School notes

SOAR October students of the month

SOAR named the following as students of the month for October:

Kate Gadient, eighth grade, was nominated by Jim Leise for her hard work in earth science. “She is a very organized and positive student,” Leise said.

Brittany Kurkowski, ninth grade, was nominated by Kristin Bray. “She is a new student at Red Wing High school,” Bray said. “She has a great work ethic and is creative in art class.”

Theo Mitchell, ninth grade, was nominated by Clare Austin. “He is one of the top students in pre-AP physical science,” Austin said.

Sara Gornowksi, 10th grade, was nominated by Jeanie Robert. “Sara is very organized in the classroom and is a great leader,” Robert said. “She actively participates in classroom discussion.”

Thomas Kimmes, 10th grade, was nominated by Chad Bray. “Thomas has a good work ethic and is conscientious about his grades,” Bray said. “He does a great job in class and is a great student!”

Katie Carlson, 11th grade, was nominated by Hattie Ekholm. “She sits at my hardest-working table, and her group works amazing together,” Ekholm said.

Jon Ramit, 11th grade, was nominated by Tim Bowes. “He participates a lot in class discussion,” Bowes said.

Nico Johnson, 12th grade, was nominated by Julie Schreifels. “She is a very nice girl with a kind heart,” Schreifels said. “She is positive in class.”

William Ortiz, 12th grade, was nominated by Jeanie Robert. “William loves to learn,” Robert said. “He is active in our group discussions.”

Sunnyside Elementary School

Walking Wednesdays

On Nov. 21, there were 43 students who participated in the Sunnyside Sneaker program. This week’s winners are Morgan Hanlin, from Ms. Rak’s kindergarten class, and Kallie Babcock, from Ms. Pearson’s first-grade class.

School fundraising

The following programs raise several thousands of dollars annually for Sunnyside and Burnside schools. The money helps to pay for classroom materials, field trips and in-school visits from authors, artists and the science museum.

Please save the following items and send them to school with your child:

• Econofoods receipts: a generous percentage of the total receipt amount will be given to the school.

• General Mills Box Tops: usually 5 cents or more per box top are given to the school.

• Kwik Trip milk and juice products: 5 cents per bag top, milk or juice cap are given. Please dry before sending to school.

• Target: 1 percent of purchases can be designated back to the school of your choice – Sunnyside or Burnside.

• Printer cartridges: HP, Canon, Xerox, Lexmark, Compac (Black only, no color).

Colvill Family Center

Colvill Kids Mixed Ages

Miss Lila’s classes are learning about shapes this week. They will read “The Shape of Things” by Dayle Ann Dodds. They will make their own house out of shapes and do a self-portrait. They will also play some games to help learn the names of the shapes.

Colvill Kids 3’s

Miss Katie’s classes are reading “Mama Cat Has Three Kittens” by Denise Flemming. They will talk about what animals they might have as pets. They will sort animals according to where they live. They will make cat headbands and do some graphing about pets.

Colvill Kids 4’s

Miss Catie’s classes are reading “The Big Bears” by Melvin Berger. They will learn the letter “Ll” with Larry Lion, make bear masks and learn some fun bear facts.

Early Childhood Screening

Upcoming early childhood screening dates are Dec. 6 and Jan. 10 and 24. The state of Minnesota requires early childhood screening for all children before they enter kindergarten. Please call 651-385-8000 to schedule a screening time for your child ages 3 or older.

Red Cottage Montessori

Thankful

Red Cottage children have been looking at Thanksgiving from many sides. They have discussed traditions, food, family and what they are thankful for. They talked about the word “thankful,” as it sometimes is a bit abstract to fully grasp. They decided that to be thankful was to be glad something, somewhere or someone was a part of their lives. As they went around the circle, the beautiful part was every child was thankful for a special person or people in his/her life.

First Thanksgiving

Students also discussed the perspectives of pilgrims and Native Americans that were present during the first settlements from Europe in America. Thinking about the past and realizing it was different than today has been eye-opening.

Student teacher

Red Cottage children are enjoying the weekly visits of our student teacher, Eva, from Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical. She has given many language lessons that have been fun and new to the children.

His Kids Preschool

Sandy's 4-5 Kindergarten Readiness class

This week, students had many activities for Thanksgiving. Children prepared a meal and made pilgrim hats and decorations. During the meal, they shared what they are thankful for. The letter “Ii” was introduced and children explored the classroom to find as many things as they can that starts with that letter.

3-4 Discovery Preschool

This week, children expressed that they are thankful for moms, dads, grandparents and, of course, pets. The story “The Night before Thanksgiving” was read and many craft projects pertaining to the season were made. Children had fun making the letter “Tt” in shaving cream and building things in the workshop for their animals. Second Step teaching this week focused attention on their bodies and how to recognize how they are feeling.