Happy Easter!
Lent 2021 has ended. Today we enter the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. During this sacred time between the liturgical season of Lent and Easter, Christians commemorate the final days of Jesus, including the Last Supper, the agony in the garden and arrest. We journey with Jesus through these trials and try to imagine the torture and humiliation our Lord’s Way of the Cross and crucifixion.

As believers, we live with faith that our resurrected Lord continues to accompany each of us daily, through all of the joys, opportunities and challenges that are part of life. During a time that has tested the resolve and faith of many, this central tenet of our faith gives us the most hope of all! In Catholic education, we are blessed to see the good Lord’s miracles on a regular basis. Acts of empathy and kindness will always allow our students to encounter the risen Jesus. We thank God for the gift of resurrection and for the promise of mercy and new life.

May God’s grace deepen our faith and move us closer to one another in the Springs community. Thank you for choosing to be a part of this life giving learning community. On behalf of all my colleagues at SMSA, Happy Easter!

April 19: ACT and Aspire Testing Day
On Tuesday, April 19, students in grade 9-11 shall arrive at school no later than 8am. Please note this change from the usual start time. On April 19, seniors have no classes and will not be in attendance on the Ledge. Seniors are free to engage with college visits and other post-secondary planning.

An alternative schedule will facilitate the ACT and Aspire Testing Day for all freshman, sophomores and juniors. All testing will occur in our high school classrooms, proctored by SMSA faculty. Students will be released once testing concludes – so please arrange for students to be picked-up at 12:45 pm for juniors and 1:45 pm for freshman and sophomores. Lunch will not be available for students in grades 9-11.

Juniors will take the ACT while both freshmen and sophomores will take the Aspire test. These standardized tests of the College Board help students, parents and educators to measure academic growth and progress. Results also help SMSA educators inform curriculum and instructional planning.

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us!

Eamonn O’Keeffe

Principal, High School

Friday, April 15 – No Classes, Good Friday
Sunday, April 17 – EASTER SUNDAY
Monday, April 18 – Classes Resume
Tuesday, April 19 – ACT & Aspire District Testing Day for Grades 9-11 (see notes above). No classes for Seniors.
Saturday, April 23 – Prom for juniors and seniors at Whispering Springs

Hi Everyone,

My name is Zainah Ott, a local high school student at eAchieve Academy. At our school every student is required to complete a full credit of Service Learning. I wanted to use this opportunity to help our community, but especially the little ones.

I am hosting a Little Needs Drive at SMSA from Monday, April 18th to Friday, April 22nd. There will be 3 boxes in both the North and South Hall offices. There is one for each grade group: Elementary, Middle, and High School. With you and your students’ support we will be able to donate all items to the Fond du Lac Family Resource Center!

List of ideas include:
Diapers, pull-ups, pull-up underwear, wipes, diaper rash cream, bottles, sippy cups, baby spoons, baby bowls/plates, pacifiers, teething items, baby/children’s shampoo, lotion, nose cleaners and hairbrush/combs.

Thank you for your support of the Fond du Lac Family Resource Center!

Hello Junior and Senior PARENTS!

Post prom is nearly upon us…..looking forward to our students enjoying a night of elegance and fun at PROM, followed by the LET’S GLOW CRAZY POST PROM!

We’d like to send a “TOTALLY AWESOME” THANK YOU to all parents who donated to this event. Your generous donations have allowed us to have many RAD prizes including a $500 CASH GRAND PRIZE! Many other prizes, gift certificates, and cash amounts will be raffled off….EVERY attendee will leave with a prize! Must be present to win.

PARENTS – Please Note! Students must arrive Post Prom by 11:45 PM. Students may leave post prom before 1:30am with parental permission. A call will be made to a parent to clear an early departure. Once a student leaves the facility, they will not be allowed back in and they will not be eligible to receive any prizes.

Korneli’s on the Avenue (former Spectrum roller rink)
April 23, 11:30pm-1:30am
$10 per person – Tix on sale at school through Wed. 4/20/22

• Includes skating, games, pizza & soda/water, snacks, Gilles sundae bar, and PRIZES! Wear neon, white or your best 80’s look!
• Arcade games available, but not covered in price of ticket. Students need cash to load an arcade card – minimum $7.50 to load a card.
• Open to ALL Juniors and Seniors; prom attendance not required Click here to view the flyer.

Click here to view the flier

Applications for the 2022-2023 Academy Girls Scholarship are now being accepted. This is a merit-based scholarship to be awarded to one current, female, SMSA junior based on essay responses and GPA. Upon proof of enrollment, a $750 credit will be issued from St. Mary’s Springs Academy to offset tuition to the scholarship winner in her senior year at SMSA.

Application deadline is 3:30 p.m., April 25, 2022. The award winner must be able to commit to attending the Academy Girls Luncheon on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 to give a short speech about what this scholarship means to her, how she models the Core Values at SMSA and her post high school plans.

Click here for further information and application details.

NHS Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in the SMSA High School Hutter Gymnasium on Wednesday, April 27th. The Blood Drive will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Please be aware we maintain COVID-19 protocols. You will need to sign up for a time slot to give blood, only a limited number walk-ins can be accepted.

See or email Ella Blackburn (22eblackburn@smsacademy.org) to make an appointment OR click here and enter 54935 to make an appointment. Students UNDER 16 must fill out a Parent Consent Form, stop in by Dr. Biessman to grab your sheet!

On the day of the drive, please remember to bring your Driver’s License or Valid I.D. to your appointment.

Please note these eligibility requirements as well before signing up:
Donation frequency:
Every 56 days
You must be in good health and feeling well
You must be at least 16 years old
Weigh at least 110 lbs. Additional height and weight requirements apply for donors 18 years old and younger and all high school student donors.

If you have any questions please contact jbiessman@smsacademy.org OR 22eblackburn@smsacademy.org with any questions.

Thank you for your consideration.

As always, if you or your child become aware of a potentially dangerous situation that may threaten campus safety, we urge you to contact the Fond du Lac Police Department.  To report life threatening urgent matters, please dial 9-1-1.  To report concerns that may not be urgent, please call 920-322-3700.  You  may also call the high school main office at 920-322-8062. 

School Fact Sheet_final.pdf  Created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS), the Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center (SUSO) is a comprehensive, one-stop place to turn with important concerns currently offering: threat assessment consultation, critical incident response, and general school safety guidance. Please click the link above for the SUSO flyer or visit the SUSO website https://speakup.widoj.gov/ for additional information on these three services as well as resources on school safety best practices.

SMSA Ledger Learning Guides Home Page 2021-2022 School Year

Parents are invited to reference the Ledger Learning Guide each week.  Teachers are updating their course expectations  each week, identifying learning targets and referencing relevant standards.

No news at this time.

BACK FOR SUMMER 2022: Marian University’s Pre-College Program! Deadline June 10th
Marian University is proud to offer 100% online pre-college courses to help high school students get ahead and incoming freshmen get a head start! Open to Freshmen through Seniors in high school, these intro level courses are a great opportunity. Only $50.00 per course! Plus, for each course passed, you’ll receive a $500/year award to be used toward Marian tuition should you decide to enroll here!

– Introduction to Health Professions (1 Credit) 6/13-7/17 | 7-8 PM (Monday’s)
– Introduction to Business Professions (1 Credit) 7/18-8/21 | 7-8 PM (Monday’s)

Head to marianuniversity.edu/pre-college to register! Registration deadline is June 10, 2022!

For more information, click here.

Fashion Academy for grades 8-12 at Mount Mary University – June 27th – July 1st
Get ready to unleash your creativity this summer!

Fashion Academy is a week-long experience for students entering grades 8-12 who have a love of fashion and want to learn more about the industry. Experience fashion through hands-on activities with Mount Mary faculty and meet alumni industry professionals. Learn insider know-how and discover the skills and digital tools needed for a career in fashion design and promotion.

Mount Mary Fashion Academy will be June 27- July 1 | Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Cost: $200 ($13.80 processing fee).

Click this link to learn more

Wisconsin American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy – July 24th – 29th

Are there current juniors or seniors interested in law enforcement or related careers? The Wisconsin American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy (WALLECA) is the perfect experience for those students. This program of The Wisconsin American Legion is a 6 day academy held at the Wisconsin State Patrol academy at Ft. McCoy. The academy is scheduled for Sunday – Friday, July 24 – 29, 2022. Cadets attend at no cost, as we are supported by valued sponsors. The cadets are housed at the dorms at the State Patrol Academy.

The academy consists of 26 female and 26 male cadets. The cadets are chosen from their applications that they submit. The link to the application is attached below. The application requires signatures from a parent, a school counselor and a law enforcement professional. We want students who are in good standing at their school and in their community as they are the future law enforcement professionals. The students who are chosen to attend will be notified in April.

The curriculum consists of fire arms training, physical training, ethics, crime scene investigation, arrest tactics, OWI enforcement, Department of Natural Resources, Human trafficking, and many more classes.

Many of our graduates are already working in law enforcement professions. They credit this academy with their success.

The application for the Wisconsin American Legion is due March 25, 2022. The completed application can be printed, completed, then mailed to: Wisconsin American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy P.O. Box 388 Portage, WI 53901. Or scanned and emailed to: Sheri@wilegion.org. https://wilegion.org/walleca/

Camp Y-Koda Is Hiring For Summer 2022

Click here to view their flyer.

Boys and Girls Club Fond du Lac 

Click here to view the job postings.

Click here to view a video on the Boys and Girls Club.

Attention Junior Girls: Academy Girls Scholarship Information – Deadlines April 25th

Applications for the 2022-2023 Academy Girls Scholarship are now being accepted. This is a merit-based scholarship to be awarded to one current, female, SMSA junior based on essay responses and GPA. Upon proof of enrollment, a $750 credit will be issued from St. Mary’s Springs Academy to offset tuition to the scholarship winner in her senior year at SMSA.

Application deadline is 3:30 p.m., April 25, 2022. The award winner must be able to commit to attending the Academy Girls Luncheon on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 to give a short speech about what this scholarship means to her, how she models the Core Values at SMSA and her post high school plans.

Click here for further information and application details.

Mercury Racing Scholarship Opportunity – Deadlines April 29th

Mercury Racing is pleased to announce the Excellence in Trade Scholarship for the 2022 – 2023 academic year. This scholarship program is designed to support local high school students or recent graduates who will further their education in a trade-related field. The program will offer two scholarships of $5,000 each ($2,500 for each semester), intended to alleviate financial stress of post-secondary education. This scholarship program will help grow the local workforce by providing the education and tools needed to succeed.

These scholarships are available to high school seniors or recent graduates from a public or private high school/junior college within the districts of: Fond du Lac with an application deadline of Friday, April 29, 2022.

Additional scholarship criteria are:

Cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale; submission of official transcript required.

Must submit two (2) letters of recommendation from a teacher, advisor, employer, or other professional reference.

Entering full-time in a trade-related field in fall of 2022 (must provide enrollment information).

To learn more about the Mercury Racing 2022 Scholarship Program and to apply, visit: mercuryracing.com/scholarships.

None at this time.

None at this time.