Principal’s Desk News & Information Upcoming Dates High School Counseling

Guidelines for Student Make-Ups of Final Assessments/ Exams/ Projects:

• If a student misses  a concluding assessment/ exam/ project due to an excused absence, the student must contact the teacher immediately to arrange for a make-up assessment/exam. If unable to reach the teacher, the student should contact the Counseling Office. 
• If the student’s absence is unexcused, the teacher is under no obligation to provide students with a make-up concluding assessment/exam/project.  
• Approved make-up concluding assessments/exams/project must be administered in-person and completed by December 23rd (the final day of classes for Semester I). Virtual make-up of concluding assessments/exams/projects is not permitted.  
• If a medical excuse or illness makes it unreasonable for students to make-up a final assessment/exam/project, teachers may request from the principal that a student be given an INC grade for Semester I.  If approved, by policy, the student will have ten (10) school days to resolve the INC grade in the next academic term (must be completed during J-Term). 

Guidelines for Student Anticipated Absence Requests at the End of a Semester:

• Any request for alternative time for a student to complete a concluding assessment/exam/project  must be approved by the principal at least one week prior to the anticipated absence.  
• With all approved anticipated absences, alternative concluding assessments/exams/projects may NOT be scheduled for a date/time AFTER the originally scheduled exam period.  Rather, students approved for an anticipated absence during the concluding days of a Semester shall abide the following guidelines:
  1.  May ONLY reschedule and complete a concluding assessment/ exam/project for a date and time earlier than the originally scheduled assessment date/time. This is a consistent norm of academic fairness, and a best practice of high performing schools. 
  2. Students are responsible for initiating and making alternative arrangements with their teachers.
  3. While not always possible, it is recommended that students receive a true alternative assessment /exam – different from the rest of the class.  This is a consistent norm of academic fairness, and a best practice of high performing schools.  
  4. An alternative assessment should be of equal weight, scope and challenge as the original. 
  5. SMSA faculty are expected to support and accommodate any student/family who has planned properly for an anticipated absence. 
• By policy, parents/guardians may submit a request for “Anticipated Absence” at any time during the school year – including days on which a concluding assessment/exam/project has been scheduled.  The form may be obtained in the North Hall Main Office and must be submitted ONE WEEK PRIOR to the anticipated absence date.  When completed, the form will be signed by a parent/guardian and submitted to the administrator who monitors student daily attendance (Mr.  Krueger). These requests must be approved by Mr. O’Keeffe. 

In the academic life of our high school, these final weeks and days are critical to student success.  Final assignments, quizzes, projects and exams are planned during this stretch of time.  

Positive attendance, good sleep cycles, daily readiness and focus are critical to student success always – but especially during the end days of each semester.  Remember: Semester grades are the “permanent record grades” that appear and remain on a student high school transcript for every future employer and educational institution to review. Students are expected to demonstrate what they have learned and put their best learning on display at this important time of the academic ‘season!’ 

Teachers have done their job to prepare students and reinforce the importance of these final days of the semester.  Thanks to all parents, guardians and grandparents who partner with our high school staff and recognize that – especially with the extra excitement, demands and busyness of the holiday season – students need adult assistance to help ground them in what is most important.  Excellent daily attendance, rest, readiness and focus will help our Ledgers to finish strong. 

Pray for our Ledgers as they complete Semester I, working hard to demonstrate all that they have learned. 

Our Lady of the Ledge, pray for us.
Eamonn O’Keeffe, High School Principal

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The yearbook staff is hard at work collecting memories of your child’s senior year. We need your help for two sections of the yearbook.
1. Senior Ads: The yearbook staff is offering you the opportunity to show your love and support with a personal senior ad. What a great way to let your senior know how proud you are of the accomplishments and progress made during the years spent at Springs!  Your submitted message and photos will be used in your ad. Need ideas? Please see the ads in the 2025 yearbook for inspiration.

All senior ads, including pictures and payment, must be submitted online through Walsworth Yearbooks. If interested, please click the HS yearbook order link on the St. Mary’s Springs Academy website homepage for more information.

Yearbook ads will be designed by Yearbook staff members.
Please select your ad size:
Full-page………………… $180
Half-page……………..…. $110
Quarter-page………….… $ 75

Reserve your space now! Assemble and send your pictures and message, along with your payment to Walsworth at the SMSA website homepage link.

Please submit payment, pictures, and messages by January 15, 2026!
(Thank you to those who have already submitted an ad.)

2. Senior portraits: Please have your senior portraits sent in (either by you or your photographer) to hsyearbook@smsacademy.org. It will be shared with guidance counselors Mary Cauley and Taylor McCarthy as well as Brand and Community Engagement Strategist Kristin Zitlow.
Requirements for Senior Portraits
– Must be in JPEG format
– 300 DPI
– Must be in color
– Headshots only
– No hats or accessories
Deadline for senior portrait submissions is January 15, 2026.

(Thank you to those who have already submitted your child’s portrait.)
If you have questions, please contact your SMSA Yearbook Staff at
hsyearbook@smsacademy.org.

The HS Music Department is having their annual poinsettia sale. You can purchase tickets in the North Hall Office or from high school music students who are participating in the sale. Tickets are $20 and are being sold thru 12/12/25. Once you purchase a ticket, you take it to Haentze’s Floral to pick out your beautiful red poinsettia. Thank you for supporting the HS Music students.

Don’t miss an opportunity to shop exclusive Ledger shoe and outerwear apparel —available now through Monday, December 8, 2025. Shop the full collection at https://goshopsusa.com/stores/1669/splash and click the tabs at the top of the site to browse all items. Order before the deadline to secure your gear.

The National Honor Society is selling Christmas Ornaments to fundraise for different service projects in the community. Please consider supporting the students by purchasing an ornament for $10 dollars. You can purchase one from the North or South Office as well as at the Scrip Office. If you need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact the NHS Moderator Mrs. Theel at stheel@smsacademy.org.

Thank you for supporting our students.

The National Honor Society will be hosting a fundraising event at Pizza Ranch on Wednesday, December 17th from 4 pm to 9pm. Pizza Ranch will donate 15% of the proceeds to our chapter. The funds raised will be used to buy groceries and prepare meals for the homeless in Fond du Lac. Please take a night off from getting the kitchen dirty to support our students and community members.

Auditions for GREASE will take place on Wednesday, December 17 & Thursday, December 18, 2025. Sign up with a partner by clicking here, and pick up a scene to rehearse. If you are choosing a Girl/Boy scene, please take two with contrasting characters. Boy/Boy and Girl/Girl scenes with read for both characters. No memorization needed.

Prepare a snippet of a song (show tune preferred but not required).

Make sure to pick up an audition form and fill it out to bring to your audition time. Auditions will be held in the MS choir room, 2077.

Tech Crew will pick up a form in the office and fill it out. You will then turn it into the office. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE!

Show dates are:
March 20-23, 2026

WE CAN DO BETTER!!

Volunteer Participation – 36 Families for Football and Volleyball of over 212 possible families = 17% participation.  A huge thanks to those that have helped make our events a success without you there wouldn’t be any refreshments.

There are plenty of upcoming events, links for Boys and Girls basketball are below. This is a fun way to help, and this is NOT JUST THE BASKETBALL PARENTS!!!!!! to fill the spots as the booster club is for all Sports and Cheer/Dance.

Where have Booster Club donations gone this year to date:

• Girls Soccer Uniforms & Backpacks
• Volleyball Uniforms
• Cross Country Uniforms
• AV equipment for New Team Room
• Football Uniforms – first time in over 50 years from Booster Club
• Video Equipment for Football
• Baseball Uniforms
• More to come

Help fill a spot:

Boys Hoops Sign Ups – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AAEA722ABF4C52-60555215-202526

Girls Hoops Sign Ups – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AAEA722ABF4C52-60555208-202526

Thanks Athletic Booster Club

Who will win $20,000 this year!?

The BMR cash raffle is one of only three major fundraisers for SMSA that involves EVERY family, Pre-K through 12th grade. Each family receives 5 BMR tickets to sell and/or purchase. 

Tickets have been distributed to the youngest child per family in our System. Please be sure to check their backpacks or ask them if they were handed your families tickets after school.

Please review the information included in the envelope regarding this fundraiser.  Sold tickets may be returned to school with your child, or to the North, South or Scrip offices any time before the live noon drawing on Friday, January 16, 2026.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to purchase additional tickets, please contact a member of the BMR committee, listed below.

Valerie Everson

920.251.3719

Stephanie Fessler

920.960.0556

Katie Mathos

920.979.6757

Lisa Shannon

920.539.2892

For over fourteen years several SMSA families have sponsored a Christmas Gathering for SMSA teachers, administrators, and staff as a way to show their gratitude. For many families, the contribution was given in place of individual Christmas gifts, or as an added appreciation.
The special luncheon for all the staff to enjoy will be provided during a school day in January.

Please note, this opportunity is optional and offered to any SMSA family that would like to contribute. We ask each family interested in participating for a minimum donation of $50.

Monetary donations for the special luncheon will be accepted through Friday, December 19. Please mail your contribution to Andrea Nuss, W4642 Mill Road, Fond du Lac, WI 54937. Checks may be made payable to Andrea Nuss. If you are interested in paying through Venmo, please send to @Valerie-Everson-4, last 4 digits 3719.

Please address questions to Valerie Everson at valerie@everson-law.com, or to Andrea Nuss at alnuss@charter.net.

Blessings to you during this holiday season!
Andrea Nuss & Valerie Everson

Planning has begun for our annual Ledgerfest fundraising event—mark your calendars for Saturday, March 28, 2026! You won’t want to miss this exciting evening celebrating SMSA.

Once again, we’re asking each grade level to contribute toward creating some incredible auction baskets. Your support makes a huge difference in making Ledgerfest a success!

If you would like to contribute towards your child’s grade level basket, click this link: https://smsacademy.ejoinme.org/LF26class to donate online. Once you enter a donation amount and click next, please fill in your child’s name and grade level (if you are donating for more than one child, please list each name and grade level along with the amount for each child). If you prefer, you may still send cash or check (payable to Andrea Nuss) in an envelope marked: Ledgerfest/Ashley Lane. Please also indicate your child’s grade level on the envelope.

All contributions are due by Thursday, February 5th. Thank you so much!
If you have any questions, please reach out to your grade-level lead:
P3: Lindsey Pietrowski – pietrowski.lindsey@gmail.com
K4: Allison Geiger – kageiger@att.net
K5: Amy Meyer-Bremer – ameyer17@outlook.com
1st Grade: Betsy Royce – ejmiazga@gmail.com
2nd Grade: Molly Jaster – molly.jaster@gmail.com
3rd Grade: Jourdan Jacobs – jourdanjacobs@gmail.com
4th Grade: Katie Heller – katieheller11@gmail.com
5th Grade: Jenn Ellestad – jenn.ellestad@gmail.com
6th Grade: Andrea Nuss – alnuss@charter.net
7th Grade: Tya Robles – tyajean623@gmail.com
8th Grade: Shannon LaLuzerne – slaluzerne@smsacademy.org
High School (9-12): Andrea Nuss – alnuss@charter.net, Betsey Gitter – kevandbets@gmail.com and Pam Kristmann – pamkristmann@gmail.com

Thank you for your generosity and for helping make Ledgerfest 2026 another amazing celebration of our Ledger community!

Mark your calendars — Ledgerfest is happening Saturday, March 28, 2026!

We are bringing all the fun, energy, and team spirit you can handle — it’s sure to be a night full of laughs, cheers, and good times!
Location: FCC (400 University Dr. Fdl)
Time: Doors open at 5:00 pm

Want in on the action? Join the Ledgerfest Committee!
Help dream up ideas, decorate, and make this year’s event the best one yet. Reach out to Ashley Lane if you’d like to join the team — it’s a total blast and a great way to get involved!

Get ready… this event is sure to be a slam dunk!
It’s going to be a night you won’t want to miss!

HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS ARE FOR SALE

High school yearbooks are available to purchase online at the SMSA website for $60. Get yours by clicking here!

Learn how you can get involved. Contact PPA@smsacademy.org to learn more!

Are you looking to get more involved at SMSA? If so, join our Parent Connectors Group!! We organize events for our SMSA families & show our appreciation towards our amazing SMSA Staff throughout the year!! Please email Andrea Nuss, alnuss@charter.net if you are interested. Thank you so much!!

Did you know? You can Refer-A-Family and receive tuition credit!

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December 24, 2025 – January 2, 2026 – Christmas Break

January 5, 2026 – J-Term Begins

January 16, 2026 – BMR Drawing

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Women in Construction — an empowering event designed to inspire young minds to explore careers in the ever-evolving construction industry!
Save the Date:
– Tuesday, March 10, 2026
– 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
– Stayer Center at Marian University, 45 S. National Ave., Fond du Lac, WI

What is GoGuardian Parent?

GoGuardian Parent was created to help provide additional educational support to administrators and teachers by allowing parents to see what sites and documents their children are browsing. The app gives parents a bird’s eye view of the apps and Websites that their children are visiting most often. With this perspective, parents can be made aware of what types of browsing behavior schools are seeing from students so they can all work together to encourage more effective internet browsing habits at home and at school.

What’s the intention of the app?

By providing insight into student browsing habits, our goal is to empower parents to take a more active role in their children’s online learning. SMSA aims to create a greater sense of transparency with student browsing to help bring about a greater sense of accountability on both the parent’s and the student’s part. We also believe that transparency and insight will increase the likelihood of productive student browsing habits on a more consistent basis.

What is included in this app?

• Top 5 summary of student browsing (apps, extensions, documents, and websites visited)
• 30-day view of websites, videos, documents, apps, and extensions

Click Here for Installation Instructions

Additional Info:

Guardians: Getting Started with GoGuardian Parent

https://help.goguardian.com/hc/en-us/articles/360028919111-Guardians-Getting-Started-with-GoGuardian-Parent

Guardians: What Student Data can I View Using GoGuardian Parent?

https://help.goguardian.com/hc/en-us/articles/360028606832-Guardians-What-Student-Data-can-I-View-Using-GoGuardian-Parent-

We are excited to announce that several college representatives will be visiting SMSA to meet with interested students. This is a great opportunity to learn more about each school and connect directly with the admissions counselors who will be reviewing applications.

Upcoming Visits

SMSA is proud to participate in another year of Trade Tours through the Fond du Lac R.O.C.K. program, which stands for Retention, Opportunity, Community, and Knowledge. This program aimed at working specifically with high school seniors and juniors who are piecing together their plans post high school graduation. This program provides career exploration through business tours and job shadows. Fond du Lac R.O.C.K. is a program of Envision Greater Fond du Lac.

Please let counseling know if your student would be interested in joining a future tour.

For additional information please visit click here.

The scholarship website has now moved to Naviance! Please remind your senior to check their Naviance account regularly for the latest scholarship updates. The Counseling Department will continue adding new opportunities as they arrive.

These state and local scholarships are specifically available to Springs students. To view them, students can log into Naviance and navigate to: Colleges → Scholarships & Money → Scholarship Search. There, they’ll find an up to date list of scholarships curated by SMSA counselors.
Please reach out to counseling with any questions!

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