Prayer of Compassion

Jesus, you the Innocent One, were unjustly condemned to death.
We see you condemned today in the millions who are deprived of basic human rights, and in prisoners of conscience deprived of their liberty to speak and act according to their convictions and beliefs. We also remember those who have given their lives for the right to speak out against injustice.

Jesus, you bore the Cross, ours rather than your own.
You still bear intolerable burdens today in those who are kept poor, hungry and ignorant; in those weighed down by guilt and rejection.

Jesus, the women of Jerusalem wept to see you suffer.
We thank you for all those who bring compassion and healing to the minds and hearts of persons in affliction.

Jesus, you were laid in the tomb – but only to rise gloriously from the dead.
We thank you for your Resurrection; we thank you for all those working for peace and justice who spend themselves to bring the fruits of the Resurrection to individuals, groups of peoples, thus establishing your kingdom and ushering in a new Heaven and a new Earth.

Lord Jesus, you said “As long as you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me.’ Awaken us from our sleep that we may respond effectively to the urgent demands of your Gospel today. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We have so much to be proud of and to be thankful for at Ursuline. I have the great fortune to see our girls developing every day, growing intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Know that everything we do and every decision we make is with the girls’ well-being in mind. Thank you for your support of our wonderful mission.

If you haven’t sent in your registration for next year, it’s very important to do so right way. We are in the middle of our application process for new students, and, without having an accurate count of the number of families who will not be returning to the Academy next year, we are unable to offer some of our prospective students a place. The principals will be sending a reminder so that our current families have every opportunity to respond.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

Last Friday’s annual meeting of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association holds two points of interest for the Ursuline community. The LHSAA, an association of principals from member schools across the state of Louisiana, represents both public and private high schools. Two very important proposals came up for a vote on Friday. A proposal by Marlin Ramsey of South Beauregard High School that advocated for a division of public and private schools during state playoffs was tabled, meaning that the Association can revisit the idea next year. A second proposal, written by Michael Giambelluca of Jesuit High School and Wesley Watts of Zachary High School, would allow schools to “play up” one classification from what they are currently classified. This proposal did, indeed, pass and will be effective immediately.

Mr. Ramsey’s proposal had, and has, huge implications for private schools (and “select” schools, as charters and magnets are included in the “select” designation) like Ursuline. Ramsey’s proposal would have relegated all “select” schools to just two classifications, whereas public schools would have competed for championships in four classifications. Ursuline would have been forced to compete against schools two and three times its size during the state playoffs – a move against which we objected strenuously. Ursuline has competed – and will continue to compete – against larger schools in pre-district schedules, but we strongly believe that the LHSAA should continue to foster a playoff system that promotes fairness. The LHSAA’s decision to table Ramsey’s proposal was the correct decision.

As for the second proposal, schools now have the option to play in a larger classification. While Ursuline does not wish to “play up” at this point in time, we certainly respect the rights of those schools who choose to play in a larger classification. The passage of this second proposal has fueled some talk about resurrecting the old Catholic League in New Orleans. While some schools may find such a move to be advantageous, we at Ursuline believe the interests of our students will be best served by maintaining our current classification. If, in the future, we find playing up to be to the Academy’s advantage, we will revisit this question.

I wanted to thank Kim Otto, the High School’s Campus Minister, for her incredible work in organizing and administering last Friday’s day of service for the high school students in honor of the Feast of St. Angela. The logistics in organizing such an event for nearly four hundred and forty young women is mind-boggling, and yet the day went without a hitch. Ms. Otto’s patience and her sense of humor were on display throughout the day’s activities, which culminated with our school-wide Mass in the Shrine. I need to thank our teachers, too, for their work with our students on this very important day. Our girls made a huge impact on the greater New Orleans community last Friday, and the work of our teachers was vital in ensuring that our girls could work throughout the community.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate juniors Samantha Adams and Marcelle Meyer, who won this year’s essay contest sponsored by the Freedoms Foundation. Both Sami and Marcelle will be attending an all-expenses-paid trip to Philadelphia later this spring to attend a youth leadership conference sponsored by the Foundation, a national organization created to develop an understanding and appreciation of the nature and benefits of freedom among young Americans. Students from Ursuline have gone on to win the national contest sponsored by this organization over the last three years. We wish Sami and Marcelle the very best as they continue in the competition.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Progress reports are due in to the office on Wednesday, February 1. They will be mailed home and posted to Ed-line by Monday, February 6. Please continue to monitor your daughter’s daily homework and studying.

This Thursday, February 2 is the Parents’ Club General Meeting at 8:15 a.m. in the Sisters’ Dining Hall. Please join us for coffee, king cake, administrative updates, and information about Academy service projects and monthly Adoration.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Reminder: There is no school for students on Friday, February 3 due to the Academy Faculty Service Day.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, February 9 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.

We will have a Dress Down Day to benefit Raintree Children and Family Services on Friday, February  10. Look for the flyer that will be going home.

Class pictures will be taken on Wednesday, February 15.

Grandparents’ Day will be held on Friday, February 17. All grandparents are invited to join us for light refreshments before Mass and then to celebrate Mass with us at 10 a.m. in the Shrine. We will then attend the early childhood Mardi Gras parade at 11 a.m. in the courtyard. School will be dismissed at noon. There is no aftercare.

The Mardi Gras Holidays are Monday, February 20 through Friday, February 24. School resumes on Monday, February 27.

On Friday we celebrate the feast day of St. Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursuline Order. In 16th century Italy, women really only had two choices – marriage or a cloistered religious life. Angela Merici, answering God’s call in a most creative fashion, developed an unheard of alternative – a ministry for single women to go out into the world serving others. In the seventeenth century, the Ursuline Sisters and their educational mission developed out of the seeds planted by St. Angela. St. Angela Merici was canonized on May 24, 1807 – 90 years after the Ursuline Sisters began their teaching ministry in New Orleans.

Let us be ever reminded of the rich history of the Ursulines in New Orleans and pray in thanksgiving to their foundress, St. Angela Merici.

Angela, lover of Jesus, teach me to know him more deeply.
May sacred Scripture open my heart and my life to God!
Angela, deep listener, teach me to hear and to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
May your example show me how to follow God’s call!
Angela, gentle friend, teach me to respect and welcome all people.
May I grow in your keen awareness of God present in all Creation!
Angela, creative leader, teach me to find paths of justice and to build bridges between people.
May I learn your clear-eyed faithfulness to the Church and contribute to its renewal!
Amen.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

One of the most difficult tasks we face in the High School administration is the struggle to balance the demands of four different state agencies which have influence over our curriculum. The Louisiana Department of Education determines which classes high school students must take to graduate from Louisiana high schools; the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Aid (LOSFA) sets the curriculum for the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS; the Board of Trustees at Louisiana State University sets the entrance requirements for LSU; and the Louisiana Board of Regents sets the minimum admissions requirements for all state universities outside of LSU. All four agencies have different curricular requirements for high school students. Our job is to make certain that Ursuline seniors can meet these different standards so that they can graduate, qualify for TOPS, and gain admission to either LSU or one of the other state universities in Louisiana.

Making this job even more difficult is the fact that all four of these agencies operate separately from each other – and that they often announce changes to their requirements well after our students have begun a course of studies. The main reason that our announced Course of Studies is almost constantly changing is that the agencies listed above are constantly changing their requirements for graduation or admission. For example, Louisiana State University announced in August of 2011 that high school students seeking admission to LSU were no longer required to take physics. Instead, LSU added an additional Fine Arts requirement for all seniors. Students who take studio art classes or performing arts classes in music or drama are now required to take an additional two half credits of advanced-level classes in those academic areas to qualify for admission to LSU. The change was originally announced as being effective immediately; however, LSU later relented on the timetable and allowed a one-year grace period prior to the new requirement.

There are many issues that one might raise with such a decision. Surely the timing of such a decision is questionable: students following a course of study should be informed before they begin said course of study as to what the requirements for admission to the state’s flagship university will be. One might also question the validity of dropping the physics requirement for admission into the state’s flagship university when that university is ostensibly working to improve its academic image. Furthermore, one might also question the wisdom of a decision that discourages students from taking studio arts classes or performing arts classes and forces them instead to take a Fine Arts Survey course that is of debatable academic value. Finally, and most frustratingly, one wonders whether or not these entrance requirements will be changed yet again with little or no advanced notice – and little or no curricular logic.

Please know that we in the High School’s administration are working to resolve the problems these changes to LSU entrance requirements quickly and efficiently – keeping in mind not only what our girls need to gain admission to LSU, but also to maintain the integrity of our academic program. We will do whatever we need to do to assure our students that our curriculum meets LSU’s admission requirements, but we want to do it in such a manner that we maintain Ursuline’s academic standards.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Friday, January 27 is the Feast of St. Angela. All of our students will be spending the day in service. Permission slips went home with the students. Please make sure you sign the permission slips and return with your daughter. We will culminate our day of service with Mass at 2 p.m. in the Shrine. Parents are invited to join us for Mass. St Angela’s words still resonate today: “You have more need to serve others, than they have to be served.”

Please make sure your daughter is studying nightly. Progress reports are due in to the office on Wednesday, February 1 and will be mailed and posted to Ed-line by Monday, February 6.

The Parents’ Club General meeting will be held on Thursday, February 2 at 8:15 a.m. in the Sisters’ Dining Hall. An agenda will be coming out soon. Please make every effort to join us.

There will be no school on Friday, February 3 due to the Academy Faculty and Staff Service Day.

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, February 9 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Grandparents’ Day will be held on Friday, February 17th. Mass will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the early childhood Mardi Gras parade in the courtyard. It is a special and fun-filled morning. Please make plans for your grandparents to attend. More information will follow.

The Mardi Gras Holidays are February 20-24. School resumes on Monday, February 27.

Our character trait for the month of January has been “Respect.” This month the students have been learning the importance of respect and that if you want others to respect you, you must do the same for them. The art club has been helping promote respect this month by announcing different ways to show respect over the intercom in the mornings. If you’d like to reinforce our character trait at home this month, discuss the importance of being respectful to God, self, others, community and property. As always, thank you for supporting our Character Development Program.

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Nguyen for being selected as our 5th grade student of the year. Also, congratulations to Lauren Bagneris for being selected 8th grade student of the year. Good luck to both of the girls as they move on to the Archdiocese competition.

Congratulations to our outstanding Junior Beta Team. The girls competed this past weekend and made a great showing. The results are as follows:

Daniela Rocha: 1st place, Poetry
Aimee Petitbon: 4th place, English/Language Arts
Helayne Dorner: 5th place, Spelling
Brittany Nguyen, Ingeborg Hyde and Imogen Hoffmann: Poster Contest

Congratulations to our Science Fair Junior Division Winners! Click here to see a complete list of all the winners and categories.

Seventy-seven of our 6th and 7th grade students had poems chosen for publication in the Poetic Power contest held annually by Creative Communications, a company devoted to the promotion and appreciation of student writing. The poems will be included in their anthology, “A Celebration of Poets,” due out this spring. Ursuline Academy was also awarded the Poetic Achievement Award, an honor given to the top 10% of the schools who entered the contest. The schools are chosen based on the number and quality of the entries accepted. Additionally, teacher Katie Gremillion was asked to judge future poetry for the organization. Click here to see a list of student poets selected.

Yesterday we celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the quintessential leader of the civil-rights movement in America. In his short lifetime, King traveled well over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. He led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience and inspiring his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” an excerpt from which follows:

How does one determine when a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality …

At Ursuline Academy our fervent hope, in fact, our prayer for our students is that they will enter into the world they will inherit with enough confidence to engage the changing world, and there, rooted in values, faith, and learning skills, begin to fashion a world that is at once more human and more just. As world events reflect, however, we remain far from mastering the art of human relations. We have invented no technology that will guide us to those places that matter most. We must ask how long it will be before we are able to rise above the national, racial and gender distinctions that divide us and embrace the common humanity that binds us. The answer depends, ultimately, upon the choices that you and I and all of us make.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

While every week at Ursuline contains events of interest, we had several events last week that deserve more than passing acknowledgement. Last Thursday evening I travelled downtown to the Ogden Museum to see a gallery opening of art work from more than fifty of the High School’s students. Ursuline is one of three high schools in South Louisiana who have been invited to participate in the Ogden’s Looking to Learn educational series for the 2011-2012 season (the others being Newman and the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts). I joined a crowd of nearly two hundred students, parents, and friends who also attended the opening. The Ursuline gallery is available for visiting through February 5. I strongly urge all associated with the Academy to make the effort to see the work of our students. Even though I see student art work on a regular basis, I was incredibly impressed with the quality of work on display at the Ogden.

The very next evening a huge crowd at the Ourso Athletic Center attended the varsity basketball game (which featured our girls taking a decisive victory from Ben Franklin) and then stayed for the High School’s first intramural Dodgeball Tournament. Not only did twenty-one teams of eight (or more) students register for the event, but a large contingent of parents, family members and friends attended the festivities as well. A faculty team also entered the competition – but did not make it past the semifinal round (much to their chagrin). The tournament was the brainchild of junior Hannah Sensenbrenner, who helped organize the event (with some help from her colleagues on the Student Council). The enthusiasm and competitive nature of our girls were on display throughout the evening. Each of the teams had worked to produce team uniforms and several teams had team cheers. Needless to say, all who participated had a great time. Congratulations to the senior team Bad Habits for their championship in the tournament. And I need to thank Hannah Sensenbrenner for her hard work in creating and organizing what will most likely become a new Ursuline tradition.

Saturday, Ursuline received the news that the Greater New Orleans Association of Student Councils had elected an Ursuline student as GNO President for the second consecutive year. Heading the GNO over the course of the past year has been Rachel Romero. All of us in the High School administration were so impressed that Rachel had won this honor last spring. Imagine our pride when an Ursuline student won the position for a second year in a row. Junior Carly Brothers will take over as President of the GNO for the 2012-2013 school year. We offer our most sincere congratulations to Carly and we know she will be a wonderful spokesperson for the Academy.

I also need to acknowledge the performance of our revitalized ΜΑΘ National Math Honor Society during their competition against schools from across Southeast Louisiana on Saturday. Fifteen Ursuline students, under the able direction of moderator Aaron Walters, finished third in their classification during the competition. Considering that the Ursuline chapter of the ΜΑΘ began to participate in regional competitions for the first time last year, the girls enjoyed a remarkable success on Saturday. We can expect great things from Mr. Walters and his ΜΑΘ members in the coming years.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Elementary School Tours (for grades T2 through 7th) continue this Wednesday and every Wednesday in January at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Please pass along the word to friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Re-registration for the 2012-2013 school year is due Friday, January 20.

There will be a Dads’ Club meeting on Tuesday, January 24 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.

We will celebrate the Feast of St. Angela on Friday, January 27. Students in 1st-7th grade will be spending the day in service and then we will culminate with an Academy-wide Mass at 2 p.m. in the Shrine. More information will be going home with the students.

Progress reports are due to the office by February 1.

There will be no school on Friday, February 3 due to a Faculty Service Day.

On behalf of the entire Academy, allow me to express my sincerest wishes for the happiest of new years and the best that 2012 has to offer.

Yesterday, January 8, we celebrated a very important feast day, that of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. I do love the wonderful Ursuline story of how the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor for our Blessed Mother came to be.

The Ursuline Sisters had already been in New Orleans for almost a century when Spain ceded the area to Napoleon Bonaparte. The Spanish Ursuline Sisters left for Havana, Cuba, leaving only seven Ursulines to staff a hospital, a day school, a boarding school and an orphanage. Desperate for help, Mother St. Andre Madier wrote to her cousin in France asking her to send help in the persons of young women interested in joining the Order and in working with the Ursuline ministries in New Orleans.

It was in 1808 that Agathe Gensoul wrote to Pope Pius VII requesting permission to sail for Louisiana with young women interested in joining the Ursuline Order in New Orleans. But, the letter stayed in her desk for three months until one day while praying before a statue of Our Lady, she was inspired to say, “O most holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain for me a prompt and favorable answer to this letter, I make the promise to have you honored in New Orleans under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.” The next day the letter was on its way to Rome and miraculously reached the imprisoned pope. On April 28, 1809, the pope granted his approval and blessing, and, Miss Gensoul set out to have a statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor carved in fulfillment of the vow she made.

Very quickly after her statue was enshrined in New Orleans, devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor spread among the Ursuline Sisters and the girls they taught. Prayers to Our Lady of Prompt Succor are credited with the miraculous shifting of winds that saved the Ursuline convent during the fire which engulfed the city in 1812. On January 7, 1815, after hearing that the British planned an attack on the city for early the next morning, General Jackson warned the Ursuline Sisters of the approaching battle and begged their prayers for victory for his out-numbered American forces. All night long the Ursuline nuns and the women of New Orleans as well as older men unable to bear arms prayed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor for an American victory. And, the rest, as you know, is history!

In gratitude for the miracle of America’s victory over the British, the Ursuline Sisters offer a Mass of Thanksgiving on the feast day of Our Lady of Prompt Succor each year on January 8.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

I have several issues I would like to discuss in this week’s update. First of all, I want to reassure all parents and students that both the High School administration and the faculty actively review all data generated by student work. Results of all tests and exams are routinely scrutinized to ensure that effective teaching, learning and assessing are occurring in each class. As I have mentioned in this space several times, the usual rule of thumb we follow is that at least eighty percent of a class can achieve a grade of C or higher over the course of a grading period. While there may be individual assessments that show the fewer than eighty percent of a class has achieved mastery of a particular topic (including exams, of course), over the course of a grading period (either a quarter or a semester), at least eighty percent of a class should achieve some level of mastery of the skills and topics that have been covered.

When students’ achievement statistics drop below that number, we as a school need to look carefully at several issues. The effectiveness of the assessment itself must be analyzed, of course. We need to make sure the manner in which the students are assessed is consistent with the assessment techniques used on formative assessments leading up to the test or exam. If students have been assessed by multiple-choice questions on formative assessments, they shouldn’t suddenly see an essay test on the cumulative assessment. We also need to make certain that no new material is covered on the test or exam that wasn’t adequately covered earlier. Finally, we need to make sure there were no administrative breakdowns during the test period itself (not enough time allotted for the test, interruptions during the test, etc.). Our goal is simple: we want to ensure our girls are given the opportunity to show they have mastered the skills and topics that have been covered during class.

Exams present a particular difficulty in that students are asked to master an entire semester’s worth of material. It is hardly unusual for a student to achieve a score on an exam that is a grade level lower than her quarter grades. And there are occasional instances when a student does poorly on an exam and scores substantially lower on that exam than she did during the course of the semester. What we, as teachers and administrators, look for are patterns in data that indicate substantial numbers of students have deviated from the norms listed above. When that type of statistical deviation occurs, please know that we address such problems immediately.

Before exams, I suggested that students should average approximately two hours of homework each night. While this amount of time indicates an average for each of our four hundred and thirty-seven girls, it is by no means intended as an absolute. There will be some girls who will need more than two hours to complete their assigned work each night – just as there will be some girls who will not need two hours each night. And as assignments vary every day, so too will the amount of time needed to complete those assignments. I should add that in the case of those students who are in the High School’s Honors Program, the amount of time needed to complete assignments and studying may exceed two hours each night. While the two-hour limit is a school goal we have set for all assignments, we must also remember that each student is different and brings different needs (and expectations) to those assignments. We will continue to ask our teachers to monitor the length of their assignments carefully, but there are occasions when our expectations might exceed the capabilities of our students. Do not hesitate to contact a teacher if you encounter a problem of this sort over the course of the semester. We will continue to work hard to maintain the delicate balance between providing our girls with a challenging academic program and providing them with expectations that don’t overwhelm them.

A final note: Please come to Ursuline Academy Night this Friday, January 13, at the New Orleans Arena, when the New Orleans Hornets take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. Our Parents’ Club is sponsoring this exciting event. Tickets are available starting at $22.00, depending on ticket location. The deadline to purchase these specially-priced tickets is Tuesday, January 10. Click here for more details.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Happy New Year to all of our families. I hope you had a happy and restful holiday. I’d like to thank you for the lovely Christmas gifts, prayers and well wishes.

I’d also like to thank Cynthia Spicuzza and Becky McLellan for co-chairing the Parents’ Club Christmas Boutique this year. Thank you to all of the parents that volunteered to wrap presents and assist the little ones. It was a lot of fun for the children and the adults. It always means so much to the children to be able to hand-pick little gifts for their loved ones.

Unfortunately one of our most beloved staff members, Mr. Lou, lost his mother on Christmas Day. Please keep Mr. Lou and his family in your prayers.

Second quarter report cards will be mailed home today, January 9.

Re-registration packets for the 2012-2013 school year were mailed out last week. They will be due back to school no later than Friday, January 20.

Elementary School Tours will be held every Wednesday morning in January at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.  Please help us spread the word to prospective families.

We are very excited about starting a new program for our 6th graders! They will be invited to join Girl Power, which is a series of six one-hour workshops focusing on female relationships. Girl Power explores those overwhelming, hard-to-explain girl issues that consume the thoughts and the emotions of girls, while providing them with tools to comfortably manage conflict. The goal of Girl Power is to inspire young girls to feel empowered, develop a strong sense of self, and love themselves while maintaining healthy relationships. The program, which will be directed by Mrs. Huston, will be held on Mondays at 2 p.m. starting on January 23. There will be a notice coming home for all 6th grade parents so that they can learn more about the program. Please encourage your daughters to come to Mrs. Englert’s classroom on Monday, January 23 at 2 p.m.

The high school and elementary school have partnered together to purchase a professional development program called Discovery Walks. We will begin faculty training and then practicing these specialized classroom observations during this second semester. The purpose of these classroom visits or “Discovery Walks” is to track teachers’ use of effective instructional strategies; identify types of grouping (whole group, small group, individual); determine if students can identify learning goals; evaluate use of technology; improve the observer as an instructional coach and leader; develop and use common language for quality instruction; and promote dialogue with teachers. These “Discovery Walks” will provide opportunities for us to improve our teaching strategies, identify areas for professional growth and, ultimately, improve student achievement. The program will support our work with curriculum mapping and Advanced Ed. I am very excited about this professional development opportunity and I will keep you informed as we make progress.

We will have a Saints Dress Down Day on Friday, January 13.

Go Tigers!

Henry Nouwen once wrote:

To wait open-endedly is an enormously radical attitude toward life. So is to trust that something will happen to us that is far beyond our imaginings. So too, is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life, trusting that God molds us according to God’s love and not according to our fear. The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, trusting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination, fantasy, or predication.

And, so it is for me, unexpectedly and somewhat beyond imaginings, I’ve been called to service elsewhere. Know what an honor and a privilege it has been for me to serve the Ursuline Academy community for the past seven plus years. Your boundless love and commitment to Serviam have been an inspiration to me each and every day. I will continue to serve you faithfully and gratefully through the end of the school year, so we will have plenty of time for good-byes. Thank you for everything you do and will continue to do to preserve the legacy of Ursuline Academy for many future generations of young women.

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 Thursday, December 22 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 anticipates eagerly. The most wonderful guest in human history 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 we give to others. Christ’s love arrives in our hearts when we love others, forgive others, help others, support others, and take time for others as we listen to others.

Scripture calls on us to prepare for God. It does not tell us to count down the days and minutes. We have time to love one another. We have time to let God’s love touch us. The grace of God, the joy of the season, and the peace that is found through waiting silently are part of the gifts of God, for the people of God.

On behalf of the Academy, please accept my warmest wishes for a joyous and blessed Christmas and a truly wonderful new year.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

As we close out the first semester of the 2011-2012 academic year and turn our thoughts toward Christmas, I want to remind the Ursuline community that we have much for which to be thankful this holiday season. Enrollment in the High School Division is at its highest point since Hurricane Katrina. In fact, we are one of the few high schools in the Archdiocese that has increased its enrollment since Katrina. Our physical plant continues to see significant upgrades, and work on the new Health and Wellness Center appears to be following our scheduled completion date of early 2013. Our academic program has seen major improvements over the last few years, including improved standardized test scores, increased enrollment in our Honors Program, and an increased number of Advanced Placement classes being offered each year. Athletically, we celebrated our second state championship in volleyball in the last three years this past November. Our fall sports teams saw a state runner-up in cross country and a state champion in two events in swimming. The winter sports season looks promising, too, as the soccer team is undefeated (and ranked fifth in the state) and the basketball team is rounding into shape during its pre-district schedule.

As suggested in the above paragraph, these are heady times indeed here on State Street. I wish to offer thanks to many people for their efforts on behalf of the Academy and its students, beginning with our parents. Their support of our efforts, both financial and moral, has been critical to our efforts to serve the Academy’s students. Ursuline parents have consistently stepped up as partners with the faculty and administration of the school to support our efforts to provide a superior education in the Ursuline tradition. An Ursuline education is, of course, profoundly countercultural in this day and age: we ask our girls to serve others, not themselves, first; we ask them to be courteous to all when the prevailing culture encourages individuals to ignore the feelings of others; we ask them to be loyal when the world expects them to be self-serving; we ask them to show the courage of their convictions when the world expects expedience to be the measure for their motivations. Our success in teaching these lessons must be reinforced by the parents who entrust their daughters to our care. The success we have achieved with our girls is shared with our parents.

Surely our girls deserve my thanks during this Christmas season. As Ms. Kane has mentioned many times before, Ursuline students are surely the kindest students in the city of New Orleans. Their giving of themselves, their willingness to “go beyond their borders” (in the words of St. Angela), their determination to succeed – all these qualities make them extraordinary students and people. The success our girls have achieved over the past few years is a testament not only to their talents, but to their wills as well. Those of us fortunate enough to teach here recognize how lucky we are to work with these superb young women.

Another constituency deserving of my thanks is the administration, faculty and staff of this great school. If Serviam is the measure by which our girls will be judged, it is incumbent upon the individuals who work with our girls to model that behavior for them. These administrators, teachers and staff members consistently go far beyond the realm of the professional to enter a higher plane: the vocational. Parents and students know the many teachers here at the Academy who give of themselves selflessly on a consistent basis. These people understand the heritage that has been handed down to them from the original twelve Ursuline nuns who ventured to New Orleans nearly three centuries ago. They have embraced the Ursuline mission and work to live it on a daily basis.

I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge the support of the alumnae who have given so much of their time, talent and treasure to continue the Ursuline mission here on State Street. The support of these women has been instrumental to our past, current and future successes. Ursuline alumnae recognize the call to Serviam which has been entrusted to them and have answered this call throughout the past three centuries. I know they will continue to show their undying support for their alma mater now and in the future. Our current students owe them much, and we hope and pray that they follow the example of these incredible women so that future generations can continue to be touched by the Ursuline mission.

Finally, and most importantly, I need to acknowledge the contributions of the Ursuline Sisters themselves. Without their commitment and fidelity to St. Angela’s mission, New Orleans would be a very different – and a much lesser – place. Their guidance has provided all of us a special direction that has profoundly affected New Orleans and its people. Those of us lucky enough to have been associated with this great school recognize how the mission of those twelve original nuns – and the generations of Ursuline Sisters that have followed the original Sisters – has changed our lives. For this, all of us owe them more than we can ever say.

It is a very great privilege to be a partner in this amazing ministry that began back in 1727. As we reflect on all the gifts Christ has given us this season, let us thank Him for our association, in whatever role great or small, with Ursuline.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

The Early Childhood Christmas program will take place Tuesday, December 20 at 9 a.m. in the auditorium.

Tuesday, December 20 is also our annual Christmas program for the Lower and Middle School.  All students in grades 1st through 7th must arrive to the auditorium no later than 5:45 p.m. The performance will begin at 6 p.m. This performance is a required event for all students. If a student has a most important and legitimate reason for not being able to attend, the student’s parent must contact the principal.

All students must be in complete uniform the night of the performance. Lower school students may wear their Ursuline cardigan if they have one. Otherwise, they should not wear any other outerwear while on stage. Middle school students should wear their required V-neck Ursuline sweater or no outerwear while on stage. Students are allowed to wear Christmas hair accessories like ribbons, bows, etc.

Thank you to all of our families who generously gave to our “Adopt-a-Family” program.  Many needy families in our community will have a brighter Christmas because of your goodwill.

Wednesday, December 21 is our last morning of school before the holiday. Your family is invited to join the Ursuline family for a Christmas Mass at 8:30 a.m. in the Shrine. Dismissal will follow Mass. There will be NO AFTERCARE.

The Christmas Holidays are from December 22 through January 3.  School will resume on January 4.

Second Quarter grades are due in to the office on January 4. Report cards will be mailed home on Friday, January 6.

Elementary School Tours (Toddler 2-7th grade) will be held every Wednesday in January at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Please help us spread the word to prospective families.

At Christmas we celebrate the grace of God, who so loved the world that he sent his only Son, so that whoever believes might not perish but have eternal life. That grace astounds us by arriving undeserved. We receive it simply because God loves us with a depth of love far beyond our deepest human comprehension. May the joyous news of Jesus touch you and uplift you.  I wish you and your family a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

When I think of Ursuline Academy, I often think of the Blessed Mother, named Our Lady of Prompt Succor by the Ursuline Sisters so many years ago, and how she is a key to the reality of figuring out the Incarnation.

The Incarnation is the unlikely belief that God cared enough about you and me, and our students and their families to send His Son to become an often unrecognizable, flesh and blood part of this messy and imperfect world. Can we imagine what the world would look like if Jesus, the Incarnation, had been recognized by those around Him? Or, if He were recognized today?

St. Angela Merici, the Ursulines and those of us who are their partners have staked their lives and their work on this simple yet mysterious fact that God did love the world enough that He didn’t admire or even save it from afar. He saved it by becoming a part of what He had created. The world and those things associated with it – the beautiful and the ugly – are our only arena.

As educators, we really do see the good and the bad, the beautiful and the unpleasant. And our role is not so much to separate the two and merely prime the already beautiful. Anyone can do that. We as Christians thank God that He did not choose to do this before He set about on the Incarnation.

But we can not be sustained in this without remembering that the Incarnation is not a beautiful occurrence of 2011 years ago that makes for pious individual warmth and good Christmas cards. If Jesus is not present in each of our schools in all that we meet, than neither could He be in Mary’s arms, or on the cross.

Scripture calls on us to prepare for God. It does not tell us to count down the days and minutes. We have time to love one another. We have time to let God’s love touch us. The grace of God, the joy of the season, and the peace that is found through waiting silently are part of the gifts of God, for the people of God.

May the Good News of this advent season touch you, uplift you, and free you so that you can soar on eagles’ wings within the arms of our loving, ever-present God.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for the High School choir’s annual Christmas Concert Sunday evening in the Shrine. Our new director, Kimberly Hilliard, and her eighteen-member choir did a wonderful job presenting the fruits of their labors to an appreciative and enthusiastic audience last evening. For me, the Christmas Concert is one of the highlights of the year. To be able to enjoy the beautiful singing of our girls in such a magnificent space is truly a special occasion. While this year’s choir has a heavy contingent of seniors, Ms. Hilliard was also able to spotlight the voices of several of our younger singers, proving to the audience that the music program has talent for future years beyond this one. I will encourage all Ursuline music lovers to attend the winter piano recital on Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Auditorium. Please come out and show your support for our piano students tomorrow evening.

I want to encourage parents to help their daughters utilize their free time effectively as first semester exams start on Friday, December 16, and continue through Wednesday, December 21. Maximizing one’s preparation time prior to exams is critically important to academic success, particularly when one realizes that twenty percent of a student’s semester grade is dependent on the semester exam. Particularly for those students who are “on the border” between two grades, some extra effort at this point in the semester can pay very healthy dividends. And please remind your daughters that the importance of grades come graduation time (and scholarship time) is determined at times like the end of the semester.

Christmas break is an excellent time for Ursuline students to fulfill part of their service requirements. The third quarter of the academic year begins immediately after the Christmas vacation and service hours will be due soon after that. Specifically, senior service hours are due on Friday, March 16, 2012. Service hours for students in grades eight through eleven are due on Friday, April 13, 2012. The Christmas holidays offer Ursuline students an excellent opportunity to complete most, if not all, of one’s service requirement. Please contact our Campus Minister, Kim Otto, should you have any further questions.

I need to remind our students and parents about a special schedule on Thursday, December 15, 2011. Students will meet with teachers in Mod B through Mod G (Periods Two through Seven) for fifty minute-classes on Thursday. At 2:10 p.m., students will be dismissed from school. However, teachers are required to remain in their classrooms that day from 2:10 p.m. until 3 p.m. so that students who have questions about exams have the opportunity to visit teachers and ask them questions before exams start on Friday. I will encourage all students to take advantage of this opportunity to speak with their teachers on Thursday afternoon.

Finally, I want to apologize for a mistake I made in last week’s update when I identified Alex Sensenbrenner as the goalie of the High School’s soccer team. The team’s very talented goalie (who recorded yet another shutout last week during the team’s 1-0 victory against Country Day) is Hannah Sensenbrenner. My apologies for the error.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Our Starstruck Theater Drama Club will hold a spring semester workshop if there are enough interested participants. The workshop will be held on Fridays beginning on January 20 and run through April 20. This workshop will focus on the finer points of live performance using various activities and lessons including: drama games, improvisation, student-produced scenes, short skit performances and more. The workshop will culminate with the girls performing several short scenes for family and friends. If you are interested in your daughter participating, please contact Renee Barras at rbarras@cox.net.

We will be holding Elementary School Tours every Wednesday morning during the month of January. The tours will take place at 8:30 a.m. and again at 10:30 a.m. Please spread the word to your family, friends and co-workers.

Our Character Trait for the month of December is “Trustworthiness.” Trustworthiness is being honest and worthy of a person’s trust and being someone who refuses to lie, steal or deceive in any way. Here at Ursuline we will be emphasizing the importance of being dependable. For example, if you are involved in a club or a sport, the moderator and/or coach should be able to depend on you to attend meetings and/or practices and be on time. Throughout this month, we ask that you make a special effort to practice the character trait of trustworthiness at home. Explain to your child how important it is to be honest in everyday life. Together, explore some of the dilemmas children face regarding honesty and being trustworthy. For example, turning in money or possessions that someone has lost. Or you may ask your daughter, “What should you do when a sales clerk gives you too much change?”  Discuss how being trustworthy leads others to regard us as dependable and builds our character and integrity. Mrs. Huston will be conducting a trust walk with the students in which they take turns being blindfolded and allowing their partner to guide them. Afterward they will discuss how they felt from both sides of the blindfold.

Don’t forget to bring your Adopt-A-Family gifts in by December 15. Thanks so much for your generosity to those in need in our community.

6th and 7th exams will take place Wednesday, December 14 through Friday, December 16.

The testing schedule will be as follows: Wednesday – science and reading, Thursday – English and social studies, and Friday – religion and math.

The Parents’ Club Christmas Boutique will be held on Thursday, December 15 and Friday, December 16. A schedule of shopping times will be sent home. Parents are invited to come help the little ones with their shopping.

Please mark your calendars for the following Ursuline performances:

Early Childhood Christmas Program – The morning of December 20

Lower/Middle School Christmas Program – December 20 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium

Christmas Mass – December 21 at 8:30 a.m. followed by dismissal. NO AFTERCARE

The Christmas Holidays will be from December 22 through January 3. School will resume on Wednesday, January 4.

BECOMING PEOPLE OF THE ADVENT SEASON

The race is about to begin.
The runners tense at the starting blocks.
They lean forward, they rise up on their toes.
The moment approaches, all the preparation is complete.

Careful planning, agonizing, training,
Even a positive mental attitude
Have all been skillfully cultivated.
The runners crouch, and hold their breath.
Their moment of action is about to arrive.

Olympic athletes will prepare for years
For a race that will be over in seconds.
High school relay teams will practice for months
To run 400 meters, passing the baton along the way.

Somehow, as we enter advent,
Much of the psychology of racing
Seems to have entered into our preparations.
As has much of the impatience of western culture.

Christmas is coming. Much joy is promised.
We want it all. We want it now.
If we think about the weeks leading up to Christmas,
We often think of frenzied activities.

Let’s make this one the best Christmas ever.
Let’s prepare more thoroughly this time.
Quick, climb the ladder, fasten the lights to the house.
Put a tree in the living room, and hang the ornaments.

Bake, decorate, plan, and schedule.
Go out and take part in lots of Christmas parties.
Arrange visits with both sides of the family.
Drive through neighborhoods, see the lights and colors.

Shop, and find the perfect gifts.
Curse softly under your breath
As carols play again and again in shopping malls.
Oh, no! Someone just took the last parking space.
You wind up circling the mall, snarling hopelessly.
But if you just pay enough attention to frenzied preparation,
Things are bound to turn out much better this year. Right?

Scripture offers us a different message.
God’s grace will surprise you.
God’s gift to you will arrive without warning.
And it will be wonderful beyond all imagining.

The people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah.
They waited for the day of the Lord.
A day when war would end and divine justice would rule.
Hope, peace, joy, and love were promised to them.

The prophecy of Isaiah, promising the day of the Lord,
Was written hundreds of years before Christ.
Written before Roman legions occupied the land.
Written before wish lists had crystallized.

What this Scripture did was invite the people to hope.
To look to a time in the future.
To wait with patience, yet trust without ceasing.
The silent waiting itself was a blessing from God.

As the people were oppressed,
As armies and earthquakes, famines and dust storms
Tore at the fabric of their daily lives,
They were comforted through trusting and waiting.

Would the advent season feel differently today
If we focused on watching, rather than on preparing?
If we valued patient reflection
In the face of approaching deadlines?
If silence displaced frenzy?

What we celebrate at Christmas
Is the grace of God, who so loved this world
That God sent his only Son.
So that whoever believes might not perish
But have eternal life.

That grace does not come to us as a reward
For careful, thorough preparation.
That grace astounds us by arriving undeserved.
Simply, because God loves us with a depth of love
Far beyond our deepest human comprehension.
If you will consider that simple anticipation
Can be a special gift of the season,
Perhaps you will find that the grace of God
Is also present in silent waiting and watching.

The stress of busy weeks
Should not overshadow the peace
That is given to you through anticipating
A time and promise that will surely arrive.

Scripture calls on us to prepare for God.
It does not tell us to count down the days and minutes.
We have time to love one another.
We have time to let God’s love touch us.

The grace of God, the joy of the season,
The peace that is found through waiting silently,
Are part of the gifts of God, for the people of God.

May the Good News of this advent season
Touch you, uplift you, and free you
So that you can soar on eagles wings
Within the arms of our loving, ever-present God.

Amen.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

Both the High School and the Elementary School have been working with the School Leadership Center of New Orleans over the last few months to begin a partnership through the Discovery Walk program. The SLC’s Discovery Walk program provides schools with training for administrators and teachers to generate data regarding classroom observations in areas such as student engagement and effective teaching strategies. Beginning in the second semester of the 2011-2012 academic year, officials from the SLC will work to train Ursuline administrators and teachers how to generate meaningful data to help teachers be more effective in the classroom.

Basically, the administrations of both schools will work with their respective faculties to define a limited number of indicators that we will use to generate meaningful data. Through a series of “calibration sessions,” Ursuline teachers and administrators will be trained by the SLC to provide teachers with objective feedback based on the indicators that the faculty and administration agree upon as important to effective teaching – and learning.

As we explained to the High School faculty last month, the data generated through these observations will not be used by the administration to evaluate teacher performance. Instead, the data will be given to teachers as the first step in a professional development program that will ultimately focus on student engagement in the classroom. As educational research has shown for many years, students learn best when they are engaged and active in the learning process. Improving student performance is our biggest goal with this program.

However, our participation in this program also contains two goals for our faculty. First of all, we want to help teachers see their classrooms as their students see them. If teachers can view what is happening in their classrooms through the eyes of the student, we firmly believe they will have a better chance of meeting their students’ needs. Secondly, we want to give teachers the opportunity to see their colleagues in action so that they might learn from each other. There is nothing more beneficial to teachers than giving them the opportunity to observe other teachers in action.

Both the Elementary and High School administrations will be working with our respective faculties over the course of the next several weeks to define the indicators we will use for this program during the second semester. We will keep all of the Ursuline constituencies abreast of our progress as we continue our work in this very important – and exciting – area.

I also wanted to take a moment to congratulate the High School’s soccer team for their championship in the Bronze Division of the Country Day/St. Martin’s Invitational Classic this past weekend. Ursuline defeated Barbe of Lake Charles 1-0 in the championship game Sunday afternoon at Pan American Stadium in New Orleans. Eighth grader Alex Thomas scored the game’s only goal during the twenty-first minute of the first half. Junior goalie Alex Sensenbrenner recorded her fourth shutout in her past five games. The win on Sunday gives Ursuline a record of eight wins, no losses, and one tie so far this season. And to put this accomplishment into some sort of historical perspective, this tournament championship is the first of any kind for the soccer team in the program’s history. Congratulations to Head Coach Winston Lewis, his assistant coach, Rebecca Leonard (Mac of ‘09), and the entire team for a spectacular start to what appears to be a special season.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Congratulations to Daniela Rocha who won the “Keep Christ in Christmas” Poetry Contest sponsored by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Don’t forget to bring your Adopt-A-Family gifts in by December 15. Thanks so much for your generosity to those in need in our community.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is this Thursday, December 8. Parents are invited to join us for Mass at 8:15 a.m.

There will be a dress down day this Friday, December 9 to benefit the Addie’s Angels Charity which helps supply children with prosthetic limbs. The minimum donation to participate is $2.00.

The Drama Club will perform in the auditorium on Friday, December 9 at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m. Please join us.

6th and 7th exams will take place Wednesday, December 14 through Friday, December 16.

The testing schedule will be as follows: Wednesday – science and reading, Thursday – English and social studies, and Friday – religion and math.

The Parents’ Club Christmas Boutique will be held on Thursday, December 15 and Friday, December 16. A schedule of shopping times will be sent home. Parents are invited to come help the little ones with their shopping.

Please mark your calendars for the following Ursuline performances:

Christmas in the Oaks – Thursday, December 8 at 6 p.m.
Please come out to City Park with your family and friends and enjoy music by our talented Ursuline middle and high school choir, recorders and hand bells.

Early Childhood Christmas Program – The morning of December 20

Lower/Middle School Christmas Program – December 20 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium

Christmas Mass – December 21 at 8:30 a.m. followed by dismissal. NO AFTERCARE

The Christmas Holidays will be from December 22 through January 3. School will resume on Wednesday, January 4.

I hope all of you had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving week. It is often good to get away from our normal routine and have some downtime to spend with family and friends and, especially, to give God thanks for the many blessings in our lives. I am truly thankful to all of you for your support of Ursuline and for the blessings of your daughters.

Yesterday we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent. Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year, a time of newness, a fresh start. But more importantly, Advent is a time of preparation as we anticipate the coming of Christ once again into our hearts, minds, families and lives. The most important preparation happens within each of us. Advent literally means “the coming” or “the arrival.” It is a time when all of us should examine our lives and ask ourselves, “Is there room in our hearts for God’s gift of love, his Son, Jesus? Are we so busy, so preoccupied and so involved that we miss the meaning of Jesus’ birth?”

What Christmas is really about is that God loves us so much that he wants to reveal himself to us in a tangible way. He chooses to become one of us, and to live among us. He sends, not a prophet or messenger, but his very own Son, his own mind and spirit.

Through the giving of God’s Son, God opens the door to salvation and eternal life for all of us. He not only loves us, but he gives us the greatest gift humans could ever want: the hope of one day spending eternity with Him. Jesus reveals to us that we each are a part in God’s great plan for humanity. God has a plan and purpose for each of us.

As we look to the remainder of our first semester, there are many activities and events that our girls will be involved. Please make plans to attend as many as you possibly can. Let us also help our girls to remain focused on their schoolwork as they head into the final weeks of the semester.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

I need to acknowledge the efforts of our cross country and swim teams, respectively, for their outstanding performances at their state meets held the week prior to Thanksgiving. On Monday, November 14th, the cross country team competed in their state championship meet in Natchitoches. Senior Caroline Knecht finished as the state runner-up in Ursuline’s division where 148 girls competed. For Caroline, her final competition in an Ursuline uniform was surely her crowning glory. Other Ursuline runners included Elissa Parker, who finished in 36th place; Mary Maher, who finished in 44th place, Gabby Terrebonne, who finished in 55th place; Grace Lamy, who finished in 62nd place; Caitlin Minshew, who finished in 87th place, and Macy Boten, who finished in 88th place. As a team, Ursuline finished in fifth place in a pool of 21 schools. I want to take this opportunity to thank Coach Karen Davis for her work with the team this year. While the team will surely miss the senior leadership provided by Caroline, Elissa, Grace and Caitlin, the presence of some talented underclassmen assures that Ursuline will continue to field a competitive squad in the upcoming years.

On Friday, November 18th, and Saturday, November 19th, Ursuline’s swim team travelled to Sulphur to compete in the State Swimming Championship at the SPAR Aquatics Center. Senior Katie Stahel led the way for the Lions, winning two state championships in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle. The two state championships Katie won this year bring her personal total of championships to an incredible eight state championships over the course of her career here at Ursuline. Other Ursuline swimmers who competed for state championships at Sulphur during the finals on Saturday included Emily MacLaren, who finished 10th in the state in the 200-yard individual medley and seventh in the 100-yard breast stroke; Baileigh Fuxan, who finished 16th in the 50-yard freestyle and 16th in the 50-yard back stroke; the members of the 200-yard medley relay team (Megan Mineo, Krista Liljeberg, Baileigh Fuxan and Lauren Porche), who finished 12th; the members of the 200-yard freestyle relay team (Katie Stahel, Grace Donovan, Kealani Gaspard and Emily MacLaren), who finished third in the state, and the members of the 400-yard freestyle relay team (Katie Stahel, Grace Donovan, Kealani Gaspard and Emily MacLaren), who finished fourth in the state. Ninth-grader Christiane Petitbon, sophomore Camille Tiemann, and juniors Emily Alimia, Megan Schmidt and Marcelle Meyer also swam during Friday’s preliminary heats. Junior Claire Oswald and senior Victoria Castille made the trip to Sulphur as alternates. Overall, our girls finished sixth in a field of 22 teams, and they missed fifth place by a single point. We offer our sincere congratulations to Coach John Gardner and his squad for an excellent year. Much like the cross country team, the swim team will lose some outstanding senior leadership, but will also return several fine swimmers. Coupled with our state championship volleyball team, the High School’s fall sports teams enjoyed an extremely successful season. We look forward to the winter sports season, where basketball and soccer have already begun what appear to be very promising campaigns. We will keep the Ursuline community posted regarding further developments.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving.

December is upon us and it is filled with many activities. Please remind your daughters to keep on top of their school work and to study nightly.

6th and 7th exams will be December 14 though the 16.

As part of our Character Development Program with Courage as the trait of the month, we are participating in “Sweet Friday” this Friday, December 2. Show your appreciation for the courageous men and women of our police department by donating sweets to be delivered to the local precincts on Friday.  Please send any baked goods and/or sweets to school on Thursday, December 1. Feel free to also make cards of appreciation.

Santa’s Workshop is on Sunday, December 4 from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass will be held Thursday, December 8 at 8:15 a.m. Parents are invited to join us.

The Drama Club will perform on Friday, December 9 at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium, and again on Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m. Please join us.

The Parents’ Club Christmas Boutique will be held on Thursday, December 15 and Friday, December 16.  A schedule of shopping times for individual classes has been sent home with your daughters.

Please mark your calendars for the following Ursuline Christmas performances:
Christmas in the Oaks: December 8 at 6 p.m.
Early Childhood Christmas Program: morning of December 20
Lower School and Middle School Christmas Concert: December 20 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium.

Christmas Mass will take place on December 21at 8:30 a.m. Dismissal will follow. There will be NO AFTERCARE.

11-11-11: Make a wish!

This upcoming weekend (November 11-13) is a very special one here at the Academy. On Friday evening, we host our annual La Fête gala, this year sponsored by Whitney Bank, in Ursuline Academy’s beautiful courtyard. If you’ve not purchased your ticket, it’s not too late. Food, music and auctions will surely make for a wonderful time. CATCO, who has made the reconstruction of Ursuline’s campus since Hurricane Katrina possible, is proudly sponsoring the Patron Party where New Orleans’ own Kermit Ruffins will be the entertainment. The Ursuline Homecoming Mass and Jazz Brunch will be held on Sunday, November 13 beginning at 9:30 am. The 2011 Distinguished Alumna of the year, Carmela Matassa Van Hook ‘65, will be honored for her remarkable contributions to Ursuline and the broader community. Please make every effort to attend one or both of these terrific events.

To reserve tickets or for more information, click here.

As we celebrate Veteran’s Day this Friday, we are reminded of the many men and women who have answered the call to serve our great nation. Living up to high standards of duty and honor, our men and women in uniform serve us in times of war and peace. Many of our Ursuline graduates have lived the ideal of Serviam by serving in the armed forces. We thank all of these brave women and all service men and women today for their courage and sacrifice.

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

This Friday (November 11th), the Academy celebrates La Fête 284 in the Courtyard. This event is truly one of the important fundraisers sponsored by Ursuline and the support of everyone who cares about this great school is critically important. Over the course of the last seven years, Academy President Gretchen Kane has directed an effort to upgrade facilities and programs on State Street. The success of that effort is evident in the striking renovations to many buildings on our campus, in the improved science laboratories, and in the incredible proliferation of educational technology available to students. It is also apparent in the improved academic, athletic and extracurricular programs in both the Elementary and High Schools, and in the addition of outstanding teachers, coaches and administrators. Ursuline may have once been “the best-kept secret in New Orleans,” but now the secret has become common knowledge.

All of us associated with Ursuline Academy owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the countless alumnae, parents, students and friends who have done so much to support this growth. Through their support of the Serviam Annual Fund, La Fête, the Spaghetti Supper, and other opportunities to contribute their time, talent and treasure, Ursuline has enjoyed growth at the same time that many area private and Catholic schools have seen themselves become smaller. To those who have contributed so much to that growth, please accept our heartfelt thanks. Friday night will be an opportunity to celebrate the many blessings God has bestowed upon the Academy and those associated with it. In particular, I want to thank La Fête 284 chairperson Pam Dalgo for her assistance in organizing this event. She and the rest of the volunteers have done an incredible job preparing for La Fête. Their efforts in the past, and their efforts leading up to Friday, have been instrumental in moving the Academy forward. While many challenges remain before us in the future, we also need to acknowledge just how much we have accomplished. With God’s help and with your continued support, we see even greater things on the horizon for Ursuline Academy.

I also want to take this opportunity to wish our volleyball team (currently sporting a record of 35 wins and four losses and holding the Number One seed in the Division III playoff bracket), Coach Jay Jay Juan, and his staff the very best as they begin their quest for another state title. If the Lions defeat Cecilia this evening, they will return to the Pontchartrain Center on Thursday for the State Tournament. We will keep the Ursuline community posted on the team’s progress throughout the playoffs. And finally, I need to thank the Queen’s Players for their outstanding production of “Twelve Angry Women” over the course of this weekend. Special thanks are in order to the cast of the play, including Leah Alday, Alexis Andal, Mignon Blanc, Julia Burch, Daniella Corzantes, Faye Daigle, Sarah Delaney, Erika Montelaro, Gabriella Mouriz, Maycie Ransom, Jo Ripoll, Kamri Sylve and Kyla Zimmerman and the crew, which includes Hannah Delger, Kristan Kass, Tina Nguyen, Katherine Ramon and Tiffany Yochum. Director Yakitha Egana received expert assistance from Assistant Director Hannah Gudan and Backstage manager Taylor Hux. Everyone involved in the production contributed to a superior theater experience. We look forward now to our spring musical production.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Friday, November 11 is La Fête 284. The Patron Party begins at 6:30 p.m. with the Gala following at 8 p.m. Due to set-up there will be NO AFTERCARE. Please make arrangements to pick up your child at dismissal.

Also due to La Fête set-up, we will alter the dismissal procedure on Friday, November 11. We will use the same procedure used for Rally Day. All parents, including early childhood parents, will enter the line on Claiborne Avenue and will pick up students at the gym. Parents will exit the first Nashville gate located at the end of the gym. (This is the gate that early childhood parents access in the afternoon and 1-7th parents wait at until motioned forward.) The entire Pavilion area will be blocked off. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Progress reports are due in to the office on Friday, November 11 and will be mailed home and posted to Ed-Line on Tuesday, November 15.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be on Thursday, November 17 from 3 to 5 p.m.

The Living Rosary will be held on Monday, November 14 in the Shrine at 1:15 p.m. All parents are invited to join us.

The Character Trait for the month of November is Courage. Courage is facing difficult situations bravely and with self-confidence and resolution. We are speaking to the girls about having the courage to stand up for what is right as well having courage to go beyond their familiar group of friends and get to know other girls in their class. We will be mixing the girls up at their lunch tables once a week this month in order to help them become better acquainted with one another. St. Angela asks us to go beyond our borders and reach out to others. She also counsels us to “have faith and keep up your courage.”  We will also write letters to police officers, fire fighters and EMS workers thanking them for their courage and their commitment to our community. At home, you can help your daughter with our character trait by discussing how you have been courageous and how you have overcome adversity. Discuss national or local events that have taken place and how the people involved were or could have been courageous. Please take this time to help your daughter become more aware of her own fears and courage.

Sunday, November 5 through Sunday, November 13 I will be out of the country. I will take part in the Sakura Core Project for North American Educators sponsored by the Japan Foundation. Twenty-five educators from around the country were invited to participate in this educational tour program intended to further understanding of Japanese-language education. The tour will include lectures, school visits, discussions with school principals, visits to the Japanese-Language Institute in Urawa, the Ministry of Education, cultural facilities and events. I am very excited for the opportunity to learn about the Japanese people, infrastructure, customs and especially their educational programs.  I look forward to returning home and sharing what I’ve learned with our school community. Although I will be out of the office, I will check my email daily and will also check in with the office. Please keep me in your prayers during my travels.

Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of All Saints remembering those who have gone before us, and the next day a brief prayer service will be held in the Shrine to commemorate the 12 Ursuline sisters who began their ministry of education in the City of New Orleans over 284 years ago. I believe it is also important to remember the many gifts the Ursuline sisters have provided to the region over the past three centuries:

▪  the first convent, first free school and first retreat center for ladies
▪  the first classes for female African-American slaves, free women of color and Native Americans
▪  the first center of social welfare in the Mississippi Valley
▪  the first boarding school in Louisiana
▪  the first school of music in New Orleans

You should receive this year’s Serviam Annual Fund (SAF) brochure, pledge card and postage-paid return envelope in the mail this week. If you don’t, you can always let us know, and we will send you the information very quickly. Your generous investment in Ursuline Academy and its mission, one begun almost three centuries ago by 12 incredibly courageous religious women, enables us to meet the ever changing needs of educating young women in the 21st century. Your gift will, among many things, allow the Academy to offer our students the finest education; keep tuition costs at a great value in comparison to the other five private schools in our city providing pre-kindergarten through 12th grade programs; subsidize financial assistance; and seize educational and extracurricular opportunities as they arise.

Your thoughtful generosity is so very much appreciated. If you have any questions regarding making a gift to Ursuline Academy, please contact the Development Office at 504.212.5112 or email development@ursulineneworleans.org. Thank you!

A Message from the High School Principal – John Gabriel

Beginning next Monday (November 7), the High School Division will hold monthly departmental curriculum meetings at 1:50 p.m. I mention this fact for two reasons. First, I want to keep the Ursuline community updated regarding our ongoing work in our curriculum revision process, a process that began last spring after our accreditation work with AdvancED, our accrediting agency. Second, I need to remind all of you about the early dismissals that need to occur so we might complete this important work. We will dismiss all High School students at 1:50 p.m. on the following dates: November 7, January 9, February 13, March 12, April 2, and May 7.

These meetings will serve as a continuation of the work the High School faculty began earlier this fall, when designated departments met with Curriculum Coordinator Tess Belt and Academic Assistant Principal Alice Bairnsfather during our weekly Rally practices on Tuesday afternoons in September and October. During these departmental meetings, teachers and administrators worked to input measurable objectives for the first quarter into Rubicon Atlas, our new curriculum software system. As I have mentioned in this space before, the High School faculty are working to ensure we are teaching what all of our girls need to succeed on standardized testing and in college work. A codified curriculum with measurable objectives tied to national and state standards is our first needed step to make data-driven decisions about instruction.

Next spring, we will enlist the help of data experts to disaggregate standardized test scores and show teachers exactly where each individual student needs help in each of the four basic academic skill areas, namely English, reading, mathematics and science reasoning. This information will help teachers and administrators identify “gaps” in the curriculum which we need to address, through changes in the curriculum as well as through different instructional approaches to material covered in class. Armed with this information, our teachers will be able to focus more effectively on the needs of individual students in their classes, thereby helping each girl to improve her own academic performance.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing more information with you about a new program Ursuline will be using called Discovery Walks. Funded in part by a generous grant from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Discovery Walks program will encourage teachers to observe fellow faculty members and see “best practices” utilized in instruction. This kind of professional development, coupled with our ongoing work on curriculum, will have a significant impact on student performance at Ursuline. We are confident our work in these areas will produce positive results for the girls – and families – we serve.

A Message from the Elementary School Principal – Kim Harper

Happy Halloween!

Tuesday, November 1 is All Saints Day. We will have Mass at 8:15 a.m. in the Shrine. Mass will be followed by the Junior Beta Induction.

Wednesday, November 2 is All Souls Day. We will have the Sisters’ Commemoration at 2:45 p.m. in the Shrine.

The Food Drive begins on Tuesday, November 1. Your generosity to those less fortunate is greatly appreciated. We will be partnering with St. Rita’s Parish to make Thanksgiving Day Meal baskets. So please remember to send non-perishable Thanksgiving meal items like stuffing, corn, peas, beans, cranberries, cake boxes, pie fillings, etc.

Congratulations to our cross country team and Mrs. Lisa Parker! This past Saturday they won the New Orleans Area Championship. Wow! Another stellar performance and first place trophy! The team also placed first in the 5th and 6th grade division and were runner-ups in the 8th grade and under division. The top five runners were Cameron Barnes, Michaela Mailhos, Samantha Sullivan, Camryn Wisniewski and Jaime Cossé.  The team will compete this upcoming Saturday, November 5 at 8 a.m. in the N.O. Metro Championship at City Park. Good luck girls!! Go Lions!

The La Fete 284 will be held on Friday, November 11. The patron party will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the gala following at 8 p.m. If you’d like to purchase tickets, please contact the Office of Development at 504.212.5112 or jgoforth@ursulineneworleans.org.

There will be NO AFTERCARE on Friday, November 11 due to the Gala set-up.

Progress reports are due in to the office on Friday, November 11, and they will be posted and mailed home on Tuesday, November 15. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, November 17 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Thanksgiving Holidays will be November 21 through November 25. School will resume on Monday, November 28.

The middle school swim team had a great championship swim meet! We came in seventh overall out of 14 teams and had a number of top 10 finishes. Meg MacLaren placed second in 50 Back, fourth in 100 free, and third in 100 Individual Medley and Emily Lonker came in eleventh in the 50 Fly and 50 Free. The following girls all swam faster (in their individual events) than their entering times: Caroline MacLaren, Isabel Borges, Aimée Petitbon, Emily Lonker, Meg MacLaren, Christian Shepard, Caitlin Williamson, Rianna Rivera, Marlea Maddox, Abigail Morse, Gwen Freeze and Caitlin Williamson. Congratulations to the rest of the team for a great season: Tylar Warren, Camryn Wisniewski, Sydney Wisniewski, Ashley Doan, Julianna Dimitri, Jenna Breaux, Gianna Warren, Natalie Naquin, Katherine Musso, Natalie Richard, Lexi Ancar and Camille Humphreys.