Advent At The Springs!

The liturgical season of Advent is a joyful and hopeful time of prayer and preparation.  At this special time of year, bright Christmas decorations adorn our homes, streets and workplaces. Christians all over the world pray for peace on earth and goodwill to all, while paying special attention to the most vulnerable.  In our Western experience, shopping, gift giving, celebrating special events, and sumptuous feasts mark the holiday.  Believers prepare their homes and their hearts to celebrate and share the good news that God is with us: “Come, oh come Emmanuel!” 

Like with all seasons of the school year, Advent will be a busy time on the Ledge!  This first week of Advent, SMSA has offered the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation to all students and staff.  On Saturday afternoon December 4th, SMSA will participate in the Fond du Lac Parade of Lights honoring “hometown heroes.” Together on December 8th, our whole K-12 system will celebrate the Immaculate Conception – our organizational Feast Day – with Mass at Holy Family Church.   On December 13th, our choirs and bands will help us celebrate the season with seasonal favorites at our annual Christmas Concert.  

At this time of the year and all times, the  mission of St. Mary’s Springs Academy proclaims our goal to be a school that is “rooted in Christ’s teaching, academic excellence, and service to Church and community, which prepares students to meet global challenges and become leaders for tomorrow.”  During this holy season of Advent, we are reminded that God is always a partner in this mission with us, ever available to be with us, and ever hoping to grow closer to us.  

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us. 

Eamonn O’Keeffe 

Principal, High School

Saturday, December 4th – Fond du Lac Parade of Lights, 4:15pm

Saturday, December 4th – Placement Test for all 8th graders planning to enroll in SMSA high school in 2022. 

Wednesday, December 8th – Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Holy Day), 9:15am Mass at Holy Family

Monday, December 13th – Mid-Quarter 2 Progress Reports and Eligibility Review 

Monday, December 13th – SMSA Christmas Concert at Holy Family Church, 7pm

Wednesday, December 22nd – Final day of Classes before Christmas Break

Come and enjoy an evening of holiday selections at the High School Music Department’s Christmas Concert. This concert will take place on: Monday, December 13th at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Family Church. It will feature the: Vocal Jazz ensembles, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Concert Choirs, and Modern Band ensemble. All are welcome to attend in person or view the livestream from the Holy Family Facebook page.

Have you turned in your BMR tickets yet? The BMR drawing is Friday, January 14, 2022!

Holiday get-togethers are the perfect time to sell your tickets. Take them to Christmas gatherings, or purchase one or more for that hard to shop for person on your Christmas list.

Tickets may be returned to school any time before the drawing at noon on Friday, January 14, 2022. Additional tickets are available at the North, South and Scrip offices or email kzitlow@smsacademy.org.

Y-Screen For Freshman 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all youth have an emotional health screening at least once a year. During the next three weeks on Thursday and Friday this December, Freshman will participate in the emotional health and wellness “YScreen” assessment. SMSA has been partnering with Fond du Lac YScreen since 2003.  YScreen is the only program in our community that addresses the issue of teen emotional health and suicide prevention through screening and follow through. YScreen is free and confidential, and the YScreen staff does not share the results of the screening with any teachers or school staff, and the results are not stored with academic records.

The YScreen Program helps pinpoint a problem in its early stages and gives support to families to address the problem in a positive and helpful way.The computerized screening is very simple and it takes students about 5 minutes to complete. 

Click here for more information about Y-Screen and the process at SMSA. 

Parents and guardians are required to sign a permission slip for students to participate.  All parents and guardians have received an email from Mrs. McCarthy of the Counseling Office regarding the Y-Screen permission slip.  Most have returned the permission slips, but some are still outstanding. Please click the link for the Consent Form. https://drive.google.com/file/d/13CPN_ZotM8LcWKNP-XzAzCv_6nkxqByK/view?usp=sharing

High School Placement Test

The High School Placement Test is scheduled to take place at SMSA on Saturday, December 4 from 9 am – 1pm.  All students (including current SMSA 8th graders) applying for admission to our SMSA high school program are required to take this test.  The HSPT is one of the most widely used high school placement tests nationally among Catholic high schools. The test, along with other key middle school student records help the high school staff make academic placement recommendations for incoming freshmen. 

Dress Code Reset

A reminder to all high school families that beginning November 29, the SMSA Handbook Dress code has been reinforced for all students in the high school. During the first two months, SMSA made an adjustment to accommodate the supply chain delays found when ordering uniforms through Land’s End.  We are now ready to live into our original dress code standards. Parents and guardians are asked to review the dress code standards with students and reinforce school expectations. https://www.smsacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DRESS-CODE-P3-12.docx-1.pdf

Ledgerfest Auction Package – Sponsored by High School Parents

We’ve all been through this before so again this year we are making it easier than ever for you to support the Ledgerfest Auction. The high school Ledgerfest parent committee is collecting funds to put together an amazing auction package for Ledgerfest – Luck of the Ledger – Saturday, March 119, 2022.

With your contribution, we are hoping to collect enough to create not one but TWO great packages for this year’s online auction. Click here to make a donation today!

If you prefer, you may send cash or check (payable to Andrea Nuss) in an envelope marked: HS Ledgerfest/Kristin Zitlow.

YScreen

Reminder: YScreen Screening for Freshmen will begin Thursday December 2nd and will continue every Thursday and Friday in December. Please turn in consent forms ASAP.

Click here for the consent form:

If you want more information on the screening click here.

Please let Mrs. McCarthy know if you have any questions.

None at this time.

None at this time.

Boys and Girls Club

Click here for more information on open positions.

Lands’ End School Starboard Scholarship – Due December 15th

WIN A $5,000 LANDS’ END SCHOOL STARBOARD SCHOLARSHIP

The Lands’ End School Starboard Scholarship acknowledges and rewards students who display exceptional leadership skills. Up to five scholarships will be awarded to eligible Preferred School students in grades 8‑12. Please see full eligibility guidelines. The Lands’ End School Starboard Scholarship Program was established to assist middle and high school students, currently in grades 8-12, who are enrolled at a Lands’ End Preferred School in the U.S. (SMSA Preferred School Number: 900157314)

2021-2022 Application now available. Applications will be accepted now through December 15, 2021 or until 1,000 applications have been received.

https://www.landsend.com/starboard-scholarship/

Michael J. Wolfe Scholarship Essay Contest

Attention All Teens! Would you like the opportunity to win some cash? The FDL Chapter of WRTL is sponsoring the Michael J. Wolfe Essay Contest. Write an essay expressing your pro life views and you could win $100, $200, or $300. Please see attached correspondence for details.

Please click here to view the flyer.

UW Oshkosh CAPP Scholarship

Scholarship information from UW Oshkosh:

Giving back to kids and schools is one of the hallmarks of the CAPP mission. We do this in a variety of ways through all our courses, but directly through scholarships for students that have had at least one UW Oshkosh CAPP class, who want to pursue their post-secondary degrees at UW Oshkosh.

The Business CAPP Awards, click here for info, are meant for those students coming to a UW Oshkosh campus, pursuing a business degree. These are $500 awards (15 of them).

The Titan Thunder CAPP Scholarship is open as of TODAY, for students interested in being in our new marching band….TITAN THUNDER. These are $500 awards as well (15 of them). It can be found at https://uwosh.academicworks.com/opportunities/8612

Remember, a student is eligible for all CAPP funded scholarships by having taken at least ONE UW Oshkosh CAPP course over their HS career. Remind those students who had one of our classes as a freshman or a sophomore that they too are in the mix! Additionally, some of our awards can be stacked together (Honors College and Titan Thunder, for example).

All UW Oshkosh scholarships can be found by searching from the Academic Works homepage: https://uwosh.academicworks.com/

None at this time.

None at this time.