May 21, 2021 Community Voices: A Message from the Dean of Academics Dear Ursuline Families,
I last wrote to you in October, just after our virtual Curriculum Night, addressing learning goals for the year. We are now at the end of the year, which, while it has been unusual, has not prevented our excellent teachers from delivering on those learning goals for your daughters' academic growth. As active participants in their own learning, Ursuline students have engaged and succeeded in their coursework, regardless of learning environment. This week we celebrated the achievements of our student scholars who are new members of our Honor Societies -- Tri-M (music); Arts Honors Society (visual art) and National Honor Society (overall academic achievement). We were excited to be able to welcome parents, the cooperating educators of their daughters, to witness the ceremony in person and join us in our joyful recognition of these girls.
In June we will have final examinations for high school students and shorter final exams in math for students in grades 7 and 8. The schedule is as follows:
Monday June 7: 12:15 - 2:15 p.m. - Social Studies - grades 9 to 11
Wednesday June 9: 8:45 - 10:15 a.m. - Math - grades 7 & 8 * 12:15 - 2:15 p.m. - World Languages - grades 9 to 11
*7th and 8th graders will report to the classroom for testing and will have 30 minutes to review before the exam begins at 8:45.
Friday June 11: 12:15 - 2:15 p.m. - Conflicts/Make-ups
Please note that no student will be released early if she finishes an exam before the ending time. All students must be in the classrooms at 8:00 a.m., prior to the start of the exam. Students will be reporting to various locations between the two exam administrations for lunch and free time.
I continue to appreciate the vital role that parents play in the education of their daughters and am a daily witness to the commitment to students demonstrated here at Ursuline. If you have any questions about the academic program, please do not hesitate to contact me at KGinnetty@ursulineacademy.net I wish every family a restful and relaxing summer vacation.
Sincerely, Katherine Ginnetty Dean of Academics
Academic Calendar for 2021-22 A tentative calendar with important dates for the 2021-22 school year has been released for parents. Click here to view the calendar.
Taylor Made Concert This Weekend
Taylor Made Virtual Concert on Saturday, May 22: Sign Up Here! The Taylor Made Concert is back! After taking a year off due to the pandemic, the annual a capella concert hosted by the Bearitones returns this year in a virtual format. Joined by groups from surrounding high schools, the Bearitones honor the memory of Taylor Manning '17 with a night of music and camaraderie. While the performers will be live, the audience will be virtual. Registration is free, but voluntary donations will benefit the Class of '17 Scholarship, in Memory of Taylor Manning, a beloved classmate. Register at: boostmyschool.com/taylormade
News and Announcements Grade 8 Move-up Ceremony Parents of all grade 8 students will be celebrating the Class of 2025 at their 8th grade move-up ceremony on Tuesday, May 25 at 1 p.m. in the Reynolds Center gym. Due to COVID-19 precautions, attendance is limited to parents. All attendees will be emailed our Ursuline Wellness Check Form before the event. Class of 2023 - Parent Guidance Event for Sophomore Parents Parents of current grade 10 ("rising juniors") are invited to a virtual parent guidance event on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. Director of School and College Counseling Mary Ferrucci will give an overview of junior year, including standardized testing and the initial college process. Click here for the Zoom link to join the meeting. Return of Rented Books Parents are reminded to check the due dates by which their daughter's rented textbooks may be due back to Follett. Instructions for returning the books were provided at the time of the rental and at the online bookstore. Some text buybacks may be possible at fvcbuyback.com. Updates to FACTS Tuition Management Plan FACTS now accepts credit cards as a method of payment, in addition to the direct ACH withdrawals already offered. Please note, you will be responsible for the transaction fee (currently 2.85%), which is remitted directly to FACTS. Changes to your payment method must be made at least 5 business days before the next payment is scheduled to be processed. Please contact Leigh Ann Luetzen with any questions lluetzen@ursulineacademy.net. Follow us on social media College Acceptances The Department of School and College Counseling is pleased to share an updated list of college acceptances for the Class of 2021. We thank the faculty and staff for their dedication in covering curriculum, moderating clubs/activities, mentoring and writing letters of recommendation, offering spiritual, health, and tech support for our seniors, and for creating athletic and leadership opportunities for our students. We are so very proud of our seniors! You can see the full list of college acceptances here.
Upcoming Events Fore the Girls Golf Tournament June 28 We're thrilled to announce that our golfing spots have SOLD OUT for this year's tournament. But it's not too late to join the party!
We welcome guests to attend the post-outing banquet. We will begin on the beautiful outdoor patio for cocktails, followed by dinner and our awards ceremony. Start your summer at a relaxed event with family and friends in support of Ursuline athletics, with a chance to win some amazing raffle prizes sponsored by our athletic teams. The fun begins at 5 p.m.
Program Book Ads are also available to honor or recognize a special UA athlete, accomplished graduate, your business, or an Ursuline team or club. Email program book artwork to Mary-Ellen Gioioso at mgioioso@ursulineacademy.net.
As part of our 75th anniversary series of special events, Ursuline will offer a unique opportunity to share informative and inspirational topics with its entire community to promote dialogue on important issues of the day. Our speaker series will be held approximately once a month in the spring of 2021 and will resume in the fall. Virtual Events in our Anniversary Speaker Series
SAVE the DATE - June 16, 2021, 7 p.m. Mark Shriver, Chief Strategy Officer at Save the Children. Look for registration details soon. April 29, 2021 - Fr. James Martin: Learning to Pray. Click here to watch the recorded program. May 20, 2021 - From Brescia to Dedham: A Virtual Panel Discussion with Sr. Elisa Ryan, OSU, Sr. Angela Krippendorf '59, OSU, and author Nancy Schultz. Click here to watch the recorded program.
Athletics Spring Sports Update The spring sports teams continue to have success as they move forward:
Fall Sports 2021 The fall sports tryout schedule is up on the website. Impact testing and/or tryouts will begin on Monday, August 23. Informational meetings will be held next week for all fall sports. The schedule is as follows:
Meetings will be held during morning mask break out on the tennis courts. Important information will be given out to the students. All students who plan on trying out for a fall sport should attend the meeting for their sport. For additional information feel free to contact Mr. O'Connor at athletics@ursulineacademy.net.
Bears in Action UA Drama Prepares for Godspell Jr. Please wish the cast and crew of 'Godspell Jr.' "Break-a-Leg!" on their performances next Thursday and Friday, May 27 and 28 in the Reynolds Center Gym. Due to Covid precautions, we are unable to open this performance to the broader community at this time, and are limiting our audience to close family of the cast and crew, and Ursuline students, faculty, staff and administration. We greatly look forward to welcoming the broader Ursuline Community back into our theater in the fall, when we can surely be back together again. Caroline Harrington '22 advocates for Armenia Tree Project To learn more about the social and political atmosphere of the Interwar period, Mrs. Petti's AP Euro class created a French cafe where they impersonated famous Interwar artists, authors, and philosophers. Students shared, in character, the contributions of their figure to history and how they responded to the political atmosphere of the time. To prepare for the AP CS Principles exam, Mrs. Mackenzie's students animatedly played several rounds of various Quizlets to review important concepts and vocabulary. Four and a Half Country Tour
Photo of the Week The seniors were back on campus this week for their "college bootcamp," a half day packed with important tools to help them take on their freshman year of college, including time management, healthy relationships, and more. The class took time for a traditional college sweatshirt class photo before they ended the day by cooling off with a visit from an ice cream truck.
Community News Job Opportunity for Students Dedham Pharmacy is seeking to hire Ursuline students ages 15 and over for after-school and weekend hours as well as summer help. They are hiring cashiers and front-store help to assist customers and patients as they pick up their prescriptions, purchased over-the-counter items, and home healthcare items. Check this attachment for further details. Quick Links |