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

Spring is coming...eventually, right? Spring is a busy time at Sunnyside Elementary, and we will have several things going on over the next few months:

Spring Conferences: Conferences are coming up on Thursday, March 5th from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm. This is a non-student attendance day. If you have not already signed up for a conference slot. please visit https://ptcfast.com/schools/Sunnyside_Elementary_1 to do so.

Author Visit: Authors/Illustrators Mike Wohnoutka & David LaRochelle will visit Sunnyside on Frida, March 6th. Mike and David have collaborated on several children's books together, including their latest, Mr. Fox's Game of "No!".

Spring Break: Spring Break is coming up the week of March 16 - 20. Students also do not have school on Friday, March 27, as that is a professional development day for teachers.

Field Trips: March through May are definitely our "busy" months when it comes to field trips. In the coming months, we have several trips planned for kindergarten and first grade. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for information from your child's teacher as we move through the spring!

Spring Specials Showcase: Our spring concerts/showcases will take place on April 9, 10, 13, and 14 . Each day, a different group of classes performs at 1:00 pm. Our schedule for concerts is as follows:

• Thursday, April 9 -- 1st Grade: Friedrich, Pearson, Teschendorf
  

• Friday, April 10 -- First Grade: Larsen, Plein, Swanson

• Monday, April 13 -- Kindergarten: McDonnell, Plonsky, Prigge

• Tuesday, April 14 -- Kindergarten: Johnson, Kelly, Marklevits, Richardson

There are several other fun activities we have coming up this spring at Sunnyside as well, so stay tuned!

Mike Pagel

Principal

March:

5 -- NO SCHOOL (Parent-Teacher Conferences)

6 -- Author Visit - Mike Wohnoutka & David LaRochelle

16 - 20 -- NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)

27 -- NO SCHOOL (Staff Development Day)

31 -- End of 3rd Quarter

April:

3 -- NO SCHOOL

9 -- Statewide Tornado Drill

9 -- 1st Grade Specials Showcase @ 1:00 pm (Friedrich, Pearson, Teschendorf)

10 -- 1st Grade Specials Showcase @ 1:00 pm (Larsen, Plein, Swanson)

13 -- Kindergarten Specials Showcase @ 1:00 pm (McDonnell, Plonsky, Prigge)

14 -- Kindergarten Specials Showcase @ 1:00 pm (Johnson, Kelly, Marklevits, Richardson)

15 -- K & 1st to Sheldon Theatre to see Pete the Cat

17 -- NO SCHOOL (Staff Development Day)

24 -- 1st Grade Earth Day Field Trip to RWHS

Spread the word! Now’s the time to start thinking about registering your child for kindergarten! Registration for the 2026 - 2027 school year kicked off with a fun-filled Kindergarten Registration Night on February 12th. If you missed the session, don't worry! Enrollment forms are now available in print at the District Office, Colvill Family Center, and Sunnyside School. Forms may be returned to any of the locations listed above. We encourage you to register early, as this helps us determine staffing needs and get class placement information out earlier!

Families, thanks to your generous support, it looks at though Sunnyside raised over $12,000 for our Innovative Learning Fund through our recent Apex Fun Run fundraiser. Students had a blast and the funds raised will help support important learning activities for students such as field trips, guest speakers, author visits, and other unique learning experiences. Check out the Apex stats below, and from all of us here at Sunnyside, thank you!!!

Yearbooks are now available to pre-order for those who are interested. For those who may not be aware, Sunnyside and Burnside share a yearbook each year, and the cost is $20.00. If you'd like to order a yearbook, visit the order site HERE. Orders are due by Friday, April 2nd, and yearbooks are generally delivered near the end of the school year.

Speaking of the yearbook, Sunnyside and Burnside are holding a yearbook cover design contest open to any student in grades K - 4. If you have a young artist who might be interested, check out the flier below for more details and cover requirements! Submissions are due back to school by Monday, March 23rd. Pay close attention to the requirements, as covers that do not meet the guidelines will not be considered.

Every year Red Wing Arts hosts a K-12 student art show. Each year, RWPS art teachers select student work that showcases students’ understanding of the objectives and standards presented in the lessons. We have some very talented young artists and this is a great way to help cultivate their love for the arts! This year, the elementary student showcase kicks off with a reception at the Red Wing Depot Gallery on Thursday, March 12 from 4:00 - 5:30 pm. More information can be found at the link HERE. Please consider joining us in celebrating students from Sunnyside that have artwork in the show, the RWPS art program, and other local youth artists!

A couple months ago, Sunnyside was contacted by a representative of the Minneapolis Fire Department about the possibility of donating some coats to Sunnyside students. This donation, which is through an organization called Operation Warm, was also funded in part by Prairie Island Indian Community. As we discussed this further with MPD, they informed us that we could actually get enough coats for every student at Sunnyside who wants one, which is awesome! In many parts of the country, these would probably be considered winter coats, though in Minnesota, they might more accurately be described as late fall/early spring coats... ;-)

Early during the week of 3/2 - 3/6, your child should come home with a letter explaining details of the distribution event on Friday, March 13. If you would like your child to receive a coat, there is nothing you need to do. If, however, you would like to opt your child out and not receive a coat, there is an opt-out slip at the bottom of the letter that simply needs to be completed and returned to your child's teacher or the Sunnyside office. Our rep from MPD has told us that we can keep any extra coats for distribution to students in need of a coat in future years. Students who are opted out of a coat will be provided with a fun alternate activity during the 10-15 minutes their class goes to pick out their coats. If your child's letter happens to get lost before it makes it to you (been there done that with 3 kids...), you may also email Mr. Pagel at mjpagel@rwps.org to let him know you'd like to opt your child out. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mr. Pagel!

This likely won't apply to most of our Sunnyside Families, but if you are, or know of, a local military family with a child in grades 6 - 12, this is for you! Laketrails Base Camp, on Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota, is committed to bringing more military‑connected youth to camp throughout the summer! More information about Laketrails can be found on their website at https://laketrails.org. They have availability in 5 different sessions, including Session 3, July 5-13, which is dedicated for military-connected youth.

Here's the great news: our local Beyond the Yellow Ribbon organization will help raise funds to sponsor youth that live within a 30 mile radius of Red Wing! Discounted rates are available for all sessions, along with scholarship opportunities. Plus, Laketrails offers transportation to the camp with the southernmost pick-up/drop-off in Rogers, MN.

If you know a military family with a child in grades 6–12, please help spread the word! For more information, contact the director of Laketrails Base Camp, Troy Douglas, using the contact info in the flier below.

When you visit Sunnyside on Thursday, March 5th for parent-teacher conferences, please check our lost and found areas for any clothes that belong to your child. Our lost and found is piling up, and we will be moving clothes into our stockpile of spares for students and/or donating them to a local thrift store after spring break. Our main lost and found is located around the corner from our main lobby to the left. Kids Junction also has a lost and found where our things sometimes end up as well. That lost and found is located all the way down the main hall and then to the right.

Starting on Monday, March 2nd, Sunnyside's PE teacher, Mr. Johnson, will be leading students through the American Heart Association's Kids' Heart Challenge. This activity will teach students how to keep their hearts and brains healthy while also raising funds to help kids with special hearts through the AHA. Students will participate during PE classes, and those who choose to fundraise should have donations submitted by 3/20. Mr. Johnson will be providing more detailed information, and you can check out the website HERE.

The third quarter of schools will officially come to a close on Tuesday, March 31st. First grade teachers have indicated they'd prefer to complete the informal progress reports a bit early so they can discuss with families at conferences next week. Kindergarten, on the other hand, will send the progress reports home after the quarter ends. Official report cards are only completed at the end of Semester 1 and Semester 2, so a less formal progress report will be provided this quarter. Specials (Art, Music, & PE) are only graded at the semesters, since they only meet with students less frequently.

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

On Thursday, 2/27, Sunnyside held its February Winger Pride assembly. During that assembly, we announced the names of our February 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. February's Students of the Month were:

• Kiara Lawton
• Julia Poylio
• Tori Huppert
• Easton Van Reese
• Charley Nelson
• Luca Pizarro
• Willow Foster
• Harrison Stallard
• Madison Amberg
• Rickiana Sanford
• Lila Perez
• Julion Morales Garcia
• Jada Sanders
• Iris Woyda-Hager
• Freya Ruppel
• Parker O'Connor
• Bryce Wentlandt
• Ayla Majerus
• Raelynn Carpenter

In our morning announcements on Friday, 2/27, we announced the winners of February'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! February's Winger Pride ticket drawing winners were:

• Legacy Foster
• Luna Reynolds
• Koda Hale
• Oaklyn Brock
• Oliver Probst
• Ryker Reiss
• Evelyn Edel
• Ayla Majerus

Congratulations to everybody!

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

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.