FROM THE OFFICE OF EAMONN O'KEEFFE, 9TH - 12TH GRADE PRINCIPAL

Testing day on April 20th

On Tuesday, April 20th, the ACT will be administered at SMSA to all  juniors, and the ASPIRE Test will be administered to all freshman and sophomores.  There will be no school for seniors , who are free to manage any final college admission and scholarship planning.   

 

These national standardized tests are not paper and pencil tests.  Instead, both the ACT and Aspire tests will be administered in a virtual format and will require students to have their Chromebook well charged.  

 

On Tuesday, April 20th, it is critical for students to arrive promptly to their assigned testing rooms and ready to receive  directions from test proctors by 8:00 a.m.  Again, both tests are timed, national standardized tests.  Testing will conclude by 1:00 p.m. and parents/students should schedule transportation pick-up for 1:15 p.m.  Please click ACT/ASPIRE Schedule – April 20, 2021 for details about the schedule. 

 

Like with the Forward Exams, the ACT and ASPIRE testing on Tuesday, April 20th permits only in-person testing. Finally, please NOTE: the testing schedule does not include lunch on April 20th (for HS students).  Students will have short breaks between each scheduled test and will be allowed to bring along pre-packaged snacks and water.  

 

Prom Ticket Sales Extended – April 19th

Students may purchase Prom tickets during lunch at school until Monday, April 19th.  Prom tickets will be sold for $15.00 each. 

 

Prom for juniors and seniors is scheduled for Saturday, April 24th from 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. at Whispering Springs Golf Club at 380 Whispering Springs Dr, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.   This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions and precautions,  SMSA shall be sponsoring Prom as a dance only event, which means the prom ticket does not include a traditional on-site dinner or admission to any post-prom activities.   

 

Guests of SMSA juniors and seniors may be permitted to attend Prom under the following conditions: 

1) they are enrolled in high school (administration may grant exceptions for guests who are high school graduates under the age of 21)

2) an SMSA student purchases the guest ticket

3) an SMSA Guest Dance Form (approved and authorized by Mr. Krueger) is presented at the time of Prom ticket purchase. NOTE: the Guest Dance Form must be approved BEFORE students are able to purchase a ticket for their non-SMSA guest.   

 

SMSA freshmen and sophomore students may attend when accompanying a junior or senior Ledger.   

 

While attending Prom at Whispering Springs, everyone shall be required to properly wear masks (covering nose and mouth).  We recognize that strict social distancing practices may not be possible, which further underscores the importance of mask wearing at this indoor large group event.  Please be advised that the Fond du Lac County Health Department will still require SMSA to contact trace Prom should a positive case of Covid-19 be reported.  Students or guests who do not comply with masking expectations at Prom will be asked to leave the dance. Refunds shall not be provided. 

 

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us!

 

Be well, God bless. 

Eamonn O’Keeffe, Principal Grades 9-12

Upcoming Dates

Friday – Sunday, April 16th-18th – Musical Performances at HMHS (North Fondy)

Tuesday, April 20th – ACT & ASPIRE Testing Day (Seniors do not attend)


Spirit Wear - April 16th

Tomorrow, Friday April 16th, will be a jeans and spirit wear top in recognition and support of the success that our high school girls volleyball team has had this season, as they advanced to the State tournament!  For the first time in SMSA WIAA history!

 

Please note, no holes or rips in the jeans.  If you choose not to wear a spirit wear top, please come to school in your uniform.

 

Go Ledgers!  Good luck girls!


High School Musical - April 16th - April 18th

The St. Mary’s Springs high school theater department is proud to present “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” LIVE!  Go to, www.hometowntickets.com, to purchase tickets and reserve your seats today! They are set up in groups of three and socially distanced for safety. Masks will be required at all times.

 

Shows will be Friday, April 16th and Saturday, April 17th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 18th at 1:00 p.m. at the NFDL Horace Mann Theater. Tickets are $12 with student pricing available.

 

Can’t make it to the show, but still want to watch?  For a $12 fee, visit, http://venlink.net/login, to watch the Saturday evening show live!

 

Questions? Contact Mrs. Lewis at clewis@smsacademy.org.


Ledger Honors Convocation - May 6th

Thursday, May 6th will be a special schedule in the high school to celebrate the many academic accomplishments of the 2020-21 school year, and especially honors earned by the Class of 2021.  B-Day classes will meet as usual, and an all school Ledger Honors Convocation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. – 12 :15 p.m. in Hutter Gym. May 6th Special Schedule

 

Senior parents are welcome to attend, but space and COVID safety limitations will not allow for parents of freshman – juniors to attend. We hope to also make the event accessible through a livestream link.


News and Information

Ledgerfest 2021 Is In The Books!

Thank you to everyone who supported this year’s virtual Ledgerfest event. We hope you all enjoyed the weeklong Ledger Challenges and the announcements of this year’s Benefactor Award winners on Saturday, April 10th, click here to view each of the winners acceptance videos.

 

We are excited to announce we raised a total of $108,900 for St. Mary’s Springs Academy. This total includes the generous donations that helped us reach our Fund-A-Need goal of $25,000, which will directly support purchasing Big Ideas Math curriculum for 6-8th grade and a new Ledger Mascot! To view the new Ledger Mascot design, click here.

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE LEDGER CHALLENGE $100 VISA GIFT CARDS:

High Point Earner (19 total) – Kelcy Steffes!

Randomly Drawn Participant – Molly Jaster!

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE INSTANT BUY “BIG TICKET” ITEMS:

2019 Yamaha Raptor 90 ATV – Christine Zimmerman

Private Dinner Party with Fr. John LoCoco – Courtney Zitlow

NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle Bike – Jenny Drake

 

If you were the lucky winner of one of our amazing auction packages, they can be picked up in the Scrip office during regular Scrip hours, or please contact Kristin Zitlow at kzitlow@smsacademy.org or 920-322-8006 to arrange a pick up date and time. If you purchased Instant Buy items, those will be mailed directly to you.

 

Your support and generosity never ceases to amaze, thank you Ledger Nation!


SMSA Virtual Learning Guides and Information

With more students electing to learn virtually at this time of the year, I suggest parents of virtual learners review the links provided here. These are resources for better understanding virtual learning at SMSA. 

  1. SMSA Ledger Learning Guides Home Page
  2. HS Expectations for Virtual Learners DOC 2020-21
  3. Expectations for Virtual Learners Slide Deck

High School Counseling

News and Information

No news at this time.


Upcoming Dates

College Goal Wisconsin-FAFSA – April 15th

College Goal Wisconsin provides free information and assistance to families who need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For students and families who have yet to fill out the FAFSA, College Goal Wisconsin is offering additional dates this spring to assist with the completion of the 2021-22 FAFSA.

 

Thursday, April 15th at 6:00 p.m.

 

To register for one event or to request additional information, please refer to https://collegegoalwi.org.


Career Exploration

Bellin College Summer Nursing and Imaging Camps – Multiple Dates

Applications are now being accepted for Bellin College summer nursing and imaging camps. Applying to summer camps

How much does it cost?

  • Nursing Day Camp:

Monday, July 26, 2021: $50

Tuesday, July 27, 2021: $50

Wednesday, July 28, 2021: $50

Includes camp t-shirt, lunch and clinical supplies

 

  • Medical Imaging Day Camp

Thursday, July 29, 2021: $90

Includes camp t-shirt, lunch and clinical supplies

 

Payment is not required until after the participants have been selected to attend the camp.

 

How are the participants selected?

Students are selected after a holistic review of their application including the date the applied, GPA, essay question, and dates available.

 

Who can apply?

High school students who are sophomores and juniors at time of application.

 

Questions?

Please contact Claire Drevs at claire.drevs@bellincollege.edu.

Apply online at www.bellincollege.edu/summercamps.


Job Opportunities

Festival Foods – Interviews Began April 13th

Festival Foods will be holding open interviews every Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. They have several part time openings for the following areas: cashier, bagger/cart runner, meat clerk, deli clerk, bakery clerk, produce clerk and fresh cut clerk.


St. Lawrence Seminary 

St. Lawrence Seminary is looking for high school students to work 40 hours a week, Monday – Friday, starting June 1st. – August 13th.

 

The job will include: cleaning bathrooms, classrooms, dorms, offices, furniture, floors, carpets, moving furniture and occasional raking or weeding etc.

 

For an application: please call Mary Bink at 920-753-7524 or e-mail at mbink@stlawrence.edu (please include your name, address and phone number in the email.)


LaClare Family Creamery 

We have some part time and full time job opportunities. We are opening a new garden center at LaClare, and have part time retail/café positions available! We also have full time cheese productions positions available that allow for growth in the company including into leadership positions.

 

Click here for more information.


Scholarship Opportunities

2021 ABC Scholarship – Deadlines April 15th

2021 ABC Scholarship applications are now available for SMSA seniors.  

Deadline is Thursday, April 15th, 2021 and can be found in Naviance


Rotary Scholarship Deadline is Fast Approaching – April 15th

The deadline for the Rotary Scholarship is Thursday, April 15th. This is a $1,000 scholarship for seniors who will be attending Marian University, Moraine Park Technical College or UW Oshkosh at Fond du Lac starting in fall 2021 semester. More information can be found at www.fdlmorningrotary.com or in Naviance.


2021- 2022 Academy Girls Scholarship – Deadlines April 23rd

The 2021-2022 Academy Girls Scholarship is available to current JUNIOR GIRLS.  Deadline is April 23rd. 

 

This merit-based scholarship will be awarded to one current, female, SMSA junior, and will be applied to her senior year tuition at SMSA.  Applicants will be evaluated based upon essay responses and academic achievement (GPA). 

 

Please click here for the application.  Submit to Mrs. Gilles no later than Friday, April 23rd


Mercury Racing Excellence in Trade Scholarships – Due April 30th

The Mercury Racing Excellence in Trade Scholarship is due April 30th. You can find more information at, https://bit.ly/MRScholarship2021.  They are offering two $5,000 scholarships to help students further their education in a trade related field.


Eastern Ridge Home Builders Association Scholarship – Due May 7th

Eastern Ridge Home Builders Association scholarship applications are due on Friday, May 7th. These scholarships are designed for students pursuing higher education or an apprenticeship program related to the residential construction industry. Additionally, scholarships are also available to children of employees of our member businesses pursuing education in any career field.

 

Click here for more information..


TC Energy Scholarship – Deadline May 14th

Please click here for more information on it. Deadline is May 14th.


6th Annual Epic Flight Academy Aviation Scholarship Awards – October 1st

Do you have students whose heads are in the clouds? We invite U.S. high school students who are interested in flight training or aviation maintenance to apply for Epic Flight Academy’s 4 aviation scholarships. We are located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida and welcome applicants from all around the U.S.

 

Will you please join us in supporting students’ dreams by sharing this scholarship information with interested students?

 

We are awarding $65,000 this year!

 

Open to current high school juniors and seniors for flight training and seniors for aircraft mechanics

Awarding 4 scholarships ($20,000 and $5,000 for flight training; $20,000 each for 2 aircraft mechanics)

 

Deadline to apply is Friday, October 1, 2021

 

Full details and links to the online application forms are available by clicking here.


College/University SMSA visits

None at this time.


College/University Virtual Visits

None at this time.