The Howl

Greetings West Wolves and Parent/Caregivers,

Welcome to Week 5! We have officially made it through Month 1 as SP West Wolves!!! Thank you for all that you have done to help make this month successful. This week we have our first progress grades that will be shared, officially launching our clubs and activities, we will be focusing on helping every student be in class from bell to bell and preparing for HOMECOMING!

Jen Ploeger- Principal- jrploeg@sunprairieschools.org

Chai Lee- Associate Principal- cmlee1@sunprairieschools.org

Chad Whalley- Associate Principal- ctwhall@sunprairieschools.org

Our first Progress Grades of the year will be available to students/parents/caregivers this Friday! Students- please ensure you are communicating with your teachers and getting everything turned in and ready to go so that we can start the year with a STRONG START. Reach out with any questions you have or to problem solve with your teachers. Don't forget 5th hour tutoring is now available for you!

We are SUPER excited for our INAGURAL SP WEST HOMECOMING!!! It is our goal that EVERY STUDENT is able to attend homecoming and as we have finished our 1st month at SP West we are continuing to have (and build) high expectations for all students. One of those expectations is being in class from bell to bell.

• Attendance Requirement to attend the game and the dance:

• No more than 3 tardies and no unexcused absences THIS WEEK (if you have tardies and absences from the past- this is a FRESH START this week). You’ve got this.

• Need support?

• Connect with a trusted adult to problem solve around the barriers that are keeping you from class

• Have an accountability partner with a friend

• Don’t think that goal is doable?

• We know that this is going to be creating new habits for some and old habits can be hard to break. We’ve got you.

• If you would benefit from a modified plan please:

• Reach out to a trusted adult (youth advocate, teacher, coach, AP, Dean, parent/caregiver, grandparent, etc)

• Review your attendance from the school year so far

• Create an individualized goal that is going to push you to improve your attendance while being realistic and achievable this week (and then we will keep it moving)!

• Once you have completed the form that will be your goal for the week. Use strategies to meet that goal. If you meet the goal you’re good to go for homecoming!!! We want to see you there!

Be on the lookout for details of all of the homecoming festivities coming from our amazing Student Council students and advisors coming soon!

Clubs and Activities Launch THIS WEEK! Here's the advisor information if you are looking to learn more.

CLUBS & Activities for SPWHS 2022-2023
Academic Decathlon: Virginia Andreasen
Academic Decathlon Assistant Advisor: Justin Lemke
Adopted Sports -Soccer: Nicolle Herbsleb / Kelly Artz
Amnesty Club Advisor: Eric Piotrowski
African Culture Club: Felix Giboney / LaRon Ragsdale
American Sign Language: Tess Reimer
Asian Club Advisor: Thao Phau
Aviation Club Advisor: Tess Reimer
Black Student Union: Felix Giboney / LaRon Ragsdale
DECA Club Advisor: Colton Capelle
Drama Club Advisor: Heidi O'Toole
Drama Club Assistant Advisor: Kurt Nickelsburg
Environmental Club Advisor: Nicholas Watkins
FBLA Club Advisor: Kevin Wagner
FFA Advisor: Jennifer Herman
Forensics Assistant Chairperson: Jason Samens
Forensics Chairperson: Anna-Lisa Dahlgren
Freshman Advisor: Jennifer Dorner / Tessa Holm
Future Educators Advisor: Tess Reimer / Maria Archie
Gay-Straight Alliance Club Advisor: Nichole Richter
Gay-Straight Alliance Club Co-Advisor: Jasmin Melo-Salas / Maria Archie
German Club Advisor: Carly Allard
Junior Class Co-Advisor: Maggie Gugel
Junior Class Advisor: Melanie Foster
Latin Culture Club Advisor: Jasmin Melo-Salas
Latin Culture Club Assistant Advisor: Susan Sirianni / Melky Morales
MSAN Advisor: Jake Rodgers
National Honor Society Advisor: Rebecca Griffin
National Honor Society Assistant Advisor: Caryn Peters
Senior Class Advisor: John Barth
Senior Class Assistant Advisor: Tess Reimer
SkillsUSA Club Advisor: Chad Murray
Sophomore Class Advisor: Emily Vander Werff / Gavin Christianson
Spanish Club: Kayla Wilke
Yearbook Advisor: Betsy Butler
Yearbook Assistant Advisor: Natalie Fowler
Weight Room Supervisor - Fall Kevin Wagner
Weight Room Supervisor - Spring Robert Gilkey
Weight Room Supervisor - Spring Kevin Wagner
Weight Room Supervisor - Winter Justin Beaver
Weight Room Supervisor - Winter Paul Scheel
Wolves Board Game Club: Justin Lemke

A huge shout out to all of the staff and students that have helped us launch our first month celebration at SP West: Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month! Ms. Melo-Salas, Ms. Morales and Ms. Siranni have supported bringing student ideas to life including: 4 screens that are dedicated to celebrating Latinx Heritage Month with student created slides celebrating different people in the Latinx community, music playing before/after school, flags and a banner hung in the commons to proudly acknowledge our beautiful community (as it's our first year not all of the flags arrived at the same time so it has been a staggered in approach... all the Latin American flags are COMING some are tied up in supply chain delays), our homecoming assembly will also include a beautiful celebration of the end of Hispanic Heritage month, and a few more surprises still in the works.

Thanks to everyone who came to our first Parent Group meeting. We will having another meeting coming up very soon to co-create our vision of Equity at SP West. Keep posted for details of date and times coming soon.

Lockers have been assigned and are available for use. You can find your locker number, location, and combo in Infinite Campus.

To open your locker:

1. Spin the dial a complete revolution to clear it
2. Turn to the right until you get to the first number then stop
3. Turn to the left…pass the first number….then stop at the second number
4. Turn to the right and stop at the third number
5. The dial will now be harder to turn. Continue turning to the right to open the lock.

Dear Parent or Legal Guardian of 9th Grade Students,

We are committed to helping your student feel confident and safe at school so they are best able to learn. Sometimes stress or experiences with violence interfere with learning. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased attention on police brutality and other instances of discrimination, many young people and their families have experienced more stress than usual. Because of this, we are offering a process for 9th graders called CBITS or Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools. It is jointly offered by the Sun Prairie Area School District and Journey Mental Health Center. CBITS is designed to help students deal with stress and upsetting events they may have experienced.

The CBITS program has two parts. The first is a general screening of questions given to all 9th graders. Your student most likely participated in this screening program in 6th grade too. In other years, the questionnaire asks students about seeing or witnessing violent or upsetting events at school, in their neighborhood or other places. Due to the unique events facing our country, this year, the questionnaire asks your child questions about their experience during the pandemic and personal experiences with discrimination. The questionnaire is filled out by students during class. Their teacher and Student Support Services staff will be available to students during the screener administration. The screener takes about 20 minutes. If you would like to review a copy of the screener, please email Susi Sirianni CAPSW, School Social Worker at: sesiria@sunprairieschools.org

In the event that your child scores high on the questionnaire, school staff will conduct a face-to-face interview to determine if the CBITS group could be helpful. This will be conducted by a school support services staff member such as the school social worker or by a trained mental health professional from the community approved by your child’s school. If your child receives a face-to-face interview, you may be contacted afterwards to answer any questions you may have about it.

The staff at Sun Prairie West high school will be screening all 9th graders in October. If your child’s responses to the questionnaires and the face-to-face interview show that they are eligible for the second part of the program, we will describe that part of the program and seek consent to participate. Your child is under no obligation to participate in the second part of the program by participating in the screening and interviewing.

The results of your child’s screening are strictly confidential and will only be shared with you, your child, and the staff involved in the CBITS program. Non-identifiable, summary data of a grade, school or district may be shared with others for the purpose of quality improvement or shared in professional meetings without any link to an individual’s identity.

Participation in the screening is strictly voluntary. If you DO NOT want your child to participate in the CBITS screening, please complete the form below and return to Susi Sirianni, School Social Worker at West High School by October 5, 2023. You may also email your desire to opt your child out of the screener to Susi Sirianni, School Social Worker at sesiria@sunprairieschools.org. If you have questions or would like more information about the CBITS screening, please call Susi Sirianni at 608-478-1700 ext. 5335.

Please click here for the full letter.

As you prepare to support our Wolves at different events, please review the updated event guidelines for the 2022/2023 school year. We are beyond excited to take the field, stage, pool, court, pitch, course and so much more as Wolves for the first time. Together we can make these fantastic, safe and enjoyable events for all. Reminder: no backpacks at events.

As we prepare to start the year we are in need of awesome subs to help take care of our students when staff are out. Are you looking for a new opportunity? Do you know someone looking? Can you help spread the word? Please help us get the word out so that we can ensure that our students have the very best people supporting them even on days staff (teachers or support staff) need to be out. Having an ample supply of fantastic subs is also a great way to support our staff by allowing them peace of mind when they are out. Contact mtiseli@sunprairieschools.org with any interest/questions or contacts.

• Support Staff Substitutes

• Substitute Teachers

Please check out this: Yearbook information! for important information about the FIRST EVER West Wolves Yearbook!

Our Leaders of the Pack have done an INCREDIBLE job of leading so far! We have had students leading tours, welcoming in families, students and community and they will continue to lead throughout the year!

We would love YOU to be a Leader of the Pack! If you would like to step into this leadership role or would like to nominate someone to become a Leader of the Pack please fill out this form. Parents/caregivers if you think this is an awesome opportunity for your student please talk to them about it and then encourage them to fill out the form. The interest form should be filled out by the student using their school email account.