Elementary News
December 22nd, 2022
In this week's Elementary eLedger
From the Desk of Steve Kelnhofer - Elementary School Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The fourth week of Advent we light the fourth candle which is the last purple candle to be lit. The candle is named the Angel's candle. The fourth week of Advent represents love. During this final week of Advent we rejoice in the endless love that God has for us, which is made apparent in the birth of his Son. We reflect on the good news of God's love brought to us from the angel Gabriel.
Thank you for joining us at the concert events the past week. May the joy and love given at the events be with you through the conclusion of the Advent Season and journey with you throughout the Christmas season. May your families experience a blessed Christmas complete with the gifts of joy, love and hope.
Thank you for sharing the gift of your child(ren) with St. Mary’s Springs Academy. The gift of a child or children is trying at times yes, but the joy overshadows any of the challenges. To get to see a first step, the first day of school, the first award, the first accomplishment, the first book read, are beautiful treasures given to us to cherish in the vocation of being parents. Take this Christmas and cherish it, as time passes, sometimes all too quickly. Share peace, love and hope with those around you. The best gifts at Christmas are the those around us sharing the gifts of the Advent candles, peace, joy, hope and love.
Thank you for your continued partnership with SMSA. Together we create a path for tomorrow’s children to achieve amazing dreams. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Peace Be with You,
Elementary Principal, SMSA
Upcoming Dates
Friday, December 23rd - January 1st - Christmas Vacation
Monday, January 2nd - School resumes
Friday, January 13th - Big Money Raffle drawing
Parents of Performing Arts Meeting Dates
Parents of Performing Arts meeting Dates for the 2022-2023 school year are:
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.)
SMSA Parking Lot Reminders
Three of our Ledger Way core values are community, respect, and responsibility. All three of these are needed by our drivers picking up students after school.
For pick up to work properly, we need to work together in community and role model the right decisions and actions.
Please do not park in an area that leads to clogging up the round a bout on campus going north. The Hug and Go lane for MS/HS is not as long as drivers are creating it to be at this time. Please be a conscientious and respectful driver so the round a bout can be used effectively.
There are many spots to park in parking stalls on campus on one of the five parking lots.
Please use the round a bout as intended. Going through it backwards is not safe or helpful. Being patient to use the traffic patterns correctly will help your child understand proper decision making for the community.
Let's work together with patience, community, responsibility and respect. The traffic flow will be a positive experience if everyone works together, thinks about each other, and uses the best practices of our traffic pattern.
Let's show our Little Ledgers the value of our core values in everyday life!
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 using the links below to help out the ABC (Athletic Booster Club) by volunteering your time and talent working in concessions or admissions at an upcoming sport event.
Booster Club encourages ALL parents of ALL athletes to embrace teamwork and volunteer at an event that suits your schedule. For those that have already signed up and volunteered, ABC sincerely appreciates your help!
Please use the links below to sign up through SignupGenius.
If you have any questions, please contact the SMSA Booster Club. Thank you.
Prinicpal's Pen Recipients - Weeks of 12/12/22 & 12/19/22
The Principal’s Pen is an opportunity for teachers to recognize students who consistently demonstrate The Ledger Way with a focus on faith, learning, respect for leadership, community and responsibility. The students chosen will attend a special breakfast with Mr. K and Mr. Fisher and special guest, receives a certificate sharing how they followed The Ledger Way, and a principal’s pen.
The special guest for the week of 12/12 was Eamonn O’Keeffe, High School Principal
The Principal's Pen award winners for the week of 12/12 are:
Tyler S. (3 Grade) - He has a very kind heart and is a hardworking student. He is always prepared for learning, and does his very best. He is a friend to all and happy to help and share. Tyler shows all our school’s core values in everything he does.
Emma M. (3 Grade) – She is a very respectful and responsible student. She is always ready to learn and follows our core values. She is a great addition to SMSA!
Emmett K (3 Grade) – He is always so excited about his learning. He takes responsibility for not only making sure he is ready for the next subject but his peers as well. His love for learning radiates in our classroom!
Cami K. (4 Grade) – She is an outstanding leader. She is always willing to help others and treats everyone with respect and kindness
Holden S. (4 Grade) - He demonstrates dedication to his learning. He works hard and always does quality work. He also shows leadership by being a leader in small group work and by adding his ideas during class discussions. Holden is also kind to everyone in class.
Lillian M. (4 Grade) – She is very respectful of her classmates and teachers. She treats everyone with kindness. She also helps out whenever needed.
Seth P. (5 Grade) – He shows leadership when working in teams. He always puts forth effort and pride in all he does, both team and individual activities.
Drake D. (5 Grade) – He lives out respect and responsibility by always being a good listener and caring about his actions towards adults and his classmates.
Olivia R. (5 Grade) – She always comes to school prepared to learn. She is very responsible and respectful, a true role model for everyone
The special guest for the week of 12/19 was Eamonn O’Keeffe, High School Principal
The Principal's Pen award winners for the week of 12/19 are:
Natalie S. (6 Grade) - She has a strong desire to succeed in school. She is responsible, faithful and leads by example.
Holly G. (6 Grade) – She takes pride in and responsibility for her learning. She asks questions when needed and is a respectful student.
Charlotte S. (6 Grade) – She is a hard worker who is respectful to her teachers and classmates. She is a great member of our Leader community.
Madeline A. (7 Grade) – She is a wonderful listener, she always cooperates with teachers and members of SMSA. She cares about her work and is very respectful in class.
Keaton S. (7 Grade) - She is very respectful, excellent working in class. Shows wonderful leadership skills in school. She is always willing to help her classmates.
Kadence K. (8 Grade) – She is a very kind student and hard working. She is a role model for others.
Frida B. (8 Grade) – She has been a great addition to our classroom. She has fit right in with our class. During Elves-R-Us week she was dependable, honest and a hard worker!
Bentley K. (8 Grade) – He was a leader during Elves-R-Us week. He would do any job asked of him and many times would do jobs that were not his. He worked very well with his peers and with the littles he shopped with!
Zander L. (8 Grade) – He has been an extraordinary example of leadership this year, and these qualities shined for all to see during Elves-R-Us week. He maintained a positive attitude and jumped in to help wherever he was needed. Thank you, Zander for being a servant leader
Thank You - November Donations to the Salvation Army!
A HUGE THANK YOU to all that donated to the November Service Project for the Fond du Lac Salvation Army! We received an abundance of donations that we were able to make a donation to the Saint Katharine Drexel Center in Fond du Lac.
The Salvation Army and Saint Katharine Drexel Center appreciate the donations and extend their sincere gratitude to our SMSA families and students.
Movie and Popcorn Day to Benefit Clay is Rescheduled
The Movie & Popcorn (and pajama!) Day originally scheduled for Thursday, December 22nd will be rescheduled for a later date.
Our event is being held to benefit Clay and his family. 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.
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: