This week our Black Student Union (BSU) scholars led our incredible 2nd Annual BSU showcase as we continue to celebrate Black History Month. We continue to celebrate our winter sports teams as they finalize their seasons. Spring sports are right around the corner, sign up to be a part of the SP West legacy! Our students are thriving in their learning environments, check-out the MANY classroom and student spotlights this week!

In this week's Newsletter there are important reminders about accessing information in Infinite Campus, details for upcoming playoff games, and an important Friday deadline for SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS. Check out everything in this week's Howl:

• Upcoming Events
  
• Daily Announcements
• February- Black History Month
• Parent Portal Infinite Campus
• Three-Sided Approach
• Pack the Den- Boys Basketball- Road to State
• Spring Sports are Coming!
• Sophomores and Juniors- College Credit Opportunity DUE FRIDAY
• Juniors- Academic and Career Planning
• Seniors- Local Scholarship DUE WEDNESDAY at 4:00pm
• College, Career and Life Readiness Coordinator
• Classroom and Student Spotlights
• Adapted Sports League
• Art Show
• World Languages (Spanish 2)
• PE (Adventure Education, Strength and Conditioning, Team Sports)
• AP Human Geography
• Sophia Bassino
• In Case You Missed It!
• Important Parking Expectations

• February 1st-29th- Black History Month

• February 27th- Hip Hop Gallery Walk- 6:00-7:30pm- Prairie View
  

• March 12th- Juniors (11th Grade) ONLY- ACT Testing
• April 9th- Freshman and Sophomores (9th and 10th Grade) ONLY- Pre-ACT Secure Testing
• May 18th- Junior Prom (open to juniors and seniors)

Have you ever walked by the screens while in the building at West and thought, I want to make sure my student knows about that? Here are our student announcements so that parents/caregivers can have the same information to remind and encourage student involvement.

Last week our Black Student Union (BSU) hosted our 2nd Annual BSU Showcase. The PAC was filled with hundreds of students to engage in the showcase with our BSU student leaders.

Students learned about Black History trivia led by student leaders:

Students learned about Black leaders, athletes and heroes for our students.

Students wrote and performed incredible spoken word.

Students worked with our PAC staff to run the audio/visual system and work behind the scenes to make this show possible.

The showcase also included dance breaks, a majorette dance performance, a staff panel with Coach Rob, Coach Chris, Coach Isaac and Mr. G. More highlights to come next week! A HUGE shout out to Ms Johnson, Mr. G, the PAC staff and all of the student leaders for making this incredible performance happen.

Checkout this awesome upcoming opportunities to celebrate 50 Years of Hip Hop and Black History Month

Do you have the Infinite Campus app on your phone? If not, please download it today! See the directions below on how to access Parent Portal.

Why is Parent Portal important?

• Get real time updates on grades
• Get real time updates on attendance
• Set notifications to keep you up to date on your students progress

Infinite campus is our Number 1 communication tool with parents/caregivers. Have it right at your finger tips!

1. Go to the Sun Prairie Area School District web page

2. Click on Infinite Campus

3. Click on Campus Parent

4. Enter your Username and Password (if you’ve already logged in to Campus Parent Portal

previously/have a username and password)

5. Click on New User? (if you have not set up your Infinite Campus Parent Portal

6. I need to obtain my Activation Key: Please email: enroll@sunprarieschools.org

7. Once you’ve received your Activation Key, copy and paste it directly into the Activation Key

area. You will be prompted to move forward with setting up your Campus Portal Account.

1. Search your app store for Campus Parent
2. Enter your Username and Password (if you’ve already logged in to Campus Parent Portal
3. previously/have a username and password)
4. Click on New User? (if you have not set up your Infinite Campus Parent Porta
5. I need to obtain my Activation Key: Please email: enroll@sunprarieschools.or
6. Once you’ve received your Activation Key, copy and paste it directly into the Activation Key area.
7. You will be prompted to move forward with setting up your Campus Portal Account.

As we continue through 2nd semester we are focusing back in our three-sided approach of students learning in class bell-to-bell.

Reminders:

• The goal is to be in class from bell-to-bell, use the bathroom during passing time
• No passes during the first 10 or last 10 minutes of class
• No passes during lunch
• Need a pass every time you are out of class:
• Colored bathroom passes on lanyards: use the bathroom nearest your den
• Blue pass: to go to an office
• Den Passes: used when learning in the den space

Bathrooms:

• We have seen an uptick again in vandalism in the bathrooms
• If you see something- say something and report it to an adult right away
• Clean up after yourself
• Bathrooms will be monitored closely and some bathrooms may need to be closed if vandalism continues
• Respect the incredible building that we have and our wonderful custodians by being respectful of the space
• Students who are in a bathroom when vandalism takes place will be interviewed and followed up with
• Consequences will be issued (including payment for costs of repair) for students committing vandalism.

Last week we had our 2nd Student Senate Meeting. Approximately 30 students representing the beautiful diversity of our student population met to discuss our hopes for the group, to get to know one another and to learn about how systemic school improvement happens. We built on the previous week's discussion of the structure of the school district, Scorecards, SP100 plans, school goals, action steps, etc). This week the students brainstormed priority areas for us to discuss and focus on in our work together and then together prioritized those focus areas. We will also be bringing 3 students with us to the District SP100 planning day on March 5th, bringing student voice to the table where decisions are made for our action steps for the next 100 days.

Students voting on priorities for Student Senate during Week 2.

Student community building during Week 1.

The first boys basketball regional game(s) are coming up next week on Friday March 1st and Saturday March 2nd (this game will be if they win on Friday). All tickets will need to be purchased online using GoFan. NO Cash sales at the door and NO student activity passes will be accepted. All tickets for 6 years and older will be $6. Lets Pack the Den on the Road to State.

Our SP West winter sports are ending their season with a BANG! Appearances at the finals, conference champions, regional champions, state qualifiers. Be a part of creating the SP West legacy in SPRING SPORTS. Starting next week! Stop by the Athletic Office THIS WEEK to ensure you are all set and ready to go. Ms. Ripp and Ms. Beaver can answer all of your questions and ensure your paperwork is all ready to go.

In addition to the Early College STEM Academy there are additional opportunities for our students to take courses at our local colleges, including UW Madison- FOR FREE while still at SP West!. Start College Now and Early College Credit Program (ECCP) allow juniors and seniors (THIS YEAR's SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS) to take college courses for courses not offered in SPASD. THE DEADLINE IS QUICKLY APPROACHING ON MARCH 1ST FOR FALL COURSES. APPLY TODAY! See Mr. Craig Smith or your counselor for more information.

Junior Academic and Career Planning Presentation: On Friday March 15, 2024 during Advisory, Junior students will meet with the counselors and CCLR for our annual Junior ACP Presentation in the PAC. This presentation will provide students information needed to prepare for their last year and a half at SPWHS and beyond. Topics will include:

• Graduation requirement review

• Academic opportunities for senior year

• Transcripts & GPA

• ACP & Xello

• 2/4 Year Colleges

• NCAA

• Apprenticeships

• Specialized Training School

• Years of Service/GAP year

• Military

• Workforce

• AND a Senior snapshot

The full slideshow will be available on our Student Services website following the presentations. Juniors are encouraged to set up individual Academic and Career Planning meetings with their counselors if they have any additional questions!

Seniors! The deadline for the local scholarship is QUICKLY approaching- Feb 28th. Apply TODAY!!!

Last year we added an important new position: our College Career and Life Readiness Coordinator. This position has been amazingly successful at helping students get involved in a variety of work-based learning opportunities. A few notable programs include, but are not limited to: Root2Rise, CEO’s of Tomorrow, Early College Credit Program, Start College Now, STEM Academy and Youth Apprenticeship. These programs provide students an opportunity for out-of-the-building educational experiences and/or on-the-job training that continues to grow our community partnerships and provide student exposure to career driven post secondary options. This position is currently posted and we are looking for someone who is a fantastic fit for SP West to continue to create opportunities and eliminate barriers for students. Apply today.

Our Adapted Sports League Student-Athletes finished their Floor Hockey season last week. What a fantastic season. Congratulations to all of our athletes, volunteers and coaches. Up next: whiffle ball.

During parent/caregiver/teacher conferences our Semester 1 student art was on display in our first SP West Art Show. Check out the AMAZING work of our students.

Spanish 2 Students practice their vocabulary skills with an engaging version of “Go Fish”!

Team Sports has started their swimming unit. Day 1 included water safety and swim tests, learning the freestyle stroke, and pool volleyball!

Students have been hard at work over the last few weeks completing weight room orientation and safety, baseline fitness evaluations, and starting our training program. We were lucky enough to get outside for our warmup and some speed work this week!

Adventure Education just finished up the Aquatics Unit. During this time, students built cardboard boats and engaged in the 2024 Spring Regatta.

AP Human Geography students welcomed guest speakers this past week to learn about agriculture. Katilyn Riley, from the Wisconsin Beef Council talked about different jobs in Wisconsin agriculture. Sydney Endres, a farmer from Lodi, talked about the challenges and opportunities of dairy farming in Wisconsin. It was cool to see connections between what we have been learning in class and our local communities. The students asked thoughtful, academic questions! :)

In the last several weeks Sophia Bassino has committed to Northern Michigan and finished 3rd at State Wrestling. CONGRATULATIONS!

If you don't already, please follow SP West on Facebook!

STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION

No student may be unlawfully discriminated against in any school programs, activities or in facilities usage because of the student’s sex (gender identity, gender expressions, and non-conformity to gender role stereotypes), color, religion, profession, or demonstration of belief or non-belief, race, national origin (including limited English proficiency), ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, homelessness status, sexual orientation, age, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability. Harassment is a form of discrimination and shall not be tolerated in the District. It is the responsibility of administrators, staff members and all students to ensure that student discrimination or harassment does not occur.

(SPASD District Policy JB)

If a student or parent/guardian would prefer to have this information translated into Spanish, please contact us at 608-834-6620. Si un estudiante, padre ó guardian prefiere tener esta información traducida en Español, por favor contactenos en el 608-834-6620.

If a student or parent/guardian would prefer to have this information translated into Hmong, please contact us at 608-834-6630. Yog tus me nyuam lub xiv los yog niam thiab txiv/tus neeg muaj cai saib xyuas tus me nyuam xav tau qhov ntawv ntawm no ua lus Hmoob, thov hais rau peb paub rau ntawm 608-834-6630.

Information from previous Howls that's too important to miss!

A few important parking reminders and expectations as we continue to have situations that are unsafe for students.

• When dropping off students ONLY use the RED Student Drop Off Zone. We are seeing many parents/caregivers dropping students off in the YELLO Bus Loading Zone, Student Parking and Visitor Staff Lots. This creates situations in which there are moving cars where others are trying to park, blocked parking spots and student being nearly hit by cars when trying to walk through designated areas.
• Do NOT pull into light blue designated accessible parking, or block these spots, for any length of time if you do not have a government issued tag/license plate. We have students that require the use of these spots and on a regular basis are having their access limited due to others blocking or being in the locations.
• The DARK BLUE service road behind the building is for Emergency Use only. Prepare for these gates to begin being closed as we have seen an increase in individuals using this back road at the end of the day in an attempt to avoid traffic. Unfortunately this creates unsafe circumstances and a student was nearly hit last week.
• The gray circle near the end of the staff parking and service road is designated for specialized transportation pickup only. The only pick up that should take place in this location is specialized buses and parent/caregivers working with their student's IEP team.
• Finally, students a reminder to park in your student designated parking spot in the GREEN LOT.

We are working to have an increased presence in these locations with our School Resource Officer and Administration to enforce these important safety measures, warnings and tickets may be issued for infractions.

We know that drop-off, pick-up and parking can be difficult and busy times at a comprehensive High School. Please ensure that you are planning ahead with appropriate time. If we all work together the system will work and keep everyone safe.

On Friday we celebrated students with an email to the student and their parent/caregiver for 1st semester excellence:

• 3.0+ GPA: 890 students were recognized for earning a 3.0 or higher GPA 1st semester
• Improved GPA: 531 10th-12th grade Wolves were recognized for improving their culminative GPA based their 1st semester grades
• 90% Attendance: 422 students were recognized for having a full day attendance of 90% or better for all of 1st semester
• Improved Attendance: 192 students were recognized for improving their attendance by at least 5% from 1st to 2nd quarter.

Tomorrow these Wolves will receive a small snack during SP30 as a celebration.

See the links below to register for Strength & Conditioning and Traffic Safety

The Traffic Safety and Behind the Wheel are ONLY open to students who are CURRENTLY (Spring 2024) in grades 9-12. Although the law allows students who are 14.5 to be involved in Drivers Ed, we limit registration/participation to students currently in grades 9-12 due to the demand.

Inspired by the classic game of Monopoly, this unique challenge is designed to spark your imagination and reward you with awesome prizes. Westopoly will begin January 22nd and run until March 22nd. Westopoly is designed to challenge students with tasks related to the library, the school, and the community. Students who wish to participate should register here or by scanning the QR code.

How to Play: Roll the dice daily and move around the board. Complete the task you land on and gain (or lose!) tickets.

Once the program is complete students will have the opportunity to enter their tickets into a drawing for prizes from:

• Kwik Trip

• I’m Board

• Beans n Cream

• Timbers’

• and more!

Stop by the library or email Ms. Dahl at bedahl@sunprairieschools.org for more information.

Our annual state wide exams are approaching. Mark your calendars:

• March 12th is our ACT testing day which is a JUNIORS (11th grade) only day. No school for 9th, 10th and 12th graders that day.
• We will follow that up with our Pre-ACT Secure Testing on April 9th for Freshman (9th) and Sophomores (10th) graders ONLY. April 9th is a no school day for 11th and 12th graders.

Once a month the library partners up with Melissa from the Sun Prairie Public Library to offer Creativity Time! Creativity Time allows students to participate in a library led craft, so far we have done: magazine strip art, TikTok ghost painting, luminaries, jar animals, and book hedgehogs.

On January 11th during WIN time we will be making yarn crafts. Sign up in Flexi under Ms. Dahl. You don’t want to miss out on this craftastic time!

Is your student looking for ways to get ahead in studying for the ACT? Here are a couple resources:

FREE - all students have access to Methodize in their Xello accounts. Methodize offers free study guides and practice tests

For Cost - ACT Prep Plus. Offered by CESA 5, students can register for prep sessions throughout the year.

As we reach the halfway point in the year a few parking lot reminders:

• When dropping off or picking up students use the designated drop-off/pick-up lane OUT SIDE of the student parking lot. We have had many parents/caregivers waiting for students IN the student parking lot, this blocks students in causing students to be late to work, etc. Additionally, student drop-off/pick-up should not take place in the visitor/staff parking lot at the front of the school, this additionally causes congestion.
• While waiting to pick up a student DO NOT pull into handicap parking lots if you do not have handicap plates or placard. We have had many instances of families picking up students that need access to these spaces to load the student and their wheelchair and they cannot access them because others are using the space for waiting.

We know that with a student population of ~1400 students drop-off/pick-up can be a very busy time and waiting can cause frustration. However, if we all work together and follow the system everyone's needs will be met. Thank you!

Since 1980, every three years over 20,000 Dane County youth in grades 7-12 are surveyed regarding their opinions, concerns, attitudes, behaviors and experiences to provide educators, community agencies, parents, policy-makers and funding bodies the data needed to inform grant writing, program development and public policy. The last survey was administered in 2021.

Dane County school districts, including SPW, will be administering the Dane County Youth Assessment to all students on 2/13/2024. Please review the links below for more details on the survey, participation options and who to contact for questions.

Parent consent HERE

Consentimiento de los padres AQUI