High School News

March 2nd 2023

From the Desk of Eamonn O'Keeffe - High School Principal

LENT ON THE LEDGE: WEEK 2

In reading the Gospel of Matthew during this first full week of Lent, we see Jesus proclaim, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Of course, Christians are very familiar with this promise of Jesus.

To support and care for the most vulnerable of society is not just a Lenten theme or a turn of phrase for St. Matthew. Indeed, it is core to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. It is Jesus’ call for all Christians. As the Christian hymn proclaims “they will know we are Christians by our love.”

St. Mother Teresa is a well known Christian icon of our generation, esteemed most especially for faithfully living and working in the grittiest of neighborhoods among the poorest of the poor (of many different faith traditions), and practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy every day. What inspired the missionary work of Mother Teresa was her dedication to Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew. Loving the poor - or any person she encountered - meant that she was directly loving Jesus. She wrote often about encountering the risen Lord in the face of those she met on the margins of life.

If we minister to the very person of Jesus when we are kind to other humans, then the opposite would seem also to be true. That whenever we are unkind, offensive, or abusive to another, we hurt Jesus.

Please pray for our Ledgers this Lent, that they may continue to grow in awareness of how much God loves them, is present with them, and how much good they can do for this needy world. May God help our students to unpack God’s divine mercy in their lives. God’s love and mercy is not meant to be hoarded, but rather spread about liberally and without hesitation. May empathy and love - especially for the least among us - be what defines our lives as Ledgers and Christians. “...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.

Eamonn O’Keeffe

High School Principal

Upcoming Dates

March 4th - WSMA Instrumental Solo & Ensemble (8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.) Horace Mann HS, North Fond du Lac
March 9th - Sophomore Retreat to Oshkosh 7:30 A.M. - 3:15 P.M.
March 9th - ZAPS ACT Prep for the Class of 2024 (on campus)
March 10th - Final day of classes before Spring Break
March 13th to 17th - SPRING BREAK/ No Classes
March 20th - Classes Resume

Parents of Performing Arts Meeting Dates

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

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!

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.

WI Parental Choice Program Open Enrollment for 2023-2024

The WPCP online application period will open February 1st, 2023 and close on Thursday April 20th, 2023.

The DPI requires current Choice families to fill out an application for the 2023-2024 school year. Filling out the application informs the DPI that you want to receive your Choice voucher for the following school year. If the DPI does not receive an application from a current Choice family the voucher will not be renewed.

New and current families must electronically submit their application at:

https://dpi.wi.gov/parental-education-options/choice-programs/student-applications

NEW families must be income eligible to apply. The following income limits have been posted for 2023-2024:

Family Size Maximum Yearly Income

1 $29,898

2 $40,282

3 $50,666

4 $61,050

5 $71,434

6 $81,818

For each additional member in a family add $10,384.

Family income includes the income of the student’s parent(s)/legal guardian(s) that reside in the same household as the student.

Current Choice families are not required to provide income documentation. Proof of residency documents are required for current and new families.

Information about WPCP can be found on the SMSA website.

Questions can be directed to:

Carol Ellestad: SMSA Choice Designee

cellestad@smsacademy.org or 920.322.8002.

Forward Exam Testing Window: March 20th-March 31st

St. Mary’s Springs Academy is preparing for our students in 3rd – 8th grade as well as 10th grade to participate in the Wisconsin Forward Exam.

The Forward Exam is designed to gauge how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards. These standards outline what students should know and be able to do in order to be college and career ready. The Forward Exam is a Wisconsin computer-based exam that is administered in the spring of each school year at the grade levels seen below:

Grades 3-8 in ELA (English Language Arts) and Mathematics
Grades 4 and 8 in Science
Grades 4, 8, and 10 in Social Studies

This year, testing at SMSA will take place during the weeks of March 20th and March 27th. The Forward Exam must be administered in person and cannot be proctored virtually. We ask for our support by having your child(ren) attend school during the testing window.

For more information, please review the Wisconsin DPI Forward Information Guide for Families.

Volunteers needed for Children's Museum of Fond du Lac's Easter EGGstravaganza!

CMFDL is looking for volunteers for our Easter EGGstravaganza event on Saturday, April 1st from 9:00 A.M.-3:30 P.M.! Volunteers will assist with running our activities and facilitating the egg hunt. We are also looking for someone to dress up as the Easter Bunny!

Volunteers must be over 13 years old. Any volunteers under 13 will need parental supervision. Interested individuals can submit their availability online at: https://forms.gle/bnKLujUtRcDhyGeY9.

The shifts will be 8:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M., 11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M., and 2:30 P.M.-4:00 P.M.. Interested volunteers can select multiple shifts if they want to help us all day. The last shift is for the sensory-friendly version of the event for our visitors with sensory processing sensitivities.

Optional Practice ACT Test for the Class of 2024

SMSA is offering current Juniors a second opportunity to take a Practice ACT test ahead of the live ACT test they'll sit for in April!

The practice test is scheduled for Saturday, March 25th from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST on campus at St. Mary’s Springs Academy. There is no charge to take this practice test and, as in February, students will receive their test scores immediately following the exam!

Those interested in participating can register for the test online at:

www.revolutionprep.com/partners/103351/

or by scanning the QR Code below.

Students and parents also have an option to schedule a free 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert who will interpret the practice test results and develop a customized plan to prepare for future ACT test sittings. Students and parents can pre-schedule this Score Report Review at: www.revolutionprep.com/jaime-wareham

If you have questions or want to learn more about Revolution Prep, you can reach out to Jaime Wareham, at (412) 552-3532 or by email at jaime.wareham@revolutionprep.com

2023 Track & Field Sign-Up

We are excited for the 2023 Track & Field season to start. Please take a moment to sign-up for this year's season online.

We will be sending out an email soon with important start dates and a date for our parent meeting.

Please E-mail Kyle Jefferson at with any questions or concerns.

Registration is OPEN for Ledgerfest 2023!

Stand Up for Springs during this year's Ledgerfest!

When: Saturday, April 1, 2023 - Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

Where: THELMA Sadoff Center for the Arts

Register online by visiting www.smsacademy.org/ledgerfest. This year's event will feature a mingling, comedy club atmosphere, heavy passed hors d'oeuvres and food stations catered by CRAVE, open seating, raffles, silent and live auction, cash bar and entertainment provided by Improve Comedy Troupe, Fish Sticks Comedy.

We are still looking for auction items and packages, if you are interested in donating a service, item or package to our auction, please contact Kristin Zitlow.

Scholarship Website for SMSA Seniors

Last year, Mr. Stamatakos created a website that SMSA seniors can use to learn about local scholarship opportunities that they can apply for to help fund their college educations at two and four-year colleges. The website will continue to be updated throughout the coming months as updated applications for the current senior class are received by Mr. Stamatakos. Mr. Stamatakos will also E-mail out applications for these scholarships to the senior class and to parents of seniors as he receives them...so please check your E-mail for these opportunities!

Please visit the website early and often to start learning about scholarship opportunities that you can take advantage of!

Yearbook Snap

Yearbook is looking for your photos!

Yearbook Snap, Walsworth Yearbooks’ new mobile app version of Community Upload, allows you to share your photos with the yearbook staff! Yearbook Snap is available for iPhones and iPads in the App Store, and for Android phones in Google Play.

The app allows parents and students to take photos at games, dances, theatre performances, concerts, or your favorite hangout and upload them to the yearbook staff immediately using their mobile device.

The access code to share your photos with Walsworth and your yearbook staff is: SMSA2023.

Please submit your photos today!

2022-2023 Yearbooks & Senior Ads

2022-2023 high school yearbooks are now available to order from Walsworth!

Order yearbooks and senior ads online today!

Earn a $1,000/year Scholarship Just for visiting Marian University!

AODA Resources for Familes

Red Ribbon Resources for Students & Families:

Drugfree.org - Prevention tips for helping your teen make safe choices

NIDA for Teens - the National Institute on Drug Abuse provides information on teen brains and addiction

Just Think Twice - informative site that includes drug facts, common myths and possible consequences of drug use

Stop Underage Drinking - comprehensive research and resources to prevent underage drinking

Crisis Resources for Families

Crisis Resources for Families.pdf

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

988.pdf

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.

Colleges Visiting SMSA

College visits are open to all juniors and seniors! Sign up for all visits in your SCOIR account!

Job Opportunities

Just Posted! Lifeguarding Opportunities

Kelley Country Creamery

Fond du Lac Boys & Girls Club

Fond du Lac County Health Department

Ledger Learning Guide

The Ledger Learning Guides are a rebranded version of the “Virtual Learning Guide” that was designed in March 2020 to serve parents, students, and teachers at the start of the virtual learning term. Moving forward, whether students are learning on the Ledge in person or online at home, the LLG will provide a weekly overview of course learning targets and access to course links. Teachers will be updating course pages and learning expectations prior to the beginning of each new academic week.

The Ledger Learning Guide will not be as comprehensive or detailed as Google Classroom or other course calendars/schedules but does provide a meaningful overview of all SMSA courses and content being learned.

The Ledger Learning Guide for the 2022-2023 Academic Year can be viewed here.

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