What a week it was! We had an outstanding Black Spirit Week, BSU showcase, National FFA week, East/West games in both girls basketball and adapted hockey, Soul Food dinner... whew! It was a week. A fabulous week! This week we have really important deadlines coming up for juniors, sophomores and seniors. Please make sure to read your specific sections of the Howl for more details.

In this week's Howl:

• Greetings Wolf Pack!
• Upcoming Events
• Black History Month
• Parent/Caregiver/Teacher Conferences
• ACT Ready
• Join our Robotics Team!
• eSports
• National School Breakfast Week
• STEM Open House
• Sophomores!
• Juniors!
• Seniors!
• Classroom and Student Spotlights
• Wolf Study Lounge
• In Case you Missed It!

February 24th- STEM Applications Close for 10th grade at NOON. Turn in to Student Services.

February 27th- Parent/Caregiver/Teacher Conferences 4:15-8:00pm

February 28th-

• No School!
• Parent/Caregiver/Teacher Conferences 7:30-11:45am
• Local Scholarship Applications due at 4:00pm. Application here (please note that students must be logged into their sunprairieschools.org email in order for the link to work).
• Student school board representative applications due at midnight.

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

March 6, 7, 8- Murder's in the Heir- Spring Play- 7pm

March 9- Murder's in the Heir- Spring Play- 2pm

March 10th-

• Boys and Girls Track Begins
• Youth Apprenticeship Information Meeting, 6:00pm at West, Room 1202

March 11th-

• Youth Apprenticeship Information Meeting, 6:00pm at East, LMC

March 17th- Softball, Boys and Girls Lacrosse Begin

March 24th- Baseball, Girls Soccer Begin

March 31st- Boys Tennis, Boys Golf Begin

April 8th- TEDx Sun Prairie 4:30-7:00pm

May 10th- Prom!

June 12th- Last day of school

June 13th- Graduation!

This past week our students shone bright on stage during our 3rd annual BSU showcase and our FIRST EVER evening, community showcase. From running tech, dancing, speaking, performing, MCing our Wolves did it all and showed Black Dreams in action. These youth are unstoppable. Black brilliance was on full display.

The evening began with the signing of the Black National Anthem.

Our BSU scholars performed a majorette dance that brought down the house!

Students and staff combined to showcase their musical talents.

Our scholars spoke truth to power through spoken word.

In the evening showcase our FUTURE WOLVES, Prairie View Falcons showed their brilliance.

Jaylin brought the house down with our closing song.

Over the last several years we have very intentionally redesigned our systems/structures around conferences in order to disrupt inequities. Over the past several weeks we have prioritized interpreted conference schedules as families that prefer communication in a language other than English face many barriers in regular communication with their students' teacher. Then, we prioritized conferences for students who are currently earning a D or F in their classes, to ensure that we are able to partner with the parent/caregiver to problem solve what is not working well yet for their scholar. This week we now open the sign up for all parents/caregivers. You will be receiving information for your student's teacher tomorrow or you can start signing up here. There are a few signups that will be added in first thing tomorrow morning.

If all sign ups are full, no worries, parent/teacher/caregiver conferences can happen anytime. If your student is experiencing success often a quick email check-in is all it takes to ensure we are all on the same page.

Over the last week we have developed some outstanding resources to make sure YOU are ACT Ready. Whether you are a Junior and the test is right around the corner or a 9th or 10th grader and gearing up for the Pre-ACT to prepare for the ACT your Junior year. Check out these resources:

Our new "Be ACT Ready" Website. The website is full of important ACT prep information including: general study tips, specifics about each test and specific testing strategies and tips for each test.

Follow us on Facebook where we are sharing a piece of Be ACT Ready knowledge and advice every day between now and March 11th.

Juniors and their parents/caregivers received their first Be ACT Ready newsletter last Monday. They will continue to come to your inbox every Monday morning between now and the ACT. This is the same information from the website, at your fingertips chunked to provide weekly reminders and information. Not a junior? Still want to learn and better yourself. Check out last week's newsletter here.

SPASD now has a ROBOTICS team! Come join. It is a short season of a couple of weeks. Food is provided at every meeting. NO COST! We have received donations to fund the team. Next meeting is THIS THURSDAY in 1202 at 4:30pm. If transportation is a barrier (getting home after practice) please reach out to Curt Mould cdmould@sunprairieschools.org and we will problem solve. ALL are welcome. Sign up in advance or just join us Thursday.

Did you know that we have a United SP eSports team? eSports has multiple seasons with different gaming platforms. Right around the corner for spring eSports is Valorant. There is an Information session Tuesday, Feb 25th at East High School in room 2755 at 4:15pm. Reach out to Coach Halvorson or Coach Bliefernicht for more information. We need YOU!

National school breakfast week is coming on March 3rd-7th. There is FREE breakfast for ALL student, Wednesday, March 5th.

9th, 10th and 12th graders, wondering what to do on March 11th while the juniors take the ACT? Check out the STEM Open House at Madison College. This is ALL of their STEM programming (not the STEM academy). Register HERE

There are incredible opportunities for you that are available NOW but the deadline is QUICKLY approaching. Please check these out!

• Early College STEM- You can become a full time Madison College student for your junior and senior year of High School, graduating with both your High School diploma and your Associate Degree at the same time for FREE. Are you interested in studying science, technology, engineering or math? APPLY TODAY! Deadline is TOMORROW at noon. (Hard deadline)

• Early College Credit Program and Start College Now- Did you know that you even if STEM isn't the right fit for you, you can take college credits for FREE if we don't offer the class at SP West? The deadline is March 1st but with conferences this week turn in your application to student services by February 27th. See Ms. Griffin for more info.

• Student School Board Representative- Ever wonder how student voice is used in rooms where decisions are made? The student school board positions are a perfect example of this. West has two student school board seats, and YOU can apply TODAY! These positions do not vote in school board decisions, however, they get to have their voice heard in all of the school board meetings in addition to working on specific projects with district and building leadership. Apply TODAY! Deadline is February, 28 at midnight.

• Youth Apprenticeship- Did you know that your junior and senior year you can be a Youth Apprentice? Take coursework at West that aligns to your future career AND work during the school day at the same time. You get PAID and EARN HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT at the same time. There are two info sessions coming up: March 10th at West and March 11th at East. Attend either one, which ever is better for your schedule. Both are at 6:00pm. West's meeting is in 1202 and East in the LMC.

Are you interested in helping represent your school on a district level? All current sophomores are eligible to apply to be a Student Representative to the SPASD School Board. As a student representative, you would attend board meetings, meet with district and school administrators, and work on projects to help your school community with your senior student board representative. Applications are due February 28th at midnight. If you have any questions please reach out to a current board representative for your school.

Link to application

Current Student Board Representatives:

East Senior: Isabella Roberts

West Senior: Jojo Knauss

East Junior: Reagan Loomis

West Junior: Devin Willis

PPA Representative: Ella Miller

*Note: Students accepted to and attending STEM will not be able to also be the board representative.

There are incredible opportunities for you that are available NOW but the deadline is QUICKLY approaching. Please check these out!

• Junior Class Meeting- Help plan PROM! This Wednesday during WIN time. Sign up tomorrow! With Ms. Foster/Ms. Peters.

• Early College Credit Program and Start College Now- Did you know that you even if STEM isn't the right fit for you, you can take college credits for FREE if we don't offer the class at SP West? The deadline is March 1st but with conferences this week turn in your application to student services by February 27th. See Ms. Griffin for more info.

• Youth Apprenticeship- Did you know that your junior and senior year you can be a Youth Apprentice? Take coursework at West that aligns to your future career AND work during the school day at the same time. You get PAID and EARN HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT at the same time. There are two info sessions coming up: March 10th at West and March 11th at East. Attend either one, which ever is better for your schedule. Both are at 6:00pm. West's meeting is in 1202 and East in the LMC.

Dear 11th Grade Scholars, Families and Caregivers,

On March 11th, all SPASD 11th graders will be taking the ACT at SP East, SP West and PPA (you take the assessment at your primary school. JEDI students take the exam at the PPA). The ACT is our state test for High School students and communicates academic readiness for college and careers. The ACT on March 11th is free to all juniors (and required).

Why

• Demonstrate your learning, skills and post-secondary readiness.

• State required test for 11th graders

• This information is used for:

• State report cards

• District scorecard for your school

• Students can choose to share with colleges, scholarships etc.

• Your school uses it schoolwide to identify areas of success and areas of growth

Registration

• Students will pre-register for the ACT the week of March 3rd at school. Look for more information coming from your site.

• Students will need a fully charged Chromebook for registration on March 3rd.

Test Preparation

• Free ACT Prep! Log into your Xello account. Scroll to the bottom and click on Methodize Test Prep in the bottom right corner.

• Other information and resources for students can be found here.

Testing Day

• What to bring:

• Picture ID

• Fully charged Chromebook and charger

• May bring ACT-approved calculators.

• What not to bring: The following will not be allowed in the testing room. Students will be provided a locked/supervised place for these items:

• Backpacks

• Large bags

• Cell phones

• Smart watches

• All other electronics

• Food

• Drinks

• Important Info:

• Students arriving after the start time will be assigned to the retake assessment on March 18th.

• Students will be dismissed following testing (shortened day) and busing will be provided as normal.

More Information

• ACT High School Assessments Information for Families - English

• ACT High School Assessments Information for Families - Spanish

• ACT High School Assessments Information for Families - Hmong

• Information to come:

• Room assignments

• Testing schedule

• Detailed information about the testing experience for students with accommodations through an IEP or 504

Results

• Students can access their results in their myACT once results have been published (takes several weeks after testing)

• Paper copy of results is mailed 3-8 weeks after testing

• Students choose whether or not to send their results to colleges through myACT

• Students can add schools to send their results to in myACT up to 2 days after testing

Sincerely,

Nehemirah Barrett

Assistant Principal - West

ntbarre@sunprairieschools.org

Attention Seniors! The deadline for the local scholarship application is THIS FRIDAY at 4:00pm and we are looking for EVERY Senior to apply. This one application unlocks over 40 scholarship opportunities and thousands and thousands of dollars. If you haven't applied yet. Apply today!

Need help? Want to complete the scholarship with other seniors and counselor assistance? One last WIN time is available to you THIS week. Sign up tomorrow and join Mr. Medema on Wednesday.

The National FFA Organization, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, is celebrating its organization this week, dubbing it "FFA Week." Wisconsin FFA kicked off FFA Week by holding FFA Day on the Hill at the Wisconsin Capitol. Over 150 FFA members and 37 advisors from across the state convened at the capitol for the event.

Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West FFA members participated in the FFA Day on the Hill by visiting with local elected officials. Sun Prairie FFA members included four East members, Lydia Statz, Lilah Egli, Lauren Alt and Norah Kelly, along with four West members, Jada Danielson, Andrew Knorr, Rylan Headington and Maeci Ledden. These FFA members met with State Senator Melissa Ratcliff and Representative to the State Assembly Andrew Hysell.

FFA members highlighted their experiences within FFA, including their own participation in competitions, community service, educational outreach and personal growth. Additionally, FFA members learned about how the state legislature promotes and works with various stakeholders in supporting Agriculture. FFA members and advisors also advocated for additional funding for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming and for Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs).

The Midwest Farm Report also interviewed two FFA members and one advisor about their participation in FFA Day on the Hill. You can find the recording by following this link: https://omny.fm/shows/mid-west-farm-report-madison/ffa-day-on-the-hill-a-valuable-experience-for-sun

Pictures included below:

FFA Members from 38 FFA chapters from across the state gathered at the Madison Capitol for FFA Day on the Hill

Congratulations to our SP West State Cheer Team!

Sun Prairie West started their first ever Science Olympiad Club this year. This weekend they competed at the Regional Event. The following students competed against 27 other regional teams on February 22nd. The following students competed in several categories: Cecily Humphrey, Jasper Muniz, Mahati Sathish, Andrew Tjong, Nadia Marzen, Aditya Bhowmick, Aashrith Kamini, Cameron McKenna, and Geethika Korukola.

In our first year we placed in two categories.

Congratulations to

• 2nd Place: Ecology: Aditya Bhowmick
• 4th Place: Forensics: Cecily Humphrey and Mahati Sathish

Spanish 2 students are having fun learning body part vocabulary in a kinesthetic way!

Physics students collected and analyzed data to compare linear and circular motion of a Tumble Buggy.

Chemistry students used stoichiometry to make predictions about how much sodium bicarbonate would be needed to create 0.50 grams of sodium chloride. Then they tested their predictions by conducting the actual experiment.

New Year, Same Supports! We’re excited to share some updates to our before and after school tutoring support program to better support your learning:

• Afternoon Study Lounge Relocated: The afternoon study hall has been moved to a new space—the Library—to provide a more focused and resource-rich environment.

• Additional Teacher Support: We’ve added more teachers to our tutoring sessions to ensure students get the help they need.

Be sure to take advantage of these new changes and set yourself up for success this year!

Let’s make this a fantastic year of learning and growth!

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.

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!

As the year continues we continue to focus on having safe, healthy and open bathrooms at West. This is a combined effort between students, parents/caregivers, teachers, student services, and our "floor team". It truly take ALL of our One West community to ensure that our bathrooms are safe and open for ALL students. Our interventions include:

• Following up with and searching students who are in the bathroom when vape sensors go off or when there is a report of vaping.
• Following up with students who enter the bathroom in large groups (going to the bathroom is an individual activity)
• Following up with students who are more than one student to a stall
• Bathroom checks to start and end every day and every block with checking cameras and following up with students who are in the bathroom during time frames that vandalism takes place.
• Searching toilet paper holders, paper towel holders, ceilings and other places that High School youth try to hide vapes at school

We have also launched a group education model as follow up for students who have a behavior referral for vaping at school as a restorative approach in collaboration with consequences. Check out these statistics:

• Student Feedback Quotes:

• It was nice to talk to someone about nic/weed and not be judged - 10th grade student
• “It was very student based. I was actually engaged in the group and felt like I was safe to talk about it with other people who are going through the same thing as me” - 12th grade student
• It was cool to learn all the ways nicotine and cannabis harm your brain and body - 9th grade student

• Upon the first meeting Students reported:

• 8% want to quit immediately

• 42.3% of students expressed they want to reduce use

• 33.7% stated they are ambivalent about change

• 8% reported never wanting to use

• 8% stated they aren’t interested in any change (no interest in reduction / quitting)

• By the 4th session Student reported:

• 27.3% report they have quit

• 9.1% want to quit

• 45.6% have already reduced

• 9% want to reduce

• 9% might consider reducing

• 0% reported no interested in making any changes

• Student Reported Goals Post SBIRT or My Healthy Future Group:
• To cut back on the use of substances
• Continue to be clean
• Not to use at school
• no goal
• I quit
• not feeding into that urge
• Nun your business
• I’ve quit
• I want to quit using it on my own but use it occasionally with friends.
• Spend less money on weed

If your student is interested in participating in one of these groups please reach out to Ms. Caitlin Fahey or Ms. Susi Sirianni. We will accommodate self-referrals as much as space is available in the program. Students must opt in and agree to participate in the program.

Bus Drivers will be checking students' Bus Tags to ensure they are riding their assigned bus. Students with no bus tag or a bus tag with a different bus number will not be allowed to board the bus. If you need a new bus tag, please see Miss Andi in the front office right away Monday morning.

Westopoly is BACK and live NOW! What is Westopoly? Westopoly is library programming available to ALL SP West Wolves. How does it work? Swing by the library for your day roll of the dice to learn what activity you land on. Earn tickets for completion of activities and use tickets to be eligible for prizes. Start playing TODAY!

Support our SP West CARES Closet & Pantry! Do you have items you are looking to donate including clothing and personal items? We need the following items for our SPW CARES closet in Student Services! Students may access our pantry when they need a change of clothing, extra items for home/moving around, or to support personal hygiene often when times are tough. Our SPW pantry functions 100% through donation. We are also thankful for community partners to meet greater needs!

Clothing should be in good shape - without stains, rips, or damage

Clothing:

• Mens sweatpants / joggers (prefer neutral colors) S - XL

• Mens t shirts S - L (prefer SP shirts, sports, plain black)

• Girls leggings S - XL (prefer neutral colors)

• Gender neutral or womens tshirts S - L (prefer SP shirts, sports, brands, plain)

• Sweatshirts S - XL (prefer SP, sports, brands, plain)

Hygine Products (unopened):

• Face wash

• Laundry detergent (pods, liquid, or powder are all great!)

• Dishwasher detergent

• Shampoo and conditioner (especially for natural, textured, & curly hair)

• Toothpaste

• Antiperspirant Deodorant (mens & womens)

• Lotion (sensitive skin preferred)

• Acne stickers / patches

• Toliet paper

Other:

• Men’s wallet

• Backpacks

• Athletic / small duffle bags

These items can be dropped off to the Front Office or Student Services!

Interested in supporting our over 300 students experiencing homelessness in the Sun Prairie Area School District?

• Check out our Amazon Wishlist!

• Please fill out this form if you do purchase items from the Amazon Wishlist and you will receive information for your taxes.

If you have other items that you are looking to donate or have questions, reach out to our School Social Workers!

Susi Sirianni (last names A - K) at sesiria@sunprairieschools.org

Caitlin Fahey (last names L- Z) at cmfahey@sunprairieschools.org

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County’s College Night: This event is designed to provide valuable insights, primarily for students in 9th-11th grade, into the college application process, financial aid options, and finding the right college fit.

Here are the event details:

• Date: Wednesday, February 26th, 2024
• Time: 6:00–8:00 PM
• Location: Allied Club (4619 Jenewein Rd, Madison, WI)

Students who attend will have the chance to:

• Learn about financial aid, scholarships, and grants
• Get tips on the college application process
• Connect with representatives from UW-Madison, Madison Area Technical College, UW-Milwaukee, Edgewood College, and more
• Explore resources from various colleges and financial institutions
• Enjoy free food and enter a gift card raffle!

We are grateful for our volunteers and visitors at SP West! Here are some reminders of our visitor procedure. If you are going to be interacting directly with students please make sure you fill out the volunteer form. Background checks are taking 2-3 weeks to process. Once you have filled it out it is good for 3 years at all SPASD schools.

Sophomores, sign up now for a free ACT diagnostic test! While the juniors are taking their ACT, get a head start for your own test. The Sun Prairie Public Library is partnering with Galin Education to offer a realistic ACT experience. This diagnostic test will help you work out some test-taking jitters as well as help you focus your studying. Please bring a calculator if you have one. Advance registration is required.

• Sun Prairie Public Library Community Room
• Tuesday, March 11, 2025
• 9:30am - 1:00pm

Register HERE

SP West Student Senate is BACK! After meeting a couple of times this fall our SP West Student Senate is back in full swing. Last week students met to dive into our SP100 goals and analyze data from 1st semester.

Students analyzed our 1st semester overall data trends identifying areas of celebration (9th graders- YOU ARE ROCKING IT) and areas of growth (juniors and seniors we have a ways to improve) and identifying next steps including student-to-student conversations to understand why this is happening and how we can improve as a One West community to reach our goal of 90%+ attendance for EVERY Wolf.

This past Friday in SP30 all students in 9th-11th grade reviewed their Pre-ACT scores from this fall and began goal setting for the spring Pre-ACT or ACT for our 11th graders.

Each student received a personalized email with detailed information about their scores from the fall and then as an SP30 they reviewed how to interpret this information.

We laid the foundation to begin preparation for Spring Pre-ACT and ACT testing.

And students began goal setting for their spring tests.

• What are you the proudest of from your fall Pre-ACT test?
• What area do you hope to improve in this most from the fall test to the Spring?
• How can I best support you in that process?
• Let's look over the email you received late last week with detailed information about your fall test.

We want our families to stay informed and connected to resources. If you need information or support visit Resources for Immigrant Students & Families webpage.

Sun Prairie Schools are a welcoming place for all students and families, regardless of their immigration status.

At the Sun Prairie Area School District:

• We stand by all of our students, staff, and families.
• The Sun Prairie Area School District celebrates and values our diverse community. We support and are inclusive of all students, staff, families, and community members of all races, ethnicities, faiths, national origins, immigration statuses, political viewpoints, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities.
• We stand by our immigrant students and families. All are welcome and safe in our schools regardless of immigration status.
• All children will be safe and loved in our schools…..Every Child, Every Day.
• Important Information

Gun safety is a shared responsibility that affects the well-being of our entire community. Visit the district’s Gun Safety Resource page for more information.

Dear Sun Prairie Community Members,

As the Superintendent of Sun Prairie Schools and the City Administrator of Sun Prairie, we want to express our shared commitment to gun safety in our community.
Gun safety affects all of us, and it is our shared responsibility to work together to protect our families, schools, and neighborhoods. Proper firearm handling and secure storage are essential to establishing a culture of safety. It is crucial for everyone to understand how to safely store firearms and what to do if they encounter one.

For our students, gun safety means having a safe place to learn and grow. We want to teach young people what to do if they see a gun, and we want them to feel comfortable telling an adult if something seems unsafe.

Parents and caregivers play a significant role and can help protect the community by ensuring secure firearm storage, recognizing potential dangers, and knowing how to respond responsibly in unsafe situations.

We support initiatives like the Gun Safety Education Project, led by the Sun Prairie Youth & Families Commission, which promotes public awareness of firearm safety by offering education on secure firearm storage, reporting lost or stolen firearms, distributing gunlocks, and more.

We understand this can be a difficult topic, but we believe by working together—parents/caregivers, educators, law enforcement, and all community members—we can make a difference and make our community safer for everyone.

We need your help to promote gun safety. We encourage you to talk to your family, explore available resources, and share information with your neighbors. Together, we can continue building a culture of responsibility, set a positive example for our kids, and keep our community safe for everyone. Thank you for being part of this important effort.

Sincerely,

Brad Saron, Superintendent
Aaron Oppenheimer, City Administrator

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