Horsemen Highlights for week of September 11-15, 2023.
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. What a great way the weekend started with a big football victory over the Demons. Our students have been working very hard both in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities. This hard work will continue to translate into successful outcomes. Your support in all that they do is an important part of their success.
With so many of our students involved in extracurricular activities, they will be missing some class time. It is imperative that our students keep up with any missed assignments due to absences. Students who are struggling academically may seek extra help from their teachers and academic support plans may be developed to assist our students as well. Students who are struggling socially and emotionally may schedule time to see our mental health counselor, Mr. John Rich. Our aim is to support all our students with whatever their needs may be.
As we complete the third week of school, more and more students have been arriving late, primarily to first period. Please help ensure that your child is getting to school in time to be in their first period class no later than 8:25. Overall though, our students have been doing great. It is such a pleasure to see how exceptional they are on a daily basis.
We appreciate your continued support of St. Michael’s High School! Go Horsemen!
Yours in Christ,
Martin C. Sandoval, Principal
Academics:
Message from the Deans- Just a reminder that we are on a Meeting Schedule Tuesday, September 12th. Release time is 2:55. Parents and teachers will be in professional development for the afternoon, please make sure your students are picked up in a timely manner. The library and classrooms are closed on meeting schedule days.
The Lasallian Core Principles is the foundation of our school community. Our goal is to provide students with a quality education. Students need to be in school for learning to take place. First period class begins at 8:25 a.m. Please make sure that your students are in school on time. Arriving at school before 8:05 eliminates the traffic and long drop off lines. Please remember that we follow the state compulsory attendance law therefore students should not miss more than 9 days each semester. Also, unexcused tardies result in after school detention. For more information on the SMHS attendance and tardy policies, please see the Student-Parent Handbook (pp. 30-33). Click HERE.
Are you a professional in the Santa Fe community that is interested in becoming a mentor? Thank you for your interest in mentoring a student. Do you want to offer mentorship and guidance to a student who is interested in your profession? We want to hear from you! The work you do over the next months may inspire a student to turn their dreams into reality. Your work will teach and inspire a student to develop the self-knowledge and foundational skills to take those next steps in their journey. Please contact Ms. Stephanie Gurule-Leyba, SMHS Capstone Experience Instructor at 505-983-7353 or [email protected] for more information.
As you may have heard, Covid cases are on the rise throughout the country. Please adhere to the best practices administered by the CDC and the NMDOH. You can find more information by clicking HERE.
For access to the Covid 19 Tool Kit click HERE. Refer to pages 11-12 for quick information on what to do with an exposure and a test result.
Counselors' Corner:
A message from Mr. Alex Gallegos, SMHS Academic/College & Career Counselor
Mark your calendars parents! There is a College Fair sponsored by the NM Higher Education Department for Juniors and Seniors on September 28th from 1:00-2:15. We will coordinate with teachers.
Indiana University Bloomington will be on our campus during senior high lunch on September 18th.
All seniors should have received an email from Mr. Gallegos regarding their Naviance accounts. Please email Mr. Gallegos [email protected] if there are any questions.
A message from Mr. John Rich, SMHS School Counselor
Hello Parents, Guardians, Students of St. Mike's,
I feel fortunate to have the position of Mental Health Counselor within the St. Mike's school community. Rest assured, I have lived in northern New Mexico with my wife and daughter for the past 23-years. I am a fully licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor, a National Board Approved Clinical Supervisor, and a Level III PreK-12 School Counselor.
Please feel comfortable reaching out to me during the school day for social and emotional support of your student's academic journey. I may provide brief screenings of depression and anxiety symptoms, discuss referrals to outside ancillary resources, and offer safe sanctuary to students who are in overwhelming distress while at school. If I cannot point you in the right direction, then I will find someone who can. And let's not forget, there is always time to discuss "normal" adolescent development! These times can include fun!
Activities:
Meeting Schedule Tuesday 9/12
Meeting Schedule- (45-minute classes)
Zero Hour Warning- 7:25
Zero Hour- 7:30-8:20
1st Period- 8:25-9:10
2nd Period- 9:15-10:00
3rd Period- 10:05-10:50
JH LUNCH- 10:50-11:40
SH 4th Period- 10:55-11:40
SH LUNCH- 11:40-12:25
JH 4th Period- 11:40-12:25
5th Period- 12:30-1:15
6th Period- 1:20-2:05
7th Period- 2:10-2:55
Athletics:
Varsity Football defeated Santa Fe High 27-20 last Friday night. They are now 3-0 overall on the season.
Varsity Volleyball defeated St. Pius X 3 to 1, improving their record to 3-0 on the season.
Girl’s Soccer defeated Taos, 7 to 1. They are now 2-0 overall on the season.
Boys’ Soccer fell to Robertson (5-1) and East Mountain (2-0) at Taos last weekend.

Varsity Football beat Santa Fe High 27-20 Friday night at Ivan Head Stadium.
Annual Raffle:
Each year, St. Michael’s High School raises thousands of dollars to support a variety of school initiatives to improve your student’s experience on campus. A significant source of this fundraising is the annual raffle, and we need your support to make this a success! The general raffle is administered by the school through an electronic service to make the raffle process easier for the seller and donor.
Spirit Shop:
The Spirit Shop Hours for the week of 9/11- 9/15 will be as follows:
Monday-Friday
8:00am- 8:30am
3:00pm- 4:00pm
Alumni Association:
30th Annual Horsemen Open: Friday, September 15, 2023- Once again, the SMHS Alumni Association and the SM Foundation are hosting their 2023 Golf Tournament. They are looking for “Sponsors”. Your generosity and support give the Alumni Association and the SM Foundation the ability to continue its tradition of supporting St. Michael’s High School and ensuring that future generations of Santa Fe area children will be a part of the incredible legacy that is St. Michael’s High School!
Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!
Alumni General Meeting- The next General meeting will Wednesday, October 11th, 6:30pm
All Alumni and Parents/Guardians of Alumni are welcome. General Meetings will be held every other month on the 2nd Wednesday in the SMHS Library. Please see the school website under the Alumni Tab for further meeting dates.
Alumni Brick Patio Capital Campaign- The Alumni Association has begun PHASE IV of the Brick Project. Please purchase a brick for the Alumni Patio overlooking the SMHS Football Field. See the school website under the Alumni Tab for further details.
Alumni Reunions- Please welcome back home the Classmates and their families as they celebrate their Reunions!
The Class of 1993 30 Year September 3rd
The Class of 2013 10 Year October 7th
The Class of 1983 40 Year October 14th (Homecoming)
The Class of 1973 50-year October 20th
“Once a Horsemen, Always a Horsemen!”
For information regarding the Alumni Association please contact: Annette Legits, Alumni Relations Coordinator, at [email protected] 505-466-5088.
Parents Association:
Next General Meeting- The next General meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 19th, at 5:30pm-6:30pm. The Location is TBD.
The Parents Association will be discussing planning their year's events. Please consider participating in a committee. We are looking forward to an exciting new year!
Twice is Nice Clothing Sales- The Parent’s Association is now selling clean, gently used School Uniform clothing in the Spirit Shop. If you would like to donate any of your St. Michael’s clothing, please bring them to school. The Parents Association will only accept school appropriate shirts, tees, sweaters, sweatshirts that are cleaned. No pants or shorts are accepted.
Concessions- The Parent’s Association needs your help with Concessions.
The Proceeds from activities that raise funds such Twice is Nice and Concessions are redirected back to supporting students with Tuition Assistance. In addition, funds were raised to provide refillable drinking fountains, benches in the hallways, the foosball table, ping pong table and microwave ovens in the cafeteria. The Parent’s Association has also been instrumental in helping the SMHS administration complete remodeling projects around campus.
If you would like to become involved in the SMHS Parents Association please contact: [email protected] or contact Annette Legits, Parent Relations Coordinator at [email protected] or 505-466-5088.
Communications:
Please save this newsletter as a resource for yourself and your students. Print it out and post it on your fridge as a quick reference for upcoming school events. Look for these newsletters on a weekly basis. This newsletter will not be your only source of school-related information. The Student and Parent Resources page on our website has been updated to be more responsive to parent and community needs. We will also be using Remind Communication to quickly, efficiently, and effectively send out school wide announcements. If you're not already familiar with Remind it's a school communication tool that makes it easy to stay involved with your child's education and school activities. Join us on Remind now using code: @stmikeshs.
For assistance connecting please contact our Admissions, Communications, and Marketing Manager Alexa Chavez via email at [email protected].