Principal’s Desk News & Information Upcoming Dates School Care News

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 
As we travel through the school year, our second set of Parent/Teacher/Student conferences are just around the corner. Conferences will be held Thursday, February 8th, 2024, from 3:40 pm until 6:00 pm. These conferences are held to address any concerns you or the teachers have at this time. These conferences are either recommended by the teacher, or may be scheduled by a parent/guardian if they wish to attend a conference with a teacher or teachers. It is not required conference as the early conferences are mandatory. The Skyward conference scheduler will be open to parents of our P3 – grade 8 students on January 25th, 2024. More information on how to schedule through Skyward will be in the eLedger. Thank you for your partnership.

SMSA has adopted GoGuardian Beacon services as part of our school’s broader suicide prevention program.
 

GoGuardian Beacon is important to our school community because suicide is now one of the most pressing issues facing youth. GoGuardian Beacon may help SMSA intervene even when students have difficulty asking adults for help. Nine out of ten teens (90%) who report symptoms of depression say they have gone online for information on mental health issues – Digital Health Practices, Social Media Use, and Mental Well-Being Among Teens and Young Adults in the U.S. (2018). GoGuardian products are used in over 8,500 schools and 5,000 districts in the US, supporting over 23 million students.

Welcome to Catholic Schools Week beginning January 29th, 2024. Please join us at Holy Family Mass at 10:00 A.M. to kick off the celebration week. Please follow the link attached to learn more about the activities during Catholic Schools Week. It’s an exciting to celebrate who we are as a Catholic School.
 

Catholic Schools Week Information

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

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Thank you to all of the SMSA Families who attended Skate Day this past Monday! Lots of fun was had by all of the kids as well as the parents enjoyed each other’s company! So wonderful to be together as an SMSA community outside of the school day! Thank you to Korneli’s on the Avenue for doing a fabulous job! ! Thank you also to our parents helpers and families who donated fabulous prizes for our raffle. The kids loved winning prizes!
 
Thank you to the Jaber Family for donated the adorable roller skate cookies! Can’t wait for next year!!
 

The Principal’s Pen is an opportunity for teachers to recognize students who consistently demonstrate The Ledger Way with a focus on faith, learning, respect for leadership, community and responsibility. The students chosen will attend a special breakfast with Mr. K and Mr. Fisher and special guest, receives a certificate with a brief sentence on how they followed The Ledger Way, and a principal’s pen.

This week’s Special Guest was Father Michael Malucha – St. Mary’s Springs Academy Chaplain

This week’s Principal Pen award winners are:

Dylan C. (3rd grade) – Dylan takes responsibility for his learning, he comes to school every day ready to ready to learn. He is also very respectful to his teachers and peers.

Cerena G. (3rd grade) – Cerena is a faith filled leader who is respectful and responsible. She is a kind friend and always ready to learn.

August S. (3rd grade) – August is a very caring and kind-hearted student. He has been a leader by welcoming a new student into our classroom. Helping that student get organized and snowing them around.

Mara Z. (4th grade) – Mara is responsible by having her work done on time. She puts her best effort into all of her work.

Tyler S. (4th grade) – Tyler is a quiet leader who demonstrates core values in his words and actions. Tyler is kind to everyone and always does his best work.

Emma M. (4th grade) – Emma is very focused on her work every day. She is always helpful and respectful to her classmates and teachers.

Cameron W. (5th grade) – Cameron is a great role model for his peers and has a strong faith in God. He is always willing to serve for mass and help others.

Parker G. (5th grade) – Parker shows daily how he lives the Ledger Way. He is a model for his peers when it comes to responsibility and leadership. His work is on time and always to the best of his ability. Parker takes pride in assignments, projects, and group work.

Luka R. (5th grade) – Luka is a great role model and leader in the classroom. He has strong faith and is very responsible. He is respectful to all adults. He volunteers and helps his classmates every chance he gets. He believes strongly in the ledger-way and supports all sports and activities.

The SMSA Ledger Girls Basketball team is set to take on WLA on Friday, January 26, 2024 for JLBC and Youth Basketball Night!
 

Come and support the Ledger basketball program and meet the teams, get an autographed poster and have the opportunity to win an autographed basketball or a summer camp! Game time is 5:50 pm for JV and 7:15 pm for Varsity. Looking forward to seeing you there! Go Ledgers!

Girls on the Run inspires girls of all abilities to recognize their individual strengths while building a sense of connection and confidence in a team setting. Trained coaches use physical activity and dynamic lessons to build social, emotional, and physical skills while encouraging healthy habits for life. The team completes a community service project together and participates in a 5k at the end of the season. Registration opens on January 29! Click here for more information.

Our annual Bibles and Blankets Project for Catholic Schools Week is made possible this year by the generosity of our Elementary and Middle School students and families who supported our Penny War this past fall!

Students from all grades will have the chance to help cut and tie blankets or create prayer cards for our bundles. The Holy Family Warming Shelter will receive 30 twin size fleece blankets to be used in their facility as a result. Thank you!

Bibles and Blankets Project

Holy Family Catholic Community Children’s Choir is extending an invitation to SMSA students to join them for the parish Catholic Schools Week Mass on Sunday, January 28th at 10am at Holy Family Church with Bishop Jim Schuerman and Father Michael Malucha!

All SMSA students in grades 3-8 are welcome to sing in the choir during mass, and rehearsals will be Thursday, January 18th and 25th at 4pm. The 2 rehearsals will be approximately 45 minutes long and are held at Holy Family Church. RSVP’s are not necessary, and feel free to reach out to Eva Thelen, Children’s Choir Director with any questions at ethelen@hffdl.org. We are hoping to see as many families as possible to celebrate our Catholic Schools! See you there!

Planning has begun for our annual Ledgerfest fundraising event (our largest and one of the most fun events of the year)! In previous years, we have collected money from each grade level and put together amazing auction baskets that will be in our silent auction.

Follow the link below to donate to your students grade, making this the Best Ledgerfest to date.

Donate

Parents with students in the performing arts, come to help support the performing arts at SMSA! If your child is in high school or middle school band or chorus, theater, or jazz vocals/band, we’d love for you to join us!

PPA meeting Dates for the rest of the school year:
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 Note the change in usual day

All meetings will be held at 6 pm in the Lauby Lounge (first floor teacher lounge).

Contact Anne Brunette (6brunettes@charter.net) with any questions about the PPA!

With cold weather here, please remind your child(ren) to stop by the lost and found if they are missing a glove, hat, boot or even their jacket. The lost and found has been a very popular spot this year.

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January 15th – 26th – Winter MAP testing window for Grades 2-8
January 28th – February 2nd – Celebrating Catholic Schools Week
February 8th – Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 9th – No School/in-service
February 23rd – End of 2nd trimester

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There will be no before or after school care on Friday, February 9th, due to no school for in-service.

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