Saint Ursula School           3937 Kirk Avenue           Allison Park, Pennsylvania 15101           412 486-5511           www.stursulaschool.org  

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St. Ursula Parish

Republished from the Spring Newsletter:

 

Dear St. Ursula Family and Friends,
     As Sarah graduates from St. Ursula this June, we wanted to take the opportunity to share some thoughts as we reflect on our time here. Over the last 12 years we have been a part of the St. Ursula family. The experience our daughters Elizabeth and Sarah have had as a result of these grade school years have been invaluable. They have grown and developed in these halls and under the guidance and genuine caring eyes of a wonderful faculty, principal, Sister Joanita and loving school families.
Where has the time gone? You don’t believe people when they say how quickly these years pass. As we begin to look at colleges with a “high school junior to be” this summer, we now have an appreciation. Mrs. Hofbauer was our orientation to St. Ursula, and could there be any better way to introduce someone to this school? That was only the beginning of the wonderful journey. Whether it was memorizing the letter people script, learning multiplication tables, struggling through phonics, or being involved in the musicals beginning in third grade, they gained an understanding of the importance of perseverance as a way to gain confidence and presence.
     Combine those experiences with the faith based education our children have had the privilege to receive. At St. Ursula’s, heartwarming Christmas plays and concerts are performed with the birth of Jesus front and center as the focus with no requirement to reference a “Sparkle Season”. Our daughters learned the importance of serving be it student council, student aides, altar serving or cantering at mass as a way to give back their gifts to the Lord. Building on gifts, another important facet of their experience is an appreciation for good sportsmanship through the work of a number of devoted volunteer coaches across a number of sports where everyone participated to be sure the kids had a team!
But they aren’t the only ones who have gained. As parents, we have reaped a wonderful gift. Some of our best friendships have been forged at St. Ursula during fund raising and sporting events. We have learned in spades the greater your involvement, the larger the payback. Being involved in your child’s school is so rewarding. Not only does the school win-- but our children learn a valuable lesson about the need to step up and serve. They need to understand that hard work is a part of life and sometimes things go the way you want and sometimes they don’t go as planned. Consider the important life lesson they have taken from the flood at St Ursula in 2007-2008, that resulted in gaining an appreciation of how to adjust when you encounter some bumps in the road and you forge ahead to a creative Plan B, which may perhaps be even better than the original expectation. They have been given a wonderful holistic faith based education that they will be with them for their lives. It is a truly solid foundation to continue to build on.
     We will truly miss all of you and want to thank the many parents, faculty and staff we come to know and developed close friendships partnering to build a great school for our children. It has been very encouraging to see so many people involved and supportive of their children’s education. It helps to form very well rounded students as they gain an appreciation not only for academics, but the value of their faith, the arts and sports. It also makes for a great deal of fun at these events. We will truly miss all of you and wish the school and all the families nothing but success.

God bless you all,
Gary & Jane Ann Regan

 

Editor’s Note: If I titled this letter, it would be More Than the Three Rs at St. Ursula. It’s not just Reading, Writing and Arithmetic but lessons in Religion, Responsibility, and Resilience that have proven to be equally important parts of a solid education base. Jane Ann & Gary have been perfect examples of people passionate for the cause, taking leadership roles and doing the hard work at St. Ursula School to get the job done. Gary served on Long Range Planning, Fund Raising, Finance and Budgeting and coaching on sports teams. Jane Ann has clocked countless volunteer hours and served as the Chair for many years on the school’s annual Pot O’ Gold Dinner Auction. Her perseverance in the early years of this event has made it the success it is today. Many parents have decided to walk in their footsteps because of their efforts. Thanks a bunch, Gary and Jane Ann!
 

January Update
Here is the news from Mrs. Heyl’s room …
     Third grade has been working hard making inventions! They started by exploring textures and then developed a game using those textures. The games were very interesting and the class had a lot of fun playing them! The students are now developing some very creative ways to solve problems in their daily lives from forgetting their homework to cleaning up messes on the floor. We may have an Edison in our midst! Only time will tell!
     The Fourth Grade has been doing a lot of different things. We have Lego robots that are waiting to be programmed. Because of a generous donation, I now have a computer that will support the software and so they will make their robots move this week.
     They are also using the Voyage of the Mimi series to explore the ocean and marine life. They made topographic maps and are now working on research that will culminate in building a model of the ocean floor. (I also have made time in the Science schedule for them to regularly visit the library once a week.)
     Fifth grade has just finished making electric quiz boards and magnetic trains. They just finished making some changes to the “sails” on the train cars and will race them this week. There are some pretty interesting devices! Be sure to stop by and see their creations at parent conferences.
     Eight grade is working on research papers in Science. They have each chosen a topic that interests them and are using the internet gather their information. The topics range from global warming and climate change to the use of steroids by athletes.

The 8th Grade Class of 2009
The 8th grade recently received the sacrament of Confirmation and they created banners in remembrance of the event. The banners were in the church for a few weeks and are now on display in the school cafeteria.

Middle School Project

Middle School Project continues as students research and design projects to coincide with Pittsburgh’s 250th birthday. Did you know Pittsburgh was the birthplace of Silly Putty, Zippo Lighters and the Ferris Wheel? Look for these and many more exciting stories coming to life in the halls of our middle school!

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School Supplies list 2008-09

 

Please visit Math & Science website for more supplies for the 8th grade Math & Science classes.
 

St. Ursula School    Enter to Grow    Exit to Serve