The Ursuline Update Archive

September 4, 2026

September 2026

4 - Tricentennial Traditions Day

7 - Lily House and Academy Closed for Labor Day holiday - No School

24 - Mane Event at City Park

25 - Late Arrival for Lily House - 12th Grade at 9:30 a.m.

Parents and guests must enter the building through the front office. The front office opens at 7:30 a.m. All Lower School (K-4th) and Middle School (5th-7th) students must be dropped off in the carport area. Faculty and Student Ambassadors will ensure all students are brought to Lion's Den/Legacy Dining Hall, where faculty are waiting to receive them. Parents and guests, please refrain from entering the Ramp Door and walking your student to Lion's Den before school starts.

This policy is in place to maintain a secure environment for all students and staff. Unrestricted access to the building during these high-traffic times makes it difficult for us to verify who is on campus. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our campus safe!

Today is Ursuline Academy's opening Tricentennial event – Tricentennial Traditions Day.

We'll begin the day with a special Mass celebrated by Ursuline Chaplain Father Ajani Gibson at St. Louis Cathedral. All Ursuline students in Lower School (K-4th), Middle School (5th-7th), and High School (8th-12th) and our faculty will attend. Please note that campus will be closed to students at 8:30 a.m. If your daughter does not arrive on campus by 8:30 a.m., the front office will accept late students starting at 11:30 a.m.

Student check-in is not permitted at the Cathedral.

Parents are welcome to join us for a community gathering at 2:30 p.m. in the State Street Horseshoe. Student Council members will lead a prayer service, followed by the unveiling of a new, student- painted art installation. Our afternoon will end in true New Orleans fashion – with a local sweet treat followed by student dismissal. Lower School (K-4th), Middle School (5th-7th) parents planning to attend should check their students out with their homeroom teacher following the dedication. Students with parents not in attendance will be dismissed as usual.

On Wednesday, September 16, hearing and vision screenings will be offered for Pre-K through 7th-grade students. Please note that only those who have signed the Ochsner Nurse Consent form in Blackbaud will be able to be screened. Those who have their consent forms signed need to bring any eyeglasses, contacts, and hearing aids at the time of the testing.

We hope to see you at Parents' Club Mane Event at City Park on Thursday, September 24, from 6-9 p.m. Wristbands and shirts can be purchased HERE. The t-shirt order deadline is Tuesday, September 8, at 10 a.m. Wristbands will be sold through the event. Students will be allowed to wear their Mane Event shirts to school on Thursday, September 24, with the rest of their school uniform. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families! You're encouraged to invite friends, neighbors, cousins, and grandfriends. Please note that City Park is cashless.

After the exciting night out at Mane Event, all of our students can enjoy sleeping in the next morning, as there is a 9:30 a.m. late arrival to school on Friday, September 25, 2026.

Campus will not open until 9:30 a.m. Classes will start promptly at 10 a.m.

Volunteering is about so much more than checking off a task. It’s about modeling our core value of Serviam, meaning "I will serve." It is showing your child that her school matters, building relationships with other families, supporting our teachers, and investing in a community that will shape her for years to come.

If you are volunteering to complete a Work Study obligation for the 2026-2027 school year, please be reminded that the deadline to submit all hours is March 31, 2027. For questions regarding Work Study, please contact business@uanola.org.

Safe Environment Training

We are committed to providing a safe environment for your daughters and strive to ensure that the Ursuline Academy protects and promotes their health and well-being. As part of that commitment, and in accordance with the Archdiocesan requirements, every school year we provide our students with age-appropriate information to help keep them safe from abuse.  

As part of the Safe Environment training required by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, all students in grades K-12 will receive a lesson provided by the Archdiocese. K-6 religion teachers will share the material, and counselors will deliver the material to grades 7-12. Safe Environment training will take place in your daughter’s classes by the end of the semester. The lesson is under one hour.

If you have any reservations about your daughter participating, please do not hesitate to reach out to us, and we will be more than happy to talk to you about your concerns and offer alternatives, if necessary.

• Parents with students in grades K-6th grades may email jnettles@uanola.org
• Parents with students in grades 7th-9th grades may email dmcallister@uanola.org
• Parents with students in grades 10th-12th grades may email tbuccino@uanola.org

High School Counseling

Senior parents, please ensure your student books their first session with College Counselor Ms. Pilkington by today, Friday, September 4, using the link available on the MAC announcement page. Should you have any questions or require support, do not hesitate to contact her by email at cpilkington@uanola.org or by phone at 504-861-9150.

All Learning Profile letters for high school students went out this week. The deadline to return is Tuesday, September 8. If you have any questions for 7th-9th grades, please contact dmcallister@uanola.org. If you have any questions for 10th-12th grades, please contact tbuccino@uanola.org.

Lions on the Loose is a fee-based, after-school enrichment program offered to our Toddler 3-4th Grade students. Ursuline partners with vendors to offer a variety of class choices for our students, allowing them the opportunity to try out new things conveniently after school hours and on campus! 

Registration is through our partners. Click below for information about our Fall 2026 partner offerings.

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. 

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.

Ray Dass is offering free PSAT/SAT Booster Sessions to all students at Ursuline Academy. In these sessions, they will provide high-value content that the students can take advantage of in the weeks leading up to the tests.

Click on the link below to review the schedule for the PSAT/SAT BOOSTER sessions (Zoom links are included). The first review begins on Sunday, September 6, 2026.

We hope you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. As a reminder, all 10th and 11th-graders will take the PSAT at school on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

Please note that the Google Doc schedule is live, so you will be able to see "in real time" if any changes have been made.

Are you a responsible, enthusiastic high school student who enjoys working with young children? Ursuline Academy's Early Childhood Program is currently seeking dependable high school students to assist with our Aftercare Program for the upcoming school year. If you're interested and would like more information, please email manthony@uanola.org.

Parents of 7th-grade students are invited to connect with fellow Ursuline Academy parents, hear from Ursuline leadership, and engage in meaningful conversation about your daughter's transition into high school at the 7th Grade Parent Coffee on Wednesday, September 9, from 7:45-8:30 a.m. in Sisters' Dining Room. Kindly RSVP by today, Friday, September 4, using the button below.

Chapel is a holy time for our Lower School (K-4th) and Middle School (5th-7th) students to reflect on our school's mission and theme in a creative and relatable way. Chapel Services are student-led and planned. The 7th Grade class is sponsoring and leading the September Chapel Service in coordination with the Chapel committee. Parents and Grandfriends are welcome to attend!

Mark your calendars! Lily House pictures will be taken on Monday, October 5.