Sunnyside Scoop

The SUNNYSIDE SCOOP November, 2015 Sunnyside Google Calendar At the bottom of the SS website home page Link to the SUNNYSIDE SCOOP on the SS home page

Upcoming events: Wednesday, Nov. 4th 9:40am-12:30pm: 2nd gr. to Children’s Theatre Friday, Nov. 6th NO SCHOOL for students!

Monday, Nov. 9th 6-6:45pm: PTA meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10th Picture re-take day 4-8pm: 5th gr. Communication Night Thursday, Nov. 12th 6:30-7:30pm: 1st & 2nd gr. Vocal Concert (SS multi-purpose room)

Tuesday, Nov.17th 6-7:30pm: Bully Prevention Night for parents (Irondale High School) Wednesday, Nov.18th Vision & Hearing Screening Thursday, Nov. 19th 4-8pm: 4th gr. Communication night Friday, Nov. 20th 9-10am: Gibbs Farm visits 1st grade Sunnyside Dance & Turkey Bingo (evening-TBD) Monday-Friday, Nov. 23-27th NO SCHOOL for students and staff!

Thanksgiving Break

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**** LOST and FOUND **** Is your child missing something??

Our lost and found has moved! It is now across from the gym.

Come check it out!!

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Principal Points Families, This year Mounds View Public Schools has entered into the second year of implementing Chromebooks into classrooms, and at this time we now have full classroom sets implemented into all third, fourth, and fifth grade homeroom classes. I am very excited to watch as technology has expanded beyond a single room computer lab to wireless technology available at all grade levels, whether it’s interactive whiteboards, interactive tablets, laptops, or Chromebooks, all of our students building-wide now have technology accessible to them on a daily basis.

The goal of expanding technology is not just to have technology for technology's sake, but to have students using technology in ways which are integrated into lessons and will enhance student learning allowing them to create and

produce work versus seeing it as another way to play games or surf the internet. Many of the teachers who are using classroom sets of Chromebooks have begun using Google Classroom as a paperless way to complete assignments, provide feedback, and share documents with one another. It’s an exciting time to be in education as our students become 21st Century ready, and it is a lot of fun to watch as teachers are changing the way they work with your students to help prepare them for the world they will interact with tomorrow.

As I am sure many of you have heard, Sunnyside Elementary School has again been named among the top Title I schools in the state, earning the Minnesota Department of Education's (MDE) designation of "Celebration Eligible" school.

"Celebration" status is part of the state's accountability system that uses a Multiple Measurements Rating (MMR) to evaluate schools' performance in proficiency, academic growth, achievement gap reduction and meeting targets for graduation rate projections.

While we are excited to receive this designation, we recognize we share this designation with you, our Sunnyside families.

The teachers at Sunnyside are committed to see every student succeed, but it is through a continued partnership with families that we achieve our goals. We will continue to work to improve our instructional model, increase communication, and work together with all of you for the betterment of our students and build upon the successes we have achieved. The hard work everyone has put forth, from teachers to students to parents, continues to pay off. Thank you for partnering with us as we work to make this year a great one as we continue to build and improve upon our past successes.

Nathan Flansburg Principal

Health Office News: Dear Parents and Guardians, Hearing and Vision Screening has been scheduled for Sunnyside Elementary on November 18 from 8:40am to 2:30pm. All students will be screened by parent volunteers who have been trained and are supervised by the school nurse. Students who do not pass vision or hearing screening will be rescreened by Jennifer Bakeberg, Health Care Specialist or Lindy Hintzen, Licensed School Nurse.

To enable us to facilitate this screening program, we need your help! Vision and hearing screening volunteers are vital to ensure the success of this worthwhile program.

If you would be willing to help you can sign up for a time slot on Sign-Up Genius, using the link below, or by calling the health office at 651-621-7604. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0849ada82fabf58-vision Thank you for your help and generosity of your valuable time!

Please make sure you have completed your background check.

Sunnyside Health Office

Library News: Thanks to all who stopped by during our common conference night to shop our school book fair. We raised $250 for our school library. Thanks for your support, and we hope you will stop by our spring fair during the March conference nights.

Happy reading!

Orchestra News: Orchestra has begun and the students are making wonderful sounds together! If your child did not register, but would still like to, please contact Annika Spargo at Annika.Spargo@moundsviewschools.org or 651-621-6676. To learn more about our orchestra program, visit https://sites.google.com/a/moundsviewschools.org/orchestra-ew-ss/ The SS Orchestra will perform on the following dates: Winter Concert: Thursday, December 17, School day performances and 7pm at Sunnyside West Side Orchestra Festival: Monday, January 25, 7pm at Irondale High School Spring Concerts: Friday, May 13, School day performances and 7pm at Bethel University in Benson Great Hall

Choir News:

Come join us for a fun evening of music by our 1st & 2nd graders!!!

Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: in the Sunnyside multi-purpose room

Garden News: As our first growing season comes to a close, we wanted to send out a huge thank you to everyone who has helped this past year with the garden. Whether it be building the boxes, shoveling dirt, planting plants, watering, harvesting, or pure support - we would not have had any success without it all.

Sunnyside contributed 461 pounds of the total 2200 pounds collected! Now - that is a great percentage - considering the 2200 pounds comes from all the elementary and middle schools in the entire district. Here is a message from the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf Program: “On behalf of the food shelf and the neighbors we serve, we want to thank you for the hard work and generosity that all of you have put into making your school garden a success. It is obvious that many of you have some pretty green thumbs! The individuals that visit our food shelf have enjoyed being able to choose fresh produce for their families all summer long. Produce is something that we cannot typically afford to purchase and we receive very little from other community sources, so the school gardens have filled a very large void for us. “

Also, a big shout out to Mrs. Stanoch (3rd grade teacher), who was our master gardener!! She did a fabulous job!

Chess Club News:

Chess Club meets every Thursday at 7:30 am in the library.

Fall Grade Level Chess Tournament - Highview Middle School, November 7th. Register at www.schoolchess.org Demo Board Schedule: Date Topic Group Oct. 22nd Basic Checkmate Pawns Oct. 29th Forks & Pins Knights Nov. 5th Tempo in End Game Kings Chess Tips: In the opening, look for a Pawn move first, then a Knight move, then a Bishop move, then a Castle or Rook move, then finally a Queen move.

Try to keep your King defended by your Pawns (Castling is a good way to do this).

District News: Pass-It-Along Event

The Early Childhood Programs Parent Advisory Committee announces its annual Pass-It-Along event. The event is free and features gently used infant and toddler clothing, children’s clothing up to size 14 and maternity wear, baby equipment, toys and books. Pass-It-Along is for families in need in the community and takes place at Pike Lake Education Center, 2101 14th St. N.W., New Brighton on Tuesday, Nov 24 from 9 am to noon.

Donations for Pass-It-Along will be accepted until Nov 19 at Sunnyside School. Call the Mounds View Public Schools Early Childhood Programs office at 651-621-7420 for more information.

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Mounds View Public Schools and the Special Education Advisory Council Invite all parents to attend SEPPAC Meetings and Agendas for 2015-16 October 8, 2015 Parent to Parent Gathering 6:45 to 8:15 at Snail Lake Education Center

You are not alone! This meeting is designed for parents to come together to help each other. There will short presentations and then discussion groups on how parents can help each other to navigate the system and advocate for their own child. Come hear other parent’s stories and experiences.

When my son first entered school, I wasn't sure how all of his special needs would be met. Asking a lot of questions, attending SEPPAC and IEP meetings, and connecting with other parents really helped. Doing this allowed me to address my concerns, build trust with school staff, and find clarity in the education planning process."

Elizabeth, parent of 9th grade special education student "My husband and I have always felt like equal members of our daughter's excellent special education teams; however, I was missing a connection with other special education parents and families. Being a member of SEPPAC provides that connection as well as partnerships with special educators across our district. These relationships help me advocate and plan for our daughter's education, especially during her transition from elementary to middle school."

Bridget, parent of a 6th grade special education student and SEPPAC Co-Chair

SEPPAC Advisory Meeting (Date to be determined in Jan/ Feb) on a Topic determined by the Parents at the October SEPPAC Meeting April 14, 2016

Post-Secondary Planning: School and Community Resources

6:45 to 8:15 at Snail Lake Education Center Back by popular demand, this meeting will have students sharing their experience in a variety of post-secondary options as well as information about resources available to students and their parents for their own planning.

PTA News: Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's Grandparent's and Special Friend’s day celebration a huge success!! We really could not have done it without the help of students, staff, and our volunteers.

Special thanks go to our fifth grade volunteers: Cooper, Kiera, Jack, Josh, and Toby. We appreciate you taking time out of your school day. We also very much appreciate your teachers for allowing you to do so.

Big thanks as well to our parent volunteers who helped make it all run so smoothly: Abby Gryniewski, Alina Cramble, Breana Barron, Brianna Lewis, Chris Renshaw, Colleen Meyer, Corinne Olson, Derrick Schwartz, Dorothy Doll, Kara Dahlberg, Krista Tranowski, Lori Krengel, Melissa Metz, Michele DeCoux, Michelle Schwientek, Molly Martin, Nicole Marshall, Nicole Remer, Sabrina Martinez-Parias and Shelly Schoeller.

We apologize if we missed anyone. We were so fortunate to have so many fabulous volunteers that day.

Shauna Bock and Amy Wagner-Wieland

Extra News: Announcing

Every Kid In a Park!!!!

‌‌A new White House youth initiative to get all 4th graders and their families to experience the places that are home to our country’s natural treasures, rich history, and vibrant culture FREE OF CHARGE!!

To help engage and create our next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates, the White House, in partnership with the Federal Land Management agencies, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The immediate goal is to provide an opportunity for each and every 4th grade student across the country to experience their federal public lands and waters in person throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

Beginning September 1st, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid in a Park pass at: www.everykidinapark.gov This pass provides free access to national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and more!

The Every Kid in a Park pass is good for the 2015-2016 school year, until August 31, 2016.