Internet Safety Presentation (Parents Only Session) – February 23rd

At 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 23rd, SMSA is pleased to host a special live/in-person parents/adults-only program, “The Dark Side of Cyberspace: the Internet, Smart Phones, and Social Media.”  Mr. Eric Szatkowski shall present to all high school students during the school day.  

Mr. Szatkowski emphasizes that while digital technology offers a world of communication, education and entertainment options for our youth, it also has increasingly dangerous elements that places our teens at risk. Parents interested in the online safety and well-being of our children while using their phones, tablets or gaming systems will learn from specific examples of how predators have used multiple platforms and devices to take advantage of vulnerable kids. Ideas on how to help prevent our Ledgers from being hurt and how to respond when something happens will be shared. 

Topics include the latest on potential dangers of social networking sites and apps, decoy apps as well as disturbing trends of sexting, cyber bullying and webcam exploitation.  

Eric Szatkowski has been a guest on the Tyra Banks Show in Los Angeles, and CNN Tonight in New York City.  Eric has also appeared on “Living Our Faith” with then-Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan, The Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio, and has been interviewed by countless newspapers, radio and television stations across Wisconsin and the Midwest.  Some of Eric’s cases have been featured in national media outlets including Cold Case Files with Bill Kurtis, People Magazine, and MSNBC Investigates.  Eric’s work has been recognized by many organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators. 

Childcare will be provided! Due to the sensitivity of the material that will be covered during the parent presentation, he asks that it is adults ONLY.  SMSA therefore, will be providing childcare for children 3 and up (no diapers).  We are very excited to have Eric at SMSA as he is a dynamic speaker with a wealth of knowledge in keeping our children safe online.  

Please register by Wednesday, February 16th if you will be attending so we can get an idea of the number of people attending and children in childcare.  Click here to register.  For more information on Eric, please click here.

If you have any questions contact:

Mrs. Cauley, K-4 Counselor: manderson@smsacademy.org

Mrs. Dengel, MS Counselor: sdengel@smsacademy.org

Mrs. McCarthy, HS Counselor: tmccarthy@smsacademy.org

SMSA Adopts GoGuardian Beacon 

In last week’s eLedger (see archived section) we announced that SMSA has expanded our GoGuardian product services to include GoGuardian Beacon as part of our school’s evolving suicide prevention program. GoGuardian products are used in over 8,500 schools and 5,000 districts in the US, supporting over 23 million students.  

Soon, SMSA parents will be receiving more details about how to engage with GoGuardian Beacon.  In the meantime, parents are urged to view the short 3 minute video introduction found at this link GoGuardian Beacon Demo

How are we using GoGuardian already at SMSA? 

• Help protect students against harmful and inappropriate online material
• Help students stay on task and scholarly and more focused when learning online
• Help assess students’ progress towards class assignments
• Facilitating communication between teachers and students during class time 

SMSA selected GoGuardian services to help our students stay safer and more focused while learning online. We work with students to teach about digital responsibility and safety. Additionally, we train teachers about how to operate GoGuardian and about our policies and procedures to help protect student privacy.

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us!

Eamonn O’Keeffe

Principal, High School

Friday, February 4th – All System Mass for Catholic Schools Week at Holy Family Church, 9:15 a.m. (all are welcome)

Thursday, February 10th – ZAPS ACT Test Prep workshop scheduled for all juniors ( 8:30 a.m –  2:30 p.m.) 

Thursday, February 10th – Sophomore Retreat Day

Friday, February 11th – No Classes, Faculty Professional Development, Inservice Day

Monday, February 14th – No Classes, Faculty Professional Development, Inservice Day

Auditions for the high school musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” will be held on Tuesday, February 8th and Thursday, February 10th after school in the middle school choir room. 

Please sign up for a time in the office (preferably with a partner), and fill out an audition form to bring to your audition.

You will need to prepare a portion of a vocal song from a musical (any song is fine, but from a musical is best), and take a scene from the office to work on with your partner. Memorization is not needed.

Tech positions are also available on a first come, first serve basis. Please fill out a form and leave in the office by Thursday, February 10th.

On Thursday, February 10, 2022, St. Mary’s Springs Academy will be hosting an ACT preparation workshop for all juniors during the normal school day. This will be a live, full day opportunity to learn practical and effective strategies that we believe will help our students perform their best on the ACT exam that will take place in April. The ACT preparation workshop will be facilitated by an experienced trainer who will lead students through practice tests, strategy sessions and retests to utilize their newly learned skills. SMSA has covered the cost for all juniors to participate in this experience and each student will receive preparation books as part of the workshop.

Date: Thursday, February 10, 2022

Start Time: 8:30 a.m.

End Time: 2:30 p.m.

Materials Needed: Pencils and a Calculator

Please note that we will be hosting the National ACT exam for our current juniors on April 19th during the school day. The opportunity for students to take this exam in the comfort of our home campus has proven to be a benefit. More information about the April ACT exam for juniors on our campus will be shared as we get closer to that date.

Tired of flowers and chocolates? The SMSA Music Department is doing their annual Singing Telegrams fundraiser! 

The high school vocal jazz members, dressed in formal attire, will surprise that special recipient and serenade them in song. There is a video option as well. 

Visit, smsacademy.org/telegram, to reserve yours today!

The Sophomore class is hosting the annual Sadies dance on Saturday, February 19th from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m, the theme is “Sweet Day”. Tickets are $10 per person in advance and $12 per person at the door. 

Tickets will be sold during lunch the weeks of February 7th and 15th. Guests are allowed with approved permission slips from administration, which can be picked up from Mrs. Amerling before or after school.

Ledgerfest Parent Donations 

Planning has begun for our annual Ledgerfest fundraising event.   Last year we collected money from our High School families and put together some amazing auction baskets, which went over very well during our online Ledgerfest auction. We will be creating these types of baskets again this year.  Chris Gilles is the point person this year for the High School themed basket.  These baskets will be a part of the silent auction at Ledgerfest on March 19th.

Just like last year, you can use this link, Click here to donate online. Once you enter a donation amount and click next, please fill in your child’s name and grade level (if you are donating for more than one child, please list each name and grade level along with the amount for each child).

If you prefer, you may still send cash or check (payable to Andrea Nuss) in an envelope marked: HS Ledgerfest/Kristin Zitlow. Please also indicate your child’s grade level on the envelope.

All contributions are due by Tuesday, February 22, 2022.  Thank you so much to all who have already donated towards the classroom baskets!

If you have any questions, please contact Chris, cgilles@smsacademy.org or 920-322-8059.

Thank you so much for your support in helping make this fundraiser a success!

School Safety

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. 

Speak Up Speak Out 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.

Ledger Learning Guide

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.  

Reminder ALL Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors students need to schedule a meeting with a counselor to go over Class Registration for 2022-2023.

Freshmen and Sophomores will be meeting with Mrs. McCarthy, have your student use this link to schedule a meeting: https://calendly.com/mrsmccarthy/meeting-with-mrs-mccarthy

Juniors will be meeting with Mr. Stamatakos, have your student use this link to schedule a meeting: https://calendly.com/mrstamatakos/meeting?month=2022-02

Students will need to bring their Class Registration Worksheet to the meeting with them, and then at the end of that meeting we will collect the signed worksheet.

Please let us know if you have any questions about registration,

Mr. Stamatakos & Mrs. McCarthy

ACT Prep Workshop – February 10th

Dear Juniors and Parents:

On Thursday, February 10, 2022, St. Mary’s Springs Academy will be hosting an ACT Workshop during the school day for all juniors. This will be a live, full day opportunity to learn practical, effective strategies that we believe will help our students perform their best on the ACT exam this April. We have covered the cost for all juniors to participate and each student will receive preparation books as part of this workshop.

The ACT preparation workshop will be facilitated by experienced trainers who will lead your student through practice tests, strategy sessions, and retests to use their newly learned skills. We have utilized this workshop in the past and have been impressed by the instructors and the effective strategies shared with our students.

Date: February 10, 2022

Start Time: 8:30 a.m.

End Time: 2:30 p.m.

Place: Multi-Purpose Room (4th Floor) and Mrs. Bartel’s Room (1050)

Please note that we will be hosting the National ACT exam for our current juniors on April 19th during the school day. The opportunity for students to take this exam in the comfort of our home campus has proven to be a benefit. More information about the April ACT exam for juniors on our campus will be shared as we get closer to that date.

ZAPS ACT Test Preparation Workshop for Juniors – February 10th

On Thursday, February 10, 2022, St. Mary’s Springs Academy will be hosting an ACT preparation workshop for all juniors during the normal school day. This will be a live, full day opportunity to learn practical and effective strategies that we believe will help our students perform their best on the ACT exam that will take place in April. The ACT preparation workshop will be facilitated by an experienced trainer who will lead students through practice tests, strategy sessions and retests to utilize their newly learned skills. SMSA has covered the cost for all juniors to participate in this experience and each student will receive preparation books as part of the workshop. More information will be shared directly with juniors in the few weeks.

Practice ACT Test at SMSA – Deadline February 25th

SMSA is proud to announce that we’re partnering with Revolution Test Prep to offer current SMSA juniors an opportunity to take a practice ACT on Saturday, March 5th. This practice test will be offered live in a setting that simulates the test day environment. Students will be able to receive their scores on the practice exam immediately following the test!

Participation in this practice test is optional and available at no cost. There is also no commitment to use any of Revolution Test Prep’s services, though RTP does offer a robust array of academic support resources for high school students, including ACT prep courses.

Please find instructions to register for the practice test here https://bit.ly/3giVqdL

The deadline to register for the practice test is Friday, February 25th.

Please email Mr. Stamatakos (jstamatakos@smsacademy.org) with any questions.

None at this time.

Camp Y-Koda Is Hiring For Summer 2022

Click here to view their flyer.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Precollege

Applications for Badger Summer Scholars and the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Precollege are now open.

Badger Summer Scholars is a two-week program in which students attend a college-level seminar in a topic of their choice, taught by UW-Madison instructors. Students also participate in the Jump Forward series, a workshop series on how to prepare for college, including topics on the admissions process, navigating college, career exploration and more.

The Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) engages talented students from across Wisconsin, the nation and the world in an intense, research-focused, three-week summer program. Designed to push students to the next academic level in an intimate learning environment, students in ALP enroll in a single course for an in-depth experience, with numerous opportunities to connect with instructors, build community and engage with peers.

Click here for the flyer

Click here for more information

None at this time.

None at this time.