SPRING BREAK!!

Week #30 of the Academic year is upon us! Monday – Friday, March 22nd – 26th is spring break, a well timed and well deserved time of rest and relaxation for students and teachers.  We are grateful to God for our safety, health and wellbeing and the opportunity to take a break from the daily routines of the school year.  We hope and pray that all students return to the Ledge safe and healthy on Monday, March 29th. 

SKYWARD ACCESS FOR QUARTER 3 GRADES

Skyward access for families will reopen at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19th after Quarter 3 grades are verified. After that time, parents, guardians and students may once again access Skyward to print a Quarter 3 Report Card. 

PROM UPDATE 

Prom for juniors and seniors is scheduled for Saturday, April 24th from 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. at Whispering Springs Golf Club at 380 Whispering Springs Dr, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.   Of course, we are gratified to be able to offer and plan this event!  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, however,  SMSA will be sponsoring Prom as a dance event only this year.  Therefore, Prom 2021 will not include Mass, a traditional on-site meal, or post-prom activities.  

SMSA parents may be taking steps to support some form of post-prom planning (not an official school event). More information will be shared with families in the weeks ahead. 

Tickets for the school sponsored dance event will be sold for $15.00 each.  Students may purchase Prom tickets during lunch at school from Thursday – Friday, April 8th – 15th.  PA announcements will remind students of ticket sales. 

Guests of SMSA juniors and seniors may be permitted to attend Prom under the following conditions: 

1) they are enrolled in high school (administration may grant exceptions for students under the age of 21); 

2) an SMSA student purchases the guest ticket; 

3) an approved (authorized by Mr. Krueger) SMSA Guest Dance Form is presented at the time of Prom ticket purchase.   

SMSA freshmen and sophomore students may attend when accompanying a junior or senior Ledger.   

Since Whispering Springs enforces a capacity limit due to COVID-19 health restrictions, should ticket limits be reached, administration reserves the right to review and prioritize the attendance of SMSA students over non SMSA guests.  

While attending Prom at Whispering Springs, everyone shall be required to properly wear masks (covering nose and mouth).  We recognize that social distancing practices may not be possible, which underscores the importance of mask wearing at this indoor large group event.  The Fond du Lac County Health Department will still require SMSA to contact trace the event in the event of a positive case of COVID-19.  Students or guests who do not comply with masking expectations at prom will be asked to leave the dance. No refunds will be provided. 

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us!

Be well, God bless. 

Eamonn O’Keeffe, Principal Grades 9-12

Friday, March 19th – Skyward access reopens for families at 4:00 p.m. 

Monday, March 22nd – March 26th – No school, spring break

Monday, March 29th – Classes resume

Friday, April 2nd – Good Friday NO CLASSES

Monday, April 5th – Easter holiday NO CLASSES 

Tuesday, April 6th – Classes resume

Fond du Lac Public Library Teen Photo Contest is open to students in grades 6 through 12 who attend school or are homeschooled in Fond du Lac County.

Contest winner will recieve a $250 Visa gift card!

Send entries to teenphoto@fdlpl.org.

Click here to view the flyer.

Click here to view a short video.

This year’s Ledgerfest will be a week long virtual event, so mark your calendar and join us for the “Ledgerfest Challenge,” starting Monday, April 5 – Saturday, April 10, 2021!

Click here for more details and check out our Ledgerfest Facebook event page and mark yourself as “going” by clicking here.

In celebration of SMSA’s Ledgerfest 2021 Virtual Event – “Ledger Challenge,” there will be a system-wide Spirit Wear and Jeans day on Tuesday, April 6th!

Join the Ledgerfest fun this year by participating in a week of Ledger Challenges. Each day, a new challenge will be posted to the Ledgerfest Facebook event page, click here to mark yourself as “going” and receive event updates. Then, on Tuesday, April 6th, participate in the “Spirit Day” Ledger challenge by posting a picture of your family in their spirit wear to the event page and earn points towards winning one of two $100 Visa gift cards. 

For more information regarding the Ledgerfest Challenges, click here.

There is no cost for students, faculty and staff to wear spirit wear and jeans on Tuesday, April 6th! Show your Ledger spirit and join in the Ledgerfest fun!

Pope Francis recently wrote, “a worldwide tragedy like the COVID-19 pandemic momentarily revived the sense that we are a global community, all in the same boat, where one person’s problems are the problems of all…revealing once more the ineluctable and blessed awareness that we are part of one another, that we are brothers and sisters of one another.”

Yet, even as we see advancements with treatments and the vaccines, the pandemic continues to have ripple effects on our economy.  Many in the Archdiocese worry about feeding their families, making rent and meeting other basic needs.   

You can help with a donation to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Coronavirus Emergency Fund.

With more students electing to learn virtually at this time of the year, I suggest parents of virtual learners review the links provided here. These are resources for better understanding virtual learning at SMSA. 

1. SMSA Ledger Learning Guides Home Page
2. HS Expectations for Virtual Learners DOC 2020-21
3. Expectations for Virtual Learners Slide Deck

Female Housing Options at UW-Madison – deadlines April 1st

UW-Madison is pleased to share information for women seniors graduating this spring with plans to attend UW Madison as freshmen in the Fall of 2021. 

Bernadette House is located on the fourth floor of Saint Paul’s Catholic Student Center and will be home to 9 freshman women who will share in an intentional living community focused on community, growth and virtue. The Bernadette community includes 3 upperclassman women who live with the freshmen and serve as role model house mother and sisters. The deadline to apply for these limited spots is Thursday, April 1, 2021. 

Applications for interviews and consideration should be sent to ktrumble@uwcatholic.org or by calling 608-447-0027. 

Please contact Mrs. Hackl in the counseling office for more information.

College Goal Wisconsin-FAFSA – April 15th

College Goal Wisconsin provides free information and assistance to families who need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For students and families who have yet to fill out the FAFSA, College Goal Wisconsin is offering additional dates this spring to assist with the completion of the 2021-22 FAFSA.

Thursday, April 15th at 6:00 p.m.

To register for one event or to request additional information, please refer to https://collegegoalwi.org.

Bellin College Summer Nursing and Imaging Camps – Multiple Dates

Applications are now being accepted for Bellin College summer nursing and imaging camps. Applying to summer camps

How much does it cost?

• Nursing Day Camp:

Monday, July 26, 2021: $50

Tuesday, July 27, 2021: $50

Wednesday, July 28, 2021: $50

Includes camp t-shirt, lunch and clinical supplies

• Medical Imaging Day Camp

Thursday, July 29, 2021: $90

Includes camp t-shirt, lunch and clinical supplies

Payment is not required until after the participants have been selected to attend the camp.

How are the participants selected?

Students are selected after a holistic review of their application including the date the applied, GPA, essay question, and dates available.

Who can apply?

High school students who are sophomores and juniors at time of application.

Questions?

Please contact Claire Drevs at claire.drevs@bellincollege.edu.

Apply online at www.bellincollege.edu/summercamps.

Red Cabin Green Acres (RCGA) is Hiring!

RCGA is going into spring, our busiest time of the year and has opportunities for “SUPPORT STAFF”. This would be young adults who work to support the kitchen or service staff. Roles would range from some kitchen prep, washing dishes and utensils, customer service support with soup and salads, food runners who interact with guests and on our business shifts an initial service contact role of host. 

Minimum wage is $8 hour and all shifts include a break with Free Food. We prefer the minimum age of 16 for greater availability of hours and shifts, which are significantly limited for 15 year old’s and younger. They also likely need to drive to travel to our location.

We are also looking for kitchen and server staff of 18 and above. These could be apprentices that we would train or we are always looking for the most talented. If you know any young adults looking for opportunities or friends in the hospitality field, we offer a referral incentive through March – free gift cards for RCGA.

Click here for more information.

BCI Burke Summer Opportunities

BCI Burke Company in Fond du Lac continues to grow and we would appreciate your help. We are in need of summer helpers to work full time in our factory this summer (40 hours per week- overtime available). 

Workers would need to be 16 years old or older to work on a variety of machines.

Please visit our website, by clicking here,to get a better sense of what we do.. We play at work!

Please apply by clicking here and click on ‘Seasonal Helper’.

Seniors – Scholarships

Just a reminder to seniors applying for scholarships that they need to be requesting their transcripts soon! Many of them are due by Wednesday, March 31st and we’re on break until Monday, March 29th. 

Look ahead and see how many you’re going to need and request them from Mrs. Hackl by noon on Thursday, March 18th to get them before we leave for break. 

Feel free to check in with Mrs. Hackl with any questions at shackl@smsacademy.org.

American Legion Americanism And Government Scholarship Program – Test Available Monday, March 8 through Friday March 19, 2021

The American Legion Americanism and Government Scholarship Program Department of Wisconsin

Purpose:

To promote “Americanism”, love of country, knowledge of government and allegiance to the U.S. flag to our youth. Eligible students are tested on their knowledge of U.S., Wisconsin and County Governments, the U.S. Constitution and flag etiquette.

What Is It?

The test consists of 50 questions; true/false, multiple choice, matching, and an essay question that must be answered in order to qualify for the scholarships. Students are not allowed to use outside resources for answers while taking this test.

Who Is Eligible?

Any student in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in any public, private, parochial or home-schooled within the State of Wisconsin may participate. Students may only take the test 1 time per year; however, students may participate all 3 years and be eligible for the scholarships for multiple years.

The test is available on-line on Monday, March 8 through Friday March 19, 2021.

Students Register on-line when taking the test. The test link is found by clicking here.  The link is only active during the test window.

Annually, 33 students throughout the State of Wisconsin are awarded scholarships selected by the Americanism Committee of The American Legion, Department of Wisconsin. The following scholarships are awarded:

11 students in Grade 10 receive a $250 scholarship

11 students in Grade 11 receive a $300 scholarship

11 students in Grade 12 receive a $750 scholarship

For more information contact The American Legion, Department of Wisconsin (608) 745-1090 or check out our website at wilegion.org.

2021 ABC Scholarship – deadlines April 15th

2021 ABC Scholarship applications are now available for SMSA seniors.  

Deadline is Thursday, April 15th, 2021 and can be found in Naviance

2021- 2022 Academy Girls Scholarship – deadlines April 23rd

This merit-based scholarship is to be awarded to one current, female, SMSA junior, to be applied to tuition in her senior year at SMSA.

Applicants will be evaluated based upon essay responses and academic achievement (GPA).

Please click here for the application. Needs to be submitted to Chris Gilles no later than Friday, April 23rd.

None at this time.

Upcoming Virtual College Visits

UW-Milwaukee – Friday, March 19th at 1:10 p.m.

St. Mary’s College (IN) – Monday, March 29th at 1:10 p.m.