The Howl

Timber is ready to welcome back students and parents/caregivers this week. We are excited to see you at Registration and our incoming 9th graders and new students at Keys to Success this week. This week's Howl has a LOT of important information for the upcoming week and the start of the school year. Grab a cup of coffee, a bottle of water and a snack, settle in and read carefully. Here's what's in the Howl this week:

• Upcoming Events
• SP 100 Plan and Theory of Action
• Knowledge of Students
• Your Wolf Support Team and Attendance
• Changes to Grading
• Registration is here!
• Student Schedules Available in Infinite Campus
• Keys to Success
• Busing Information
• Yearbooks on Sale
• Student Handbooks
• Asbestos
• SENIORS!!
• Welcome New Staff
• Too Important to Miss

August 17th- NIL Virtual Workshop for Athletes and their Parents/Caregivers (more information below) at 7:00pm

August 18th-

• Boys and Girls Cross Country Begins. Reach out to Ms. Beaver to join.
• Boys Soccer Begins. Reach out to Ms. Beaver to join.
• Boys and Girls Volleyball Begins. Reach out to Ms. Beaver to join.
• Registration- North Gym- All students and their parents/caregivers 8:00am-4:00pm

August 19th- Registration- North Gym- All students and their parents/caregivers 8:00am-4:00pm

August 20th- Jazz Kick Off at East 6-9pm. Click Here to register.

August 21st-

• Keys to Success for incoming 9th graders and new students. West PAC 9:00am-11:00am
• Jazz Kick Off at East 6-9pm. Click Here to register.

August 25th- All Staff Return

August 27th- Welcome Back Wolves Night! 6:00pm-8:00pm

September 2nd- First Day of School!!!

September 3rd- Fall Musical: Guys and Dolls- Auditions 4-6pm

September 4th- Fall Musical: Guys and Dolls- Auditions 4-6pm

September 16th- Juniors! Deadline for signing up for the PSAT.

October 13th-17th- Homecoming Week!

October 22nd- PSAT (Optional test for Juniors- pre-registration required)

As we enter 25-26 school year we are continuing of our focus on disrupting inequities, creating a culture of care and rigorous and coherent teaching. This year we will also start to layer on the next three components of the Instructional Framework: multiple means to demonstrate understanding, learning partnerships and culturally and linguistically responsive teaching. Over the last year we had a hyper focus on attendance and our data shows that we have a strong foundation in addition to build on to now focus specifically on literacy and numeracy (reading and math outcomes).

We will bring our SP West Equity Vision to life and disrupt inequities in our math and reading outcomes through the following Theory of Action:

• IF we use professional learning teams (teacher teams that teach the same classes) to intentionally design and implement instructional strategies and supports of the essential standards
• AND Work to repair and transform relationships to create a stronger sense of shared identity through restorative practices
• AND Impactfully collaborate to improve practice and outcomes through analyzing and owning data including focus group (reading and math outcomes for our Black students)
• AND Take action to challenge and dismantle oppressive systemic, personal, and instructional policies and adult practices through resources including the iceberg protocol (from our training resource Courageous Conversations Around Race)
• AND Design rigorous and responsive instruction as professional learning teams through the use of culturally responsive teaching based on knowledge of students and knowledge of standards (ASL, AVID, Developmental Designs, RCT Framework, SEL, Scaffolds, Multiple Modes of Assessment).
• THEN we will increase reading and math outcomes for Black/African American students (and all students- Black students were selected as our focal group as our data indicates that we have not done right by these students... yet).

In SPASD we break our year long school improvement plans to bring our Theory of Action to life and make progress to our Scorecard into 3, 100-day plans. Our 3 adult practice areas (gaols) this yeaer are:

• Adult Practice Focus #1 - Use knowledge of students and knowledge of standards to collaboratively design rigorous and responsive instruction for all students
• Adult Practice Focus #2 - Facilitate healing the harm to relationships and restoring community
• Adult Practice Focus #3 - Use data to challenge and dismantle oppressive systemic, personal, and instructional policies and practices

This year our Adult Practice #1 is includes using the knowledge of students to collaboratively design rigorous and responsive instruction for ALL students. We want to continue to grow our connections to both students and families and want to hear from you!

As parents/caregivers you are your child's first teacher and strongest advocate. We look forward to partnering with you as we get to know your student to be able to provide them the best possible educational experience while we focus on literacy and numeracy (reading and math) this year.

We encourage all families to complete this Google Form by the beginning of the school year. This will be shared with classroom teachers to help us better understand how to support your student!

Did you know that EVERY Wolf has a team of adults specifically here to support them? That team includes: an Associate Principal, Dean of Students, Counselor and School Social Worker. Additionally we have: School Psychologists, Restorative Practices Coach, Youth Advocates and College, Career and Life Readiness Coach to support ALL students. If there are specific things you would like members of your student's team to know or specific supports they may need, please reach out to their team.

While this year's outcome focus is on reading and math, our work around attendance will always continue. Our incredible teacher's cannot impact a student's reading and math outcomes if the student is not in the classroom. Attendance is affected by many things and your Wolf Support Team is here to help with those factors and help support attendance. Check out the information below regarding attendance. Pick up your SP West attendance magnet at registration.

Grading is an iterative process that we are constantly reflecting upon and adjusting. For the 25-26 school year we are making some adjustments to our past grading practices- here's what you need to know:

• 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 makeup 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 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 we have received recently are we moving away from the A-F grading?

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, which has been current practice.

Key Registration Information for August 18th & 19th:

1. Parking Permits: Students will need to bring a valid ID to receive their parking pass. You can prepay for your parking pass via the Infinite Campus (IC) portal. Application: https://tinyurl.com/SPWestParkingPermit
2. Lockers: Pick your locker. Lockers are free.
3. Clubs & Extracurricular Activities: Explore and join clubs. Pay the $10 club fee.
4. Sporting Events: Get student activity pass: https://tinyurl.com/SPWestGoFan
5. Student Services: Print schedule. Please note, you are not able to change your classes at registration, but you can fill out this form if there are changes you would like to make.
6. Infinite Campus and attendance: Make sure that both Student and Parent have the IC portal on your phone, information updated for contact information in IC and information regarding attendance for the year.
7. School Photo/ID: Take your school photo and print your ID. If you can not attend registration, picture make up day is on Thursday, September 18th. You will also be able to print your ID during that time.
8. NEW THIS YEAR! See the school store and stock up on your Wolf gear!

The Pack Shack is open and stocked with all of your SPW and SP United gear! Stop in during registration Monday and Tuesday and don’t forget to get your official SPW 2025-26 Pink Out Shirt while supplies last!

Student schedules are now available for viewing in Infinite Campus . 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 ask that all students check their schedule the day before school starts one more time to see the most up to date information.

• 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's course requests 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.

• If you see a course on your schedule that you do not remember signing up for, please know that we work very diligently to ensure students get as many of their requested courses as possible. Sometimes, however, there are conflicts that require us to default to a student's alternate courses, which is likely the course your student does not remember requesting.

• 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 you are wanting to request a schedule change, please review the Schedule Change Policy for eligibility first. If the request meets the eligibility requirements, please see the Student Services Website to request a schedule change.

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

Students last Names A-G:

Chelsea Saldana

cmsalda@sunprairieschools.org

Students last names H-M:

Keith Medema

kamedem@sunprairieschools.org

Students last names N-T:

Monica Wagner

mmwagne@sunprairieschools.org

Students last names U-Z:

Phau Thao

pthao@sunprairieschools.org

This THURSDAY is an outstanding opportunity for ALL incoming 9th grade students and students new to West this year. Enter West through Door 1 and you will be greeted and director toward the registration table.

When?

• August, 21st- 9:00am-11:00am

Where?

• West High School- Enter Door 1- The Main Entrance

Who?

• Incoming 9th graders
• Students new to West
• Students only! Parents/caregivers please drop off your student and then enjoy 2 hours on your own and return at 11:00am

Why?

• Meet your teachers
• Connect with your 9th Grade Network fellow incoming 9th graders and new students
• Get a lay of the land before all of the other students join you
• Have some fun!
• Prepare for the transition to the school year and High School
• Learn some important High School 101 info

What if I can't go?

• Have no fear- we will be here to support you in your transition
• We hope to see you at the Wolf Welcome Night on August 27th! Another opportunity to walk the building and meet teachers

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.

This year High School students will NOT receive bus tags. Students will need to be able to show their bus assignment through Infinite Campus when asked. Once bus information is available take a picture of it and mark it in favorites for easy access.

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.

To purchase a yearbook, go to www.jostens.com. Type in “Sun Prairie West” and make sure you click Sun Prairie West High School. You may also visit the following link directly: https://tinyurl.com/SPWHSYRBK26

Yearbooks must be pre-ordered by February, 20th 2026 to be guaranteed a copy of the 2026 Yearbook.

As we move into year 4 of an SPASD community with 3 High Schools in Sun Prairie (Sun Prairie East, Sun Prairie West and Prairie Phoenix Academy) we are united in our high expectations and high levels of support for students. Please grab a cup of coffee, refill your water or your favorite beverage and carefully read through our Student Handbooks. This includes LOTS of important information from academics to student/parent/caregiver support to school nutrition and student fees.

ANNUAL ASBESTOS NOTIFICATION

SUN PRAIRIE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR

As a result of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), every school district is

required to complete a comprehensive asbestos inspection and develop a management plan for

all asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM), present within the district. In an effort to

comply with this regulation, the Sun Prairie Area School District had all buildings owned or leased

by the District initially inspected by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), accredited

inspector and any samples taken and analyzed by an independent laboratory. This information

was then utilized to develop a comprehensive asbestos management plan.

A comprehensive re-inspection by an accredited inspector of all ACBM is required every 3 years,

while periodic 6-month surveillance is an additional requirement. Beginning in July, 1998, the Sun

Prairie Area School District contracted Environmental Management Consulting, Inc. (EMC), to

perform 3- year re-inspections and 6-month surveillances for all district buildings.

Environmental Management Consulting, Inc. has completed the most recent comprehensive

asbestos inspection and management plan, with this report available for your review during

normal business hours in the Facilities and Grounds office. Copies of this report are also available

to you upon request.

All ACBM found within the District have been identified, with location and condition assessed.

Any areas noted as being in moderate to poor condition will be repaired or removed. A district

long-range management plan of all ACBM has been developed.

Any questions relating to ACBM present in any District buildings, management plan or regarding

the District’s on-going operations and maintenance program should be directed to Peter Woreck,

Director of Facilities and Grounds, 608-834-6567 or pkworec@sunprairieschools.org.

Thank You,

Peter Woreck

Sun Prairie Area School District Asbestos Designated Person

• All senior portraits will need to be uploaded directly to Jostens.com using the following link: https://photos.jostens.com/CC2FPK
• Be sure to include the student’s first name, last name, and grade (12) in the file name. Ensure that you spell the name correctly, as this is how it will be printed in the yearbook.
• All senior portraits are due by Friday, October 31st, 2025

• All senior grad ads will be 1/8 of a page and completed directly through Jostens using the following link: jostensadservice.com/student
• You will need to create a Jostens account to create and submit your senior’s grad ad.
• All grad ads are due by Friday, November 14th 2025.

Over the next several weeks we will be welcoming our new Wolf staff here! Please take a moment to get to know these new members of our community and to send them a quick Wolf Welcome!!!

August marks the start of a new competition year for Sun Prairie West Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). The 2024–2025 school year was one of outstanding achievements for the Sun Prairie West chapter of FBLA. More students competed at Regionals than ever before in school history, and over 70 members qualified for the State Leadership Conference. The chapter earned an impressive fourth-place finish in the Large School Division at State. We also celebrated the leadership of our remarkable Chapter President and FBLA National North Central Region Vice President, Pragnya Vella, who successfully passed the service torch to our newly elected State Secretary/Treasurer, Ishaan Shukla.

This summer, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter at Sun Prairie West High School made an impressive showing at the FBLA National Leadership Conference, held at the Anaheim Convention Center from June 29 to July 2, 2025. Out of over 200,000 FBLA members worldwide, only the top 7% qualified to attend this prestigious event, and Sun Prairie West proudly had a school-record 18 students qualify for Nationals, with 16 ultimately competing—another school record.

Even more remarkable, four students placed in the top ten in the nation in their respective categories, showcasing the dedication, skill, and preparation of our young business leaders:

• Mouneeth Venigalla and Shlok Shah – 6th Place, Computer Game and Simulation Programming

• Ishaan Shukla and Pragnya Vella – 7th Place, Local Chapter Annual Business Report

• Pragnya Vella – 10th Place, Help Desk

Additional National competitors included:

• Srinivas Balchukuru and Mohith Ram Prabhu – Digital Animation

• Aditya Bhowmick, Aashrith Kamini, and Andrew Tjong – Coding and Programming

• Akanksh Gopinath and Lalith Uppu – Mobile Application Development

• Kyle Weng – Business Concepts

• Sanjay Jagadeeth, Aashrith Kamini and Andrew Tjong – Website Coding and Development

• Tea' Schmoldt – Community Service Project

The event was not just about competition, it was about growth, networking, leadership, and inspiration. All sixteen attendees represented Sun Prairie West with excellence and returned home motivated to continue building their business and leadership skills.

During the week of August 11th, East and West’s theatre departments participated in a week-long theatre camp. Students learned songs and dances from the upcoming season, audition techniques, and had the opportunity to work together during improv games. They all had an amazing time and made some great friends along the way!

Students from the East and West theatre departments had the amazing opportunity to shoot three commercials for the Bank of Sun Prairie. These commercials will be seen during the games at Ashley Field and on the bank’s social media pages.

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.

Too keep The Howl as short and usable as possible we work to not duplicate information from week to week. Check here for information you may have missed.

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.

Why: Recent research has shown that cell phones in the classroom have been associated with negative effects including, academic achievement, social engagement, anxiety, etc. Even having the phone on the table has negative side effects. In the Spring of ‘25 94.8% of SPASD High School staff reported that cell phones were having an impact or serious impact on learning in their space.

What: The district policy has been and will continue to be that students should only be using school issued devices when directed by the teacher during class. The shift is consistent implementation of no cell phones or personal electronic devices in class, bell-to-bell, every day at both East and West.

How: 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.

More to Come: 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 Howl as we get closer to the start of the school year.

As we head into year 4 of Sun Prairie West we are excited to build on the successes that have been created in our first three years. This summer the SPASD communications team put together beautiful Points of Pride and Data Dashboards for each of our schools. Check out West's below:

Additionally, our Equitable Multileveled Systems of Support Coordinator, Amy Cassiday helped us analyze our AP data over the last three years and there is MUCH to celebrate. A HUGE shout out not only to our brilliant scholars but their dedicated and committed educators who go above and beyond expectations to help them thrive in and out of the classroom.

Shout Outs to the following teachers who are a part of the 90%+ club with their students celebrating over a 90% pass rate (3 or higher):

• Ms. Dorner- AP English Lit

• Ms. Peters- AP US Government
• Ms. Updike- AP Seminar

Shout Outs to the following teachers whose students beat the average pass rate for their specific national exam:

• Ms. Andreasen- AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics
• Mr. Barth- AP United States History
• Ms. Bosonetta- AP Environmental Science
• Ms. Dahlgren- AP Human Geography
• Ms. Dorner- AP Literature
• Mr. Hall- AP Physics 1

• Ms. Herrera- AP African American Studies
• Mr. Ladell- AP Psych
• Ms. Meier- AP Drawing
• Mr. O'Connor- AP Psych
• Ms. Peters- AP US Government

• Mr. Pibal- AP Comp Sci Principals
• Ms. Piotrowski- AP Language and Composition

• Ms. Rogers- AP Calc AB
• Mr. Swanson- AP Calc AP
• Mr. Thompson- AP United States History
• Ms. Updike- AP Seminar

Cancer has touched all of us in some way. And we want to stop this disease in its tracks. Please consider supporting the Sun Prairie West Girls Golf Team as we spend the next few weeks fundraising for the American Cancer Society. Then, on the day of the event, we'll honor the lives lost to cancer, celebrate survivors, and support the caregivers who so selflessly help others.

Please give a warm Wolfe Welcome to our new staff, or new to a position staff.

Talamore Senior Living (located near SP West!) is looking for food servers with flexible shifts, starting at $16/hour (must be at least 16 years old).

Scan the QR code for more information and to apply, or contact Jonathan Riffle at jriffle@unidine.com

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 22nd, please complete the attached Google form by Tuesday September 16th, 2025.

For more details or questions, feel free to reach out to Ms. Thao and Mr. Medema!

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

At the High School level we do not have a standard school supply list. Many teachers will let your teachers know 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 Bell-to-Bell No Cell practices 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.

We know that students who are involved in 2 or more activities outside of the classroom have in increased: sense of belonging, academic success and social-emotional well being. We are fortunate at West to offer MANY opportunities for ALL students. Don't see something that you are excited about? Connect with Mr. Nee (eanee@sunprairieschools.org) to work on creating something new. Fall sports have begun or are beginning very soon. It's not to late to sign up! Reach out to Mindy Ripp (mjripp@sunprairieschools.org) and/or Amber Beaver (albeave@sunprairieschools.org). Join TODAY!!!

As we prepare for the 25-26 School Year here are two important documents for you to have handy. 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. This was unavoidable with other constraints so just a heads up.

Do YOU want to be a Leader of the Pack? Leaders of the Pack is open to any West Wolf that strives to embody PACK each and every day and is ready to step up as a leader for our community. Activities for leaders of the pack include: serving on Student Senate, volunteering at school wide events, giving school tours, being a buddy for new students and being a guide for our incoming 9th graders. Sign up today!

Calling ALL incoming 9th graders and new students to SP West. Keys to Success will be held at West High School on Thursday, August 21st from 9:00am-11:00am at West High School. This is an opportunity for students to be welcomed into West, get to know the building and start created connections with staff and students. ALL new students and incoming 9th graders are welcome! We are excited to see you there! Haven't registered yet? No problem. Please register TODAY.