Archive for Ursuline Update

Message from the President, 12/16/09

Dear Ursuline Family,

It’s a little hard to believe that the first semester of the school year is practically behind us. As a community, we’ve accomplished so many wonderful things, and our girls have truly shined in all they’ve undertaken. Ursuline Academy will close on Tuesday, Dec. 23 for the Christmas holidays, and we will all have the chance to prepare for a new semester and a brand new year.

Similarly, Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year. Advent eagerly anticipates the most wonderful guest in human history who arrives in our hearts and homes on Christmas. What Christ brings lasts forever and ever. He brings that love we all so desperately need and want. How does this love come into our lives? It comes through the gifts that we give to others. Christ’s love arrives in our hearts when we love others, forgive others, help others, support others, listen to others and take time for others. Read the rest of this entry »

I want to update the Academy’s stakeholders regarding the concerns so many have voiced about the afternoon pick-up of students. The city’s traffic engineer has given Ursuline some suggestions regarding traffic flow on State Street, and I have forwarded these suggestions to Ms. Kane and the Academy’s Administrative Team. I think that we are on the verge of a much better system that will ensure the safety of the girls during dismissal and ultimately make pick-up much smoother and less stressful.

Last week, the High School faculty met to discuss what we had learned at the Ursuline Education Conference (UEC), and I found our discussion to be extremely fruitful as many salient points were raised by an enthusiastic faculty. We will be working to develop these ideas over the course of the second semester. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to the Parents’ Club Board and to all parents who volunteered for the Christmas Boutique. It was a huge success, and the students had a great time shopping for their families and friends. It is events like this one that would not be possible without the time, organization and selflessness of so many of our wonderful parents who embody the meaning of “Serviam.” On behalf of our Administration and faculty, we whole-heartedly thank you!

The Dad’s Club will be having a meeting, Tuesday Dec.16 at 6 p.m. All dads are needed and invited to attend. The agenda includes the Father/Daughter Golf Tournament, Zephyr’s Night, Spaghetti Supper and other upcoming projects. Daughters of the dads who attend will receive an ice-cream coupon. Read the rest of this entry »

Message from the President, 12/16/08

Dear Ursuline Family,

It’s a little hard to believe that the first semester of the school year is practically behind us. As a community, we’ve accomplished so many wonderful things, and our girls have truly shined in all they’ve undertaken. Ursuline Academy will close on Tuesday, Dec. 23 for the Christmas holidays, and we will all have the chance to prepare for a new semester and a brand new year. Read the rest of this entry »

Exams are quickly approaching and I would like to take this opportunity to give parents and students some well-intended advice regarding preparation for these important assessments. Since exams at Ursuline Academy’s High School cover the entire semester, it is critical that students begin preparing long in advance of the exam itself. Spending an extra half-hour each night during this week in a general review for each class students take will allow them to identify problem areas early and give them an advantage when teachers begin their formal reviews next week. As I wrote to the teachers yesterday, exams must keep a balance between being rigorous and demanding on the one hand – while being fair and accurate on the other hand. All of us in the faculty and administration at the Academy will do our very best to keep this balance intact.

Another busy week is shaping up here at the Academy in terms of activities. Our basketball team, fresh off its’ second-place finish at the St. Joseph’s Academy Tournament in Baton Rouge, now sports an impressive record of eleven wins and only three losses. The team has home games this Tuesday against Country Day and Friday against New Iberia. The soccer team finished play in last week’s Country Day / St. Martin’s Soccer Classic with one win, one loss and one tie. The soccer team plays Monday evening against De La Salle and Saturday morning against Newman. Both games will take place at Audubon Park. We also want to offer congratulations to our cheerleaders, who finished second in the Jester Jangle competition at the Alario Center this past Saturday.

As for other upcoming events, The Queens’ Players have their fall production in the auditorium on Friday at 7 p.m. And our High School Chorus will have its annual Christmas concert next Sunday evening in the chapel at 7 p.m. Please make every effort to attend these events and see just how talented our girls are.

Finally, several of our students have been recognized for their efforts outside of the Academy. We want to offer congratulations to Ximena Rocha, Ariel Glaze and Brittni Lajaunie who traveled to Paris over our Thanksgiving vacation to participate in the American All-Stars Dance Camp. We would also recognize the efforts of our own Kyle Gannon, who showed her eight-month-old red Angus calf in the Commercial Breeding Class at the Jim Bowie Livestock Show on Nov. 22 and placed second in the competition.

I hope that everyone had a good weekend. The holiday season is upon us, and it is a very festive time filled with many activities. During this busy time, it is important for the students to continue to be conscientious in their studies. Please check your daughters’ folders nightly and remind them to study daily.

The 4th grade class will take a field trip to Wal-Mart tomorrow to purchase their “Adopt a Family” gifts. Please don’t forget to send in your “Adopt a Family” gifts for the less fortunate in our community. The drive ends on Monday, Dec. 15. As always your generosity is greatly appreciated. We thank you for carrying on St. Angela’s mission “to serve.”

MS varsity soccer team will play Sacred Heart on Monday, Dec. 8 and Trinity on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. JV soccer team will play Trinity on Tuesday and Country Day on Friday. Good luck girls!

All Ursuline music classes will perform at Christmas in the Oaks on Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 7 – 8 p.m. Specific details were sent home last week and are also posted on the Ursuline Elementary School home page. All students should meet at the performance tent by 6:45 p.m. Students must wear their Ursuline uniforms. If it is cold, students must follow the dress code and wear white or blue tights only, under their skirts. Girls can also wear an Ursuline jacket or sweatshirt.

The annual Christmas Boutique, sponsored by the Parents’ Club, will be held on Thursday, Dec.11 and Friday, Dec. 12. Your child’s class’ schedule was sent home last week and is posted on the Ursuline Elementary home page.

Ursuline Cheerleaders will attend the Spirit Blast Competition on Saturday, Dec.13. Also that day, a piano recital will be held at 1 p.m.

Congratulations to our 4th – 6th graders who participated in the DLS Math Tournament this past Saturday. Ursuline received 4 trophies and finished 3rd place overall out of 13 elementary schools participating. Congratulations and special thanks to Mrs. Cathy Demma and Ms. Eliza Sheffield for all of their time and dedication.

To view Ms. Shankle’s message in its entirety, including more upcoming events, please click here.

Message from the President, 12/08/08

Dear Ursuline Family,

This past Friday and Saturday, Ursuline Academy had the honor of hosting a biennial conference of Ursuline educators. Participants represented four countries and eleven states as we engaged one another relative to the conference theme of Leadership-Legacy-Loyalty. Our keynote speaker, Br. John Casey, CFC, helped us to reflect on the happenings of grace that are (1) served by our leadership in Ursuline schools, (2) a legacy for each of us and (3) the opportunities for loyalty to the traditions of St. Angela Merici and the Ursuline community. Br. John’s keynote provided great information to help participants engage in conversations regarding concerns we have for Ursuline mission and identity, as well as strengths of our schools in the area of Ursuline mission and identity. Sr. Carolyn Marie Brockland, OSU, prioress of the Ursuline Sisters of New Orleans, led a session entitled -Grit and Grace- where she spoke to the many traditions of Ursuline of New Orleans in keeping with our theme.

With the historical context set, participants chose Ursuline Educators’ Fair sessions to attend, where a wide range of topics were presented, including International Baccalaureate Program, Mentoring New Teachers the Angela Way, ‘Teacher Tube’ for Education and Communication, Alternative Assessments for Evaluating the Whole Person, Implementing Technology to Improve Class Interaction and Information Retention, The Creative Kindergarten Classroom, Student Stewardship, Profile of the Ursuline Graduate, Lower School Learning, Ursuline Identity, Using Hands-On Learning and Technology to Teach Science, Counseling Curriculum, Genuine Faith Experience in a Global Society and Teacher Evaluation in an Ursuline Context. Guests were also treated to a tour of the campus by several of our incredible high school students, as well as a student performance by our Seventh Grade Hand Bell Choir, our Middle School Recorder Consort and our combined High School Choir. The conference concluded with participants creating their images of the world of the 2020 learner, keeping in mind the changing contexts of the world, the Church, U.S. society and education.

I want to thank all of the members of the Ursuline Academy family whose contributions made this conference a huge success.
– The UEC Planning Committee: Kathie Blash, Cara D’Antoni, John Gabriel, Mary Lee Harris, Jessica Huston, Karen Mortillaro and Kim Shankle
– The Prayer Service committee: Shannon del Corral, Sarah Druen, Betsy Falk, Karen Jakiela, Patty Mathes, Mallory McCloskey, Marian McLellan and Kathy Schafer
– Educators’ Fair presenters: Belinda Baker, Jill Brown, Brian Cordes, Nicole Fuller, John Gardner, John Gabriel, Barbara Holstein, Jessica Huston, David Kemp, Karen Mortillaro, Kim Shankle and Eve Vignes
– Student Guided Tours: Coordinator – Dody Nolan, and Students – Leah Alday, Shailyn Croom, Lydia Davies, Rachelle Drygalla, Julia Elbaum, Hannah Gudan, Hailey Kline, Grace Lamy, Anna Landry, Gretchen Liljeberg, Erika Montelaro, Amanda Moser, Claire Oswald, Alex Powajbo, Jalan Richardson, Jo Ripoll, Maddie Skinner, Rachel Songy, Olivia Strickland and Sara Stuckey

- Student Performance Coordinators: Shannon del Corral and David Kemp

- Ursuline Schools of the Future PowerPoint: Brian Cordes
– Discussion Facilitation: Mary AnteÈ, Belinda Baker, Brian Cordes, Cara D’Antoni, Karen Davis, Sarah Druen, Nicole Fuller, John Gabriel, JP Garnier, Kitty Graf, Mary Lee Harris, Jessica Huston, Deirdre Macnamara, Patty Mathes, Karen McAcy, Judy Mollere, Celia Nougues, Dody Nolan, Erin Plauche, Kim Shankle and Susan Young
– Technology Coordination: JP Garnier
– Café au lait and Beignets Donation: Scott and Nicole Escarra
– Limousine Transportation Donation for our out of town guests: Todd Marcel

As partners in the rich tradition of Ursuline education, we are blessed to be able to contact young women at critical moments in their development as we help them explore their experiences in an environment where Catholic values are understood and experienced. We are all grateful to have the opportunity provided by the Ursuline Education Services to collaborate and share ideas with one another.

Yours in Christ,
Gretchen Zibilich Kane

Message from the President, 12/2/08

Dear Ursuline Family,

I hope all of you had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving week. Each year we gather with family and friends to thank God for the many blessings and abundances in our lives. Thanksgiving also involves an act of the will. It’s not a question of pretending that everything is bright and beautiful when you know it’s not. To give thanks is to stand up in the face of adversity and declare that life is worth living. To give thanks is to assert that the whole of creation is one great act of God’s love. May we give thanks, not because all things are good or easy, but simply because we know that this troubled world with all its evil and all its good is cradled in the arms of a loving God. Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago, I wrote in this space about some changes in our disciplinary system that we believe need to begin during the second semester of the current academic year. I plan to meet with the girls on Wednesday, Dec. 3 during our homeroom period to discuss these changes and explain the reasons behind these proposals.

I also mentioned in my last message that I wanted to discuss some academic changes that we will be working toward for the 2009-10 academic year. First of all, I would like to tell you that we are in the process of finalizing the details for an Honors Program that will offer a highly competitive curriculum to students who demand nothing less than the best preparation for highly selective colleges and universities. The Academy will also expand its efforts in preparing all of its students for standardized testing with a half-credit requirement for an ACT Prep class for all juniors. Another area we believe needs to be addressed is maximizing the amount of instructional time we have at our disposal each day with our daily schedule. Finally, I am also recommending to the Academic Council that the High School take a careful look at offering a double block of English classes during either the eighth or ninth grade year – or possibly, during both years.

I am well aware that the above list of possible changes seems ambitious. None of these changes will have immediate effects on student performance, except perhaps in discipline. But all of these areas need to be addressed. Please know that we will do what is necessary to improve and enhance an already superior academic program. I pledge to all members of the Ursuline community that we will always keep teaching at the forefront of our mission.

Allow me to congratulate our swimming team for their fine performance at the state meet in Sulphur. The team finished fourth in the overall competition. Congratulations are also in order for the Ursuline basketball team, which has won seven of its first eight games.

Please note on your calendars that the girls do not have school on Friday; the Academy will be hosting the Ursuline Educators’ Conference here in New Orleans. We are thrilled to welcome representatives from over thirty of our sister schools throughout North America and look forward to sharing best teaching practices with colleagues from across the continent.

UPCOMING DATES AND REMINDERS

There will be no school on Friday, Dec. 5 due to faculty in-service.

Santa’s Workshop, hosted by the Alumnae board, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Mass will be held at 8:30 a.m. to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Monday, Dec. 8.

Ursuline will perform at Celebration in the Oaks on Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 7 to 8 p.m.

The annual Christmas Boutique, sponsored by the Parents’ Club, will be held on Thursday, Dec.12 and Friday, Dec. 13.

Early Childhood Christmas programs will be the morning of Dec.18. Please see class newsletters for more information.

The 1st – 7th grade Christmas Program will be held on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m.

Please note a calendar change as a result of hurricane season: Full day of school on Monday, Dec. 22; 10 a.m. dismissal on Tuesday, Dec. 23 following a Christmas Mass at 8:30 a.m. NO AFTERCARE.

The Christmas Holidays will be Dec. 24 through Jan. 2. School resumes on Monday, Jan. 5.

6th and 7th grade exams will be on Tuesday, Jan. 6, Thursday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 9.

Elementary School (grades T2-7th) Tours will be held every Wednesday in January at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Please pass the word to prospective parents.