The Howl

Greetings West Wolves and Parent/Caregivers,

As we start the beginning of second quarter we are excited for all the things that lay before us in the coming days/weeks/months. Last week half of our winter sports began and this week we launch the other half of our winter sports. Our students have been engaged in collaboration, critical thinking and awesome opportunities including a conversation with the Mayor of Sun Prairie, collaborative tutorials where students lead their classrooms through places where they are stuck in their work and work shopping with a jazz quintet from Manhattan. As we continue into 2nd quarter we continue to Create the Future at SP West and focus on a culture of care. Please read below on ways that you can help support us in that process.

Jen Ploeger- Principal- jrploeg@sunprairieschools.org

Chai Lee- Associate Principal- cmlee1@sunprairieschools.org

Chad Whalley- Associate Principal- ctwhall@sunprairieschools.org

We are incredibly grateful to our community for this magnificent building and opportunity to create a new educational community. As we launch SP West, Create the Future and build a Culture of Care please check in with your student on a few things:

• Class Bell to Bell: We are continuing to work to create a culture in which ALL students are in class from bell to bell. This includes: Having a pass every time you are out of class; using the 2 minute warning "ding dong" sound to move quickly to your next class; staying in class until the bell rings; working with your teacher if you need a break within the 85 minute block, taking a break in the den area and then returning to class.

• Taking Care of the Building: We have a state of the art, amazing building. We are also short staffed on our custodial team and working with the District Support Center (DSC) to problem solve ways to support this team and increase the amount of custodians on our team. We ALL play a part in taking care of the building including: cleaning up after yourself, particularly at lunch; picking up trash even if it's not yours; talking to your friends/the people around you to clean up after themselves. It truly takes each and every one of us to take care of this beautiful space.

• See Something, Say Something If you see something that shouldn't be happening... SAY SOMETHING to any adult in the building and they will get it to the right place. Go to a trusted teacher, trusted office staff, youth advocate, dean, AP, Principal JP, anyone. This includes any vandalism in bathrooms or other locations. Together we can take care of this beautiful facility and leave a legacy for the generations to come.

Are you or someone you know looking for a way to become more involved in our school communities? We are currently looking for community members to serve as AVID academic coaches. AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college and career readiness system for students in the academic middle and/or students part of groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education. Academic coaches support our AVID students during the tutorial process, a designated time in which students bring points of confusion from their content classes and work through them with an academic coach and small group of their peers. This position pays $16/hr. For more information, please contact the AVID District Coordinator, Katie Janssen at kmjanss@sunprairieschools.org.

We are in need of support at the following sites:

Central Heights Middle School:

• Periods 1-2 (8:57 AM - 10:18 AM) on Tuesdays

Prairie View Middle School:

• Period 2 (9:39 AM - 10:18 AM) on Tuesdays and Fridays

• Periods 8-9 (2:15 PM - 3:35 PM) on Fridays

Sun Prairie East High School:

• Block 4B (2:19 PM - 3:35 PM) on Wednesdays or Thursdays

• Block 3A (12:11 PM - 2:12 PM) on Wednesdays or Thursdays

Hello families of senior students at SP West HS,

There has been some confusion around senior photos, so we, as a Yearbook staff, wanted to send an update and give families an extension. Please read the following information carefully.

• All senior portraits are due by November 15, 2022. (This is an extension from the 1st.)
• All senior portraits will be uploaded directly to Jostens using the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SPWSenior23
• Be sure to include the student's first name, last name, and grade (12). The "description" box is not required.
• To purchase a Yearbook, go to www.jostensyearbooks.com. Type in "Sun Prairie" and make sure you click on Sun Prairie WEST. (The yearbooks for East and West high schools will be different this year, so it is very important that you purchase the correct one.)
• Yearbooks must be pre-ordered to be guaranteed a copy of the 2023 Yearbook. The price for the full-color book is $68 and will remain so until Nov. 18; the price at that time will be $70 until we place the final pre-order in January.
• Submission of your Grad Ad is due by December 1, 2022 if you wish to purchase one. You will purchase these at the same link where you can purchase the yearbook. Simply scroll down and click the button that says "Create My Ad."

Representatives from Midwest Scholastic led a Senior Class Meeting this last week and discussed ordering caps, gowns, and other supplies. Students have two options for ordering graduation supplies:

• In-person: Students can turn in a paper copy of their order form to Midwest representatives when they are here on Tues, Nov 15th. They will be in the Commons during both lunch periods. A $50 deposit is required for in-person orders. Orders that are less than $50 will be paid in full.

• Online: Students can order their supplies by going to mwschoalstic.com. Most students do this option. If paying online, students have to pay the full balance.

Any questions can be directed to Mr. Barth (jebarth@sunprairieschools.org) or Ms. Reimer (tareime@sunprairieschools.org). Thank you!

In partnership with the City of Sun Prairie and the Sunshine Place, we are looking for YOUR help in lifting Hispanic/Latinx voice and heritage in Sun Prairie as a whole. Please complete this short survey so we can hear YOUR voice: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YMRYS7G

As we launch this new community together please give us feedback on our communication so that we can learn and grow together. https://tinyurl.com/SPWestCommunication or en español: https://tinyurl.com/SPWestCommunicationEsp

Hello AP families! The deadline for ordering Advanced Placement exams is November 15, 2022. Students who enroll in AP Classroom will automatically be registered as “Yes” for AP exams. Students and families who do not wish to test please contact Branden Jones, SPWHS AP Coordinator, via email at bajones@sunprairieschools.org to opt out no later than October 31. A $40 late fee will apply for students who decide they want to take the exam after 11/15/22. Unused/canceled exam fees are also $40 per exam.

AP exam fees are $97, except for the AP Seminar exam fee which is $145. Families can contact Mr. Jones for scholarship and fee reduction information for qualifying households. Exam fees will be posted to Infinite Campus later in November.

The main entrance door closes at 4:00pm unless there is an athletic event. Our office staff is off work at 4:00pm. Athletes that may leave and come back please enter through door 24.

Bus Tags

Students must have their bus tag with them when riding the bus and may be denied if the driver doesn’t recognize the student or if they don’t have a bus tag. Replacement bus tags can be picked up at the school. Students can keep a picture of their bus tag on their cell phones.

Bus Stops

Students should be waiting at the bus stop at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time.

If you drive your child to the bus stop in the morning, please park at least 50 feet away from the stop to give the bus room and to ensure good visibility. Students should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before approaching the bus to board.

Riding an Unassigned Bus

Students are only allowed to ride their assigned bus and may not ride home with friends, even with a note from a parent. Please make alternative arrangements for these special circumstances.

Looking for the latest in West Wolves Gear? Looking to stock up your closet for the cooler weather? Needing ideas for holiday shopping? Look no further. Visit our West Merch Website that our business classes will keep current with the latest online stores that are open for your purchases: tinyurl.com/SPWestMerch

As we are preparing for our mid-semester progress update and you are diving into your student's grades you will notice that grades are broken into two categories: formative and summative assessments.

Formative Assessments (10% of the grade in most classes): These are assessments for learning during the learning process, practice on the way to the goal! These could include: homework, in class assignments, discussions, etc.

Summative Assessments (90% of the grade in most classes): These are assessment of learning at the end of that particular learning cycle, "game day". These could include: tests, projects, essays, presentations, etc.

Students have the opportunity to redo formative and summative assessments until 2 weeks before the end of the semester to demonstrate further mastery of learning and improve their grade.

As we launched West we have provided student an opportunity to order in lunch, however, we have seen an uptick in incidents related to food ordering recently. A reminder the expectation is that food is ordered during the first 15 minutes of lunch and students are eating in assigned locations and NOT missing class for food. Additionally, we need every student to be honest and not take others food. We do not have the staff to manage food deliveries and if we do not see an improvement in food delivery related behavior this week we will need to change our policy and no longer allow deliveries.

We continue to increase to develop and increase our supports around student attendance. Student attendance is one of the biggest indicators of academic success and graduation rate!

Please remember to call in your student BEFORE they are absent so that we know that they are safe and can excused their absences: 608.478.1707. If you are unable to in advance please call in ASAP all absences must be corrected within 2 weeks of the date missed.

As we prepare to start the year we are in need of awesome subs to help take care of our students when staff are out. Are you looking for a new opportunity? Do you know someone looking? Can you help spread the word? Please help us get the word out so that we can ensure that our students have the very best people supporting them even on days staff (teachers or support staff) need to be out. Having an ample supply of fantastic subs is also a great way to support our staff by allowing them peace of mind when they are out. Contact mtiseli@sunprairieschools.org with any interest/questions or contacts.

• Support Staff Substitutes

• Substitute Teachers