Up Coming Events

I first want to wish all of our students a great winter break and Happy New Year!!!

Our first semester will be coming to an end very soon with our final exams on January 26, 27, and 28.  We will have three weeks of instruction prior this, as well as starting our registration process that will kick off with our parent/student nights on January 5, 2015. These meetings will be in SHS's Auditorium as the 8th grade meeting will be at 6:15, while the 9-11 grade meeting will at 7:00.

On January 6, we will be giving the details for registration during Grad Group. Students already have the course book for next year, but they will receive the registration cards and directions for registering online.

January 7 is our annual Freshman Transition Elective Day activity when our future 8th graders will be eating lunch and exploring all of our elective areas.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year!!!!

GO SPARTANS!!!

US Senator Ron Johnson Visits SHS

Today we were very pleased to have Senator Ron Johnson at SHS.  Senator Johnson and I talked about our dual credit program with UW-Richland and transcripted program with WTC.  Senator Johnson then spoke with a Current Events class in regard to our national economy and student loan debt.

Santa Visit!

SHS's Student Council invited Santa to stop by to our Holidazzel Assembly today! We also had our first snowball fight in the AA Gym, acknowledged our winter sport athletes, and had performances by our Vocal Jazz/SHE choir and Winter Dance Team. Thank you to our Student Council for organizing this event!!!!!!

SHS's Cellphone Free Day!!

SHS had a very successful "Cellphone Free Day" yesterday. We reinforced our cellphone policy by having every teacher, every hour go through our policy of only having their cellphones out during passing time, before/after school, and at lunch.  Our students responded and we had a great day!  Employers are informing the schools that one of the main reasons why employees are released from their positions is for tardiness and for being on their cellphones at inappropriate times.  We continue to stress to our students the responsible time to use their technology.

Student Council's Thanksgiving Send Off!

Below are some photos from Student Council's Thanksgiving Send Off. Activities included a pie eating contest, squash bowling, and a game of "hunters and deer."    

We had a lot of fun!

SHS Veterans Day Program

I would like to send out a special thanks to Lt. Gen. Mike Gould for giving our keynote address to our students, Sparta's American Legion for the Color Guard, SHS SHE/VJ, and the SHS band for their time and efforts to making our program a success.

Also, I would like to send a thank you to all of our students who were extremely respectful during the program, and silent moving to third hour as we remembered our veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice to ensure we have the freedoms we have today.

Happy Veterans Day to all past, present, and future military personnel and their families.

First Quarter Spartan Spirit!

Good Afternoon!

Please see the link below to SHS's Spartan Spirit!

Go Spartans!!

Sam Russ

http://secondary.spartan.org/media/2993/October%202014.pdf 

Great Week at SHS!!!

We had an excellent week at Sparta High!!!!  Many of our Juniors took the PSAT and we finished up the Freshman Aspire assessment.  Our students are working very hard in the classroom to finish the first quarter on a strong note.

As we approach the cold/flu season, please encourage all the students to get plenty of rest.

If you have any questions in regard to SHS, please feel free to contact me any time.

Thanks and GO SPARTANS!!!

Sam Russ
sruss@spartan.org
608-366-3504
The Spartan Way: Respectful, Responsible, Safe, and Best Effort!!!

ACT Aspire Test Complete!!!

SHS just completed testing the entire freshman class on the first ever ACT Aspire assessment!  Freshman students the last two days were in computer labs working on an online assessment in reading, math, English, science, and writing.  The students worked very hard and should be very tired tonight!!!  Great work the Class of 2018!!!!!

SHS PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Sparta High School will be hosting 1^st semester parent-teacher-conferences (PTC) on Thursday, October 2 from 3:30-6:30 p.m., Monday, October 6 from 3:30-6:30 p.m, and Friday, October 10 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. (no student classes this day).  Individual PTC will be held in the teacher’s classroom to give parents/students the privacy needed and also save the school district money by having the parents/students look at the computer screen rather than print out all the necessary reports (approximately 5000). If you cannot make either of the above dates, please contact your son/daughter’s teachers and set up another time to have the PTC.

New this year, is that we are hosting a volleyball game on October 2^nd and having PTC on the same night.  To encourage students and their parents to attend both the game and PTC on this night, we will be having a “ticket” that students and their parents/guardians can use to get into the game for free if they see seven of their teachers.  Teachers will have these tickets during the Oct. 2^nd PTC. If your student’s teacher is not available that night, please indicate that on the ticket.

Staff who will be unavailable for PTC due to scheduling conflicts (lists may change without prior notice):

October 2: Buck Engel, Lindsey Lebakken, Carol Olson, Cheri Zahasky, Britni Walz, Gina Hackworth (available 3:30-5:15), Julie Jandt (available 3:30-5:15), Jamie Adams (available 3:30-5:15), Julie Ender (available 3:30-5:15), Larry Noll (available 5:15-6:30), John Blaha (available 5:15-6:30), Mark Byom (available 5:15-6:30), Danielle Dove (available 5:15-6:30), and Mary Sackmann (available 5:15-6:30).

October 6: Ed Flasch, Michael Castle, Derrick Sands, Larry Noll (available 5:15-6:30), John Blaha (available 5:15-6:30), Mark Byom (available 5:15-6:30), Danielle Dove (available 5:15-6:30), and Mary Sackmann (available 5:15-6:30).

October 10: Cheri Zahasky

Please try and make it to at least one of our conferences as it is valuable for both the teachers and students that we have these conferences. If you have any questions in regard to PTC or any other aspect of SHS, please contact Mr. Sam Russ at 608-366-3504 or sruss@spartan.org

SHS Homecoming Week!!!!

Happy Homecoming Week Sparta High!!!  We have had a great first three weeks of school and are ready for a great Homecoming Week!!  We roll into the fourth week as it was announced this week that SHS earned a 78.0 score on our state report card; this is a great score and we are very proud of what our students have accomplished, while still recognizing the need for continuous improvement for all students.

Please see below for all of our HC activities!

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!!

Here is the week’s schedule:

 

Dress up days:

Monday: Circus Characters

Tuesday: Class Colors (Seniors: Black, Juniors: White, Sophomores: Red, Freshmen: Yellow)

Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday

Thursday: Spartan Spirit

 

Monday, Sept. 22: Parade of Athletes/Club participants, 9:15 a.m., Alton Ask Gym; Variety Show, 7 p.m., Auditorium. 

 

Tuesday, Sept. 23: Rueball, 9:15 a.m, Alton Ask Gym. 

 

Wednesday, Sept. 24: Variety Show Acts Perform, 10:50 a.m., Alton Ask Gym.

 

Thursday, Sept. 25: Dance Team Performance, Football Team recognition, 10:50 a.m., Alton Ask Gym.

 

Friday, Sept. 26: Parade at 5 p.m. Parade begins at the corner of Hill and Water streets, going north on Water Street, east on Franklin Street and to the football field.  Floats will enter the parking lot and park on the east end of the stadium until halftime. At or after halftime, all floats are responsible for cleaning up their floats, disposing of materials, and taking everything with them. The Varsity Football game begins at 7 p.m. The carnival begins at 5:45 p.m. at Memorial Field with dunk tank, inflatables, pick a duck, and other carnival games run by Sparta School District clubs, sports and PTAs. The Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned at 6:45 p.m.  All carnival games are free, however, the dunk tank will require either a canned goods or cash donation.  All proceeds will benefit our local food pantries.

 

Saturday, Sept. 21: Homecoming Dance from 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets available at the door for $5 or $3 with a canned good/donated food item.

Drug Take Back Day

Back To School!!!

We had a great Freshman Only Day at SHS today!!! All the freshman worked very hard and had a great first day. Tomorrow, everyone will attend and go directly to their first hour class.  Students who do not know their first hour class, there will be a list post outside of the Guidance Office.

Parents, please ask your son/daughter how school went everyday.  I know this can be difficult at times, so here is a website that gives you some ideas on how to ask your student how school went everyday:

http://www.simplesimonandco.com/2014/08/25-ways-ask-kids-school-today-without-asking-school-today.html

Go Spartans!!!!

Happy Labor Day!!!

Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you all have a great long weekend and I will see all the Freshman Tuesday and everyone else on Wednesday!

Go Spartans!!!

Welcome Back Notes

Welcome back to SHS!!! 

We are all very eager to start another great school year!  Just a reminder that Tuesday, September 2, is dedicated to freshman only; therefore we are asking sophomore, junior, and senior students not come to SHS until the very end of the day for their co-curricular obligations.  Materials can be placed into lockers after school on Tuesday, or before school on Wednesday, September 3, when all students return to SHS for their first day of classes.

As we approach the first week, I would like to stress a few key points that are very important for student success and safety:

• Please stay in contact with your son/daughter's teachers and check Family Access regularly.  We had a huge turn out at Open House which was excellent, but please continue to speak with your son/daughter on how school is going, check in with their teachers periodically, and keep current with Family Access to check attendance, academic performance, and lunch accounts.  Please contact our Guidance Office if you have any questions in regard to Family Access. 

• The importance of attendance.  Please ensure that your son/daughter attends school everyday and is on-time to all of their classes as missing class is the number one way students fall behind in their classes.  We have an automated call system that will call all parents/guardians if their student is unexcused or tardy any hour of the day.  If your student will be absent, please call the Main Office and let us know. If at all possible, please make appointments outside of the school day.  If students must leave the building during the day, they must sign out in the Main Office prior to leaving.

• We have excellent support systems at SHS.  Our tiered study hall system has been very successful, along with students coming to see teachers before/after school and during resource time during our Gold and Red days; our teachers are here for support and please use them. Also, please use me as a resource as well for any issues that might come up. Our School Counselors are also an excellent source for academic, social, emotional, and post-secondary assistance. 

• Please encourage your student to get plenty of rest and proper nutrition.  We have an excellent food service that serves breakfast, lunch, and a free after school snack for students in participating in co-curricular or tutoring programs that day.  Fresh fruit and vegetables are always available, along with a wide variety of hot and cold food selections every day.  SHS has a closed campus, so all students are required to remain on campus for the entire school day.

• When picking up or dropping off your son/daughter before or immediately after school, please do not use the "horseshoe" in the front of SHS as that is for buses only.  SHS students are usually dropped off the earliest and need to stay on time to ensure the on-time arrival of all the other district students.  

I am very excited for Tuesday to arrive to welcome our Class of 2018 and Wednesday when we begin what I feel will be a great year!  If you need anything or have questions, please feel free to contact me at sruss@spartan.org or 608-366-3504.  In addition, please check back here for updates and positive happenings at SHS.

Go Spartans!!!

The Spartan Way: Respectful, Responsible, Safe, Best Effort!

One Week To Go!!!!

One week and counting until the Class of 2018 arrives!!!  Tuesday, Sept. 2 is devoted to Freshman students, while the rest of SHS reports on Wednesday the 3rd.

I will see you all soon!

GO SPARTANS!!!

Three Weeks To Go!!!!!

Good Morning!

We are three weeks from the start of another great school year!!!!  Registration and pictures are set for tomorrow (seniors and juniors) and Thursday (sophomore and freshman).  Schedules can be picked up at this time, and pictures can be taken either day for all students. Our Open House will be on August 27 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

We are very excited for the start of another year!!!  Good luck to our athletes as they begin to enter their first practices and competitions.

GO SPARTANS!!!

Happy August!!!

Good Morning!!!!

We have started the countdown to the start of the 2014-2015 school year!!!  Less than one month before our Freshman only day on September 2, and the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior first day on the 3rd.  SHS's Open House will be on August 26 from 6:00-8:00 p.m., with a Freshman/new to SHS student/parent/guardian meeting at 6:00 and a Senior student/parent/guardian meeting to discuss the year and graduation (May 22, 2015).

Have a great day and Go Spartans!!!!!

Dalton Benefit

A special thank you to Rudy's and SHS's Student Council for a successful benefit for Dalton!!!!! Dalton was able to attend which was outstanding for everyone!!! Keep getting better!!!!

Key Club and Miracle Network Hospital

Thank you for SHS's Key Club in raising $1,200 for the Miracle Network!!!!

SHS Final Exam Schedule

Sparta High School Final Exam Schedule

June 3, 4, and 5 will be denoted for final exams (please see the schedule below). Three days of finals are more beneficial to students as they do not have to prepare for four finals in one day. Students must arrive to their finals on time or they will have to take their finals during the school wide resource/test make up time at of the day.  The resource time at the end of the day is for students to get help for any upcoming exams. Students who do not have final exams during the below times are not required to remain at school, however students are strongly encouraged to remain in the LMC or Commons area to study and use the resource time with their teachers.

Students who have not yet picked up their yearbooks can do so during the resource periods at the end of the day in the Main Office.

Finals June 3/4/5
7:40-7:55 (resource)

8:00-9:30 (period 1/ 4/ 7)

9:40-11:10 (period 2/5/8)

11:10-11:55 (lunch for the first 30 minutes and resource for 15 minutes)

12:00-1:30 (period 3/6)

1:30-3:01 (School wide resource/test make up)

(All District busses will run on their normal schedules during final exams)

Thanks,

Sam Russ

GO SPARTANS!!!

World Civilization Guest Speaker

Sgt. Mark Fauris was a guest speaker today for Mr. Trocinski and Mr. Ott's World Civilization classes.  Sgt. Fauris was deployed for 15 months in Iraq and was present in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was captured.  He spoke about his experience there and brought back pictures and other artifacts to share with the classes.  In addition, he spoke about the war on terror in Afghanistan.  Sgt. Fauris is currently with the Wisconsin National Guard.  Thank you very much Sgt!!!!

Congratulations to the Class of 2014

Great job seniors!!!!!  We had a beautiful evening last night at Memorial Field celebrating your fourteen years of education in Sparta.  The entire Sparta High School Learning Community is very proud of your accomplishments. A special thank you for all who attended last night's ceremony and to all of the friends, family, staff, and community  members who helped this evening be possible. We wish the Class of 2014 all the future success!!

Have a great long Memorial Day Weekend!

GO SPARTANS!!!

Graduation Live Stream

The Sparta High School Class of 2014 Graduation will be broadcast live Friday night beginning at 7 p.m. on a webcast. We are hoping that this broadcasts helps celebrate the success of the Class of 2014 with all of the friends, family, and community members who will be unable to attend the ceremony.

Please visit http://www.highschoolcube.com/event/sparta-high-school-graduation-class-of-2014-353637 to Like or Share the event.

This is the first time the Sparta Area School District has shared graduation in this format.

The graduation ceremony will be held at Memorial Field (weather permitting).  

Three Days Left for Seniors!!!

The countdown is almost complete!!!  Today we have our traditional schedule, tomorrow we have a Gold Day and Thursday is a Red Day to accommodate Senior Final Exams.

Graduation Practice: 9:00 a.m. May 23 (all seniors must attend in order to participate in the ceremony)
Graduation Ceremony: 7:00 p.m. May 23

GO SPARTANS!!!

Senior Week!!!

Our Seniors have made it to their final week!!!!  Graduation practice is Friday, May 23, 9:00 a.m. at Memorial Field and the ceremony is at 7:00 p.m. that same day.

GO SPARTANS!!!

Oh the Places our Seniors Will Go!!!

Outside our Guidance Office is a map where our seniors in one will attending in the fall!

GO SPARTANS!!!

Wellness and Academic Day Yesterday

We had a great day yesterday at SHS!!!  From the Wellness Fair, 5K run, and Academic Assembly, it was a great day!!  A special thanks to Mr. Wetzsteon's Health Issues class for the Wellness Fair; Mr. Noll and Ms. King for the 5K, and Ms. Ender and NHS for the Academic Assembly.

Many thanks to our local organizations who helped with this day as well:

Western Technical College
AAA
Sparta's Emergency Services
Optical Fashions
May
Innovations Rehabilitation
Young Living
Papa Murphy
RBI Construction

Thank you all for a successful day!

GO SPARTANS!!!!

Exciting Week at SHS!!!

We had a very good week at SHS!  We had the Class of 2018 up here on Wednesday for our freshman transition activity as we had all of our clubs, organizations, and sports on display for our incoming class.  Students viewed a brief presentation of all of our clubs and organizations, and signed up for our sports and organizations for our advisers/coaches to contact them over the summer.

Also on Wednesday was our Academic Honors Ceremony.  Students who have earned a cumulative GPA of over 3.000 were honored; approximately 350 people attended the this wonderful event.

Seniors are counting down the days until our graduation ceremony (May 23, 7:00 p.m., Memorial Field).  Prior to the graduation, we have our mandatory practice run at Memorial field at 9:00 a.m. that same day. Due to graduation week, we will be running our Gold and Red Days on May 21 and 22 to accommodate our senior final exams.

GO SPARTANS!!!!

SHS Scholarship Night

We had a wonderful evening last night as our seniors received more than $200,000 total in scholarships!!  Congratulations to the recipients and a special thanks to all the donors who put in a lot of time, energy, and financial resources
to make last night a success.  Also, thanks to Ms. DeLong for organizing this great event.

Go Spartans!

"Spartan Spirit"

Please check out the 4th quarter edition of the Spartan Spirit!

Go Spartans!!!

http://secondary.spartan.org/media/2961/April%202014.pdf

Rue Ball to bring us to our Spring Break

We had a surprise game of Rue Ball between the classes to day to take us to our short Spring Break!!  We are off of school on Friday, April 18, but back in class on Monday, April 21.  Have a great long weekend and please keep encouraging your son/daughter to be safe, responsible, respectful, and doing their best!

Go Spartans!!!!

Staff Development Day!!

The entire Sparta Area School District had a great day of staff development!!  This afternoon, the staff worked on improving student achievement through the use of technology through a mini-summit put on by our own faculty and staff.  Using Google and Schoology were just two topics throughout the afternoon that staff learned and/or enhanced their technology skills. Specifically for me, I went to a presentation on how to use our Google calendars to collaborate and Google forms to send out surveys to staff, students, and parents.

Thank you for your continued support of our District wide professional development!

Thanks and Go Spartans!

Good Start!!!

SHS is off to an excellent start to the fourth quarter!!  I am sure the seniors are counting down their last few weeks of high school and are excited to begin their post-secondary journey.  Our juniors wrapped up an excellent Prom for SHS as many, many students enjoyed a great evening at SHS.

While we are on the home stretch, please continue to monitor your student's academics and attendance as sometimes the nice weather can be a distraction for some students. Since the snow is finally gone, our spring sports are in full swing and will be over very quickly.

Enjoy the day and Go Spartans!!

Great Work Freshman!!!

All of our Freshman students took part in the ACT Aspire assessment today and did a great job!!!  They all did their best and were very respectful of each other as they spent the entire day as a class in the AA Gym!!  Excellent work Freshman!!  You should be very proud of yourself and classmates!!!

Have a great night and Go Spartans!!

Sam

Quarter Ends Friday, March 28

Good Afternoon!

We are moving right along with our second semester as it is coming to it's half-way point this Friday. Our students and staff have been working very hard to learn as much as they can to end the quarter on a positive note.  Ideally, all of your son/daughter's teachers have communicated with you in regard to their academic progress. Contacting their teachers and checking Family Access is the best way to ensure that you know that your student is on track.  Hopefully you have seen an increase in communication from our faculty as that is a point of emphasis this semester for us at SHS.

Please let me know if I can help anyway to increase academic achievement in your student's life or SHS as a whole.

Have a great night and Go Spartans!!!!

SHS Blood Drive

Thank you for all the staff, students, and community members who gave up their time to save a life by donating their blood and platelets!!! A special thanks goes out to all the Student Council students, Ms. DeLong, and Ms. Bernett for all their hard work in organizing this great event!

Reality Store Success!!

We had a great Reality Store today at SHS!!!  A special thank you to all the volunteers that came from Sparta area businesses and citizens to make this event another huge success for SHS!  Our juniors got a first glimpse of what the "real world" is like.

Another special thank you to Mr. Forde and Mr. Thometz for all their time and efforts that they put into the Reality Store. They did a great job and are already planning for next year!

Have a great night and GO SPARTANS!!!

"Spread the Word to End the Word"

Today and across the country is "Spread the Word to End the Word" day.  Our faculty and staff have shirts promoting this day that our Special Education Department organizes.  Thank you very much!!!  Please see the following website for more information:

http://www.r-word.org/

Below is our Special Education Department with their shirts!

Thanks and Go Spartans!

2 Hour Delay, March 3

Good Morning!

Due to the cold weather, we will be having two hour delay today, March 3. SHS will start classes at 9:40 with an abbreviated schedule. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held at their normal time (3:30-6:30) this afternoon.

Thnaks, stay warm, and Go Spartans!!

Happy March!!!

SHS had another great week!  Eventually we will get warm and our spring sports are getting geared up to go!  Good luck to our wrestlers today and our girls basketball team next week as they enter tournament play.

The midterm ended on Friday, and we are planning on moving our study hall students on Wednesday to meet the needs of our students.  Our students continue to work hard to gain as much knowledge as possible and our staff is working very hard to meet the needs of all!

Have a great weekend and Go Spartans!!!

Plan Assessment for Sophomores

The sophomores did an excellent job taking the Plan Assessment (pre-ACT test) in the AA Gym together as a group!  They all worked very hard and should be very proud of their individual and group achievements!  The results of the Plan will be given back to the students when we receive them in approximately 3-5 weeks.

Next year, all juniors will be taking the ACT + Writing, along with ACT Work Keys on March 3&4, 2015.

Great End of the Week!

We had a great week at SHS as it was nice that the weather held off for us to get all the scheduled days in the is week; there were moments where it might have been in question, but our students did an excellent job staying focused.

Our sophomores are ready to take the Plan Assessment on Monday; all sophomores should report to the AA gym with pencils and a calculator to take this important college and career ready assessment.

If the weather cooperates, we should be in a longer stretch here with five day school weeks until our shorted break near Easter.  Our seniors will find that this time will go very quickly, while our underclassman will be anxiously awaiting their time to start their class's countdown to graduation.

Have a great long weekend!!

Early Release, Feb. 19

On Wednesday, February 19, the Sparta Area School District will have a two hour early release for  professional development.  All District transportation will run two hours earlier than originally scheduled, and SHS will end the school day with an abbreviated  eight period day at 1:01.

During this professional development time, Sparta High School faculty will discuss a plan of action to increase academic progress communication to parents, along with our content teams continuing to development and refine our course unit plans with the goal of making these available to parents and students by the start of next school year.

Also, there will be no school on Friday, February 21 as this is a non-school day for both students and staff. Even though we do not have school, many staff members will be attending the Western Wisconsin Education Conference in La Crosse to learn about technology resources to enhance student learning.

If you have any questions in regard to this day or anything else to SHS, please feel free to contact me at sruss@spartan.org or 608-366-3504. Thank you for your support of these valuable professional development opportunities.

Thanks and Go Spartans!

Sophomore Plan Assessment

On February 24, all sophomore students will be taking part in a standardized test called the Plan. This assessment is part of the “ACT Suite” and give students and parents a measuring tool for college and career readiness.  Students last year took the “Explore” assessment, and the Plan will build upon last year’s assessment.  The exam takes approximately  three hours to complete and students will miss their morning classes. 

We are having our students take this exam for several reasons:

1)      To give our students the best possible chance to perform on the ACT, Compass, and other college entrance exams. Also, information will be given to the students and parents about how to increase their ACT scores.

2)      Beginning in the year 2014-2015, the state of WI is requiring all students take the ACT + Writing test as the state exam.

3)      Our faculty will be taking the data from these exams and making the proper adjustments to better prepare our students for the ACT.

If you have any questions in regard to either Explore or Plan, please visit http://www.act.org/products/k-12-act-plan/  ,  or contact Sparta High’s School Counseling Office at 366-3425.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!!

State ACT Conference Notes

Good Evening!

Yesterday, I went to WI's annual state ACT conference for educators.  The conference was extremely well attended due to Wisconsin moving to the ACT, ACT Aspire, and ACT Work Keys for the high school state assessments.  More information will follow in regard to each of these, but I was more taken interested to learn what types of talents our future workforce (our students) will need to be successful in their career. This career might be right out of high school, or after a certification program, technical college, or traditional college, but regardless what our students do after graduation, they must be college and career ready.  The skills below are listed from most important to least important:

• Locating Information
• Reading for Information
• Advanced Mathematics
• Workplace Observation (learning by observation)
• Teamwork
• Writing
• Applied Technology
• Listening

The skills listed above, are the same skills that post-secondary institutions also look for in applicants.  Our future economy will need smart, young talented people to help us continue our economic growth; this is what we are trying to have all of our graduates become as we work with them for four years.

Enjoy the night!!

Go Spartans!!!!!

Ms. Sackmann's Chemistry Class

Good Evening!

Thank you to Ms. Sackmann for having me in her Chemistry class today!  They were doing excellent work on determining the limiting reagent in a reaction as they were just starting to learn about this important concept. Talking this topic with the kids brought me back to my Chemistry teaching days!!

Have a great night and we are all set for another great day tomorrow at SHS!!

Go Spartans!

Sam Russ

Great Week!!

Good Morning!

SHS had a great week throughout the classrooms!!!  Our students and staff are working very hard to ensure a great start to the semester.  We are expecting another good week coming up as we will be running our normal schedules.  For the week of February 17-21, we will not be having any Gold/Red days as we have an early release on Wednesday, February 19, and no school on the 21st.  So February 17, 18, and 20 will be the traditional 8 period day and the 19th we will have shorted classes due to the early release (students will be released at 1:00).

Have a great weekend and Go Spartans!!!

Sam Russ

First Full Week of 2nd Semester??

Good Afternoon!!

The weather forecast for this week looks promising to put in a full week of good academics at SHS (finally!!).  We had a good start to the second semester and looking forward to our students being challenged and increasing their knowledge in and out of the classroom.

Our winter sports and activities are wrapping up this month and March, so if you have time to see a game or event, that would be very appreciated by all of our students!  A complete schedule of events can be found on our homepage.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!

Sam Russ

No School, January 28

Good Afternoon!

Unfortunately, we are off again tomorrow.  As long as we have school on Wed. (1/29), we will stay with our original schedule of a an early release schedule on Wednesday, Gold Day on Thursday, followed by a Red Day on Friday.  

Also, all co-curricular activities, practices, etc. are cancelled for tonight.

Enjoy the rest of the day and stay warm!!!

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!

No School January 27, 2014

Unfortunately the weather has forced us not to have school on Monday, January 27.  Hopefully the weather forecast will change so we can start our 2nd semester on Tuesday, January 28.

Stay warm and Go Spartans!!

Halfway Done!!!!

Good Afternoon!

I am sure all of our students are recovering from a very busy final exam week!!!  I am very proud of our students as they worked very hard to do their best on their finals.  Congratulations to our early graduates who completed their high school career last week!!!

I am looking forward to an even better semester than our past one.  Please keep encouraging your child to do their best at all times and stay ahead of their studies.  We will be breaking up our study hall students right away on Monday, so all study hall students should report to the commons first, then we will split to our three levels.

Thank you all again for your support of every aspect of SHS!  Please feel free to contact me at anytime if you have a question or concern.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!

January 24 and 29

There will be no school on Friday, January 24 for district-wide staff development activities.  SHS faculty will be continuing their unit development and performing  data analysis on the final exams the students just concluded.

On Wednesday, January 29, the Sparta Area School District will have a two hour early release for  professional development.  All District transportation will run two hours earlier than originally scheduled, and SHS will end the school day with an abbreviated  eight period day at 1:01.

During this professional development time, Sparta High School content teams will continue to development and refine our common content units with the goal of making these available to parents and students by the start of next school year.

If you have any questions in regard to this day or anything else to SHS, please feel free to contact me at sruss@spartan.org or 608-366-3504. Thank you for your support of these valuable professional development opportunities.

Thanks and Go Spartans!

Exams 4-6 Today!

Good Morning!

Our students worked very hard on their first three final exams yesterday and are ready to go today!!!  Please keep encouraging your son/daughter to finish the semester on a high note and keep doing their best! Please encourage them to use the resource time before and after the exams.

Tomorrow, we will finish up with hours 7 & 8.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!

Finals this week!!!

Good Afternoon!!!

Please remember that we will have final exams over the next three days.  Please see the schedule below.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!!

Finals January 21/22/23

7:40-7:55 (resource)

8:00-9:30 (period 1/ 4/ 7)

9:40-11:10 (period 2/5/8)

11:10-11:55 (lunch for the first 30 minutes and resource for last 15 minutes)

12:00-1:30 (period 3/6)

1:30-3:01 (School wide resource/test make up)

(Busses will run on their normal schedules during final exams)

Registration Materials

I just want to thank all the students and their parents for helping us through the registration process. Our initial trial run of the students registering themselves online rather than taking class time seems to have worked very well! For students who have not yet turned them in (there is very few), we are hoping to get all of the cards turned in by the end of the week.

Thank you all!!!!

Go Spartans!!!!

SHS Newsletter Link

Good Morning!

Please see the link below to SHS's quarterly newsletter, the Spartan Spirit.

Thanks and Go Spartans!

http://secondary.spartan.org/media/2911/January%202014.pdf

Course Registration Due Thursday the 16th

Good Morning!!!

Just one more reminder that course registration cards and the completed online portion of scheduling for next year is due tomorrow, Thursday, January 16, at 7:40 a.m. for all freshman, sophomore, and junior students.  Both the form and online portion must be completed prior to this day/time.  For our current 8th grade students, their registration card is due tomorrow.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the registration process, course selections based on your son/daughter's career and post-secondary goals, or anything else in regard to SHS.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!!

Final Exam Schedule

January 21, 22, and 23 will be denoted for final exams (please see the schedule below). Three days of finals are more beneficial to students as they do not have to prepare for four finals in one day. Students must arrive to their finals on time or they will have to take their finals during the school wide resource/test make up time at of the day.  The resource time at the end of the day is for students to get help for any upcoming exams. Students who do not have final exams are not required to attend school, but are strongly encouraged to remain in the LMC or Commons area to study. Since the rest of the district will be on their own schedules, students must not go on any other district property during SHS class time.

 

Finals January 21/22/23

 

7:40-7:55 (resource)

8:00-9:30 (period 1/ 4/ 7)

9:40-11:10 (period 2/5/8)

11:10-11:55 (lunch for the first 30 minutes and resource for last 15 minutes)

12:00-1:30 (period 3/6)

1:30-3:01 (School wide resource/test make up)

 

(Busses will run on their normal schedules during final exams)

Late Start Wed.

On Wednesday,  January 15, the Sparta Area School District will have a late start for professional development.  All District transportation will run two hours later than originally scheduled, and SHS will start the school day with an abbreviated  eight period day at 9:40.

During this time, SHS faculty will be continuing to learn about the upcoming Educator Effectiveness Model through Teachscape.  Also, SHS staff will be continuing the work developing the common content units that we have worked very hard to developing all year. Through this collaborative effort, we can continue to ensure that all our students are college and career ready. 

If you have any questions in regard to this day or anything else to SHS, please feel free to contact me at sruss@spartan.org or 608-366-3504.

Thanks and Go Spartans!

Scheduling Updates

Good Morning!

The weather seems to be turning warm and we might not know what to do!!!  I know the "academic heat" is turning up as our students prepare for their final exams on January 21, 22, and 23 (more information will follow soon).

Our scheduling for the 2014-2015 school year is in full swing.  We have discussed the procedures with all students grades 8-11 in regard to next year and all students have their registration card and course handbook (also available online).  Here is a quick review of what is expected:

Grades 9-11: Registration cards and the completed scheduling in Family Access is due January 16, at 7:40 a.m.  Directions for the online scheduling are on back of the registration card.

Grade 8: Registration cards are due on January 14 to the MS Guidance Office.  SHS Counselors will be at MVMS to online register the students on the computer in the lab.  St. John and St. Patrick students will be turning in their cards to their teachers and SHS staff will be picking them up at the respective schools.

We stress that this process is a collaborative effort between the student, parents/guardians, and school staff. Please speak with your son/daughter about what we talked about the registration process as changes in students' schedules are very difficult and rarely aloud after the registration process.

Please let me know if you have any question in regard to this process or anything else involved with SHS.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!

No School, January 7

Good Warm Afternoon!!!

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm today.  Once again, we are closed tomorrow (1/7) due to the cold weather.  When we return on Wednesday, we will be running a Grad Group Schedule to start our registration process.  More information will be coming in regard to the registration process later this week.

Enjoy the evening!!

No School on Monday, January 6

Good Morning!!!

Unfortunately, we do not have school tomorrow due to the anticipated cold weather.  I am sure the students are sad as well and prepared ahead of time and gathered all of their supplies in anticipation of this sad event...

Please stay safe and warm!

GO PACK!!!

Information Night and Transition Day

Good Afternoon!

Thank you to all the students and families that attended last night’ s informational meeting for incoming freshman to SHS.  To review what we discussed, we focused on three main ideas:

1)      Registration Process:  Our School Counselors and myself will be speaking with CPR groups next week on the 8^th and 9^th. We will discuss the  course handbook, registration cards (due the 14^th), students will register online on the 16^th, and that schedules will be picked up in August.

2)      Transition Process:  Jan.  3^rd is our Elective Day at SHS (students eat lunch and then tour our elective offerings), in May we have our co-curricular fair, in August we have our Open House, and our Freshman Only Day the first day of school.

3)      Facts about SHS: Our support systems, co-curricular offerings, etc.

Today’s transition activities were a successful first step in getting SHS’s Class of 2018 ready for high school.  Please feel free to email me (sruss@spartan.org)  or give me a call (366-3504) if you need any additional information or have questions.

Thanks and stay warm!

Happy New Year and Welcome Back!!!

Welcome to 2014!!!!  Our students are having an excellent day back and ready to go!! (at least I am ready!!!)

We have only 13 more classroom dates prior to our final exams on January 21, 22, and 23.  Please stress to your son/daughter the importance to ending on a positive note and doing the best they can.  Please remember that all late work can be turned in for some credit, so it is not too late to show the teachers what the student's know and are able to do.

We will be starting our registration process next week for all students.  Tomorrow (Jan. 3) is a transition day for our incoming freshman, while Jan. 6 is when our freshman, sophomore, and junior students will be presented the registration information for next year.

Please remember that the roads are not always good in the morning, so earlier the students can be here the better as it will give them extra time in the morning. All of our faculty are here by 7:25 a.m., so that morning is an excellent time to get extra help.

Thanks and Go Spartans!!!!

Sam Russ