The Sunnyside Scoop
School Newsletter -- October, 2018
About Us
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
Principal's Message...
Happy October! As many of you know, Sunnyside kicked off fundraising efforts last January to add additional equipment to our lower playground to expand options for everyone. Our playgrounds at Sunnyside not only provide recess fun for students, but are a hub of neighborhood activity as well. To this point, Sunnyside has secured funding from a variety of sources. The City of Red Wing has pitched in, we've received multiple grants, and have held fundraisers of our own. Amazingly, we've already raised over $100,000 of the approximately $140,000 needed to move forward with construction!
Recently, Sunnyside held a couple fundraising events that added to our total, and we received an unexpected donation as well. On October 2nd, Sunnyside held a Dine-to-Donate fundraiser at Culver's. The support from our families was AMAZING! Culver's staff told me they had never seen a turnout like it before, and I was thrilled to see so many of our families interacting and enjoying each others' company. That event raised almost $1000 toward our playground efforts! Then, on October 6th, Sunnyside, with the support of Red Wing Golf Club, held a 9-hole golf tournament and auction. That event raised almost $6300! Finally, just this last week, we received word that Red Wing Central High School's Class of 1973 had a reunion recently and raised an additional $802 to support our playground efforts. Wow!
In all, we are closing in on our target, and are about $36,000 away at this point. We'll continue to chip away at it, and we appreciate your continued support!
Mike Pagel
Principal
Dates to Remember...
October:
23 -- Fall Picture Retakes
26 -- Bus Stop & Walk (7:55 - 8:10 am)
26 -- Halloween Safety presentations
31 -- Fall Costume Parade (2:00 pm)
November:
2 -- Bus Stop & Walk (7:55 - 8:10 am)
2 -- End of 1st Quarter
5 -- NO SCHOOL (staff development day)
7 -- Club's Choice Fundraiser Delivery (3 - 6 pm in gym)
7 & 8 -- Vision & Hearing Screening (K & 1st)
8 -- Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:15 - 7:15 pm)
8 - 13 -- Scholastic Book Fair (before & after school)
9 -- Bus Stop & Walk (7:55 - 8:10 am)
9 -- Arts Alive kickoff (2:00 pm in gym)
13 -- Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:15 - 7:15 pm)
16 -- Bus Stop & Walk (7:55 - 8:10 am -- last one of the fall!)
16 -- Kindergarten Grandparents’ Day (Marklevits, McDonnell, Prahl, Richardson)
19 -- Kindergarten Grandparents’ Day (Dressen, Johnson, Plonsky, Prigge)
22 & 23 -- NO SCHOOL
More Drop Off & Pick-Up Reminders
- Pull forward as far as you can! This continues to be one of the biggest frustrations in the loop. When you stop short, you impact the entire flow of traffic.
- Don't be afraid to use the pull-through lane to go around slow loaders and fill an open spot further down. However, do so CAREFULLY. Don't assume other drivers know you're there!
- Please don't cut across the lanes on foot! Every time I see a parent and child dart across the lanes of the main part of the loop I cringe. Someone will get hit eventually if it continues. Please walk to either end of the loop before crossing - drivers there are not as focused on so many other things in those spots.
- Please stay to the far right as you come around the curve on the far end of the lot before entering the loop. That way, vehicles that are parking in the lot can still get by.
- Please only load/unload your child on the curb (passenger) side of your vehicle. I get more dirty looks and angry responses about this than anything else in the loop, but we will continue to enforce it. If your child needs to get in on the driver's side, you MUST park and cannot use the loop. The last thing ANYBODY wants is for a child to get hurt!
- Stay in your vehicle unless briefly buckling your child in. Please do not leave your vehicle and walk away from it. If you need to do that, park in the lot.
- At pick-up, if loading your child will take longer than 30 seconds, please park and walk over to pick up your child. This is the one thing that slows the loop down at pick-up more than anything else. We completely understand that some students may take longer to load and buckle - please just use the lot if that's the case.
- Please be patient and drive conservatively! Young students can sometimes be impulsive, even while walking with a parent. Too many drivers are leaving without signalling and/or looking first. This leads to accidents!
- Finally, drop off times are from 7:55 am - 8:15 am. Children should not be dropped off before 7:55, as there is no adult supervision provided. If you need to drop off before the 7:55 - 8:15 window, you can enroll your child in Kids Junction. Again, THERE IS NO DROP-OFF SUPERVISION AVAILABLE BEFORE 7:55!
I know there's a lot of information here, and that some of it is a repeat from last month, but we ALL need to work together to make sure Sunnyside's drop-off/pick-up loop is a safe and efficient place for everybody. Thanks!
Fall Costume Parade & Celebration
On October 31st, 2018, Sunnyside will celebrate students' hard work and the fall season with fun and safe activities and a costume parade. We encourage students to develop costumes that promote positivity and avoid encouraging or promoting violence. Costumes will be donned shortly after lunch in preparation for our parade. Please avoid make up or colored hair spray, and avoid toy weapons of any kind.
The costume parade will begin at 2:00 pm at Sunnyside's Maple Street entrance. We will walk down Maple, turn left on Southwood Avenue, and then turn left into the Sunnyside front entrance. Families are welcome to join us along the route to watch and take photos! Parents who plan to take their students after the parade will need to check them out in the office. Please note that the parade will be canceled if it is raining.
Thank you for your cooperation in making this a safe and fun activity for our students. We hope to see you at the parade!
Dress for the Weather
Club's Choice Fundraiser Delivery
The money raised from this fundraiser goes into our Innovative Learning Fund, which is an account used in our school to provide financial support for innovative learning opportunities-- whether it be flexible seating, outside-the-box instruction, field trips, or so much more!
K4 Connect Presents Family Movie Night!
Red Wing K-4 Connect is an effort to organize events to unite, enhance, and inform our Sunnyside and Burnside families. Our next event of the year is a family movie night on November 2nd in the Sunnyside gym. Join us in your PJs and bring a blanket to enjoy the story of a boy named Miguel who enters the Land of the Dead to find his ancestors. This is a fitting movie for the season as November 2nd is honored as Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead in HIspanic culture. The movie is rated PG, and all students must be accompanied by an adult. We hope to see you there!
Friday, November 2
6:00 - 8:00 pm (doors open at 5:45)
Sunnyside Elementary School
$1 per person for admission, popcorn and bottled water ($5 cap per family)