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 some snow on the ground. it gets even more dangerous.
  
  
• Slow down and be nice -- Look, I get it. The drop off 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:

5 -- Knobelsdorff Volunteers Read to Kindergarten Classes

5 -- Kindergarten Candy Houses

22 - 1/2 -- NO SCHOOL

January:

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

19 -- NO SCHOOL

30 -- 1st Grade Sustainable Safari Presentations

Sunnyside Winter Dress Up Days

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 15 - 19. If you are interested, here are the themes each day:

• Mon., 12/15: Merry Monday - Wear festive or crazy socks and/or hats to show off your goofy side

• Tues., 12/16: Twinkle Tuesday -Wear bright colors, fun patterns, sparkles, or bling to bring some color to our dark winter days

• Wed., 12/17: White Out Wednesday - Wear white to celebrate our snowy Minnesota winters

• Thurs., 12/18: Theatrical Thursday - Dress up as your favorite holiday or winter character

• Fri., 12/19: 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. In addition, late arrivals after 8:45 am at Sunnyside will be marked as a half-day unexcused absence unless there is an excusable reason for the late arrival, such as an appointment. 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.

We're one week into Sunnyside's "On Time All the Time" attendance challenge, where we recognize the kindergarten and 1st grade classes that have the highest on time attendance rate each week. For the week of November 17 - 21, our kindergarten winner was Mrs. McDonnell's class, with an on-time attendance rate of 94%. Our first grade winner was Ms. Pearson's class, with an on-time attendance rate of 95%. Congratulations! Our next winners will be announced on Monday, December 8th and will include the short two-day week of 11/24 & 11/25, as well as the week of December 1 - 5. Remember, school starts at 7:45 and any arrival after that 7:25 - 7:45 drop off window is considered tardy. The only exception to that is when a First Student bus arrives late, as that is something families have no control over.

On Monday, December 9th, Red Wing Public Schools will be hosting a community forum aimed at introducing the district's new strategic plan, Flight Path 2030. All are invited to Red Wing High School to join us! Doors open at 5:00, with a program scheduled for 5:30. Dinner and conversation will follow. Please see the flier below if you are interested!

Since we just had our first snow of the season, I figure this is worth repeating from last month... In the event that school needs to be closed for inclement weather, the school district may call either a traditional "Snow Day," or what's known as an "E-Learning Day." The district may use up to five E-Learning Days each school year, and the email and phone notifications families receive will identify what type of inclement weather day is being called.

E-Learning Days can’t fully replace the face-to-face time students have with their teachers but will provide better continuity -- unlike traditional snow days -- when school is interrupted. There will be a maximum of five E-Learning days during the school year.

In the case of inclement weather, parents and guardians will receive a phone call and/or text via the School Messenger service based on information provided by each family indicating school will be closed. That email and/or text will make it clear whether the day is considered an E-Learning Day. Students should not report to school, but should engage in learning activities as assigned if it is an E-Learning Day:

• Students in Grades E-7 have had Learning Tasks sent home which can be completed with or without technology. These are also linked on the District webpage HERE.

• Teachers in Grades 8-12 will post work in Google Classroom by 9 a.m. for the students they would have seen that day. Students in grades 6-12 will utilize their district-provided devices to complete learning.

Staff will be available to students on flexible learning days:

• For Grades K-7, teachers, administrators, and other licensed professionals will be available for virtual office hours via Google Meets and by email from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 12:00-2:00 p.m.

• For grades 8-12, teachers and other licensed professionals for will be available for virtual office hours via Google Meet and by email from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Student work must be submitted within a week of an E-Learning Day. The District will track attendance on E-Learning Days through this work completion. The timeframe will allow students ample opportunity to complete the work. Please be aware that E-Learning Day work not being turned in within a week of the inclement weather day will result in an unexcused absence.

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

On Friday, 11/21, Sunnyside held its November Student of the Month. During that assembly, we announced the names of our November Students of the Month. 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. October's Students of the Month were:

• Declan Carron
• Preston Stumpf
• Madison Kitzmann
• Claire Boser
• JoLeigh Taylor-Thompson
• Knox Rohan
• Javion Larson
• Braxten Raasch
• Aisha Abshir
• Juniper Harris
• Sawyer Henderson
• Waylon Whitehawk
• Cristy Felipe Mendez
• Winry Winterboer
• Connor Larsen
• Robert Allyn
• Norbert Young
• Layla Greseth

In our morning announcements on Monday, 12/1, we announced the winners of this month'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:

• Mason Conroy
• Nova Rohan
• JoLeigh Taylor-Thompson
• Parker Serna
• Nolan Ricci
• Teddy Bleything
• Quynn Conroy Zank
• Juliette Safe

Congratulations to everybody!

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

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 as there is a different form teachers submit for those. 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.