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, everyone! It's crazy to think that 2025 is in the rear view mirror, and it's also hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the school year. Our first semester of school will end on January 16th, and report cards will be sent home soon thereafter.

So far, the 2025-2026 school year has been a good 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 2026 is a great year!

January:

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

19 -- NO SCHOOL

30 -- 1st Grade Sustainable Safari Presentations

February:

2 - 12 -- APEX Fundraiser

12 -- APEX Fun Run Event

12 -- Kindergarten Registration Night (5-7 pm @ Sunnyside)

13 -- NO SCHOOL

16 -- NO SCHOOL

Spread the word! Registration for the 2026 - 2027 school year will kick off on Thursday, February 12th from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at Sunnyside. If you have an incoming kindergarten student, please join us with your incoming kindergartener for some fun activities and a chance to complete district enrollment forms. Activities this year will include a scavenger hunt, a "kindergarten signing day" photo op with Sunny the Winger Bird, inflatable slides in the gym, and a raffle to win a free bike for your incoming kindergarten student.

Please note, if school happens to closed due to weather on February 12th, the event will need to be rescheduled.

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 may 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 29, 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 weeks of January 12th - 23rd, Sunnyside 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.

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 over $350 for HOPE Coalition. Wow!!! Ms. Prigge's class was the top earning class, so they had the opportunity to pie Mr. Pagel at an all-school assembly on December 19th!

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

On Friday, 12/19, Sunnyside held its December Winger Pride assembly. During that assembly, we announced the names of our December 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. December's Students of the Month were:

• Virginia Habeggar
• Preston Stumpf
• Gracie Featherstone
• Bella Beaulieu
• Jack Kirk
• Wrigley Rehder
• Clover Reimer
• Cesar Figeuroa Fernandez
• Alexander Raasch
• Jackson Stenerson
• Layla Murphy
• Braxton Maskrey
• Kade Dabrowski
• Carlos Pizarro
• Jude Reeves
• Sophia Finucan
• Brecken Roed
• Athan Pacheco Ortega
• Ana Black
• Madison Kolstad

In our morning announcements on Wednesday, 12/17, 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:

• Evelynn DeWolf
• Tanzy Mattys
• Harrison Roy
• Mason Conroy
• Waylon Whitehawk
• Hunter Edquist
• Bristol Warwick
• Emmalyn Penney

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.