Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
“Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger.” – St. Patrick
This prayer from the breastplate of St. Patrick is displayed proudly in my office, and has been with me for many years. It serves to remind me that the spirituality of my Irish Catholic heritage underscores the boundless pervasiveness of Christ’s presence – which is everywhere and at all times. We Irish embrace an Incarnational spirituality, proclaiming a faith in a risen Lord who cannot be blocked in His desire to be near us in all that we do. We try to find God in all aspects of our life and our day. When we are successful at this, we are especially “lucky” as the Irish would say!
An Irish Blessing:
May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.
Reminder: Anticipated Absences
SMSA publishes its school calendar well in advance of the school year. It is always available online to reference. Click here to view document. Parents and guardians are expected to do their very best to respect the school calendar and the limits of the school year. Holidays and breaks are generous. Research has demonstrated that poor attendance (missing more than 5 days of classes in a semester or 10 days or more per year) can be very disruptive to student learning. Even the learning process for those who remain in a classroom can be negatively impacted by too many absent learners. Of course, teaching plans are also affected.
We encourage students to be present whenever school is in session. Absence should be avoided, and hopefully, a very rare occurrence.
With that said, if you have a student who will be absent during parts of next week, or the week after Spring Break, we ask that you please direct them to the North Hall Office to obtain the proper guidance and paperwork (click here for sample). Ideally paperwork is submitted one week prior to an anticipated absence.
SMSA parents/guardians may submit a request for anticipated absence at any time during the school year. Naturally, whenever a student is away from class, loss of learning may result. We also know that some absences are less timely than others. Absence at the end of a grading cycle for example – like the end of Quarter 3 next week – may also have an unintended negative impact on a student’s Quarter 3 grades. SMSA faculty are expected to support and accommodate any student who has planned properly for an anticipated absence.
Student responsibility when missing class time:
- Students are responsible for all missing or late course work.
- Students are responsible for initiating and making arrangements directly with their teachers in advance of their absence. Teachers will outline expectations for accomplishing missed assignments and assessment.
- As possible/appropriate, students may be asked by a teacher to schedule an assessment (quiz/test) at a date and time prior to the anticipated absence.
If a student absence results in late or missing work that does not comply with the expected absence accommodation plan of a teacher, the following Curriculum Guide policy applies:
Q). Late and/or Missing School Work: Informed by the Ledger Way core values of respect, responsibility and community, all SMSA teachers and students abide by the same norm for late and missing school work. Missing work is not only disruptive to the student, but also to the learning of other students, the efforts of teachers and the overall learning process. When a medical excuse or other valid extenuating circumstances are verified, exceptions may be granted. As a standard practice, however, students and parents should be advised of the following SMSA norm:
I. Assignments submitted one calendar day late shall be accepted, but may earn 95% of full grade potential.
ii. Assignments submitted up to 3 calendar days late shall be accepted, but may earn 90% of full grade potential.
iii. Assignments submitted 4-7 calendar days late shall be accepted, but may earn only 80% of full grade potential.
- Assignments submitted after 8 calendar days late shall not be accepted, and will be recorded as a “zero” grade.
Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us!
Eamonn O’Keeffe
Principal, High School