Principal's Message

Dear Fallback,

Hello Maize Elementary Family! Happy March for a number of reasons -- better weather, Spring Break, and March basketball fun. It was nice to get outside the last couple of days prior to Spring Break after being cooped-up inside for indoor recess. Apart from the wind and rain, I hope you’ve enjoyed time with your students playing, laughing, and basically investing in each other. Building memories and deepening your relationship with your students is what truly matters.  

Speaking of memory building….Our third annual PTO sponsored Color Run is the evening of Friday, April 26!!! I’m happy to report the PTO has chosen to make registration FREE this year. In order to do that, they have decided to no longer provide a race t-shirt for all registrants, but rather will put more effort into making the fundraising prize points more relevant to our participants. This year’s registration and fundraising efforts will all be online through a third party vendor who will be contacting you shortly through email (unless you let the PTO know you would like to opt out of receiving the email). I hope you strongly consider being a part of the Color Run this year. It is always a highlight of the year for me, and I usually have to brush my teeth multiple times to get all of the cornstarch color out of them because I smile the entire evening. THANK YOU MES PTO for all the work that goes into making this event so memorable and fun for the MES Panther Family!

Speaking of MES Panthers…. You haven’t really heard much more about the Panther mascot choice because we are in a bit of a holding pattern as ESC works to take our next step in logo and school color choices. They are working with graphic arts students from our high schools to establish a suite of logos for our five elementary buildings that would look together (MES – Panthers, MCE – Mustangs, MSE – Wolves, PWS – Pride (lion), and VES – Chameleons). Once that suite of logos is established, the district will work with a professional graphic artist to finalize the designs by the end of this school year. During this time, we will also be working on establishing school colors for each building. Colors such as black and white are somewhat universal, so they won’t be part of a school’s official color scheme. So, stay tuned for further information in the near future. 

 

State Assessment season has arrived for our 3 ^rd through 5 ^th grade students. Our schedule will be communicated to you via your teacher’s emails and newsletters throughout March and April, so be on the lookout for those. Here are a few helpful reminders regarding giving your students the best opportunity to do their best on the tests: 

1. Maintain good sleep patterns.  

2. Don’t stress them out – encourage them and be their biggest fan!   

3. Eat breakfast – whether that’s at home or at school.  

4. Stay hydrated.  

These are simple tips that could make a big difference, but they apply to every school day in my opinion -  especially number two.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy the remainder of the Spring Break. I look forward to our final stretch to the finish line beginning Monday!  

Kyle White

Pre-K, Kindergarten enrollment night March 28 at Maize High School

If you have an incoming Pre-K or Kindergarten student who will start school at Maize USD 266 in August 2019, please plan to attend our enrollment night on March 28, from  5 p.m. to 7 p.m.,  at  Maize High School , 11600 W. 45 St. N. in Maize.

For incoming Pre-K families:  Maize USD 266 is excited to offer Pre-K to all children who live within the Maize School District.

Our Pre-K sessions are at our  Maize Early Childhood Center  on Monday through Thursday and use Pre-K Reading and Literacy curriculum along with developmentally appropriate activities, taught by licensed teachers. If your child meets at least one of our state's at-risk criteria, there is no fee for the program other than the curriculum fee. If you would like your child to attend and he/she does not meet a criteria, a monthly fee applies.

Spaces are limited! Enrollment is first come, first served.  Learn more by clicking here  or by calling 316-722-3105.

For incoming Kindergarten families:  Please note that arriving early has no impact on your child's building assignment or class placement.

 

For more information about Kindergarten enrollment, please click here  or call the enrollment hotline at 316-350-2050.

From The Counselor…

   

The goal of student placement is to design balanced classes, according to established criteria, which create the optimal learning environment for all Maize Elementary School students. Each classroom is a small community that must be representative of the diverse social, academic, and physical needs and abilities of all students. If you have any concerns about your child’s class placement for next year, please visit with me, Becky Stephens—you can call me at 350-2913 or email at bstephens@usd266.com . After you complete the enrollment process in the summer, you will be able to see who your child’s teacher will be for the upcoming year. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I do start working on class placements this month. 

Have a great Spring Break! 

Becky Stephens

MES Counselor

YOU ARE INVITED TO MAIZE ELEMENTARY’S

2nd/3rd GRADE VOCAL MUSIC CONCERTS

“Disney Dazzle”

Thursday, March 28th, 2019 at Maize South High School

6:30 pm Performance - O’Grady, DeNayer, Wedman, McDowell

7:45 pm Performance - Farrell, Slusser, Peters, Williamson

Join us as we sing some new and old Disney Favorites!

Each child should wear a shirt, button-down, blouse, sweater or dress that is a shade of blue on top and dark pants or leggings on bottom. No text, characters, or logos please.

Please note that each child should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to their performance. There will be signs posted to assist the children in finding their way 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.

3701 N Tyler Rd, Wichita, KS 67205

We look forward to seeing you!!!!

Coaches Corner

Happy Spring Break and NCAA basketball month!

We have just finished up bowling and began striking with short and long handled implements. In March, we will be finishing striking with a hockey unit and hopefully be able to get outside for some outdoor games. We will also be focusing on amounts of daily activity that our bodies need. Students will continue working hard on our flexibility and muscular strength in order to raise our physical fitness scores.

Lastly, we will be reviewing the bones and muscles for each grade as well. Be sure to stay active and stay safe during spring break!

Keep Moving!

Coach Horn

Kansas State Assessment Schedule

The following is our Kansas State Assessment schedule for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades.

Attendance is important on these days, unless your child is ill. Thank you!

5th Grade - March 25-26, April 1-2, and April 8-9

3rd and 4th Grades - April 8-9, and April 15-16

Join the Foundation for its new March 28 Spring Breakfast Event 

The Maize Education Foundation is excited to host its inaugural Spring Breakfast and bring together the business and education communities in support of local public education. The event, at Abode Venue at 1330 E. Douglas in Wichita, will be catered by the Maize Career Academy culinary students and feature a pop-up shop hosted by the Complete High School Maize General Store. 

Join us for the breakfast and hear Superintendent Dr. Chad Higgins deliver a State of the District address followed by an inspiring message from Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson!

Tickets and more event information can be found at  www.maizeeducationfoundation.org . 

Test drive a car April 6 to help raise money for the Foundation

The Maize Education Foundation is partnering with Mel Hambelton Ford to host a Drive 4 Ur School event. It will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 6 in the parking lot at Maize South Elementary School, 3404 N. Maize Road in Wichita.

Each qualified test drive raises $20, with a chance to raise more than $10,000 to support the students and educators of Maize Schools! 

Contact Executive Director Travis Bloom at  tbloom@usd266.com  or 316-350-2029 for more information.

Time to purchase your '18-'19 Yearbook

There are two ways to order! Yearbooks are $20.

MES Moments

Please Send Us Your Box Tops

Thank you for all of the box tops! Please keep them coming! MES participates in the Box Tops for Education program. It's easy to do and can add up to a lot for our school. You simply clip the box tops off of products you probably already buy and have in your kitchen. Then send them to school with your student, and we turn them in for cash to buy things for the school.