Dear Kristy,

Our St. Ursula Villa community has much to be thankful for, as illustrated in this Villa View. Despite the week-long Thanksgiving break, November was a month full of student discovery, community building, and spiritual growth.

The new Villa Adventure Trail truly sets our school apart with innovative learning in an outdoor setting connecting our unique campus with literacy and other student experiences. Donated by our amazing Villa Parents Organization, the Villa Adventure Trail is dedicated to beloved former teacher Nancy Moormann and we are excited to see all the different ways the Adventure Trail will be used!

As we approach the magical Christmas season, I hope you and your family will enjoy St. Ursula Villa's wonderful holiday traditions - old and new. From the Tree Lighting and Elves Shelves to Christmas Concerts and Polar Express, the Villa community shares meaningful experiences that deeply enrich our school, our students, and our families. We are so thankful to be together!

Sincerely,

Jody Sedler

President

Toddlers used scarves to explore rhythm and movement during Music class.

It is exciting to see the various ways "Leader in Me" is incorporated into classrooms and student experiences!

Every year, the Spanish classroom turns into an altar, or “ofrenda” (offering) to celebrate the Day of the Dead holiday. Junior High Spanish students created an "ofrenda" to remember someone important to them who has passed on - either a family member, friend, personal hero, or famous historical individual from a Spanish-speaking country. The “ofrenda” included some of the favorite foods, photos, music, colors, flowers, or other objects of the person remembered.

Traditional 4-year-olds created their placemats and name cards in preparation for their Thanksgiving Feast and classroom party.

5th graders finished the book Wonder, then applied the elements of characterization by using the acronym PAIRS to identify the details of each character's physical appearance, actions, inner thoughts, reactions of other characters to that character, and examples of their speech. Students then illustrated their assigned character on large pieces of paper upon which classmates wrote a factual action, inner thought, reaction of others, and speech example that exhibited how the character is represented in the book.

Preschoolers learn primary, secondary, and tertiary colors with this Montessori work.

Parents served as an enthusiastic audience for 1st graders' First Thanksgiving Play, where students enacted and told the story behind the holiday.

Pre-Algebra students work to complete a challenging Tarsia puzzle by matching equivalent fractions (inclusive of variables and exponents).

Villa students in preschool - 5th grade helped kick off the opening of the Villa Adventure Trail. They followed the pages of the story "A Voice in the Hollow" displayed in kiosks along the trail and enjoyed a session with the book's author, Will Hillenbrand.

Students in 2nd grade researched different states as part of their unit on Where We Live.

The new Pickleball unit provided fun and skill-building in Physical Education class.

Traditional 3-year-olds developed color and number recognition and fine motor skills with this seasonal activity.

On the 50th day of school, Kindergarteners explored 50's-era fashions and trends, including assembling and sampling Root Beer Floats.

In STEM, 6th graders used the Dashbot robot drawing attachment to code patterns resulting in colorful designs.

We commend these students who were nominated by their peers and teachers as positive role models for the October Ursuline Characteristic of Focus - Recognition of the Dignity and Gifts of All Students:

Front row: Zara Ejaz, Claire Lewis, Piper Bosse, Caroline Carullo, Ava Butler

Middle: Caroline Schrichten, Emma Lichter, Maddie Dowiatt, Charlotte Rudolph, Grace Carullo, Penny Schmidt, Aiden Plummer

Rear: Jacob Stover, Darby Pohlman, Sydney Beatty, Charlotte Gibbs

Our 1st graders reseached a saint, shared what they learned with their classmates, and led a procession of "saints" for our All Saints Mass.

Our 2nd graders received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, an important step in their faith journey. The special celebration of God's love and mercy included a student-led play on the Story of the Prodigal Son.

Manor House students brought in Thanksgiving dinner food items for families in need then participated in a Thanksgiving Prayer Service led by Villa 4th graders and Boy Scouts. This food drive and November's Spirit/Service Day collected 253 non-perishable food items and $341.20 for The Healing Center.

Congratulations to these students who were recognized by their peers and teachers as positive role models for the November Ursuline Characteristic of Focus - Emphasis on the Development of the Whole Person:

Front row: Maeve Caldwell, Lily Thalhammer, Olive Hanneken, Jack Kolde

Middle: Emily Freeman, Ward Headley, Ellie Wayne, Roman Strub, Hank Parkhouse

Rear: Marinn Postlewaite, Lilly Jodrey, Laila Schlotman, Peter Supinger, Joseph Breazeale

1st - 8th graders walked the Halloween Trail decorated with spooky scenes and settings. Thank you, VPO, for the fun experience!

Our school-wide Buddy Day included activities such as crafts, reading, and getting to know each other.

The Saint Angela Merici Society Donor Recognition Event provided a festive opportunity to raise a glass to the Villa! Cheers!

Villa families attended a magical evening of lighting the courtyard Christmas tree, visiting with Santa, and enjoying crafts and snacks. Many thanks to our wonderful VPO for hosting the amazing event!

Due to unfavorable weather, the VPO delayed the Halloween Trail but this spooktacular event was worth the wait! The VPO decorated the trails with spooky scenes of spiders, ghosts, witches, and clowns. Students in 1st-8th grades walked along the trails for some friendly scares and enjoyed apple cider, a popcorn ball, and a little goody bag at the end of the trail.

This month, the VPO was excited to unveil the Villa Adventure Trail. The Villa Adventure Trail permanent storywalk is an innovative and delightful way for students to engage in literacy and the outdoors at the same time. Uses will include reading books on the move, discovering science lessons in nature, doing physical education activities at exercise stations, and experiencing prayer and reflections with Stations of the Cross. These different "walks" will be printed and placed in kiosk displays along our trails for classes to enjoy. The Villa Adventure Trail was introduced to students with a visit from local author, Will Hillenbrand, and his presentation to preschool - 5th grade students about his new book “The Voice in the Hollow.” Students then walked the Villa Adventure Trail to experience this story with their class.

Congratulations to TWO Villa Boys Passer teams for winning the Grothaus Soccer Tournament and special thanks to Coach Birck, Coach Carr, Coach Pelchovitz, Coach Geier-Cohen and Coach Feria for leading these boys in an amazing season and tournament.

Department Data Download

We love this data about St. Ursula Villa's Intermediate "department" - the dedicated team that teaches 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.

Total years of teaching experience: 177

Combined years teaching at the Villa: 69

Educational highlights: 4 Master's degrees with 1 additional in spring, K-12 Reading Specialist, Reading Endorsement, English Endorsement, Advanced Certification in Religious Education

Serve on St. Ursula Villa committees: School Accreditation, Whole Child Development, Ursuline Identity, Whole Child Development, Professional Development

Enjoy these hobbies: Zumba, clarinet, gardening, travel, board games, video games, reading, cooking

(Caption left to right: Diana Horst, Cathy Plummer, Jessica Harding, Marianne Wright, Mia Rohlfs, Holly Fox, Patty Dawson Not pictured: Mary Lozen, Abby Brueggemeyer)