April 3, 2020 From the Principal Ms. Tracy shared this message today in her morning message to students:
What an amazing week! From our first-ever digital dance party to a new weekly schedule, we are forging new paths in the ways we connect both academically and socially at Ursuline. As we have pivoted to embrace our online model, student voices have emerged more prominently than ever in the crafting of best remote learning experiences. We value the opportunity to hear from our wonderful students in emails, during Google meetings and in surveys. Seeing their faces and listening to their reflections on this unique period of time has brought countless smiles and insights to teachers and administrators. How blessed we are to have one another!
Mary-Kate Tracy Principal
We are grateful to the many families who have reached out to us or commented on our social media posts to commend Ursuline's quick transition to remote learning and for continuing a sense of normalcy for our students. As we seek to finalize our enrollment for next year, it would be immensely helpful for you to take a moment and write a brief positive review on either Facebook (in the review section), Google, or Niche.com. It just takes a few minutes and reaches many families like you. In compliance with Governor Baker's order, Ursuline will continue to educate our students through remote learning until May 4, 2020; all on-campus activities are suspended through May 4 as well. We will continue to reevaluate and communicate our plans as the coronavirus health situation evolves. Please visit our COVID-19 Community Resources page for more information.
The administrators and department heads continue to meet with a smile on their faces! Hi, everyone!
Updates and Announcements Please note: Report Cards were released to the Student/Parent Portal on Monday, March 30.
Attendance Reminder If a student is unable to participate in her remote learning for the day, we kindly ask that the following actions are taken:
Upcoming Vacation Days Athletics Update The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has set May 4th as the first day of tryouts/practices and May 11th as the first date for a game/match/race, contingent on the governor allowing schools to reopen on May 4. The athletic department is currently in the process of redoing game schedules to allow for an abbreviated season this year. As more information becomes available, we will update you. Please take care of yourself and be safe. We encourage all students to stay fit and practice game skills while observing social distancing. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email Director of Athletics Mike O'Connor at athletics@ursulineacademy.net. Fore the Girls Golf Tournament Maybe we're hopeless optimists, but we are looking forward to warm, sunny days and proceeding with plans for the 28th Annual Fore the Girls Golf Tournament. The event is still scheduled for Monday, June 8, at the Blue Hill Country Club in Canton, although a back-up date is being discussed with our committee. Click here to learn about sponsorship. For more information about the event, please contact Chief Advancement Officer Joe Ziska at jziska@ursulineacademy.net.
Bears in (Remote) Action
Remote Learning Schedule Reminder In order to provide students the opportunity to consolidate their learning, Ursuline will not be hosting remote learning on Wednesdays. Teachers will be available through office hours on Wednesdays, but they will not post new lessons or additional material in their topics. On Thursdays, the calendar day will continue without interruption. Regular drop days will continue as usual for each individual class. Click here for study tips for remote learning. Medusa Mythology Exam The Medusa Mythology Exam will be administered remotely on Wednesday, April 8 to those students who signed up in January to participate in this contest. Ms. Cummins will send students an email at 8:14 a.m. with the questions and the answer sheet and they are required to send it back by 9:15 a.m. that same morning. Good luck to our mythology scholars!
National Spanish Exam Please mark your calendars: The National Spanish Exam will be given from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Wednesday, April 15 to all high school Spanish classes at Ursuline. This year, students will be taking this exam remotely, from home, with a parent proctor. More information to come. Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. MacKenzie Virtual learning is being accomplished using a host of tools on the teacher and the student end! Here, Mrs. MacKenzie is shown getting ready for her AP Computer Science students to join her on Google Meet, where they used Jamboard to discuss the results of a coin-toss exercise the students did at home. Students then used Javascript to program their own simulation of flipping a coin and to test their predictions for how many coin tosses it would take to get 12 heads in a row. Through this exercise, they are learning the usefulness of computer models and simulations in the real world.
Some Good News College Acceptances Congratulations to the seniors on their growing list of college acceptances! The entire Ursuline community commends them for their hard work and their diligence throughout the college application process.
The Cast & Crew of UA Drama's Spring Musical Fiddler on the Roof say "hello" to the UA community during one of their Zoom rehearsals! The show must go on!!! The Blazer - Winter Edition In light of the recent events and school closure, the staff of the Ursuline student newspaper, The Blazer, has decided to share their winter edition online. "Many students dedicated hard work to writing articles and gathering pictures and wanted to make sure that the community can see their work! So much has happened at Ursuline in the past few months, but in this edition we have highlighted some of our favorite events! We also would like to congratulate all of the winter sports teams on their amazing seasons, the drama program on their productions, as well as the speech team on their meets!" Thanks to Ms. Olivia Griffiths and her staff for documenting the past months at Ursuline Academy.
Congratulations to Admissions Associate Ms. Adriana Cornell and her husband Ben on the birth of a baby boy! Edwin Ely Cornell was born on March 5, at 6 lbs. 2 oz., and is healthy and happy. "I want to thank you all for your kind words, generous support, and caring hearts during my pregnancy this year. I could not imagine a better community to share in my joy and anticipation of this next chapter."
Ursuline Prays Together On Thursday, April 9, our Campus Ministers will be sharing a Lenten Prayer Service for the community. More information on how to access the service will be provided next week.
Each morning, Campus Ministers Ms. Morrison and Ms. Murphy engage with the Ursuline community by sharing a reflection and a prayer to begin the day. This week, they shared the hymn, "Lord of All Hopefulness," which begins like this:
Lord of all hopefulness,
This hymn, written in 1901, has lived through the invention of airplanes, the computer, the automobile, antibiotics, and the internet. Its words and melody have remained faithful throughout the sinking of the Titanic, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the moon landing, the Civil Rights movement, and more. It was even played at the Royal Wedding in 2018!
We invite you to take a moment to pray with the words of this hymn. Maybe look it up and listen to the music as well. Think about how the words have been sung by people experiencing all kinds of hardships and joys for over a century. Perhaps they are the right words for you right now, too, whether you are in the midst of joy or difficulty. What words stick out to you today?
Know of our continued prayers for you and your family. Ms. Murphy and Mrs. Morrison Quick Links |