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 February! Parents, I need your help... well, at least from those of you who drop off and/or pick up. I've started to notice an increase again in some things happening out there again that I'm hoping we can nip. I think it's natural this time of year to slip on some routines. Winter is long, and February is the month that often feels like dreary days might never end. However, I want to make sure drop off and pick up are safe and positive experiences for everyone. Please reflect on the following issues we are seeing, and help us make sure drop off and pick up are more positive experience for everyone (and so I don't have to keep being a broken record in the newsletters...). Here are some things I have noticed recently:

• Cars stopping short in the drop-off lane with a line of cars behind them. Please pull forward for everyone's sake. I receive more angry emails about this than anything else...
  
  
• Parents frustrated that cars are stopping short are sometimes zooming around those cars at speeds too high to be safe. I understand your frustration, but please slow down.
  
  
• Cars going the wrong way through the parking lot to gain quick access to the drop off lane, often cutting off other cars that have been waiting patiently. Sunnyside's lot is one way only. Please stay to the right when you enter.
  
  
• Parents letting students out of the car or loading on the driver's (traffic) side. If possible, please load/unload on the passenger (sidewalk) side of the car. If not, consider parking in the lot and walking your student across to the sidewalk. It can be slippery in the lane, and it would be awful if a child slipped in front of a passing car.
  
  
• Slow-loading in the pick-up lane. Look, I get it. Some students at this age still require some help getting buckled. If that's the case, though, please park in the lot and walk across to retrieve your child. This will prevent the pick-up line from getting backed up.
  
  
• Pulling out of or into the right lane without signaling or looking carefully enough. I've seen some near misses over the past few weeks, and it feels like a matter of time before there's an accident.
  
  
• Finally, parking in the spaces along the edge of the lot during pick-up. We have nine marked parking spaces along the right edge of the parking lot as you are coming in. While it's nice to have the extra spaces for events like concerts, they cause an issue for pick-up. If cars are parked in those spaces, it pushes the line of waiting cars over to the left and ends up blocking in any cars parked in the diagonal row of spaces until the line clears. Any other time of day, parking in those spaces is fine, but please avoid those spaces at pick-up time if possible.
  

I know winter gets long, and I know many of us get a little cranky at this point. But let's all do our best to make these busy times of the day a little more positive for each other. Thank you!

Mike Pagel

Principal

February:

2 - 12 -- APEX Fundraiser

12 -- APEX Fun Run Event

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

13 -- NO SCHOOL

16 -- NO SCHOOL

March:

5 -- NO SCHOOL (Parent-Teacher Conferences)

6 -- Author Visit - Mike Wohnoutka & David LaRochelle

16 - 20 -- NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)

27 -- NO SCHOOL

31 -- End of 3rd Quarter

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.

The Apex Fun Run Event is almost here! This is one of two fundraisers we do each year here at Sunnyside. Money raised directly benefits students through things such as field trips, assemblies, classroom grants, and more. Here are dates to remember for our spring fundraiser:

Tuesday, 2/3: Students will attend a pep rally full of information to kick off the Apex Fun Run fundraiser! Students will also bring home directions to start seeking pledges for the run on this day.

2/4 - 2/11: Students will experience daily leadership lessons in their classroom from the Apex staff. Additionally, Apex will support students as they seek pledges for the upcoming Fun Run.

Thursday, 2/12: Fun Run Day! Students run laps in a fun, music-filled event to raise pledges to support our Innovative Learning Fund. Interested in volunteering? Contact Brenda Voth in the main office at 651-385-4570, as we need several volunteers to mark laps on students' Apex shirts. Due to space limitations, we will not have space for parents to watch the event, so sign up to volunteer if you'd like to check it out!

Want to know more? Please click HERE for more information in English, or HERE for the same information in Spanish.

February is I Love to Read Month here at Sunnyside! We will have several fun literacy-based activities going on all month, including the following:

• 2/20 -- Read With a Buddy Day (Bring your favorite stuffed animal!)
• 2/23 - 2/27-- Read Across America Week Dress-Up Days (See schedule below!)
• 2/27 -- Sunnyside Reading Train (Conductor Pagel will travel the building inviting classes to drop everything and read!)
• 3/6 -- Author visit with Mike Wohnoutka & David LaRochelle

In addition, Mr. Pagel will be visiting classes to read and some classrooms will also have mystery readers visiting to read as well.

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

On Thursday, 1/29, Sunnyside held its January Winger Pride assembly. During that assembly, we announced the names of our January 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. January's Students of the Month were:

• Sterling Munsen
• Daxton Higgins
• Jaxton Welch
• Malaya Bolden
• Opal Ganser
• Vivian Patterson
• Logan Allen
• Rowan Bryant
• Mason Conroy
• Calan McLaren
• Parker Serna
• Madylin Roschen

In our morning announcements on Friday, 1/30, we announced the winners of January'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! January's Winger Pride ticket drawing winners were:

• Alex Raasch
• Wyatt Strauss
• Annabella Beaulieu
• Ava Duerke
• Ana Black
• Jude Kingston
• Talon Marquardt Merrifield
• Mae Siepelmeyer

Congratulations to everybody!

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

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.