Elementary News

This week in the library I observed 5th grade students collaborating with one of our enrichment classes for big buddy reading. To witness many of the Ledger Way core values in action in a moment in time was special. Leading, community, learning, respect, and responsibility all coming together to provide a awesome opportunity here at SMSA for our students. I appreciate the thoughtfulness, flexibility and creativity of the faculty and staff working together to achieve a beautiful moments on the Ledge.

School Safety: Please be on the look out for new signage coming to our parking lot system in the near future. These signs will be reminders of the slow speeds necessary to drive in a school zone that will support keeping everyone safe. Thank you for supporting slowing down around our school for the safety of our students.

We are approaching the end of our first trimester of school. The trimester officially closes November 17th. Please check into Skyward for a communication tool regarding the learning happening. Skyward will be turned off for parent view on the evening of November 17th and then turned back on November 22nd to view report cards. Please click here to learn more about accessing electronic report cards.

Thank you for your continued partnership with SMSA. Together we will create a path for tomorrow’s children to achieve amazing dreams.

God Bless,

Steven Kelnhofer

Elementary Principal, SMSA

Upcoming Dates

November 17th: End of the First Trimester
November 23rd-25th: No Classes Thanksgiving Holiday Break
November 28th: Classes resume
November 30th: All System Advent Reconciliation Services
May 26th, 2023: Kindergarten – Eighth Grade Mass & 8th grade graduation at Holy Family at 9:00 AM

Parents of Performing Arts Meeting Dates

Parents of Performing Arts meeting Dates for the 2022-2023 school year are:

November 16
December 21
January 18
February 15
March 22
April 19
May 16 (note the revised date)

All meetings will be held at 6:00 PM in the Lauby Lounge (first floor teacher lounge).

Contact Maggie Rose with any questions about PPA!

Skyward Resources

Parents, please use the following links...

To make a lunch payment using eFunds

To check a student's information, (After logging into your Skyward account, click the "Student Information" tab on the left hand column.)

Skyward Gradebook Update for Standards Based Grading

Part of our transition to Standards Based Grading in K-8th grade included making updates to our electronic gradebook within Skyward. As part of our regular review at progress report time, we identified that the scores associated with the priority standards listed within the gradebook were not displaying accurately.

We were able to make a correction within Skyward on Friday, October 21st that corrected the issue. Grades are now displaying accurately within the system.

If you have any question or concerns about the update that was made within the Skyward gradebook, please don’t hesitate to contact our Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Melissa Trepte, at mtrepte@smsacademy.org

Elementary Service Project for the Salvation Army

The Kindergarten-8th graders will be collecting items for the Salvation Army from November 7th - November 30th! Please see the information below to see what items students in each grade will be asked to collect. All items will be collected in both the South and North Hall Offices.

Please note: Kindergarten is collecting laundry soap and 8th grade is collecting shampoo and conditioner.

In addition to collecting these items, students will journal and reflect on the difference they are making and read books about helping, serving, & kindness.

High School Placement Test

The High School Placement Test for the Class of 2027 will be held on Saturday, December 3rd, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The test will be admisistered at SMSA. If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Mueller at kmueller@smsacademy.org.

Elves-R-Us

Save the dates - November 28th - December 2nd!

Elves R Us is back for its 30th year of Christmas fun and shopping! Students in grades 4K - 5th will have the opportunity to pair up with an 8th grade elf to do their own Christmas shopping for family and friends. A variety of items from coloring books to home decor will be available at a price point that is friendly to every budget. Our 8th grade students will have the opportunity to gain valuable leadership and business skills while younger students shop, wrap presents, and enjoy a treat!

More information on pricing and class schedules will be shared in the upcoming weeks.

Volunteers Needed for Christmas Card Sale

The students in grades 4-8 at St. Mary's Springs Academy have created unique and original Christmas cards. These cards will be sold for $2.00 after all the Masses at Holy Family Parish sites on Saturday, December 3rd and Sunday, December 4th. All proceeds from the Christmas Card Sale will benefit Clay Bowe.

Clay is a sweet boy that’s 11 years old and born with a rare chromosome disorder. He faces many medical challenges including seizures, dependent on oxygen, dystonia, and dysautonomia. Clay is globally delayed and requires full care. All of this is outweighed by the amount of love that Clay gives out. God surely knew that the world needed a bright light and he gave us Clay.

You can help our 4th-8th graders by signing up to sell the Christmas cards after one of the Masses

Your support of this project and of Clay is greatly appreciated!

Important Concert Dates!

Wednesday, December 14th: Grade 5-8 Christmas Concert at 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM in Hutter Gym

Thursday, December 15th: Grades K-4 Christmas Program at 12:45 PM and 6:30 PM in Hutter Gym

LEGO League at SMSA!

To parents and students currently in 3rd-7th grade:

Do you like Legos, robotics, lots of research about new ideas, inventing things, improving your community, and working as a team? Keep reading!

WHAT IS FIRST? FIRST is an international organization that stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology”. It introduces STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) to students through fun, exciting, hands-on, real-world learning.

LEGO TEAM AT SCHOOL: SMSA started a Lego League team last year, named Bot Busters. We are starting our second season. Each team can have a maximum of 10 students from 4th to 8th grade. Schools can have more than one team. Each team needs two dedicated coaches. This season, our team is full, but we would love to expand and grow next year!

THE SEASON: Each season has two components:

1) Robot design, coding, and robot games to complete missions.

2) Researching a solution to a challenge (presented by FIRST each year), and designing an invention to help solve the problem. Researching the challenge, problems, and solutions requires field trips, interviews with field experts and stakeholders, internet searches, and the building of prototypes.

2022 FIRST CHALLENGE: This season’s challenge is how to make energy more affordable, sustainable, or reliable, by looking at where energy comes from, and how it is stored, distributed, and used. This challenge aligns with the United Nations sustainable development goal #7.

The solution to the challenge should have the ability to positively impact the local community, so students are encouraged to think locally about how to solve the challenge. This focus allows students to get to know local businesses and people when doing research.

At this time, we are researching biofuels…so if anyone with knowledge of this would like to offer an interview or help, please let us know!

THE FUTURE: We would love to see Lego League grow next year so we can accommodate more students. But we can’t do it without help. We need parents to consider coaching and volunteering. The time commitment is significant, but the rewards are great.

If this opportunity sounds interesting to you and your student, please consider asking us questions, dropping by our meetings (after school Tuesdays and Fridays), volunteering some small amount of time this year (not required), or maybe even coming to our competition or scrimmage.

In all, this organization and team provides a very unique opportunity. The time it takes for parent volunteers and the students is significant, but the rewards are many. The life skills students learn, the intensity of the games, the independence they show, and the curiosity fostered is something which will be remembered long after school is completed.

So please, contact us to learn more.

Sandy Schwoerer: sandyschwoerer@gmail.com

Mary Jo Rammer: mhalbmaier@hotmail.com

Lauren Bellmore: laurenbellmore@gmail.com

School Safety

As always, if you or your child become aware of a potentially dangerous situation that may threaten campus safety, we urge you to contact the Fond du Lac Police Department.

To report life threatening urgent matters, please dial 9-1-1. To report concerns that may not be urgent, please call 920-322-3700. You may also call the high school main office at 920-322-8062.

Speak Up/Speak Out (SUSO)

Created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS), the Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center (SUSO) is a comprehensive, one-stop place to turn with important concerns currently offering: threat assessment consultation, critical incident response, and general school safety guidance.

Visit the SUSO website for additional information on these three services as well as resources on school safety best practices.

Standards-Based Grading

St. Mary’s Spring Academy is excited to introduce Standards Based Grading in grades kindergarten through third grade for the 2022-23 school year! Standards Based Grading is a best practice initiative the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is leading all of its schools towards implementing in the coming school year.

The objective of the video series is to educate parents in short videos to unpack Standard Based Grading. The series intends to deliver an education and mind shift to understand Standards Based Grading, why Standards Based Grading is best practice, and how Standards Based Grading functions with the parent and teacher supporting the student’s journey.

Please watch the following videos to learn more about Standards-Based Grading at SMSA: