There will be no school Monday, January 20, 2020.

The Business and Scrip Offices will be open during normal business hours.

On behalf of the SMSA Leadership team, all faculty, staff and students are encouraged to wear their Green and Gold tomorrow, Friday, January 17, 2020 in support of the Packers competing in the NFC Championship game.

Please wear you Green and Gold attire with jeans (no holes) and no sweatpants.

There is no charge for this jeans day, GO PACK!

If you chose to not wear Green and Gold, please come to school in your uniform.

New Year, New Semester!

Happy New Year! 

Imagine, 2020!  Aren’t we supposed to be living in space needles and using jet-packs to commute?!  Even as we began the academic year last September, 2020 seemed to be a far-off time and space.  My, how time has a way of tricking us! 

During these first days of a new decade, we look back with gratitude for the many blessings of the past. Looking forward in hope and anticipation, we ask God’s continued blessings upon our SMSA community –  a meaningful union of loyal and committed alumni, past parents, current parents, students and faculty. May we work together to grow even stronger relationships and a thriving, exemplary Catholic school in the 20’s!

The administration, faculty and staff of SMSA are thankful for the many opportunities this year will provide to impact young lives. Our students are the reason we serve together at SMSA. As they return to school for Semester II on Tuesday, January 21st, we have a lofty vision for our students and we hope it closely matches yours. We pray that ALL Ledgers will grow holistically – developing their minds, spirits, bodies and relationships in life-giving and positive ways.  We want our students to demonstrate resilience in their learning, a quality often called “grit” these days. Grit is marked by a “can do” mindset, one that understands and appreciates mistakes or failures as part of the learning process, an element to true growth. 

We also want our students to embrace The Ledger Way enthusiastically! SMSA calls all students to be people of positive character, who embrace Learning, Leadership, Faith, Community, Respect and Responsibility.  

We expect a great deal from our Ledgers because they are so very capable of producing great results! Their intelligence, creativity, empathy and grit are inspiring to me daily.  Parents, your partnership and support of teachers, coaches and school expectations is most appreciated. Thank you for engaging with, and contributing so significantly to animating the beautiful mission and vision at St. Mary’s Springs Academy.  I look forward to a great Semester II!

Course Selection and Master Scheduling Process for 2020-2021

It hardly seems possible, but the time is upon us for SMSA students and parents to begin selecting courses for the 2020-2021 school year.  During the week of January 21 – 24, 2020 all current freshmen, sophomores and juniors will receive Counseling Office presentations about course selection and registration. Counselors will review SMSA graduation requirements and general college entrance criteria.  Students will have the chance to review and consider their own four year scheduling plan as well as ask questions around the process of course selection. Every student will receive a refreshed Curriculum Guide and a Course Selection Form. Students will be directed to bring these important resources home and to discuss course options and recommendations with parents/guardians.  The Course Selection Form should subsequently be completed and returned – signed by parents/guardians – by Monday, January 27th. These are the first steps in the process of course registration and scheduling for 2020-2021. 

Once each current student has submitted a Course Selection Form, counselors and support staff will begin to enter student choices into Skyward.  Then in February, incoming students of the Class of 2024 will make their course selections. Those choices will also be entered into Skyward. Once all high school Course Selection Forms have been entered into Skyward, the 2020-2021 High School Master Schedule can be developed and then  finalized. Mr. Jacob Norlander, our new Master Scheduler, will lead a collaborative team of counselors, teachers and administration in this process. Once the Master Schedule and faculty assignments are completed, we hope to distribute finalized 2020-2021 schedules to students in the month of May! At a future time, calendar deadlines for requesting schedule changes will be shared. 

Parents will be kept updated around this new timeline and the progress being made within this important course selection and master scheduling process. Thanks in advance for your patience and support in this critical process.

Dear Parents,

It still amazes me how quickly the school year goes by and how our children seem to grow-up too fast.  Believe it or not, I miss those days of taking my sons to school, to their activities, and the fun conversations we had about their day.  I hope the first semester was full of good experiences for you and your son/daughter.  

As we look to the future and set goals perhaps in the form of “New Year’s Resolutions”, this is also a great time to check-in with our children about their future plans.   With this in mind, we are about to begin the scheduling process for next year with some helpful changes. Our goal is to get schedules for the 2020-2021 school year (for both semesters) to all our students before they leave for the summer in June.  Working with your help and cooperation, our hope for all our students is to begin the new school year ready to learn, grow, and create great memories with their St. Mary’s Springs Academy community.

During the week immediately following semester exams, I will be walking students through selecting their courses for next school year.  As we work on this together, I will also have the students create a rough draft of their schedules for their remaining years of high school.  This rough draft of future courses can be changed or adjusted, it serves the purpose of helping students and their parents create plans for graduation, college and careers after high school.  Here is a timeline for this adjusted scheduling process.  Please keep in mind that this is subject to change:

Part One of Three:

Wednesday, January 22nd

Sophomores will select courses for junior year and create a rough draft of senior year.  Please review your son/daughter’s course selection sheet and sign the form to let us know you approve of their selections.  If you would like changes to be made, please mark your changes on the form and sign the form. Please contact me by email or phone with your questions.  These forms are due in the North Office or the School Counseling Office by the end of the school day on Monday, January 27th.

Thursday, January 23rd

Freshmen will select courses for sophomore year and create a rough draft of junior and senior years.  Please review your son/daughter’s course selection sheet and sign the form to let us know you approve of their selections.  If you would like changes to be made, please do so on the form and sign the form. Please contact me by email or phone with your questions.  These forms are due in the North Office or the School Counseling Office by the end of the school day on Monday, January 27th.

Friday, January 24th

Juniors will select courses for senior year and account for all graduation requirements.  Please review your son/daughter’s course selection sheet and sign the form to let us know you approve of their selections.  If you would like changes to be made, please mark your changes on the form and sign the form. Please contact me by email or phone with your questions.  These forms are due in the North Office or the School Counseling Office by the end of the school day on Monday, January 27th.

Part Two of Three

Wednesday, January 29th

Sophomores will meet individually with a school counselor to officially enter their course selections for the upcoming school year. 

Thursday, January 30th

Freshmen will meet individually with a school counselor to officially enter their course selections for the upcoming school year. 

Friday, January 31st 

Juniors will meet individually with a school counselor to officially enter their course selections for the upcoming school year. 

Part Three of Three

Monday, June 1st

Final versions of schedules for the 2020-2021 academic year will be given to students and will be available through Skyward.

High school yearbook sales are now only available online. We are no longer accepting them at school.  Please click here to order.

Auditions for Bye Bye Birdie will be on Monday, February 3, 2020 and Wednesday February, 5, 2020 after school in Mrs. Lewis’ music room (2080). Please prepare a portion of a song from any musical of your choice and sign up for a time in the office with a partner. Make sure to pick a scene that you and your partner will read and take a form to bring FILLED OUT to your audition.

All tech crew may fill out their forms and place in the envelope in the office by February 5, 2020.

Please email Mrs. Lewis at clewis@smsacademy.org with any questions or audition conflicts. 

Please have all schedules of other activities with you at the time of your audition.

The Sophomore Class is excited to announce that their Sadie Hawkins Dance is scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2020 in Baker Gym from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. This year’s theme is “Winter Wonderland.”

Tickets will go on sale starting Monday, February 17th during lunch hours and before and after school in Mr. Thompson’s room (3037.) Tickets will be $7 per person in advance and $10 at the door.

We are still in the early planning stages, but if any sophomore parents would like to volunteer to help, especially with setting up for the dance on Saturday, please contact Mr. Thompson at jthompson@smsacademy.org.

Fee Application Week at UW Oshkosh – January 27th – 31st

UW Oshkosh will be holding a free application week January 27 – 31, 2020. Students who apply to any of the three campuses (Oshkosh, Fox Cities or Fond du Lac) during the week of January 27th – January 31st, will have their application fee automatically waived. When they apply online, they can simply bypass the payment section and the rest of it will be taken care of on UW Oshkosh’s end. 

Feel free to contact Nicole Jackson at 920-424-3079 with any questions.

ACT Test Prep at UW-Oshkosh

UW-Oshkosh is offering an ACT prep course this winter on Saturday mornings, January 11 – February 15, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Classes will be held on the UW-Oshkosh campus. Cost is $200.

Please click here to register.

Excel Engineering Exploring Program Open House – January 21st

Anyone interested in Architectural Design, HVAC Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering Design, Structural Engineering Design or AutoCAD may be interested in the Excel Open House Tuesday, January 21, 2020 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Must be between the ages of 14 and 21.  

Please click here to view the flyer.

Agnesian Healthcare, a member of SSMHealth

Agnesian Health Care – a member of SSM health, is looking for environmental services technicians (housekeeping).

Please click here to view the full job description.

Gottlieb Bickelhaupt Memorial Scholarship and Julie Morgan Hinkley Memorial Scholarship

The Counseling Office has the updated scholarship applications for the Bickelhaupt and Hinkley Memorial Scholarships. There will be 2 $500 scholarships awarded to graduating seniors pursuing higher education. They will be evaluated on essay responses, service above required hours and academic achievement.

Please stop in the Counseling Office for an application.

WI American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy – application deadlines February 24th

The Counseling Office has received information about the WI American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy being held June 22 – 26, 2020 for students who have completed their junior or senior year and are in good academic standing. This will be held at the WI State Patrol Academy at Ft. McCoy. Deadline for submitting your application is February 25th.

Stop in the Counseling Office for more information.

Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation, Inc (WROF) Scholarship

WROF is proud to announce an award of up to $10,000 to be presented to a Wisconsin high school senior pursuing a post secondary education. Criteria includes having lived in rural Wisconsin for at least two years. “Rural” is defined as traditional rural areas and rural towns of 25,000 population or less. This award supports tuition only, up to $2,500 per semester, for any post high school experience in Wisconsin and will continue as long as a 2.5 GPA is maintained.

Stop in the counseling office for an application.

WI Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received the WI Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Scholarship. This is a scholarship for those with a degree that prepares a graduate to analyze biological specimens in hospital, clinical or research laboratory. This scholarship is not intended for those planning on pursuing other careers such as physical therapy, clinical nutrition, occupational therapy, physician’s assistant, nursing, pharmacy or other medical fields.

Agnesian HealthCare Volunteer Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received the Agnesian HealthCare Volunteer Scholarship. Criteria includes being a high school senior, resides in the Agnesian HealthCare service area and pursuing a career in healthcare.  

Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received a new scholarship available to graduating seniors wanting to pursue an education and career in the aviation or aerospace field.

Please stop in the counseling office for more information.

Winnebago County Master Gardeners Association Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received the Winnebago County Master Gardeners Association Scholarship. It is available to students enrolled in a program related to the following areas of study: Horticulture, Landscaping, Agriculture, Forestry, Agronomy, Arborist, Conservation, Natural Resources or other areas approved by Scholarship Committee and Board.

Application in the Counseling Office.

Altrusa International, Inc. of Fond du Lac Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received the Altrusa Scholarship which is available to graduating seniors in the top 25% of their graduating class. Students must be planning to attend a college resulting in a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited school of higher learning.

Please stop in the Counseling Office for an application.

Morning Rotary Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received the FdL Morning Rotary Club Scholarship. Criteria involves planning to attend Marian University, Moraine Park Technical College, or UW Oshkosh at Fond du Lac starting in fall 2020 semester.

Please stop in the Counseling Office for an application.

Fond du Lac Evening Optimist 2020 Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received the 2020 Evening Optimist Foundation Scholarship. This is available to graduating seniors who possess leadership and scholarship qualities and who will be attending the Wisconsin University system, private State University or Vocational Technical Programs.

Applications can be found in the Counseling Office.

Dodge County 40 Et 8 Scholarship

The Counseling Office has received the Dodge County 40 Et 8 Scholarship which is for graduating seniors who reside in Dodge County and plan to attend an accredited School of Nursing in Wisconsin.

More information in the Counseling Office.

Please stop in the Counseling Office for upcoming dates.

Please stop in the Counseling Office for upcoming dates.