SMHS Weekly Newsletter
September 6th
September 6th
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Our students have been working very hard both in the classroom and in their extra curricular activities. This hard work will continue to translate into successful outcomes. Your support in all that they do is an important part of their success.
With so many of our students involved in extracurricular activities, they will be missing some class time. It is imperative that our students keep up with any missed assignments due to absences. Students who are struggling academically may seek extra help from their teachers and academic support plans may be developed to assist our students as well. Students who are struggling socially and emotionally may schedule time to see our mental health counselor, Mr. John Rich. Our aim is to support all our students with whatever their needs may be.
As we complete the third week of school, students are continuing to arrive late, primarily to first period. Please help ensure that your child is getting to school in time to be in their first period class no later than 8:25. Overall though, our students have been doing great. It is such a pleasure to see how exceptional they are on a daily basis.
A special thank you to the Fiesta Council for visiting our school on Wednesday to share some fiesta history and traditions with us.
We had a great pep rally today hyping up our football team and our entire student body as we take on the rival Demons tonight at Ivan Head Stadium. Let’s come out in force as a community to cheer them on!
We appreciate your continued support of St. Michael’s High School! Go Horsemen!
Yours in Christ,
Martin C. Sandoval, Principal
The 2023-2024 AP Scores came in and 79 tests were administered. 72% of tests resulted in passing scores of 3, 4, or 5. This is an increase of 56% from the previous year.
College visits begin the week of 9/9. Yale will be visiting during lunch on 9/11 and Texas Tech will be visiting during lunch on 9/13. We encourage ALL students to attend these visits as these visits give students valuable insight on how the college admissions process works and how to work with admissions counselors. Please encourage your students to listen to the announcements to be aware of upcoming college visits!
Dress Code Reminder - All hoodies/sweatshirts/sweaters must be St. Michael's approved. College gear may be worn on Fridays for underclassmen and all week for Seniors. No cargo pants or jean shorts are allowed.
Grades-As we are entering our fourth week of school, please be sure to check your students' grades on OnBoard. As a reminder, we have a no F policy for participation in activities and athletics so please help us stay on your students!
Attendance-Help us remind your students that being in class is necessary for academic success. Students have plenty of time during passing periods and lunch to use the restroom and fill up water bottles. Students should do their best to take care of these things outside of class time.
Lunch time has been designed to provide students with a break and to allow them to spend time with their peers. However, lunch is also a time for them to ensure they get food and drink before the afternoon class periods. The lunch staff in the cafeteria has expressed that students are hyper-focused on their phones and are not being attentive to when it is time to order their food or when it is time to pay at the register. This is causing the lunch line to move extremely slow. Please remind your students to be thoughtful to all other students waiting in line to order food, and to place their phones in their backpacks or in their pockets when ordering and paying for their food.
Lifetouch Picture Retakes: Thursday, September 12, 2024
Sign-up sheet available in Google Classroom
Don't Forget to Order This Year's School Pictures!
ENJOY 10% OFF your order! CODE: F202410OFF
Football
The Varsity football team is 2-0 after a 37-0 win over Capital. SMHS hosts the Friday night matchup against Santa Fe High school at 7 p.m. at Ivan Head Stadium. SMHS students and staff get in free with school ID. Adults tickets are $10 and student/senior admission is $5. Tickets may be purchased at gofan.co or with cash at the gate on gameday.
The SMHS JV is 2-0 after a 49-6 win at Santa Fe High School. The next game is on 9/9 vs Moriarty.
Volleyball
The SMHS Varsity is 3-0 after convincing wins over Sandia Prep, Los Alamos and Pojoaque.
The SMHS JV is 2-1 with wins over Sandia Prep and Pojoaque and a loss to Los Alamos.
The SMHS C team is 3-0 with wins over Sandia Prep, Los Alamos and Pojoaque.
The 2023 SMHS Volleyball Team is the recipient of the 2024 American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award, sponsored by INTENT. The benchmark is an average 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale for the entire team in the 23-24 academic year. The overall team GPA average was 3.95. Congratulations to the student-athletes for their hard work, and to the SMHS coaching staff for their leadership and dedication to success on the court and in the classroom.
Girls Soccer
Varsity soccer is 2-1 after consecutive wins vs Capital and Taos and an opening season loss to Cottonwood Classic
Boys Soccer
Varsity soccer is 1-4 with a 6-0 win over Cottonwood Classic and losses to Taos, Santa Fe Prep and Portales at the Taos Tournament.
Cross Country
The team will compete at the Lobo XC meet at UNM North Golf Course on 9/14/2024.
Track
Congratulations to Coach Joey Fernandez for selection as the 2024 Girls' High School Track & Field Coach of the Year by the US Track & Field & Cross-Country Coaches Association. The national association is sponsored by the US Marine Corps and recognizes the best high school coaches from over 11,500 coaching members from high school and college divisions.
Last Friday, we had our annual School Blessing. Senior Reed Bass carried the cross to lead the procession in which Father Frank Pretto and Brother Mariano Lopez walked down every hallway in the school blessing every student and every classroom with holy water. As it progressed, more and more students joined the procession until it comprised the entire student body and all staff. It culminated with all of us forming a single circle in the gym to receive a final blessing and to pray together. It was a beautifully solemn procession, conducted in complete silence but for the accompaniment of our Choral Arts Society, Orchestra, and Drumline. We truly were living our Founder’s simple instruction to “prepare a path for God so that he can enter your heart.” (St. John Baptist De La Salle, Med. 2.1)
Please click HERE to access the 2024 Annual Raffle Parent Letter.
We are excited to share; the Annual Raffle is back! The fundraising efforts of the Annual Raffle aid us in providing the tools, accessibility, and environment your student needs to learn and grow at SMHS. We need your support to help make the Annual Raffle a success.
Each SMHS family is required to sell a minimum of 8 raffle tickets at $30 each, for a total of $240 as outlined in the Enrollment Contract on the Summary of Tuition, Fees, and Discounts page.
Any unsold raffle tickets will be charged to family Tuition Management Accounts in January 2025. Example: If only 1 raffle ticket is sold the amount ($210) of the 7 unsold raffle tickets will be applied to the family TM account and payment will be due in full on the selected payment plan date of January 2025.
To receive credit for any tickets sold the full name and grade of your student must be mentioned in the Additional Information text box by the purchaser at the time of checkout.
The Annual Raffle ticket sales will begin on Saturday, September 7, 2024, and end on October 19,, 2024 after halftime of our Homecoming Football Game.
The Annual Raffle drawing will take place on October 19, 2024, during the 3rd quarter of the Homecoming Football Game. The winners will be announced over the PA system and immediately emailed. Winners do not need to be present to win.
Please use the QR code or link below to access the raffle. A link can also be found on our website.
Three raffle winners will be selected for the following prizes:
1st ($,5000),
2nd ($3,000), and
3rd ($1,500)
This year our top three student sellers will take home a gross percentage amount of the tickets sold by their family.
#1 Top Student Seller: 50%
#2 Top Student Seller: 35%
#3 Top Student Seller: 20%
Example: #1 Top Student Seller; Sold 25 tickets at $30 a ticket totaling $750; Student Seller will take home $375
The SMHS Spirit Shop will be open Monday - Friday 3:00pm-4:00pm
Communication with our families and community is important. The Remind communication platform allows educators, students, and families to connect quickly, efficiently, and effectively. Whether you use email, text, or the smartphone app, you can connect from any device.
For more information on the Remind platform, CLICK HERE for a tutorial and the school code so you can sign up today.
Need assistance? Do not hesitate to reach out to Ms. Alexa Chavez at achavez@smhs.me
Class of 2025, your Naviance accounts are available as you begin to plan your college trajectory, some colleges of interest may have early action/decision dates. Naviance provides a comprehensive platform for students, parents/guardians, and the Academic Office to collaborate and support student success. With the student at the center, Naviance provides effective tools that prepare our SMHS high school students for their futures and provides the Academic Office with actionable insights.
The Common Application is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to over 1,000 member colleges and universities. Students can complete one application for multiple schools using the Common App platform. The video provides information on creating a Common App account and linking it to Naviance. Go to www.commonapp.org for more details. If you have questions or need assistance, contact Mr. Alex Gallegos, College and Career Counselor at agallegos@smhs.me.
Alumni Association General Meeting-Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m. SMHS Library
SM Foundation and Alumni Association 31st Annual Horsemen Golf Open-Friday, September 20th. Golf spots are filled, but still accepting sponsorships and donations. Contact stmikesalumni@gmail.com.
Brick Patio Capital Campaign-Purchase legacy brick for Alumni Patio overlooking the SMHS football/soccer field. See alumni tab for details.
Alumni reunions scheduled for Classes: 1954, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1984, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2014. Contact Annette Rivera-Legits at alegits@smhs.me for details
Click on link above for additional Alumni activities and information.
Parent Association General Meeting: Sept. 17, 5:30-6:30 p.m., SMHS Library
Parent Association Concessions volunteer opportunities:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F48A9AA22A3FD0-50808283-varsity#/
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F48A9AA22A3FD0-50808283-varsity#/
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F48A9AA22A3FD0-50809616-jvc#/
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F48A9AA22A3FD0-50716661-stmichaels#/
To get involved with the Parent's Association, contact Annette Rivera-Legits at alegits@smhs.me.
Thanks to all of those who have helped with the first football and volleyball concessions.
Please click on the link above for additional information regarding the Parent's Association.