RWHS Student Newsletter

RWHS office: (651) 385 - 4600

RWHS website

651-385-4660 (attendance)

Email for RWHS attendance line

Our Administration is available for student and family needs:

Principal Joshua Fuchs

Assistant Principal Robin Pagel, grades 9 & 11

Assistant Principal Mandy Stokes, grades 8, 10 & 12

Intérprete en Español
¡Bienvenido! Por favor contáctenos directamente para asistencia en español.
Carla Contla
651-385-4607

• Eighth grade students will get the lay of the land Wednesday, Aug. 20, with help from 11th and 12th graders in SOAR — Success, Opportunity, Achievement and Recognition.
• The orientation will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m and students should be present for its entirety.
• Lunch will also be served.
• This event is for our students only. Parents/guardians do not need to attend. Parents should drop off and pick up students at the Main Door of RWHS.

Questions? Contact Robin Pagel at rspagel@rwps.org or Nicky Larson at nllarson@rwps.org.

RWHS Open House is Tuesday August 26th from 12:00pm - 7:00pm.

• Schedules will be available for pick up and an opportunity to meet with your teachers and get familiar with the building if you are new to Red Wing.
• School pictures will be taken at the Open House this year. Scholars please come ready for your school portrait to be taken.
• We will have community partners available for families to connect with, an activity fair, and stations for parents to update their contact information and connect with the nurse.

Classes at RWHS begin for the 2025-2026 school year on Tuesday, September 2nd. Students and parents should be checking their emails regularly prior to this date for important back-to-school information from school administration.

We are welcoming two new counselors to RWHS this year!

Ms. Frye: Students with last names starting with A-K

Mrs. Clara Ballard: L-Z Students with last names starting with L-Z

Students can pick up Fall schedules at the RWHS Open House. Any schedule change requests must be submitted via the Schedule Change Request Google Form that you can find posted around RWHS.

Struggling with your StudentVUE password? Is your account disabled?

Email Mrs. Borgschatz and she will help you out!

The following colleges will be visiting students during lunches at RWHS:

• United States Navy: Tuesday, September 9
• University of MN-Twin Cities: Thursday, October 2
• University of MN - Morris: Wednesday, October 15

This is a basic supply list. Teachers may have more specific items and will let students know the first week of school.

Recommended supplies:

● Backpack

● Spiral notebook for each class (7)

● Folder for each class (7)

● Loose-leaf notebook paper

● Pencils

● Pens (blue or black ink)

● Highlighter(s)

● Pencil pouch or case

● Ruler (standard and metric)

● Gym: Athletic clothes and non-black-soled gym shoes

● Calculator 8-12 any basic scientific calculator is fine.

Recommended (not required):

○ 8th - Geometry: TI-30XS

○ Algebra II - Calculus (only for students taking higher-level math courses): TI 84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator

The high school office keeps some items on hand and available throughout the year. Please contact Bethany Borgschatz (baborgschatz@rwps.org) to request.

• NOW is a great time to get out your RWPS Chromebook and get it charging!
• All students with an RWPS-issued Chromebook should bring it on the first day of classes. Students who do NOT yet have a Chromebook will be issued one on the first days of school.

Damage to district-issued Chromebooks kept our Technology Team busy during the 2024-2025 school year:

• They made 597 repairs across the district
• Decommissioned 80 devices for various reasons, including 21 due to student damage.
• Issued 280 fines, with about a third of them to cover lost cords and to recoup the lost devices when students leave the district.

Students are responsible for loss and damage to their Chromebook, so families must pay for cracked or broken screens, spills, broken keys and more. There is a protection play to help with that, but enrollment is required by Sept. 30. The annual cost is $15 for one device and $30 for two of more devices.

Learn more by reading the Student & Parent Handbook. Enroll by clicking the button below.

Important Update regarding cellphones:

Cell phones are a personal device provided by families. It is critical that you continue to be a partner in the educational experience of our scholars. Teachers need spaces to do their jobs well. The state has also set new legislation that requires all districts to adopt cell phone policies, recognizing that humans are suffering from an array of social and health impact issues as a result of screen time. I encourage you to set limits on and use parental controls when necessary to ensure students are engaged in learning.

The following updates are being made to our procedures and want to ensure you are aware as parents.

1. Cell phones are not to be SEEN or HEARD.
2. First offence, cell phone will be given to the teacher and returned at the end of the class period
3. Second offence, cell phone will be given to the teacher, building supervisors will collect the cell phone, and it will be brought to the office for pickup at the end of the school day.
4. Third offence, Parent Meeting will be established to schedule a new plan for cell phones.

Schools are responsible for developing productive citizens through education growth in the classroom.

Students who need their cell phone for medical reasons should work with the administration to set a plan for how to access the phone when needed, so it does not put them in conflict with the procedures. We want the best educational experience possible for our scholars.

Homecoming for RWPS is September 22-27th this year! Stay tuned for all of the fun details!

Homecoming is September 26th this year! If students are interested in wearing a t-shirt specific to their grade to show school spirit on Homecoming, you can place an order through Carlsons' online store. You must place the order by September 9th at 11:59pm.

T-shirts will be distributed during lunches (at the high school cateria) during the week of Homecoming starting on September 22nd. Order your Homecoming shirt by clicking this link:

Homecoming shirt

• There are no more free family/student/staff passes. We recommend you consider purchasing an annual activity pass, that will give you access to all home events. Download the GoFan app!

• Adults - $75

• District Staff - $30

• K-12 Student - $25

• 60+ and Red Wing resident - Free

• Single Game Tickets - Adults $10; Students $6

Auditions for the RWHS Fall Play, Rainbow Fish, will be held on Monday, September 8th after school in The Little Theater, which is across from the District Offices. Students in grades 8-12 are welcome to audition and can sign up (or ask questions) in Ms. Brunkhorst's room, J109. To audition, students should prepare a 1 minute monologue.

Yearbooks from last school year will be in later this fall, so stay tuned to pick those up.

Get a head start and order THIS YEAR'S YEARBOOK!

At no time should a child bring and/or take any medication without the supervision of the school authorized personnel. Any prescription medication must be brought to the nurse’s office in its original container with the appropriate label on it. Over the counter medications (Tylenol, Advil, Ibuprofen, etc.) also must be in the original container labeled for that medication.

A permission form signed by the parent/guardian is necessary for all medication:

Medication Permission Form

A doctor’s authorization form is necessary for prescription medication. This doctor’s authorization form must be renewed each school year.

Vikki LeClaire, RWHS building nurse
vlleclaire@rwps.org
651-385-4611

ALL 12th graders will need to get a meningococcal immunization. We will have a notary of the public here at the open house on Tuesday for anyone that chooses not to immunize their children.

Feed your body, feed your brain!

Our schools provide healthy meals each day. Our breakfast and lunch selections are nutritious and make a tremendous difference in how our students perform in the classroom: Feed your body, feed your brain!

Each student may eat one breakfast and one lunch per school day free of charge.

We do encourage families to complete the Application for Educational Benefits. Qualifying families may then receive benefits such as reduced activity fees, help with education expenses and some discounts. Please note that students who receive Medicaid or Medicare benefits are automatically enrolled. Start the process by creating your account at www.schoolcafe.com/register.

The district also offers a la carte items for purchase. Students bringing lunch from home, for example, may purchase milk daily for 55 cents per serving. Students are required to have a positive balance in their account to purchase a la carte items

All schools use a computerized school lunch accounting system linked to SchoolCafe. This allows families to deposit money into a personal account for their child. Each student is issued a four- or five-digit identification number that they will enter into a keypad when purchasing a la carte items. The cost will automatically be deducted from the account balance.

Families can deposit money by online payment or send cash or check to the school their child attends. Checks should be written to ISD 256. Checks should also contain the student’s full name on the memo line. The check can be written for multiple students. If doing this, please note this on the check.

Learn more at www.schoolcafe.com.

Jess Peña
Student Nutrition Services Director

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Transportation routes are being drafted now

Red Wing Public Schools and First Student, our transportation provider, are working on bus routes. Please act on any of the following areas that apply to your family. Do not wait until the start of the school year, because bus routes are being assigned now.

Address Changes: If you have recently moved, please contact Melinda Johnson, District Student Services at majohnson@rwps.org or call 651-385-4520. NOTE: There are address limitations -- parents must select one address for transportation pick-up and drop-off between home and school.

Grade 11-12 reminder: If your student is going into 11th or 12th grade and wishes to ride the bus, you will need to complete a Transportation form.

Download transportation forms below:

For questions regarding route changes, address changes and waivers:

Red Wing Transportation Department
(consulting agency)
651-385-4795
transportation@rwps.org

SENIORS! It's your year! Please continue to check the webpage for the RWHS Class of 2026 for important announcements, meetings and deadlines throughout your Senior Year.

ALL 12th graders will need to get a meningococcal immunization. We will have a notary of the public here at the open house on Tuesday for anyone that chooses not to immunize their children.

☀️Senior Sunrise will be held Sept. 22. Gates will open at 7:30 a.m. and the event will start at 8 a.m. Class of 2026 members will sign the commitment to graduate.

The Class of 2026 Cap and Gown meeting will be Oct 8 at 1:20-1:54 p.m. This is a mandatory meeting for all seniors. Please plan ahead accordingly for your daily schedule that day!