Cardinal Call

Hello Cardinal Families! Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we take the day to reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and service to one another, I was so happy to see our students from across Big 8 schools engage in the MLK leadership and basketball showcase. Seeing students from around Dane and Rock counties come together as athletes, but more importantly as student leaders, was amazing. I want to give a big thank you to our Sun Prairie staff that organized this event and our conference leadership for making it a priority.

Sincerely,

Jim Ertel

Interim Principal

Over the next several weeks you will be starting to receive information about course requests for next year. Course requests are your opportunity to help chart out your academic career in high school and take advantage of incredible opportunities from Career and Technical Education to AP Classes to classes at Madison College or UW. In the coming weeks we will be starting to highlight the process, timeline, and information so that as a family you can begin to discuss what next year will look like for your scholar.

Four Year Overview:

• 9th Grade- As you start high school in 9th grade you experience an opportunity for choice and electives and many graduation requirements will fill the majority of your schedule.
• Math- Next year- Math 1
• Science- Biology (other options available but most students take Biology)
• Social Studies- World History or AP Human Geography (AP Hug)
• English - English 9
• PE- Foundations of PE
• Electives:
• World Languages- Spanish, French or German- Many colleges want students to have had two years of the same language
• Begin to explore the awesome worlds of: art, tech ed, family and consumer science, business and marketing, agriculture, computer science and so much more at the high school level

• 10th Grade-
• Continuing through your graduation requirements and options begin to open wider with AP Seminar for 10th grade English, second levels of courses like Drawing, Foods, languages, etc.
• Application Process for the STEM Academy

• 11th Grade-
• Incredible opportunities begin to open:
• Start College Now
• Early College Credit
• STEM Academy attend Madison College your Junior and Senior year
• Fire Academy
• EMR Academy
• Youth Apprenticeship
• Work Based Learning
• Teaching Academy- The Teaching Academy is available during Senior Year. (Students need to take Intro to Education and Education in Pluralistic Society Junior Year to attend Teaching Academy their senior year.)

• 12th Grade-
• It is our goal that by senior year EVERY Cardinal would have a dual credit, certificate, or off-site experience. Senior year is an opportunity to bridge into the world after high school while still having your Cardinal support network. The opportunities are VAST including: becoming a certified nursing assistant, emergency medical responder, or fire fighter while still in high school.

The week of January 27 we will be having long SP30 periods. This will provide time for staff to assist students with requesting classes for next school year. Please check in with your scholar about this process. We know that these are very important decisions for families, so please reach out to your student services counselor if you have questions. Request are due February 3rd.

Below are helpful links for selecting courses for next school year. Both the electronic course guide & virtual course expo provide LOTS of information about our course offerings.

Below is a graphic that breaks down what unique programing options we offer that are both on and off campus. These options are for 11th and 12th graders.

• Semester 1 ends on January 24th. Please connect with your content area teacher if you have specific questions about assignments or grades.

Once semester grades are transcripted after January 24th, athletes with an F in any class must serve a 15 school day and night athletic suspension. This includes SP30 grades and Xello lessons. If you have questions about this policy, please speak with your coach. If you need additional follow up, please reach out to the athletic office.

As we near the end of the semester we wanted to remind students and families that tutoring is available after school in the LMC on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We have staff on hand that can help with all core content areas and students are able to make up summative assessments during 5th hour with coordination from their instructor.

The local scholarship application is now open. Deadline to complete is February 28th. This is a great opportunity to be considered for scholarships that are only available to Sun Prairie students.

February 10-14, 2025 is School Bus Driver Recognition Week in the State of Wisconsin. We encourage families to go the extra mile to show appreciation to the drivers who work hard to get our students to and from school safely every day. Please take a moment to thank them or consider having your child make a token of appreciation.

Your kind words, cards, etc., will surely make the drivers' week brighter!

_________________________________________________________________________

Del 10 al 14 de Febrero de 2025 es la Semana de reconocimiento a los conductores del autobús escolar en el estado de Wisconsin. Alentamos a las familias a hacer un esfuerzo adicional para mostrar agradecimiento a los hombres y mujeres que trabajan arduamente para que nuestros estudiantes vayan y regresen de la escuela de manera segura todos los días. Tómese un momento para agradecerles o considere que su hijo haga una muestra de agradecimiento.

¡Sus amables palabras, tarjetas, etc., seguramente harán que la semana del conductor sea más brillante!

Please see the linked information about our upcoming summer school offerings.

Spring sports sign up begins February 1st. If you have questions about your current sports physical status, please reach out to the athletic office. Thank you!

Ms. Boberg CAA

Sun Prairie United competed in the Wisconsin Academic Decathalon regional competition on Thu., Jan. 9 and Fri., Jan 10. The team placed third. We will know by Jan. 20 if we are advancing to state. Students compete in one of three GPA categories: Varsity, Scholastic, or Honors. Students competed in ten subjects. Students that earned individual ribbons:

Economics
3rd Honors: Lucy Podoll
2nd Honors: Alexis Cox

Literature
1st Scholastic: Henri Verhoeven
2nd Honors: Alexis Cox

Math
2nd Varsity: Cora Gaylord
2nd Honors: Alexis Cox

Science
3rd Varsity: Cora Gaylord
2nd Scholastic: Henri Verhoeven

Essay
1st Varsity: Cora Gaylord
3rd Honors: Alexis Cox
2nd Honors: Lucy Podoll

Interview
2nd Honors: Penelope Schlotz

Speech
2nd Varsity: Juliette Peterson
1st Scholastic: Hanshika Pravin Kumar

Other team members include: Priscilla Aweke, Aditya Bhowmick, Kat Van Dan, Keena Schroeder, Tom Kelly, Addison Heise, Matthew Garstka, and James Gammon.

This year Sun Prairie East and West hosted the Big 8 Conference Basketball Showcase. We would like to thank all the conference schools that participated in this year's event. It was a wonderful collaboration across the conference and a great way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Sun Prairie East Musical has arrived! Please come out and support our students in this year's musical Big Fish.

Please see the information below on a current Sun Prairie United FBLA and DECA fundraising opportunity.

The Sun Prairie East yearbook staff has been working hard all year to create a unique and memorable 2024-25 yearbook for our school. Don’t miss out on this year’s edition, the last day to order the 2024-2025 yearbook is Friday, February 14th.

Anyone that would like to personalize their book by including their student’s name on the front cover of their yearbook MUST order by January 31st.

Order Your Yearbook Now! Order your yearbook at www.jostens.com.

We can’t wait to share this year’s book at distribution! Don’t delay!

Amanda Gustafson and Katrina Horst, Yearbook Advisors

Please see the linked information for upcoming contests.

• No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 20
• STEM Information Night - January 22
• Last Day of Semester I - January 24
• No School - Staff Professional Development - January 27