Dear Parents and Guardians,

The second week of Advent invites us to prepare for the coming of our Lord through the word and actions of peace.  Another meaning of the second week of Advent, I learned this week, is it is dedicated or represents Mary and her journey to Bethlehem.  

How appropriate as we celebrate the Immaculate Conception this week!  SMSA dedicates this feast day to our school as we are St. Mary’s Springs Academy.  We took time on Tuesday, December 8th to bless our school, share in prayer,  share treats and have some fun.  Celebrating together gives us an opportunity to give our hearts peace in knowing we are in communion with each other and we are one body in Christ.   Mary was given a special gift from God at the moment of conception. May we use our gifts, given by God, each day to create small Holy moments for one another. 

It takes all of us, as a community, for success to happen.  Thank you for thinking about each other and supporting everyone’s efforts to sustain learning on the Ledge in person with the option of virtual learning as well.  It brings peace to my heart to know stakeholders are fully invested and support the magic and incredible journey we are on this school year.  I wish you peace as we journey together to form a beautiful tomorrow by educating the children to be global leaders of tomorrow that are rooted in Christ’s teaching.  

Throughout this Advent season, I pray peace will be part of your journey towards becoming closer to Christ when Christmas day arrives.  

God Bless,

Steven Kelnhofer

Aaron Rodgers Day -December 11 (Grades 6-8)

Students may wear jeans($3 donation) or sweats ($5 donation) and Packer attire to benefit The Solution Center!  If students chose not to wear Packer gear, they must wear their school uniform.  All out of dress code clothing must be in good taste and pants must not have rips or holes. 

December 11th:  P3 – Grade 5 Christmas attire: Please have your child wear Christmas day attire on Friday December 11, 2020.   The why of the dress up day will be unwrapped at a later time.  

Reconciliation – Thursday, December 17th

Students in grades 3 -8 will get the opportunity to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Mrs. Skiff has created a marvelous plan to mitigate risk and give everyone the time and space that is needed to strengthen our relationship with our Lord before Christmas.

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Ledger Learning Guide  

Parents are always encouraged to check the SMSA Ledger Learning Guides Home Page to see weekly learning targets, resources and expectations in every course.  Parental partnership in helping students  stay organized and focused on learning is always appreciated. 

God Bless,

Steve Kelnhofer

Time is running out for your SMSA online order to make Santa’s sleigh, all orders must be in by Friday, December 11, 2020 to ensure your tried and true Ledger gifts are under the tree on Christmas Eve! With new designs and styles including Ledger masks, comfy sherpa blankets, jackets, Ledger socks and more, you are sure to find something for everyone on your list this year, including your favorite four-legged friend!

Support St. Mary’s Springs Academy every time you leave the house, when you wear your new Ledger gear! Purchase today by clicking here!

Have you returned your Big Money Raffle tickets yet? Make sure to sell/purchase all 5 of your BMR tickets and return them to school before the drawing on Friday, January 22, 2021 for your chance to win the grand prize of $20,000, with an additional $10,000 in cash prizes! Help support SMSA and have a chance at winning Big Money!

Additional tickets can be purchased at the North, South or Scrip Offices! For questions please contact Kristin Zitlow at kzitlow@smsacademy.org or 920-322-8006. Thank you for supporting St. Mary’s Springs Academy!

Planning has begun for our annual Ledgerfest fundraising auction and we are in need of your help! Last year we collected money from each grade level and put together some amazing auction baskets, which went over very well during our auction held this past summer. This year, we are asking each grade level to contribute again to putting together a basket around a specific theme. This will then be a part of the silent auction which will run in April.

If you would like to contribute towards your child(ren) class basket, please send your cash contribution in a sealed envelope with your child’s name, grade level and Ledgerfest Donation written on it. Your student can then give it to their homeroom teacher or drop off in the North or South office. If you send in a check, please make it payable to Andrea Nuss. Please note that if you have more than one child attending SMSA, you can send in one envelope but please note each child and the amount you are donating for them, along with their grade level on the envelope.

If you are interested in helping by being a point person for your child’s grade, please contact Andrea Nuss at alnuss@charter.net. Each point person will be responsible for putting together the class basket once the money is all collected. If you have a theme or package idea or would like to donate an item please contact us ahead of sending items to school with your child. This is SMSA’s largest auction and the money raised makes a direct impact towards the greatest needs of the school.

Please have all contributions in by Friday, February 26, 2021.

If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Nuss at alnuss@charter.net.

Thank you so much for your willingness to help make this year’s Ledgerfest a success!

Andrea Nuss and the Ledgerfest Committee

Ever wonder how the Elves R’ Us shop gets such wonderful items for our elementary students to purchase for their moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings? It’s all volunteers of SMSA! Whether you are a new family to Springs or have been a part of the SMSA community for years, you can be an elves shopper!

Each year volunteers work with the Elves’ chair people to determine the best shops to go to, starting the day after Christmas into the Valentine’s season. Our objective is to seek out prime deals on items ranging from ornaments, toys, home goods, kitchen, bath, stuffed animals and so much more! It really does take a village to make this happen! And this year we need your help now more than ever! Our early findings are that due to COVID, the normal stores seem to be restocking less of the types of items that normally end up on clearance at the end of the Christmas season. Therefore we may have to venture out of Fond du Lac, to multiple stores, looking for the best items and the best deals! If you have any interest in shopping on your own, or grab a buddy, please contact either Jen Kebble at jcbmlkebble@att.net or Dawn Blanck at dawnblanck@ymail.com for more details.

We realize things are very different this year, but we do know stores are open and if you are comfortable shopping in person we would love your help!

Thank you from the Elves team, future 8th grade class and our elementary students!

Jen Kebble

Dawn Blanck

Lands’ End Starboard Scholarship (Grades 8-12)

The Lands’ End School Starboard Scholarship acknowledges and rewards students who display exceptional leadership skills.  Each winning student will receive a $5,000 scholarship.  Applications are being accepted from now until Tuesday, December 15, 2020.

For a full list of details and eligibility requirements, please click here.

No news at this time.

If you have any questions, please contact either Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net or Katie Mathos, katiemathos@gmail.com.