School notes

District-wide

Winter Break

Winter break will be Monday Dec. 24 through Tuesday Jan. 1. School resumes Wednesday Jan. 2.

Sunnyside Elementary School

Walking Wednesday

On Dec. 19, 29 students participated in the Sunnyside Sneaker program. Winners drawn were Sarah Anne Kolby and Hayden Plum, both from Ms. Pearson’s first grade, and Isaac Kosek, from Mrs. O’Leary’s first grade.

Colvill Family Center

Colvill Kids Mixed Ages

Miss Lila’s classes are learning about bears and hibernation this week. They will read “The Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson. During the week they will decorate a bear and retell the story with the animals. Don’t forget to bring your teddy bear on Friday Jan. 4.

Colvill Kids 3’s

Vocabulary

Miss Katie’s classes are reading “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. They will play a game of “I Spy” as they hunt for colors. They will make a class book about the story. Our vocabulary words are “duck,” “frog,” “black,” “yellow,” “purple” and “see.”

Colvill Kids 4’s

Miss Catie’s classes are reading “Snowballs” by Lois Ehlert. They are learning the letter "Nn" with Nyle Noodle and are making snow people.

Early childhood screening

Upcoming early childhood screening dates are Jan. 10 and 24 and Feb. 7. 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 age 3 or over.

Red Cottage Montessori

Solstice celebration

Children celebrated the winter solstice with their families Thursday night. They sang songs of Hanukah and Christmas. Leading up to the event, children explored Christmas from a Native American perspective with the book and song “The Huron Carol.”

Classroom activities

Children played the dreidel game, made crystal snowflakes out of borax and ate potato latkes. Children discovered this kosher food tastes like fries with applesauce.

Winter break

The children’s house closed for winter break after class on Tuesday. Children marked the occasion with “pajama day.” School will resume Jan. 2.

His Kids Preschool

Sandy's 4- 5 Kindergarten Readiness class

Children had a very busy week in Ms. Sandy's room with all the holiday fun and the Christmas program. Children worked hard on Christmas presents to give to their parents. The meaning of “giving” has been shown in many ways this month. The letter "Cc" was instructed through writing skills and searching for Christmas in the many stories of the birth of baby Jesus. Children had a "Twas the Night before Christmas" pajama party to end the week.

3-4 Discovery Preschool

Children in Melody and Shari's class worked on songs and finger plays for the Christmas program. "Away in the Manger" was a favorite. The "The Night before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore was shared while the children listened in their pajamas. Our Second Step program talked with the children about what disappointment is as we all prepare for the holiday.

Make-A-Wish

Staff and students at His Kids turned in letters to Santa for the Make-A-Wish at Macy's and $30 was donated on their behalf. His Kids families also finished the "Giving Project" which helped two families.

Adventures in Learning Preschool

3-4-year-olds

The students made edible Christmas trees with the help of Greta's mom and little brother. Santa came and the students enjoyed the candy cane he gave them after they sat on his lap for a picture. Each student decorated a cupcake for Jesus' birthday party. The students brought cupcakes to the office and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus with the staff.

4-5-year-olds

The students wrapped up Christmas surprises for their families. Brody's dad, Maddox's grandpa and Henry's mom enjoyed playing board games with the students. They were busy decorating the cake and classroom for Jesus' birthday party. Each of the students made a Jesus doll with the help of Addison's grandma. After opening presents, we had a visitor – Santa.

Red Wing High School

Lockdown

Students did an outstanding job continuing to learn while our building was in the external lock down situation Wednesday. Classes went on as scheduled and learning was the focus of the students’ day.

Hedin-Hartnagel loans

The application form for the Hedin-Hartnagel loans is on the front page of the district website. The interviews will be at RWHS Thursday Dec. 27.

Students reach out

Students in Ms. Zylstra’s class decided to reach out to people in need so they have made six fleece blankets. The blankets will be given to Hope for the Journey Homeless Shelter in Oakdale, Minn. The blankets will be given to homeless children who stay at the shelter.

SOAR students of the month

The SOAR students of the month for November are:

• Riley Gulotta, grade 8, was nominated by Scott Bender. "Riley is one of those easy-to-overlook kids who deserves more recognition. He consistently does a good job without calling attention to himself,” Bender said. “Riley tends to business every day; he listens carefully, takes good notes, thinks about the information he's getting and evaluates it well as he puts together answers for homework questions. He's quiet without being withdrawn; he's willing to help other students and works well with partners. Riley's a nice guy, a good student and a positive role model for his classmates.”

• Emily Otteson, grade 8, was nominated by Lisa Toivonen and Jim Leise. “Emily is an outstanding Spanish student. She prepares by doing her homework each night and always studies her vocabulary and is prepared for quizzes and tests,” Toivonen said. “She always uses her class time and works well with other students. Emily is a great student as well as a great person."

"She has consistently put in great effort and always uses her time well,” Leise said.

• Marcus Koester, grade 9, was nominated by Lisa Hanson. "Marcus has no missing assignments from any class, makes up his work immediately after an absence,” Hanson said. “He uses his class time well, is very responsible, is friendly to others around him and is positive."

• Kelsey Corcoran, grade 9, was nominated by Sally Martin, Clair Austin, and Karen Patitz. "Kelsey works very hard and is self-driven to succeed in science. Keep up the good work ethic,” Austin said.

"Kelsey listens intently making sure she understands what she needs to know, excellent academic achievement," Martin said.

"Kelsey had to jump into Spanish 2 while having had a different Spanish One at another school. She has done really well with her Spanish as well as making friends in the class. Her participation in the class is great too,” Patitz said.

• Adam Kaiser, grade 10, was nominated by Mikkel Gardner. "Adam works hard every minute of every rehearsal. As a result, he is becoming a leader in his section,” Gardner said.

• Cheyanne Schwab, grade 10, was nominated by Tim Bowes. “She is a diligent young lady who's been very earnest in catching up on work after some early semester absences,” Bowes said. “She chooses to sit in the front row to remain focused on class rather than cell phone distractions."

• Julian Brandt, grade 11, was nominated by Darcy Feehan and Kristin Bray. "He has a very positive attitude. Julian has worked hard to raise his grades. He assists other students who do not understand their assignments. Julian demonstrates leadership skills when involved in group work,” Feehan said.

• "Julian works really hard in class and does awesome work. He's respectful to all those around him. I appreciate Julian's focus in class and is willingness to help out when needed. He's a great kid,” Bray said.

• Emily Possehl, grade 11, was nominated by Greg Grinager. "Emily has dominated in Mythology. I think she may be a dominant student, overall, but she's so shy quiet, nobody even knows how bright she is,” Grinager said.

• Grant Knott, grade 12, was nominated by Greg Grinager. "He is always helpful and empathetic with his peers. He has a heart of gold, and a foul enough mouth to be interesting. If it were merely a question of academic aptitude alone, Grant would qualify as a student of the month, but his abilities to make friends, and to entertain them with his delightful impromptu discourses, make Grant the most deserving recipient of this honor," Grinager said.

• McKenna Schaffer was nominated by Kraig Ulveling and Tim Bowes. "McKenna is a great student who is very respectful, a good leader and is a hard worker," Ulveling said.

"This young lady is always in class, she's always prepared in AP Lit, she's always has ten things going outside of school on top of basketball and her academics. She clearly does her own work and never seems concerned with the popularity factors of high school socialization. She's only focused on achieving and contributing positively in all of her endeavors. She is refreshingly honest and forthright,” Bowes said.

Tags: red wing, education