The excitement continues to build toward the start of the 24-25 school year and Timber has been seen around campus impatiently waiting for the students to arrive. Timber is ready for 24-25!

This past week your leadership team of Principal JP and APs Ford and Barrett, along with Deans Ms. Diaz, Coach Rob and Student Services Coordinator Ms. Brown spent two days learning and leading with fellow leaders from across the district preparing to welcome back staff and students to a brand new school year. Teacher leaders joined us on Thursday as we plan for our first 100 days and continuing the great work of the first two years. As we continue to analyze data I am proud to say SP West is trending in ALL THE RIGHT ways.

Over the last week more athletes began their season with even more starting in tomorrow. As we enter Year 3 and focus on high expectations with high support, we know that there is a STRONG correlation between being involved in the school community and success (academic, social emotional, college, career, etc). Check out the section in this week's Howl called You in 2 that focuses on each and every Wolf finding two things to be involved in this year. Also in this week's Howl: more information about registration, schedules being available, keys to success and so much more. Grab your favorite beverage and carefully read through. The Howl for the next couple of weeks will contain a LOT of important start of the year information. Check it out, in the Howl this week:

• Greetings Wolf Pack!
• Upcoming Events
• Trend in all the right ways
• Leaders of the Pack
• Schedules Available in Infinite Campus
• Registration
• Keys to Success
• Welcome Back Wolves Night
• Yearbooks!
• You in 2!
• Busing Information
• Students Handbooks
• Your Wolf's Team
• Welcome New Staff
• Your Ideas in the Howl
• In Case you Missed It!

August 19th- Boys and Girls Cross Country Practice Begins

August 19th- Boys Soccer Practice Begins

August 19th- Boys and Girls Volleyball Practice Begins

August 19th and August 20th- 8:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:00pm- Registration for ALL students- SP West North Gym

August 21st-22nd- Jazz Kick Off! August 6:00-9:00pm at Sun Prairie EAST High School

August 22nd- 9am-11am- Keys to Success for Incoming 9th Grade and New to West students- SP West Performing Arts Center- enter Door 1

August 26th- Staff Returns!

August 28th- 6:00pm-8:00pm- Welcome Back Wolves Night! for ALL students and parent/caregivers- SP West

September 3rd- First Day of School!

September 4th and 5th- Musical Auditions- Seussical the Musical! ALL students welcome

September 5th- 6:00-7:30pm- Hmong Family Back-to-School Welcome Back Night- Sun Prairie East High School

September 17th- Picture Retakes/Make-Up (if picture not taken during registration)

October 10th- 5:00-7:00pm- Hispanic and Latino Family Night- Westside Elementary

Over the summer we have taken a deep dive into our data to analyze the first 2 years of West. There is so much to celebrate! There are many metrics by which our School Board and our community evaluate our success. One of them is a Student Perceptions survey. This survey is a chance for students to have their voice heard on how things are going.

From the Spring of 2023 to the Spring of 2024 we experienced growth in all domains of the the student perceptions survey with accelerated growth happening for our students who have been historically marginalized by our school system.

All of our students are growing in their understanding of the Instructional Framework in, a sense of belonging and safety and security but it is growing exponentially for students who have not always experienced that in our school system. (Please note that our Asian student growth is the smallest and also had the smallest room to grow.) Nearly all of our indicators for nearly EVERY group is not only meeting expectations but is far exceeding expectations.

As we enter year 3 of West we also enter year 3 of focusing on disrupting inequities and creating a culture of care. We also enter year 2 of a focus on rigorous and coherent teaching. Our data shows that we have an incredible foundation in our first two areas of focus and are now perfectly positioned to dig deeper and strive higher into rigorous and coherent teaching with a focus on attendance.

Each of our West scholars is brilliant and we need their excellence as a part of the learning community bell to bell each and every day. Our teachers cannot facilitate learning if all of our scholars are not there to learn and contribute to the learning community. As we enter this school year we are focused on: high expectations with high support and attendance specifically for our Black student scholars as these are the scholars we have not served well yet in this area.

From year 1 to year 2, all but one of our subgroups of students increased the percentage of students with above 90% attendance (our and state expectation). This year we level up again, ensuring that our students are receiving their education from bell to bell each and every day to be prepared for today, tomorrow and beyond!

Next week we will take a deeper look into why attendance matters and the goal for attendance for each and every Wolf.

Are you looking for leadership opportunities and want to be a leader within the West community? Do you want to help shape our story? Sign up to be a Leader of the Pack TODAY! We are looking for more Leaders to volunteer for beginning of year events including Keys to Success, Registration and Wolf Welcome Night.

Leaders of the Pack is open to any West Wolf that strives to embody PACK each and every day and is ready to step up as a leader for our community. Activities for leaders of the pack include: serving on Student Senate, volunteering at school wide events, giving school tours, being a buddy for new students and being a guide for our incoming 9th graders. Sign up today!

Student schedules will be available in Infinite Campus TOMORROW, AUGUST 19th at 8:00am. Sorry for the delay, we had originally hoped to have them available on August 15th, however, our counselors have been working diligently to finalize schedules and work through all of the details related to Act 95 and Direct Admit which are new this year and have added new wrinkles to the process.

Important Notes:

• Schedules are still being finalized! Did you know that over the last few weeks we have welcomed 93 new Wolves to the Pack? As we enter the school year we will continue to balance classes and make adjustments to ensure every Wolf has their very best schedule. This means you will need to check Infinite Campus September 2nd for your finalized schedule before class starts on the 3rd. Please DO NOT take a screenshot now and use that for the first day of school.
• SP30s, Study Halls and 3rd Hour Lunch designation have been diligently entered over the last several days and it is possible there are some that are still being finalized.

Schedule Change Requests: 2024-2025 SP West Schedule Change Request Form (schedule changes will not be made at registration)

Did you know that the entire High School master schedule is based on student course requests? We invest a great deal of time and energy in January to ensure that students are able to make their very best course selection as many systems are based on those choices including: which class are running, how many sections will run and staffing, etc in an attempt to limit the need for schedule changes at this time of the year. Types of schedule changes:

• Technical Changes: Technical changes are changes that are necessary for graduation requirements. This includes: a current hole with no class in the schedule, missing a graduation requirement, being in a class that has already been passed, being in a class in which you are missing prerequisites or being in class that was recovered over summer school. This requests will be honored to the very best of our ability and the graduation requirement miss will be fixed. These requests can be made between now and the first 10 school days of the semester.

• Non-Technical Changes: Non-technical change requests are are schedule adjustments that students request that would be nice if they could happen but do not impact graduation. This includes changing the requested elective, which will be honored if there is room and/or it helps balance out class sizes, however, this will not always be the case and some will be denied. The following will NOT be considered for schedule change: requesting a different teacher, a request in order to have a different lunch assignment, concerns about other students in the class (we will work through this with our Restorative Practices Coach), request in order to join a friend in a class, wanting a specific class a specific hour.

• Level Change: Level changes are adjusting the level of a class (typically AP to non-AP or vice vs). They will be considered within 20 days of the beginning of the course for students enrolled in higher level (ie., Advanced Placement) courses. Students who request a course change to alter the level of the enrolled course will meet with the Equitable MultiLevel Systems of Support Coordinator to discuss the request. If approved, students would be exempt from grading for work missed. Students will be given access to course material taught during the time period missed.

Student Scheduling Requirements

• All students are required by Wisconsin Statute 118.33 to be in school for the full day unless a student is in an accredited work program or has an IEP designating otherwise. A full day of school for Sun Prairie High School students is defined by the Sun Prairie School Board in Policy IKF and Procedure IKF-R, Graduation Requirements; and in Policy JDA, Full-Time Student.

Registration Week is HERE! We look forward to seeing you either

• Tomorrow, Monday, August 19th from 8-12am or 1:00-4:00pm
• Tuesday, August 20th from 8-12am or 1:00-4:00pm

Where is Registration?

• Enter Door 31- Athletics at the front of West
• You will proceed to the North Gym
• You will exit out of Door 1

Why go to Registration?

• Have your school picture taken and get your ID for the year
• DISCOUNT VOUCHERS FOR PICTURE ORDERS AVAILABLE AT REGISTRATION!
• Fill out your parking permit and receive your parking permit
• Receive your bus tag for the year
• If you are eligible for bus transportation and NOT going to ride the bus please stop by the busing table so that we can remove you from the roster
• Purchase your student activity pass through GoFan
• Request a locker
• Learn about clubs and activities
• Print your schedule
• Make changes to Parent Portal

What if I can't go?

• We would love to see you at Registration and if you can't go that is okay! You will be able to complete many tasks through Infinite Campus or by visiting the Front Office
• Students will be able to take pictures on September 17th at school

Do I Need to go?

• We encourage all full time students and their parent/caregiver to come to registration
• If your student is coming to West from the middle school for an advanced learning opportunity you do not need to attend registration at West

This THURSDAY is an outstanding opportunity for ALL incoming 9th grade students and students new to West this year. Enter West through Door 1 and you will be greeted and director toward the registration table.

When?

• August, 22nd- 9:00am-11:00am

Where?

• West High School- Enter Door 1- The Main Entrance

Who?

• Incoming 9th graders
• Students new to West
• Students only! Parents/caregivers please drop off your student and then enjoy 2 hours on your own and return at 11:00am

Why?

• Meet your teachers
• Learn which 9th Grade Network you are in
• Connect with fellow incoming 9th graders and new students
• Get a lay of the land before all of the other students join you
• Have some fun!
• Prepare for the transition to the school year and High School
• Learn some important High School 101 info

What if I can't go?

• Have no fear- we will be here to support you in your transition
• We hope to see you at the Wolf Welcome Night on August 28th! Another opportunity to walk the building and meet teachers

Have you marked your calendar yet? Please do! The first annual West Wolve's Welcome Night is coming up next week.

When?

• Next Wednesday, August 28th- 6:00-8:00pm

Where?

• SP West High School

Why?

• Celebrate our West community
• Connect with fellow Wolf families
• Meet your teachers and find your classes for the 24-25 school year
• Prepare for the 24-25 school year!

Look for more details in next week's Howl!

Did you know?

• Students who participate in extracurricular activities are 15% more likely to have a higher GPA than those who do not.
  
• 95% of hiring managers believe that students who participate in extracurricular activities have valuable skills that are transferrable to the workplace.
  
• Participation in extracurricular activities is linked to a 25% decrease in feelings of anxiety and depression among students.
  

You in 2! We are committed to each and every Wolf finding TWO extra/co-curriculars to be involved in throughout the year. That could be two sports, a sport and a club, two clubs, the musical and Leaders of the Pack, the possibilities go on and on. Over the next several weeks we will continue to highlight the opportunities available. What will be YOUR TWO?

Preliminary transportation information is viewable in Infinite Campus by logging into Campus Parent, click on ‘More’ then choose the Transportation tab. If the bus stop does not look accurate, please contact Kobussen. Pickup and drop off times are continually changing as new students enroll and other students move out of the district.

Your child will receive a bus tag either at their back to school event the first day of school. All students are required to have their bus tag with them to ride the bus to/from school with the exception of the first day.

Please contact Brinda Thompson at brinda.thompson@kobussen.com or (608) 825-8700 ext. 5509, if you have questions or concerns about your child’s bus route or stop. If you have any other questions related to busing, please contact either Lisa Sprindis at lasprin@sunprairieschools.org or Rhonda Page at rspage@sunprairieschools.org. If your child is NOT going to ride the bus but is eligible please stop by the bus table at Registration or reach out to one of the people above.

As we move into year 3 of an SPASD community with 3 High Schools in Sun Prairie (Sun Prairie East, Sun Prairie West and Prairie Phoenix Academy) we are united in our high expectations and high levels of support for students. Please grab a cup of coffee, refill your water or your favorite beverage and carefully read through our Student Handbook. This includes LOTS of important information from academics to student/parent/caregiver support to school nutrition and student fees.

Did you know that EVERY Wolf has a team of adults specifically here to support them? That team includes: an Associate Principal, Dean of Students, Counselor and School Social Worker. Additionally we have: School Psychologists, Restorative Practices Coach, Youth Advocates and College, Career and Life Readiness Coach to support ALL students. This week meet your Student Services team. Next week we will introduce our Admin team:

Over the next several weeks we will be welcoming our new Wolf staff here! Please take a moment to get to know these new members of our community and to send them a quick Wolf Welcome!!!

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!

At the High School level we do not have a standard school supply list. Many teachers will let your teachers know any specific materials they will need for class during the first couple of days. To start the year please have your student bring a notebook/s, pens/pencils and their Chromebook (more information on Chromebooks to come). Especially over the last couple of years Chromebooks have become our students most important school supply. Many students also benefit from having a binder/s

We know that students who are involved in 2 or more activities outside of the classroom have in increased: sense of belonging, academic success and social-emotional well being. We are fortunate at West to offer MANY opportunities for ALL students. Don't see something that you are excited about? Connect with Mr. Nee (eanee@sunprairieschools.org) to work on creating something new. Fall sports have begun or are beginning very soon. It's not to late to sign up! Reach out to Mindy Ripp (mjripp@sunprairieschools.org) and/or Amber Beaver (albeave@sunprairieschools.org). Join TODAY!!!

Did you know that the A/B day schedule does NOT changes throughout the course of the year even if we have snow, cold days or close for another reason? Please note that Semester 1 starts and ends on an A Day and Semester 2 starts and ends on a B day.