Summer Edition - August 20, 2021 IMPORTANT! Possible Hurricane Henri Schedule Impact New families who have registered for the Monday, August 23 Tech Sessions and Parent Coffees should watch for email updates through Monday morning in the event that we need to reschedule you. If postponed, we will reschedule all Monday registrants to a new session on Wednesday, August 25. Greetings from Lowder Street! As August winds down, we resume our weekly editions of Bear Essentials, the Ursuline Academy newsletter. The campus is buzzing with activity in preparation for the return of our students next month. Please read the announcements and reminders below carefully, as there is a good deal of important information. We hope you and your families enjoy the rest of the summer and look forward to seeing you all soon!
Transportation News New Transportation Options
There is also space remaining on each of the Xaverian bus routes. Please see the attached documents for full details and route information for the coming year. Information is also available on our website.
Questions about transportation options may be addressed to Leigh Ann Luetzen, Director of Finance and Business Operations, at transportation@ursulineacademy.net or call 781.493.7708.
New Student Tech Sessions and New Parent Coffees Monday and Tuesday, August 23 and 24, from 9 - 9:45 a.m. Technology support sessions will be held for new students to set up iPads and download eTexts with the assistance of our technology team. Students and parents are asked to have a face mask with them.
Note: These sessions are now full. For those students/families who were unable to attend on these dates, Ursuline's tech team will be available to all students for general tech help on Tuesday, September 7, following the half-day orientation school session for new students. New Families - Summer Checklist In case you missed it, click here for the Summer Checklist for complete information on how to get ready for September.
Health Information Requirements Proof of COVID Vaccination All students, faculty, and staff who are eligible are expected to be fully vaccinated. Please send a picture (cellphone photo works well) of your vaccination card by August 31 to Heather Smart, School Nurse, at nurse@ursulineacademy.net with the subject line COVID Vaccine and your daughter's grade (e.g. "COVID Vaccine - Gr. 8").
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.
Immunization Requirement for All Juniors Parents of rising juniors are reminded 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 (state mandated as of Sept 2020). If you have not sent in an updated physical with this additional immunization listed, please do so before September 1, 2021. Should you have any questions please email Heather Smart, School Nurse, at nurse@ursulineacademy.net.
Health Forms Due for New Students All new students must submit proof of a physical within the last 12 months along with their immunization records to the attention of school nurse, Heather Smart, as soon as possible. Please email nurse@ursulineacademy.net with any concerns or questions.
News and Reminders from the Main Office Calendar Highlights Tuesday, August 24: Senior Parent Counseling Meeting via Zoom (see info below) Wednesday, August 25: Fall Sports Tryouts begin (see info below) Tuesday, September 7: Half-day Orientation for all new students Wednesday, September 8: School begins for all students Wednesday, October 6: Senior Parent Reception
Click here for the full tentative calendar for the 2021-22 academic year. Course Lists and Summer Work Earlier this summer, students should have received an email from our Registrar, Kathy Thorn, notifying them that their course list for next year is available on the Student-Parent Portal. Please encourage your daughter to log in to her e-locker on the portal to make sure that everything looks as expected. With course lists, students will be able to determine summer assignments, which are available by clicking here. Open each academic department folder to find the course name and corresponding information, including assignments. Note: not all courses have assigned summer work. If a course does not appear in the folder, then it does not require any summer work. Contact Kathy Thorn at kthorn@ursulineacademy.net with any questions.
Purchasing Textbooks and Course Materials Ursuline's online bookstore, managed by MBS Direct, is open for you to purchase textbooks and course materials for the 2021-22 school year. Orders will be shipped directly to your home. Through the virtual bookstore, you can order both the physical and digital books required for the courses your daughter has been assigned for the fall. Visit Ursuline's Online Bookstore at https://bnck-12.com/ursulinema. Students may purchase books from other sources, but please make sure the ISBN, edition, and format (physical or digital) match what is listed on the MBS website. Click here for complete information on book ordering.
Lunch Accounts Ursuline Academy's food service is back and will offer an array of menu options at lunch and break. Purchases can be made either with cash or with the student's ID card, which can be linked to an account. Information from SLA Management, our food service provider, is now available for Ursuline families. Click here to learn more about SLA's online lunch account system, including how to fund your daughter's account.
Proof of MA Residency for Learner's Permits
Athletics Fall Tryouts Tryouts begin the week of August 23. Fall team sports offered at Ursuline Academy include cross country, field hockey, soccer, swimming & diving, and volleyball. In order to participate in fall tryouts, all athletes must have submitted the required paperwork. Click here for dates/times of tryouts for each team. Please note that dates and times are subject to change, so be sure to double-check before tryouts begin. In order to be considered for any team, a student should attend tryout sessions. Forms can be downloaded from the Athletic Forms page.
ImPACT Testing ImPACT Baseline testing is required of all student athletes (due once every 2 years). Please reach out to Athletic Trainer Kim Munsey via email at kmunsey@ursulineacademy.net to schedule an appointment. Testing will be held on Monday, August 23 and Tuesday, August 24. Appointments are offered every half hour from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Please check the athletics website for any changes/updates to the ImPACT testing schedule due to pending weather/power outages.
For any additional information, please contact Athletic Director Mike O'Connor at athletics@ursulineacademy.net or at 781-493-6413.
Seniors - Class of 2022! Senior Portrait Sittings O'Connor Studios, our official yearbook photographer, is now scheduling portrait sittings for Ursuline seniors. There may be slots available on campus on September 17 or November 2. You may also book appointments at their studios in Tewksbury or Leominster. Visit creativebyoconnor.com to schedule your appointment. Note: the yearbook photo MUST be taken by O'Connor Studios. There is a fee for the sitting, but there is no obligation to purchase prints.
SAT Prep Classes Summit Education Group will be offering an SAT prep class at UA on Tuesday afternoons in September (September 7,14, 21, and 28) geared towards the October 2 SAT. Please see the attached link for details.
Senior Parent Zoom Meeting - College Process Overview Parents of seniors are invited to a Zoom meeting with the UA College Counseling Office on Tuesday, August 24 at 7 p.m. Mary Ferrucci, Director of Guidance and College Counseling, will give an overview of the college application process with timeframe and deadlines from Sept. - Nov. (The meeting will be recorded if you are unable to attend). Click here for log on details.
Community News Ursuline Drama News Congratulations to the cast and crew of All I Really Need to Know I Learned by Being in a Bad Play. Ursuline's show streamed virtually for the METG Together Virtual Festival 2021 and our cast and crew received many accolades, including: Katherine Ziska '22 for Excellence in Acting, Daphne Partridge '22, Meera Raskin '24 (and others) for Excellence in Scenic Design, and Claire Dirks '21 (and others) for Excellence in Costume Design. Swim Across America Team Congratulations to Isabella Lombard '23, Sophie Trombetta '22, and Morgan Bullen '23 (pictured left to right, with Coach Paul Bimmler) for participating in the Boston Open Water swim held this past weekend as part of Swim Across America. Ursuline's team has contributed over $1,500 to the event total of $286,675! 100% of the proceeds go to funding cancer research through Swim Across America. Special shout out to Fiona Gilmartin '22 for being a part of the safety staff for the event! Click here to view the Ursuline page. Donations can be made until October. Delivery of The Memory Project Portraits Ursuline Memory Project Club: Maureen Fox '22 and Courtney Collins '22, co-presidents. Members include Emma Alvarez, Olivia Austin, Lindsey Brown, Caroline Canavan, Sloan Cordon, Fiona Crowley, Fiona Daly, Katherine Delaney, Brianna Gomez Pena, Tegan Greene, Catherine Hernando, Claudia Jaber, Rebecca Keough, Sabrina Kunigenas, Johanna Lydon, Jennifer McGrail, Libby Moore, Sarah O'Connor, Nicole Olsen, Emily Schneider, Tia Stanton, Kaitlyn Steinkrauss, Raquel Walecka, Gwen Walsh, Molly Wells, Brianna Wesner, and Lauren Woodworth. Quick Links |