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

A hearty congratulations is extended to senior Jackson Pelz for being recognized last week as one of only 13,000 National Merit® Semi-finalists in the country!

To enter the National Merit® Scholarship competition, students must first take the PSAT/NMSQT in the fall of their junior year. Twenty SMSA juniors were among the more than 1.3 Million students nationally who took the test last fall. To advance in the program, a student must be “commended” which places them in the top 3% of testers nationally. Jackson’s “Semi-finalist” status is achieved by earning a score in the top 1% of all students who tested last fall in this prestigious scholarship competition!

Jack is now qualified to continue in the program and compete for valuable National Merit® scholarships! National Merit® Scholarship Program Finalists will be notified in April 2026.

We wish Jack the best of luck in the next step of the process, and congratulate him on this outstanding achievement!

Next week will be Homecoming Spirit Week on the Ledge! Annually, this is a much anticipated, event-filled special week that enables current students, faculty, parents and alumni to celebrate and express their excitement in being Ledgers! Parents are welcome to join in as they are able!

The HOCO Spirit Week plan in the high school is as follows:

Monday, September 22nd –

Special Assembly Activity: Homecoming Mass – Hutter Gym (9:30am)
Dress Theme: “Four Seasons Day”

Tuesday, September 23rd –
Special Assembly Activity: Power Buff (boys) Volleyball Competition – Hutter Gym (2pm)
Dress Theme: “Wild West vs. West Coast Day”

Wednesday, September 24th –
Special Assembly Activity: Powder Puff (girls) Football Competition – SMSA Football Field (2pm)
Dress Theme: “Favorite Celebrity Day”

Thursday, September 25th –
Special Assembly Activity: Field Day – SMSA Football Field (2pm)
Dress Theme: “Class Theme Day”
Freshman Theme: “Mow Down Mayville”
Sophomore Theme: “Cage the Cardinals”
Junior Theme: “Kidnap the Cardinals”
Senior Theme:”Cook the Cardinals”

Friday, September 23rd –
Special Assembly Activity: Pep Rally – Hutter Gym (2pm)
Dress Theme: “SMSA Spirit Wear Day”
Evening Special Activity: Varsity Football – Ledgers vs. Mayville Cardinals – Fruth Field (7pm)

Saturday, September 27th –
Special Evening Activity: Homecoming Dance – Baker Gym (7:30pm – 10:30pm)
Dance Theme: “GLOW-CO”

Go Ledgers!!!

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us!

Eamonn O’Keeffe
Principal, High School

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The Ledger community is on the hunt for some gently used chess boards that would be used in the cafeteria during lunchtime. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Please bring them to the north or south office.

Thank you for your consideration.

Are you a fan of Ledger Athletics? SMSA Adult Sports Passes are now available for purchase. The SMSA Sports pass covers admission for any HOME Ledger sporting event where an entry fee is charged. (Excluding WIAA playoff games) Football, Volleyball, Basketball, and Hockey are examples of the sports that would be included in the pass. The SMSA Sports pass is $50.00 and are available for purchase in the North & South Hall Offices, the Scrip Suite, and at our home sporting events. Cash or checks made payable to SMSA will be accepted.

If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Mueller at kmueller@smsacademy.org. Thank you for supporting Ledger Athletics!

If you are interested in getting involved at SMSA, be a part of the SMSA Parent Connectors Group! Our group focuses on building connections with our SMSA families through our events during the school year as well as celebrating our amazing SMSA Staff. If you have a child(ren) in grades preschool through 5th Grade, you received a blue Parent Connectors Volunteer Form at supply drop off day. If you are interested in helping with our group, please fill out the form & return it to your child’s teacher by Friday, September 5th. Only ONE per family is needed to be filled out. If your youngest child(ren) is in 6th Grade or older, please email me, alnuss@charter.net, letting me know you would like to be included in the group emails as they didn’t receive a volunteer form. Once they are all collected and entered, you will receive an email. Each year a NEW email group is created to keep it updated so even if you have been a part of the group email in years past, please let us know you continue to want to be. We greatly appreciate ALL of our volunteers! We couldn’t do what we do without all of your help! It is going to be a great school year! If you have any questions, please email Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net.

Volunteer-Form-2025-2026

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

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September 22-26, 2025 – Homecoming Week

September 27, 2025 – Homecoming Dance

October 2-3, 2025 – No School – Teacher In-service

October 27, 2025 – No School – Teacher In-service

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We are excited to announce that several college representatives will be visiting SMSA to meet with interested students. This is a great opportunity to learn more about each school and connect directly with the admissions counselors who will be reviewing applications.

Upcoming Visits
Hofstra University (Virtual): Monday, September 15th | 10:30 – 11:15 AM
UW Oshkosh: Tuesday, September 14th | 9:55 – 10:35 AM
UW Madison: Tuesday, September 14th | 10:45 – 11:30 AM
Ripon College: Wednesday, September 17 | 11:25– 12:05PM
Saint Norbert College: Monday, September 22 | 1:45 – 2:25pm
Minneapolis College of Art and Design (Virtual): Wednesday, September 24 | 10:40 – 11:20am
Cornell College: Wednesday, September 24 | 2:35 – 3:15pm
MPTC: Tuesday, September 30 | 9:00 – 9:45am
Marquette University: Wednesday, October 8 | 11:25am – 12:05pm
Iowa State University: Thursday, October 9 | 12:10 – 12:50pm
University of St. Thomas (MN): Monday, October 13 | 2:35 – 3:15pm
Air Force ROTC (Lunch Room): Friday, October 17 | 1:00 – 1:45pm
Lawrence University: Wednesday, October 22 | 9:10 – 9:50am

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.

For additional information please visit click here.

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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