October 16, 2020
Community Voices: A Message from Campus Ministry
Dear Ursuline Families,
As we settle into this season of newness, learning, and growth, we have been reminded of some wise words from St. Josemaria Escriva: "God is calling you to serve him in and from the ordinary...there is something holy, something divine hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it." While we likely cannot call the times we find ourselves in now "ordinary", St. Josemaria Escriva's words still hold something for us today. He invites us to find the sacred in the mundane, the "holy ordinary" in our day to day lives.
This is precisely the mission behind the morning prayer reflections from Campus Ministry that are emailed to students. The goal of daily prayer is to give the Ursuline community the opportunity to step back and notice where God is at work. The prayers are meant to be invitations to reflection and stillness, to celebration of the holidays, feast days, and observances in the Church throughout the year, and to respond to the world around us. Along the way, we hope to give others the chance to dive deeper into the daily Mass readings, and to bring faith to life in a new and meaningful way.
As Campus Ministers, we share the responsibility (though we hesitate to call it that!) of writing the morning prayers. We each have certain days that we are drawn to--whether it's a closeness with the saint or feast day celebrated that day, or a special appreciation for the daily Mass readings--but on the more "randomly assigned" days, we are given the opportunity to reflect in new ways on saints or scriptures with which we may be unfamiliar. We have unique backgrounds in life and ministry, as well as varied interests and talents, so we bring our own individual perspective to prayer. However, we both approach writing prayer in similar ways. The daily prayers that we share flow from our own prayer, our own understanding of or journey with God, the scriptures, and the saints. We may write about the readings one day, or the way we've seen faith intersecting with world events, or the lessons we can learn from the saints. The Holy Spirit plays a big role in our writing; we write whatever speaks to us most at the time, and what seems like the most important message to share with the Ursuline community.
It is truly a gift to have the opportunity to write the daily prayer. Though they are meant to enrich the faith and reflection of the Ursuline community, we are drawn deeper as well. As we set about to give others time to slow down and notice God in the "holy ordinary," we find ourselves being given the opportunity to do the same.
As we say in the daily prayer, know of our continued prayers for you and your families.
Ms. Corinne Murphy and Ms. Jessica Morrison
Campus Ministry's Daily Prayer can be a great start to the day not just for students, but for anyone seeking to deepen their faith life. An archive of recent Daily Prayer emails can be found here. When you reach the page, click the bell icon if you wish to subscribe to the daily prayer by email.
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Parent News
Important Attendance Reminder
Parents are reminded that they need to call the Ursuline attendance line - 781-801-1589 - if their daughter is not in school as she is scheduled to be. If your daughter is scheduled to be on campus, she cannot stay home and attend remotely unless the parent calls in a message to the attendance line detailing why she is not in school. Likewise, if your daughter at home will not be attending remote classes on her scheduled day, we also need a call from a parent. This is necessary for reporting and tracking symptoms in our community. Thank you for your cooperation and help with this.
Afternoon Student Pick Up - Parents: We need your help!
Parents, we are asking for your assistance with this very important matter. During afternoon pick up, vehicles are again backing up on Lowder Street and up to crossing streets. Although this is not a new problem, it's one of great concern to us at Ursuline. As we investigate ways to improve the traffic flow during pick up, we ask that when you arrive on campus, you proceed all the way up to the traffic cone that is placed at the crosswalk at the rear of the Reynolds Center by the Carriage House and begin to form the line there. Also, we have noticed that a number of students are being picked up on Lowder Street. For the safety of the students, please do not pick up students out on Lowder Street. We cannot assure the safety of the students as they walk out to the street to get into vehicles. Thank you for your cooperation.
PAW PASS for Daily Wellness Check
Parents and guardians are required to submit our Wellness Check form each morning. Please use the Ursuline Wellness Check (bit.ly/uawellcheck) before sending your daughter to school each day. When you submit the form, your daughter will receive a confirmation email including a "PAW PASS" to show upon arrival to confirm her status. More information on the wellness check is provided in the Ursuline Health Protocol Guide, along with helpful information on what to do if your daughter becomes ill.
Early Drop-offs and Late Pick-ups – Reservations Required
Reservations must be made if your daughter will be dropped off early in the morning before school (7:00 - 7:30 a.m.) or will remain late in the afternoon (3:00 - 5:00 p.m.), due to space and health protocols. Please email Regina MacLeod, rmacleod@ursulineacademy.net to make a reservation, as we have a limited number of spaces available. We will have a designated area spaced to ensure safety. We request that you make the reservation each quarter. Daily reservations will be handled on a first-come, first-serve basis. If your daughter is part of an athletic program, she must be picked up promptly at the end of a practice and may not remain on campus without a prior reservation.
UA/XBHS Parent Speaker Series: Adolescent Mental Health Intro
"Just Talk About It," the next program in Ursuline and Xaverian's co-sponsored parent speaker series, will be held on Wednesday, Oct 28, from 6-7 p.m. with clinician Jon Mattelman, MS. This is an introductory mental health education program hosted by a clinician that includes a segment with a young adult speaker. The program will educate parents, teachers, counselors, and coaches to look beyond stigma, and notice warning signs of stress, anxiety, depression, and crisis in adolescents and teenagers. Participants will learn about the signs and symptoms of the mental health issues most prevalent in adolescents through young adulthood, and to know the difference from typical teenage behavior. Click here to register.
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Save the Date for UA Virtual Gala
Who's Got Talent? Ursuline's Got Talent!
Our first virtual gala event will be streaming to you live on Saturday, December 12, 2020. Anyone from our community can submit a pre-recorded talent segment, which may include singing, dancing, instrumental music, magic, comedy, athletic ability, or other unique skills. Click here for complete talent submission guidelines. Look for an email every Thursday with updates about this event. If you'd like to help with this event, please email Susan Hehir at shehir@ursulineacademy.net.
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Life on Lowder Street
Picture Day for Grades 7-11
Picture day for grades 7-11 will be held on October 20 (Angela team) and October 22 (Ursula team). Students are not required to be in uniform that day. However, please note that the following are not acceptable on non-uniform days: short shorts, very short skirts, flip-flops, leggings (unless wearing a long shirt), tank tops, halters, and bare midriffs.
Student Uniform Update for Cool Weather
Despite the cooler weather, we're keeping windows opened and going outside frequently each day at Ursuline. As a result, the administration encourages students to wear their Ursuline sweatshirts or Ursuline fleece jacket with school logo along with navy blue or black leggings underneath their plaid skirt each day. Students are advised to bring raincoats on bad-weather days for outdoor mask breaks.
Book Purchases
All students should have ordered their resource materials by now - both books and e-books - but if they have not, the Follett Virtual Campus bookstore is still open at: https://www.bkstr.com/ursulinestore. Families who still need to order books and electronic licenses can click here to find full ordering information and guidelines.
EText Confirmations
Students who have ordered their ebooks through Savvas Learning should forward their confirmation order to support@ursulineacademy.net, with the subject "EText confirmation order." NOTE: Please include name, grade, and course in the body of the email. As soon as students receive their ebook credentials, they need to send an email to UATech to confirm their purchase.
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Lunch Menu
Pre-order your Lunch!
Take the stress out of planning and preparing lunch by ordering from the Tea Room. In addition to a center plate entree, daily offerings include cheeseburgers, chicken fillet sandwiches, chicken tenders, pizza, deli sandwiches, grilled chicken caesar salads, hummus and flatbread, yogurt parfaits, fruit cups, and cookies.
Next week's center plate menu includes:
Monday: Chicken and Waffles
Tuesday: Tortellini with Marinara
Thursday: Slow-roasted Pineapple Chicken
Friday: Homemade Mac and Cheese
Click here for full information about Ursuline's lunch program this year.
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Admissions News
Admissions Season is Open!
Do you know someone who would be interested in Ursuline? After a busy summer, our admissions season for the 2021-2022 school year is now open! While we won't be able to have our traditional Open House this year, we have many virtual events available for prospective families. Please email Director of Admissions Maura Polles at admissions@ursulineacademy.net and help us spread the word about our upcoming virtual events.
Admissions Parent Ambassadors Meeting
Ursuline needs YOU! The Ursuline Admissions Office invites parents to join the UA Admissions Parent Ambassador Group. A Zoom kickoff meeting will be held on Thursday, October 29 at 7 p.m. to discuss how you can help promote the Admissions efforts at Ursuline Academy. Please email Janet Reynolds at jreynolds@ursulineacademy.net to RSVP. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to help, please let us know. Thank you!
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Athletics
Soccer
The Varsity Soccer team had a good week with strong victories over Cardinal Spellman of Brockton 4-1 and Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) 4-2. Sophomore Jenelle Murphy had a goal and two assists in the victory over Cardinal Spellman and senior Tri Captain Nikki Olson had 9 saves to seal the victory. Senior Tri Captain Kelly Cheevers had two goals and an assist to lead Ursuline to their victory over Notre Dame Academy. Nikki Olson had 3 key saves in the first half to keep the game close. They will play this Saturday against Fontbonne Academy of Milton. The team is currently 2-1. The JV played to a 1-1 tie against Cardinal Spellman and lost to Notre Dame 4-0. They are now 1-1-1.
Swimming and Diving
Congratulations to the Swimming and Diving team with a victory over Walpole High in their first meet of the "virtual" season. The 96-88 win was a complete team effort with the team challenging each other to do their best. The next meet is Tuesday against Malden Catholic.
Cross Country
The Cross Country team faced a very talented Notre Dame Academy team on Tuesday at Hale Reservation. It was a close race but the Bears lost 22-37 (lowest score wins). The top 5 runners for Ursuline were: Mairead Stack, Brigid Ryan, Brianna Wesner, Lily King, and Waverly Smart. Ursuline is now 1-1 and faces Mt. Alvernia on Tuesday at Hale Reservation.
Reminder for all Athletes
Girls are reminded that if they have sports bags for their after-school practices or games, they are to be dropped off in the gym in the Reynolds Center. Please check in at your respective door when you arrive on campus and then proceed to the Reynolds Center to place your bag(s) in the gym on the right against the blue mat.
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Student News
Financial Literacy Sessions Open to all Students
Ms. Sedman's and Mrs. Schnatterly's 9th Grade Colloquium (9GC) classes are currently learning about Financial Literacy. They will be participating in a 3-part "Basics of Banking" series with Mr. Nicholas Corradino from People's United Bank. These sessions will take place on the next three Wednesdays during Activity Block (10:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. on Oct. 21, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4) and will cover topics like account management, credit, balancing your funds, how to manage debt, pitfalls to avoid as you grow up, and what you can do as a young person to become financially competent and independent. ALL URSULINE STUDENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND these presentations and get their "banking basics" knowledge on! RSVP here and you'll receive the Zoom link in advance of each session.
Run for Student Council
7th-9th graders: It's not too late to run for Student Council! If you are interested, please submit this Google Form by October 21. Note: you must ask two faculty members to endorse your candidacy BEFORE submitting the form. Any questions? Please email Ms. Cummins at ecummins@ursulineacademy.net. Find out more by watching this short video!
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Show Your Ursuline Pride
Spirit Wear and Ursuline Merchandise
Sweatshirts and other items from our Spirit Store are 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.)
TO ORDER: Please contact Kate Gormley, bookstore manager, at uabookstore@ursulineacademy.net with questions or to place a credit card order.
We can arrange for pickup at the school. Shipment also available.
Quick Links
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Ursuline Academy | 85 Lowder Street | Dedham, MA 02026 | 781.326.6161