, directed by Mrs. Pam Schnatterly. Please come support Ursuline Drama and the many students working both on and off stage for these shows! It's sure to be an entertaining evening of Drama, Comedy and "Poe"-etic frights! New Blog Post: Finding Passion for Theater Set Design 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. Read the latest post by Jayne McGuire '21 about how one student gained a passion for theater and stagecraft in an unlikely way. Updates and Announcements Senior Retreat Sign-ups are Open! Senior Retreat will take place on Friday, February 28 to Sunday, March 1 at St. Thecla's Retreat House in Billerica. The cost of the retreat is $100. All seniors were given registration forms in their homerooms. Please contact Mrs. Morrison at jmorrison@ursulineacademy.net or Ms. Murphy at cmurphy@ursulineacademy.net with any questions. The registration deadline is Wed., February 12. Father/Daughter Dance Students in grades 7, 8, and 9 are invited to Ursuline Academy's Father/Daughter dance on Saturday, March 7, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in Ursuline's Angela Hall. Tickets are $10 per student; guest tickets are free of charge. For planning purposes, the deadline to purchase tickets is Monday, March 2. Students are welcome to bring their father, stepfather, grandfather, uncle, or anyone special to them. Light refreshments are provided as well as a DJ, photo booth, and games. Please note: a link to purchase tickets was emailed to all parents in grades 7, 8, and 9. Contact Dean Natalie Mayo with any questions at nmayo@ursulineacademy.net. Enrollment Open for Norway Trip Enrollment for the Norway tour on June 16-26, 2021 is open to current 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. This spectacular adventure includes a boat trip through the iconic fjords, mountain train journeys, cable cars, hiking in the troll forest, Viking Settlement, quaint villages, and vibrant modern Oslo - all under the midnight sun. Enroll now for $50 at Explorica.com for tour: Petti-351. Use voucher code 2021earlybird for $150 early bird discount. Contact Mrs. Petti if you have any questions. Eighth Grade Trip to Philadelphia In keeping with UA tradition, the 8th grade will embark on a class trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from May 7-9, 2020! This optional trip is a wonderful opportunity for the class to bond and make great memories together. Eighth grade parents should visit www.explorica.com, click on "Register for a Tour," and enter tour ID Mayo-1579 to learn more information about the trip and register their daughter. The deadline to sign up is March 7. An informational parent/student meeting will be on Thursday, February 27 at 6:30pm in the library. Re-enrollment Forms All parents of students in grades 7-11 should have received an email this morning from President Kate Levesque with important information about re-enrollment confirmation and tuition for the 2020-2021 school year. If you did not receive this email, please contact our controller, Leigh Ann Luetzen, at lluetzen@ursulineacademy.net. AP Exam Fees for Spring 2020 If your daughter is enrolled in AP class(es) this school year, an email was sent to you regarding payment for the exam fee(s). If you did not receive this email, please contact Ms. Ann Scott ascott@ursulineacademy.net or Dean Katherine Ginnetty at kginnetty@ursulineacademy.net. You may also find the form in the UA Parent Portal under "Forms." SAT and ACT Prep Classes The Summit Educational Group will be offering ACT and SAT prep classes at Ursuline this winter for the April 4, 2020 ACT exam and the May 2, 2020 SAT exam. The ACT class begins soon! Learn more about the ACT class here and the SAT class here. Classes will run from 3-6 p.m. on these dates: ACT class: Tuesdays, Feb. 25, Mar. 3, Mar. 10, Mar. 17, Mar. 24, and Mar. 31 SAT class: Tuesdays, Mar. 17, Mar. 24, Mar. 31, Apr. 7, Apr. 14, and Apr. 28 Senior Parent Reception All senior parents should have received an invitation to a Mardi Gras Reception on Tuesday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m. in Angela Hall. Enjoy the chance to be together with fellow parents as we head into the final months of senior year for the Class of 2020. Information about end-of-year events and the senior parent gift project will be shared. RSVP to parentevents@ursulineacademy.net. Student Directory Reminder: The Student Directory is available in PDF format on the Student-Parent Portal. This directory is for parent use only, and should not be shared outside of the Ursuline community. Support Ursuline with Amazon Smile! When you shop @AmazonSmile, Amazon will make a donation to Ursuline Academy. Click here to go directly to Ursuline's Amazon Smile account. Galentine Sale for Women's Locker Room Foundation From February 10-13, students will sell "Gal"entines (Valentine's Day cards to friends) during all lunches. The Galentines will be delivered during homeroom on Valentine's Day. All donations and proceeds will benefit The Women's Locker Room Foundation. This organization collects toiletry and beauty products for homeless women in the New England area. Galentines are $1 each, or if students bring a donation for The Women's Locker Room, they will receive three Galentines to send to someone. Help spread the love and purchase your Galentines next week! Learn more about The Women's Locker Room and what items to donate here. New Items at the Spirit Store The Spirit Store is open every Thursday during activity period and all lunch blocks - send your daughters in to see what is new! We are working to expand our hours to include times before and after school, so stay tuned. Our item of the week - Dog Leashes! They are 6 feet long with alternating UA and paw logos - what every well-accessorized pet needs - and only $25. Contact Kate Gormley at bookstore@ursulineacademy.net for info or to arrange purchase. Assistant D.A. Allison Hynes '03 to Visit Students Find out what a district attorney does and more about the field of law. Students in grades 9-12 are invited to meet Allison Hynes '03, Assistant D.A. for the Norfolk District Attorney's Office, on Wednesday, February 12, during activity period in room 107. Allison will be on campus to share her experiences and what led her from her days as an Ursuline student to this career. This is a rescheduled event after it was canceled due to a snow day in December. Contact Mrs. Scott in the guidance office with any questions. Model UN heading to Boston Conference this Weekend The Model UN Club is going to the BosMUN Conference this weekend in Boston. Boston Invitational Model United Nations, or BosMUN, is a three-day simulation of the United Nations held annually in February in downtown Boston. BosMUN is an entirely student-run organization on the Boston University campus, under the umbrella organization of Boston University's International Affairs Association. Our Ursuline Model UN team is looking forward to pooling their wisdom with other MUN clubs from around the world to find solutions for modern international issues. Next New England Math League Contest on Tuesday The next New England Math League Contest will be held on Tuesday, February 11, in all the Math classrooms during activity period. All students enrolled in Algebra 1, Algebra 8, or higher are eligible to participate. Congratulations to our high scorers from the January contest. In a tie for top scorer were seniors Audrey Abraham, Caroline Crooks, and Hamsa Shanmugan. In second place were seniors Siobhan O'Sullivan, Cecilia Rose, Allie Meyers, and Kate Farley, as well as sophomore Julianne Panaro. Way to go, Mathletes! Winter Sports Update The Winter Sports season is entering the final two weeks of competition. Please stop by and see the student-athletes playing! The Varsity Ice Hockey team was listed 16th in the Boston Globe's top 20 Girls Ice Hockey teams this week. The team has two tough games this week. They play Dedham High at the Roche Rink today (Friday) at 4 p.m. and then play Brookline at Boston College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Junior Varsity team will play against Mansfield on Sunday at Rodman Rink at 6:20 p.m. The Varsity Basketball team is currently 8-8 with a loss to Maimonides and a win over Blue Hills. The Varsity and Junior Varsity teams travel to Eastern Nazarene College Friday night to play Fontbonne. The Junior Varsity team continues to have a very successful season and the Junior High team continues to show improvement. The Ski Team is finally getting a chance to ski. The girls did well this past week in their races at both Blue Hills and Ward Hill in Shrewsbury. We have a few girls who have a chance to make the State Tournament. The Winter Track team has finished its regular season races. A number of girls will be competing this Sunday in the Last Chance qualifying race at the Reggie Lewis Track Center. Our throwers have already qualified for the Divisionals. Note: The Athletic Department will be hosting an elementary school basketball tournament here at Ursuline on Saturday from 11 to 3 p.m. Spring Sports All students interested in participating in spring sports were informed that the starting date will be Monday, March 16th. They were all informed of the required paperwork. The actual times and locations of practices/tryouts will be posted after school vacation week. Click here to see next week's Fitness Center Schedule. Click here for the Athletic Calendar. Ursuline's JV hockey team scrimmaged Brookline High last weekend at the Lars Anderson outdoor rink. Our very own Winter Classic! Fifteenth Anniversary Tribute to State Championship Basketball Team Save the Date! The Ursuline Athletic Department will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of UA's 2005 Varsity Basketball State Championship on Tuesday, February 18th, at the 6:30 p.m. Varsity game vs. Watertown High School. Come on down to the Reynolds Center and join some of the original team members and coaches for a tribute to a remarkable moment in UA history. Women in Aerospace Engineering Day at MIT MIT's Women In Aerospace Engineering groups invite high school students to attend Women in Aerospace Engineering (WAE) Day on Saturday, March 7, 2020! The event will be held from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and will consist of hands-on design activities, lab tours, demonstrations, lightning talks from students and professors, and more! This event will be hosted on MIT's campus, and breakfast and lunch will be provided to attendees. We may also be able to provide transportation assistance (details to come). The program is free, but students must register by February 22nd to attend. MIT WAE and GWAE are student groups that enjoy engaging the public in STEM outreach and are dedicated to fostering a community amongst young women interested in pursuing careers in STEM and aerospace. Friday - February 7, 2020 Saturday - February 8, 2020 Monday - February 10, 2020 Tuesday - February 11, 2020 Wednesday - February 12, 2020 Thursday - February 13, 2020 Friday - February 14, 2020 Saturday - February 15, 2020 Sunday - February 16, 2020 Friday - February 7, 2020 4:00 PM Roche Arena 6:00 PM Eastern Nazarene College 7:30 PM Eastern Nazarene College Saturday - February 8, 2020 3:00 PM Conte Forum - Boston College Sunday - February 9, 2020 Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center Monday - February 10, 2020 4:00 PM Ursuline Academy Tuesday - February 11, 2020 6:00 PM Ski Ward Wednesday - February 12, 2020 Foxboro Sports Center Ursuline Academy | 85 Lowder Street | Dedham, MA 02026 | 781.326.6161 |