Greetings Wolf Pack!

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of October, nearing the half way point of the semester and on the verge of November. For those of you that celebrate Dia de los Muertos or Halloween, enjoy your celebrations this week. A reminder that costumes are not allowed at school on Halloween, instead students are encouraged to dress up with "Spooky Socks" the colors orange or black on Tuesday.

Here's what's in this week's Howl:

• Halloween- No Costumes
• Upcoming Events
  
• Last Adapted Sports League Soccer Game of the Season
• Parent Partnership
• Daily Announcements
  
• Attendance, Closed Campus, Vandalism
• Senior Pictures
• Winter Sports
• Bullying and Harassment Prevention
• Mid-Semester Grades and Athletics
• 5th Hour Tutoring Reminder
• Game of Tiaras Tickets
• Club Corner- Dia de los Muertos
• Student Services Corner- Sept/October Highlights and November Preview
• Congratulations to our State Cross Country Runners- Ali and Drew
• Follow us on Facebook!
• Equity Vision, One West, Non-Discrimination

In Case you Missed It:

• Senior Cap & Gown Information
• HBCU Festival
• What I Need
• Lunch Advisory
• Parking Enforcement

Jen Ploeger- Principal- jrploeg@sunprairieschools.org

Chai Lee- Associate Principal- cmlee1@sunprairieschools.org

Ed Ford- Associate Principal- ebford@sunprairieschools.org

• November 1st- Last ASL Soccer Game of the Season 5:30 @ SP East
• November 7th- End of 1st Quarter
  
• November 8th- Parent Partnership
• November 9th- Grades due by teachers
• November 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th- Game of Tiaras Performance- SP West PAC
• November 10th- Progress Reports Posted
• November 22nd, 23rd, 24th- No School- Thanksgiving Break

Our Adapted Sports League team has had a fantastic season and we are looking forward to their last game of the soccer season, THIS week at East. See you there!

We are excited to bring back our Parent/Caregiver Partnership Monthly Meetings that will begin on November 8th from 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 there!

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.

We had an incredibly strong start to the year in regards to attendance, closed campus and vandalism, we also know that October brings testing boundaries and the need to reset as we have seen an increase in students in the halls, students leaving during lunch and vandalism.

Attendance: Please checkout the slides below that teachers and students went through together this week in SP30. We are focusing on lunch/3rd hour this week. ALL students will be eating on the first floor in the commons or distributed dining areas. We need to ensure that students that are in class while others are at lunch are able to focus on learning. We have a new supervision plan to remind/redirect students to stay on the first floor in one of those three areas.

Closed Campus: A reminder that we are Dine-In Only this year which means that we continue to be a closed campus as well as we are not ordering in food. Leaving campus without being called out is a violation of school rules and a serious safety concern. Students are also NOT to visit their car during the school day, once you are here you're here!

Vandalism: We saw an uptick in vandalism in bathrooms (specifically boys) recently but that has been improving. A reminder that if you see something to say something. We have an INCREDIBLE building we need to take Pride in as a PACK to take care of. This week we saw an increase of trash being left in stairwells, please clean up after youself.

Senior pictures for the Yearbook are due Wednesday and can be uploaded directly here. tinyurl.com/SPWest24SrPhoto or https://images.jostens.com/ImageShare/upload We apologize for the technical difficulties that some have experienced in the last few weeks over the upload process. We believe it is now all fixed. With any questions/concerns please reach out to Natalie Fowler (nefowle@sunprairieschools.org) or Jordain Blank (jnblank@sunprairieschools.org) with questions.

Winter Sports seasons are right around the corner starting either next week or the following week. It's not too late to join! Reach out to Ms. Ripp, Ms. Beaver or Mr. Nee in Athletics for more information.

As we come to an end of Bullying/Harassment Prevention month the work and conversations will continue. This week we continue to focus on the most common form of both harassment and bullying at SP West: Banter that becomes Bullying. Check out the explanation and examples below as they were not written by staff at SP West but are VERY similar to situations that we have seen this fall.

A reminder: See Something. Say Something.

• Direct the person to stop (if you are the victim or a bystander).
• Tell a trusted adult at school or at home
• Report it here
• Take it to a Student Services Member

Continued Resources: Please check out these great resources for continued conversation in with your student and family.

• Anti-Bullying Alliance
  
• Pacer's Bullying Prevention Center

As we approach our First Quarter / Mid Semester Summary grading period, we thought it would be helpful to explain how grades impact students that are involved in athletics and clubs at grade reporting periods.

Grades are run for eligibility at the following times: FIRST QUARTER (Mid Semester Summary), FIRST SEMESTER, THIRD QUARTER (Mid Semester Summary), SECOND SEMESTER, as stated in our Extra-Curricular Rules and Regulations Handbook. These grading periods include SP30 grades.

The mid semester summary grades will be posted in Infinite Campus on November 10th. That means that the athletic department will share grades with coaches on or around Monday, November 13th. Our winter teams will start their seasons on November 6th and 13th so these can affect our students right away as their seasons are getting underway.

If a student receives an "F" at one of the above mentioned grading periods:

Students are automatically ineligible for athletics for 15 school days and nights. The suspension begins after the student receives notification of the failing grade. For example, if grades are posted on a Friday to the parent portal, their suspension will begin the following Monday, or the next school day.

If a student receives an "INC".....

for a grading period, and their grade is posted as such on the parent portal, they are also ineligible. However, they do have an option for the first 10 school days and nights to bring their grade up to passing. If they complete the work and get a passing grade on the 1st day of the suspension they are cleared immediately. If they do not complete the work within the 10 days of probation, they remain ineligible for the entire 15 day suspension, the same as if they had a failing grade.

Progress Report Grading Period: During a progress report grading period, students are placed on "probation" for 10 school days and nights if they receive and F or INC. They are still eligible to compete. However, they need to show they have brought their grades up to passing by the end of the probation, or they will become ineligible.

***A student's grade should not be changed by a teacher due to athletic ineligibility. Once a failing grade is posted on the parent portal, it is final and the above mentioned suspensions take place. Grades should not be changed and the student should not be permitted to make up work after the posting unless there has been an error by the teacher posting an incorrect grade.

Grade eligibility is explained in our code meetings as well as in our rules and regulations handbook that both the parents and students sign and agree to. Coaches also receive multiple grade reports and explain to their teams at the start of and during the season the importance of being a student first.

Tickets are on sale for the upcoming fall play: Game of Tiaras. Start making your plans now to not miss on this opportunity next week.

Happy Day of the Dead to you! May you and your family spend this Day happily remembering the good times. Love, One West!

¡Feliz Día de los Muertos! Que tú y tu familia pasen este Día con alegría recordando los buenos tiempos. ¡Con cariño, One West!

WEF- On September 29, 2023, 1184 students, from 15 regional high schools met with 88 post secondary institutions in our field house for the 45th annual Wisconsin Education Fair. What a great turn out!

PSAT- On October 11, 2023, 91 students from West were registered to take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. PSAT is a standardized test administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the United States. This was the very first year digital administration of the PSAT and it went very well! Typically results are available 6-8 weeks after the administration.

REST- On October 9, 2023, all 9th graders were provided a REST screener. The RESTprogram identifies students needing mental health support, connects them to appropriate school or community-based intervention(s), and increases schools’ capacities to support students impacted by stress and trauma.Student Services will continue to meet with students throughout the month of November.

Senior Meetings- On September 27, 2023 the Counselors and the College, Career and Life Readiness Coordinator worked (in conjunction with UW Help and Madison College) to provide students with information about post-secondary planning. The presentation students received is available on the Student Services website. Counselors will continue to be available to students who want to meet individually about their post-secondary plans!

During the month of November, Counselors and the College Career and Life Readiness Coordinator will be meeting with Freshman (November 17th) and Sophomores (November 13) during advisory in the Performing Arts Center for their Academic and Career Planning Meeting. Students will gain knowledge about what they need to know in order to reach their academic and personal goals at SPWHS. Specifically, students will get information on graduation, how credits are earned, GPAs & transcripts, academic help, future planning tools, and other academic opportunities/advising.

This last week we started a new SP West tradition with a State Send-Off. We sent two Cross Country Runners: Ali and Drew to the State Meet! Timber toured the student-athletes through the building while students and staff cheered them on. The band then sent us all out playing in the commons at dismissal. Both runners ran well on a chilly Saturday!

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.

If Seniors did not turn in a paper order form for caps/gowns on Oct 17th, they can still order online at mwscholastic.com. Paper order forms will no longer be accepted. Please see our Graduation FAQ with more questions.

Registration is now open for the annual HBCU Festival hosted by Alfred Street Baptist Church out of Springfield, VA:

Register HERE

Friday, November 17th from 4pm-8pm

Saturday, November 18th from 9am-4pm

Festival benefits include:

• All accredited HBCUs invited to participate

• On-the-spot admissions decisions (virtual and onsite)

• Instrumental and vocal music auditions (virtual and onsite)

• Seminars on preparing for the college admissions process, financial aid and scholarships, and student life

• Essay/personal statement writing assistance and interview coaching

• Student prizes and giveaways

Since 2003, this one-of-a-kind college fair has connected more than 60,000 attendees to academic institutions. In 2022, nearly $4M in scholarships were awarded to the high school seniors in attendance; many of whom were first generation college students.

SP30 is held from 10:08-10:38 on Mondays and Fridays throughout the school year. Students are expected to use that time to complete any lessons that are assigned in Xello and also to check their email for the daily announcements. Students can always check the Google Classroom for more information.

WIN Time is typically held during the SP30 time block (10:08-10:38) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This is different than SP30 as students have a choice in where they can go on those days. WIN Time stands for What I Need Time and is meant to help students do the following:

• make up formative and summative assessments
• make up missed labs
• ask a teacher for help with an academic topic
• be in a quiet space for extra study time
• have review sessions before summative assessments
• use the recording studio for course projects
• and more

Students may also sign up for WIN Time and can expect to find opportunities for extracurricular club meetings, spaces where teachers facilitate games or competitions, or sometimes a place where staff will teach students skills that may be fun and unrelated to their content area (example: learning to play ukulele).

No matter what a student might want to do during WIN Time, they MUST sign up in FlexiSched. The expectation is that each student should go directly to the classroom that they signed up for in FlexiSched. On those days, students MUST report to that specific classroom to be counted towards attendance.

Please understand we want all of our students to be successful at Sun Prairie West and that the SP30/advisory and WIN Time are important pieces to help them achieve that goal.

Lastly, if a student does not go to the SP30/advisory (typically on Monday and Friday) or the WIN Time (typically Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) classroom (this will vary) they signed up for, they will be marked absent, even if they are in the building. Building procedures and district policy state that students' whereabouts must be accounted for at all times. If students are not where they should be, they will be marked absent to reflect this as record.

I appreciate your time in reading this. Caregivers/parents/guardians - please speak with your student about the importance of SP30 and WIN Time. Students - please adhere to these procedures to ensure you have a successful year at SPWHS!

As always, please reach out with questions or concerns if needed. Have a great day!

Students! Would you like to join the discussion of what is going well on our food options at SP West and what we could do better? Fill out this quick survey (students only) to be a part of our new Lunch (and Breakfast) Advisory. First meeting will be next week.

A reminder to ensure that students are parking in their correct spots each day. If someone else is parked in your spot please stop up to the front office to fill out the form. No students should be parking in the front lot or near door 24. Parking will be enforced throughout the week with warnings and/or tickets being issued.