13 minute read
On Campus
Constantly Changing
If there is one thing in life that’s inevitable, it is change.
Change is constant and change is good. It makes us stop, think, and shift focus so that we can fully grow and move forward. Through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ursuline community has proven that it can take a great big change and adapt quickly and effectively.
However, the need to be prepared for anything that comes our way didn’t come without its trials and errors. Two unforeseen events – a tornado in fall 2019 and the onset of the COVID-19 last spring – put our processes to the test and showed us where our training sessions needed to be tweaked.
What did we learn?
• An E-Day Protocol Training Package was needed to focus on applications best suited to remote learning. When enacted, it would give a near perfect platform to continue teaching and learning under any circumstance. • In-classroom applications and remote learning applications needed to be the same so the shift wouldn’t be a drastic transition.
Cue the new and improved trainings! From November 2019 to February 2020, Ursuline employees participated in monthly training sessions. When the school closed in March 2020, those trainings became daily.
Technology that allowed teachers to be productive in the classroom and teach remotely was implemented. When utilized correctly, it enables enough flexibility to learn and teach anywhere. Coupled with consistent training, we achieved incredible results.
The pandemic changed the face of education and made us think of innovative ways to teach, present, meet, and collaborate. And as the future of the education landscape continues to change, we also continue to adapt and improve.
As a Microsoft Showcase School, pushing boundaries is what we do. Ursuline employees are encouraged to participate in technology and application training, MIE Certifications, and MIE Experts Certification. As time goes on, online courses may become a more consistent offering on campus. Equipment will need to be adjusted so students feel part of the on-campus class, while still being remote.
Looking forward, we challenge ourselves to deliver the best, and when faced with adversity, be ready to “turn on a dime” and deliver the tools and support needed.
We can do anything we set our mind to and we can do it well with enough preparation, hard work, and determination.
Ursuline technology does not stand still.
Growth Mindset
by Shea Elam-Henley, Instructional Technologist
by Jules McGee Musal ’08, Instructional Technologist
I once read a quote that stated, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance” (Author Unknown). The spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic proved just how true this is.
The Ursuline Technology Department had been preparing teachers for e-Day learning ever since the tornado came and shook things up. We learned from this devastating natural disaster that we must be ready and prepared for anything that may shift the way we teach and learn.
Luckily, we had already been providing training on various instructional technology applications and programs. But, when school officially closed due to the pandemic, our efforts and support ramped up. Virtual Daily Lunch Trainings were born with the goal of providing applications and tools that could be leveraged in the best possible way for e-Learning.
From noon-1:00 p.m. every day, Ursuline employees were invited to attend these trainings. Sessions on Teams, OneNote, Flipgrid, Stream, and Forms as well as open Q&A forums gave Ursuline employees the tools and experience needed for a successful e-Learning experience.
With the courage and confidence to utilize these applications and tools, Ursuline educators provided their students with a meaningful and smooth e-Learning experience. Having a Growth Mindset is important because, as educators, we are committed to being lifelong learners.
A Seamless Transition
Transitioning to online learning during a pandemic was not something I ever thought I’d do during my career as a Math teacher.
Before the shutdown, I implemented Teams as a platform to engage with my classes, post assignments, and chat with students. OneNote was utilized heavily, so my students were already familiar with where content was located.
Videos of my lessons helped maintain a sense of class structure and allowed class time to be used for answering questions and clarifying concepts. The content and homework assignments were structured in the same format as if we were together in class and weekly plans posted ahead of time helped students know what was expected of them. I wanted my students to feel as though they were transitioning seamlessly from inperson to online learning.
While distance learning was difficult, I learned more about my teaching style, how to use technology in the classroom, and was able to dig into new features that ultimately helped me transition into my new role as Instructional Technologist.
Our Culture of Learning
The uniqueness of the individual is a core value of Ursuline education. At Ursuline, the student is at the center of her learning experience. Professional learning supports this belief by asking: How can we increase student learning?
The professional learning framework for teachers encourages mission-driven growth in the areas of leadership, pedagogy, technology, mission and heritage, and subject/content knowledge. The framework centers around choice, giving professionals the ability to choose how they develop to fulfill the goals and vision of the school and support the needs of the students.
Like student learning, professional learning at Ursuline is meant to meet teachers where they are in their growth and support them in their learning. It is goal-driven, mission aligned, and provides faculty with flexibility in deciding how and what they learn.
Each year faculty members create professional goals that identify one or two areas where the individual teacher wishes to learn and grow in his or her craft. They also participate in weekly, peer-led professional learning opportunities.
Teachers grow and learn from each other through learning walks, educator showcases, departmental curriculum groups, departmental learning time, and collaborative learning events, all of which focus on missiondriven trends in education.
Professional learning also strives to give educators the opportunity to work on projects that they do not normally have time to work on. Throughout the year, educators will spend time with “passion projects” during genius hours. They can also apply for an innovation time grant, which provides time and opportunity to work on significant development projects.
Teacher Mentoring
The professional learning framework at UA strives to build authentic peer collaboration and develop teacher leaders; the teachers lead, support, and learn from each other.
Teachers new to Ursuline receive a teacher mentor during their first year. The program includes structured in-service, mentor/mentee classrooms, and opportunities for reflection on what they are learning.
Corby Baxter, Professional Learning Coordinator and English Faculty, characterized Ursuline’s teacher mentoring program as a great example of faculty leadership on campus.
“The program was designed by a teacher, Bernardo Aparicio, who saw a need and took initiative to create it,” he said.
Peer-to-Peer Learning Strengthening Relationships
Strong trusting relationships between students and their teachers are foundational to a great learning experience. Faculty have received training in topics to support relationship building such as inclusion practices, social emotional support, wellness strategies, and Ursuline mission.
Social emotional learning is a strength at Ursuline, where each student knows they have an engaged adult advocate on campus. Ursuline’s unique advisory program pairs every student with a faculty or staff member who serves as their advisor for four years.
“Great student reach is distinctive at Ursuline…we do it right, we do it well. In the context of a Catholic School that is so important,” Elizabeth Smith added. “It’s about love!”
Department chairs meet with teachers about their individual growth goals and coach them through feedback. There are several support roles, such as the professional learning coordinator, which provide non-supervisory support for learning.
Teachers also teach each other through educator showcases on topics ranging from strategies for a hybrid classroom to learning about learning.
At a recent educator showcase, Kate Kaires Schenck ’97, English Faculty, presented a report on the progress of her Innovation Time Grant, Teaching Writing with Student Well-Being Competencies. It was the third English Department grant in three years enabling innovative curriculum development for Personalized Learning.
Teachers regularly present on the local and national levels and have presented at a variety of conferences such as The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, OESIS, National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM), and The American Names Society. 100% of Ursuline faculty took an online course in 2020 from One Schoolhouse titled, “Designing, Building & Teaching for Hybrid Learning.” The majority of the faculty have also taken the personalized learning courses offered by One Schoolhouse, which offers support for professional learning related to wellness, student choice, and online learning.
One Schoolhouse helps Ursuline offer flexible, on-demand learning experiences that give faculty more choice: choice in how they learn, what they learn, and when they learn.
One Schoolhouse also provides online classes for Ursuline students.
UNITED TOGETHER, ALL OF ONE HEART, ONE WILL Our Commitment
Community & Inclusion is a school-wide priority at Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Our Ursuline Core Values and Catholic Social Teachings make this work foundational to who we are. As expressed in our statement below, St. Angela’s words illuminate the vision set forth for us.
We are committed to action, engaging our community in critical conversations and working together to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure that all feel valued and welcome. We understand our role as an educational institution to promote justice in all facets of life, for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and for all who are disenfranchised in society.
Over the past three years, Ursuline’s work in this area has been guided by our own current strategic roadmap and the best practices established for independent schools by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS).
Our Statement
The Ursuline Academy of Dallas Statement of Community & Inclusion was developed in Fall 2019 by an Ad Hoc committee of board members, administrators, faculty, parents, past parents, alumnae, and students, unanimously endorsed by the Board of Trustees, and shared with the Ursuline community.
Grounded in our Catholic tradition and in the words of St. Angela, Ursuline Academy of Dallas celebrates, values, and respects the rich tapestry of humanity.
We desire for each student to feel that she is known and fixed in our hearts.
We strive for excellence in promoting diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice.
We believe that all individuals experience the world through various dimensions such as age, ethnic heritage, religious tradition, gender, mental/physical ability, economic status, immigration status, education, family structure, body size/shape, race, sexual orientation, and more.
We create global citizenship by recognizing and cultivating our interconnectedness to each other and the greater global community.
We seek to identify and to challenge all forms of prejudice, discrimination, and injustice.
We, all members of the Ursuline Academy of Dallas community - students, faculty and staff, alumnae, administration, parents, family, and Board of Trustees - are responsible for the ongoing advancement of our inclusive community.
“My last word to you is that you live in harmony, united together (Insieme) all of one heart and one will: Be bound to one another by the bond of charity, esteeming each other, bearing with each other in Jesus Christ.” - St. Angela Merici
Belinda Grant-Anderson Community & Inclusion Committee Chair Ursuline Academy of Dallas Board of Trustees
Our Call to Action
Ursuline students and employees are engaging in a variety of programs and activities to educate, strengthen awareness of issues, and create opportunities for achieving our goals.
Highlights of actions taken to date in the 2020-2021 school year:
• The Community & Inclusion page on the Ursuline website was expanded to include a wide range of educational resources for the UA community on systemic racism and its impacts, along with ways to take action against it.
• The Board of Trustees Chair, C&I
Committee Chair, and Ursuline’s
President and Principal met alumnae representatives to reiterate Ursuline’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, support for the black community, and the school’s obligation to act against racism.
• Dr. Andrea Shurley, Principal, hosted a robust conversation with students from the African American Association and the Student C&I Council, who offered many perspectives and opportunities for improvement. • Dr. Patty LaValle and Cecilia Nipp ’86 were named Interim Co-Coordinators for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the 2020-2021 school year. The cocoordinators hosted conversations during the August 2020 Faculty In-
Service, “C&I at Ursuline – Past,
Present and Future.” They also presented to the Board of Trustees in
November.
• A twice-monthly DEI newsletter has been established for faculty and staff, offering opportunities for engagement and action.
• Ursuline hosted the first virtual meeting of DADYO (Dallas Area
Diversity Youth Organization) in October.
• Employees have participated in a series of ISAS webinars about Racial Literacy and Anti-Racism education. • Six Ursuline students attended the annual NAIS Student Diversity
Leadership Conference (SDLC) in conjunction with the NAIS People of
Color Conference (POCC).
• Life Skills Classes on Community &
Inclusion for all Freshman students were held November 12 – December 8 (see story on facing page).
• The Ursuline Athletic Department is partnering with the University of
North Texas Sport Psych Center in its
Race Matters program. Coaches attend workshops every other week to increase understanding of systemic racism and to develop tools to promote social justice.
A Roadmap for the Future
The Community & Inclusion Committee of the Ursuline Board of Trustees continues its work to build out a C&I Roadmap for Ursuline. A key step in that process is now underway with the search for a permanent internal position for the 2021-2022 school year.
As a member of the School Administration team, the Director of Community & Inclusion will provide focused, strategic leadership to sustain and strengthen current diversity initiatives and to develop mindful, innovative school-wide practices and programs in the areas of equity and inclusion in the context of Ursuline’s Catholic Identity.
The Director will also participate in faculty recruitment, development, and retention, as well as student recruitment and retention, curriculum development, and student life.
The Greatest of These is Love
Last fall the 217 members of Ursuline’s freshman class participated in a Community & Inclusion seminar designed to promote student well-being. The goal of the program is to equip, educate, and engage students in ways that foster inclusion and encourage empathy for others. Structured to examine the broad scope of diversity, the seminar was the first to be offered to Freshmen in Ursuline’s new Life Skills curriculum.
Over six sessions, students worked individually and in groups to learn more about themselves, to gain insights about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to practice empathy through a Catholic lens. Themes included Exploring Identity, Embracing Empathy, Practicing Respect, Considering Perspective, and Leaning into Resources.
Students were also asked to consider three critical questions: 1) What do we know? 2) What don’t we know? And 3) What do we hope?
The ensuing discussions explored understanding of race as a social, political construction of knowledge, the difference between equality and equity, and better understanding of the multiple perspectives and experiences that shape individual viewpoints.
Students reflected on their own identifiers – name, gender, faith, ethnicity, culture, stories, and goals. In their feedback at the end of the seminar, students named their Catholic faith and their relationships among the identifiers of which they are most proud.
The seminar was led by Ashley Rae Mathis, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management. Other faculty facilitators included Estela Ayala, Assistant Director of Admissions; Jeff Girard, Social Studies; and Kate Schenck, English.
The Five UA Community Norms*
“In this ever-changing world, it is imperative that we equip our girls with tools to engage in meaningful conversations about race, gender, religion, and respect for others,” Ms. Mathis said.
Ashley Rae Mathis Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management Be engaged Speak your truth Experience discomfort Act with accountability Remember the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13)
*Based on the COURAGEOUS CONVERSATION protocol for engaging, sustaining, and deepening interracial dialogue by Glenn E. Singleton and adopted by Ursuline in August 2020.
