August 21, 2020 Welcome to the first edition of Bear Essentials for the 2020-2021 school year. For those families who are new to Ursuline Academy, Bear Essentials is distributed each week during the school year and serves as an important source of information about life at Ursuline Academy. We send Bear Essentials to the "primary email" that we have on file in the school office. If you would like to have it sent to an additional email, please send a note to the Director of Communications by replying to this email. Also, be sure to add info@UrsulineAcademy.myenotice.com to your address book or trusted contacts to make sure the newsletter does not get intercepted by spam filters.
2020-21 School Year Calendar Important Dates A tentative calendar with important dates for the 2020-21 school year has been released for parents. Click here to view the calendar. These dates are also listed in the school calendar on the home page of our web site, ursulineacademy.net. Reopening Plans for September In case you missed it - please refer to this email detailing important dates for the next few weeks, which was sent Friday, August 14. It will answer many questions and serve as a reference for all families. A more detailed manual regarding the September return to school plans will be shared during the middle of next week. New Student Orientation and Tech Sessions An email invitation will be sent to all new families this weekend with details on our Orientation on Wednesday, September 2 and an opportunity for new students to meet via Zoom prior to coming to campus. At these sessions, we will address technology support resources.
Nurse's Corner NEW STUDENTS! Health Forms Required All new students must submit proof of a physical within the last 12 months along with immunization records to the attention of our school nurse, Mrs. Heather Smart, as soon as possible. Should your child have any medical concerns, please contact Mrs. Smart at nurse@ursulinecademy.net for any additional required forms.
Important Forms for EpiPen Users Parents of students who require an EpiPen for a life-threatening allergy may access the forms that need to be filled out for next school year here. These forms need to be filled out by parents and students' physicians. Please submit the completed forms with an accompanying EpiPen by the first day of school.
New Immunization Requirement for All Juniors Parents of rising juniors should be aware that a new immunization requirement will take effect for school entry in September. All juniors are now required to receive a booster of the Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine. If you have not sent in an updated physical with this additional immunization listed, please do so before September 1, 2020. Should you have any questions please email Heather Smart, School Nurse, at nurse@ursulineacademy.net.
Summer Assignments and Book Purchases Important Book and E-Book Purchase Information Parents are advised to place their orders now for student books and electronic licenses. Each student should have received ordering information to obtain both physical and digital books required for their courses. Use this link for the Follett Virtual Campus bookstore website: https://www.bkstr.com/ursulinestore
Teachers are aware that some books have been backordered and are not available yet for purchase, but we encourage parents to place orders so that they may be fulfilled as quickly as possible. In next week's Bear Essentials, we will provide specific instructions for ebook procedures and what students will need to take to campus on orientation days to procure their access codes.
Please note - all summer assignments were shared by Mrs. Ginnetty via Google Drive. Additional Course Materials for Selected Classes Selected classes have courses materials that cannot be ordered through the Follett Virtual Bookstore. Instructions for ordering these materials have been shared with students via their Ursuline email. If your daughter is enrolled in one of the following electives, please use the following links for details on ordering the materials: Important Clarification on Math Textbooks
Larson Algebra 2 Common Core edition, 978-0-547-64715-9
Please contact either the teacher, Math Chairperson Mrs. MacKenzie (kmackenzie@ursulineacademy.net) or Mrs. Ginnetty (kginnetty@ursulineacademy.net) with questions.
Athletics The MIAA has made recommendations for the start of the 2020-21 athletic season. Please expect to receive an email early next week with more information and a request seeking your response to a time-sensitive survey about fall athletics.
School and College Counseling News College Application Workshop for Senior Parents
Parent Speaker Series The School and College Counseling Office will be hosting a Parent Speaker Series on selected topics over the next several months. Please mark your calendars:
SAT/ACT Virtual Prep Classes Summit Educational Group is pleased to partner with Ursuline Academy to offer an Online ACT Prep Class starting September 10 and an Online SAT Prep Class starting September 29. In their online programs, teacher and students will meet together at a set time in a live virtual classroom using Zoom. Click here for ACT Prep Class details. Click here for SAT Prep Class details.
Senior Portrait Appointments Important Information for Parents of Seniors Many seniors have made an appointment to have their senior portrait sitting done on campus next Tuesday, August 25 or Wednesday, August 26. If you have not yet scheduled your appointment, please do so as soon as possible at www.oconnorstudioseniors.com/book-now.
The following important details were shared with all seniors by email this week:
Spirit Wear Available Spirit Wear and Ursuline Merchandise Sweatshirts and other items from our Spirit Store are now available for purchase. Click here for item descriptions and prices. The navy blue crew neck URSULINE sweatshirt is the uniform-approved sweatshirt for the 2020-2021 school year. (Note: The blue fleece zip-up jacket is also still uniform approved.) In addition, we have new Vineyard Vines UA men's ties in navy blue or light green (with the Ursuline shield pattern). Please contact Kate Gormley, bookstore manager, at uabookstore@ursulineacademy.net with questions or to place a credit card order. We can arrange for a safe pickup or shipment to your home. Quick Links |