The Sunnyside Scoop
School Newsletter -- October, 2019
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! Believe it or not, we are almost done with our first month of school already. It's been exciting watching students and staff settle into routines, make new friends, and learn new things. Sunnyside’s success is all of us – teachers, parents, staff, and the community – working together to help our young students grow and succeed. This year at Sunnyside, we're focusing on three school-wide expectations -- BE SAFE, BE KIND, & BE 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. Thank YOU, families, for all you do to support Sunnyside and your children. We appreciate it!
Mike Pagel
Principal
Dates to Remember...
October:
7 -- Club's Choice fundraiser ends (order forms due!)
11 -- Two-Hour Early Release (Student day ends at 12:55 pm)
15 -- 2nd Grade Field Trip to MN Zoo
17 & 18 -- NO SCHOOL
22 -- Fall Picture Retakes
31 -- Fall Parade/Celebration (2:00 pm)
November
1 -- End of 1st Quarter
4 -- NO SCHOOL
6 -- Club's Choice fundraiser delivery (3:00 - 6:00 pm in Sunnyside gym)
7 -- Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:15 - 7:15 pm)
7 - 12 -- Scholastic Book Fair
12 -- Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:15 - 7:15 pm)
14 -- Field Trip to Sheldon (K/1st @10:00, 2nd @ 1:00)
28 & 29 -- NO SCHOOL
Bus Stop & Walk
Yearbook Cover Contest
Calling all artists! Each year, families at Sunnyside and Burnside have the option of purchasing our elementary yearbook. This year, we are again holding a K - 4 cover design contest! Any student at Sunnyside or Burnside is welcome to submit a cover design, and the winning design will grace the cover of every yearbook sold to Sunnyside and Burnside students! Here are the details you need to know:
- All submissions are due by no later than Friday, October 11th, and they may be turned in to the Sunnyside office or your child's teacher.
- Covers should be designed on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper of any color (oriented the "tall" way)
- The cover should contain the title "Red Wing Elementary Schools" and the year "2019 - 2020" in the design
- Covers may be designed using any media - crayons, colored pencils, or markers - and can be in color or black & white
- Please write your child's first and last name along with grade and teacher on the BACK of the design in pencil.
- Finalists will be voted on by students at both schools and the winner will be announced in late October.
Happy designing!
Fall Costume Parade & Celebration
On October 31st, 2019, 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 from their classroom teacher. 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!
Club's Choice Fundraiser
For those choosing to participate, all orders need to be submitted to the main office at Sunnyside by Monday, October 7th. The delivery day for orders is scheduled for Wednesday, November 6th.
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!
More Drop Off & Pick Up Reminders
At this point in the school year, the vast majority of parents are utilizing the drop-off/pick-up lane proficiently, safely, and respectfully. Thank you!!! The first priority for all of us in that lane should be the safety of ALL students, which is why I am putting some reminders in the newsletter one more time. Most of you are already doing these things, but for the few that are not...
- Please pull forward as far as you can. This goes for drop off as well as pick up.
- Use your turn signal when you pull out. It alerts other drivers of your intention to do so.
- Please don't cut across the lanes on foot! Every time I see a parent and/or child dart across the lanes of the main part of the loop I cringe. Please walk to either end of the loop where drivers are less distracted by everything else going on.
- Please stay to the far right as you come around the curve on the far end of the parking 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. This scares me more than anything in the loop...
- 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.
- If you need more than a few seconds to load/unload your child, please park instead.
- 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.
Thank you to everyone who continues to follow the rules. We appreciate it, and I believe it's part of what has made our loop a pretty efficient one overall.
Activating Nature Play Project
For more information, check out the flyers below:
Spare Clothing Reminder
Sometimes accidents happen, especially for our young kindergarten students. School is a busy place, and occasionally students are so engrossed in classroom fun that they forget to ask to use the restroom. For that reason, we ask that families of kindergarten students please send a change of clothes to school in a plastic bag to leave with the teacher, just in case.
Easy Ways to Help Our School
Did you know that there are some easy ways you can help Sunnyside raise money without costing you any money? Sunnyside participates in the following programs:
General Mills Box Tops for Education: Look for the pink Box Tops for Education logo on hundreds of different products within the General Mills family of companies. Cut them out and send them to Sunnyside! Box Tops is also transitioning to an easy app that doesn't require you to do anything more than scan your receipts to donate. Check it out at https://www.boxtops4education.com.
Coca-Cola Give: Look for product codes on purchases from the Coca-Cola company. Send those codes - whether on bottle caps or other packaging - to Sunnyside! Or, if you prefer, visit https://us.coca-cola.com/give/schools/, search for Sunnyside Elementary, and enter your codes there. Either way, Sunnyside makes money!
Family Fare (formerly EconoFoods) Receipts: Turn in those Family Fare receipts and they will give back a percentage of the total receipt amount. Don't forget to scan them first for Box Tops!
Pop Tabs: Bring in those pop tabs from cans of soda, juice, tea, and more! Our kindergarten classes take them to McDonald's in the spring to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House.
Black Ink Cartridges: Bring us those old black printer ink cartridges to benefit the Red Wing Band Boosters!