Dear Saint Ursula Community,

Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem. May we let ourselves be drawn by the light of God made man.

Pope Francis

This past Sunday started the liturgical season of Advent in our Catholic faith, a time of preparation and anticipation of the coming of Jesus.  The Advent wreath, circular and made of evergreens, reminds us of God’s infinite love for us.  The four candles of Advent represent the four Sundays of Advent, and they respectively symbolize hope, peace, joy, and love.  Lelia and I hope that your hearts and homes are filled with hope, peace, joy, and love as we look forward to Christmas. 

Christmas preparations are in full swing here at Saint Ursula Academy!  We are preparing our hearts and minds through daily prayers focused on the messages of Advent and Saint Angela Merici’s teachings.  We are also celebrating many Ursuline values during this festive season: service, optimism, gifts, excellence, and family are front and center.

I prefer to stay away from reviewing the calendar in these letters, but this time of year is so busy that I want to make it as easy as possible to stay up-to-date.  Here is what is going on at SUA in the upcoming weeks:

• Wednesday, December 6, 6:30 pm, Showcase Night:  If you know of a prospective student and family who is interested in learning more about SUA, our Admissions Team is hosting a Showcase Night in the Keller Center.  Walk-ins are welcome if you have anyone with whom you want to extend a personal invitation.
• Thursday, December 7, 8:30 am start for Gold Bell Day: During the Gold Bell, students in grades 9-11 will enjoy grade level Christmas Parties sponsored by Student Council, and our seniors are looking forward to a lunch off-campus, one of our senior privileges.
• Friday, December 8, schoolwide Mass and 7 pm SUAVE Showcase:  We will celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with a schoolwide Mass, so please remind students about the need for their Mass sweaters.  At 7 pm, SUAVE, our award-winning SUA Vocal Ensemble group, will host a Christmas Showcase in the theater.  The Celebration of Carols in the past week involved all of our vocal and instrumental music groups, and it was phenomenal!  If you need a Christmas spirit boost, I am sure the Showcase is the answer!
• Monday, December 11, 5th bell, Cocoa and Christmas:  This is a Campus Ministry event open to all students.  The students will share fellowship and faith over cocoa in the Innovation Center.  
• Friday, December 15, Winter Pep Rally:  We have our Winter Pep Rally to celebrate the winter sports as well as other student groups.  The theme is superheroes, so students may come in costume if they wish. 
• Monday, December 18, last “regular” day of the 2nd quarter
• Tuesday, December 19, and Wednesday, December 20, exam days:  The specific schedule will be in next week’s Bulletin.  Please note that December 21 is set aside as an emergency make-up exam day in case of inclement weather. 

If you have any questions or concerns about our schedule, the two-week calendar is a great place to check.  Also, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Go Bulldogs!

Kathy