Elementary News
November 3rd, 2022
In this week's Elementary eLedger
From the Desk of Steve Kelnhofer - Elementary School Principal
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It was awesome to see all the fun, joy and community through the Halloween activities last week. This week we attended All Saints Day Mass as a school community. I would like to highlight the third graders as they learned about saints and animated role models for us to follow at our mass through the Litany of Saints. It's a very special moment in our school year. Awesome work third grade teachers, parents and students! We are blessed to have you all at SMSA.
Take two: A few weeks ago, a survey link was put into the eLedger regarding Parent/Teacher conferences. I've come to learn that the link was not active for people outside the internal personal at SMSA to enter feedback data. The issue has been corrected and we wish to seek your valuable feedback, which you can provide online using this form. I apologize for the confusion. Thank you in advance for your feedback.
We are approaching the end of our first trimester of school. The trimester official closes November 17th. Please check into Skyward for a communication tool regarding the learning happening.
Thank you for your continued partnership with SMSA. Together we will create a path for tomorrow’s children to achieve amazing dreams.
God Bless,
Elementary Principal, SMSA
Upcoming Dates
November 17: End of the First Trimester
May 26, 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 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
Trunk or Treat 2022 was a HUGE Success!
Thank you to all of our SMSA families who came out to the event! Fun was had by all and a lot of candy was received! It was great seeing everyone's costumes and their creativity in decorating their cars!
Thank you so much to all of the families who donated items for this event! Thank you so much for our co-chairs: Jenn Ellestad, Hollie Hebel, Cathy Dux and Becky Harmsen as well as our High School helpers.
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.
In addition to collecting these items, students will journal and reflect on the difference they are making and read books about helping, serving, & kindness.
Middle School Musical Parent and Student Informational Meeting
The Middle School Theatre Department is presenting Shrek Jr.!
Any student in 6th through 8th grade is invited to participate. We will be having an informational parent and student meeting on Wednesday, November 9th at 6:00 PM in the Cafeteria.
At this meeting, you will be given the information you and your child need to make a confident decision: When, Where, Expectations, etc.
Attending this meeting does not lock you into participating, it simply gives you the important information you need to decide if this is the right fit for your family.
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.
Big Money Raffle (BMR) Tickets Are On Sale NOW!
It is BMR time on The Ledge! Every SMSA family has received five (5) BMR tickets to sell and/or purchase to help ensure this System fundraiser is a success. (If you have not received your tickets, please check your youngest child's backpack, as any remaining tickets were sent home this week). Tickets may be returned to school with your child anytime before the live drawing at noon on Friday, January 13th, 2023.
Additional tickets can be purchased at the North, South or Scrip office or by contacting Kristin Zitlow at kzitlow@smsacademy.org or 920-322-8006.
Thank you for supporting SMSA's Big Money Raffle!
The Big Money Raffle (BMR) Committee Needs You!
Do you own a company or know of a company willing to help us sell SMSA’s Big Money Raffle tickets? Companies that choose to become a BMR ticket location will have their company logo placed on BMR promotional materials, including posters and radio ads.
We would appreciate an opportunity to hang a BMR poster and leave a few tickets for sale. Please email Kristin Zitlow ASAP if you are interested in participating.
Stay tuned for more information regarding BMR ticket distribution in early October!
Thank you for your support!
The BMR Committee (Kelly Baker, Jenny Baker, Valerie Everson, Sasha Smith)
2022-2023 SMSA Concession/Admission Help Needed!
Are you the parent of a SMSA Middle School or High School athlete? If so, please consider signing up below to help out ABC (Athletic Booster Club) by volunteering your time and talent to work in concessions or admissions at an upcoming sport event.
Booster Club is encouraging ALL parents of ALL athletes to embrace teamwork and help out at an event that fits for your schedule. For those that have already signed up and volunteered, ABC sincerely appreciates your help!
Use the links below to sign up through SignupGenius:
Winter sports will be added at a future date with a follow up email
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: