Principal’s Desk News & Information Upcoming Dates High School Counseling

Today, Lent concludes and we enter the sacred space between the Liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter, called Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday! During this sacred time, Christians commemorate the final days of Jesus, including the Last Supper, the agony in the garden, His arrest and prosecution. We journey with Jesus through these trials and try to imagine the torture and humiliation our Lord’s Way of the Cross and crucifixion.

We believe that the resurrected, living Lord continues to accompany us daily, through all of the joys, opportunities and challenges that life supplies. The Good News is that God lives among us! When we truly enter into the mystery of our faith – it always gives us the most hope of all!

In Catholic education, we are blessed to see the paschal mystery repeated on a regular basis. Everyone in the Springs community falls and makes mistakes…Ledgers, parents, faculty and staff. Sometimes our mistakes can lead to difficult or disappointing days on the Ledge. Yet there is a palpable desire within our community to lift others up…to help one another learn and grow from errors of all kinds. Together we have seen that human acts of mercy, empathy and kindness are those that always seem to heal what is broken in our lives.

Recently, our seniors shared presentations in class about their Beatitudes Project experiences during J-Term. It was clear to me that many were both humbled and empowered by their experiences serving the vulnerable in our community. I listened to stories about Ledgers serving as teachers aids and learning many human lessons from students with various disabilities; I learned about Ledgers who cared for the needs of the elderly who were unable to accomplish basic daily tasks for themselves anymore; I learned about Ledgers literally feeding the hungry and those suffering from the negative social effects of isolation and mental illness; I learned of Ledgers restocking shelves at a St. Vincent dePaul Store and encountering the Lord in those searching for a good deal and some human kindness. There are many more stories. What was most important to me was to hear what our Ledgers learned. A sense of “reverse mission” is what many explained…the idea that they received more than they gave in service.

We thank God for the gift of education, the gift of the resurrection, and for the promise of mercy and new life. We are humbled to encounter our Lord in the person of the wounded in our community.

This Easter, we pray that God’s grace will deepen our faith and move us closer to one another in the Springs community, and to the vulnerable wherever we find them. Thank you for choosing to be a part of this life giving learning community. On behalf of all my colleagues at SMSA, Happy Easter!

There are no classes on Good Friday, March 29 or Easter Monday, April 1 so that all can enjoy the Easter Holiday! Classes will resume for the first day of Quarter 4 on Tuesday, April 2 – an A-Day!

Thursday, March 28 is the final day of classes for Quarter 3. Therefore, from Thursday, March 28 at 3:30pm to – Thursday, April 4 at 3:30pm, Family/ Student access to Skyward will be disabled so that Quarter 3 grading can be finalized and verified. Parents and students will be able to view Q3 Report Cards after 3:30 pm on April 4 when Skyward access is restored.

Student eligibility for co-curricular participation is also assessed by administration at the grading period. Ineligible students (and their parents) will be notified as part of the usual process after Easter Holiday.

On April 12th, juniors will take the ACT® Test – with writing – while freshmen and sophomores will take the PreACT. SMSA teachers will administer these standardized tests on campus. Being an ACT District school, we are able to ensure that our students have a chance to complete these important academic assessments in a familiar environment. Whether going on to college or into the workforce, student readiness for life after high school is measured by these tests. The feedback is valuable for students, parents and educators.

Regarding April 12, please NOTE:
All Ledgers in grades 9-11 are expected to arrive on campus no later than 8:15 am so that they are able to report ready to test inside their assigned classrooms promptly at 8:20am. Your help in ensuring your student arrives early to school on District Testing Day day is greatly appreciated!

Any student who arrives late to their testing session will not be allowed to enter the classroom based on strict ACT and PreACT testing rules and protocols, and thus, shall be prohibited from testing on that day.

1) Both the ACT® Test – with writing – and the PreACT will be conducted digitally. Therefore all students will need to bring a fully charged school issued Chromebook. Without their fully charged school issued Chromebook, students will be unable to participate in testing for the day.

2) All 9th, 10th and 11th grade students will be released at approximately 1:10 p.m. Hot lunch will not be available for high school students on April 12th. Ledgers in grades 9-11 will be expected to leave campus directly after the testing. Please make arrangements for pick-up as needed, as students will not have access to stay on campus after testing.

In the weeks ahead, please watch for additional reminders and details about District Testing Day from Mrs. Trepte. SMSA is excited to give this opportunity to your student. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our District Assessment Coordinator, Melissa Trepte, at mtrepte@smsacademy.org.

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.
Eamonn O’Keeffe, Principal (High School)

Congratulations to the following SMSA athletes whose hard work and dedication were recognized this winter.

Girls Basketball
Flyway Conference All Conference

Gracie K.- 2nd
Ellie J.- HM
Grace C.- All Defense

WBCA Academic All State
Lauren B.
Maggy D.
Scarlett G.
Mahri H.
Ellie J.
Gracie K.
Olivia K.
Braelyn L.
Sophia L.
Anna W.

WBCA Team First
Olivia K.

Boys Basketball
Flyway Conference All Conference
Noah M.- 2nd
John C.- HM
Ben B.- All Defense

WBCA Team Academic All State- 1st in Division 4 (GPA- 3.848)
WBCA Academic All State
Ben A.
Ben B.
Max B.
John C.
Frankie E.
Braeden F.
Tyler H.
Kaden K.
Sam L.
Noah M.
Caden P.
Luke S.
Jack VS.

WBCA Team First
John C.
Frankie E.

Hockey
Badgerland Conference All Conference
Austin W- 1st
Armani F.- 2nd
Brendan G.- 2nd
Isaac S.- 2nd
Teigue W.-2nd
Quinn M- HM
Tate B- HM
Nolan B- Scholar Athlete
Quinn M- Scholar Athlete
Brendan G- Scholar Athlete

WHCA All State
Austin W- 1st
Isaac S.- 1st
Armani F.- 2nd
Joe Piskula Award Finalist- Isaac Sabel

First Choice Dental Academic Sectional Champion- Section 4 (GPA- 3.71)

Wrestling
Flyway Conference All Conference
Evan K.- HM

WWCA Academic All State
Evan K.
Peter S.
Beckett L.
Haden H.
Wyatt K.
Ethan D.

St. Mary’s Springs Academy is preparing for our students in 3rd – 8th grade as well as 10th grade to participate in the Wisconsin Forward Exam. The Forward Exam is designed to gauge how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards. These standards outline what students should know and be able to do in order to be college and career ready. The Forward Exam is a Wisconsin computer-based exam that is administered in the spring of each school year at the grade levels seen below:
Grades 3-8 in ELA (English Language Arts) and Mathematics
Grades 4 and 8 in Science and,
Grades 4,8, and 10 in Social Studies.

This year, testing at SMSA will take place during the week of Monday, March 25th as well as during the week of Monday, April 1st. The Forward Exam must be administered in person and cannot be proctored virtually. We ask for our support by having your child(ren) attend school during the testing window. For more information, please use this link to access the Wisconsin DPI Forward Information Guide for Families.

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The SMSA Girls Soccer Team Store is now open for orders. To access the store, please click here to access the team store.

The store will be open through April 2nd. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

Fondy Spring Tennis is right around the corner. Registration forms can be found on the www.fondytennis.com website. Spread the word and see you on the courts soon!

Fondy Tennis Lessons & Registration Form – Spring 2024

After recent student attendance audits we would like to send out a reminder of our current attendance policies for our high school students.  Below are excerpts from the 2023-24 Student/Parent Handbook regarding appointments, excused absences, and attendance on the day of co-curricular activities.  The entire handbook may be found on our website by clicking here. 

Appointments  

Every effort should be made to schedule medical, dental, counseling or personal appointments outside of regular school hours. If it cannot be avoided,  parent(s)/ guardian(s) must send a signed note with logistic details of the appointment to the North Hall Office prior to 8:30 a.m. Absences for non-medical related appointments are considered highly disruptive to school culture and student learning and are thus strongly discouraged. 

• The student presents a note signed by the parent/guardian to the North Hall Office BEFORE the first bell. The note is to be dated and the reason for the necessary permission to leave school.

• • The Principal or Assistant Principal retains the right to verify appointments and length of appointments.

• For a student to remain eligible to participate in school sanctioned after-school activities or events following a doctor/dentist appointment scheduled during a school day, the student must present a note from the doctor’s office upon returning to school.

Excused Absence

Parents are required to call the Attendance phone line (920-322-8036) or email attendance@smsacademy.org on the day of absence before 8:30 a.m. 

Archdiocesan Policy outlines  reasons for which a student may be absent without being considered truant:

• Student Illness (medical confirmation may be required after three days or a pattern of similar illnesses is called in by the parent) or medical emergency. 
• Severe illness or death in the family.
• Religious observances or services. 
• Court appearance or legal procedure that requires student attendance. 
• School sponsored activities that require the student to be off campus.
• Pre-arranged absences pre-approved by the Principal or Assistant Principal that address a special and specific student need. (ie-college visits, family trips, quarantine imposed by a public health officer). 
• Suspension from school (out-of-school suspensions must be counted as truancy unless included in list of excused absences). 
• Parents are expected to give a reason for the absence.  Administration will have the final say if an absence is considered excused or unexcused.

Absence & Co-curricular School Activities

Per the SMSA High School Co-Curricular Code of Conduct:

• Students must attend school ALL DAY on the day of scheduled events and/or practices in order to participate.  Students that are marked absent for any part of the day due to illness or are determined to have an unexcused absence are ineligible to participate in co-curricular activities that day.

1. Students may not participate in any school sanctioned co-curricular activity during/after school on the same day as an unexcused absence. Failure to be in attendance as stated will result in non-participation in all co-curricular events and practices that day. 
2. Exceptions to these attendance rules will include the following: (a) Absence from campus which have been excused for a funeral, court appearance, school approved field trips, documented medical appointments, or for other unusual or extenuating circumstances as cleared in advance by administration; (b) Absence from campus related to a classroom activity or grade requirement.

High school academic and athletic administration reserve the right to determine the status of any absence as “excused” or “unexcused”.

If you have any questions about whether an absence is considered “excused’ or “unexcused” feel free to reach out to Kyle Krueger, High School Assistant Principal at kkrueger@smsacademy.org, Athletic Director Mitch Redig at mredig@smsacademy.org, or Athletic Administrator Kelly Mueller at kmueller@smsacademy.org.  

Did you know? You can Refer-A-Family and receive tuition credit!

Click Here to Learn More!

Click here to view key dates for the 2024-2025 Academic School Year, including SMSA’s start date, Christmas break, spring break and graduation dates.

Reminder that you can view this information, along with handbooks, dress code and uniform criteria and other important resources on our website year round by clicking here.

Traveling abroad is an exciting and enriching opportunity for students where they can experience the beauty, authenticity and relevance of the subject they are studying. Students are responsible for funding the majority of their trip; however, SMSA has established this account to aid in funding bus transportation to and from the airport. Your donation today will ensure students, along with faculty chaperones, have a safe and reliable mode of transportation to start and end their traveling abroad experience.

This summer, students have an opportunity to travel to Costa Rica for Spanish class, and Germany for their German class. Thank you for supporting SMSA’s World Language Travel Experiences!

To make a donation, click here!

PPA SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS FOR CURRENT 8TH GRADERS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE AVAILABLE. DUE APRIL 5, 2024.

Graduating Senior PPA scholarship application

Join us on the third Wednesday of each month in Lauby Lounge for the PPA meeting. All parents who have children in Middle School or High School music are encouraged to attend.

Don’t forget to sign up to volunteer to help make the musical a success! Many hands make light work!

Meeting dates:
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 Note the change in usual day
All meetings will be held at 6 pm in the Lauby Lounge (first floor teacher lounge).

Contact Anne Brunette (6brunettes@charter.net) with any questions about the PPA!

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March 29th – No school for Good Friday
April 1st – No School for Easter Monday

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Dear Juniors and Seniors,
The next Envision Fond du Lac tour is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9th  at McNeilus Steel. These tours are designed for students looking to go into the Trades or looking for YA opportunities. We are looking for 4 Juniors or Seniors to attend this tour.

Please email the high school counselors if you are interested in the tour and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions! Also! Please see that chart below for upcoming tour locations! Please feel free to contact the high school counselors to reserve a spot!

Upcoming 2024 Trade Tours
April 9th– McNeilus Steel
April 23rd– Aurora Healthcare
May 7th– JF Ahern
May 21st– Michels Corporation

In honor of Fr. Edward Sippel and his lifelong dedication of service to the Catholic Church and the Fond du Lac area, Holy Family Catholic Community will award two $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school students who, along with their parent(s), have been registered members of Holy Family Catholic Community for at least one year prior to applying for the scholarship. Students must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation to be eligible to apply. Application and materials are due by May 3, 2024. For more information, please visit hffdl.org/scholarship.

2024 JAC Scholarship Application

Please refer to the information provided at the link below, for local and state scholarships that SMSA seniors can apply for. This list is always subject to change and may not be all-inclusive.

Local scholarship opportunities (Fond du Lac area) are listed first, followed by opportunities for residents of the state of Wisconsin.

The Boys & Girls Club of Fond du Lac is hiring!

Click here to learn more!

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