Dear SUA Community,

Happy December!  Lelia and I hope that you and your family enjoyed a Happy Thanksgiving.  As we transition into this season of celebration and festivity, there is a lot of energy on campus as well with the start of the December Minimester.  These courses were first envisioned in 2023, and we are excited to bring them to life for the first time after several years of research and preparation.

Today we kicked off the December Minimester with a schoolwide Opening Assembly.  Lelia highlighted the significance of this innovation in the history of Saint Ursula Academy.  She thanked the teachers for the expertise and efforts that went into developing their courses and unique learning experiences.  We reviewed the benefits of the minimester model and experiential learning with the students and then introduced each course.  Most importantly, we gathered in prayer asking for God’s guidance and loving protection throughout the minimester.  The December minimester will conclude with a closing assembly and Demonstration of Learning so that students can see the learning that happened across the different courses.  These moments of gathering are so important to our school community and sense of sisterhood.

As parents and guardians, I am certain that you are eager to know what is happening each day.  As you know, teens can be pretty adept at one-word responses.  To avoid those in reply to “how was your school day,” you may want to experiment with some more open-ended questions, such as:

• Tell me about a moment today when you felt excited about your learning.
• What was challenging about your day?
• What did you appreciate about your day?
• Thinking about what you experienced today, what is something that you would like to learn more about?  
• What did you learn about yourself and your own interests today?
• What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?

I am looking forward to the answers that you may receive!  We have wonderful experiences planned to accompany the classroom learning.  We have more than 60 guest speakers and content area experts who will be interacting with our students, including several international connections.  Field trips will take students off campus by car, Metro bus, charter bus, and plane to local destinations, museums, medical facilities, college campuses, service sites, labs, and even New York City.  Depending on their selected course, students will research, present, perform, dissect, experiment, cook, exercise, serve, and read.  We anticipate that students will appreciate the opportunity to focus on one topic and explore it in depth.  

We will keep you updated as the Minimester evolves.  Please follow Saint Ursula Academy on social media to see daily posts about the exciting learning happening on and off campus!

Go Bulldogs!

Kathy

This Week at SUA:  Reminders and tips to help your Bulldog in the week ahead

• Classes will start at 8:15 a.m. on the two Fridays of the minimester:  December 5 and 12.  There will be no late start on Fridays during the December and May minimeters.
• The December Minimester runs from Wednesday, December 3 through Thursday, December 18. If we miss a school day for any reason, the make-up day is Friday, December 19. Please make Christmas break plans with the make-up date in mind, since attendance would be required if needed.
• The Christmas Concert is Thursday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 7 at 2:00 p.m. This is a beautiful celebration of the season and of our students’ talents. Please plan to attend.
• The Freshman Dance is Friday, December 5, 7:00–9:30 p.m. in the Gym.  Mrs. Hammond surveyed the Class of 2029 about their preference to change or keep the dance on Friday in light of the St. X Championship football game at the same time.  The majority of the students indicated that they would like to move forward with the dance on Friday.  We are sorry for the conflict that these two events may create for some students.
• Looking ahead:
  • The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is Monday, December 8.  We will celebrate with a schoolwide Mass at the beginning of the day.  We look forward to gathering in prayer and celebrating that God preserved Mary from original sin from the moment of her conception in preparation for her role as the Mother of Jesus.  Please remind your daughter to wear her Mass cardigan.