March 13, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians of Ursuline Students,
The rapidly evolving COVID-19 health situation prompts us to continuously evaluate our practices. Ursuline Academy continues to have no suspected or known cases of COVID-19 among our students, faculty, staff, administration, or family members of any of these groups. At this moment, we have received no indication from the state and local Departments of Public Health that it is necessary to close. However, out of an abundance of caution, Ursuline Academy will close at the end of today and we hope to reopen on Monday, March 30.
Departure from School Today:
We will dismiss students today at 2:44 PM per usual. In yesterday's communication to students and families, we asked that students leave school today with all materials (books, iPads, etc.) needed in case of a school closure. If you're picking up your daughter today, please allow her a few extra minutes to gather her belongings at the end of the day.
If your daughter is not in school, and did not bring home the necessary academic materials, please contact Christine Henken at chenken@ursulineacademy.net to make arrangements to pick up these materials today.
Remote Learning:
We've laid the foundation for remote learning within our community, utilizing Google Classroom, a familiar tool that our faculty and students use daily. We ask that you encourage your daughter to stay digitally connected to their teachers through the use of email, portals, and Google Classroom. This is a new model of learning for our community, and we ask patience from all as we move to remote learning. Students are encouraged to contact their individual teachers with questions or concerns.
Ongoing Health Reporting:
In the event that your daughter or an immediate family member tests positive for the COVID-19 virus in the coming weeks, we ask that you kindly notify Heather Smart, our school nurse, hsmart@ursulineacademy.net, as soon as possible.
Additional Considerations:
- Sports tryouts, as per the MIAA, have been postponed until March 30.
- With the closing of the New England Aquarium, the Ursuline Prom on Friday, April 3, has been canceled. We are hopeful that an alternative event may be possible.
- All school extra-curricular activities, including rehearsal for the spring musical Fiddler on the Roof, are canceled until further notice.
- The JET fair (Jesuit Education Tour), scheduled for April 2, has been canceled.
Our Administrative staff will be working remotely during this period of closure, and will be available via email to answer your questions regarding normal operational matters, such as tuition payments, financial aid, admissions, academic term closure, fundraising, etc.
Community has long been a hallmark of Ursuline education; we realize that we are stronger when gathered together. Recognizing that the uncertainty of this situation is stressful and that remote learning can be isolating, we will be working on additional tools to support and strengthen our community.
In the meantime, we will be in regular communication with you as this situation unfolds. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have additional concerns about your daughter.
Kind regards,