Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that we are entering the final 2 weeks of 1st Semester! We hope that you had a restful and renewing break and a smooth transition back last week. As we enter the last two weeks we are focused on finishing the semester strong. A reminder that semester grades are the grades that go on transcripts, as well as, have athletic implications (including SP30). Focus on a strong finish and then an incredible start to semester 2! There's a lot of important events coming up this week as we gear up not only for second semester but also next year.

Please take a look at all the important information of upcoming events and important dates in this week's Howl:

• Upcoming Events- Check it out! Lots of important things coming up
  
• Three-Sided Approach: Students Learning Bell-to-Bell: Week 3- Den Passes
  
• Course Expo THIS Week
• Parent Partnership Meeting Wednesday Night!
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2024 Community Event
• Attention Seniors!
• ACT Prep for Juniors
• Library Opportunities
• End of the Semester
• Crossing Guard Week and Bus Delays
• Dane County Youth Assessment
• Online School Store
• Classroom and Student Spotlights!
• In Case You Missed It!

• Tuesday, January 9th- Course Expo- 5:00-7:00 PM at West

• Wednesday, January 10th- Parent Partnership Meeting 6:00pm-7:00pm at West

• Wednesday, January 10th- College Goal Wisconsin- FAFSA Night- 6:00pm East LMC

• Thursday, January 11th- Course Expo- 5:30-7:30 PM at East

• February 13th- Dane County Youth Assessment during school

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 come back from break and prepare to head into 2nd semester we continue to focus on our Three-Sided Approach. We continue to focus on no passes for the 1st 10 min or the last 10 minutes of class, staying in class til the bell AND will be adding a focus of using den passes when students are using the den space. Thank you to the work of our Instructional Coach and ELMSS coordinator our new den passes rolled out this past week. This allows us to know who has permission to continue their learning in the den and who needs help re-engaging in their classroom learning environment.

Course Selection is coming up! Just a reminder of what to expect!

Course Expo is THIS Week!

Families are invited to connect with SPEHS and SPWHS teachers at the Course Expo. School staff will be available to answer questions regarding course offerings, including early college credit opportunities.

• January 9 from 5-7pm at Sun Prairie West- IF there were to be a snow day on Tuesday we will reschedule the SP West Course Expo with new time and date to come.

• January 11 from 5:30-7:30pm at Sun Prairie East

• Virtual Course Exp available HERE

Sophomore Families- We invite you to attend to learn about a variety of opportunities available for your scholar next year. We will have representatives from Start College Now, Early College Credit Opportunities, STEM Academy, Fire/EMT Academy, ACCEL Academies and Dual Credit/Transcripted Courses.

AP (Advanced Placement) night will be held in conjunction with the Course Expo. Presentations will be made every half hour in the East Library/West Performing Arts Center so we encourage you to make this a part of your visit. You will be able to hear what Advanced Classes are, the workload, expectations, and different AP classes available.

Important Scheduling Dates:

• Now - February 1: Students and families should explore the many classes offered at Sun Prairie High Schools by using the 2024-25 Course Guide (Spanish version).

• January 12-Feb 1: Students are encouraged to schedule a time with their counselor for assistance with scheduling and course selection if desired. Please visit the virtual course expo website for more information on our courses and contact information for our student services staff.

• January 23-February 1: Students will have dedicated time in SP30 to work on schedules and ask questions

• February 1: Schedules are due! Students will submit their schedules in Xello during SP30.

Here's a preview for "Schedfest" happening in SP30 with students starting in 2 weeks:

We are excited to bring back our Parent/Caregiver Partnership Monthly Meetings every SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH 6:00pm-7:00pm at West. This opportunity is open to ALL West Wolf Parents/Caregivers and is an open dialog about what is going well, what we can improve on and how we can partner together. Accomplishments of last year's Parent/Caregiver Partnership include:

• Providing dinners for teachers at Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Creation of our SP West Equity Vision (in partnership with staff and students)
• Improvements to the Howl
• The development of this year's Cell Phone Policy
• Implementation of Dine-In Only
• Problem solving of current issues

See you Wednesday night!

On Monday, January 15, there will be a special community event to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This free event, running from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will be hosted at the Mckenzie Family Boys & Girls Club located at 232 Windsor Street.

The event centers on celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King through an array of activities designed to unite and inspire. Beginning at 10 a.m., the documentary “Been to the Mountaintop: Martin Luther King, Jr.”, which includes original footage from some of Dr. King’s major speeches, will be screened. Following the documentary, attendees can look forward to an engaging lineup of speakers compiled of local Black and African American community leaders, who will share their perspectives, insights, and reflections on Dr. King's impact on their lives.

The program will feature powerful spoken word performances from student groups and various activities aimed at fostering community solidarity and dialogue. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in conversations and build relationships centered on the themes of Dr. King’s mission. To facilitate camaraderie and fellowship, a complimentary brunch will be provided to all attendees.

The planning of this event is a collaborative effort between Mckenzie Family Boys & Girls Club, Sunshine Place, Community Schools, City of Sun Prairie, Sun Prairie Public Library, and Neighborhood Navigators.

Are you interested in speaking at graduation or know someone who would be? Starting on Monday, January 8th, pick up a nomination form in 1408 or 3503. Nomination forms are due no later than 3:45 on January 19th. Nominees will give a one to two-minute speech to their classmates at the Senior Class meeting during SP30 (date TBD). If you are a traveling student without SP30, you will be able to pre-record a video. If you have questions, please reach out to Ms. Reimer or Mr. Barth

Do you have questions on how to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? The FAFSA is the form a student needs to complete to apply for financial aid, such as grants and loans. Plan to attend a College Goal Wisconsin event in-person or virtually to receive free information and assistance completing the FAFSA. Sun Prairie East is hosting January 10th!

When: Wed, January 10th, 6:00 pm

Where: Sun Prairie East High School- LMC

Who: Anyone who is planning on attending college for the 2024-2025 school year

Why: Hands-on-help to guide you through the application process

• All attendees automatically entered to win a $1000 Scholarship

NOTE: It is highly recommended that Students attend the event with a parent so the FAFSA can be submitted that evening

• Please arrive before 6 p.m. since the event starts promptly at 6 p.m.

• The FAFSA completion event begins with a short presentation on tips to complete the FAFSA.

• After the presentation, families will proceed to a computer lab to complete the FAFSA.

Click here for a list of what to bring.

Is your student looking for ways to get ahead in studying for the ACT? Here are a couple resources:

FREE - all students have access to Methodize in their Xello accounts. Methodize offers free study guides and practice tests

For Cost - ACT Prep Plus. Offered by CESA 5, students can register for prep sessions throughout the year.

Once a month the library partners up with Melissa from the Sun Prairie Public Library to offer Creativity Time! Creativity Time allows students to participate in a library led craft, so far we have done: magazine strip art, TikTok ghost painting, luminaries, jar animals, and book hedgehogs.

On January 11th during WIN time we will be making yarn crafts. Sign up in Flexi under Ms. Dahl. You don’t want to miss out on this craftastic time!

The library is excited to present: Westopoly! Inspired by the classic game of Monopoly, this unique challenge is designed to spark your imagination and reward you with awesome prizes. Westopoly will begin January 22nd and run until March 22nd. Westopoly is designed to challenge students with tasks related to the library, the school, and the community.

Students who wish to participate should register here or by scanning the QR code.

How to Play:

Roll the dice daily and move around the board. Complete the task you land on and gain (or lose!) tickets.

Once the program is complete students will have the opportunity to enter their tickets into a drawing for prizes from:

• Kwik Trip

• I’m Board

• Beans n Cream

• Timbers’

• and more!

Stop by the library or email Ms. Dahl at bedahl@sunprairieschools.org for more information.

Ending the Semester: We are in the final 2 weeks of the semester. It's time to FINISH STRONG. A reminder that these semester grades are the grades that determine credits, GPA, go on transcripts and have athletic implications, including SP30. Make sure you have completed ALL of your Xello lessons and are PASSING SP30 or that will result in an F on your transcript and create athletic ineligibility. Finish strong!!!

• Last New Summative Date: The last day for new summatives to be presented in class is Friday, January 12th.

• Week of January 14th: The last week of the semester is used for reflection of learning, summarizing learning or additional opportunities to show growth, skills and knowledge, community building and closing out of learning communities in preparation for schedule changes.

Crossing Guard Recognition Week

January 8-12, 2024 is Adult Crossing Guard Recognition Week in Wisconsin. Please take a moment to thank the hard-working men and women who help ensure the safe passage of our youngest, most vulnerable children walking between home and school every day.

Bus Delays and Emergencies

Please remember that buses may be slightly delayed when we are experiencing snow and icy conditions. Anything within 5 minutes of the scheduled arrival time is considered “on time.”

If your child’s bus is delayed and/or evacuated for any reason (bus breakdown, emergency, etc.) students must stay with the driver and wait for further instructions. If another bus is dispatched, students are to ride that bus and only get off at their assigned stop.

Since 1980, every three years over 20,000 Dane County youth in grades 7-12 are surveyed regarding their opinions, concerns, attitudes, behaviors and experiences to provide educators, community agencies, parents, policy-makers and funding bodies the data needed to inform grant writing, program development and public policy. The last survey was administered in 2021.

Dane County school districts, including SPW, will be administering the Dane County Youth Assessment to all students on 2/13/2024. Please review the links below for more details on the survey, participation options and who to contact for questions.

Parent consent HERE

Consentimiento de los padres AQUI

Students in Ms. Peters’ U.S. History classes were learning about the Progressive Era prior to Thanksgiving Break. She asked her students to make a connection between their learning in class and what the culture at SPWHS is like. They wrote things they were thankful for and categorized them as either things they were thankful for at school this year or things from the Progressive Era that we still have today. It bridged students learning to the current day events.

For the first time in many years, Sun Prairie West offered the ASVAB Career Exploration Test. 22 students signed up to take the optional test to learn more about their strengths and interests. The test is composed of 9 sections including core subjects, Mechanical Comprehension, Electronics Information and Auto and Shop Information. Students were given their results directly after and able to access career planning tools that allowed them to explore occupations that were in line with their interests and skills. Students were also able to discover all the ways to enter the career fields they are best suited for and develop an effective strategy to achieve their career goals.

The 9th grade Networks recently held a food drive for their December Network Competition. In just a week, they accumulated over 2,200 items to donate to the Sunshine Place. Incredible work, 9th graders! Thank you to all the upperclassmen who helped us count items!

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!

As we reach the halfway point in the year a few parking lot reminders:

• When dropping off or picking up students use the designated drop-off/pick-up lane OUT SIDE of the student parking lot. We have had many parents/caregivers waiting for students IN the student parking lot, this blocks students in causing students to be late to work, etc. Additionally, student drop-off/pick-up should not take place in the visitor/staff parking lot at the front of the school, this additionally causes congestion.
• While waiting to pick up a student DO NOT pull into handicap parking lots if you do not have handicap plates or placard. We have had many instances of families picking up students that need access to these spaces to load the student and their wheelchair and they cannot access them because others are using the space for waiting.

We know that with a student population of ~1400 students drop-off/pick-up can be a very busy time and waiting can cause frustration. However, if we all work together and follow the system everyone's needs will be met. Thank you!

In the last few weeks we have gotten a few questions concerning a $40 fee that you may have received a bill for in the mail if it has yet to be paid in Infinite Campus. This $40 fee is to cover consumable costs for all of your students classes. In the past students were charged separate fees for many classes, examples include: foods, art, some science classes, etc. This meant that some families were paying hundreds of dollars in additional fees based on their students' interests, course load, etc. The business office at a district level did an analysis last year and revised our fee structure. Now students are charged one blanket $40 fee for all courses. This money goes to funding consumable items by students, things that they consume and/or take home. Please reach out to Principal JP if you have further questions.

As we continue to bring our equity vision at SP West and the District's equity statement to life we wanted to share information regarding Human Right's Campaign's Welcoming Schools. HRC Foundation's Welcoming Schools is the nation's premier professional development program providing training and resources to elementary school educators to: Embrace All Families, Create LGBTQ+ and Gender Inclusive School, Prevent Bias-Based Bullying, Support Transgender and Non-Binary Students. HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools is the most comprehensive bias-based bullying prevention program in the nation to provide LGBTQ+ and gender inclusive professional development training, lesson plans, booklists and resources specifically designed for educators and youth-serving professionals. The program uses an intersectional, anti-racist lens dedicated to actionable policies and practices. It is designed to uplift school communities with critical tools to embrace family diversity, create LGBTQ+ and gender inclusive schools, prevent bias-based bullying, and support transgender and non-binary students. This week we are re-elevating Welcoming Schools resources to our staff and community. Learn more about Welcoming Schools here.

This past week I (Principal JP) had the opportunity to collaborate with other educators from around the country at the AVID National Convention. Throughout the week we collaborated in strategies to support teachers and students in teaching and learning through instructional strategies, systems, supports, etc. The challenges faced by High Schools across the country are REMARKABLY similar and aligned to the challenges we face at SP West. One of the areas of focus universally is: supporting students to be engaged in their learning community (classroom) from bell-to-bell, particularly as we continue to come out of the pandemic. Here at SP West we are developing a three-sided approach to supporting students bell-to-bell.

As we continue to focus on creating One West it will take ALL of us to support our students, EVERY student to be thrive in their classroom from bell-to-bell. The three-sided approach includes:

• Adult Accountability: We will be focusing on following up with staff regarding expectations that have been laid out throughout the year. Each week we will have a specific focus that we are reteaching for students and staff. We will then follow-up with individual staff to identify additional support needed if the expectation is not yet being followed, examples: no passes first 10 and last 10 minutes of class, using den passes when students are in the den, supporting students not leaving class early and not issuing passes during lunch time. T

• Root Cause: We will be talking to students who are currently not in class from bell-to-bell to understand what they need to be in class and taking steps to meet those needs. We will also be intentionally partnering with the parents/caregivers of these students to support their student thriving in class.

• Student Accountability: In addition to adult accountability and working to solve root causes, we will also be focused on student accountability. Supporting students to reach high expectations while strengthening systems and structures to eliminate barriers that currently exist.

This week we will be getting additional feedback from staff, parents/caregivers and students on details on the strategy and specific next steps and will be sharing more details next week in the Howl.

This week our focus is students being in and engaged in class for the FIRST 10 and LAST 10 minutes of class. This means that no student should be out on a pass of any kind (den pass, bathroom pass or blue pass) during the 1st 10 or Last 10 minutes of class. These two moments are the most beneficial learning moments of the classroom as the learning goal for class is established, community is connected and then the learning from the day is reviewed, summarized and reflected on at the end of class.

ONE WEST:

• Parents/caregivers: please talk to your student about the importance of arriving to class ON TIME and staying IN CLASS for the first 10 minutes. Please also check-in on the importance of being in class for the LAST 10 minutes, not leaving on a pass or leaving the classroom early.
• Students: Challenge yourself to be IN CLASS during the FIRST 10 and LAST 10 of EACH block this week (no passes during that time, arriving on time and not leaving early).
• Staff: Empower students to be in class for the FIRST 10 and LAST 10 by not issuing ANY passes during this time. Being prepared with a strong opening and closing slide/activity. Teaching from the door at the end of class.
• Floor Team/Admin: Support students being in class for the FIRST 10 and LAST 10 by walking students back to class.

Need a gift for you or someone else this holiday season? DECA is selling Bucky Books for $35. Each purchase comes with extra coupons to Kwik Trip and HyVee as well as a $10 certificate to Chick-fil-A or Nitty Gritty. If you are interested, please reach out to Jason Benisch via email, jcbenis@sunprairieschools.org. Purchase your Bucky Book today!

Yearbooks must be ordered by February 23rd, 2024 to be guaranteed a copy of the 2024 Yearbook. Go to www.jostens.com. Type in “Sun Prairie” and make sure you click Sun Prairie West. The yearbooks for East and West are different from each other, so it is very important that you purchase the correct yearbook. You may also visit the following link directly: https://tinyurl.com/spwest24yrbk

A newly developed, statewide, user-friendly website and toll-free number, 877-WiscWay (877-947-2929), provides families with convenient, direct access to compassionate and knowledgeable children’s resource guides. Click here to access the Wisconsin Wayfinder webpage.