Dear Parents and Guardians,

Advent is upon us as we are preparing to celebrate the joy of Christmas. Advent is broken into four areas of growth, one per week of Advent. We are called to focus on hope, peace, joy and love during the four weeks of the Advent season. Each one of these virtues brings us not only closer to preparing our hearts for Christmas, but for eternal life with our Savior in Heaven. The first week of advent we light the first purple candle, The Prophecy Candle. Purple is the primary color associated with Advent. Within the Catholic Church it symbolizes penance, preparation, and sacrifice. During the first week of Advent we remember the Old Testament prophets who foretold of Jesus' coming with hope and anticipation. The first week of Advent we reflect and celebrate hope.

Elves R Us

Thank you 8th grade team of teachers and students for a successful Elves R Us academic learning experience. The teachers and 8th graders did amazing work throughout the learning opportunity. Thank you to the adult volunteers that supported the program from wrapping, supervising the store, setting up, tearing down and so much more. We couldn't have done it without your support. Thank you to all the students and families that supported Elves R Us through the shopping experience. Thank you for supporting our 8th graders in learning about customer service, economics, fine motor skills, patience when shopping with little children and many more life lessons. Elves R Us presents an experience for a community to nurture many of the Ledger Way Core Values.

High School Placement Test

The current 8th graders will be taking the High School Placement Test at SMSA on Saturday, December 3 from 9:00 AM – Noon. All 8th grade students applying for admission to SMSA high school program are required to take the High School Placement Test. The HSPT is one of the most widely used high school placement tests nationally among Catholic high schools. The test, along with other key middle school student records support the high school staff to make data informed academic placement recommendations for incoming freshmen.

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

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.

Christmas Concert Information: Grades 5K-4

Date & Location: Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 12:45 PM & 6:30 PM in Hutter Gym

Thursday, December 15th during the day: Students wear SMSA uniforms

• 8:30 AM - 8:40 AM: 5K - 4th grade students arrive in Hutter Gym

• 8:40 AM – 10:40 AM: Concert practice for Kindergarten – 4th grade students

• 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM: Christmas Concert Dress Rehearsal Performance

  • All students in grades K-4 as well as faculty and staff will attend the performance. The public is invited as well.

• 6:10 PM - 6:30 PM: ALL 5K – 4th Grade students report to Hutter Gym. Parents/Guardians should take their child(ren)’s coats, etc.

  • If families arrive early to get a good parking space, children should remain with parents until 6:10 PM. Please do not allow them to roam unattended. There is expensive equipment involved and it is too dangerous for the children to be running around.

  • We ask that all younger children remain with their parents in seats for the concert. There are many things that can break and the students have worked very hard to put on a great show! Thank you for your cooperation.

• 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM: Christmas Concert – Students wear nice Christmas Clothing. All are invited!

Christmas Concert Information: Grades 5-8

The 5th Grade and Middle School Music Department is getting ready for our first concert of the season! Christmas is not too far away, so we wanted to reach out with some important information for the upcoming performances.

Wednesday, December 14th

• All students will wear their school uniforms during the school day

• 1:00 PM: Performance in Hutter Gym-parents and families invited

Evening Concert

• Students that are in band will report to the band room at 6:10 PM

• Students who are only in choir will report to Hutter Gym at 6:10 PM

• Please be prompt and allow travel time so students are at their appointed places on time

• Concert begins at 6:30 PM

Dress code (for evening only) is as follows:

• 5th/6th Grade Band and Choir students-wear your “Sunday Best” or fancy Christmas attire (no jeans)

• 7th/8th Grade Band students - Concert black (boys: black long sleeve button-up, black pants, black shoes. girls: black dress of appropriate length and coverage, or black shirt and pants, or black shirt and skirt of appropriate length. Please no heels due to having maneuver risers, flats only)

• 7th/8th Grade Choir students--wear your “Sunday Best” or fancy Christmas attire

• No jeans please!

Movie and Popcorn Day to Benefit Clay!

We will be sponsoring a movie, popcorn and pajama afternoon on Thursday, December 22nd. For a $3.00 donation the students in P3-8th grade will get to select which film that they would like to see, enjoy a bag of popcorn, and wear PJs (P3-5th) or sweats (6th-8th).They may bring in their own 20 ounce or less drink from home. All the proceeds from the movie and popcorn afternoon will go to help Clay and his family.

All money needs to be turned in to your child’s homeroom teacher by Friday, December 16th. If your family is unable to contribute at this time, your child will still be able to participate. Please read below to learn more about Clay.

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.

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