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

As you may have heard, ‘Learning’ is the SMSA core value that will receive special emphasis during this school year. Our staff and students will have opportunities to observe famous quotations about ‘learning,’ and shall also have the opportunity to reflect on the discipline of learning and what best enables its growth and development. All year long, teachers will be mindful of opportunities to highlight and integrate this core value with their students through stories, discussions and activities. In that spirit, I share the following parable about learning and change. As you read, consider: What can be learned? Enjoy!

Once upon a time, there was a land where the whole community lived under one giant glass dome. For generations, the families had been born, lived and died under the glass dome. And the story that passed down from generation to generation was if you ever did step outside of the safety of the dome, certain death would result. So all through the history of the community, no one had ever dared step outside the glass dome.

In fact, the community had decided that no crime was more of a heinous or dastardly threat to the community than to …and that the punishment for anyone who committed that crime would be banishment to the toxic environment outside the dome, which would mean certain death.
No one — but no one — had ever even dared commit that crime. Then one day, to the horror of the community, a lone man did. He stepped outside of the dome…and then quickly returned.

As the word spread about this grave offense, the punishment was swift. The whole community escorted the man to the edge of the glass dome and pushed him back out into the dangerous world beyond. Then they all pressed their noses to the wall of the glass dome to witness the man die.
Initially, the man laid on the ground, face down, coughing. Soon he was observed shivering and crying – no doubt in fear about how death would come to him. His muscles were tightly clenched as he braced for the terrible death that would certainly come to pass at any moment. He turned to gaze at the horrified faces pressed against the dome wall.

Time moved slowly forward. But nothing happened. After much more time had passed, the man rolled over and looked around. Seeing no threats, he ventured to sit-up. As the people inside the glass dome watched intently, the man slowly stood-up, looked all around him, and began moving about the area. And then, to their amazement, the man began to dance in the green, green grass, and pick colorful flowers — moving this way and that way, trying out his arms and legs that appeared to work perfectly well. He filled his lungs with the air of the outside world, and exhaled exuberantly.

When he began to jump up and down and laugh, those inside the dome concluded that he must be going mad from the toxins he was ingesting. Then the man started to shout aloud joyously, and beckoned to the people under the glass dome: “COME ON OUT AND DANCE WITH ME!! JOIN ME…IT IS BETTER OUT HERE!”

The people were filled with confusion and bewilderment to see this man happily dancing and laughing when they had expected to see him die a horrible death. Finally, their distress grew so great that they had to take action. So they prepared buckets of black paint and gathered large paintbrushes. They started at the bottom of the dome and painted the walls solid black, up as high as they could reach and as high as necessary so nobody inside the dome could see the dancing man outside of the dome. They all breathed a sigh of relief and went back to the way things had been before that fateful day.

And what crime had the man committed? He was an innovator. He dared to learn, and change.

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us!

Eamonn O’Keeffe
Principal, High School

←Back to Top

When: Monday September 15th and Wednesday, September 17th
Use the QR code on the poster in the office or around the building, and sign up with a partner. YOU must sign up at the same time if you have a particular person that you want to audition with. There is also a poster with the QR code attached.

Pick up an audition form from the office and fill it out to bring to your audition time. Partner scenes are also available to choose from and use at your audition.

Tech Crew will pick up a form in the office and fill it out. You will then turn it into the office. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE

SHOW DATES ARE:
NOVEMBER 21st-23rd

Are you a fan of Ledger Athletics? SMSA Adult Sports Passes are now available for purchase. The SMSA Sports pass covers admission for any HOME Ledger sporting event where an entry fee is charged. (Excluding WIAA playoff games) Football, Volleyball, Basketball, and Hockey are examples of the sports that would be included in the pass. The SMSA Sports pass is $50.00 and are available for purchase in the North & South Hall Offices, the Scrip Suite, and at our home sporting events. Cash or checks made payable to SMSA will be accepted.

If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Mueller at kmueller@smsacademy.org. Thank you for supporting Ledger Athletics!

If you are interested in getting involved at SMSA, be a part of the SMSA Parent Connectors Group! Our group focuses on building connections with our SMSA families through our events during the school year as well as celebrating our amazing SMSA Staff. If you have a child(ren) in grades preschool through 5th Grade, you received a blue Parent Connectors Volunteer Form at supply drop off day. If you are interested in helping with our group, please fill out the form & return it to your child’s teacher by Friday, September 5th. Only ONE per family is needed to be filled out. If your youngest child(ren) is in 6th Grade or older, please email me, alnuss@charter.net, letting me know you would like to be included in the group emails as they didn’t receive a volunteer form. Once they are all collected and entered, you will receive an email. Each year a NEW email group is created to keep it updated so even if you have been a part of the group email in years past, please let us know you continue to want to be. We greatly appreciate ALL of our volunteers! We couldn’t do what we do without all of your help! It is going to be a great school year! If you have any questions, please email Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net.

Volunteer-Form-2025-2026

Want to learn more about our SMSA Parent Connectors Group or have ideas on events we could add to our school year…come to one of our beginning of the school year meetings…Wednesday, September 10^th at 7:45 am in the Multi-Purpose Room on 4^th floor or Thursday, September 11^th at 6:00 pm in the Library on the 3^rd floor, please enter through the North Hall Entrance. It is a fun way to meet families & give back to our amazing school.  If you are interested in learning more about this group but aren’t able to attend, please reach out to Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net.   We are so grateful for all of our volunteers!

SMSA is blessed and excited to have so many individuals that would like to volunteer with our students on campus. As part of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Safe Environment requirements, all volunteers must complete their Safe Environment Certification before being able to volunteer within our school. If you are considering volunteering, attending field trips, or participating in class parties, please make sure to complete your Safe Environment certification as soon as possible.

St. Mary’s Springs Academy will be holding an in person Safe Environment Training Session on the following date:

Wednesday, September 17th: The session will take place in the MPR from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

To sign up for this Safe Environment Session, please follow these instructions for Completing the Initial Safe Environment Certification.

Instructions for Completing Initial Safe Environment

If your high school or middle school child participates in band, chorus, theater, or jazz vocals/band, you are invited to join the PPA and support arts programming at SMSA. Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6 pm in the Lauby Lounge (first floor teacher lounge). Join us for our fall kick off meeting on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

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

“Great news! Round two of the Driver Education Grant program will launch on August 25^th, 2025 at 9:00AM. Students and/or parents may visit us at Wisconsin Department of Transportation Driver Education Grant Program to apply. 

Under the program, teens who are income eligible can apply to Wisconsin DMV to have their Class D (Regular) driver education paid for. Students with grants can enroll in any driver education program offered by an authorized driver education provider (such as a public school, CESA program, tribal or private school, or DMV-licensed driver training school). Similar to last year’s program, students will be issued coupons to provide directly to driver training schools. Driver training schools can then submit the coupons for reimbursement. Reimbursements are paid directly to driver training schools.

If you are currently enrolled to receive Driver Education Grant funding, there are no additional steps needed to be able to redeem coupons under the new funding. If you are not enrolled in the Driver Education Grant program, unsure of your status or have any other additional questions, please reach out to us at: dotdegrantprogram@dot.wi.gov”

FALL CLASS INFORMATION 2025

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

←Back to Top

September 22-26, 2025 – Homecoming Week

September 27, 2025 – Homecoming Dance

October 2-3, 2025 – No School – Teacher In-service

October 27, 2025 – No School – Teacher In-service

←Back to Top

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
Hofstra University (Virtual): Monday, September 15th | 10:30 – 11:15 AM
UW Oshkosh: Tuesday, September 14th | 9:55 – 10:35 AM
UW Madison: Tuesday, September 14th | 10:45 – 11:30 AM
Ripon College: Wednesday, September 17 | 11:25– 12:05PM
Saint Norbert College: Monday, September 22 | 1:45 – 2:25pm
Minneapolis College of Art and Design (Virtual): Wednesday, September 24 | 10:40 – 11:20am
Cornell College: Wednesday, September 24 | 2:35 – 3:15pm
MPTC: Tuesday, September 30 | 9:00 – 9:45am
Marquette University: Wednesday, October 8 | 11:25am – 12:05pm
Iowa State University: Thursday, October 9 | 12:10 – 12:50pm
University of St. Thomas (MN): Monday, October 13 | 2:35 – 3:15pm
Air Force ROTC (Lunch Room): Friday, October 17 | 1:00 – 1:45pm
Lawrence University: Wednesday, October 22 | 9:10 – 9:50am

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.

Please refer to the information provided at the link below, for local and state scholarships that SMSA seniors can apply for. This list is always subject to change and may not be all-inclusive.

Local scholarship opportunities (Fond du Lac area) are listed first, followed by opportunities for residents of the state of Wisconsin.

←Back to Top