506 N. Black River St, Sparta, WI 54656 | Phone: 608-366-3504  | Fax: 608-366-3506
Russ’ Raves

Welcome to Sparta High’s October edition of the Spartan Spirit! I believe we are off to our best start since I have arrived at SHS in 2008!  Our annual “Freshman First Day” was excellent, and our School Spirit during Homecoming was second to none! Special thanks to Mr. Norlin and Coach Schmidt of UWL for their inspiring talks to our students about being a great person and giving your best effort at all times. Please encourage your student(s) to be safe, responsible, respectful, and give their best effort in and out of SHS. By doing this, all students will have a successful year!

Our fall activities are coming to an end, but our fine art events are right around the corner. If you have time, please try and watch our students perform.
Go Spartans!!!

Sam Russ
Sparta High School Principal                                                                                      Twitter: @Best_of_SHS               
Forward into Fall at SHS!










THE HEALTHBEAT

       Happy Fall, Ya’ll! Here are some fun ways to stay healthy and enjoy this fabulous fall weather. Hit up a local apple orchard or pumpkin patch, get lost in a corn maze, get scared silly in Sparta’s Boy’s & Girl’s Club House of Shadows, or participate in a race. Coming up in the Sparta area are the Zombie 3K October 7th and the Joel Konze Best Day Ever 5K/10K/Half Marathon November 11th. Get out and be active, while enjoying all the beauty and excitement fall in the Coulee Region has to offer. 

      Sparta High Health classes have been busy talking about our seven dimensions of personal wellness, including ways to enhance our social, physical, emotional, career, intellectual, environmental, and spiritual wellness. Making healthy lifestyle choices and positive decision making skills are key areas we focus on. Units to come include: mental and emotional health, nutrition, family and social health, chronic and communicable diseases, human growth and development, alcohol tobacco and other drugs and emergency procedures and CPR.

       Looking forward, we have many exciting things ahead, all students in Health will learn First Aid and CPR through American Heart Association training. Health Careers class will host a variety of guest speakers to share professional expertise and give students a real world perspective of what his or her career is really like. Health Issues will work on public health initiatives to improve wellness in our building, district, and community. They have been working hard to understand factors impacting behavior change.

Healthy Tidbits
Autumn is time to reap the benefits of a bountiful vegetable harvest. Enjoy a variety of nutrient dense foods of the season. Squash, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts are all wonderful when roasted with a little oil and seasoning. Eat like an athlete, not a couch potato on game day! Also, remember to get your flu shot, before the peak season hits.

Be healthy, be happy, be you!
Jill Iverson
Dates of Note 
Parent Teacher Conferences
Oct. 25 3:30-7:30
Oct. 26 11:00-6:30 (lunch break from 3:00-3:30)
Oct. 27 7:30-11:30


Math Department

• The math teachers are now using the Cornell notes in class as well as the other class as a way to help students review and use their notes.

• The beginning of the year is always a good time to remind parents and students alike that it is especially important in math classes to keep up with the daily work. Students who are having difficulty are encouraged to seek help right away. In many cases, this will take just a few minutes and can help get the student back on track.

Students who fall behind early have a much greater chance of struggling throughout the rest of the year, and this can become a very stressful situation for both the parent and student. Math is a series of building blocks, and the students who put in the time on a consistent basis fare much better than those who chose not to.

Online gradebook:  Parents and students are encouraged to monitor progress on a regular basis via Skyward, the district’s online grading system. Skyward can be accessed through the link on the district website www.spartan.org .

• Graphing calculator reminder:  Students in Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus are required to have a graphing calculator. The cost is approximately $95 or more depending on the store. Calculators are also available to be checked out from the LMC at no charge, but only a limited number are available.

• Scientific Calculator: Students in the rest of the math classes require at least a scientific calculator.

We are hiring tutors to work at Sparta High School and Sparta Meadowview Middle School twice per week for about an hour in our AVID Elective classes. The ideal candidate is a college student or a community member who has some schedule flexibility. This is a paid position, and there is training so you can learn the AVID tutorial process. See the posting on  spartan.org  for details. 

If you have any questions, please send me an email at  wbernett@spartan.org .






In the past, we have allowed students to keep food for lunch and/or class projects in our refrigerators at SHS. Moving forward, we will be changing this practice and students who bring any food to school will be responsible to have the food packed and insulated in a safe manner to withstand room temperature until lunch or the time of the activity. Thank you for your cooperation as we implement this new practice.
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