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

What a week of special spirit, schedules, assemblies and attire! We are fortunate to celebrate being Ledgers this week and every week of the year! As always, we are proud of our student athletes who have worked hard to grow their talent this fall. Ledgers are competitors, using that pickaxe to both dig deep and climb high! A special thanks to all the student leaders, faculty and staff moderators and parents who have devoted extra time these past weeks to ensure a truly special, happy and healthy Homecoming Spirit Week!

Parents are welcome to join students and faculty in Hutter Gym this Friday, October 18th for our Homecoming Pep Rally at 2pm. The Homecoming Football Game is scheduled to kickoff at 7pm at Fruth Field. Go Ledgers!

Friday, October 18th marks the end of Quarter 1 in the high school. Teachers are required to submit final grades by midnight on Monday, October 21st. From October 22-24, administration and counselors engage in a process to verify grades. As such, please note that Skyward family access will be restricted from 4pm October 18 to 4pm October 24. After that time, Family Access will again be restored for students and parents to view and print Quarter 1 Report Cards.

For those new to SMSA, paper copy progress reports or report cards are not mailed. This has been the case on the Ledge for several years. If a family does not have the ability to print their own copies, the Counseling Office staff will be happy to print the Report Card for you.

As well as being Respect Life Month, October is the “Month of the Rosary,” a time to especially focus on this beautiful devotion given to us through Mary to St. Dominic in the 13th century, and gifted to the entire Church!

If you have ever prayed the Rosary, you know this devotional prayer has a way of slowing your pace and your Spirit, helping us to contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s life alongside his Blessed Mother. Many of the greatest mystics and scholars have lost themselves in the depths of the mysteries of the Rosary which offers us scenes of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. During his papacy John Paul II introduced the 4th Mystery of the Rosary – the Luminous Mysteries. So whether we are meditating on the Transfiguration, Annunciation or Crucifixion, we fix our minds and hearts on the Good Lord and his Mother – joining with them aided by our Rosary.

If it’s been 5 minutes or 5 years since you last prayed the Rosary, let this month be a time of returning to this beautiful devotion. In all our distractions, our exhaustion, and our trials, Mary will be with us, “now and at the hour of our death.”

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.

Eamonn O’Keeffe,
High School Principal

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Homecoming Activities and dress-up – classes earned spirit points for each student dressed up, food drive items, and pep rally spirit.

Food Drive- Student Council will be collecting the food items used to make weekly warming shelter lunches from November through March. Please be generous!

Scoring System – bring in the following items to your homeroom any day of homecoming week.
Paper Bags-2
Snacks-6
Case of water-10
Peanut Butter-5
Jelly-4

Click the button below to read the October issue of the Ledger Pick-Axe.

LEDGER PICK-AXE OCTOBER 2024

It’s that time of year again! Time for St. Mary’s Springs Academy’s “Big Money Raffle” (BMR). Who will win $20,000 this year!?

This cash raffle is one of only three major fundraisers for SMSA that involves EVERY family, Pre-K through 12th grade. Each family receives 5 BMR tickets to sell and/or purchase. 

All tickets have been handed out, please review the information included in the envelope regarding this fundraiser.  Tickets may be returned to school with your child, or to the North, South or Scrip offices any time before the noon drawing on Friday, January 10, 2025.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to purchase additional tickets, please contact a member of the BMR committee, listed below.

Valerie Everson

920.251.3719

Stephanie Fessler

920.960.0556

Katie Mathos

920.979.6757

Lisa Shannon

920.539.2892

Sasha Smith

920.517.1693

SMSA student members of the National Honor Society will be offering tutoring and/or group study for any high school student who may need academic assistance or is interested in improving in a particular subject area. Tutoring will take place Monday and Wednesday from 7:15-7:45 a.m. in Mrs. Theel’s classroom (3043). Signup is not required. Information regarding this opportunity is being shared with the students, but parents are asked to encourage their children to take advantage of this service.

HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS ARE FOR SALE

High school yearbooks are available to purchase online at the SMSA website for $55. Prices go up on March 31, 2025 to $65. Get yours by clicking here!

Are you wanting to get more involved in our Parent Connectors Group? If so, look for the Parent Connectors volunteer form in your packet you will be receiving at the supply drop off day (3K-5th Grade). If your youngest child is in 6th grade or above, you won’t be receiving a form to fill out but can email Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net, to share that you are interested in being a part of our group. Every year a new email group gets created so please submit your form even if you have done so in the past years. Also, only one form per family is needed to be filled out. Throughout the year, our group has various school family events as well shows our amazing SMSA Staff how appreciative we are for them. By being a part of our group, you will receive emails that shares ways you can help with these events through volunteering and donating. Our group wouldn’t be a successful without all of the wonderful people involved in it. Thank you so much! If you have any questions, please email Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net.

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

Click Here to Learn More!

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October 18 – Homecoming Pep Rally and Football Game
October 19 – Homecoming Dance
October 25 – J-Term Assembly
October 28-31 – J-Term Registration in Homeroom
October 30 – Parent Teacher Conferences 4-6:30pm

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Moraine Park Technical College – Thursday, October 24, 2024 from 11:30-12:15
Saint Norbert College – Friday, October 25, 2024 from 9:55 AM-10:35 AM
University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 8:20 AM-9:00 AM

Admissions Counselors come to our campus to answer questions about the application process, scholarships, housing and much more. They are here for our students and are extremely knowledgeable. We highly recommend students attend these campus visits even if they don’t know if they will apply there. Meeting with these College Professionals gives students the opportunity to become more familiar with the application process and future plans. Please let counseling know by email if your student would like to attend any of the visits listed above for October.

SMSA is proud to participate in another year of Trade Tours through the Fond du Lac R.O.C.K. program, which stands for Retention, Opportunity, Community, and Knowledge. This program aimed at working specifically with high school seniors and juniors who are piecing together their plans post high school graduation. This program provides career exploration through business tours and job shadows. Fond du Lac R.O.C.K. is a program of Envision Greater Fond du Lac. Please let counseling know if your student would be interested in joining a future tour.

2024-25 Trade Tour Schedule:
October 29, 2024 — Holiday Automotive
November 12th, 2024 — Spark Ops.
December 3rd, 2024 — Eagle Flexible Packaging
December 17th, 2024 — Quality Truck Care Center
January 7th, 2025 — City of FDL Fire Department
January 21st, 2025 — CD Smith
February 4th, 2025 — Integrity Saw and Tool, Inc.
February 18th, 2025 — MEC Manufacturing Facilities
March 4th, 2025 — Kondex
April 8th, 2025 — City of FDL Construction & Maintenance
April 22nd, 2025 — JF Ahern & Co.

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.

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