As we continue through April we continue with celebrations and recognition of so many parts of our community. So far this month we have celebrated Hmong Heritage Month and we have recognized and spread awareness regarding Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This week we highlight Autism Acceptance Month. Next week we celebrate the month of the Military Child and then last but not least we will finish our month strong with a celebration of Arab American Month.

Our 9th and 10th grade scholars rocked the Pre-ACT last week. You are more than a test score and we are excited to see your brilliance shine on this metric. The weather is warming up and so is our spring schedule. Lots of happenings coming up soon and spring sports are in full swing. Check out the athletic lineup of the week and make plans to support one of our many amazing spring sports that are competing strong! Mark your calendar for upcoming dates including important dates regarding prom and Senior Awards night!

In the Spotlights! this week we have celebrations of more Wolves thriving in State Competition, Wolves preparing for an INTERNATIONAL stage, sports teams serving the community and so much more. Check it out!

This week's Howl:

• Greetings Wolf Pack!
• Upcoming Events
• Autism Acceptance Month
• Working Wednesdays
• Teacher Shout Outs- Superlatives
• Buckle Up-Phone Down!
• Measles
• SENIORS!
• Spotlights!
• Wolf Study Lounge
• In Case you Missed It!

April 17th- Cap/Gown delivery from Midwest Scholastic During lunches

April 21st- SP West Guest Forms for PROM Available in Front Office

April 24th- Hmong Heritage Night Celebration- at West- Our Roots, Our Legacy, Our Future- April 24th, 5-7pm

April 30th- Children's Day Festival at West 5:00-7:30pm

May 1st- Guest Forms due to the wooden box by 1:30pm (HARD DEADLINE)

May 2nd- School lunch hero day (celebrating our Nutrition Staff)

May 3rd- HOSA Night Out at Forward Madison

May 5th-8th- Prom tickets on sale for SP West Juniors and Seniors only through Go Fan- closes 11:59pm on May 8th (HARD DEADLINE).

May 10th- Prom!- 8pm-11pm- Monona Terrace- More details to come!

May 14th- Senior Celebration Night 6:00-8:00pm, West PAC

June 12th- Last day of school

June 13th- Graduation!

As we continue through April we continue through the celebration, recognition and awareness of so many different important aspects of our community. So far we have celebrated: Hmong Heritage Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This week we are celebrating Autism Acceptance Month. Next week we will highlight the Month of the Military Child and finally, last but certainly not least we will close out the month celebrating our Arab American Community.

Words matter. Did you know that there has been a shift in language? It is Autism Acceptance month, not Autism Awareness Month? Why does that matter? Because Autism is an integral part of who people are and how their brains function. It is not something to be fixed or altered, it should be accepted and embraced. While it can be the source of challenge it can also be an incredible super power that should be embraced and celebrated.

Learn more about the shift between awareness and acceptance here:

Learn more about about understanding autism here.

UniDine will be at lunches on Wednesday, April 16. Stop by to learn about job opportunities in food service at senior living facilities.. Information will be available for students to apply that day.

Students!!! Shout out your teachers and show them some love with Teacher Superlatives. Take a quick minute to fill out this form!

We are teaming up with the @Wisconsin Department of Transportation to encourage students, staff, and families to take the Buckle Up Phone Down pledge! Over 9,000 crashes a year in Wisconsin involve distracted driving, and cell phones are one of the biggest distractions.

The challenge is on! Pledge to always wear your seat belt and put your phone down while driving at: wisconsindot.gov/bupd/spsd. Choose your high school so we can see which school gets the highest percentage of pledges!

We all have a role in keeping our roads and communities safe!

#BUPD #BuckleUpPhoneDown

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 Madison Dane County 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/

Senior Celebration is on Wednesday, May 14th from 6:00pm-8:00pm. ALL Seniors and their Parents/Caregivers are welcome! Students who are being recognized at the event will receive an individualized invitation via email closer to the date. We will be celebrating the Class of 2025 through: Academic Awards, Local Scholarship Announcements, Department Awards with refreshments provided by our ProStart students. Excited to see you there!

Midwest Scholastic will be delivering caps, gowns, cords, and other supplies to Sun Prairie West on Thursday, April 17th during lunches (12:11-1:30pm) in the PAC Lobby. This is the only time Midwest will be at our school.

• Unpaid orders will NOT be left at school. This will be delivered after payment and will incur special handling costs. If you would like to pay prior to delivery day, you may do so with a credit card by visiting mwscholastic.com and click on ‘Pay Invoice’ at the top of the page.

• Paid orders will be left at school and can be picked up in the front office.

Any questions regarding your payment? Please email Midwest Scholastic at payments@mwscholastic.com.

Any questions regarding the graduation ceremony? Please see the FAQ sheet on the Sun Prairie West Graduation website.

Last month, Band students hosted members of Shouthouse and premiered a new work for Rap Artist, Vocalist, and Wind Ensemble: Click Here to learn more about the project.

Your Wolves getting in some team building and community service before the game today. Helping to paint a mural for one of our city's parks.

Our Jazz Ensemble I is one of 30 groups in the world and 1 of 4 in the Midwest participating in the Essentially Ellington Finals in New York this May. Last month, Jazz at Lincoln Center sent out Manhattan saxophonist Erica von Kleist to work with students.

Softball celebrated parent/caregiver night recently! Thank you to our parents/caregivers for all you do.

Jazz students also served as the host band for the Madison Jazz Jam last Saturday at Cafe Coda.

Over spring break a group of Spanish 3+ students from both SP East and West traveled to Peru for a Language Immersion and Service Learning trip! The group spent time in Lima, Cuzco, and the Sacred Valley, where they were assigned to the Sacred Valley Project, an organization that provides housing and tutoring for girls from remote highland areas that otherwise would not have access to secondary education. The group's job was to clear a field so that the girls could use it for sports like volleyball and soccer, as well as for a vegetable garden. The group also made a .5 mile assembly line to transport rocks from town to the project site. Highlights of the trip were practicing Spanish with students from the Sacred Valley, and of course- Machu Picchu!

We also had scholars travel to both France and Germany over Spring Break. Practicing their language skills and learning more about the culture as they were immersed in it. To learn more about possible trips reach out to Beth Towey.

Congratulations to students who competed at the State Leadership Conference for HOSA this past weekend.

Siddhi Rajkondawar - 5th place for Nursing Assisting

Ruth Bawithadim- 3rd place for Health Science Test World Health and Disparities

Janavi & Jenika Patel – 5th place for Public Health

Vasali Webter – 5th place for Medical Math

Aashrith Kamini also participated in Medical Reading

Last week, SP West students had the opportunity to attend a job fair during their lunch. We had over 25 employers offering full or part time jobs for students, and many employers sharing opportunities for jobs/careers after high school. Our Wolves showed up with focused mindsets and asked great questions to the employers!

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!

Check out this article written by a fellow high school student on AP test study tips. AP tests are coming. Study now and you've GOT THIS!

It's hard to believe that Prom is going to be here before we know it! Here are some important dates/information to put on your calendars as we get ready for Prom.

• SP West Prom is for SP West Juniors and Seniors. Freshman or sophomores may attend SP West Prom ONLY if a guest form is turned in and approved within the deadlines below.

• Due venue availability SP West and SP East's proms are BOTH on May 10th this year from 8pm-11pm.
• Can I go to both proms?
• Yes, but you would need to buy a ticket for both.
• When would I have to arrive?
• The last entry for both proms is 9:30pm
• Where are the proms held?
• SP West- Monona Terrace
• SP East- Alliant Energy Center
• Are there guest form for both proms?
• Yes, if students from East want to go to West's prom or students from West want to go to East's prom you MUST have a guest form approved during the deadlines below (deadlines are the same for both schools). Guest forms to attend West's prom will be on blue paper, guest forms for East's prom will be on red paper.

• Important information:
• SP West Prom- 8pm-11pm on May 10th at the Monona Terrace
• Guest Forms available starting April 21st in the FRONT OFFICE
• Guest Forms due in the wooden box int he FRONT OFFICE NO LATER than 1:30pm on 1st
• Guest Forms to attend EAST's Prom should be dropped off in the admin office with at least 24 hours allowed for processing.
• Tickets on sale for SP West Juniors and Seniors only May 5th to May 8th- 11:59pm on Go Fan.

Support scholars taking national exams by becoming an AP Proctor! We are seeking proctors to work between May 5 and May 23 at East High School, West High School, and the PLC at the Hilltop Campus. Test proctors are responsible for test room security and the administration of exams. We have many opportunities to help, both full day and half day. Pay is $20/hour and proctors must be high school graduates over the age of 18 and pass a background check. Please complete this form by April 2 to indicate your interest, and share with your neighbors!

Attention Seniors! If you received a Direct Admit Letter the deadline to accept the offer is May 1. You can find your letter in Infinite Campus under Forms. Follow the links provided in the letter.

Message from UW Systems:

• To connect with your Direct Admit UW universities and start your path to college, go to the Universities of Wisconsin admissions portal (apply.wisconsin.edu/direct-admit) and complete the Direct Admit Wisconsin form. The sooner you complete this step, the closer you are to becoming a Universities of Wisconsin student. Find a helpful checklist of next steps at wisconsin.edu/direct-admissions.

Juniors! Thank you to those who attended your Junior Academic and Career Planning Presentation on March 14, 2025 during SP30. Now that you have had time to review the Junior Planning Presentation, schedule a time TODAY to meet with your counselor for your 1:1 Junior meeting follow up. Our goal is to meet with 100% of our juniors to hear your wonderings, dreams, goals and plans for after high school so we can assist you in the next steps.

Parents, please encourage your students to use the following Booking Links below to schedule a meeting with their counselor:

• Ms. Saldana (Last names A-G): cmsalda.youcanbook.me

• Mr. Medema (Last names H-M): https://keithmedema.youcanbook.me/

• Ms. Wagner (Last names N-T): https://wagner-counseling.youcanbook.me/

• Ms. Thao (Last names U-Z): https://pthao-west.youcanbook.me/

Prom is upon us! Looking to donate a prom dress, or in need of a prom dress? Join Sunshine Place and our School Social Workers with Prom Dress Pop Up!

Questions, ideas, or looking for a dress?

Reach out to your SPW School Social Worker!

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

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

Check out these awesome summer STEM opportunities