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

Welcome to Sunnyside Elementary School! We’re excited you are part of our Sunnyside family and can’t wait for the 2025 - 2026 school year to begin! At Sunnyside, we believe strongly in the importance of relationships and in the value of rigor. Your child will be challenged here at Sunnyside, but supported every step of the way by caring adults. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or to me with questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Sunnyside’s success requires all of us – teachers, parents, staff, and the community – working together to help our young students grow and succeed. This year at Sunnyside, we continue to be focused on being safe, kind, and responsible. We’ll be working hard throughout the school year to encourage each and every one of our children to be the best student, friend, and citizen they can be, which is what makes Wingers great. Look for our social media posts and join in the fun by posting your own and tagging Sunnyside! Thank YOU, families, for all you do to support Sunnyside and your children. We appreciate it!

Sunnyside will be a great place to be this year, and we’re glad you are part of our family. There is a lot of Winger Pride here at Sunnyside, and we’re excited to get the new school year started. On behalf of all of us here at Sunnyside, welcome to the 2025 - 2026 school year!

Mike Pagel

Principal

August:

27 -- Back to School Mini-Conferences

September:

2 -- First Day of School

2 & 3 -- Transition days for kindergarten students (see placement letter for which day your child should attend)

15 -- Clubs Choice Fundraiser Kicks Off

18 -- Bus Safety

22-26 -- RWPS Homecoming Week

30 -- Clubs Choice Fundraiser Ends

Instead of a traditional open house, Sunnyside holds scheduled mini-conferences the week before school begins. The purpose is the same - meet the teacher, drop off school supplies, put money in your child's lunch account, connect with the school nurse, etc. - but the individually scheduled times allow each family to have some 1-on-1 time with the teacher to share anything you'd like about your child.

This year's mini-conferences will take place on Wednesday, August 27 from 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM. If you have not already done so, please visit https://ptcfast.com/schools/Sunnyside_Elementary_1 to schedule your child's mini-conference. We look forward to seeing you!

Some important times for the 2025 - 2026 school year:

• 7:25 - 7:45 -- Student drop-off (NO supervision before 7:25!)
• 7:43 -- First arrival bell
• 7:45 -- Final arrival bell; Students arriving after this time will have to check in to the office and will be marked tardy
• 2:15 -- Dismissal bell; Bus riders, walkers, and parent pick-ups released

• If you drive your child to school, there are designated areas and procedures that families must follow for the safety of all students. Please read the following procedures very carefully, and do not hesitate to contact Sunnyside at (651) 385-4570 if you have any questions.

  
  

  
  

  MORNING DROP-OFF PROCEDURES:

  
  

  Option 1: Use the Drop-Off Lane

  Parents may drop off students in the right lane of the drop-off loop from 7:25 – 7:45 am. Parents must stay in the car, and students should exit on the curb (passenger) side only. Students should never be dropped off in the pull-through lane, nor should they exit on the traffic (driver’s) side of a vehicle. In addition, please avoid dropping students in other areas of the parking lot, for both safety and traffic-flow reasons.

  
  

  Option 2: Park & Walk

  If parents prefer to walk their child to the front doors, they will need to park in one of the designated spaces in the main lot off Southwood Avenue. If the lot is full, parents may park along Southwood Avenue. Please do not park anywhere along designated fire lanes within the parking lot. Any parent who needs to enter the office for any reason will need to enter through the front door.

  
  

  Students arriving between 7:25 - 7:45 may go directly to their classrooms, stopping for breakfast on the way if they would like. Students arriving after 7:45 will need to check in at the main office. Please see the differentiated first week plan later in this newsletter. Please note, there is no student supervision available before 7:25. Please do not drop off before this time.

  
  

  
  

  AFTERNOON PICK-UP PROCEDURES:

  
  

  Option 1: Use the Pick-Up Lane

  Students being picked up will be lined up by class outside along the pick-up lane at 2:20 pm (see inclement weather exception below). To pick up in this lane, simply pull forward to the farthest available spot in the pick-up lane. Your child may then walk to the vehicle and enter on the curb (passenger) side only. Students will be taught to wait until their parent’s vehicle has fully stopped and to notify an adult supervisor before walking to their car. Once your child is buckled, use the pull-through lane to exit to the main lot. Some other considerations:

  
  

  • If your child does not see you or recognize the vehicle you are driving, please roll your passenger window down and talk to one of the staff members stationed along the sidewalk.
    
  • If your child is not in the pick-up lines for some reason, you may be asked to park in a designated space and report to the office.
    
  • Please be patient, and expect it to be slow to start. It will get faster - promise!

  
  

  
  

  Option 2: Park and Walk to the Pick-Up Zone

  Parents may park in one of the designated spaces in the main lot off Southwood Avenue and walk up to the pick-up lines to meet their child(ren). If the lot is full, parents may park along Southwood Avenue. Please note the following:

  
  

  • Please wait until students have reached the pick-up zone before notifying the adult monitoring your child’s line and taking your child. Picking up students on the way to the pick-up zone can cause confusion and inadvertently create an unsafe situation. Please be patient – the safety of all students is our first priority. Students will not be dismissed before they reach the pick-up zone.
  • If your child is not in the pick-up lines for some reason, you may be asked to report to the office to resolve the situation.

  
  

  Inclement Weather Procedure

  In the case of inclement weather (rain, temps below zero, etc.), student pick-up lines may be moved to the main gym. In that case, all parents will need to park in a designated space or along Southwood Avenue and enter the building to pick up their child(ren). Please do not park in designated fire lanes (including the drop-off/pick-up loop).
  

  
  

  
  

  Other Points of Emphasis

  
  

  • Please be patient! With a building full of young students, it always takes a few weeks at the beginning of the year for pick-up and drop-off to run smoothly and efficiently.
    
  • Student safety is #1! We know some of this can be inconvenient at times, but student safety needs to trump parent convenience.
    
  • Avoid the Maple Street (back) entrance! Our buses enter off Maple Street and this is not a safe area for students to be dropped off.
    
  • If your child’s end-of-day plans change, it is really important that you notify Sunnyside early. Late changes tend to lead to confusion.

Before last school year, Sunnyside students had some time to play outside at arrival until the first bell rang. However, last year students instead came directly into the building upon arrival. This was necessitated by how Nutrition Service regulations require that breakfast be served to students and will continue to be the case. Upon entering the building, students who want breakfast will first stop in the cafeteria to grab a breakfast and have the barcode tags that will be attached to their backpacks scanned, before then heading directly to class with their grab-and-go breakfast. For the first several days, kindergarten classes will instead travel together to the cafeteria after the bell rings so that teachers can familiarize students with the layout of the building and breakfast procedures. Parents are welcome to walk with their child to the cafeteria and/or the classroom during the first week of school. After that, we ask that parents plan to drop off outside the building so that students can build independence. Don't worry! There will be plenty of caring adults in the building to help students who still need help finding their way.

Since the COVID pandemic, Red Wing Public Schools, like schools all over the country, have seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism. Research has shown clearly that students who miss an excessive amount of school are more likely to struggle academically, and by 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school. A student who misses just two days a month will miss over one year of school by graduation! Here at Sunnyside, the effects of poor attendance can be especially profound since students are learning so many important foundational reading and math skills.

Students are allowed up to 10 excused absences per school year. This means the parent/guardian has informed the school as to why the student is absent. A letter will be sent to the parent/guardian letting them know the student has reached 7 excused absences. If the student reaches 10 excused absences the parent will be notified that a medical note (dental, vision, mental//physical) from the physician/therapist may be required to excuse any further absences. If the medical note is not received when required, the absence would be marked as an unexcused absence.

If a student reaches 7 days of unexcused absences, another phone call and/or letter will be sent home. Additionally, under MN statute 120A.34, the school district can refer the student to Goodhue County Health and Human Services for additional support in getting the student to school.

Please see the graphic below to get a better idea of what good attendance looks like. We at Sunnyside are here to help. If there's anything we can do to support you in ensuring your child's regular attendance, please don't hesitate to reach out at any time to Sunnyside's School Social Worker at 651-385-4716.

Many families have found the FirstView app from our busing partner, First Student, to be a very useful tool over the last few years. Once the app is downloaded and you register, the app allows you to:

• See real-time bus location and track its progress
• Easily monitor your children even if they are on different buses
• Receive instant notification and service alerts (if a bus is running late, for example)
• Set up trip alerts to notify you when a bus is a certain distance away from your child's stop

For past users of FirstView, please know that there is a new version of the app you will need to download from Google Play or Apple. The new app is called FirstView 1.0. The old version of the app, now called "FirstView Classic," is no longer supported and should be deleted.

When setting up the new FirstView 1.0 app, you will need Red Wing Public Schools' district code. For the 2025 - 2026 school year, that code is Z3L9K.

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Again this school year, breakfast and lunch will be served at no cost to all RWPS students as part of Minnesota’s Free School Meals for Kids program. Each student may eat one breakfast and one lunch per school day free of charge.

We do still 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. Check out the fliers in English and Spanish below for more information and a QR code to get started! There are also PDF versions of the information linked if you'd prefer to print and submit that way.

The district will continue to offer a la carte items for purchase. Students bringing lunch from home, for example, may choose to purchase milk. 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. September's breakfast and lunch menus are linked below.

Sunnyside has had a few staffing changes over the course of the summer. We are pleased to welcome the following new staff members to the team:

• Cassi Wenzel will be replacing Samantha Krueger as a Speech Language Pathologist.
• Kristi Chahani will be replacing long-time teacher of multilingual learners, Kelly Hassemer.
• Liz Fernholz will be replacing Samantha McChristian as a general education paraprofessional, and is coming to us from Burnside.
• Kate Safe, former 1st grade and intervention teacher at Sunnyside, is returning to us as an instructional coach, replacing Brenda Houck.

In addition, Sunnyside is still seeking to hire replacements for Katie Brown, on of our building subs last year, and Jeni Stern, our kitchen manager. We wish our departing staff the best and look forward to welcoming our new staff to the Sunnyside team!

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.