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

Dear SMSA Families,
We hope this newsletter finds you well and thriving! As we embrace the joys of this school year, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt appreciation for your partnership and support in our community. Your involvement makes a tremendous difference in our students’ lives.

We are excited to share some wonderful news! Next week, SMSA will honor one of our exceptional employees at the Cor Unum event, celebrated in collaboration with the Holy Family community. Congratulations to Mrs. Maureen Hill, our P3 teacher, who will be recognized with the St. John Baptist de La Salle Excellence in Education Award. Mrs. Hill continuously shares her gifts and talents with our SMSA community, impacting lives in meaningful ways. We are truly blessed to have her as our Early Childhood Lead teacher, making a significant difference in our students’ education.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences will be held on September 30 and October 1, 2025 from 3:40 PM to 6:00 PM. Grades 6-8 conferences will be held in an “open house” style. Grades P3 – Grade 5 conferences should be scheduled through Skyward with your homeroom teacher and any specials teachers you wish to meet.

As a reminder Skyward sent out a message on September 11th regarding the scheduling process for parents. Parents/guardians can start scheduling on Monday, September 15th through Skyward. We are excited to continue building partnerships with each and every one of you!

Please note that SMSA and the extended care program will be closed for teacher in-service on October 2nd and 3rd. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on October 6th.

As a reminder, the South Hall entrance, Door 17, is designated for parents and guardians to wait when dropping off or picking up children. We ask that this area remains a safe entrance and exit point and is not used as a playground. For safe play, please utilize our lower playground. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe environment by following these guidelines!

We are grateful for your continued support and partnership in creating a nurturing learning environment for our children. Together, we can achieve great things!

Thank you for being an integral part of our SMSA family. We look forward to collaborating with you in the weeks to come!

Warm regards,
Steven Kelnhofer

Monday (9/22) – American Day – Wear red, white and blue outfits, or red, white and blue tops with dress code bottom or jeans (no holes).

Tuesday (9/23) –  Twins or Dress Alike Day – Find a friend or others that want to dress alike.  

Wednesday (9/24) – Favorite sports day (students may wear a sports team top with shorts,  sweats or jeans (no holes) on the bottom

Thursday (9/25) –  Favorite Comfortable Clothes Day – Wear comfy clothes like sweat pants, sweatshirts, or pj’s. 

Friday (9/26) – Spirit Wear Day – Wear spirit wear colors with shorts, sweats or jeans (no holes) on the bottom.

A long standing tradition at SMSA continues again this year with the Christmas Card Fundraiser, in which students in Grades 4 through 8 will be creating and selling handmade Christmas Cards. These cards will be sold for $2.00 each by the St. Mary’s Springs families after all the masses at Holy Family Parish sites on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th. We will also be having a movie and popcorn afternoon, the day before Christmas Break, where students can bring in a donation to watch the movie of their choice and enjoy popcorn. Everyone will be able to participate, whether they bring in a donation or not. All proceeds from the card sale and movie/popcorn will go to benefit a local child (Fond du Lac County) and his/her family, who is currently or has had medical concerns/conditions.

If you know of a child and their family that you feel is deserving of a nomination, please fill out the below form. All nominations will be reviewed and a recipient will be chosen by random draw.

Nominate a Family Here

The Ledger community is on the hunt for some gently used chess boards that would be used in the cafeteria during lunchtime. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Please bring them to the north or south office.

Thank you for your consideration.

We can’t do it without you! Please consider volunteering to help at our Book Fair. The story starts with you! Sign-up at https://signup.com/go/YPZEjnP or contact your Book Fair Host, Kayleigh Lemery, at (269) 625-8853.

It’s Basketball Time! 

                               Information and Registration Night 

                         Wednesday, September 24th, 2025 6:30 PM

(Coaches meeting to follow)

High School Cafeteria

• Coaching and skill development
• 1st – 3rd Grade practices
• 4th Grade team plays Saturday league and 2 tournaments
• 5th – 6th Grade teams play up to 5 tournaments
• 7th – 8th Grade teams play up to 7 tournaments

Membership: 

• 1st – 3rd Grades $50 (includes t-shirt)
• 4th – 8th Grades $125 + uniform cost

Membership fees are reduced by $25 for each additional family member, excluding 1st and 2nd grades. Any questions please contact: 

Mike Heaney heaney.reconstruction@gmail.com

Patrick Ellestad patrick.ellestad@gmail.com

Jason Rathke rathkejj24@hotmail.com

Karen Feld karenevelyn85@gmail.com

We are looking for additional board members.  This year specifically a tournament logistics person.  Let one of us know if you are interested in becoming a board member. 

Click Here – JLBC Registration 2025

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

Are you a parent or grandparent looking for a meaningful way to give back to our school community? Then the library is the perfect place for you to make a difference, meet new people, and share your love of reading and learning with our students.

We are looking for dedicated SEE trained volunteers to assist with a variety of activities including:
-helping with children’s reading programs
-Assisting in shelving and organizing books

We currently are in need of volunteers for Wednesdays (11am-3pm), and substitutes. If you’re interested in volunteering but can’t commit to our current open shift, feel free to reach out—we’ll do our best to find a time that works for you. Your time will make a huge impact. Email Lisa; library@smsacademy.org.

Enjoy CMFDL’s annual Play BIG Touch a Truck event on September 27th in conjunction with Nickelodeon’s World Wide Day of Play. Kids will experience “BIG FUN”, including a bounce house, face painting, zamboni, fire truck, police car, well driller, free giveaways, raffle prizes and more! 9am to 12 pm CMFDL parking lot. And joining the fun, Wonder Cafe with coffee delights and Cowlicks Ice Cream treats!

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

Click Here to Learn More!

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September 22-26, 2025 – Homecoming Week!

September 22-25 – Homecoming Penny War

September 26, 2025 – Homecoming Game @ Fruth Field

September 30, 2025 – Parent Teacher Conferences

October 1, 2025 – Parent Teacher Conferences

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

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

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Registration is open for Extended Care 2025-2026 academic year. A friendly reminder when registering for Extended Care there is a $100.00 non-refundable registration fee.

In order for your child/children to have a saved spot in extended care this fee will need to be paid at the time of registration. Checks can be made payable to SMSA (Extended Care) to the south office. Reminder, spots fill up quickly.

Please email extendedcare@smsacademy.org if you have any questions.

Thank you

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