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Volume 13, Issue 9

April 30, 2019

Maize Middle School News

Principal's Message

Good afternoon,

As we wind down the year, we are excited to share that after our visit from the Flippen group for Capturing Kid’s Hearts, we were selected as a National Showcase School. The facilitator that visited was very impressed with our staff and students. We had different groups of students meet with the facilitator and a few other students give a tour of the building, visiting different classrooms. They also met with staff, parents, administrators and our Central office. I am proud of the recognition and so thankful for the awesome MMS community. As I have shared before, I believe our teachers/staff already do a great job with building positive relationships with our students and the CKH model helps foster even more positive relationships with each other throughout Maize Middle School. I truly think it makes an impact and I am excited to continue to foster positive relationships and experiences for all students.

In Dr. Higgin’s April connections newsletter, he shared “the latest step in the district’s ongoing commitment to connect students to the vast world around them with the help of technology and resources.” MMS will be rolling out our 1:1 Chromebooks for 6-8 graders. The students will be provided a Chromebook and they will get to take it home with them. We will provide Chromebook care and usage as we roll it out to our students. We will also share student expectations regarding Chromebooks, from bringing them charged everyday, overall Chromebook care, to digital citizenship. There will also be Chromebook information for parents to review that will be in Skyward during the enrollment process and you will need to sign off on it for your student to be issued a Chromebook. We want to ensure our parents have a chance to review and sign off before handing out Chromebooks.

Thank you for the great turnout for our Student-led conferences. We had an 88 % attendance rate. It was a great way for our students to reflect on and facilitate a conference regarding their strengths and needs. The students that did not attend Student-led conferences will have the opportunity to share their portfolio with an administrator or counselor. We wanted to make sure they have the opportunity to present their portfolio since they worked hard putting them together. We also appreciate you supporting our book fair during conferences.

I also want to say a big THANK YOU to all the parents that brought food for conferences. We appreciate all the time you put in to prepare and bring in food for all the teachers. It was all wonderful. Thanks PTO for setting this up.

Have a great day!

Brian Thompson

Principal

Maize Middle School

4600 N. Maize Rd.

Maize, KS 67101

316-729-2464

bthompson@usd266.com

Make Today Matter

MMS Choir

MMS CHOIR

Congrats to the choir on their fantastic showmanship at Worlds of Fun. They performed in a regional competition for 3 national judges. They received a superior rating from each judge. One judge, from the University of Georgia, commented that the students performed with such "Outstanding character, discipline, and the performance was really fun to watch!"

The choir will be concluding their year with the annual Spring Fling Extravaganza at 7:00 PM Maize High School on Thursday, May 16. It will be a fun night of singing, dancing, acting and music for everyone!

WCCC AUDITIONS

If you love to sing, Wichita Community Children's Choir is the place for you! This year, our 100+ members, grades 4-8, came from over 40 different schools. We are excited to welcome new members for the 2019- 20 season.

Auditions will be held by appointment at Riney Fine Arts Center (room C6) at Friends University, 2100 W University Ave, Wichita, KS 67213.

Here's what to do! Visit our website at www. wcccks.com Click on the AUDITION tab. There you can:

1) Read through our AUDITION INFO and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) 2) Click on the link & sign up for an audition appointment. 3) Print and complete the SINGER INFORMATION FORM Bring it to your audition. 4) Print and ask your school music teacher to complete the TEACHER RECOMMENDATION FORM 5) Bring a parent to your audition to meet the staff and complete paperwork.

We strive to make auditions friendly and fun. All the audition materials are listed on our website so you can know what to expect. Singers will:

1. Sing simple vocal warm-ups and exercises 2. Participate in listening and harmony exercises 3. Sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat in a round with a director. 4. Sing one verse of America (My Country 'Tis of Thee) in small groups or alone. (This does not need to be memorized )

SUMMER OPPORTUNITY

Here is a summer opportunity for your students to enhance their musical talents and increase their showmanship.

Elevate Showchoir Camp is a week-long day camp created for grades 3-12 to experience growth in the performing arts. Our mission is to grow students as people and performers while teaching skills in singing, dancing, performing, and connecting.

Elevate students will have the opportunity to work with 5 of the top clinicians in the showchoir industry to learn multiple songs and dances, all performed at the closing performance on June 7.

Each day of camp is filled with singing, dancing, skits, games, team building activities and TONS of fun.

Attendance Reminders

Regular attendance is necessary to fully realize the benefits of educational opportunities. Students are expected to be present and punctual for all classes throughout the year. The responsibility of school attendance is with the student and his/her parents. Parents/guardians should notify the school via our attendance line in the event the student will be absent. Excused absences include illness verified by a doctor, appointments with a doctors note, school sponsored activities, funerals or administrative approved absences. Parents are encouraged to provide a doctors note for appointments and illnesses. Attendance letters will be mailed to parents of students with 5 or more absences during the semester and disciplinary actions can be taken.

Reference student handbook pages 5-8.

From the Nurse’s Office

Wow! Second semester has flown by! I can hardly believe there are only weeks left of school!! As we draw near to the end of the 2018-2019 school year, here are a couple of things to put on your to-do list.

If your student has medications in the Nurse’s office, a parent/guardian will need to pick them up prior to the end of the school year. IF you would like me to send the bottle home with your student, I will need a verbal authorization from you! I will not send any medication home with your student without a phone call from a parent/guardian. My phone number is 350-2308. Any meds that are not picked up by the end of the school day on May 22, 2019 will be disposed of. This includes prescription medications. Meds CANNOT be stored over the summer. Per district policy, diabetes meds, inhalers and epipens will be sent home with student on the last day of school.

6th grade parents: PLEASE check with your student’s physician in regards to

immunizations needed for 7th grade! There are new guidelines for the 2019-2020 school year! Your student will need a Tdap booster AND a Meningococcal ACWY vaccine. Some students MAY have received these already. If so, please obtain a record from your physician or health department showing the date administered and bring this documentation to the Nurse’s Office! If your student has NOT received them, please make an appointment early!! This will help you, your student, your doctor’s office and your school nurse! It will also alleviate any possibility of being excluded from class due to a “non-compliant” immunization record.

As you enroll your student for next year, PLEASE look over his/her Health History on Skyward. This is so very important to the Health Office! It helps us take better care of your student if the need should arise!

Just a friendly reminder…a NEW med form will be needed for next school year for ANY meds brought to school. These have to be done on a yearly basis. You can print the med form off of the Maize Website!

Thank you for reading this and for completing the items mentioned above! Have a GREAT summer and we look forward to serving your student next year!!

Shelley Funk

Phone: 350-2308

sfunk@usd266.com

Girls On the Run

Our Girls on the Run season is winding down! The girls completed their practice 5K last Thursday at Memorial Park in Colwich. It was a beautiful evening and the girls did a great job! Their final celebration 5K will be May 11th at the Hyatt in downtown Wichita.

MMS PTO

Hello Parents- A BIG BIG Thank You to all of the parents that donated items for our Conference Meal for teachers! It was great to be able to serve our teachers during one of the busiest weeks of their year. We also enjoyed another Skate Night since our last newsletter. Congratulations to Ms Dooley's class for showing up and winning a pizza party and a gift card for your teacher!

Looking ahead to next year we continue our goal to Stay Connected in Middle School. We really want our entire Eagle Family to get to know one another. This includes MMS kids and parents with other MMS families and our fabulous MMS staff. Activities we plan will keep that connection as the focus. Money raised at any events, Spirit Night, and even the recent spirit wear sales will be used to help fund various classroom and school projects at Maize Middle. We would love to see parents connect together through PTO (among other activities) and we welcome you to join in when and wherever you can! Find us on Facebook and Twitter to stay current with upcoming events! We are completely starting over in building a list of those who want to stay in touch with PTO, so if you have not completed our new Google form please head to our new website and click on the Parents tab:

https://maizemiddlepto.wixsite/mmspto

Current Updates:

- CAN YOU SPARE A $1? – We are looking to save everyone’s time this year and use donations to purchase food for the Staff Appreciation BBQ. If you can spare $1 (or more) please send it with your child to their 1 ^st hour teacher. Donations will be collected through May 1st!!

-in process to become a 501c3 nonprofit, volunteers stepped in to create a board for the nonprofit status

-May 7 ^th – Incoming 6 ^th Grade Orientation Night at 6:30pm

-May 9 ^th Annual Staff Appreciation BBQ – we are excited to love our MMS staff with a BBQ lunch on May 9 ^th. If you can come serve with us please email maizemiddlepto@gmail.com

- Back to School spirit wear- be on the look out at Back to School night for new spirit wear purchasing options!

KAY Club

Last week Maize Middle School KAY club sponsored an all school Autism Walk to raise money for Heart Spring. On Thursday and Friday last week all students were invited to participate during the Autism Awareness Walk. Everyone who donated $1 were able to purchase a puzzle pal and walk the track during encor. Over 350 students and staff participated in the walk between the two days. Way to go MMS for supporting a good cause.

This summer 11 KAY club members are going to KLC (KAY Leadership Camp) at Rock Springs 4H grounds. This camp is a 5 days & 4 nights. This is always an amazing experience for students to meet other KAY members from all over the state of Kansas, learn about new service projects, and gain leadership skills.

On Friday, May 3rd during a long encor, KAY club will be electing officers to serve on the 2019-2020 KAY board. There are several students running for next years board and 6 available spots. We look forward to an exciting election on Friday. All current KAY members need to attend the meeting on Friday. On Thursday, May 16th KAY club will have an end of the year pizza party and an officer instillation during encor.

2019 SUMMER FACE TO FACE DRIVER EDUCATION

Mandatory Parent/Student Meetings and Enrollment Information

USD 266 Maize Schools will once again offer summer face to face driver education. Any student who turns 14 on or before May 31st, 2019 and has or will graduate 8th grade by June 1st will be eligible to enroll in summer driver education. Students will attend two weeks of classes in the Maize South High School Auditorium starting Thursday, May 30, 2019 (note: there will be no classes on Friday, May 31 ^st due to Kansas Special Olympics taking place on the Maize South Campus) and ending on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm each day. Students will also complete at least five, one hour driving sessions (schedule to be determined after class begins). We prefer that students get an instructional permit at the DMV in advance of the class and spend as much time as possible driving in safe locations with their parents. Practicing with parents before class starts is a plus considering that driver education is only five hours of driving.

Two mandatory enrollment meetings will be held in late April and early May. Parents and students must attend one of the two meetings. The first meeting will be on Monday, April 29 ^th at 6:00 pm in the Maize South High School Commons Area. The second meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 1st at 6:00 pm in the Maize High School Commons Area. Eye tests will be given at both of these meetings. Enrollment forms will be emailed out to parents during the month of April. Students will need to bring any type of license or permit they might already have to the meeting.

The cost of summer driver education is $200 with payment due in full on the date of the meetings. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunches may apply for waived fees during the enrollment process. No registrations or late payments will be accepted after the last parent meeting on Wednesday, May 1st .

Students and parents with questions are encouraged to contact Steve Martling at 316-462-8000 or by email at smartling@usd266.com or Curtis Klein at 316-462-8048 or by email at cklein@usd266.com .

Library

Thank you to everyone who supported the Book Fair during conferences. Book Fair sales directly benefit both the Library and classrooms at MMS.

Does your student have any overdue or lost Library books? For the remainder of this school year students with overdue/lost items are no longer able to check out from the Library until the item has been returned or the replacement cost has been paid. There are no overdue charges, but if any item cannot be returned, or is returned damaged, then the replacement cost does need to be paid please. Students are reminded weekly by their Encor teachers and emails are sent to parents/guardians on a regular basis. If you have any questions I can be contacted at rjjones@usd266.com

If your student has a textbook at home their teacher will let them know what date it needs to be returned.

Rebecca Jones

MMS Library

Spring Break 2020

I am thrilled to share that world languages classes are taking our next educational tour through Scotland and Ireland in 2020! These lands were once home to ancient Celtic and Gaelic tribes. We will step into the Middle Ages on Edinburgh's Royal Mile and under the towering spire of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. We also will visit Belfast and more historical and beautiful cities. We want to invite our students and families to participate in this incredible opportunity. If you have any questions please email me aprendes@usd266.com.

Honor Roll

Camden Padgett was inadvertently left off the Honor Roll list in the March newsletter.

Maize Middle School Summer Camps

Log on to the District website, under Community select Online Bulletin Boards and scroll down to summer camps and find MMS.

Girls Basketball Camp

June 3-6 10:00-12:00

6th,7th & 8th Grades $50.00

rpierce@usd266.com

Boys Basketball Camp

June 3-6 8:00-10:00

6th, 7th & 8th Grades $50.00

amccarthy@usd266.com

Football Camp @ MHS Game Gield

June 10-13 8:30-10:00

6th, 7th, & 8th Grades $40.00

npoole@usd266.com

MMS Summer Strength Training

June 10-27 & July 16-August 8

7th & 8th Grades $55.00

aleichner@usd266.com

Volleyball Camp

June 24-27 9:00-11:00

6th, 7th, & 8th Grades $30.00

ndooley@usd266.com

MMS Girls Basketball Open Gym

June 6-July 18, 10:30-12:00

Every Tuesday & Thursday

7th & 8th Grades $50.00

rpierce@usd266.com

From the MMS Front Office

To help the Front Office of MMS run as smooth, friendly and efficiently as possible and communicate important information, please be aware and reminded of the following processes:

Front Office Hours:

6:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

When your student is absent:

Please call 729-2464 and leave a message with the students name (and spelling)
Provide a reason for the absence (ill, out of town, appointment, etc.)
If you plan to have your student out of school for 3 or more days stop by the MMS office to pick up an administrative approval form

When dropping off something for a student:

Please have it labeled with their first/last name
Checks/Cash in envelopes with student name
Front office is not responsible for any items left for students

When you have to leave a message for your student:

Please call 729-2464
Provide your student's name/spelling
Concisely state your message
Your student will be notified through instant messaging with the teacher, or a note will be delivered wither 4th hour or Encor through an office aide
Messages must be received 30 minutes prior to dismissal

Students will not be called out of class and to the office until a parent is present to sign them out. Our goal in the Front Office is to not disrupt classrooms except in the case of an emergency.

MMS Girls Basketball Summer Info!

Hello Parents,

Here is the information for our summer basketball program. Nothing is mandatory but the more they do now the better next season will go!

CAMP INFO

We will have our team camp June 3-6 at MMS from 10:00-12:00. Please try to attend if you are in town! This is a great way for the coaches to get to know your daughter. Fill out the attached flyer and return to MMS front office by May 17th.

SUMMER LEAGUE

We have the opportunity to play in the Andover summer league. It is a good and cost effective way to get in some games over the summer. We usually host either the 7th or 8th grade games. 7th grade games are Monday nights and 8th are Thursday nights. Because we host our teams we get a discount. It is only $25 for 8 games. Two games on each night in the month of June. If there are enough girls we can put together a team. Email me asap if you are interested!

OPEN GYM

We will have an open gym time on Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30-12:00, at MMS. This will include basketball skill training along with speed and agility work and weight training.

If you have any questions email me at rpierce@usd266.com.

Roger Pierce

Are You Moving?

If you are moving out of district, please contact Dawn Ingram, MMS Registrar/Data Secretary, at dingram@usd266.com or by phone at 729-2464. Please include the new school, city and state you will be transferring to so we can prepare your students records for transfer.

If you have moved or will be moving, but are still in district, please send a Proof of Residency to the MMS office as soon as possible. You can email it to dingram@usd266.com, or fax it to our office at 316-729-2479.

A utility bill is preferred, but a mortgage/lease agreement can be temporarily accepted. If you have any questions regarding Proof of Residence, please don't hesitate to call the MMS office.

Important Dates for May

Wednesday, 5/1 -May Day

Thursday, 5/2 -A Day-Reading/Science

7/8 Track Invitational @ KT Woodman, 3:30

Friday, 5/3 -B Day-Reading/Science

Kay Club Elections-Encor

6th-8th School Dance, 7:00-9:30

Saturday, 5/4 -Band to Worlds of Fun

Monday, 5/6 -Wichita Suburban League Tennis @ Goddard, 9:00 am

Tuesday, 5/7 -Teacher Appreciation Day

8th Grade Field Trip, 8:15-1:45

Wednesday, 5/8 -National School Nurse Day

Thursday, 5/9 -Staff BBQ-PTO

Wichita Suburban League Track Meet @ Derby North, 2:00 pm

Friday, 5/10 -NO SCHOOL-Professional Development Day

Saturday, 5/11 -Orchestra to Worlds Of Fun

Sunday, 5/12 -Mother's Day!

Tuesday, 5/14 -6th, 7th, & 8th Jazz 1 & 2 Concert, 7:00 pm

Thursday, 5/16 -6th Grade Field Trip

Spring Fling Extravaganza @ MHS, 7:00 pm

Friday, 5/17 -7/8 Fitness Classes 5K Run, 1:15 pm

Monday, 5/20 -6th Orchestra Concert @ 7:00 pm

Wednesday, 5/22 -8th Grade Breakfast 7:30-9:30

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Dillon's Community Rewards

We're giving away $2 MILLION to local organizations!

Where Shopping and Giving Come Together!

Use your Plus Shopper's Card & help us grow!

Supporting our organization has never been easier-just shop at

Dillons and scan your Plus Shopper's Card!

Here's how to enroll:

Visit www.dillons.com/communityrewards
Scroll down to find your location and click "Enroll Now"
Sign in to your online account, or create an account.
Find and select our organization, and click "Save"

You'll start earning rewards for our organization right away on qualifying purchases made using your Plus Shopper's Card!

Everyone must enroll in the Reward Program. This is necessary in order for purchases throughout 2019 to credit Maize Middle School. Sign-in and make your contribution selection using this new 5 digit NPO number, NI311.

Homework Request

When your student is absent from school and you would like to pick up homework, you must request it by 10:00 a.m. The MMS office will only put the request in when a student has been out for two days in a row. All homework will be in the office after 2:00 p.m.

Thank you.