Cardinal Call

It is hard to believe the end of the school year is only three weeks away! As we near the end of semester two, please take a close look at the end of semester deadlines section of the newsletter. We want to make sure all students are clear on when work must be turned in as we speed towards June. Finally, a big congratulations and thank you to our students, teaching staff, and testing coordinator, Ms. Butler. We had over 800 AP exams completed the past two weeks! The amount of teaching, studying, and planning that went into AP exams is impressive. Way to go Cardinals!

Sincerely,

Jim Ertel

Principal

Students, please check in with your teachers about your end of semester deadlines. Unlike semester one, we do not offer incompletes at the end of the second semester. When the school year is over, the only way to recover credit is through summer school.

Dates to note:

5/29/26 - Late work deadline for missing summatives/formatives. This falls two weeks before the end of the term so that work can be scored and entered into the gradebook.

6/5/26 - Last day for new summatives. This date falls a week before the end of the semester so that scores can be given and a retake opportunity offered prior to the end of the school year. Please check with your specific instructor about unit pacing if you have questions.

6/12/26: Teacher contracts end for the 2025/2026 school year. All grades must be submitted to the registrar.

Reminder: Spring semester grades affect fall athletic eligibility. If you have questions about this, please reach out to your coach or the athletic office.

The linked letter highlights next school year's upcoming incoming 9th grade events. This letter has also been shared with the middle schools.

There is still time to complete the 2025-26 Family Engagement Survey.

The survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and is confidential. Your responses will be collected and not attributed to you individually in any reports or analysis. Your candid thoughts help us build a District where every student, staff member and family can thrive.

The survey is administered by NextPath. How do you access it? Please follow these steps:

1. On any device (phone, computer or tablet) open your internet browser, type in nextpath.app and press enter.

2. Parents and caregivers can log in securely and easily by selecting your Gmail or Microsoft Outlook account shared with the District or by entering another email address to receive a one-time "magic link." No username or password is needed.

3. Once signed in, click "Next" to start confirming your child(ren)’s details.

4. Enter Your child’s details (birthday, first letter of their first name and last name). Click "Finish" when done.

5. When the information matches school records, you'll see a message confirming your child is linked to your account. Important! If you have more than one child, repeat this step for each child.

6. Once the process is complete, you’ll see any important documents or updates. If nothing needs attention, you’ll be taken to NextPath to explore more information about your child

The survey closes on May 22. Contact Robin Gardner at rrgardn@sunprairieschools.org or Tracey Hallebach at tmhalle@sunprairieschools.org. Again, your voice truly matters. Thank you for helping us become better together.

ACT discovered an issue affecting some students who took the ACT with writing online during spring school-day testing, so revised scores will be reissued. Current scores will be removed from MyACT on May 13 and updated scores will be available by June 2. Importantly, students’ scores will either stay the same or increase slightly; scores will not go down. Students do not need to take any action, and any colleges or scholarship organizations that previously received scores will automatically receive updated scores as well.

Complete message from ACT:

We are reaching out to you on an issue affecting some of your students who took the ACT with writing during the spring administration of the exam.

As part of our continual evaluation of scores, we have discovered a need to reissue scores for students who took the online test this spring during school-day testing. This need relates to an update to the process used to ensure all test scores are fair and accurate, regardless of when and how a student tested. We will be communicating again with you when your students' revised scores are uploaded to Success.

As a next step, we recommend you communicate the following to your students:

Based on its continual evaluation of scores, ACT has informed us that it needs to reissue scores for students who took the ACT online during the school day this spring. If you are among those students, your current score will be removed from your MyACT account on Wednesday, May 13. When scores are available again (no later than June 2), your Composite score and section scores will remain the same OR go up slightly based on your individual performance. Your scores will NOT be lower than what was previously released. There is no action you need to take. ACT will post revised scores on MyACT and will be resending scores to your school. If you previously opted to send scores via ACT to a college, university, or scholarship-awarding organization, they, too, will be sent any updated scores.

We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion. If you have any questions, choose the appropriate connection listed below.

Sincerely,

Catherine Hofmann

Sr Vice President, ACT Government and Public Relations

and the ACT State Testing Team

ACT Customer Support

Phone: 877.553.6244

Standard time questions, ext. 2800

Accommodations and supports questions, ext. 1788

The Sun Prairie Business Academy was featured on 15 News for their work on Education Foundation Day. You can see the story here.

Every month our Sun Prairie East Culinary Arts students participate in a virtual challenge from Wisconsin ProStart and compete against students from all over the state! This month we had not one but TWO winners out of over 100 entries! Julia Dimmick Bell and Maeve Holder took 1st with their Double Raspberry Molten Lava Cake that had a hidden chocolate raspberry cream puff under the meringue. Keenan Richmon and Aleah Phillips took 3rd with their chocolate crepes with nutella and cream filling!

Dear Sun Prairie High School Parents and Caregivers,

This letter is to provide information about your student’s chromebook as we approach the end of the year. Students in grades 9, 10 and 11 will keep their school-issued device over the summer unless they are leaving the district, in which case the device should be returned no later than June 11th, 2026. Students can still access school applications and use their device. Filtering software will still be active throughout the summer. Students are expected to care for their device over the summer just as they would during the school year.

Seniors must return their devices on or before our last day of school on June 11th, 2026.

Device Collection for Seniors will begin on June 5, 2026 in the LMC. Students will be called to the library by the first initial of their last name. If you no longer need your device, feel free to turn it in earlier. Both devices and chargers will be collected, as well as library materials. If you have lost your charger, there will be a fee of $15 added to your Infinite Campus account. Lost or damaged device fees will also be added to your account in Infinite Campus. This fee will vary based on the age of the device and type of damage.

Google Takeout Instructions (transferring student account data to a personal account) are posted in the senior class Google Classroom and are linked below. Seniors will lose access to their district accounts on June 30, 2026, and should begin transferring their data as soon as possible to avoid loss of files. Since your personal Google account is not considered the “owner” of your school account’s data, you may lose access to those files once your student account is deactivated, unless you go in from your personal account and “MAKE A COPY.”

Fines for overdue library materials, missing Chromebooks and chargers may be assessed on June 5th or earlier. Any materials needing to be returned after June 11th should be brought to the District Service Center at 501 S. Bird St.

Link Here for One Pager Instructions for Google Takeout

Linked here is this spring's Business Academy Review. Check out the cool things our business students are working on.

Linked below is the May French Newsletter.

Linked below is the Band program newsletter.

5th Hour Tutoring is up & running for 2025-2026! 5th Hour Tutoring runs Tuesdays - Thursdays from 3:50-4:40PM in the LMC, with teachers from English, math, science, social studies, art, and more available to work with students. Students are able to take the activity bus (which leaves at 4:45PM) home after 5th Hour tutoring.

What is the PSAT/NMSQT?

The PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT) (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is a test for our Juniors and can serve as a practice version of the SAT that helps you get familiar with the types of questions and format you’ll see on college entrance exams. It measures your skills in reading, writing, and math — the same skills that are important for college success. In addition, the NMSQT portion of the exam allows students to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. High-performing juniors may earn recognition, scholarship opportunities, and academic distinctions that can strengthen college applications.

Is the PSAT/NMSQT required?

No, the PSAT is optional. You are not required to take it, and colleges do not ask for or look at your PSAT scores during the admissions process.

Why take the PSAT/NMSQT?

Even though it’s optional, here are some reasons why it can be beneficial for students:

• Practice for the SAT: The PSAT gives you a realistic test experience so you can see what to expect on the SAT and where you might want to improve.
  

• Scholarship opportunities: Juniors who take the PSAT may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
  

• College readiness check: Your PSAT results can help you understand how prepared you are for college-level work and what skills to strengthen.

Can any grade level take it?

The test is intended for juniors; however, sophomores are welcome to take it for practice. Please note that only juniors are eligible for the National Merit Scholarship, so sophomores will not qualify for it.

Are there FEES?

Yes, $18.00 - The PSAT test fee must be paid through Infinite Campus. After the form closes, the fee will appear in Infinite Campus on Monday September 14, 2026. *Fee waivers may be available for qualifying students.

Accommodations needed?

Students with disabilities who wish to apply for PSAT accommodations make their request in writing via email to the school’s PSAT coordinator by Monday August 31, 2026. The College Board will review applications and approve or deny requests that are made. The test date comes up early in the fall semester; therefore it is critical to start this process early. If you do not notify the PSAT coordinator by Monday August 31, 2026, that your child will need accommodations for the PSAT, your child will not receive accommodations for the test.

Important: If you would like to take the PSAT exam during the fall of the 2025-2026 school year on Wednesday October 14th, 2026, please complete the attached Google Form by 11:59 PM Friday, September 11, 2026. No exceptions.

For more details or questions, feel free to reach out to Ms. Thao at pthao@sunprairieschools.org

PSAT/NMSQT GOOGLE FORM.

If you wish to opt your student out of the Direct Admit Wisconsin program, please complete linked form below. Additionally, more information about the program can be found on our school district website, LINKED HERE.

Versión en español

Jenna Boberg, CAA

Athletics & Activities Director

Four Year, Three Sport Athlete Senior Awards! Congratulations to Brady Krull, Will Nelson, Luke Wagner, not pictured: Keira Martin, Brady Melum, & Van Vogler! These student athletes competed in every season, every year of high school at Sun Prairie East!

Congratulations to the Sun Prairie East Softball team for being Big 8 Conference champions!

Our athletes and families are invited to join Influential Athlete’s monthly virtual NIL Masterclasses to learn how to navigate NIL safely while maximizing opportunities and building skills for life after sports. Sessions take place on the last Tuesday of every month (except December) at 6 PM CST.

2025 – 2026 Schedule:

• May 26, 2026: Life After Sports – Using NIL to Build Your Future

Please see the linked information for upcoming contests.

Sun Prairie East High School

Principal: Jim Ertel

Asst. Principal: Pang Khang, Allison Fuelling (Interim)

Main Office: 608-834-6703

Website: https://www.sunprairieschools.org/east-high
Location: 888 Grove Street, Sun Prairie WI 53590