The Catalina Island Marine Biology Trip is the culmination of our middle school curriculum. It takes place on Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California and involves travel by airplane, bus and ferry. The dates this year are May 15th-19th 2023.

Dear 6th graders and new Middle School Students,

Welcome to Sunnyside Environmental Middle School!
Youʼre invited to 6th Grade and New Middle Schoolers Welcome Day 
Tuesday, August 23rd 10am-12pm 
NOTE: This event is for students only

On this Welcome Day, all 6th grade students and any new Middle Schoolers will learn about the ins and outs of what it’s like to be a middle schooler at Sunnyside. Together, with our middle school leaders and counselors, we’ll get to know each other and our school through activities. Students will leave the session feeling comfortable about life in middle school, having made new connections, and excited to start school on August 30th.

A little about Sunnyside Environmental Middle School:
There are 7 Middle School CORE classrooms, each made up of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students together.

• Core: Social Studies (Grades 6-8, Thematic - Ocean, River, Forest, Mountain)
• Math: 6th-Grade Math, 7th-Grade Math/Compacted Math, 8th-grade Math/Compacted Math
• Core Elective: 6th grade school skills, 7th-8th grade Spanish 1-2 (receive HS Credit)
• Elective Wheel: PE, Art, Media/Library, Science Lab. 

An example of Middle School Schedule: (This is subject to change based on guidelines)

• 8:45 School begins
• 8:45-9:15 Morning Meeting whole middle school in the auditorium every Monday and Friday.
• 9:20-10:20 Specials or CORE (Specials are Media, Science Enrichment, PE, Art/Environmental Justice elective)
• 10:25-11:25 Specials or CORE (Specials are Media, Science Enrichment, PE, Art/Environmental Justice elective)
• 11:30-12:05 lunch and recess entire MS
• 12:10-1:05 CORE
• 1:10-3:15 6th Grade Math/School Skills and Community (6th grade only, 2 hour afternoon block)

Other things to look forward to in 6th grade:

• Gardening
• K-5 Buddies
• Service Learning
• Outdoor School (dates TBD)
• MS Dances
• Overnight trip in the spring

We are very excited for the upcoming school year. This yearʼs middle school includes a truly great mix of 6th, 7th and 8th graders.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Rebecca Johnson rjohnson10@pps.net
SES middle school counselor 

Dear Sunnyside Community,

As many of you know, we are heading into fall and to the rainy season. I have worked with the Sunnyside Safety Team to update our indoor lunch plan to adhere to the latest guidelines.

I have made sure that we have six feet apart in the school cafeteria, in the hallway, and in the auditorium for students to eat inside if necessary. In addition, I have two air filters running in each of these spaces, fans, and windows/doors open. We will have lunch volunteers who will be helping to supervise these spaces and we can make available spaces outside for students to sit if you do not want your student eating inside. Please note, if you do not want your student inside, please let them know that they need to choose on their own to go outside and eat under the supervision of the volunteers. With the amount of supervision that is needed by school personnel, we cannot track individual requests and students will need to choose to go outside on their own. If you choose to pick your student up because it is raining, please do so by 11:00 AM so that school staff can all help supervise lunch and recess as needed.

I will try to watch the rain and if we can go outside and eat without it pouring, we will do so. Please use your best judgement as a parent to decide whether or not to pick your child up. Please send your child in warm and rain appropriate gear.

If you have further questions or questions about our COVID safety plan, please reference the COVID presentation and the Back to School Night Presentation. Both are attached below.

I know that there are many concerns about COVID and safety in our schools. Please rest assured that I consider those concerns when making a plan and any instances or reports of COVID exposure will be investigated and reported to our team of nurses at the MESD and appropriate notifications will be made.

In partnership,
Dr. Eryn Berg
Principal, Sunnyside Environmental School
https://www.pps.net/sunnyside
Sunnyside BTSN slides
She/ Hers/ They (Why?)

Every corner of my heart loves you

In a field of fields you are the largest field
In a field of moons you are the most moons

~ Anis Mojgani
  The Piano Farm

Hello families!

We look forward to seeing you all tonight at Back to School Night (virtually). Classroom teachers have emailed you their zoom or google meet links; here's a reminder of the schedule:

• 6pm: All School Welcome Via Zoom-Alix and Eryn
  https://pps-net.zoom.us/j/82127272256?pwd=VkhUbDBsSWJZVlJCQzBFVXB5SlZuUT09
  
• 6:15-6:45pm: Grades K-2 meet with your student’s teacher
  
  
• 6:45-7:15pm: Grades 3-5 meet with your student’s teacher
  
  
• 7:15-7:45pm: Middle School classes meet with your student’s core teacher

Specialists:

• PE: meet.google.com/ttv-nwcv-ufo
  6:30-7:00 for Middle School, 7:00-7:30 for K-5
  
  
• Art: meet.google.com/kdp-dunn-rmm
  6:30-7:00 for Middle School, 7:15-7:45 for K-5
  
  
• Library: meet.google.com MEET CODE: sunnysidereads
  6:30-7:00 for Middle School, 7:15-7:45 will be for K-5 

SPED staff: https://meet.google.com/dzb-bnjn-eoe
6:30 - 7:45
Adrianne / Eva / Ellen / Megan

Counselors: https://meet.google.com/fjv-yecw-bci

• Grades 3-5 6:20 - 6:45
• Middle School 6:50 - 7:15
• Grades 1-2 7:20 - 7:45

Can't wait to see you soon!
Alix and Eryn

A little over 30 years ago, a Madison High School student named Joseph Janson had a simple wish. He wanted to go to a dance. But nothing was simple for Joseph, who was born with Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair. 

He confided his wish to Tony Nitz, who at that time was an educational assistant at Madison (now Leodis V. McDaniel High School). Tony had been working one-on-one with Joseph for months and he immediately went about making the young man’s dream come true.

“The truth is, I would have done anything for Joseph,” Nitz said. “He was a unique person, and we had a very special bond.”

Madi Bourdon’s first book practically wrote itself. 

According to the Glencoe Elementary School counselor and Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) coordinator, it only took them an hour and a half to finish A Kid’s Book About Chosen Family, which came out this March with A Kid’s Co. publishing.

For the past three years, Alondra Nieves Barajas has been both student and teacher.

Most days, the senior from Roosevelt High School attends class, does her homework, and spends time with her friends just like any other 18-year-old. But on Wednesday nights, you can find her at the front desk, teaching adults – often much older than herself – the ins and outs of the United States naturalization test.

When Aaron Presberg first got the email from the White House, he thought it was some sort of prank. 

Then he shared the message with a few colleagues who assured him that it was no joke, and the exciting reality that he had been invited to Washington, D.C. to present at the White House’s first-ever Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K–12 School Buildings and Grounds started to sink in.