SMHS Weekly Newsletter

September 12, 2025

Principal Update

Dear Parents,

Senior activities began this week with the Fall Senior Retreat on Wednesday. Our seniors were engaged in team building, problem solving, and reflection activities to help set the tone for a positive, enjoyable, and successful senior year. We will be celebrating our seniors again on September 29th with the traditional Senior Ring Mass Ceremony. We have an amazing senior class and look forward to all they will accomplish this year and beyond.

As students are getting settled into their classes, homework, classwork and test grades are beginning to indicate your child’s academic performance in each class. Teachers are beginning to reach out to parents of students who currently have a grade of D or F. Missed assignments are the main cause for those with low grades. It is imperative that students complete all their assignments even if they are absent. Students must meet deadlines and plan ahead if they have athletics or other activities. Students should be referring to their teachers’ Google Classrooms to find out what they missed. Please refer to OnBoard to check your child’s attendance and current grades. Also, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns about their grades.

I would like to reiterate that we do not allow food delivery services such as GrubHub and DoorDash on our campus at any time for safety reasons. We cannot have random strangers walking or driving through our campus trying to deliver food and trying to interact with our students. We will turn them away on sight. Also for safety reasons, anything needing to be dropped off for students from parents must be brought into the main office even during lunch. Thank you for your support and understanding.

As always we appreciate your continuous support of St. Michael’s High School. Go Horsemen!

Yours in Christ,

Martin C. Sandoval, Principal

STUDENT AND PARENT RESOURCES

Academics:

Flipped Schedule Monday 9/15

Please make sure you are checking your student's OnBoard account for grades, absences, tardies, and discipline notes. This is the best way to follow how your kid is doing in their classes! Please make sure to contact teachers for any questions you may have.

Safety Tip of the Week:

Remind your students that the rules of the road do not stop in the school parking lot. Please remind students to be aware of other vehicles as they are leaving school and walk along sidewalks and assigned paths as they go to their vehicle or at pickup.

Parents, please do not block exits and line of sight for vehicles exiting the parking lots.

Counselor's Corner:

Be sure to keep an eye on our Google Classroom! I’ll be posting the full schedule of college rep visits happening at St. Mike’s this September, and you won’t want to miss the chance to connect with schools you’re interested in. Let’s make the most of this fall visit season!

Here are some stress reduction tips from Mr. Rich!

Relaxation Techniques:

Meditation, Yoga, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Deep Breathing

Physical Activity:

Exercise regularly, Spend time in nature

Lifestyle Changes:

Get enough sleep (7-9 hours of sleep per night), Eat a healthy diet, Limit caffeine, Manage your time effectiely

Activities:

Senior Retreat

…This past Wednesday was the Senior’s Retreat! We worked on Team Building and strengthening the relationship of the class as a whole. They also had time to reflect on their last year of high school and the things they wanted to prioritize: Family, Friends, & Faith!

NHS Blood Drive:

Our first blood drive will take place on Tuesday October 21st. Click on the link below to make an appointment today.

https://donors.vitalant.org/dwp/portal/dwa/appointment/guest/phl/timeSlotsExtr?token=rn6YIy8HJlwUsH29i9iO7G9sX1GFI9Y2ZVTnNN4pcCo%3D

Athletics:

Fall Athletic Schedules

Golf

Coach Carl Trujillo will be hosting an informational team meeting on Monday, September 15th at 4 p.m. in the 50s Center for all boys interested in playing golf this year.

Athletic Passes

Athletic Season Passes are in, please contact Athletic Director Dakota Montoya at dmontoya@smhs.me for purchase of season passes. We will also sell them at the gates for our athletic events, please have cash or check available in full at the time of purchase. Passes are good for all SMHS Regular Season Home Games Only.

Streaming Options

https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/ Search for St. Michael’s High School - Santa Fe, NM (Must purchase a subscription to watch)

On-line ticket sales

https://gofan.co/app/school/NM13920

NMAA Foundation Scholarship Opportunity

The Michael L. Danoff Memorial Scholarship Fund recipient will be announced and recognized on December 26, 2025, on the field during the Isleta New Mexico Bowl. It is important the applicant has a strong background in community service during his or her high school career and reflects that of a “stand-up citizen.” The $2,500.00 scholarships may be used toward tuition, fees, books, required equipment/technology and/or room and board at the college or university.

Applicant must:

• Be a New Mexico resident

• Involved in extracurricular activities

• Have a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA

• Have experience in community service and a reflects “good citizenship” in the community

• Submit an essay (no longer than one-page double spaced size 12 font) reflecting community

service involvement, good citizenship, extracurricular activities and how he or she will give back to the community. It is important to note why this scholarship will help with your future success and why this scholarship will help you to accomplish your goals in education. Your essay should also include your school and year of graduation as well as anything else you feel is important for the selection to consider such as family background, hobbies, career ambitions, etc. Your essay should also provide contact information for how you can be reached if selected.

Application Deadline: All applications shall be submitted to danoffmemorialscholarship@gmail.com by November 7, 2025

Living Lasallian:

Let us remember...

At times, these days, it can feel like we’re surrounded by anger and violence. In turn, it is natural and only human to want to respond to anger and violence with more anger and violence. St. John Baptist de La Salle, however, taught a different response. He recognized that our "corrupt nature" urges us to fight back by means of insults, blows, or even murder. Yet, for him, “the opposite of anger is gentleness.” It is, therefore, with gentleness and patience that we must respond to anger and violence.

De La Salle saw this quality of gentleness as a critical characteristic of the first disciples of Christ. To be a true disciple of Christ today, we must “behave gently towards each other, forgive mutually as God forgave them through Jesus Christ and love each other as Jesus Christ loved them." (Meditations for the Time of Retreat 198.3). A Christian, he taught us, “ought to show nothing but gentleness, moderation and wisdom in his behaviour. . . . Gentleness, humility and respect towards one's neighbour ought always to be evident in our behaviour." (RB 38).

Doing so today certainly isn’t any easier than it was in the time of Christ, or in the time of De La Salle. However, it isn’t any harder either.

Live Jesus in our hearts...

NEWS AND ALERTS

SMHS Parents Association:

Concession Volunteers Needed
We’re looking for volunteers to help with concessions! Your support makes a big difference in creating a great game-day experience for our students and families.

Or use the QR code below to sign up quickly. Thank you for helping support our Horsemen community!

UPCOMING GENERAL MEETING

October meeting date TBD