Dear SUA Community,

One of the things that we love about the Christmas season is the tradition.  Many families mark this time of year with special activities that occur year after year.  The traditions tie us to our past, create a sense of belonging and community, and serve as calming touchpoints in an ever-changing world.  

We celebrate many traditions at Saint Ursula Academy in these weeks before Christmas.  As we walk through Chapel Hall each day, the Nativity scene surrounded by brilliantly lighted trees reminds us all of the miracle of Jesus’s birth and the Light that He is for our world. The annual Christmas Tea in the Parlor rooms brings together generations of alumnae.  One of my favorite traditions is the Christmas Concert in the Chapel when today’s musicians enter with candles singing the same song that the postulates of the Ursulines of Cincinnati did when they welcomed their families for an evening of Christmas hymns many years ago.  This week today’s students are enjoying a Christmas Spirit Week to add some fun to this last week of classes.  Their excitement for the season brings a lot of joy to our campus.

Amid the festivities, there is a lot of work to be done to wrap up the quarter and prepare for exams.  Schedules are exceptionally full this year, so here are some reminders for the week ahead:

• Today is the deadline for students in grades 9-11 to submit their minimester request form.  Please check in with your daughter to make certain she has submitted her form.  We will be working on matching students to their requests in the upcoming week and need all students to share this critical information.  
• As previously shared, the Talent Show has been rescheduled to February from Friday, December 13.  The school day this Friday will start at 8 am as a result.  
• Also on Friday 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!
• Quarter exams are on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.  Please refer to the two-week calendar for the exact exam times that correspond to your daughter’s schedule.  

Finally, please keep the Class of 2025 in your prayers.  This is the time of year when they start to learn of admissions decisions.  Our seniors can relate to the waiting and longing of Advent in a special way as they learn of these decisions, and we pray for peace and hope for them.

Go Bulldogs!

Kathy