‌	Connecting Learning Leading 304 W. Academy Avenue Maize. KS 67101 316-722-0427 316-722-8307 (fax) Volume 15 Issue 5 January 2019

MAIZE CENTRAL NEWS

We take safety and security very seriously at Maize Central Elementary. All exterior doors are kept locked throughout the day, and visitors must enter through a secure entry in the office, check in, and wear a visitor sticker.   We have safety drills on a regular basis.   Fire drills are held four times a year, and each year one drill is monitored by the Sedgwick County Fire Department. Maps with a primary exit are posted in every room. Once a teacher has evacuated his or her students to the safe location, he or she confirms that all students are present. Numbers have been posted on each of our exterior door locations to enable first responders to arrive at the correct entry point for an emergency. Tornado drills are held three times a year. During these drills the entire student body and staff is moved to the FEMA shelter (the kindergarten and 1st grade wing). We are able to move everyone to this safe location in about six minutes. Teachers have a safety backpack with supplies for students in the event of an extended tornado warning.  An evacuation drill is practiced yearly.  This is also the time of the year when we see an increase in illnesses across the school. I would like to remind you that if your child is sick, please call the school office to report the absence.   With Valentine's Day approaching we would like to remind everyone that we CANNOT accept deliveries of flowers, balloons, candy, cookies, etc., per USD 266 District Policy (page 22 ) . We appreciate your cooperation! The Valentine's Day parties will be held on Thursday, February 14th. Grades: AM KDG.: 11:00-11:45 a.m., ADK-5th Grade: 2:50-3:55 p.m. Lastly, we would like to welcome our district's new Student Support Paraprofessional, Jennifer Toepfer. She will assist in our district's buildings as needed.  Jennifer graduated from the University of Nebraska. She lives in Goddard and is married with two children. She enjoys volunteering in her children's classrooms and with Boy/Girl Scouts of America.   Thank you for all of your support to help make MCE a great place for everyone!

INCLEMENT WEATHER SNOW DAY NOTIFICATIONS

In the event of school being dismissed or canceled because of inclement weather, the district will send out an e-mail, phone notification, and -- for those who have opted to receive them -- a text message to the primary contact associated with both Family 1 and Family 2, if applicable, for each student. Those phone notifications will go out as early as 5:30 a.m. on the day of the closure. If a decision is made the night before to call off school, calls and texts will go out no later than 10:30 p.m. It is wise to verify that we have your correct contact information on file. To do so, please log on to Skyward Family Access   and click on "Student Info." If you are unsure how to log on to Skyward Family Access, please contact your child's school for assistance. District officials will update the district's web site , official Twitter account (@maize266), and official Facebook page as soon as the decision is made to call off school. We also will contact local media outlets about any closures. When in doubt, we encourage parents to verify school closings by consulting multiple official sources. Similarly, in the event of an emergency in your child's school, the district will use the Blackboard Connect parent notification system to notify you of the situation and alert you to steps you need to take in order to reunite with your child. Communications would go to all contacts listed in Skyward Family Access "Family 1" and the main contact in "Family 2."

MOVING?

If you have moved or will be moving, but are still in district, please send a Proof of Residency   to the school office as soon as possible. You can email it to slambert@usd266.com   or fax it to the school office at 316-722-8307.  An Acceptable Proof of Residence includes a copy of your mortgage/lease agreement, including signature page, or a current copy of your gas, water or electric bill. If you have any questions regarding Proof of Residence, please feel free to contact the school office. If you are moving OUT   of district, please contact Shelly Lambert at slambert@usd266.com   or by phone at 316-722-0427. Please include the new school, city and state you will be transferring to so we can prepare your students records for transfer. 

5TH GRADE FAREWELL

Dear Parents, It's that time of the year in which 5th grade teachers and parents begin working together to plan the end of the year 5th Grade Farewell. This is an event we coordinate every year to send the students off to the middle school with a bang! Our first 5th Grade Farewell planning meeting will be next Tuesday, January 29th, at 6:30 p.m. in the MCE Library. Any and all 5th grade parents who are willing to commit time and energy to help plan this exciting event for our students is welcome to attend. Parking will be on the west side of the building where the bus drive is located. You can enter the building through the southwest doors and join us in the library that's just up the hallway from there. Thank you so much and we'll see you at the first meeting! Sincerely, Fifth Grade Teachers

MATH AND READING NIGHT

Please join us for MCE’s Math and Reading Night featuring learning stations from Exploration Place!  Where: MCE When: Thursday, January 24, 2019 Time: Come-and-Go event from 5:30-7:30 P.M.   Details: We encourage you to sign-up! You can still sign-up by  clicking here. If you happen to forget, you are still welcome to come!   Parking: Please park in our north lot near the playground and enter through the parent pick-up/drop-off doors. The south front entrance doors, by the office, will also be open for those parking on Academy Ave. Students are invited to wear their MCE shirts to school on January 24th and to the event that evening.   We are excited to see you at Math and Reading Night!

BOX TOP CONTEST

We are collecting Box Tops now through Friday, February 8 th Box tops need to be:  Current not expired (date must be February 15, 2019 or after to be good) Cut along the dotted line Top three classrooms will be winners   1st Place wins a Pizza Party   2nd Place wins a pop/candy treat Please call the library with any questions. 722-0427 (Ext. 2736)

A MESSAGE FROM PTO

Thank you to everyone who attended the General PTO Meeting on Thursday, January 10th. We focused a lot on the upcoming events and volunteer needs. Please see below for an opportunity to get involved: Save the Date! Bingo Night will be held on Friday, February 22nd. For Bingo Night, each classroom collects donations and for a Raffle Basket! It’s so fun to see all the different themes! Letters have been sent home detailing the theme for each room. Basket themes include:

Family Movie Night Spa/Bath Products Chocolate Lovers KU K-State WSU Royals Chiefs Coffee Lovers Tea Lovers Baking Fun Disney Books Stationary/Notes School Supplies Gardening Dog Lover Cat Lovers Carwash

Sock Candles Family Game Night Valentine’s Day Snow Day Star Wars Arts & Crafts Ice Cream Grilling Fishing/Camping Italian Happy Home Crayola New Baby Totally Girl Handyman - Tools Fiesta Tailgate Nerf

Thanks in advance for donating items! Please make sure all items are to your teacher by Friday, February 1st. We want to send a big thank you to those companies and individuals who have already made donations for the Raffle Baskets or for Silent Auction Items. We’d also like to thank those who have been working on the Donations Committee. Watch your e-mail, a sign-up will be coming out soon with various volunteer opportunities! We’ll need administrative tasks to be done before the event, set-up help the day of the event, as well as volunteers during the event! We have other #MCEspirit Nights coming up too! Make sure to like us on Facebook (MCE PTO) or follow us on Instagram (@mce_pto) to see all the details and sign-ups!   We are preparing for PTO Board Changes for the 2019-2020 School Year. Stacy Mahanay will be filling the President role, Shanna Churchill will be filling the Treasurer role, and Marci Finck will be filling the Secretary role. The Vice President role is open and needs to be filled. If you are interested in this opportunity or know of someone who might be, please contact MCE PTO. As the Board changes, we are also looking to add Project Team Leader roles. We have the following roles below currently available. These needs include- Kindness Crew - Tasks include coordinating Staff Treats Days and Conference Meals. Spirit Nights - Tasks include contacting businesses to set up Spirit Nights, passing out flyers and setting up signs to promote Spirit Nights, and coordinating volunteers to be at the various events. There are restaurant nights as well as activity nights, so we would love to have two people co-leading this project!   Lastly, we discussed ideas and suggestions for the 2019-2020 School Year. A few items to note: It was suggested to change the term of ‘Homeroom Parent’ to ‘PTO Classroom Liaison’. ‘Homeroom Parent’ was a new project for PTO this year. We believe there was some confusion between the Homeroom Parent who handles parties and the PTO Homeroom Parent whose role is to share PTO information as well as help staff to receive appreciation on their birthdays. We are hoping by changing the name of this project it will provide clarification. This fall, PTO hosted the Plant a Tree at MCE event. For completing this volunteer project with such a large number of volunteers we were able to submit a grant to receive passes to Disney. We have received 20 passes, and are so excited to use these as Silent Auction Items at Bingo Night! In order to apply for these tickets again next year, we will need to hold a volunteer event in the Fall. The number of possible passes received from the Disney Grant depends on the number of volunteers at the submitted project. Please contact MCE PTO if you have an idea for a school betterment project!

CHECK IN - CHECK OUT

A reminder that all visitors who wish to enter the school during school hours must present a government - issued photo ID, such as a driver's license on their first visit. This includes parents, guardians and grandparents. Please allow for extra time to either run the driver's license or to look up their information if already in our system. This includes parents picking up sick students from the nurse's office. Thank you for allowing us to keep our students and staff safe

If you must pick up a student early, please plan to arrive with enough time for the student to be called from the classroom. This could take extra time if the student is in Music/P.E., lunch, and/or recess. Please allow us extra time to call down the student. Thank you for your patience.

NOTE FROM NURSE LONI . . .

FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL DENTAL HEALTH MONTH DENTAL SCREENS   Dental screenings will be completed on Friday, January 25th, from 9:00-9:50 a.m. The screening is a quick visual inspection with a flashlight. It does not take the place of regular dental checkups.  A few healthy tips... Your child should be flossing daily and brushing twice a day. Change their toothbrush every 3-4 months They should also be seeing a dentist every 6 months. Avoid sugary foods and drinks If your child does NOT need dental screening you can OPT OUT by emailing me at  lsmith@usd266.com. GIVING YOUR CHILD MEDICATION AT SCHOOL Complete a request for Administration of Medication form. The medication must be in the original container. The medication must be current. Expired medication will not be administered. The medication must be age appropriate. Any medication for a person older than the child will require a signed form from the doctor. All prescription medications require a signed form from the doctor. All prescription medications must have the pharmacy label with the student's name on the bottle/box. Students may not self-administer medications in the elementary schools. SKYWARD HEALTH INFORMATION  It is the responsibility of the parent to update medical information and contact numbers in Skyward Family Access during enrollment and throughout the school year. Teachers, coaches and other school staff rely on Skyward for important health information like asthma, seizures, diabetes, and food allergies. In addition to updating Skyward, the parent/guardian must also personally communicate this information to the school nurse who will educate and train the appropriate staff. If parents and/or student have questions regarding school guidelines and policies in keeping students safe and healthy at school, please contact the school nurse.

GIRLS ON THE RUN

Calling all 3 rd , 4 th , and 5 th grade girls! Girls on the Run is coming to MCE! What is Girls on the Run? Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based, positive youth development program for girls in 3rd-5th grade. The program teaches life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. Program Details: ·        GOTR is open to all girls in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade ·        Practices are held after school, twice weekly for 10 weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at MCE ·        GOTR encourages girls at all fitness levels  (Ability to run and experience in running are not required.) Program Dates and Registration: ·        Online Lottery Registration begins January 21 st – January 28 th at https://www.girlsontherunks.org/ ·         Season begins the week of February 25 th ·        Season ends in May with a Celebratory 5K Event on May 11 th                                                                                         If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Mitchell at TMitchell@usd266.com

ASSESSMENT TESTING SCHEDULE

State Assessment Testing Dates:    March 25-28 5th Grade Science Assessments      April 1-4 3rd-5th Grade English/Language Arts Assessments April 8-11 3rd-5th Grade Math Assessments

MCE YEARBOOK

There are two ways to purchase your 2018/2019 Maize Central Yearbook: To purchase through Lifetouch, please click here. You may send $20.00 cash or check payable to the MCE office.

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

ADOPT AN ANIMAL   ZOO FUNDRAISER    March 25-29       Maize Central Elementary would like to help the Sedgwick County Zoo by adopting an animal for the 2018-2019 school year. Each student may bring in one or more dollar bills to be placed in containers around the school. This fundraiser will be held during the week of March 25-29. We will try to reach our goal of $700.00 by the end of the week. The money raised helps feed and provide care for our adopted animal and also pays for a zoo assembly where we will learn more about the animal we adopt. Join in on the fun and help us support the Sedgwick County Zoo!

CAPTURING KIDS' HEARTS by Stacy Wagner

A foundation of a self-managing classroom is empowering students to build a framework for the kind of classroom environment they want. Capturing Kids' Hearts uses a Social Contract to do that. Within the first few days of school, the class comes together to decide how they:  1. Want to be treated by the teacher 2. Want to be treated by each other 3. Think the teacher wants to be treated by the class 4. Want to treat each other if there is a conflict    Although classrooms may have similar contracts, each one is unique. After creating the Social Contract, students and teachers show their commitment to upholding the contract by signing it. The contract is a revisited throughout the year to make sure it still fits with the needs of the class. MCE uses Social Contracts in all classrooms including Music, PE, Library, Math Masters, and Rockin' Readers. Social Contracts aren't just a valuable tool for schools. They can be used in any meeting, company group, or by families. Allowing kids to have a say in their classroom environment helps provide a positive, learning atmosphere

LOST AND FOUND

Lost and Found has an overabundance of coats, gloves, hats, and water bottles! Please stop by and check for any missing items. Unclaimed items will be sent to a local charity.

2ND GRADE VOCAL MUSIC PROGRAM

YOU ARE INVITED TO MAIZE CENTRAL ELEMENTARY’S SECOND GRADE VOCAL MUSIC CONCERT

“PUPPY LOVE”   Tuesday, February 12, 2019 6:30 p.m. Maize South High School   SECOND GRADE CLASSES:  Buchanan, Joe, Reed, Shields, Thoman Join us as we share the joy of our interaction with loving pets. Please have your child wear a plain yellow shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes as his/her outfit for this program. Each child should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the performance, so that we have time to warm-up our voices.  There will be visible signs to direct you and your child to the warm-up area in the Maize South High School Vocal Music Room.  The concert will be held in the Maize South High School Auditorium. We look forward to seeing you!!!!

3RD GRADE VOCAL MUSIC PROGRAM

YOU ARE INVITED TO MAIZE CENTRAL ELEMENTARY'S 3 rd GRADE VOCAL MUSIC CONCERT

It’s Saturday!   Thursday, February 28 th , 2019 6:30 p.m. Maize High School THIRD GRADE CLASSES: Johansen, Meister, Mitchell, Poynter, Proehl  Please note that each child should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the performance. The children will meet in the Maize High vocal music room to warm-up. The concert will be held in the Maize High School Auditorium.   We are looking forward to sharing with you!

VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECK

Maize USD 266 is extremely thankful for the many volunteers who selflessly give of their time in our classrooms. Our schools are stronger thanks to the help and support of our community members, and our students benefit from this relationship.   Safety is a top priority for the district, which since 2008 has conducted background checks of potential volunteers . According to Maize Board of Education policy, (Section 20, Item D) "volunteers who work in a classroom on a regular basis, supervise students during a field trip when a staff member is not present, or work with students away from the supervision of a classroom teacher are required to have a background check."  This extra step helps ensure that we are keeping our students safe. Those interested in becoming elementary school volunteers can visit their school page on our district website and click on the "Volunteer Background Check" under families, to  begin their background check process through the National Screening Bureau.     Thanks to all parents and volunteers for continued support of our students and district!

LUNCH MONEY

USD 266 uses the Skyward Food Service and RevTrak fee payment systems. Please check your email and phone numbers in Skyward, so you may be alerted when their child has a balance of $7.00 or less. Parents receive an email when your child has $7.00 left in their account. Parents receive a second email after their child has one lunch left. When no money is left on the account, your child will go to the office and call his/her parents. Please put money into the account that day. Parents will also receive a third email when their child has a zero balance. Please check with your child if he/she is eating breakfast at school or getting a second milk, the charges add up quickly. If you have more than one child, please check both lunch accounts. We are not allowed to go into one child's account to pay for a sibling. Parents may keep as large a balance as they wish in a child's account (for example: $5.00, $10.00, $15.00 or more). If the student doesn't have enough in his/her lunch account to cover a meal, the account will be charged for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and milk if the student chooses to take one. No meal charges will be allowed. If you have any questions regarding Skyward and the RevTrak system, please call our school office. We want every child to have a good lunch, every day!

EMERGENCY ALERTS & NOTIFICATIONS

In the event of an emergency in your child's school, the Blackboard Connect parent notification system will be used to notify you of the situation and will alert you to steps you need to take in order to reunite with your child. Voice messages will be sent to all phone numbers and emails listed in Skyward Family Access "Family 1." To view the contact information that the district has on file, please log on to Skyward Family Access and click on "Student Information." If you are unsure how to log on to Skyward Family Access, please contact your child's school for assistance.

WEDNESDAY EARLY DISMISSAL

Every Wednesday MCE All Day Kindergarten through 5th grade students are dismissed at 3:23 p.m. in order for teachers to have time to meet during Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).   During PLC time, teachers participate in discussing curriculum, instructional strategies, data review, state standards and more.

NOTIFICATION BY PARENTS

It is always best to make arrangements before your child comes to school. Students are not allowed to call home for a note. Please send a note signed by the parent or guardian if there will be a change in plans on how your child will be getting home after school. Your child will be expected to ride the bus if that is the normal way of transportation without a signed note. This is the PREFERRED method of communication. If you are unable or forgot to send a note and you wish to pick up your child, you may email the teacher.  Teachers have been instructed to reply to your email. If you don't receive a response, the teacher likely did not receive the message.  Please copy the secretaries to help ensure your child will receive the message.  thamer@usd266.com ,  slambert@usd266.com,   jjakubov@usd266.com If you were unable to send a note or email the classroom teacher, you may call the school and leave a message on directives for student pick up by pressing 5. Please leave your child's name, teacher's name and the change in transportation. Please be advised that messages will NOT be retrieved after 3:00 p.m. and your child will be expected to follow normal procedures. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

PARTY INVITATIONS

Party invitations CANNOT be distributed at school. We ask that you mail invitations to personal events or parties directly to the home of the student(s) you are inviting. Parents and guardians may now opt to include your address, primary phone number, email addresses, student's school and student's grade level in the Skyward Family Access Student Directory so that other families with login rights to Family Access can view your contact information.

NO DELIVERIES

We would like to remind everyone that MCE CANNOT  accept deliveries of flowers, balloons, candy, cookies etc., per USD 266 District Policy. You may find the information on page 22 of Student Handbook under deliveries. We appreciate your cooperation!

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

QUICK WEB LINKS      Maize Central Elementary     Maize Recreation Commission   2018-2019 District Calendar   Menu     Drop-Off and Pick- Up Procedure   Skyward Family Access

YOUR GUIDE  TO  FEE PAYMENT      FEE AND FOOD SERVICE PRICES FEE PAYMENT INFORMATION HOW TO MAKE AN ONLINE PAYMENT

FREE MONEY for MCE    Please consider helping your child's school by participating in the following programs:    Box Tops 4 Education     Tyson Project A+      Dillon's Community Rewards Program   Click here to learn more! When registering be sure to use our NPO number FQ604 . Welcome to   Amazon Smile     Click here to learn more!

CHARACTER ED TRAITS

JANUARY SELF-DISCIPLINE Setting long-range goals and achieving them . . . making good choices

FEBRUARY HONESTY Speaking the truth . . . keeping your promises . . . being trustworthy and reliable . . . being sincere in both actions and words . . .   doing what is right. . . good choices

SAVE THE DATE!

January 29 5th Grade Farewell Parent Planning Meeting MCE Library 6:30 p.m. February 12 2nd Grade  Vocal Music Program MSHS Auditorium 6:30 p.m. February 14 Valentine's Parties: AM Kdg.  11:00-11:45 a.m. ADK Kdg.-5th 2:50-3:55 p.m.   February 15 No School K-12 Professional  Development Day February 19    4th Grade  NAEP Testing   February 22 PTO Sponsored  Family Bingo Night TBD

February 26 PTO Spirit Night Chick-Fil-A 4:30-8:30 p.m. February 28 3rd Grade  Vocal Music Program MHS Auditorium 6:30 p.m. March 5 Spring Casual Pictures Gym March 7 PTO Spirit Night Carousel Skate Center 6:00-8:00 p.m.   March 11-March 15  No School K-12 Spring Break March 25-March 28 Science  State Assessment Testing April 1-4 ELA  State Assessment Testing

April 8-11 Math State  Assessment Testing April 9 PTO Spirit Night Dairy Queen 5:00-9:00 p.m.   May 16 PTO Spirit Night Carousel Skate Center 6:00-8:00 p.m. May 17                  Field Day 9:00-11:00 a.m.           AM Kdg., AD Kdg., 1 st and 2 nd Grade 12:45-2:45 p.m.           3 rd , 4 th , & 5 th Grade   Spring Parties: AM Kdg., 11:00-11:45 a.m. AD Kdg. - 5 th  Grade, 2:50-3:55 p.m.

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Principal David Jennings djennings@usd266.com 316-722-0427 Ext: 2704 Assistant Principal Brenda Pfeifer  brpfeifer@usd266.com 316-722-0427 Ext. 2705

Maize Central Elementary| 316-722-0427 | 304 W. Academy Avenue |USD266.com