The Sunnyside Scoop

Sunnyside Office: (651) 385 - 4570

Kids Junction: (651) 385 - 4587

First Student (General busing questions): (651) 388 - 8244

Transportation (Bus routing): (651) 385 - 4795

Email: mjpagel@rwps.org
Website: http://redwing.k12.mn.us/sunnyside/
Location: 1669 Southwood Avenue, Red Wing, MN, United States
Phone: (651) 385-4570

Happy December! I'd like to take a few minutes at the beginning of this month's newsletter to talk about some things I'm seeing in the drop off lane at the beginning of the day. If you don't ever drop off, feel free to skip right past this to the rest of the newsletter. Here are a few things that could make the drop off process safer and more efficient for everyone:

• Pull forward -- Please pull as far forward in the lane when dropping off as is possible. This is the number one thing that slows down the line and frustrates other parents.
  
  
• Slow drop offs should park -- If you have to get out of your car to help your child unbuckle, you should probably not be in the drop off lane. Instead, please park in the lot.
  
  
• Use the crosswalks -- Please don't cut across the drop off lane to or from dropping off your child. The lane is a busy place and I'd hate for someone to get hit by a car.
  
  
• Be careful pulling in and out -- The drop off lane gets busy at times, so please be very careful when pulling in and out so that we can avoid any fender benders.
  
  
• Drop on the passenger side -- If the only way to unload your child is on the driver's side, please park in the lot and walk your child across to the sidewalk. We've had multiple instances this year where students have darted around a car to the driver's side with traffic in the other lane. I would hate for a student to trip and fall in front of another vehicle. And, now that we have a little snow on the ground. it gets even more dangerous.
  
  
• Slow down and be nice -- Look, I get it. The pick up line isn't always a fun place, especially when others are doing some of the things I've listed above, but please be patient and watch your speed. I know it can be frustrating, but the lot is full of 5 - 7 year olds in the morning who can sometimes make impulsive choices. Please slow down.

If everyone keeps these things in mind, I'm hopeful we can make the drop off lane a safer and more efficient place for everyone. Thanks!

Mike Pagel

Principal

December:

2 - 6 -- 1st Grade sessions w/ Lynn Dulak (Friedrich, Pleain, Swanson, Larsen)

6 -- Kindergarten Candy Houses

9 - 11, 13, 16 -- 1st Grade sessions w/ Lynn Dulak (Pearson, Teschendorf, Forstad)

23 - 1/1 -- NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)

January:

2 -- School Resumes

8 -- 1st Grade Field Trip to Children's Museum (Swanson, Pearson, Tschendorf)

15 -- Knobelsdorff Volunteers Read to K Classes

20 -- NO SCHOOL

22 - 23 -- Special Guest Read Alouds in Classrooms

29 -- 1st Grade Field Trip to Children's Museum (Friedrich, Plein, Larsen, Forstad)

31 -- K & 1st Field Trip to Sheldon Theatre

During the week of November 18th, volunteers from the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee (AIPAC) and the RWHS Native American Student Association (NASA) joined us at Sunnyside so that every student and staff member had the opportunity to add their handprint to the tipi that will grace the Sunnyside grounds beginning next spring. Students were able to see photos from the Red Wing High School tipi to get an idea of how the Sunnyside tipi will look. Tipi in Dakota means “for living in" or "dwelling," and the Sunnyside tipi will provide another outdoor learning space. We love seeing our community of learners come together for something so meaningful!

Sunnyside's lost & found is starting to fill up with all sorts of unclaimed clothing. Parents, please check out the photos below to see if you recognize anything. If so, either stop by Sunnyside to claim your child's things or ask your child to go get their things from the lost & found area just off the lobby at the top of the first ramp. We will be bagging up any unclaimed items after winter break to be donated, so be sure you take a look!

RiseUp Red Wing is excited to announce a shoe drive fundraiser to support youth and families in our community! By collecting gently worn, used, and new shoes, they can raise funds to enhance our afterschool programming, support the Kiln Youth Center, and provide essential resources to those in need. Sunnyside Elementary is a collection site for this drive, and we would welcome any donations of shoes to the bin in the outer lobby!

Here's how it works: the more shoes RiseUp collects, the more funds they earn! Funds2Orgs, a partner organization, will issue a check based on the total weight of the donated shoes. These funds will directly benefit the youth and families in RiseUp's programs.

But that's not all—your donated shoes will also have a global impact! Once collected, the shoes will be redistributed through Funds2Orgs’ network of micro-enterprise partners. These micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries will use the shoes to create, sustain, and grow small businesses, providing much-needed economic opportunities in areas where jobs are scarce.

In an effort to have a little fun before students head off to winter break, Sunnyside will be holding some optional dress up days the week of December 16 - 20. If you are interested, here are the themes each day:

• Mon., 12/16: Merry Monday - Wear festive or crazy socks and/or hats to show off your goofy side

• Tues., 12/17: Twinkle Tuesday -Wear bright colors, fun patterns, sparkles, or bling to bring some color to our dark winter days

• Wed., 12/18: White Out Wednesday - Wear white to celebrate our snowy Minnesota winters

• Thurs., 12/19: Theatrical Thursday - Dress up as your favorite holiday or winter character

• Fri., 12/20:Fun, Fuzzy Friday - Wear comfortable clothes such as sweatshirts, pajamas, or the like to celebrate the winter break and a chance to relax

If your child needs to be absent from school, it is very important that you report the reason for your child's absence to Sunnyside by either calling the Sunnyside attendance line at 651-385-4580 or emailing sesattendance@rwps.org. Absences that are not called in or that are not for one of the reasons considered excused under District Policy 503 (Section 1.b.) are considered unexcused absences. Under state statute, unexcused absences may lead to the following:

• 3 Unexcused Absences -- Your child is considered "Continuing Truant" under state statute. Sunnyside will reach out via phone call and/or letter at this point to notify you and to encourage you to, one, ensure your child is attending school and, two, to call in necessary absences so that they are not considered unexcused.
  
  
• 7 Unexcused Absences -- Your child is considered "Habitual Truant" under state law, and Sunnyside is required under Minnesota statute 260A.03 to report what is referred to as educational neglect to Goodhue County. At that point, a representative from Goodhue County Health & Human Services would likely reach out to discuss a plan for ensuring your student's attendance.

I should also note that the school district does also notify families by phone and/or mail when a child has had several excused absences. These contacts are simply meant to make sure families are aware of the higher than average number of absences and are not related to the truancy process described above. We do understand that students may need to miss school from time to time. We just want to make sure families are kept in the loop about absences.

Speaking of attendance... We seem to have entered the season of sickness here at Sunnyside, and we've seen an increase in the number of cases of illness requiring students to be sent home during the day the past couple weeks. We need families' help to ensure we spread as little illness as possible here at school. As a general rule, if your child needs to be sent home due to fever or vomiting, please be sure he/she is free of either of those symptoms for 24 hours before returning to school. We will also continue to do extra sanitizing of high touch areas here at Sunnyside and encourage hand washing, covering coughs, and the like. Help us stop the spread of illness here at Sunnyside!

Recently, Sunnyside celebrated students' hard work through the month of November with a couple fun events.

On Friday, 11/22, Sunnyside held its November Student of the Month assembly. Students of the Month are referred by any Sunnyside staff, and are students that regularly show Winger Pride by working hard, helping others, showing exceptional growth, or any number of other great things. November's Students of the Month were:

• Indie Bjornstad
• Eamonn McKimm
• Connor Larsen
• Emmalyn Penney
• Zander Melsness
• Shyanne Abair
• Raelynn Carpenter
• Sage Breeden
• Joey Einberger
• Sed'mya Hien
• Owen Watson
• Finley Sypniewski
• Mila Ruiz
• James Goyette
• Brooks Thygesen
• Danilo Mehrkens
• Dylan Arias Rodriguez
• Oakley Rehder

In our morning announcements on Monday, 12/2, we announced the winners of November's Winger Pride drawing. Winners are pulled from the buckets full of Winger Pride tickets in the front lobby display case. Every time a student receives a Winger Pride ticket, part of that ticket is torn off and entered into the monthly drawing. Winners then have the opportunity to select from a menu of fun prize options! November's Winger Pride ticket drawing winners were:

• Reed Jochim
• Mae Siepelmeyer
• Olivia Holmstadt
• Braxton Maskrey
• Oden Finucan
• Natalie Cohenour
• Maxwell Kurtz
• Kennedy Holmberg
  
  

Congratulations to everybody!

During the month of December, kindergarten and first grade students will be engaging in some charitable work aimed at helping our community out. Kindergarten and first grade students will be bringing home chore coupons to help out with tasks at home. When a child completes a job for you, another family member, or family friend, return the coupon with a small amount of change for the classroom bank. The money raised by kindergarten classes will benefit the Red Wing High School food shelf, and money raised by first grade classes will be donated to Hope Coalition to support their efforts to assist Red Wing families in need. To sweeten the pot, the Sunnyside class who raises the most money will have a chance to make a mummy out of Mr. Pagel!

Please click the links below to view Sunnyside's breakfast and lunch menus for the month of November.

Sunnyside needs volunteers for various school-level events throughout the year. CLICK HERE to complete our volunteer interest form if you are interested in volunteering at Sunnyside this year. Families and community members are welcome! If you are interested in helping out specifically in your child's classroom, please contact your child's teacher directly first and then complete the form after connecting. Please note that all volunteers will need to complete a district-paid background check before working with students.

Sunnyside has it’s own Facebook and Instagram pages! You can link directly to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sunnysideredwing/, and our Instagram handle is @sunnysideredwing. Check out some of the fun things going on at Sunnyside!

Be sure to click the links below for important information about Sunnyside Elementary and Red Wing Public Schools. Please pay special attention to the District Handbook and the Sunnyside Expectations & Procedures. Both documents contain important information and are a great reference for many frequently asked questions.