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 New Year! It's hard to believe 2024 is in the rear view mirror, and it's also hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the school year already. Our first semester of school will end on January 17th, and report cards will be sent home soon thereafter.

So far, the 2024-2025 school year has been a wonderful one here at Sunnyside. I love walking around the building seeing students learning and having fun with friends. It always floors me just how quickly students grow at this age level, and I'm proud of the hard work our staff does every day to help students feel safe, welcomed, and valued here at Sunnyside. I'm also thankful with the partnerships with families, which is so important for each student's success. From all of us here at Sunnyside, Happy New Year, and here's hoping 2025 is a great year!

January:

2 -- School Resumes

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

9 -- Missoula Children's Theater Assembly

15 -- Knobelsdorff Volunteers Read to K Classes

17 -- End of 1st Semester/2nd Quarter

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

February:

6 -- 1st Grade Sustainable Safari Presentations

7 -- No School

17 -- No School

Sunnyside's lost & found is overflowing 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 on January 20th to be donated, so be sure you take a look!

Spread the word! Registration for the 2025 - 2026 school year will kick off on Monday, February 10th from 6:00 - 7:00 pm at Sunnyside. If you have an incoming kindergarten student, please join us for an informational session and a chance to complete district enrollment forms. This session is geared more for parents than students, so please don't feel as though your child needs to attend. We will hold multiple transition events for students later in the spring and summer.

Please note, if school is closed due to weather, the event will be moved to Monday, February 24th instead.

While cell phones and smart watches have not presented any major issues at the K/1 level, we have started to see an increase over the last couple years in students bringing smart devices with them to school. Just as a quick reminder, students at the elementary level are prohibited from using personal cell phones and other electronic devices during the instructional day. These devices must be stored in silent or “off” mode from the student’s arrival at school until dismissal. A cell phone or other device used or visible during the instructional day will be confiscated and a parent will be expected to pick up the device. Other consequences may also be assigned. If you do send your child to school with a cell phone, smart watch, or other electronic device, please be sure he/she is aware that it does need to be put away in either silent mode or off during the school day.

On Thursday, January 30th, Sunnyside students will bring home their report cards for the first half of the school year. Sunnyside utilizes what is called a standards-based system of grading. Standards-based grading communicates how students are performing on a set of end-of year learning targets called standards. The purpose of standards-based grading is to identify what a student knows or is able to do currently, instead of simply averaging grades/scores over the course of a grading period, which can mask what a student has (or has not) learned in a specific subject. Our report card grades at Sunnyside are as follows:

4 - Exceeds proficiency expectations based on grade level standards: I know this

skill/concept so well I could explain it to others, or extend it to new situations. I am

significantly above my grade level for this concept.

3 - Meets proficiency expectations based on grade level standards: I know this

skill/concept well enough to have mastered the end-of-year standard.

2 - Partially meets proficiency expectations based on grade level standards: I am still

working toward the grade-level expectation, and getting closer. I have not yet

mastered end-of-year standards, but I’m making progress toward doing so.

1 - Does not meet proficiency expectations based on grade level standards: Even with

help, I do not understand this skill/concept. I still need support to perform in this

area.

Please carefully read what these grades mean. One of the tendencies for those of us who grew up within a traditional grading system is to naturally equate any grading scale with an “A/B/C/D/F” scale. Please don’t! A grade of "3" means a student has mastered the end-of-year standard, so it is to be expected that most students will have a number of grades of "2" and even "1" at this point of the year. A "2" at this point means a student is making progress and is likely on track to meet the grade level standard. If you have specific concerns about your child's report card, please contact his/her teacher, as she will be able to provide you with even more detailed information about your child's progress.

During the month of December, kindergarten and first grade students raised money to benefit the Red Wing High School Food Shelf and HOPE Coalition here in town. In all, kindergarten raised just over $550 for the RWHS Food Shelf, and first grade raised just under $500 for HOPE Coalition. Wow!!! Mr. Alton's class was the top earning class, so they had the opportunity to wrap up Mr. Pagel like a mummy at an all-school assembly on December 20th!

During the weeks of January 6th - 17th, students will complete some assessments known as FastBridge. FastBridge are a set of reading and math assessments that teachers use to measure student learning, and they are completed three times a year. FastBridge scores help teachers to know what kind of teaching each student needs to help them grow, both individually and as part of the whole class.

Before winter break, Sunnyside celebrated students' hard work through the month of December with a couple fun events.

On Friday, 12/20, Sunnyside held its December 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. December's Students of the Month were:

• Benjamin Vavra
• Carlos Pizarro
• Jude Reeves
• Kaitlyn Linder
• John Lapacinski-Ludens
• Juniper Harris
• Reed Jochim
• Susan Marroquin-Gil
• Ellie McGraw
• Madelyn Annis
• Paisley Grube
• Ivy Williams
• Dillon Carfora
• Chance Myers
• Eliana Bezdichek
• Kennedy Holmberg

In our morning announcements on Wednesday, 12/18, we announced the winners of December'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! December's Winger Pride ticket drawing winners were:

• Eamonn McKim
• Nizhoo Bailey
• Mangkhon Weson
• Oliver Probst
• Azai Lofton
• Danilo Mehrkens
• Taj Amdahl
• Logan Konkel

Congratulations to everybody!

During the month of January, Sunnyside is going to raise money for the American Heart Association and be completing the Kids Heart Challenge during PE! Fundraising is optional, and all students will participate in the event during PE class even if they choose not to fundraise. Mr. Johnson will be emailing out a link and sending home paper copies of the fundraising forms in the coming days, but you can also check out the information from the American Heart Association below.

Kids Heart Challenge™ is Coming!
The American Heart Association is excited to extend our work with the NFL to support improving health outcomes at home and beyond through Hands-Only CPR education. Students that complete Finn’s Mission will earn an entry for two tickets to Super Bowl LX in 2026 and your school will be entered to receive a $10,000 fitness equipment makeover for every 18 students who complete Finn’s Mission.

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

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.