Principal’s Desk News & Information Upcoming Dates High School Counseling

Here’s hoping that your Christmas and New Years holiday has been meaningful! Thanks to all parents, guardians and stakeholders for your continued partnership with the mission and vision of Catholic education at SMSA. Our common commitment to the holistic growth and development of young people as children of God will bind us ever closer as a community in the months ahead.

Under the Holy Mother’s counsel and protection, we trust and pray that God’s grace will continue to be ever present to our Springs community in the coming year.

On Friday, January 9th after 12 Noon Family Access to Skyward gradebooks will be restored for high school families. As such, Semester I Grade Reports will be available for parents to view and print.

Watch for the Semester I Honor Roll to be published next week.

The first days of J-Term have been extremely busy! Our Ledgers are enjoying the change of pace…and having fun! Though some MPTC classes conclude sooner, the official ending of J-Term is Friday, January 23rd.

Like last year, parents and guardians can expect to see a J-Term survey in the weeks ahead. Dedicated to continuous improvement, your feedback to the experience of J-Term on the Ledge is very important to future planning. Students and teachers will also be completing surveys throughout J-Term. We look forward to sharing survey results with you.

To reiterate an important point – whether meeting on-campus or off-campus – and per DPI and Archdiocesan policy – attendance shall be recorded daily in all classes. Due to the shortened/condensed nature of the term, by policy students who are absent for part or all of three or more days will be withdrawn without academic credit (applies to all locations/settings). Students who are withdrawn from an existing J-Term course due to attendance non-compliance, shall be re-assigned to an approved credit-recovery course for 0.5 credits to be completed during Quarter 3 to fulfill the J-Term credit requirement.

Monday, January 26th will be the first day of Semester II. At that time, all students return to learning in-person on the Ledge. The daily Block schedule will once again be our norm.

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.
Eamonn O’Keeffe
Principal, High School

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Registration for the 2026-2027 academic school year is open for families with students currently enrolled at SMSA until January 9, 2026. Registration will be completed online through your Family Access account in Skyward. Step-by-step instructions can be found on the website by following the link Online Registration Instructions.

Reminder, Skyward online registration can be completed using your cell phone.

All current families must complete Online Registration for each student.

Log into your Family Access account in Skyward.  If you have misplaced your login credentials for Skyward, please email jpoetzel@smsacademy.org.

Online Registration includes information verification regarding your family and student(s). Registration will open for students not currently enrolled in SMSA in January 2026. Early registration will assist in determining class sizes for the 2026-2027 academic year. The registration fee will become part of your 2026-2027 tuition statement.

Current families must complete registration by January 9, 2026.

If you have questions regarding online registration use this link registration@smsacademy.org.

Click these links to access the following:

• Tuition Policies

• Tuition Assistance

• To enroll a NEW student

• Online Registration Instructions

The yearbook staff is hard at work collecting memories of your child’s senior year. We need your help for two sections of the yearbook.
1. Senior Ads: The yearbook staff is offering you the opportunity to show your love and support with a personal senior ad. What a great way to let your senior know how proud you are of the accomplishments and progress made during the years spent at Springs!  Your submitted message and photos will be used in your ad. Need ideas? Please see the ads in the 2025 yearbook for inspiration.

All senior ads, including pictures and payment, must be submitted online through Walsworth Yearbooks. If interested, please click the HS yearbook order link on the St. Mary’s Springs Academy website homepage for more information.

Yearbook ads will be designed by Yearbook staff members.
Please select your ad size:
Full-page………………… $180
Half-page……………..…. $110
Quarter-page………….… $ 75

Reserve your space now! Assemble and send your pictures and message, along with your payment to Walsworth at the SMSA website homepage link.

Please submit payment, pictures, and messages by January 15, 2026!
(Thank you to those who have already submitted an ad.)

2. Senior portraits: Please have your senior portraits sent in (either by you or your photographer) to hsyearbook@smsacademy.org. It will be shared with guidance counselors Mary Cauley and Taylor McCarthy as well as Brand and Community Engagement Strategist Kristin Zitlow.
Requirements for Senior Portraits
– Must be in JPEG format
– 300 DPI
– Must be in color
– Headshots only
– No hats or accessories
Deadline for senior portrait submissions is January 15, 2026.

(Thank you to those who have already submitted your child’s portrait.)
If you have questions, please contact your SMSA Yearbook Staff at
hsyearbook@smsacademy.org.

Who will win $20,000 this year!?

All Sold BMR tickets must be returned to school with your child, or to the North, South or Scrip offices before the live noon drawing on Friday, January 16, 2026. The drawing will take place no matter the weather!

If you have any questions, or if you would like to purchase additional tickets, please contact a member of the BMR committee, listed below.

Valerie Everson

920.251.3719

Stephanie Fessler

920.960.0556

Katie Mathos

920.979.6757

Lisa Shannon

920.539.2892

WE CAN DO BETTER!!

Volunteer Participation – 36 Families for Football and Volleyball of over 212 possible families = 17% participation.  A huge thanks to those that have helped make our events a success without you there wouldn’t be any refreshments.

There are plenty of upcoming events, links for Boys and Girls basketball are below. This is a fun way to help, and this is NOT JUST THE BASKETBALL PARENTS!!!!!! to fill the spots as the booster club is for all Sports and Cheer/Dance.

Where have Booster Club donations gone this year to date:

• Girls Soccer Uniforms & Backpacks
• Volleyball Uniforms
• Cross Country Uniforms
• AV equipment for New Team Room
• Football Uniforms – first time in over 50 years from Booster Club
• Video Equipment for Football
• Baseball Uniforms
• More to come

Help fill a spot:

Boys Hoops Sign Ups – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AAEA722ABF4C52-60555215-202526

Girls Hoops Sign Ups – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AAEA722ABF4C52-60555208-202526

Thanks Athletic Booster Club

Planning has begun for our annual Ledgerfest fundraising event—mark your calendars for Saturday, March 28, 2026! You won’t want to miss this exciting evening celebrating SMSA.

Once again, we’re asking each grade level to contribute toward creating some incredible auction baskets. Your support makes a huge difference in making Ledgerfest a success!

If you would like to contribute towards your child’s grade level basket, click this link: https://smsacademy.ejoinme.org/LF26class to donate online. Once you enter a donation amount and click next, please fill in your child’s name and grade level (if you are donating for more than one child, please list each name and grade level along with the amount for each child). If you prefer, you may still send cash or check (payable to Andrea Nuss) in an envelope marked: Ledgerfest/Ashley Lane. Please also indicate your child’s grade level on the envelope.

All contributions are due by Wednesday, February 4th. Thank you so much!

If you have any questions, please reach out to your grade-level lead:
P3: Lindsey Pietrowski – pietrowski.lindsey@gmail.com
K4: Allison Geiger – kageiger@att.net
K5: Amy Meyer-Bremer – ameyer17@outlook.com
1st Grade: Betsy Royce – ejmiazga@gmail.com
2nd Grade: Molly Jaster – molly.jaster@gmail.com
3rd Grade: Jourdan Jacobs – jourdanjacobs@gmail.com
4th Grade: Katie Heller – katieheller11@gmail.com
5th Grade: Jenn Ellestad – jenn.ellestad@gmail.com
6th Grade: Andrea Nuss – alnuss@charter.net
7th Grade: Tya Robles – tyajean623@gmail.com
8th Grade: Shannon LaLuzerne – slaluzerne@smsacademy.org
High School (9-12): Andrea Nuss – alnuss@charter.net, Betsey Gitter – kevandbets@gmail.com and Pam Kristmann – pamkristmann@gmail.com

Thank you for your generosity and for helping make Ledgerfest 2026 another amazing celebration of our Ledger community!

Mark your calendars — Ledgerfest is happening Saturday, March 28, 2026!

We are bringing all the fun, energy, and team spirit you can handle — it’s sure to be a night full of laughs, cheers, and good times!
Location: FCC (400 University Dr. Fdl)
Time: Doors open at 5:00 pm

Want in on the action? Join the Ledgerfest Committee!
Help dream up ideas, decorate, and make this year’s event the best one yet. Reach out to Ashley Lane if you’d like to join the team — it’s a total blast and a great way to get involved!

Get ready… this event is sure to be a slam dunk!
It’s going to be a night you won’t want to miss!

HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS ARE FOR SALE

High school yearbooks are available to purchase online at the SMSA website for $65. Get yours by clicking here!

The next Parents of the Performing Arts meeting will be held on January 21st, starting at 7pm. This is a change from our normal 6pm start time. We will start by meeting in the cafeteria. All our welcome!

Future PPA dates:
February 18th
March 18th
April 15th
May 20th

Learn how you can get involved. Contact PPA@smsacademy.org to learn more!

Are you looking to get more involved at SMSA? If so, join our Parent Connectors Group!! We organize events for our SMSA families & show our appreciation towards our amazing SMSA Staff throughout the year!! Please email Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net if you are interested. Thank you so much!!

Did you know? You can Refer-A-Family and receive tuition credit!

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January 16, 2026 – BMR Drawing

January 26 – 30, 2026 – Catholic Schools Week (CSW)

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Women in Construction — an empowering event designed to inspire young minds to explore careers in the ever-evolving construction industry!
Save the Date:
– Tuesday, March 10, 2026
– 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
– Stayer Center at Marian University, 45 S. National Ave., Fond du Lac, WI

We are excited to announce that several college representatives will be visiting SMSA to meet with interested students. This is a great opportunity to learn more about each school and connect directly with the admissions counselors who will be reviewing applications.

Upcoming Visits

SMSA is proud to participate in another year of Trade Tours through the Fond du Lac R.O.C.K. program, which stands for Retention, Opportunity, Community, and Knowledge. This program aimed at working specifically with high school seniors and juniors who are piecing together their plans post high school graduation. This program provides career exploration through business tours and job shadows. Fond du Lac R.O.C.K. is a program of Envision Greater Fond du Lac.

Please let counseling know if your student would be interested in joining a future tour.

For additional information please visit click here.

The scholarship website has now moved to Naviance! Please remind your senior to check their Naviance account regularly for the latest scholarship updates. The Counseling Department will continue adding new opportunities as they arrive.

These state and local scholarships are specifically available to Springs students. To view them, students can log into Naviance and navigate to: Colleges → Scholarships & Money → Scholarship Search. There, they’ll find an up to date list of scholarships curated by SMSA counselors.
Please reach out to counseling with any questions!

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