Archive for Ursuline Update
A Message from the President – Gretchen Z. Kane
On behalf of the entire Academy, please accept my deepest gratitude to all of you who made the Spaghetti Supper such an incredible success. The number of raffle tickets sold by our student body totaled just over 35,000…WOW!!!
The number of hours that go into planning and preparation for the Spaghetti Supper is enormous, and this event could not be possible without SO many people doing SO much. Ursuline Academy is so very blessed to have such a wonderful group of parents and alumnae volunteers without whom the Spaghetti Supper could not be possible. I apologize in advance if I forget to mention any one of you and know how much we appreciate you and your generosity. Special thanks go to our EVENT CHAIRS: Cara D’Antoni and Mary Lee Harris. Heartfelt thanks go to our special coordinators:
Cake Booth – Ashley LeBeouf, Stephanie Musso and the Sioux of 1990
Activities – Pam Dalgo and Sarintha Stricklin
Food/Kitchen – Trudy Wright, Gina Brothers, Maritza Hyde, Littie Jefferson and Pam Duplessis
Set-up/Clean-up – UA Facilities Staff, Philip & Christi Rudolph, Mark Black and Richard Powajbo
Reservations/Check-In – Kathie & Tom Blash, Marie Schmitt, Sharon Linton and Jeannine Rigney
Drink Sales – Glen & Sherrie Romero
Wine Sales – Joe & Lisa Miller and Rakkier Sims
Basket Raffles – Pam Dalgo
50-50 Raffles – Louise Huete, Lisette Fabacher and Angie Castay
Pre-Supper Reservations/Cash Raffle Accounting – Marie Schmitt
P.R. & Communications – Amanda Lataxes
Cash Raffle Incentives – Kim Harper and John Gabriel
Lip-Sync Idol Contest – Pam Dalgo, Karen Mortillaro, Bekki Bonnaffee, Brian Cordes and John Gardner
Thank you to all ES Faculty Volunteers for set-up on Saturday and to all other faculty, staff, parents, students and alumnae who volunteered to work on Sunday.
During this Holy Week, Christians are given another chance to reflect on and to re‑live the last hours of Jesus’ life. There are many different expressions of piety which characterize these days, but most are directed to the resurrection, which is, as St. Paul says, the basis of our faith. We will not be able to share in our Lord’s resurrection unless we unite ourselves with him in his passion and death.
The account of the Lord’s Passion touches and moves our hearts, our faith and our capacity for loving. The contrast between the crowd that acclaims Jesus and the crowd that clamors for the crucifixion and, more generally, the frailness and susceptibility of human hearts, is only one dimension of the Lord’s Passion. We find its fullest meaning in the Apostle Paul’s words, “Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave. . . He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross.” St. Paul also tells us how effective the Son of God’s humiliation of himself has been for us, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Thus, it is precisely the humiliation, suffering and death of the Son of God that shed light on the mystery of God, but also on the mystery of man. If we look at the many human sufferings, especially the suffering of the innocent, we are bewildered and prompted to ask ourselves whether God loves us and takes care of us or whether, by chance, an evil destiny exists that not even God can change.
In the Cross of Christ, on the other hand, we come into contact with the true face of God, in the words of Jesus himself who tells us, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” The face of God does not lose its greatness and mystery, but becomes extraordinarily close and friendly, because it is the face of the One who, in his own Son, shares to the very end even the darkest side of the human condition. Therefore, from the Cross of Christ, strength and the hope of redemption shine out over all human suffering. The Cross of Jesus does not discourage or weaken us. From the Cross springs energy that is ever new.
Let us trust in the crucified and Risen Lord and put our life in his hands, just as he put his own life in the hands of God the Father.
A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel
When we speak of improvement with our students – and when you speak of improvement with your daughters – we often have a picture in our minds of dramatic improvement, the kind where a student goes from failing grades to top marks in the class. The truth of the matter is that improvement is often incremental, and therefore, gradual rather than dramatic. The sports analogy of “worst to first” is often the glamorous model to which we pin our hopes. We often forget that change is difficult – and rarely linear. A success or two can often be followed by a defeat or setback that shakes our confidence – and our belief that we’re headed in the right direction.
The fact of the matter is that success is rarely, if ever, a smooth ascending glide to the top. Success is predicated on hard work and perseverance. We need to teach our daughters (and sons) that there will be setbacks, disappointments and failures. A bad performance on a test or exam is never a failure if we learn from it and use it as a springboard for future success. Let me encourage all of you to share this lesson with your children so that they, too, will be able to place difficult experiences in the proper perspective. Those of us working at the Academy will have our own disappointments and struggles – and we, too, will have to bounce back from our setbacks to continue forward. The seasons of Lent and Easter teach us a great deal about disappointment – and resurrection. I pray all of us will keep Christ’s promise of overcoming despair and disappointment in mind as we celebrate this Easter season.
The High School’s totals for the raffle ticket drive finished at approximately ninety percent – which means that the girls won’t be faced with seeing their principal in an Ursuline uniform next month. The bad news is that approximately ten per cent of the student body has not earned the student holiday on Tuesday, April 6. Students who did not sell the requisite number of tickets for the raffle will be expected to report for school on Tuesday, April 6. All of these students will report to the Lion’s Den by 8 a.m. for a full day of school. Teachers will submit assignments for the students who are reporting to school that day – and students will be expected to complete those assignments over the course of the school day. Students who did not sell their tickets and do not report for school on Tuesday, April 6 will be considered as delinquent and will serve an in-school suspension when they return to school. They will also (as per the Student Handbook) be expected to serve a Saturday detention on April 10, from 9 a.m. until noon. Should you have any questions about this policy, please do not hesitate to contact either me or our Dean of Students, Karen Mortillaro.
A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper
What a wonderful weekend it was here at Ursuline Academy! The production of “Annie” opened on Thursday evening and ran through Sunday afternoon. If you were lucky enough to have attended, you know how fabulous it was. Additionally, Sunday was our annual Spaghetti Supper, and it too was a huge success. The weather was beautiful, the food delicious and the company of our Ursuline friends and families was wonderful. Thank you so much to all of our volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the Spaghetti Supper the most successful yet!
On another positive note, the Elementary School, all grades T2 through 7th, made their 100 percent quota, and therefore, will have the holiday on Tuesday, April 6. I very much want to thank all of our students and parents who supported the raffle ticket drive. In fact, as an entire school we reached an impressive 154 percent.
This weekend, with the raffle tickets, spaghetti supper and “Annie” production, it was obvious what can be achieved when we pull together and work together as a community. Thank you!
This Wednesday, March 31, is the last day before the Easter Holiday. The toddlers and lower school students will enjoy the Easter egg hunt in the morning. T2 and T3 will visit the courtyard at 9:30 a.m.; 2nd and 3rd will visit at 10:00 a.m.; 1st and 4th at 11:05 a.m.; Pre-K at 12:10 p.m., and kindergarten at 1:15 p.m. Our 7th graders, under the direction of Mrs. Falk, will perform the Passion play for grades 1st-6th at 2:15 p.m. in the Chapel. Our parents and grandparents are welcome to join us for these Easter events.
Easter Holidays will be April 1-6. School will resume on Wednesday, April 7. I pray that everyone will enjoy a safe and Blessed Easter.
Upcoming Events: Parents’ Club General Meeting on April 15; “Thank You” crawfish boil for all parent, alumnae and faculty volunteers on April 16; ES Mother/Daughter Mass and Brunch on April 18, Dads’ Club Meeting on April 20, ES Spring Arts Festival on April 23.
A Message from the President – Gretchen Z. Kane
The Ursuline community is preparing for two events, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you in advance for your support. The first is our annual Spaghetti Supper, one of three major fundraising events that support our operating budget for the year. Please plan on attending this Sunday’s Spaghetti Supper to show your support of Ursuline Academy. Another highly anticipated event is the Academy’s production of Annie. Performances are scheduled for March 25, 26, 27 and 28. The girls have been working very hard, and our beautiful auditorium should prove a great venue for the show.
As we rapidly approach Easter and the end of our Lenten fasting and abstinence, I thought back about the times during my childhood when I asked my parents about why Lent was a time we needed to give something up and to eat fish sticks or cheese pizza on Fridays (of course, in those days, we had the non-meat choices every Friday … not just during Lent). It’s probably important to remind ourselves about why Lent is important to our faith. The reason we fast or abstain during Lent is to help us connect with the suffering of Jesus. Suddenly, giving up our favorite thing doesn’t seem so trying in light of what Jesus endured for us. Lent is also a season for reflection and a time when we rededicate ourselves to the Church as we prepare for Easter.
As we continue to prepare for Easter during this Lenten season, let us pray:
Lord Jesus, often enough, we’re burdened by our past,
by what we have done or failed to do.
We condemn and we judge, losing hope in others as well as in ourselves.
We walk in the dark.
Inspire us, like your Apostle, Paul, to forget what lies behind
and press on to what lies ahead, to pursue the goal, the glorious prize,
which, by your grace, you help us gain. AMEN.
A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel
The scheduling process for the 2010 – 11 academic year continues this week as we analyze all the information we collected last week regarding students’ choices for electives and the placement of students in honors and non-honors core classes. Alice Bairnsfather, our academic assistant principal, has done a masterful job of reviewing all academic data on each student in the High School. Her placement recommendations for all returning High School students were disseminated earlier in the month.
Some parents have expressed their concern about these placement recommendations because they seem to contradict placement decisions from years past. Please know that Ms. Bairnsfather spent many hours working with me to make the proper placement recommendations. Unlike the process Ursuline has used in the past, Ms. Bairnsfather placed students using not just teacher recommendations and current grades, but also all available standardized test scores. These test scores are an important tool for accurate placement in classes. Data-driven decision making is critically important in helping Ursuline move forward – and in helping our students achieve more. It is our firm belief that the changes we have instituted will significantly help our students.
Consultants from the national educational consulting firm Sustaining Excellence will be presenting the data they have compiled to the High School faculty and administration during the week of April 5. After we get the opportunity to look at the data, the consultants will meet with the school’s Sustaining Excellence Team on Saturday, April 17 to start planning our strategy for implementing the findings into our program. We will meet with the entire faculty at the end of May to get their input for the school’s plans on improving teaching – and learning – in the High School. I want to take this opportunity to thank the faculty members serving on the school’s Sustaining Excellence Team for their invaluable help during this process. Alice Bairnsfather, Amy Calloway, Brian Cordes, Sharon Linton, Erin Plauche and Susan Young have done a great job in spearheading this important program. Their help and support have gone far beyond professionalism. These are educators who are clearly committed to the Ursuline mission.
I also want to congratulate the students and teachers who performed so well at the Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair last week. Junior Madison Roussel placed third in the Behavioral and Social Sciences; Junior Kimia Kaviani placed third in Chemistry; Sophomore Ghazal Magharehabed finished second in Plant Sciences; Junior Sarah Stuckey won first place in Biochemistry; Junior Brennan Ferguson won first place in Medicine and Health Sciences; and Junior Anna Landry won first place in Microbiology. Additionally, Brennan Ferguson won the Bruce Heim Foundation Award for the Outstanding Medical Research Project; Sarah Stuckey won the Chlorine Chapter Iota Sigma Pi award for Outstanding Project by a Female Student in Biochemistry; Brennan Ferguson placed second in an award presented by MENSA for a “project showing creativity backed by rigorous scientific reasoning”; and Anna Landry won the US Department of the Navy’s award for the outstanding project in microbiology. I also want to congratulate faculty member Elizabeth Harney for winning a Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Teacher/Mentor Award. Needless to say, we are very proud of all of these accomplishments.
The Academy is pleased to announce that the Drama Department will be presenting its production of Annie later this week. Performances will be Thursday the 25th – Saturday the 27th at 7 p.m. and Sunday the 28th at 4:30 p.m. All of the girls involved in the production have been working hard to prepare for their performances. Please come out to support them and see the show.
This week is the last week for students to submit their raffle tickets to qualify for the extra holiday, which has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 6. Students who do not sell their forty tickets will be required to attend school on that Tuesday. Those students who meet the forty-ticket quota will be granted that day as a holiday. The deadline for ticket stubs to be returned is Thursday, March 25. Please encourage your daughters to participate in this important fund-raising event for the Academy. And please come out to participate in the annual Spaghetti Supper, which will be held on Sunday, March 28, from noon until 4 p.m.
A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper
We are finishing up with Terra Nova Testing on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The students have been doing their very best, and I am proud of them. Parents have been doing a good job of getting the students to school on time, so let’s please keep up this effort even after testing is finished. School tardiness negatively impacts school success.
We are in the final stretch of raffle ticket sales! All tickets are due back on Thursday, March 25. Don’t forget that we must reach 100% participation in order to earn the day off of school on Tuesday, April 6. Many classes are already there, but some have a way to go.
The Academy musical, Annie, opens this Thursday evening, March 25 and will run through Sunday, March 28. Contact Ms. Melanie to reserve your tickets at 504.866.5260 or mprovenzano@ursulineneworleans.org. Our cast and crew has been working very hard for many months. Don’t miss a spectacular performance!
The annual Academy Spaghetti Supper will take place this Sunday, March 28 from noon until 4 p.m. Please bring your family and friends out to enjoy some delicious spaghetti and meatballs, desserts, games, music and fun!
Easter Holidays will be Thursday, April 1 through Monday, April 5. Those students who sell their tickets will also receive an extended holiday on Tuesday, April 6.
The final Parents’ Club general meeting will be held on April 15 and the final Dads’ Club meeting will be held on April 20. Please mark your calendars now. An agenda will be forthcoming.
The Elementary School Mother/Daughter Mass and Brunch will be on Sunday, April 18. Please mark your calendars. An invitation will be coming home soon.
A Message from the President – Gretchen Z. Kane
Those of you who know me well know that I often use movie dialogue to make analogies. Do you remember the film, Atlantic City, starring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon? Lancaster plays an aging, small time gangster who is down on his luck at the film’s start. Sarandon is a beautiful young woman who moves all the way from Saskatchewan to South jersey to find fame and fortune in one of the brand new casinos. Through a series of accidents, this unlikely pair falls in love and comes into a pile of money. To celebrate, Burt takes her to what used to be Atlantic City’s most elegant eatery. He orders a bottle of wine and performs the proper rituals. Susan is mightily impressed. She looks into his eyes and says, “Teach me stuff.” He responds with the best line in the movie: “What do you want? Wisdom or information?”
We need to keep this distinction in mind because it is not always obvious to our students or to us. There is increased pressure to amass information, which is obviously more readily available than ever before. The over plus of information requires well defined discernment skills; otherwise our students will be overwhelmed. All of us need to get better at determining what sorts of information are worthy of sustained attention. Attaining wisdom, of which discernment is an integral part, takes time. It is not immediately cost-effective, and it is hard, if not impossible, to measure. As a school in the Ursuline tradition, we must continue to carve out time for the cultivation of wisdom, but I am afraid that the rapid pace of our lives will impinge adversely on this time in the future. Too many other interests and issues clamor for our attention, so we must reconfirm our commitment to becoming contemplative in action.
One of the reasons the Order of St. Ursula and its schools thrived for so long in so many places is that St. Angela promoted adaptability. This kind of flexibility is future-oriented, and it enables us to embrace what is to come instead of slavishly imitating what was done in the past. St. Angela was able to be flexible because she was confident in her core values and the goal set that grows out of those values. As partners in education with an eye toward the future, we need to renew constantly our commitment to key Ursuline values and insights so that we can articulate goals appropriate to our circumstances. We also want to introduce students to this dynamic – and warn them that balancing timeless values while setting timely goals is bound to cause tension. I have heard Ursuline educators talk about the tensions our graduates may experience when they enter “the real world.” Perhaps we can’t resolve those tensions for them. Perhaps we should not even if we could. But we might want to give them a head’s up about the counter-cultural quality of the education they have received. Perhaps, too, we can encourage them to be creative in the context of tension. Tension is not all bad. It can be the occasion for tremendous ingenuity.
A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel
Last week we began the process of scheduling students for the 2010 – 11 academic year. Alice Bairnsfather, our academic assistant principal, met with each returning class and handed out scheduling forms to each respective student. These forms contained the placement information for each student in their core classes (English, math, science, social studies and foreign language). We based these placements in core subjects on several factors: grades in current classes, teacher recommendations, and analysis of current and past standardized test scores. Our goal in this process is to ensure that our girls find themselves in classes that challenge them to develop their potential as completely as possible – but not overwhelm them and discourage them.
Some girls and their parents may discover that the process I have just described in the preceding paragraph recommends that they move out of a particular honors class, or into a particular honors class. Our recommendations are based on the solid educational data I mentioned above. This data, however, is not the final word in the placement process. Should parents and students decide that they don’t agree with the recommendations we’ve made, I encourage them to contact Ms. Bairnsfather so that we might review our placement decision with them. Grades and test scores can help predict future academic performance, but these indicators don’t tell the entire story. A motivated student with lower test scores may be able to succeed in an honors class. If parents and students are willing to commit to staying in an honors class for the entire year, we can make exceptions to our placement recommendations.
I would also like to briefly discuss the scheduling of elective classes. The Department of Education’s new CORE 4 graduation requirements mean that all Louisiana students must take at least one full credit of an arts class (in theater, music or studio art), beginning with the class of 2013. Our new Course of Study reflects that change in state law. The new Course of Study also allows our non-honor program students to take a half-credit of an arts class each year they attend Ursuline. Students who elect to participate in our Honors Program will still meet the Department of Education’s requirements for graduation, but will not have the same flexibility in scheduling art classes.
We are pleased to make this change in the High School’s curriculum and believe that this change will ultimately help us build a stronger fine arts program at Ursuline. Student scheduling forms are due in the office by Wednesday, March 17, so that we can make staffing decisions for next year.
Our annual Academy wide musical, “Annie,” will be performed March 25 – 28. Please contact Ms. Melanie at mprovenzano@ursulineneworleans.org to reserve your tickets. If you would be able to advertize for us by posting one of our “Annie” posters, contact Kim Harper at kharper@ursulineneworleans.org.
Our next Parents’ Club Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 15. If any parents would be interested in serving on the Parents’ Club board for the 2010 – 11 school year, please contact Kim Harper at kharper@ursulineneworleans.org.
Our next Dads’ Club Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20. Please mark your calendars now, and contact 2010 – 11 President Mr. Ian Barras at barras@carverdarden.com if you’d like more information on the Dads’ Club and upcoming activities.
A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper
Report cards will be mailed home on Friday, March 19.
Terra Nova testing begins on Wednesday, March 17 and runs through Tuesday, March 23. Please make sure your daughters get a good night’s rest and have a nutritious breakfast. Our cafeteria will stop serving breakfast by 7:50 a.m.
Please don’t forget to sell your raffle tickets. Mrs. Vanrykeghem’s 5th grade homeroom has won the ice-cream sundae party as the first class to reach 100%. Congratulations girls!
We are still in need of volunteers for to help for the Spaghetti supper on March 28. Contact Development Director Mary Lee Harris, at mlharris@ursulineneworleans.org if you are able to lend a hand.
Our annual Academy wide musical, “Annie,” will be performed March 25 – 28. Please contact Ms. Melanie at mprovenzano@ursulineneworleans.org to reserve your tickets. If you would be able to advertize for us by posting one of our “Annie” posters, contact Kim Harper at kharper@ursulineneworleans.org.
Our next Parents’ Club Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 15. If any parents would be interested in serving on the Parents’ Club board for the 2010 – 11 school year, please contact Kim Harper at kharper@ursulineneworleans.org.
The annual Mother/Daughter Brunch will be held on April 18 in our lovely courtyard. Mark your calendars now. More information will follow. If you would like to help with this event, you may contact Mrs. Gina MacLaren at gina.maclaren@att.net .
Our next Dads’ Club Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20. Please mark your calendars now, and contact 2010 – 11 President Mr. Ian Barras at barras@carverdarden.com if you’d like more information on the Dads’ Club and upcoming activities.
A Message from the President – Gretchen Z. Kane
The annual meeting for the Leaders in the Ursuline Sponsorship Ministries of the Central Province was held at Ursuline Academy of New Orleans Sunday through Tuesday of this week. Participants continued discussions on how the Ursuline Sisters’ Chapter Message is implemented in our schools.
Strengthened
by the Word of God
and by communion
with each other,
let us have the courage
to go beyond borders
and, with Angela, to be signs
of reconciliation
and of hope.
General Chapter, 2007
This message offers a challenge, as well as a guide, for living in the coming years. Sr. Mary K. Milne, OSU led the group in a very good discussion on reconciliation and hope and gave participants time for reflection and sharing about the implications of being signs of reconciliation and hope in our leadership roles, in our schools, and in the larger community.
We concluded the conference with a prayer service entitled, “Springtime – Season of Hope.” The introduction read:
“Lent” is the Medieval Germanic word for what we have come to call the season of “Spring.” In our northern hemisphere, the coinciding of spring and Lent has great spiritual significance. The signs of new life that bud forth in spring are reason for hope.
And, together we prayed the following prayer of the missionary sisters of St. Charles, Honduras:
To have hope
Is to believe that history continues open
To the dream of God and to human creativity.
To have hope
Is to continue affirming
That it is possible to dream a different world,
Without hunger, without injustice,
Without discrimination.
To have hope
Is to be a courier of God
And a courier of men and women of good will,
Tearing down walls, destroying borders,
Building bridges.
To have hope
Is to believe in the revolutionary potential of faith,
Is to leave the door open
So that the Spirit can enter and make all things new.
To have hope
Is to begin again as many times as necessary.
To have hope
Is to believe that hope is not the last thing that dies.
To have hope
Is to believe that hope cannot die,
That hope no longer dies.
To have hope
Is to live.
A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel
I wanted to spend this week’s message talking about an event that occurred here on the Ursuline campus several weeks ago. On the Friday prior to Mardi Gras, we assembled the student body in the auditorium to hold our first Student Forum. The guidelines for the forum were simple: we told the girls that they could question any policies or procedures that they wanted to question and that no individual classes or teachers could be named (those concerns needed to be addressed to an administrator privately).
Two microphones were placed near the stage of the auditorium so that students could line up and ask questions. Karen Mortillaro, our Dean of Students, accompanied me on stage and wrote down all questions asked by the students. The Forum began slowly, as students were initially hesitant about voicing concerns. After about ten minutes, they caught the drift of the proceedings and began to get involved. When I finally declared the Forum to be over more than an hour later, we still had another fifteen students wishing to express concerns or ask questions.
Their concerns were interesting. Among the topics they brought up were lunch and snack times, bookstore operation times, the formation of a debate team, use of the red tile porch for the students at lunch, restarting a recycling program at UA, cleanliness of the restrooms on the third floor, repositioning the bumpers in the parking lot, and re-instituting athletic physical education. I was impressed with the number of thoughtful questions and suggestions the girls gave us.
The lesson we are attempting to teach here is that the girls have a voice in what happens at Ursuline. The High School’s administrative team is already working to address many of the students’ concerns – because the concerns the students raised were valid and will help us make Ursuline a better place to learn. But there were other concerns that we told the girls were not negotiable, as in detentions for uniform violations. I think it is important that we teach our students to recognize the differences between what is open for discussion and what isn’t – at least right now. The ability to carry on a civil discourse and work toward a better school was our ultimate goal. I think we made an excellent first step that Friday morning. We look forward to further forums and the improvements that come from student imput.
On a separate note, if you own a business or know someone who does and would be willing to post one of our “Annie” posters to advertise the show, please contact Kim Harper at kharper@ursulineneworleans.org or call 504-866-5260. You can make “Annie” reservations by calling Ms. Mel at 504-866-5260 or sending her an e-mail at mprovenzano@ursulineneworleans.org.
A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper
6th and 7th exams continue through Friday of this week. The 3rd quarter ends on Friday, March 12. Grades are due in to the office on Tuesday, March 16, and report cards will be mailed home on Friday, March 19.
Terra Nova testing begins on Wednesday, March 17 and continues through Tuesday, March 23.
Please make every effort to get your Cash Raffle tickets sold. The first class to reach 100% will receive an ice cream party and a free dress down day in addition to the day off on April 6.
All classes reaching 100% will receive the day off on April 6 and a free dress down day.
Students who sell 2 pack of tickets will get wear their pajamas at school all day and have a wonderful breakfast by Ms. Betsy Falk.
Students who sell 3 packs in EC and LS will get a sock hop in the gym. MS will get a pool party at Mrs. Brown’s house.
See additional incentives posted on Ursuline web site. All tickets are due back by March 25.
If you own a business or know someone who does and would be willing to post one of our “Annie” posters to advertise the show, please contact Kim Harper at kharper@ursulineneworleans.org or call 504-866-5260. You can make “Annie” reservations by calling Ms. Mel at 504-866-5260 or sending her an e-mail at mprovenzano@ursulineneworleans.org.
A Message from the President – Gretchen Z. Kane
Yesterday was the Second Sunday in Lent, and the readings call for our trust in God. In the second reading, Paul reminds us that God gave us his own Son who dies on the cross for us inviting us to carry our cross too daily and be with him. The Gospel gives us the incredible moment in the life of Jesus where he is transfigured before his disciples on the top of a mountain, where the voice of God announces Jesus is his Son, the chosen one and we ought to listen to Him. Sunday’s readings tell us that we are called upon to live a life of intimacy with God and to listen to the voice of Jesus speaking to our hearts.
I recently came across a piece called “The Bike Ride” that I thought I would share with you.
THE BIKE RIDE
At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge – keeping track of things I did to know whether I merited heaven or hell. He was out there – sort of like a president. I recognized His picture, but I didn’t know Him.
Later on, when I met Christ, life became a bike ride. It was a tandem bike, and Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don’t know just when He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since. Christ makes life exciting.
When I had the control, I knew the way. I was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points. When He led, He knew delightful long cuts – up mountains and through rocky places – and at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on!! Even though it looked like madness. He said, “Pedal!” I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are you taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to trust.
I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand. He took me to people who gave me gifts of healing, acceptance, joy and peace for our journey. He said, “Give the gifts away.” So I did to the people we met. And I found that in giving I received, and our burden was light.
I did not trust Him at first to control my life. I thought He’d wreck it. But He knows how to make bikes bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear high rocks, fly to shorten scary passages.
I am learning to be quiet and pedal in the strangest places. I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face. And when I’m sure I just can’t do any more – He just smiles and says “Pedal!”
During this Lenten season, let us give ourselves over to God. Let us have faith and hope in our God. Allow us to be sensitive in our devotion to God and to live in His smile.
A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel
We want to offer congratulations to our winter sports teams for their outstanding seasons. The Ursuline basketball team finished their season last Thursday night with a 87-66 loss to Bastrop. It was the second straight year that the basketball team made it to the quarterfinals (last year’s team actually went one step further by making it to the semifinals in Ruston). Playing in the 4A classification instead of last year’s 3A classification, Coach Joey Favaloro’s team posted an impressive final record of 28 wins and five losses, including a 10-0 record in district play. Despite the fact that this year’s team graduates five seniors (three of whom are starters), several talented players will return next year. The girls enjoyed an excellent season.
Winston Lewis’s soccer team also enjoyed a superb season. Like the basketball team, the soccer team had an undefeated season in district play. Among impressive showings in non-district play were the team’s first defeat ever of Uptown rival Newman (who won their classification’s state championship) and a last-second defeat to another eventual state champion, Sacred Heart. A tough loss in the bi-district round to Calvary does not diminish the accomplishments of our girls throughout an incredibly successful season.
We wish all of our spring sports teams the best of luck as they begin their seasons.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind all of our parents to complete the questionnaire that we mentioned last week regarding our work with Sustaining Excellence. This confidential survey will take approximately ten minutes of your time and will provide us with much useful information as we continue our efforts to serve the girls who attend Ursuline more effectively. For those of you who have already completed the survey, thanks so much for your help – and your support.
I also wanted to mention the incentives we are offering our students for the Spaghetti Supper Raffle. All individual students who sell one book of tickets (forty tickets at $2.00 per ticket) will be awarded an extra Easter holiday on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010. The individual top seller for the High School (minimum three books) will win a $100.00 cash prize plus be named Principal for the Day (at a date to be announced). For each class that reaches 100% of the required ticket total, that class will win a casual dress day. And finally, should the entire high school reach the 100% participation goal, I have agreed (gulp) to dress as an Ursuline student on the day we have a student as Principal for the Day. Cameras will obviously abound on campus that day.
A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper
The cash raffle begins today, so please look for your child’s raffle tickets to come home in their school bags this evening. This is a very important fund raising effort for the Academy and your support is greatly appreciated. Most schools do have raffle campaigns like ours, and they are usually associated with their schools’ fairs. Ours is associated with our Spaghetti Supper on March 28.
As a parent, myself, having had two children in Catholic, private schools, I always considered these raffle tickets as part of my financial obligation to my children’s schools. Therefore, I always buy my daughter’s first pack of tickets, and if she wants to sell more in order to receive some of the cool incentives, I encourage her to ask grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, or use some of her own allowance money. A flyer with ticket incentives went home last week and can be viewed on the Ursuline Web site.
Please consider adding this charitable donation to your other contributions on the charitable gifts line item of your 2010 Income Tax Return in order to receive maximum deductions benefits.
I will be visiting the classrooms this week and talking with the students about selling their tickets and explaining the incentives. Over the next 4 weeks, you will be hearing about how the ticket sales are going, and we will be encouraging everyone’s participation. I hope we can count on your support, and we thank you in advance.
On Wednesday, March 3, the blacktop parking area next to the gym will not be available for morning drop-off due to a special High School event. Please enter off South Claiborne and use the regular carpool line. A teacher and Student Ambassador will be there to help you and your daughter. Thank you for your cooperation.
I want to remind parents that breakfast is served in the cafeteria every morning, but the manager will not be serving students any later than 7:50 a.m. We must require that breakfast not be served any later than this time in order for students to get to homeroom on time. Please keep this in mind when you drop your child off in the mornings. Breakfast is a very important meal of the day, and we want every child to have an opportunity to eat breakfast in the mornings.
6th and 7th exams will be held next week, Wednesday through Friday, March 10-12.
Terra Nova, standardized testing will be held Wednesday, March 17 through Tuesday, March 23.
The Academy’s Spring Musical, “Annie,” will be performed this year March 25 – 28. Please contact Melanie to order tickets at 504.866.5260 or mprovenzano@ursulineneworleans.org.
Ursuline Academy • 2635 State Street • New Orleans, LA 70118-6399 • 504.861.9150 •