Greetings Wolf Pack!

Welcome to 2nd Quarter! We are excited to enter the second quarter of the school year. We had an incredible start to the school year and as we enter the heart of November, holiday seasons and 2nd quarter we need to regroup on a few things. Specifically: vandalism, theft and being in class from bell to bell. Read on for a general update and be on the lookout for a separate communication this week of plans that are currently in progress to help support students learning from bell to bell.

Starting this week Winter Sports are also in full swing! It's not too late to join. If you are interested in a winter sport reach out to the athletic department TODAY! Our goal this year is that EVERY Wolf is involved in at least one co/extra-curricular. In fact, research shows that students that are in 2 or more school related activities experience higher success rates of GPA, graduation and post secondary success. Sign up TODAY!

As we continue through November we also continue to recognize and celebrate Native American Heritage month. Over the last week our flags of the indigenous nations of Wisconsin have begun to arrive and be hung in our commons as we honor, celebrate and recognize our indigenous students, families and communities. Honoring the land, legacy and current contributions of our Native American and Indigenous community members.

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

• Native American Heritage Month
• Upcoming Events
  
• Athletic Events
• Daily Announcements
  
• Second Quarter Focus
• Empty Bowls Dinner
• Student Services- Grade Level Meetings
• Senior Meeting
• Wolf Wear
• Homelessness Awareness Month
• Graduation Cap and Gown Donations
• Blood Drive
• College Visit- Ripon College
• Classroom Corner- AP Lit Spotlight
• Classroom Corner- Ag Spotlight
• Student Spotlight- State Swimmers!
• Student Spotlight- United Dance Team
• Equity Vision, One West, Non-Discrimination

In Case you Missed It:

• Winter Sports
• 5th Hour Tutoring
• ASVAB Testing
• Closed Campus and Security
• Parent Partnership Meetings
• Senior Caps and Gowns
• Attendance, Closed Campus, Vandalism
• Senior Cap & Gown Information
• HBCU Festival
• Lunch Advisory

Jen Ploeger- Principal- jrploeg@sunprairieschools.org

Chai Lee- Associate Principal- cmlee1@sunprairieschools.org

Ed Ford- Associate Principal- ebford@sunprairieschools.org

• Tuesday, November 14th- 5:00-7:00pm- Empty Bowls Dinner
• November 22nd, 23rd, 24th- No School- Thanksgiving Break
  
• December 11th- No School- Professional Development Day
• December 13th- 6:00pm- Parent Partnership Meeting
• Monday December 25th-Monday, January 1st- Winter Break

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 head into 2nd Quarter we are focusing on "Back to Basics" as we had a very strong start to the school year. This quarter we are focusing on students feeling seen, known and valued in the classroom so that students are in class from Bell to Bell, we see an end to vandalism and theft out of locker rooms. Over the last few weeks we have seen an increase of students in the hallway, vandalism (specifically in boys bathrooms) and thefts (specifically in boys locker rooms). We are finalizing next step plans to address these three areas and be on the look out for additional communication coming in a separate email later this week with more detailed information regarding supervision of these spaces, consequences and our development of a positive reward system.

If you have a student in PE that is interested in a school locker for additional safety for their valuables, please have your student visit the front office. We have had incidents in the last week of locks being removed from PE lockers. We are currently in the process of working as an admin team in collaboration with our SRO and PE teachers to stop these thefts, however, if your student would like a regular locker to use as well they are more than welcome to check one out. We have plenty available.

This Tuesday, November 14th, West will be hosting our 2nd Annual Empty Bowls interdisciplinary community fundraiser. Empty bowls is a collaboration between our: Family and Consumer Science, Orchestra, Art and Business/Marketing Departments. Ceramic students have been hard at work creating bowls for you to select, use and take home. ProStart students and Foods students have been making soups and bread! Orchestra students will serenade the night and business/marketing students have been responsible for the marketing as well as giving tours on Tuesday evening. All proceeds go to Sunshine Place. See you there!

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.

There will be a senior class meeting on Tuesday 11/14 at 8:00 am in 1408. We will finalize our class moto, discuss class gifts and speaker selection. If you are interested in making your voice heard, please join us! Email Ms. Reimer and Mr. Barth if you’re unable to make this meeting and still interested.

This online store closes TOMORROW at 8:00am. Put in your orders TODAY to get here in time for the holidays.

Do you have a Sun Prairie West graduation cap and gown in good shape, lying around and you are looking to get rid of it? Please consider donating for our new senior students who are unable to purchase a cap and gown. If so, drop off at our main office and thanks for considering. Any questions, please contact student services school social worker, Susi Sirianni, sesiria@sunprairieschools.org

A representative from Ripon College will be visiting SPWHS to give information and answer your questions! Stop into Student Services on 11/13 from 12-12:45pm if you are interested.

This week our AP Lit students in Ms. Dorner's classroom in which they applied their learning through collaboration including a new strategy hexagonal thinking.

We are fortunate to have incredible students and their families that help provide hands on learning experiences for our students in our ag classes. This week we had lamb and goat visitors to support our large animal science students as they continue through their sheep and goat unit.

On Friday we sent off our girls 200m Medley to State in style with a State Bound parade! Students lined the den as our swimmers, their coaches, parents and Timber walked proudly through the hallway. Congratulations Ladies on a FANTASTIC season!

Congratulations to our United Dance team that is off to an AWESOME start to their competition team bringing home not 1 but TWO first place finishes recently. Well done!

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.

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.

This year we are offering the ASVAB Career Exploration Test on Friday, December 15. It is a no-cost career planning tool. The ASVAB offers information about all options after high school for college-bound students and those interested in other pathways. It is a great opportunity for those who are not sure about what they want to do after they finish high school. This test will be available to any sophomore, junior or senior. The test will be administered by Education Service Specialists and school personnel. The test takes about 2 hours to complete and scores will be provided after. Student scores will NOT be released to the military unless requested .

The ASVAB is designed to help students:

• Learn more about themselves and the world of work.

• Explore occupations in line with their interests and skills.

• Discover all the ways to enter the career fields they are best suited for

• Develop an effective strategy to achieve their career goals.

If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Saldana (cmsalda@sunprairieschools.org), school counselor.

Please use the QR code or this LINK to sign up by December 5, 2023 or sign up in Student Services

Throughout the year we review data through many different lens and data cycles. One of the data points that we review on a consistent basis is behavior data. Updates in here in the Howl and in SP30 are based on that data, as well as, updated systems/structures and focus on certain behaviors. This week we want to highlight/remind/reteach around two areas: Closed Campus and Security.

A reminder that SPASD is a CLOSED CAMPUS district. Why are we closed campus? There is a term "in loco parentis" that applies to schools which means: in place of parents. Between 8:05am and 3:45am we as a school are responsible for the health and well-being of our students. Our closed campus policy is focused on student safety and liability. While the students are in our care we focus on their safety and cannot do that if they are not in our building. Additionally, if there were to be some sort of emergency (fire, etc) and they have left we have no way of knowing that they were not already in the building. Students that are leaving campus during the school day will be followed up with by a principal or dean of student with progress discipline.

Continuing to focus on the safety of our students, it is imperative that students are only entering and exiting through the front door of the school during the school day (if they are signed out for an appointment). The SPASD behavior matrix specifically references propping side/back doors as creating a safety hazard as is allowing someone to gain unauthorized entry (entering a door that it is not the front). This includes asking someone else to allow you to enter. Opening and/or entering side doors poses a significant safety hazard for the 1500+ people that learn and work here daily and will come with a consequence up to and including a suspension. As we tighten up around this issue this INCLUDES the athletic entrance, students should not be leaving or entering through the Athletic entrance during the school door.

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!

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.

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.