October 17, 2025

"Spread Peace"

As a reminder, if you wish for your child to purchase breakfast and/or after-school snacks from our UA Café by charging it to her MyKidsSpending account, you can add funds and keep track of their expenses using the MyKidsSpending app.

Please be aware that because breakfast and snacks are optional offerings, our system will not allow your child to make a purchase if their MyKidsSpending account is negative. 

All students in grades 4th-12th are required to show their ID to purchase breakfast or after-school snacks if using their MyKidsSpending account; 1st-3rd grade students will be able to give their name.

If the student tries to purchase breakfast or a snack but does not have a MyKidsSpending account or if the account does not have available funds, the student will receive a letter to notify their parent.

If you would NOT like your daughter to have the option to purchase breakfast or after-school snacks, please email our Sage Dining Director at cmiller@sagedining.com, and your daughter's account will be suspended.

How to create a MyKidsSpending account

• Please click here to create a MyKidsSpending account.
• Click the green button “create account or add student.” Fill in the information. (You do not need a student ID#.)
• Once completed, click either “add a student” or complete registration. You will receive an email from My Kids Spending with your user ID.
• If you have any questions, please contact support@mykidsspending.com.

How to add money to MyKidsSpending

• Log on to your MyKidsSpending account. 
• Click “Auto Transfers” to add account information. 
• Click “Fund Account” to add funds. There is also a FAQ section on the main page.
• Want to fund your students' accounts on the go? The MyKidsSpending App is available for free on iOS and Android devices.

• Monday, October 20, at 4 p.m. - 7th Grade Volleyball vs. Trinity in the Wellness Center Gym
• Tuesday, October 21, at 4:30 p.m. - Junior Varsity and Varsity Volleyball vs. Sacred Heart in the Ourso Gym
• Wednesday, October 22, at 4 p.m. - 5th and 6th Grade Volleyball vs. Immaculate Conception in the Wellness Center Gym
• Wednesday, October 22, at 4:45 p.m. - 7th Grade Volleyball vs. Immaculate Conception in the Wellness Center Gym

Ursuline is too special to remain the “best kept secret in town.” We need your help! You can assist us by:

• Submitting a referral here. Do you know a student who should be invited to visit Ursuline? Please complete the form here to be sure they receive an invitation to an Ursuline event this fall. For every referral you submit, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a $125 gift card to Haase’s Shoe Store. The winner will be selected on December 1, 2025. Every referral equals an entry into the drawing. 

• Share your Ursuline Academy pride by displaying a yard sign. Current families get a special discount, and unlike the open house yard signs, these can be displayed year-round! Use parent discount code UAYARD25.  

• Please share our content on social media. We’ll be promoting our Spend a Days, High School Tours, and hope you encourage families you know to come experience Ursuline for themselves.

Thank you to everyone who attended the parent informational meeting earlier this week. For those of you who weren't able to join us, the presentation with introductory information, pricing, and details is linked.

This trip will take place from June 1-9, 2026, and is currently open only to the classes of 2027 and 2028. The deadline to sign up is today, Friday, October 17.

Please contact Chiara Azzaretti if you have questions!

There are still a few spots open for current 10th and 11th-graders to register for a faith-based experience rooted in sustainability and community at Bethlehem Farm from June 7-13, 2026, in Alderson, WV. This experience is inspired and informed by Pope Francis' Laudato Si' encyclical, which focuses on care for the natural environment and all people.

This trip is a true example of Serviam in action, giving our girls the opportunity to serve in the U.S. alongside students from other Ursuline schools.

The application is open here and requires a $50 deposit via check made out to Ursuline Academy to save your spot. For any questions, please email Campus Minister Ms. Beth Joubert at bjoubert@uanola.org.

We need your help with the required federal paperwork to keep the extra services that benefit all our students. This anonymous survey takes two minutes. 

Please complete one survey per child by October 24, 2025. This routine documentation helps us maintain valuable services that strengthen education for every student.

The Work Study Job sign-up is now open for the period from September 2 - November 21. To sign up for a job, please visit the link here. Please contact the Business Office at business@uanola.org if you have additional questions about work study. Non-work study families can volunteer via this form as well. Many hands make light work!

Thank you to all of the UA fathers and father figures who joined us for the Parents' Club Back to School Brews at Urban South over the weekend! UA Dads, if you would like to receive communication specific to the Dads Committee, please sign up using the link below.

Pre-K-7th Grade Hearing & Vision Screenings on Tuesday, October 28

On Tuesday, October 28, hearing and vision screenings will be offered for Pre-K through 7th-grade students. Homeroom teachers will disperse hard copies of permission forms to the students. The form can also be found here. Please note that only those who have signed permission slips will be screened. Those who have their permission forms signed need to bring any eyeglasses, contacts, and hearing aids at the time of the testing.

Please return the signed consent form to Mrs. Nettles by Thursday, October 23.

High School Counseling

By now, seniors should have finalized their college list, including reach, target, and likely schools; registered for any final ACT exams if necessary; completed drafting their college essays; and begun working with their families on the FAFSA, which opened on September 26.

• Friday, October 24 Noon-12:50 p.m. - Marist University
• Tuesday, October 28 Noon-12:50 p.m. - George Washington University
• Wednesday, October 29 Noon-12:50 p.m. - St. Mary's University

Parents, families, alumnae, and friends of Ursuline, join us for the 78th Rally on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. in the Ourso Gym! Pre-ordered wristbands were sent home with your daughters yesterday. Students who have not yet purchased wristbands can buy them in the Gym during lunch.

General admission tickets and concession tickets will still be available for purchase at the door. Please note that we are a cashless event.

Admission Only Tickets for Parents/Families/Alumnae/Guests: $15

Admission-only rally tickets will be available at the door for $15. These tickets include admission only; concessions are not included, and concessions will not be available for individual purchase only. Concessions are only available with wristband tickets.

General Admission & Concessions - Parents/Families/Alumnae/Guests Wristband: $30

This wristband includes admission to Rally 2025 and concessions for parents, families, alumnae, and guests! This wristband includes three pull tags that can be used for all specialty food/snack options - jambalaya, “Mac” and cheese, and snoballs - sold during intermission, and allows for unlimited drinks, chips, and candy!

4th-12th Grade Students and Faculty/Staff Wristband: $15

Students in grades 4 - 12 and faculty/staff DO NOT need to pay to enter Rally 2025, but can purchase a wristband for all specialty food/snack options at the door - jambalaya, “Mac” and cheese, and snoballs, which will be sold during intermission. In addition, the wristband will allow for unlimited drinks, chips, and candy!

SWE is bringing its annual half-day student program, Invent It. Build It. (IIBI) — to New Orleans on Saturday, October 25, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70130. If you have questions regarding this event, please email outreach@swe.org.

Sophomores and Juniors will take the PSAT on the morning of Wednesday, October 29. For Juniors, this is the qualifying test for the National Merit program. Students will receive information about the test, including creating a College Board account, the format of the test, and how to access prep materials. Parents, please make sure that your student is at school on time on Wednesday, October 29, and has a charged computer. If a student misses the test on the 29th, she will be able to make it up on the 30th or 31st, but the test can't be taken past those dates.

Students will receive their scores electronically, so it is very important that they create a College Board account in advance of taking the exam. General questions can be sent to Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, Jennie Guidry, and questions regarding College Board Accommodations can be sent to the students' counselor, Tracy Buccino.

Sophomores and Juniors will be able to leave following the exam (approximately 11:15 a.m. for standard time and 12:30 p.m. for extended time). Please note this is a regular full day of school for 8th, 9th, and 12th gradersthey must. 

Join us for Halloween fun on Friday, October 31, at 8:30 a.m.! Children should come in potty-friendly costumes with a change of clothes. Families must sign out through Brightwheel from their child's classroom to guide their child during trick-or-treating, then enjoy crafts, the pumpkin patch, and festive activities together.

Please send nut-free, individually wrapped treats or trinkets by Oct. 24 (no hard candy/lollipops). Bring a picnic blanket and a Halloween snack to enjoy after the activities.

After the fun, children may go home or return to class by 10:30 a.m. for the rest of the day. No aftercare—pickup is at 3 p.m.

Join us at Ursuline Academy for an elegant evening celebrating nearly three centuries of Ursuline tradition and excellence. La Fête 299 is our annual gala and auction, a signature event that brings together our community to honor Ursuline’s legacy and invest in its future. 

If you own a business and would like to support the Academy, please consider donating an item, gift card, or experience. If you would like to donate a bottle of wine for the Wine Pull, please contact development@uanola.org.

Thank You to the La Fête 299 Presenting Lily Sponsor

Thank You to the La Fête 299 Rose Garden Sponsors

The Nelson Family

Ursuline Academy is proud and excited to once again host our annual Bach Contest on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The Ursuline Academy Bach Contest, founded in 1960 by Sr. Elizabeth Marie Landry, OSU, began with piano and now includes a strings division, and is open to all students in the greater New Orleans area.

Registration for the 2026 Bach Contest is now open and due by Saturday, February 28, 2026.

If you have any questions, please email bach@uanola.org.

Each week, a designated student will take home an 11" resin statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor along with an intention card. Each intention card will be collected and remembered in prayer by our community. Students will be able to keep Our Lady in their home from Friday through Tuesday, returning her to school on Wednesday. 

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, patroness of our city and state, hasten to help us!

In the spirit of community, we would love to pray for the special intentions of our Ursuline family. Prayer intentions can be submitted through this form. Please note that during our Academy Masses, we mention the names of families who have lost loved ones.

If you have recently lost a loved one and would like your family name to be mentioned during Mass, please complete this form.