Community Voices: A Message from the Dean of Students |
Dear Ursuline Community, Walking through our beautiful campus and stopping to admire the landscape of colorful tulips, daffodils, and cherry blossoms reminds me of a lovely quote from the French Impressionist Claude Monet: "I must have flowers, always, and always." For me, la primavera, spring in Italian and Spanish, is a Renaissance of nature. It is an opportunity for growth, collaboration, and completion. It's so very easy to find oneself caught in the whirlwind of the end-of-year preparations and the stress that accompanies it. However, taking a pause to reflect on the great achievements of our students enables us to truly appreciate the gift we all have to share. Educating and guiding our students is indeed rewarding. I may no longer be in front of a captive audience in Spanish 4, but my work continues. There is so much to do and sadly, so little time as the year is quickly coming to a close. I relish the opportunity to chat with students in my office which has helped me know every student and their story. That is actually my mantra. For me, it continues to be a work in progress, but since my start in January, I have made great strides. As of late, my time with the seventh graders has been insightful and enjoyable. When a student opens a small window about their lives outside of school, as when they talk about their pets, I discover another side of the complexity we know as pre-teens. With regard to our soon-to-be graduates, I am honored to have been in their lives even for a brief time. Learning about their academic journeys, endless activities, and service have all been moments I shall cherish. So many stories are followed by boundless laughter from the Senior Student Council members and the Tea Room crew. The seniors are like sunflowers turning to the sun to continue to shine. Now I truly understand what makes an Ursuline student so special. I wish everyone a resplendent Renaissance of Spring. Kindest regards, |
Liza Iolli Interim Dean of Students |
Course Selection Process for Next Year Earlier this week, we launched our course selection process. All students received an email that directed them to speak with their counselors about which courses are appropriate for them for next year. Course descriptions along with pre-requisites are listed on our website. Please remember that these are course requests and once we have them, we will build the master schedule. Actual schedules will be shared with students this summer. As scheduling is not done on a first-come, first-served basis, and we want students and parents to have a chance to talk and reflect on their choices, course selections are due on May 27th. It is important to remember that any combination of courses needs to be right for the individual and that the classes need to complement other activities that take time and energy. Taking more AP classes will not necessarily lead to better college admission. The goal is to take the right courses that challenge, but do not overwhelm, and that allow a girl's other passions to shine. Their guidance counselors are the key contact in planning for next year. |
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AP Exams Next Week AP exams will continue to be administered the week of May 9-13. Students should bring several #2 pencils and a pen with either dark blue or black ink. Some exams require the use of a calculator. Teachers have advised these students what calculators are acceptable and to also bring extra batteries. Students should report to their respective exam room a half hour before the start of the exam and teachers have also instructed their students to do this. The time for each exam is approximately 3 1/2 hours and students are required to remain in the exam room until they are dismissed by the proctor. |
Parent Ambassadors for the Summer 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 join our Parent Ambassador program. We hope to connect each of our new families with a parent ambassador with whom they can check in over the summer for guidance on any questions they may have as they prepare their daughters for September. If you are interested in helping as an ambassador this summer, please email Janet Reynolds at jreynolds@ursulineacademy.net. |
In Case You Missed It: End of Year Events! Refer to this list of the events and special schedules through the remaining weeks of school so that you are aware of when events will take place and the expectations for students. All seniors and senior parents should have received an email earlier this month detailing the events and activities scheduled specifically for the Class of 2022 between now and commencement on June 5. You may review it here. In addition, please note that we have recently finalized the time and location of the June 4 Baccalaureate Mass.The Mass will be held at 4:30 p.m. in the Reynolds Center gym. |
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Taylor Made A Cappella Concert The Ursuline Bearitones invite the community to their annual Taylor Made a cappella concert on Saturday, May 7, at 7 p.m. The concert is held each spring to honor the memory of Taylor Manning, a seventh grade Ursuline student who passed away in May, 2012. The Bearitones will be joined by groups from surrounding high schools for a night of music and camaraderie. Participating groups include the Ursuline Bearitones, the Xaverian X-Men, the Treblemakers, Scalestorm, and Trills n' Chills. We hope to see you there! There is no charge for admission but raffle proceeds and donations from the event will support the Class of '17 Scholarship, given to a rising eighth-grade student each year to honor the memory of Taylor Manning. |
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Ursuline Unites for Ukraine: Yard Sale on May 14 Ursuline Academy will be observing the International Day of Serviam on May 14 with a yard sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please share the news with your neighborhoods, parishes, and community social media groups! All proceeds will benefit the Ursuline Sisters in Poland and their relief efforts with Ukrainian refugees. Donations will continue to be accepted on campus at specific times this coming week on May 7, 10, and 12. We are looking for many volunteers for this event. |
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Yard Sale Uniform Closet Donate outgrown uniform skirts and blazers to our yard sale, and come shop for the next size up if you need them. Uniform donations can be brought to any of the remaining yard sale drop-off events, or during the school week to Ms. Iolli's office. Any remaining uniforms after the yard sale will be added to a Uniform Closet at the school and available for a discounted price for the next school year. |
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| Teeing Up for Ursuline Academy's 30th Annual Fore the Girls Golf Tournament Calling all Sponsors, Donors, and Players! Join us on Monday, June 20, 2022 at Blue Hill Country Club in Canton. Since 1992, Ursuline's annual Fore the Girls tournament has been bringing the community together to enjoy a wonderful day of golf to benefit our young women athletes. We hope you will join us as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of this beloved event. Auction items, Cash Donations, Sponsorships, and Program Book Ads are now available. Click here for all the info! |
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Ursuline Juniors attended a College Fair last week at Xaverian Brothers High School. The students were accompanied by Mrs. Ferrucci, Mrs. Scott, and Ms. Rikleen. |
| The Ursuline Technology Department and the Green Club collaborated for a successful electronics recycling day last Saturday, April 30. Thanks to all who volunteered or donated! |
On April 23, twenty students from the Class of 2024 participated in the 23rd annual Charles River Earth Day Clean Up. The girls were assigned to Rustcraft Road Parks in Dedham and spent three hours cleaning up trash at the fields and surrounding areas. |
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Spring Sports Updates This was a very impressive and successful week for the athletic teams at Ursuline.
- The Track and Field team remains undefeated with their victory over Fontbonne yesterday at Hingham. The team's next race will be for the league championship next Wednesday against a strong Notre Dame team.
- The Golf team had very strong victories over Cardinal Spellman and Fontbonne to run their record to 5-1.
- The Varsity Lacrosse team came back from a successful and enjoyable week at the Ursuline Sister's Lacrosse tournament where they lost to New Rochelle but bounced back and beat St. Louis. They then had an exciting goal to beat Newton South on Tuesday and beat Malden Catholic yesterday. Their record is 5-4, riding a three-game winning streak. The Junior Varsity had a good week as well with two wins.
- The Varsity Softball team had a split week with a loss to Malden Catholic but they bounced back with a win at Milton yesterday against Fontbonne. They are now 6-3. The JV team unfortunately had both of their games postponed for various reasons.
- The Tennis team had a strong week with a 3-2 win over Malden Catholic and then a doubleheader win yesterday over Boston Latin Academy 5-0 in both matches. They are now 5-1.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: For the remainder of the season, all teams traveling on the Ursuline mini buses or yellow school buses will wear masks while on the bus. We appreciate everyone's cooperation with this policy. Spotlight on May 5 Track Meet Track and field really came together as a team last night and pulled off a win against Fontbonne at NDA's track. Many of our athletes placed, scoring necessary points to pull off the win (93.50 to 38.50), sweeping the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions in multiple events including the 800, 2-mile, 100 hurdles, high jump, shot put, and discus.
800: Sara Lessard, Maddie Eldridge, Katherine Delaney 100 hurdles: Amanda Mingolelli, Erin Uniacke and Rebecca Marinella High jump: Simone Connolly, Maggie Lanagan and Erin Uniacke Discus: Claire Ryan, Clare Janas, and Anna Brown Shot put: Jackie Wells, Claire Ryan and Helen Way 1-mile and 2-mile: Brigid Ryan and Audrey Busch placed 1st and 2nd in both. Katherine Delaney came in third on the 2-mile.
1st in the 4x100 relay (Ani, Bridgette, Sophia and Day) 1st (Sophia Harper) and 3rd (Sara Lessard) in long jump 1st in the triple jump (Aibhlinn Glavin, first time in this event) 2nd in the 400 (Victoria Airasian, first time in this event) 2nd in the 400 hurdles (Simone Connolly) 1st (Jackie Wells) and 2nd (Claire Ryan) in javelin Informational Meetings for Fall Sports The informational meeting for all fall sports will take place the week of May 23rd. Important information will be given out with regards to tryout dates, paperwork deadlines, and questions regarding scheduling. All meetings will take place in the Reynolds Center gym during Activity period. The schedule is as follows: Monday, May 23: Cross Country Tuesday, May 24: Field Hockey Wednesday, May 25: Soccer Thursday, May 26: Swimming and Diving Friday, May 27: Volleyball
Please contact Mr. O'Connor at athletics@ursulineacademy.net with any questions. |
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Fitness Center Schedule for the Week May 9-13 Monday, May 9 3 pm: JV Lacrosse 3:30 - 4:30 pm: open
4:30 pm: V Lacrosse
Tuesday, May 10 3 pm: JV Softball 3:30 pm: open
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| Wednesday, May 11 3 pm- JV Lacrosse 3:30 pm- open 4 pm- Tennis 4:30 pm- V Lacrosse
Thursday, May 12 3 pm: Throwers 3:30 - 5 pm: open
Friday, May 13 3 pm: Track 3:30 pm: Track 4-5 pm: open |
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Spirit Wear - School Store
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Bookstore Blowout on Friday, May 13th! On Friday, May 13th, from 2:15 - 4:00 p.m. in Angela Hall, new merchandise, vintage treasures and special deals will be available for purchase. Please pull into a parking spot to shop! Bookstore Blowout Volunteers Bookstore manager Kate Gormley P'17, '19, is looking for 4 volunteers to help with the Bookstore Blowout on Friday, May 13th from 1:45 - 4 pm. We need people to work each of the tables and help customers find what they want/answer questions. Volunteers can also have first dibs on shopping! Sign up here. |
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Next Deadline for Orders from Online Store Please note that the next cut-off for ordering from our online store is this Sunday, May 8th at midnight. We hope you like the selection of merchandise and note that most items are customizable with clubs, sports or affiliation to the school. Please Contact Kate Gormley, bookstore manager, at uabookstore@ursulineacademy.net with any questions. |
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Outbreak! 2022 Application Outbreak! 2022 is a free program open to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in learning about a variety of public health topics and careers. This program will be held virtually on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from July 18th to July 29th, through the Public Health Museum in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Some optional programming, including virtual visits with university schools of public health, will occur outside of the required 9-1 time frame. This interactive experience will have additional opportunities for students to expand their interests in person through optional tours and events. If you are interested, please complete this application. A notification will be sent to the email address provided. A current, personal Gmail address is a required part of the application. If you do not currently have a personal gmail account, you can create one here. Questions can be directed to outbreak@publichealthmuseum.org. |
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Parkway Concert Orchestra at Ursuline on May 15 The Parkway Concert Orchestra will present its spring concert on Sunday, May 15 at 3 p.m. at Ursuline Academy. Music Director Thomas Kociela will conduct the 50 piece non-profit orchestra in an exciting program with famous and familiar scores by Rachmaninoff, Elgar, Bizet, and Copland. The concert will feature a performance of Richard Rodgers's score to Victory At Sea as a tribute to our veterans. All audience members must wear a mask while in the building. The program is sponsored by Dedham Savings and is supported in part by a grant from the Dedham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Donation is $15; $10 for seniors and students; and free for children under 12 years old. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. For ticket reservations please call 781-444-5041 or emailparkwayconcertorchestra@gmail.com. Click here for more info. |
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Tea Room Lunch Menu The lunch menu is subject to change as ingredients' availability may be impacted by supply chain interruptions and shortages. Check the updated menu on the SLA Nutrislice site: Tea Room Menu Monday, May 2: Pulled Pork and Rice Tuesday, May 3: Chicken Wings and French Fries Wednesday, May 4: Pork Carnitas Nachos Thursday, May 5: Mandarin Orange Chicken with Rice Friday, May 6: Homemade Mac & Cheese |
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Ursuline Academy | 85 Lowder Street | Dedham, MA 02026 | 781.326.6161 |
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