High School News
September 29th, 2022
In this week's High School eLedger
From the Desk of Eamonn O'Keeffe - High School Principal
TEACHER FEATURE
Each week one or two teachers will be featured in this column. I encourage parents and guardians to check out eLedger each week to learn more about our excellent high school faculty! You may also look at archived eLedgers to see any previous Teacher Features you may have missed.
Mrs. Judy Besson joined SMSA as a member of the English Department in 2020. From 2012-2017 Mrs. Besson served at Ralph Ellison High School, an International Charter School in Chicago, and at Daniel Webster Secondary School/Universal Academy for the College Bound in Milwaukee. In both assignments, Mrs. Besson aligned Common Core and ACT Readiness standards and incorporated English ACT and Reading ACT strategies with her teaching. She also participated in Response to Intervention training and served as a mentor for new teachers while serving in Chicago.
Mrs. Besson earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with Minors in Spanish and Psychology from the University of South Dakota, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She also earned her Master of Arts degree in Secondary Education from the University of South Dakota. At SMSA Mrs. Besson teaches English 10 and AP Literature, and is a sophomore moderator and homeroom teacher.
A native of Iowa, she served as a summer mentor for Upward Bound in Sioux City. When serving in Chicago, Mrs. Besson also tutored students with dyslexia to improve reading skills. Her commitment to excellent English education and exposing students to meaningful literature has been one way that Mrs. Besson works toward the goal of inspiring young people to create a just society. Mrs. Besson has consistently demonstrated a positive, can-do attitude for her students and colleagues, and has also shared an intelligent and entertaining sense of humor!
We are grateful for Mrs. Besson's commitment to her students and her service to St. Mary's Spring's Academy!
Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.
High School Principal
Upcoming Dates
September 30 - Freshman Retreat Day
Parents of Performing Arts Meeting Dates
Parents of Performing Arts meeting dates for the 2022-2023 school year are:
October 18 (note the revised date)
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!
Homecoming Food Drive
Ledgers,
Thank you for all of your generous donations during Homecoming week! We had a very successful food drive! With all of your donations we will be able to make delicious sandwiches and snacks for the Warming Shelter meals throughout the winter.
Sincerely,
Your Student Council Officers:
Nolan Baudry, Lauren Cobb, Sydney Pitz, and Sophie Vande Slunt
Space Day returns to EAA Aviation Museum
A day of fun family activities and exciting guest appearances are on the horizon, as the EAA Aviation Museum’s annual Space Day returns to Oshkosh on Saturday, October 8, with a theme of sustainability in space.
Space Day marks EAA’s participation in World Space Week, with activities from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. all included with regular museum admission that day.
Eileen Collins, the first female space shuttle pilot and commander, will be the featured speaker. Collins was selected as an astronaut in 1990 and made history in February 1995 as the first woman pilot of a U.S. space shuttle while serving on the Discovery. In July 1999, Collins took the shuttle Columbia into orbit as the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. Before becoming an astronaut, Collins served in the Air Force where was the first female flight instructor. Collins will be presenting at 4 p.m. in the museum.
Additional Space Day activities include:
Mercury and Gemini Capsule Replicas: Climb inside a full-scale replica of the Mercury space capsule, which was the first U.S. spacecraft, and the Gemini space capsule, which helped NASA get ready for the Apollo moon landings.
Moon Game: Work as a team to solve a series of challenges founded in science about living and doing research on the moon.
Compressed Air Rockets: Learn what makes a rocket fly high by building an air-compressed rocket out of basic household materials.
Re-Entry Capsule Design: Ever wonder how astronauts return to Earth after a mission from space? Design a re-entry capsule that can survive a wind tunnel.
In addition, youths 18 and under can submit entries in the Space Day Habitat Creation contest. Participants can choose from two types of habitats, land-based or orbital, and must be constructed at home or off-site with recyclable material.
More details are available at the EAA Aviation Museum website.
iNDIEFLIX Shines the Light on Anxiety with Must-See Documentary
2021-2022 Yearbooks
2023 high school yearbooks are now available to order from Walsworth!
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
This Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, The JED Foundation is helping students, educators, and caregivers have open and important conversations about suicide. JED wants everyone to know that It’s
OK to Say Suicide. In fact, it’s the first step on the journey to getting help.
On the Suicide Prevention Awareness Month landing page, you can listen to the stories of nine amazing young adults whose lives were saved by saying suicide and asking for help and find resources on how to have these conversations that you can share with your school community.
Articles and resources to help students, educators, and parents talk about suicide:
Crisis Resources for Families
Crisis Resources for Families.pdf988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
988.pdf2022-2023 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
Snow Removal Services Available!
County K Speed Limit
With the newly paved and widened County K, between 151 and Winnebago Drive, please be cognizant of the 35 mile per hour speed limit. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office has received concerns regarding excessive speed in the hour before and after school.
The Sheriff’s Office will be placing a radar trailer on that portion of County K to monitor speed. Please have a conversation with your student drivers on the importance of following the posted speed limits on all roadways, and being aware of people walking.
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!
