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

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 referenceClick 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. 

  1. 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

Upcoming Dates

Friday, March 25th – End of Quarter 3 

Monday, March 28th – Friday, April 1st – No Classes/ SPRING BREAK

Monday, April 4th – Classes resume (B-Day)


Ledgerfest Online Auction is LIVE! – Bidding Ends March 19th at 8:30 p.m.

Flex your High Roller status by placing your bids now for your favorite auction packages. We guarantee there is something for everyone on our auction, maybe even two or three things! With over 75 packages, including SMSA student art projects and the class auction packages, you do not want to miss this auction.

 

If you haven’t registered yet, what are you waiting for?! Bidding will close Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 8:30 p.m. during our in-person Ledgerfest event. Not attending Ledgerfest in-person, you can still be a high bidder and take home your favorite auction packages by clicking here.


Attention Junior Girls: Academy Girls Scholarship Information – Deadlines April 25th

Applications for the 2022-2023 Academy Girls Scholarship are now being accepted. This is a merit-based scholarship to be awarded to one current, female, SMSA junior based on essay responses and GPA. Upon proof of enrollment, a $750 credit will be issued from St. Mary’s Springs Academy to offset tuition to the scholarship winner in her senior year at SMSA.

 

Application deadline is 3:30 p.m., April 25, 2022. The award winner must be able to commit to attending the Academy Girls Luncheon on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 to give a short speech about what this scholarship means to her, how she models the Core Values at SMSA and her post high school plans.

 

Click here for further information and application details.

News and Information

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.


Honor Rolls

Click here to view the Honor Roll for Quarter 2

Click here to view the Honor Roll for Semester 1


High School Counseling

News and Information

No news at this time.


Upcoming Dates

Practice ACT Test – April 9th

SMSA is offering current Juniors an opportunity to take a PRACTICE ACT TEST on Saturday, April 9th. Students can register for the test by clicking here.

 

The test will be a full-length ACT (without writing). Students who take the test will be able to receive their practice test scores immediately following the exam!

 

Please register for the test no later than Friday, March 25th and direct any questions about this test to Mr. Stamatakos at jstamatakos@smsacademy.org.


Career Exploration

Wisconsin American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy – July 24th – 29th

Are there current juniors or seniors interested in law enforcement or related careers? The Wisconsin American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy (WALLECA) is the perfect experience for those students. This program of The Wisconsin American Legion is a 6 day academy held at the Wisconsin State Patrol academy at Ft. McCoy. The academy is scheduled for Sunday – Friday, July 24 – 29, 2022. Cadets attend at no cost, as we are supported by valued sponsors. The cadets are housed at the dorms at the State Patrol Academy.

 

The academy consists of 26 female and 26 male cadets. The cadets are chosen from their applications that they submit. The link to the application is attached below. The application requires signatures from a parent, a school counselor and a law enforcement professional. We want students who are in good standing at their school and in their community as they are the future law enforcement professionals. The students who are chosen to attend will be notified in April.

 

The curriculum consists of fire arms training, physical training, ethics, crime scene investigation, arrest tactics, OWI enforcement, Department of Natural Resources, Human trafficking, and many more classes.

 

Many of our graduates are already working in law enforcement professions. They credit this academy with their success.

 

The application for the Wisconsin American Legion is due March 25, 2022. The completed application can be printed, completed, then mailed to: Wisconsin American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy P.O. Box 388 Portage, WI 53901. Or scanned and emailed to: Sheri@wilegion.org. https://wilegion.org/walleca/


Job Opportunities

Camp Y-Koda Is Hiring For Summer 2022

Click here to view their flyer.

 

Boys and Girls Club Fond du Lac 

Click here to view the job postings.

Click here to view a video on the Boys and Girls Club.


Scholarship Opportunities

Attention Junior Girls: Academy Girls Scholarship Information – Deadlines April 25th

Applications for the 2022-2023 Academy Girls Scholarship are now being accepted. This is a merit-based scholarship to be awarded to one current, female, SMSA junior based on essay responses and GPA. Upon proof of enrollment, a $750 credit will be issued from St. Mary’s Springs Academy to offset tuition to the scholarship winner in her senior year at SMSA.

 

Application deadline is 3:30 p.m., April 25, 2022. The award winner must be able to commit to attending the Academy Girls Luncheon on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 to give a short speech about what this scholarship means to her, how she models the Core Values at SMSA and her post high school plans.

 

Click here for further information and application details.


Mercury Racing Scholarship Opportunity – Deadlines April 29th

Mercury Racing is pleased to announce the Excellence in Trade Scholarship for the 2022 – 2023 academic year. This scholarship program is designed to support local high school students or recent graduates who will further their education in a trade-related field. The program will offer two scholarships of $5,000 each ($2,500 for each semester), intended to alleviate financial stress of post-secondary education. This scholarship program will help grow the local workforce by providing the education and tools needed to succeed.

 

These scholarships are available to high school seniors or recent graduates from a public or private high school/junior college within the districts of: Fond du Lac with an application deadline of Friday, April 29, 2022.

 

Additional scholarship criteria are:

Cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale; submission of official transcript required.

Must submit two (2) letters of recommendation from a teacher, advisor, employer, or other professional reference.

Entering full-time in a trade-related field in fall of 2022 (must provide enrollment information).

 

To learn more about the Mercury Racing 2022 Scholarship Program and to apply, visit: mercuryracing.com/scholarships.


College/University SMSA visits

None at this time.


College/University Virtual Visits

None at this time.