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

Thanks to all of our parents and guardians who attended the high school Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday evening. Parents were provided with a QR Code to access a survey about homeland school communications at SMSA. The link to that survey is included here as well. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSK7B9gwsenbyFSAg3YBB14smEIOnVc8SXrgoqqbe3gWFjMA/viewform. You are invited to complete the survey whether or not you attended Parent-Teacher Conferences.

On Friday, November 1st, SMSA will celebrate All Saints Day with an All System Mass at Holy Family Church. Mass begins at 9am and all parents and guardians are welcome as usual. In the Catholic Church, All Saints’ Day is a holy day of obligation, meaning Catholics are expected to attend Mass on November 1 to honor the saints in heaven. It is part of the Catholic tradition to pray as a community in gratitude for saints who are both known and unknown. A special litany of saints – with the help of our ‘little Ledgers’ is a treasured feature of this special Mass.

Parents who use the Skyward ‘push notifications’ feature will be pleased to learn that a recent glitch in the system has been successfully addressed by our Internet partners.

Push notifications enable parents and guardians to receive notification whenever there is new information entered into Skyward for their student. Items such as grades, missing assignments, class messages, etc. can all be customized in Skyward for push notifications so parents know when to login to Skyward to review key updates. If you have not yet set-up this feature in Skyward, please look into this function. Parents who use it are very positive about the benefits.

This week, students registered for J-Term ‘25 classes! I invite all high school parents to please click here for an electronic edition of this year’s J-Term brochure, which includes all of the course options and the relevant policies associated with J-Term. Please reach out to administration or counselors with any questions associated with J-Term ‘25.

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.

Eamonn O’Keeffe,
High School Principal

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The Ledger Fishing Club (LFC) will be holding its New Member informational meeting on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at 5pm at the Fisherman’s Road Clubhouse.

This meeting is for all new/prospective members and parents.

The LFC is open to all St Mary’s Springs high school students whether you have ice fished previously or not!

If you are interested in learning more about the LFC, we encourage you to pick up a flier at the North Office, or print the flier below, and plan on attending the November 6th meeting to learn more about the club, events, and participation requirements.

Check us out on Facebook @ “LFC – Ledger Fishing Club.” We look forward to fishing with you this winter!

LFC New Member Meeting Info Page

RSVP Here – No Cost To Attend

We Need Volunteers! Help Bartend & Serve Food

RaiseRight – SMSA’s SCRIP Program

Enroll NOW – Start Earning Tuition Credit Through RaiseRight

Want to support the NFDL – SMSA wrestling team? Purchase your wrestling apparel at the link below. All orders must be placed by November 24, 2024.

Click Here to Purchase

Please note that St. Mary’s Springs name will be corrected before going to print.

Tickets to see SMSA’s High School Musical, All’s Fair, are on sale now! Show dates and times:

• Friday, November 22, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 23, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday, November 24, 2024 @1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Purchase Tickets

Who will win $20,000 this year!? It could be you, or someone you know! Each SMSA family has received 5 BMR tickets to sell and/or purchase before the noon drawing on Friday, January 10, 2025.

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

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.

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November 9 – Bob Hyland Retirement Celebration
November 13 – Red Cross Blood Drive at SMSA supported by the National Honor Society
November 23 – High School Placement Test for all 8th graders seeking admission to SMSA high school
November 22-24 – SMSA High School Play at Horace Mann HS Auditorium, North Fond du Lac
November 25, 26 – Senior Retreat Days
November 27, 28, 29 – Thanksgiving Holiday Break

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• Ripon College: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 @ 2:35 PM – 3:15 PM
• Marian University: Monday, November 18, 2024 @ 12:10 PM – 12:50 PM

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 November.

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:
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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