The Howl

March 17th- Work Based Learning Information Meeting, 6PM

March 17th- ACT Make Up Day

March 20th- Fish Fry Fundraiser - Drama Club, 4:45PM

March 23rd-27th - No School - Spring Break

April 1st- Job Fair

April 7th- PreACT Secure, 9th & 10th Grade (NO SCHOOL FOR 11th & 12th Grade)

April 8th- 9th - 11th Grade Academic Awards, 7PM (MORE INFO COMING SOON)

Parents and caregivers, please update emergency contact information in Infinite Campus these directions.

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, we will administer the PreACT Secure exam to all 9th & 10th grade students during the school day.

Why the PreACT?

The PreACT Secure is a state-mandated assessment that helps monitor students’ academic readiness for college and careers. There is no cost for participation. In addition to providing data to our educators to inform future instruction, it also provides valuable information to support student growth. The assessment helps students:

• Identify academic strengths

• Spot areas to improve

• Gain experience with ACT-style questions

• Plan for college and career readiness

What’s on the PreACT Secure?

• English – 35 minutes | 48 multiple-choice questions

• Math – 45 minutes | 36 multiple-choice questions

• Reading – 40 minutes | 33 multiple-choice questions

• Science – 35 minutes | 36 multiple-choice questions

Testing Location

• 9th and 10th grade students will test at their primary school of enrollment

• JEDI Virtual students will test at the Prairie Phoenix Academy location

Test Day Details

• Students will begin testing at the regular school start time.Dismissal will be at 1:00pm. Students with individualized testing schedules will receive additional communication from assessment coordinators.

• Bring your fully charged device, a water bottle, and a snack (you may access your snack during break). All other testing materials will be provided. It is optional to bring an ACT-approved calculator

• Room assignments will be posted in common areas.

• To maintain a secure testing environment:Large bags, cell phones, smart watches, and other electronics are not permitted in testing rooms

• Bus routes will run as usual for students testing that day. Students who arrive after testing begins will be scheduled for a make-up session.

Students approved for testing accommodations will receive additional information about their individualized schedules. If you have questions, please contact your school’s assessment or student services team:

Amy Giza and Ami Fimreite (504), Kevin Proper and Kira Jacobson (Multilingual), Steph Sauer (IEP)

Preparing for the PreACT Secure

Students are encouraged to explore preparation resources, tutorials, and practice questions to become familiar with the testing experience.

• Learn more about the PreACT Secure here:

ACT High School Assessments Information for Families - English

ACT High School Assessments Information for Families - Spanish

ACT High School Assessments Information for Families - Hmong

• The PreACT mirrors the ACT, so these materials can double as preparation for both assessments: Test Prep & Kaplan Test Prep & PreACT Secure Practice Tests

• All students also have access to free ACT & SAT prep through a program called Methodize that students can find under the Resources tab on Xello (an academic & career planning application on school issued devices).

We appreciate your partnership in supporting this important milestone. The PreACT Secure provides valuable insight into student progress and helps schools ensure every learner is on a path toward postsecondary success.

Additional details, including testing schedule and room assignments, will be shared as the testing date approaches.

Thank you for your continued support of our students.

Sincerely,

John Barth

jebarth@sunprairieschools.org

Alisa Weinberger

alweinb@sunprairieschools.org

All SP West students are invited to attend the Job Fair on Wednesday, April 1 during their lunch. Employers will either be seeking current part-time employees, interns or apprentices, or sharing future full-time career options for students after they graduate high school.

You can order shirts and merchandise at the LIMB LOSS AND LIMB DIFFERENCE AWARENESS shop to show your support and if you order by noon on Wednesday, March 18th, you can pick up your order at the fair on April 18th. You can also place orders through the Heritage & Awareness Month Store all year round.

UW System is offering a "Direct Admit Wisconsin" virtual info session for students and families on Monday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m. Register at this link.

During SP30 on Friday, Junior students met with the counselors and CCLR for their annual Junior ACP Presentation in the PAC. This presentation provided students information needed to prepare for their last year and a half at SPWHS and beyond. Topics included:

• Graduation requirement review

• Academic opportunities for senior year

• Transcripts & GPA

• ACP & Xello

• 2/4 Year Colleges

• NCAA

• Apprenticeships

• Specialized Training School

• Years of Service/GAP year

• Military

• Workforce

• AND a Senior snapshot

The full slideshow is available on our Student Services website. Juniors are encouraged to set up individual Academic and Career Planning meetings with their counselors. Students should fill out the form in the presentation if interested.

Presentation can be viewed HERE

The students in Mr. Piotrowski’s Creative Writing I class have dreamed up a batch of fictional characters for the class. Our cast has one retired business owner, several famous entertainers, quite a few college students, one Egyptian blacksmith, one firefighter, three crime-fighting superheroes, one teenager abducted by aliens, and one 1000-year-old student at Monster High School.

The students in Mr. Piotrowski’s Creative Writing I class have dreamed up a batch of fictional characters for the class. Our cast has one retired business owner, several famous entertainers, quite a few college students, one Egyptian blacksmith, one firefighter, three crime-fighting superheroes, one teenager abducted by aliens, and one 1000-year-old student at Monster High School.

Keeping our students safe is our top priority. Please review these important procedures carefully:

🔁 Drop Off & Pick Up Lane

ALL parents/caregivers must use the designated drop off/pick up lane located on the outside of the student parking lot.

Using other areas to avoid the line creates serious safety concerns. Please allow extra time in the morning and afternoon so you are not rushed.

🚫 Do NOT drop off in:

• The bus lane

• The student parking lot

We will be monitoring these areas closely.

🚌 Bus Lane & Student Parking = No Parent Drop Off

Over the past two years, families have used the bus lane and student lot to bypass the drop off line.

⚠️ This creates SIGNIFICANT safety risks for students and staff.

Please help us keep everyone safe by using only the designated lane.

♿ Respect Disabled Parking — 24/7

Accessible parking spaces are reserved for individuals with disabilities at all times.

🚫 Do NOT:

• Park in disabled spaces without authorization

• Block these spaces while waiting

These actions prevent students and families with disabilities from safely arriving and leaving.

🎫 Ticketing will be enforced.

🅿️ Student Parking Requirements

Students must:

• Have a current student parking registration

• Park ONLY in the designated student lot

Students parked in:

• Staff lots (front of building)

• Athletic side lots

• Visitor or staff spaces

will be ticketed.

🚒 Fire Lane — Emergency Use Only

The fire lane behind the school is NOT a shortcut.

🚫 No driving around the building through the fire lane.

📅 Beginning August 26 - Gates will be closed on school days from 7:00am–4:00pm.

🔄 West Side Circle Drive

The circle drive on the west side of the building is RESERVED for specialized transportation only.

When other vehicles use this space for drop off or pick up, it creates a significant safety hazard for students with disabilities who rely on specialized transportation.

Please respect this reserved area.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe and accessible for everyone!

The following opportunities are being offered by the UW Madison School of Business and Precollege Programs. Event information and application materials are included in the linked handout:

Her View, Her Voice: Exploring Business - April 11, open to all grade levels (applications due March 13)

Precollege Summer Camp: Business Basics - June 15-18, for current freshmen (applications due by April 30)

Precollege Summer Camp: Junior Business Basics - June 22-25 OR June 29-July 2, for current sophomores and juniors (applications due by April 30)

UW Madison is hosting an Engineering Summer Program from July 11-July 31. Current sophomores and juniors can apply by March 2. More information and application links can be found on this website.

Seniors: Remember that you need to place your order for your Senior Cap and Gown for graduation. Orders can be placed through the Midwest Scholastic store linked here.

We continue to run together as a PACK. Our universal expectations are that we approach everything we do in our community with Pride, Accountability, Collaboration and Kindness.

We kindly invite you to support our school community by contributing to student recognition, staff appreciation efforts, and cap-and-gown assistance for graduating seniors. Your generosity helps us celebrate hard work, honor dedication, and ensure every student can walk proudly at graduation. Thank you for making a meaningful difference! Donations can now be made through the Infinite Campus school store. Donation Link

Please review the SPASD event guidelines. Our athletes are ready to take the field, stage, pool, court, pitch, course and so much more this school year. Together we will continue to make these fantastic, safe and enjoyable events for all.

All West students will need their student ID or if they have not yet received their 25/26 student ID, they will need to look up their Infinite Campus profile. This can be done in advance and screenshotted for quick access.

• Building opens at 8:05: Students may enter the building at 8:05 and will remain in the commons 8:20. Between 8:05-8:20 students may eat breakfast and socialize in the commons. At 8:20 students may begin to move to their classes.
• If your transportation situation makes it impossible to drop off your students later than 8:05 they will be allowed to stand in the vestibule (between the glass doors) until 8:05, particularly on inclement weather days

• Building Closes at 4:00: At 4:00pm the building closes daily. All students must be with an adult (coach, club/activity, 5th hour tutoring, etc) or leave the building for safety as we do not have supervision available after 4:00pm.

Please plan rides, drop off/pick up accordingly.

Our A/B Day Schedule and our Regular Bell Schedule. The A/B Day schedule is set for the year and will not change even if we have snow/cold days. Please note that Semester 1 starts and ends on an A Day and Semester 2 starts and ends on a B Day.

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/caregiver 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/caregiver 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.