The Howl

We hope you had a great first week back from break. Students worked hard this past week ensuring that all of their missing work is in. Now we focus for two more weeks to end the semester strong. While missing work is in, the work has not stopped. This week students continue learning and growing in classes and many will be doing their final summative of the semester. Next week students will be demonstrating their learning for the semester, making corrections on the summatives from this week or continuing learning that will go into next semester for year long classes. While we focus on finishing the semester strong we are also looking forward to next year and Request Fest. Our process of preparing students (and their parent/caregiver) to make intentional request for courses for next year to get closer to their career, college, and life readiness goals.

In this week's Howl:

• Greetings Wolf Pack!
• Upcoming Events
• Semester Grades
• Course Requests are Coming!
• Advanced Placement Celebration
• Guatemala Opportunity
• MLK Basketball Showcase
• JUNIORS!
• SENIORS!
• Student and Classroom Spotlights
• In Case you Missed It!

January 6th- First day back from Winter Break. Welcome Back!

January 7th- SENIORS- College Goal Wisconsin- SP EAST Library

January 9th- HOSA Fundraiser at Noodles 4-8pm

January 10th- Last day for missing assignments and assessments

January 11th- Trivia Night to Benefit Girls Soccer

January 13th- Badger Precollege Registration Opens

January 14th- Course Expo at EHS (Snow date- January 27th)- if you can't make West's feel free to go to East's

January 15th- An Evening of Scenes- 6:30pm- at SP West Small Theater

January 20th- No School- Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day

January 21st- Course Expo at WHS (Snow date- January 23rd)

January 22nd- STEM Info session for SOPHOMORE families at EAST LMC 6:00-7:00pm

January 24th- End of 1st Semester and Fish Fry Fundraiser for Softball.

January 27th- No School- Professional Development

January 29th- STEM Info session for SOPHOMORE families at WEST 1202 6:00-7:00pm

February 4th- Course Requests due in Infinite Campus!

February 24th- STEM Applications Close for 10th grade at NOON

March 1st- Deadline for Early College Credit and Start College Now

May 10th- Prom!

Checkout Daily Announcements here.

Over break, I (Principal JP) had a lot of opportunities to talk to friends and family about West and our journey as a community. Universally I was able to share that, "Year 3 is great! You have to get through year 1 and 2, to get to year three, but year three is wonderful". One of the reasons that I have confidence to stand and say that year 3 is great is that we have evolved to a point of being able to support our students in high expectations with high support and focus on academic success while supporting the whole young person. This is the heart and soul of our 90+% attendance focus. This is the focus of One West. As we head into the end of the semester we hit another milestone, another semester as a community and another semester for each of our students. Students focused hard last week on completing missing work and now we finish hard on our final summative assignments and demonstration of learnings to end out the semester. The late work is in but the learning and work continues!

• Summatives. You must have completed at least 50% of your summative assignments/assessments to be eligible to pass the class.
• Credit. Semester grades are the grades that determine whether you earn credit toward graduation. If you earn an F in a course, you do not get credit for that course toward your 25 credits to graduate.
• GPA. Semester grades calculate your GPA. This is looked at by scholarships, colleges, internships, etc. The higher your grades the higher your GPA.
• Athletics/Activities. Semester grades are reviewed for athletic and activity eligibility. If you receive any Fs at the semester (INCLUDING SP30) you will receive a 15-school-day athletic/activity suspension if you are currently participating in a sport or activity. More information to come from the coach or advisor if this affects you once grades are posted, but please focus and work hard for the next two weeks so this is not an issue.

A reminder that SP30 is a GRADED CLASS. It goes on your transcript like all other classes and we don't want SP30 to be a reason why you have an F on your transcript. An F in SP30 also has the same consequences for athletics (15-school-days of suspension) as any other grade. To pass SP30 you need to complete ALL 3 of the Xello assignments for your grade. Take a look below. Parents/caregivers, please check in with your scholar to ensure these are done. X

We are entering one of the most exciting times of the year. Course requests. Course requests are an opportunity for students to dream about their future, set goals related to those dreams and take action steps to bring those goals to life. Course requests are the way that students communicate what courses they would like to take on their 4-year high school journey.

Mark your calendars for important upcoming events and dates for Request Fest and Course Expo:

• Now - February 4:
• Explore the many classes offered at Sun Prairie High Schools by using the 2025-26 Course Guide (Spanish version).
• Visit the virtual course expo website for more information. Schedule a time with your counselor to discuss the best plan for you.
• January 14- Course Expo at EAST (5:30-7:30) ALL SPASD students are welcome- Snow date Jan 16- information will be nearly identical to West event
• January 21- Course Expo (5:30-7:30 at West)- Snow date Jan 23
• January 21- Introduction to Request Fest during block lessons
• January 22-23- Teachers during each block discuss courses within their department
• January 28-Feb 4: RequestFest in SP30
• February 4: Schedules are due in Infinite Campus

As you and your parent/guardian or student begin to discuss course requests for next year check out the following resources:

Course Guide: Here is everything you could ever want to know about all of the classes offered at the High School level through SPASD

Blueprints Thinking about a specific career area? Have specific interests you want to explore? Not sure what you are interested yet and looking to dabble in a variety of things? Course cluster blueprints help students prioritize and order classes they are taking (specifically electives) into entry level, intermediate and advanced. Great for 4-year planning and intentional use of electives for career prep.

Virtual Course Expo: Can't make it to the in-person expo or not interested in reading through the course guide? Check out brief videos from teachers talking about courses.

11th and 12th Grade Opportunities: SPASD offers incredible opportunities for 11th and 12th graders to get a job start on their career, college and life readiness. See an overview of the opportunities using the link below. Additional information to come next week.

SPASD offers INCREDIBLE opportunities for all students and specific career, college and life ready opportunities for 11th and 12th graders. Do you have a current 10th or 11th grader? Start talking about which of these opportunities may be best for your student TODAY to prepare for RequestFest and the course request process. Have a 9th grader? Start the conversation NOW to start planning for the future.

As we continue to celebrate our growth as a community in our first two years and into year 3, this week we share some AP celebrations. AP or Advanced Placement are courses through College Board that can allow students to earn college credit.

SP West is recognized on the 2024 AP School Honor Roll as Bronze with significant increases in AP success from our 2023 numbers. Additionally, 111 students were recognized as AP Scholars, AP Scholars with Distinction and AP Scholars with Honor. 73 of those students are 11th & 12th graders this year.

College Culture - Percent of students in the graduating class who took an AP exam at any point in high school, regardless of score. To avoid pressure on students to take large numbers of APs, only 1 AP exam per student contributes to this indicator.

College Credit - Percent of students in the graduating class who scored 3+ on any AP Exam in high school. To avoid pressure on students to take large numbers of APs, only 1 AP exam score of 3 or higher

College Optimization - Percent of students in the graduating class who took 5 or more AP Exams in high school, where at least 1 exam was taken in 9th or 10th grade.

For comparison and to celebrate our growth here are the numbers from 2023.

As we head into course requests for next year, be thinking about how AP may fit into your (your student's) story and opportunities for your student to experience college level learning and earn college credit while still in high school.

Interested in travel but didn't think it could happen for you? Join Ms. Leamy on a trip to beautiful San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala. Scan the QR code to get more information.

We invite you to come to the Basketball MLK Showcase for the Big 8 Conference which is hosted this year by Sun Prairie East and West athletic departments. Prior to the weekend games, all varsity basketball athletes and coaches will gather at SP West High School PAC on Wednesday 1/15 for a presentation and panel honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As a conference we strive to honor the diversity that we hold within our schools, districts, and throughout our programming. The Big 8 Conference would like to honor the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by way of celebrating our talents and skills as a conference through education based athletics and through a program targeting personal growth and development as we enter the new year. This presentation is designed to target our boys and girls basketball teams, coaches, and athletes to incorporate a sense of belonging and togetherness that we know that Dr. King stood for as a Civil Rights leader.

All Big 8 Conference varsity basketball games are held in Sun Prairie on Saturday January 18th, 2025 for this event. SP East will host the Boys Basketball games and SP West will host the Girls Basketball games.

Boys Schedule- SP EAST:

11:00 AM Madison East vs. Madison Memorial

1:00 PM Middleton vs. Janesville Parker

3:00 PM Madison West vs. Madison LaFollette

5:00 PM Janesville Craig vs. Verona

7:00 PM Sun Prairie West vs. Sun Prairie East

Girls Schedule- SP WEST:

11:00 AM Madison La Follette vs. Middleton

1:00 PM Verona vs. Madison East

3:00 PM Madison Memorial vs. Sun Prairie West

5:00 PM Janesville Parker vs Sun Prairie East

7:00 PM Janesville Craig vs. Madison West

There will be a junior class meeting for any junior who wants to help plan prom. Please sign up for WIN Time on 01/29 with Ms. Peters or Ms. Foster. The meeting will take place in 3611. See you then!

Attention seniors! Are you interested in speaking at your 2025 graduation ceremony? Pick up a nomination form in Ms. Reimer or Mr. Barth's room, 1408 or 3503 and contact them with any questions you may have

It's time! Start applying for scholarships TODAY. Please be on the lookout for WIN opportunities to apply for scholarships with others. The application is open now for the Local Scholarship Application which is due on February 28th at 4:00pm. Also, check out our scholarship page where we will continually update scholarship opportunities as they come in.

Huge congratulations to Sandee Ortiz for being named 2025 SHAPE America Midwest District Health Education Teacher of the Year! What an incredible honor— we are so proud of you, Sandee!

A.P. Statistics is doing the “Barbie Bungee” data collection. Students will collect data to make a linear regression to help predict how many rubber bands to use so a barbie can “Bungee jump” off the balcony in the commons and get as close as possible to the floor without hitting it. The finale is the last day of the semester!

Keagan Johnson. Keagan won First Place in the CEO's of Tomorrow competition held in December. He delivered a compelling pitch that captivated the audience throughout the presentation. His outstanding efforts earned him a $1,000 prize. Keagan will be representing Sun Prairie West Wolves along with 65 other Wolves at the Region 5 Leadership Conference, FBLA, at Middleton HS on Feb1.

Local business leaders conducted Interviews for internships. The mock interviews allowed students to use their portfolios developed over the semester to apply their Resumes and Cover Letters to a real life scenario. The secondary benefit was the business community walked away impressed at how well our students performed. Hope grew on both sides of the table.

We need YOUR input too! Do you have an idea of something that should be included in the Howl? Your ideas are always welcome. Email our Admin Associate to the Principal, Jordain Blank at jnblank@sunprairieschools.org.

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.

We strive to keep The Howl as streamlined as possible with all of the important information for our community. To the end once something has appeared in The Howl, it will move here to the "In Case you Missed It!" section. Take a moment to peruse and make sure you have not missed important info!

Hey parents/caregivers!

Did you know that the government has rules about what makes a "complete" school meal? It has to include fruits or vegetables at breakfast and lunch. This is because healthy food helps kids learn better!

Here's the deal:

• Complete meals = Government funding: When your child takes a complete meal (with fruit or veggies), the school gets money from the government to help cover the cost.

• Incomplete meals = Costs for you: If your child refuses the fruit or veggies, the school doesn't get that funding. This means we might have to charge your account, even if your child gets free or reduced-price meals.

• Lots of tasty options: We offer a variety of fruits and veggies every day, including fresh salads and always at least two fruit choices.

Why it matters:

• Healthy bodies = Healthy minds: Fruits and veggies provide essential vitamins and minerals that help kids grow and learn.

• Fighting childhood obesity: Eating healthy foods helps kids maintain a healthy weight.

Let's work together to make sure our kids are getting the nutrition they need to succeed in school! Encourage them to try something new from the salad bar or fruit options.

Remember: Hungry kids can't learn!

Over the next several weeks you will be starting to receive information about Course Requests for next year. Course requests are your opportunity to help chart out your academic career in High School and take advantage of incredible opportunities from Career and Technical Education to AP Classes to classes at Madison College or UW. Over the next several weeks we will be starting to highlight the process, timeline and information so that as a family you can begin to discuss what next year will look like for your scholar.

Four Year Overview:

• 9th Grade- As you start high school in 9th grade you experience an opportunity for choice and electives and many graduation requirements will fill the majority of your schedule.
• Math- Next year- Math 1
• Science- Biology (other options available but most students take Biology)
• Social Studies- World History or AP Human Geography (AP Hug)
• English - English 9
• PE- Foundations of PE
• Electives:
• World Languages- Spanish, French or German- Many colleges want students to have had 2 years of the same language
• Begin to explore the awesome worlds of: art, tech ed, family and consumer science, business and marketing, agriculture, computer science and so much more at the high school level

• 10th Grade-
• Continuing through your graduation requirements and options begin to open wider with AP Seminar for 10th grade English, second levels of courses like Drawing, Foods, languages, etc.

• 11th Grade-
• Incredible opportunities begin to open:
• Start College Now
• Early College Credit
• STEM Academy
• Fire Academy
• EMR Academy
• Youth Apprenticeship
• Work Based Learning
• Teaching Academy

• 12th Grade-
• It is our goal that by senior year EVERY Wolf would have a dual credit, certificate or off-site experience. Senior year is an opportunity to bridge into the world after high school while still having your Wolf support network. The opportunities are VAST including: becoming a certified nursing assistant while still in High School.

As we begin to talk about course requests for next year start thinking not only about what you want next year to look like but where you are and where you are going on your four year plan to get you to your post-high school plans.

Did you know that you can be a full time Madison College student your Junior and Senior Year studying STEM while still being a Wolf? The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy is an INCREDIBLE opportunity for students thinking about entering those careers and wanting a jumpstart on the next step of their education. This program is FREE and includes additional supports as you transition to the college level. Sophomores, apply today!

At Badger Precollege, we create innovative programs for students in grades 2–12 who want to explore their academic interests, learn more about the college experience and meet new friends. Our programs support educational and social growth by challenging students’ curiosity and expanding their academic interests. Summer 2025 program registration opens January 13

We offer a range of courses, from engineering and computer science to art and psychology. You can explore all of our summer 2025 courses at the link below. Choose a subject you already know and love, or pick something new to explore in a low-risk environment!

Registration for all summer programs opens on January 13, 2025. Courses fill up on a first-come, first-served basis, so mark your calendars and apply early. Limited need-based scholarships are available.

We look forward to seeing you next summer!

Search Badger Precollege classes

Nourishing Our Future: Enhancing School Meals. The Sun Prairie School Nutrition Department is committed to providing nutritious and delicious meals that fuel your child's growth and learning. We are excited to share some of the ways we are improving our school meals program:

1. Fresh, Local Ingredients:

• Farm-to-School Partnerships: We are partnering with our distributors, Gordon Food Service and V. Marchese to bring fresh, seasonal produce to your child's plate. Every Middle School and High School in the district has a Hydroponic growing tower and supplies us with fresh Romaine lettuce for our entree salads and salad bars.

• Reduced Processed Foods: We are minimizing the use of processed foods and artificial additives. Our homemade roasted vegetable recipes are well liked by the students and contain small amounts of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. These include roasted fresh broccoli, butternut squash and green beans.

2. Diverse and Flavorful Menu Options:

• Cultural Cuisine: We are offering a variety of cultural dishes to introduce your child to new flavors and cuisines. New recipes this year include Asian seasoned rice, long grain and wild rice, taco meat made from scratch and more.

• Vegetarian and Vegan Options: We are expanding our vegetarian and vegan menu options to cater to diverse dietary needs. This year at our High Schools and Middle Schools we have plant based chicken nuggets and buffalo wings, spicy black bean burgers, black eyed peas and rice, along with many cheese entrees and salad options.

3. Educational Initiatives:

• Nutrition Education Programs: We are meeting with classes, student council groups and student clubs to share nutrition information and receive feedback from students as to what they would like to see offered for breakfast and lunch at their schools.

• Taste Testing: We are involving students in taste-testing new menu items to encourage their input and preferences.

We believe that healthy eating is essential for a child's overall well-being. By providing nutritious and delicious meals, we are supporting your child's academic success and future health.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely, Barb Waara, Director of School Nutrition

bmwaara@sunprairieschools.org 608-834-6527

State Report Cards are one measurement of success and areas of growth for a school. It is by no means a full picture of who we are as a community, however, it is one way to assess our current state.

This week the 23-24 State Report Cards were released and we received our first State Report Cards as a One West community. Our first school year we were evaluated under an alternative measurement as a new school. This year we were evaluated alongside all of the schools in Wisconsin. In our second year of existence we exceed state expectations and achieved the highest possible score (100) for ELA growth and exceeded the state average for both ELA and math achievement and growth. We are in the top 20% of all 9–12 high schools in the state.

We know that the first two years of launching our school community had their fair share of challenges. If we can accomplish this amidst those challenges, the sky is the limit for us as a One West community. Can't wait to see what this year and beyond has in store.

Our before and after school tutoring is up and running!!! Schedule out time this week to stop by the Wolf Study lounge to get help, catch up, or study for your classes.

• Morning Tutoring: 8:05 AM – 8:35 AM

• After-School Tutoring: 3:50 PM – 4:40 PM- Activity bus available at 4:45pm
  

Questions? Reach out to Nehemirah Barrett @ntbarre@sunprairieschools.org

Great work on the progress made! Keep up the great work.