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The school year is almost here! Students, please enjoy this last bit of summer. We are so excited to welcome you back to Sun Prairie East for 2025/2026. The staff will be back at school this week, and they will be working hard to prepare for your arrival. On Tuesday, 8/26, we are hosting Welcome Back Night from 6 PM to 8 PM. We are excited to see you and answer your questions about the upcoming year. Please stop by and say hello! Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Jim Ertel

Principal

Our 2025-2026 Welcome Back Night will be held on Tuesday, August 26th from 6 PM to 8 PM. Stop on by the high school to meet your scholar's teachers and to learn more about the exciting classes they are taking this year. Staff will be on site to chat about their courses and what to expect for this school year. See you there!

We will also have parent/student/caregiver informational meetings in the PAC during Welcome Back Night. New Students and 9th graders will meet at 6:00 PM in the PAC and returning students will meet at 7:00 PM.

The slides linked below will be shared with families at registration via hard copies, however, we also wanted to provide a digital option for families in case you are unable to attend. In the slides you will find lots of valuable information about the start of the school year.

Thank you to all the 9th graders and Cardinal Connectors who came out for our Keys to Success event last week. It was great to see the school sprit and learning as we kick off the new school year!

As we all prepare for our fall schedules, starting with the first day of school on September 2nd our building hours are as follows:

• Building opens at 8:00 AM: Students may enter the building at 8:00am and will remain in the commons until 8:20. Between 8:00-8:20 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 PM: 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 and drop off/pick up accordingly.

Student Bike Parking Locations

• By door 22 on the west side of front entrance

Drivers Drop-off and Pick-up Location

• Drivers - always yield to walkers and bike riders.

• Drivers should enter via the front entrance of the school from Grove St or the rear entrance from Marshview Dr.

• Please drop off students at door 1 or door 6 prior to the start of the day. After 8:35 AM please use door 1 for drop off. After school, please use door 1 or door 6 for pick up.

Parking Areas

• Drivers - always yield to walkers and bike riders.

• Drivers who are visitors who need to park their vehicle and come into the school should park in the angled parking stalls at the front entrance of the school or in the visitor overflow lot outside of door 6.

• Once your vehicle is parked, please enter through the main entrance, door 1.

• Student Drivers who need to park and come into the school should park in the student parking lot

• Once your vehicle is parked, please enter through the main entrance, door 1.

Bus Drop-off and Pick-up Areas

• Buses will drop off and pick up students at door 16 or door 10 depending on the bus route

• Taxis will drop off and pick up students at the main entrance, door 1

• Specialized transportation will drop off students at door 6 and pick up students at door 8

Before School Gathering Locations

• When students arrive, they should proceed to commons

• Students should enter the school through the main entrance, door 1

After School Dismissing Locations

• Students should exit the school using any exit

MAPS here and with the following info:

• Bus transportation drop off and pick up areas are marked in YELLOW color.

• Areas for drivers to drop off and pick up students are marked in RED color.

• Main parking entry areas are marked in GREEN color.

• Staff parking areas are marked in ORANGE color.

• Visitor/student parking areas are marked in PURPLE color.

• Handicap parking areas are marked in BLUE color.

We are excited to have our fall sports in full swing. We have already started to host home events. 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 East 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. Also, please download GoFan to purchase digital tickets to our events.

If your student is planning to take PreCalculus, AP Calc, and/or AP Stats, they will benefit from having a graphing calculator, which can also be used for the ACT and in Algebra 2 math classes and beyond. The TI84+ or TI84+ CE are what most students use, but there are other types of graphing calculators as well. The school does have a limited number of graphing calculators available to be checked out, and priority is given to students in AP math classes. For students in other classes who wish to have a calculator, a scientific calculator such as the TI-30 is sufficient. Students will have access to online graphing calculators through their Chromebooks.

PreACT testing for 9th–11th graders on September 23rd will have a 12:30 p.m. early release. This release time is updated from the printed calendar. There is no school for 12th graders. More details coming soon.

Linked below is this month's French newsletter.

Please join us for a start of the year kick off and tailgate at Ashley Field!

The one page document below details the adjustments to the grading policy for 2025-2026. Changes have been made to our past policy around deadlines, the missing work floor, retakes, multipliers, and incompletes. Teaching staff will be working to finalize some department-level parameters when they return to work next week. Those decisions will be reflected in course-level syllabi and will be communicated by the teaching staff at the start of the school year. Here are some key highlights:

• Deadlines: All formatives and summatives due by the end of the quarter, which includes retake
  attempts. Assessments returned to students with feedback less than one week before the
  end of the quarter will be put on the next quarter’s grading window.
• Missing Work: M=40%. Missing assessments at the end of the quarter will remain M, 40%. The
  lowest possible score for an attempted assessment is 50%.
• Retakes: Every student is guaranteed an opportunity to take and retake an assessment once within the quarter the assessment was assigned. Students can make up an assessment from an absence regardless of attendance coding. Departments aligned across East and West can determine if they will allow more than one retake and can determine what must be complete before a retake (study guide, test corrections, etc)
• Attempting Summatives: Students must attempt at least half of summatives to be eligible to pass the class (not new this year, but important to be aware of).

A common question that has come up this past year is, are we moving away from A-F grading at the high schools?

ANSWER: No, the A–F grading system is not changing. Some assignments may be scored using a 1–4 scale to show how well a student understands the material, but those scores will still be converted into points and percentages. You can learn more by clicking the “Grading for Learning” link HERE.

If you are interested in looking at how SPEHS is doing based on "the numbers," check out our data dashboard on our website. The information is linked here, and a snapshot is provided below.

Preliminary transportation information is viewable in Infinite Campus by logging into Campus Parent, click on ‘More’ then choose the Transportation tab. If the bus stop does not look accurate, please contact Kobussen. Pickup and drop off times are continually changing as new students enroll and other students move out of the district.

A new change this year! High School students will not have bus tags. If busing staff need to check route attendance, they will utilize infinite campus.

Please contact Brinda Thompson at brinda.thompson@kobussen.com or (608) 825-8700 ext. 5509, if you have questions or concerns about your child’s bus route or stop. If you have any other questions related to busing, please contact either Lisa Sprindis at lasprin@sunprairieschools.org or Rhonda Page at rspage@sunprairieschools.org. If your child is NOT going to ride the bus but is eligible please stop by the bus table at registration or reach out to one of the people above.

This school year's copies of the student handbooks are linked below!

Linked below is our Bell-to-Bell no Cell poster! As students and staff return to our buildings, they will see these posters and flyers in public spaces and classrooms. “Bell-to-Bell no Cell” is the theme for our focus on increasing the use of instructional time and improving scholar outcomes. When students return to school we will have lessons prepared for SP30 and content area classes about electronic device expectations. Our top priority is teaching students how to use devices responsibly and to build skills around safe and productive technology use. When you stop in for registration, please keep a look out for more information in our welcome back packets! We will also be sharing more details on these policies in each Cardinal Call as we get closer to the start of the school year.

Please join us for Hmong Family Welcome Back Night on September 10th from 5 PM to 7 PM at Sun Prairie East.

Below are the A/B day calendar for the 2025/2026 school year as well as our daily bell schedule.

At the High School level we do not have a standard school supply list. Many teachers will let your students know of any specific materials they will need for class during the first couple of days. To start the year please have your student bring a notebook/s, pens/pencils and their Chromebook (more information on Chromebooks to come). As we implement our new electronic devices policy this year, it is essential that every student has a charged Chromebook every day. Many students also benefit from having a binder/s to organize their materials.

Some specific class requests can be found on our website under the "Academics" section.

8/25 - Teachers Return to School

8/26 - Back to School Night - 6 PM to 8 PM

9/1 - Labor Day!

9/2 - First Day of School

9/5 - Shake Your Tailfeather Family Tailgate at Ashley Field

9/23 - PreAct Testing

10/6-10/11 - Homecoming Week!

Student schedules are available for viewing on Infinite Campus as of August 15, 2025 at 12pm . A few things to note as you begin to prepare for the 2025/2026 school year:

• All schedules are subject to change based on staffing, room assignment and balancing of courses. We recommend that your student checks their schedule the day before school starts one more time in the event of slight changes.
• You will notice that SP30's are not entirely assigned yet. We are working to assign those over the next week or so, so please do not worry. Another great reason to revisit your schedule shortly before school starts.
• While we try to accommodate all student course requests, there are times when a student may not get all the classes they originally requested. This happens for a number of possible reasons, including but not limited to: lack of student interest, staffing, space availability, schedule conflicts, etc. In these cases, we default students to alternate courses.
• This year we are using a new feature of Infinite Campus called Cross Site Enrollment. If you are an East student and receiving this email and The Howl, that is an indicator that you are scheduled for a course at West. If you are taking a course that is scheduled at the other high school from your typical boundary school (I go to West but have a class at East or I go to East but have a class at West) it will be indicated in their schedule with a blue location symbol (similar to a Google maps symbol). If you are in a “traveling course” information regarding shuttle times, etc will be shared before the first day of school.
• If your child is wanting to request a schedule change, please review the Schedule Change Policy for eligibility first. If the request meets the eligibility requirements, please use this form.

If you have specific questions regarding your students schedule, please feel free to reach out to your student's school counselors at the contact information below:

Students last Names A-F:

Sarah Albright

sdalbri@sunprairieschools.org

Students last names G-L:

Amy Karsten

amrathk@sunprairieschools.org

Students last names M-S:

Steven Jordan

sljorda@sunprairieschools.org

Students last names T-Z:

Phau Thao

pthao@sunprairieschools.org

Early Graduation: Students interested in applying for early graduation should schedule a meeting with their counselor to review eligibility and other important considerations. The completed application form must be submitted to Student Services no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 15th.

The PSAT (Preliminary SAT) is a valuable standardized test co-sponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. It serves as both practice for the SAT and as the first step toward qualifying for scholarships through the National Merit Scholarship Program. The PSAT helps students assess their skills in key areas—Reading, Math, and Writing/Language.

This test is particularly important for 11th-grade students who are looking to gain insight into their SAT performance and open doors to scholarship opportunities. The PSAT is typically offered in the fall, and 11th-grade students can register to take the exam on an optional basis.

Important: If you would like to take the PSAT exam during the fall of the 2025-2026 school year on Wednesday October 15th, please complete the attached Google form by Monday September 8th, 2025.

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

Don’t miss this opportunity to start preparing for the future and potentially earn scholarships!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEwMS5S9y9xPxVv8moKi-bCHjgk3oZAKk3mORPxyMJN8GEaA/viewform?usp=dialog

As a Member of Congress, Representative Pocan has the honor of nominating outstanding young people from the Second District for an appointment to one of our nation’s service academies. Although a nomination is not a guarantee that a student will attend a U.S. Service Academy, it is required to apply to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point.

Our office is accepting nomination applications through Friday, October 17th. We will be holding an informational day for students, parents, and teachers on Wednesday, September 17th, to see presentations on the service academy admissions process. You will have

the opportunity to speak to representatives from each of the five academies and staff from our district office. Please let any interested students know that they can contact our office at 608-258-9800 or email the Service Academy Nominations Coordinator at Diego.Benitez@mail.house.gov with questions.

Ms. Leja has access to copies of the application for interested students.

We’re excited to welcome all of our families to a new school year filled with opportunities, growth, and plenty of school spirit! As we gear up for another exciting season of high school athletics, we’re eager to support our student-athletes in representing our school community with pride, sportsmanship, and dedication. Whether your student is joining a team or club for the first time or returning for another season, we’re here to ensure a positive and rewarding experience for all. Our office is located just inside the main doors and our office hours are M-F 8am- 4pm.

Fall Sport registration is open on infinite campus! To get started, families can find sports sign-up details and registration links on our school’s athletics website at https://www.sunprairieeastathletics.com/. Please make sure all athletic forms, including physicals, are up to date and submitted prior to tryouts or the first practice. Team schedules, and ticket information can also be found on the site, with updates posted regularly throughout the season. As always, we expect families and athletes to review the Student-Athlete/Activities Code of Conduct Handbook, which outlines our additional expectations on top of the school handbook.

Let’s work together to make this a successful, spirited, and memorable year—Go Cards!

Here are some helpful links for SPE Athletics.

Big 8 Calendar/Schedules

NFHS - Watch games LIVE here

Hudl - Watch games LIVE here

Thank you!

Jenna Boberg, CAA

Athletics & Activities Director

Please see the linked information for upcoming contests.