September 24, 2021 Community Voices: A Message from the Principal Dear Ursuline Families,
I hope that you are enjoying the routine that a school year brings; we are certainly noticing the girls getting into the swing of things at school! They can read their schedules, find their classes, navigate with Google classroom pages and normally remember to submit their homework on time! At the beginning of next week, we will end our add/drop period and students should be settled into their classes.
Thanks to all of the families who attended our Parent Social and to all of the students who participated in the Bond-fire evening. Both events were great! (See photos below.) It was wonderful to meet people, to connect with old friends and to meet some new ones. It seemed like everyone was having fun and I do not think that there were any major kickball or marshmallow-related injuries. I want to give a special thanks to the seniors who organized the kickball tournament.
Next week, you will be notified when the Student-Parent Handbook is uploaded to the website, and we ask that you and your daughter read through it. The school updates this document every year and it serves as a way for us to communicate with parents and students about our expectations, processes, and who to contact if issues arise. We do ask you to print and sign the last page that says that you understand and agree to abide by the Responsible Use of Technology Policy, the Continuous Learning Lab Safety contract, and the Academic Integrity Agreement and return it to the main office by October 8th.
There are some important dates coming up in October:
October 1: Spirit Day (non-uniform Ursuline clothing allowed) October 8: Handbook signatures due to the main office October 11: No school October 13: Half day of school for grades 7-11; no school for grade 12
As we enter into the fall, I do feel blessed to be working at Ursuline. It is a wonderful school made up of a great community of students, parents, faculty and staff. I look forward to participating in all of the traditions and ceremonies that contribute to making Ursuline such a special place and I want to thank you again for partnering with us to engage, challenge, applaud, and support your daughters.
Have a good week,
Sincerely, Sue Petrone Principal
Important Reminders Please Slow Down! Parents and Students!! Please remember that Lowder Street and the surrounding roads in the neighborhood are part of a densely populated residential area with many pedestrians. Drive slowly during drop-off and pick-up! Thank you!
RESPONSE NEEDED FROM ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS Opt in or Out of our COVID Testing Program The advantage of providing consent for your daughter is that she can remain in school if determined to be a close contact of a positive case, instead of quarantining, as long as she remains symptom-free.
Food Delivery Services - Do's and Don'ts SLA's Nutrislice App - Lunch Service Info
News and Announcements Student Communications Interns The Ursuline Academy Communications Office is adding to its team of student interns for the 2021-22 school year. These interns meet on a bi-weekly basis with the Ursuline Marketing and Communications office (Mrs. Fazekas and Ms. Venkatesh), and assist the office in representing the student experience in public-facing communications vehicles. Applications due October 1. See attached for details. Duties include:
Club Fair Coming on September 28 The Club Fair will be held during Activity Block on Tuesday, September 28. Students will be able to learn more about the many diverse club offerings on campus and sign up to participate. College Fair at Ursuline, Thursday, September 30 Grades 7 and 8: Grandparents Day Grandparents ~ Special Friends Day will be held in person on Wednesday morning, October 13 for grandparents of students in grades 7 and 8. Invitations will be mailed on Monday so please submit addresses for invitations here, if you have not yet responded.
Grades 9-12: Special Intentions for Grandparents The grandparents of all students will be included as special intentions in an upcoming prayer service and we will be sending cards out to them with a prayer of gratitude for their love and support of our students later this fall. If you have not yet done so, please fill out the attached form with the names and addresses of your child's grandparents or another special friend so that we may include them in this program.
Parent Involvement at Ursuline Senior Parent Reception Senior parents should have received an email invitation to the Senior Parent Reception on Wednesday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m. If you have not yet done so, RSVP here by September 30.
Save the Date: Coffee with the President and Principal On Thursday morning, October 14 at 8 a.m., parents are invited to attend a coffee hour with Kate Levesque and Sue Petrone. Registration details will be provided in next week's Bear Essentials. UA/XBHS Parent Speaker Series - Building Coping Skills for High School Youth Save the date! The UA/XBHS School Counseling Office Parent Speaker Series Partnership will be co-hosting a parent Zoom program on how to help build coping skills on October 27 at 6:30 p.m. The program will be presented by educational psychologist Linda Price. Registration details will be shared soon. Parent Ambassadors Parents interested in helping the admissions team with word-of-mouth outreach, volunteer help at admissions events, and general positive promotion of Ursuline Academy to prospective and new families are invited to attend an informational (and social) reception with Cathy Solomon, Chief Enrollment Officer at Ursuline, this Tuesday evening, September 28, at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to Janet Reynolds at jreynolds@ursulineacademy.net.
Class Parent Representatives Parents are invited to serve as Class Parent Representatives to help communicate with fellow parents, build relationships within individual grades, and plan grade-specific social and service activities for parents and/or students. If you are interested, please email Mary-Ellen Gioioso in our parent relations office at mgioioso@ursulineacademy.net. We especially need more reps for grades 7, 9, and 11, but all are welcome.
Athletics Updates Cross Country: Congratulations to the Cross Country team on their 15-50 (low score wins) victory over Mt. Alvernia. Good luck tomorrow to the girls competing in the Frank Kelley race at Wrentham. Special thanks to the girls who had volunteered to help at the Catholic Elementary school race today. The race was cancelled due to the forecast. Reminder -- Face Masks are required in the Reynolds Center.
Fitness Center Schedule The Fitness Center is now open and all students are encouraged to use it during the open time slots, whether you are on a team or not. The trainer will explain how to use the equipment and assist students with any questions they have. Please note that open times are for any student/staff use. Faculty/Staff time listed is closed for student use. Monday, September 27 4 p.m.: JV Volleyball Wednesday, September 29
Thursday, September 30 Friday, October 1 3 p.m: Swim/Dive
Campus Ministry Class Masses Grade-level Masses began this week in Angela Hall. Grade 9 had their Mass on Thursday during Activity block and grade 7 followed with their Mass this morning. The other grades will have Mass next week with the following schedule:
Monday, September 27 - grade 12 Wednesday, September 29 - grade 11 Thursday, September 30 - grade 10 Friday, October 1 - grade 8
Please keep our students and staff in your prayers as they use these Masses to begin the year in faith and hope together. Ursuline Communities around the World Did you know that the Ursulines of the Roman Union have Provinces, groups, and communities across the globe? Each month this year, Ursuline's Campus Ministry department will be highlighting a different Ursuline community or province from around the world and sharing information about them. The focus for September is the Ursuline community in Cambodia. This is a new community for the Ursulines, just formed in 2010, and is a joint partnership between the following provinces: Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and China. Click here to learn more.
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