This week we finish April strong and welcome in May. This time of year is highlighted with celebrations, reflections, commitments and finishing the year strong. We are proud of our scholars in so many ways: sports teams thriving, activities/clubs deep in their competition seasons making our community proud, scholars preparing for AP tests, students making commitments to improve grades, attendance and behavior to finish the year strong, there is so much to celebrate!

As we enter May we are preparing to celebrate ALL of our educators next week- May 6-10th. Please read ahead to find specific ways that you can partner with us to celebrate our educators everyday, but particularly on this week we set aside each year to celebrate our educators in a unique way.

Make sure to read all the way to the end to check out the amazing things happening in our Classroom and Student Spotlights. Also, many important updates from last week have now shifted into "In Case You Missed It", so check that out!

• Upcoming Events
• Daily Announcements
  
• April Celebrations Recognitions and Awareness
• SP West Educator Appreciation Week
• Senior Celebration- Individual Invitations Sent
• 5th Hour Tutoring
• Prom Season Approaching
• Adapted Sports League
• Kobussen Lost and Found
• Classroom and Student Spotlights
• In Case you Missed It!

• April 26th- Guest forms for SP West's Prom available in the Front office

• May 6th-May 17th- AP Testing

• May 7th at 1:30pm- Guest forms for SP West's Prom due to the box in the front office (hard deadline- no exceptions)

• May 9th (8:00am)- May 15th (4:00pm- hard deadline)- Prom tickets for sale (juniors and seniors) on GoFan

• May 15th- Senior Celebration Night

• May 18th- Junior Prom (open to juniors and seniors)

• May 21st- AVID Senior Celebration Night @ SP East 6:00pm-8:00pm

• May 22nd- Wolf Welcome- 8th Grade Transition Day and Evening

• May 23rd- NHS Induction Ceremony @SP West 5:30pm-7:00pm

• June 7th- Graduation at 5:00pm at Alliant Energy Center (no tickets necessary)

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.

As we close out the month of April we hear from another Hmong young person sharing what it means to her to be Hmong and American, proud of who she is and where she is from... which is resilience.

We celebrate that Hmong people are strength, resilience right here in our own community and around the world.

As we end April, listen to the voices on some autistic individuals, siblings, caregivers on what Autism acceptance means to them and why it is important.

During this last week of April we listen to the experiences of different military children and caregivers of military children on their experience, the joys and challenges and the pride of being a military child.

We are preparing for our SP West Educator Appreciation week and we need YOUR HELP! We have three ways for you to help celebrate our educators (all our staff are educators):

• Financial Donation: Please consider donating to support our educator appreciation week by either through Venmo at @john-nelson-160 (last 4-7296) or by donating directly to our Financial Admin Assistant Tina in the Front Office all donations will go to our staff celebration fund.
  

• Personalized Note: One of the things that our educators (all staff are educators) cherish the most is individualized notes from students and/or parents/caregivers. Please share a note here: tinyurl.com/SPWestStaffShoutOut24

• Tacos!: Please consider donating to our Taco celebration for staff on Thursday, May 9th. Sign up here: www.tinyurl.com/TacoMay9

Individual Senior Wolf invitations have been sent out for our Senior Celebration on Wednesday, May 15th from 6:00pm-8:00pm (students being recognized need to arrive by 5:15pm). ALL Seniors and their Parents/Caregivers are welcome! Students who are being recognized at the event received an individualized invitation on Friday afternoon via email. We will be celebrating the Class of 2024 through: Academic Awards, Local Scholarship Announcements, Department Awards with refreshments provided by our ProStart students. Excited to see you there.

As we begin to approach the end of the school year, remember that 5th Hour Tutoring is available to ALL students. Make plans to come and get that extra help/encouragement to get that grade up! Coaches encourage student-athletes to ensure their academics are taken care of first, so if you need to attend and may miss some practice, please talk to your coach!

The SP West 2024 Prom will be held on Saturday, May 18th and is open to all SP West Junior and Seniors. SP West Juniors and Seniors may bring 1 guest from another school ONLY IF guest permission form is completed and approved. Guest forms are NOW available in the Front office. SP West Prom FAQ.

Important Timeline

• Guest forms available in the Front Office: April 26th
• Guest forms due to the wooden box in the Front Office: Tuesday, May 7th- 1:30pm-- HARD DEADLINE
• Tickets on sale: May 9th at 8:00am (GoFan app)
• Tickets sales end: May 15th at 4:00pm- HARD DEADLINE

If you are interested in attending prom at another school (including SP East) you will need to have a Guest Form signed. The Guest Form is obtained at the school whose prom you are planning to attend and needs to be signed by an administrator here at West.

• Bring your Guest Form for a DIFFERENT school to the back ADMIN OFFICE to Ms. Blank
• You grades, attendance and behavior will be reviewed. If you are failing a class, have missed more than 10% of the school year or have had a suspension you will need to meet with an administrator to check-in before the form will be signed. This does NOT mean you won't be able to go, however, it is an opportunity for a check-in and planning for success for the remaining 6 weeks of the school year.
• Behavior that has led to suspension may result in not being able to attend, particularly suspension occurring between now and the end of prom season.

Did you know that our Sun Prairie Educators and Scholar-Athletes are paving the way in our community by establishing an Adapted Sports League. Now in its second year, these scholar-athletes are 3 sport athletes participating in soccer, floor hockey and whiffle ball. Whiffle ball season has just begun! Mark your calendar to come and support these incredible students, staff and community while they are making history and paving the way for other schools to join in this fantastic opportunity.

Kobussen has a Lost & Found for items left on the bus. The driver keeps the lost item on the bus for a few days, then turns it in at the Kobussen terminal. If your child has a lost item don’t forget to check with Kobussen. Feel free to stop by the terminal at 1500 Forward Drive, Sun Prairie or call (608) 825-8700.

Our Team Sports scholars just finished up our floor hockey unit.

PE Adventure students engaged in a navigation unit. They learned how to use a compass. Their final activity included creating a map with 10 different coordinates. Students are also preparing for shelter building next week. They are gathering twigs to build mini shelters first!

Rain did not deter us from meeting learning standards in birdie ball. Students worked on different grips, putting, driving and chipping. Meaningful PE experiences allow students to engage in activities for a lifetime! We did get to set up an entire 9 hole course where students learned about etiquette, scoring and best ball! We had some birdie’s, bogie’s and pars plus a happy teacher!

HOLY GUACAMOLE! Students in English 11 have been working to read and analyze Trevor Noah's book "Born a Crime." Students studied the author's goals and techniques, composing an essay using text evidence to prove a thesis they created around this study. To celebrate this great student work, several exemplar papers from Ms. Bembenek's classes are hanging upstairs in our new display.

It may have been cold and windy but we are proud of our Senior Track and Field scholars and recognized them at our Senior Track and Field day.

This Pack had some good times this weekend!!

“We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust and care for each other.” #OneWest

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!

With the warmer weather upon us we are looking to reset our lost and found. There are many treasures there right now. Please have your student stop by and claim their missing items before we donate them on May 1st. Many more items not shown including: water bottles, air pods, jewelry. Stop by the front office and describe the missing item and we will see if we have it!

Its hard to believe that fall sports will be here before we know it! Fall sports have kick off meetings between now and the end of the school year. Are you interested in a fall sport? Reach out to Ms. Beaver and Ms. Ripp in the Athletic Office for more information.

Last week we held College Information Night. Topics covered included:

• Academic and Career Planning

• Accessing Post Secondary Information

• Navigating the College Application Process

• Preparation opportunities for students

• How to Pay for College

• Annual TO DO LISTS

If you missed it you can view it on our website or HERE

This spring there have been measles cases in several states. Measles is a very contagious virus. It spreads easily and quickly when people cough and sneeze. If you haven’t had the measles vaccine, just being in a room with someone who has measles can make you sick.

Measles can be a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. It can be prevented by the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.

• The vaccine is safe and effective. The best protection against measles is measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

• Most people are vaccinated as young children because two doses are required to go to school. One dose is usually given at 12-15 months of age, and a second dose is given before the start of kindergarten at 4-6 years of age.

• Most people who get measles are unvaccinated. When the measles finds a group of unvaccinated people, it can spread very quickly.

Check your immunization records

You can check your child’s immunization record on the Wisconsin Immunization Registry or with your healthcare provider.

If our school records do not show that your child has received two doses of the MMR vaccine you will receive additional communication from the school.

Get Vaccinated

• If you have health insurance: reach out to your healthcare provider to make an appointment.

• If you don’t have health insurance or if your child is on BadgerCare: You can make an appointment with Public Health on their website or by calling (608) 266-4821.

Watch for Measles Symptoms

Measles symptoms begin with a fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes, followed by a rash that usually spreads from the head to the rest of the body. If you or your child has these symptoms, call your healthcare provider. Do not go to a clinic, urgent care, or emergency room without calling first.

For more information on measles, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/

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

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.