Dear Saint Ursula Community,

I hope that you enjoyed a fun Halloween!  Our students had really creative costumes and enjoyed trick-or-treating during 5th Bell thanks to our Student Council.  By the time you receive this email, we will be in the aftermath of the sugar-rush.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a webinar about advisory programming facilitated by ISM, Independent School Management.  I was eager to learn more about advisory because I have never been in a school with an advisory program.  As these things go, the webinar was full of thought-provoking information and insights.

One session focused on student wellness and discussed the sobering fact that high school and college students are suffering.  On a student wellness continuum from “languishing” to “flourishing,” the number of students who are towards the languishing end is at an all-time high in the United States as well as around the globe.  There have been many explanations for why this is true; the webinar examined one in an interesting context.  Research shows that the number one stressor for students is grades in school.  As admission rates to highly selective colleges and universities decreased, students and parents developed a mindset that the available pathways for "success" were becoming more scarce and limited. Schools responded by offering more courses, more opportunities, more acceleration, more extracurriculars, more stuff - all for the sake of producing that “well-rounded student” who would be accepted into college with scholarships.  Students are feeling the stress of all of the above.

The “solution” to this situation is multi-faceted and complex. However, the presenter did ask us to reflect on how schools can serve as an oasis for students who experience this type of stress. As a parent, it made me think about how families can be an oasis for children.  Please don’t get me wrong:  having robust goals and working towards them in a healthy manner is what we want for our students.  In fact, having a strong sense of self-efficacy is a key predictor of student well-being and future success.

Like all good reflective questions, there are many right responses.  I was left thinking that having fun on Halloween with costumes and trick-or-treating is a good example of being an oasis for children to enjoy being children.  Some of these “extras” and fun activities take on more value when we see them as a way to balance stress, promote well-being, and enhance belonging.  I also thought about the ways that schools and families can help reinforce the idea that “there are many ways to be a successful woman.”  There are so many paths and opportunities for our students, and we serve them best when we help them explore and honor these paths.

Well, something to think about this week…. I also want to recognize that today is All Saints Day, and we were very lucky to have grandparents and special friends of the Class of 2026 on campus today.  It is also a day to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us.  If you have lost a family member or loved one this year, we prayed for you at Mass today and wish you peace and comfort.

Go Bulldogs!

Kathy