Dear Parents and Guardians,
At Monday’s in-service, faculty and staff took time to discuss and explore the awesomeness of Generation Z (6th graders to 12th graders) and Generation Alpha (grade 5 and below.) One of the best takeaways to use with kids was this stem sentence, “What do I need to do differently to support you moving forward?”
Let’s grow forward together and support the upcoming generations by learning reflective thinking and advocating for themselves. As we may know, these are two important skills many individuals need to be successful.
Thank you for your continued partnership with SMSA. Together we create a path for tomorrow’s children to achieve amazing dreams.
God Bless,
Steven Kelnhofer
Elementary Principal, SMSA
Transition in the South Hall Office
I am tasked with sharing some bittersweet transition news, as Summer Anderson, PreK-8 Administrative Assistant, has accepted a new position. Her last day at SMSA will be Wednesday, February 23, 2022. We have been blessed to have Summer in the South Hall front Office and will certainly miss her, but wish her well in her new journey. Kelcy Steffes, PreK-8 Administrative Assistant will still remain in the South Hall front office and will be assisted by Allisen Willis, Coordinator of Health Services, for the remainder of the year.
Summer wishes to share, “I have received so many gifts during my time here. I am so grateful that my own children and all of our students have the privilege of learning on the Ledge. Of course I will remain a Ledger for Life and look forward to seeing you all often as a parent, volunteer, and supporter of SMSA. My prayers are always with you all.”
Lockdown /Active Threat Exercise
Today, February 17, 2022, we successfully executed a System-wide Lockdown Drill/ “Active Threat Exercise.” Students, faculty and staff were notified that this was a drill/exercise via the intercom at 9:20 a.m. We understand emergency response exercises can produce anxiety for both parents and students. Please know that practicing exercises like this, in addition to monthly evacuation drills, is a critical step in ensuring our students, staff and faculty are able to react quickly and efficiently in the event of an actual emergency.
The safety of our students is, and will always be, our number one priority. We appreciate your continued support as we provide the Ledger community with critical information and training to aid in keeping them safe on our campus.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kyle Krueger at kkrueger@smsacademy.org, Safety Coordinator for today’s exercise.
Internet Safety Presentation – February 23rd
We are very pleased to announce that on Wednesday, February 23rd, SMSA will be hosting a special live/in-person presentation focused on internet safety. Mr. Eric Szatkowski shall present to all 6-8 grade students during the school day and will provide a special adult only presentation to parents for all grade levels at 6:00 p.m. on that evening in Baker Gym.
Topics include the latest on potential dangers of social networking sites and apps, decoy apps, as well as disturbing trends of sexting, cyber bullying and webcam exploitation.
For more information on Eric, please click here.
If you have any questions contact:
Mrs. Cauley, K-4 Counselor: manderson@smsacademy.org
Mrs. Dengel, MS Counselor: sdengel@smsacademy.org
Standard Based Grading
Please select the following six links to see the box set of SBG at SMSA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC85kS-z_Mk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tecnwN4dXLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7ejwOMhkAg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7jww2J7RJs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQO1AVjoMJ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1jIyS7wso0