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CONNECTING.
LEARNING.
LEADING.
SEPTEMBER 2019
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Maize South Elementary Howler
3404 N Maize Rd.
Wichita, KS 67205
(316) 462-8300
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A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
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Dear Parents:
We are off to a wonderful start at Maize South Elementary School! It has been very rewarding getting to know all our new students and welcoming back those who have returned. We are very proud that MSE is a leadership school. This means teachers and staff labor diligently to create personal connections with all of our students. We strive to discover their talents, promote their strengths, and empower them to be their personal best. Students are given leadership roles in the classroom and school to create ownership and pride in our school. We also use the 7 Habits to teach life skills such as putting first things first and beginning with the end in mind.
Currently, the enrollment at MSE is 680 students. One very important challenge for a large school is maintaining safety for all our students and visitors. Please review the Howler thoroughly for important procedural information. Parent pick up/drop off is very active each day. The rules we have in place are to protect the safety of our students. Please follow the guidelines provided below in the section Picking Up and Dropping Off Students. Please leave pets at home or in your car when coming up to the school. We also ask parents to walk their children through the crosswalk in front of the school. Please do not drop them off in the parking lot.
Thanks for working with our staff to create the best possible environment for your children.
Meg Thi
immesch
MSES Principal
NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
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Breakfast with Mom
MSE Cafeteria
7:45-8:30am
Students with last name beginning with A-M:
September 19 - Thursday
Students with last name beginning N-Z:
September 20 - Friday
Cost: $2.20
Exact change is appreciated!
No debit cards will be accepted.
We will scan ID cards for all our MSES students.
Students ID cards will be available in the cafeteria
before breakfast.
Parents are not allowed to us their child's ID cards.
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PARENT / TEACHER CONFERENCES
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Please join us for Parent/Teacher Conferences!
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
K- 5th Grade Parent/Teacher Conferences
4:00-8:00pm.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
No School K-12
Parent/Teacher Conferences
12:00-8:00pm
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Conference Comp Day
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Students will have hearing and vision screenings during the school year as required beginning at the end of September.
Results will only be sent home if further testing is needed.
Parents may choose to opt their student out of screenings by contacting the nurse at
smcclellan@usd266.com
.
If your child is new to the district or has an IEP and you choose to opt out of vision and hearing screenings, you will need to provide documentation of these services by a physician.
Screenings are very basic and are not meant to take the place of professional evaluations. If you have any questions p
lease contact Nurse Stephany.
Nurse Stephany
316-462-8305
smcclellan@usd266.com
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USD 266 MEDICATION POLICY -
GIVING YOUR CHILD MEDICATION AT SCHOOL
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- 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.
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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. Thank you for allowing us to keep our students and staff safe.
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ONEMA1ZE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NIGHT PROMOTION
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IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION
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September 19
Breakfast with Mom (A-M), Cafeteria, 7:45-8:30am
September 20
Breakfast with Mom (N-Z), Cafeteria, 7:45-8:30am
Count Your Kid In Preschool Screening Clinic, 316-794-8641
September 25
Parent/Teacher Conferences, K-12, 4:00-8:00pm
September 26
No School, K-12, Parent/Teacher Conferences, 12:00-8:00pm
September 27
No School, K-12, Conference Comp Day
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October 3
Chick-fil-A Spirit Night, 5:00-8:00pm
October 17
End of Term 1
October 18
No School, K-12, Professional Development Day
October 25
PTO Carnival, 6:00-8:00pm
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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!
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ALERTS & NOTIFICATIONS USED IN
THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY
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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 email listed in Skyward Family Access "Family 1" and Guardian 1 of "Family 2". To view the contact information 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 our school for assistance.
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PICKING YOUR CHILD UP AFTER SCHOOL
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SAFETY FIRST:
- Stop for pedestrians
- Drive slowly
- Refrain from using electronic devices
- Do not park in handicap parking unless you have an issued permit
- Please do not park in our reserved itinerant teacher parking
- Please keep the no parking area open when there is no movement in line.
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PICKING UP & DROPPING OFF STUDENTS
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School begins at 8:30am and we dismiss at 3:40pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Students should arrive at school at 8:20am and should be picked up at 3:40pm.
Every Wednesday school will dismiss at 3:05pm and students must be picked up at that time.
We do not provide supervision for students before 8:10am or after 3:40pm. On Wednesdays, we do not provide supervision for students after 3:05pm.
We want all of our students, staff and family to be safe at all times at Maize South Elementary. If you are picking up or dropping off your child at MSE, please follow these guidelines.
- Please enter from the southeast entrance of the parking lot, follow the arrows around the new parking lot, and exit from the southwest.
- Please pull up to the farthest possible drop off or pick up point.
- Students should exit and enter from the passenger side of the car directly to the sidewalk.
- Students should be ready to exit the vehicle quickly.
- Stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
- Please do not block the crosswalk with your vehicle or step out of your car in the parent pick-up lane.
- There should only be one lane of traffic in the loading zone.
- When waiting to pick up, if vehicles in front of you have left, please carefully move your vehicle up in the line to allow more vehicles to get in the line.
- Adults must walk all students through the parking lot and across the school crossing for safety reasons.
- Parent may park and come up to the school building to collect their child at dismissal. Please do not enter the building. Use the sidewalk in front of the cafeteria and you may collect your child from the east cafeteria doors.
- Keep your child with you in the crosswalk and all the way to your vehicle. Students must be escorted by you when using the crosswalk. Students will not be allowed to use the crosswalk by themselves.
- Students must walk their bikes on the sidewalk in front of the school.
- Please remember to drive slow and watch for children who might be using the crosswalk. We do have students who walk or ride their bicycles to school.
- Please refrain from using electronic devices when dropping off or picking up to ensure all attention is on the safety of the students.
Students are asked to walk on the sidewalk closest to the grass. Please remind your child to walk at all times during drop off or dismissal.
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ADDITIONAL STUDENT TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
Notification by parent:
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 before 12:00pm . Please copy the secretaries to help ensure your child will receive the message. Teachers have been instructed to reply to your email. If you don't receive a response, the teacher likely did not receive the message in time.
In the case of an emergency and you were unable to send a note or email the classroom teacher, you may call the office before 2:30pm (2:00pm on Wednesdays). Please consider this method a last resort. If the office is NOT notified before the 2:30pm (2:00pm on Wednesdays) deadline, your child will be expected to follow normal procedures and ride their bus.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
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ATTENDANCE AND TARDY INFORMATION
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Unexcused Absences:
If a child is absent from school, parents are to notify the office. If the office is not notified, the school will call the home to verify the reason for the absence. If there is not an answer or response as to why the student is absent, the absence will be marked unexcused. Three consecutive unexcused absences from school or five or more unexcused absences in a semester will be brought to the attention of the building principal and the State Department of DCF. The principal or the designated representative has the discretion to determine if an absence is excused or unexcused. An attendance letter, regardless of excused or unexcused absences, will be sent to parents after eight accumulated absences. Subsequent letters will be sent if Absenteeism continues to be a concern
Tardies/Half Day Attendance:
Students not in their assigned classrooms at the set beginning school time will be counted as tardy if they report to class without a school-related excuse. Students with three consecutive or five total tardies in a single grading period will be brought to the attention of the building principal. A student will be considered tardy up and until an hour after school begins. After that time, a student will be considered absent ½ or one full day. Teachers will take attendance when class begins and again after their assigned lunch periods. If a student leaves an hour before school is out, the student will be considered absent for a ½ day in the afternoon. Students not present for one of these periods will be counted ½ day absent in the morning or afternoon.
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EARLY RELEASE EVERY WEDNESDAY
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MSE students will be dismissed at 3:05 p.m. every Wednesday in order for teachers to have time to meet in their Professional Learning Communities (PLC's). During PLC time, teachers participate in discussing curriculum, instructional strategies, data review, state standards and more.
Students will be transported home as soon as school is dismissed at 3:05pm. Please plan accordingly for supervision of students who will arrive home earlier on Wednesdays.
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The parent and student are responsible for ensuring that the student is in compliance with all aspects of the policy during the time the student is at school or participating in school-related activities. Failure by the student to correct dress code violations may result in disciplinary action. Building administrators are the final authority as to whether clothing is or is not in compliance with dress code policy.
The guidelines for appropriate attire are:
- Pants, capris, shorts and skirts must be worn properly and not sag.
- Shirts should be modest and appropriate for school. Straps must cover undergarments and midriff. No halter tops are allowed.
- Shoes must be worn at all times.
- Hats are not to be worn except on special days as approved by the administration.
Any item that advocates or advertises tobacco, alcoholic beverages, drugs, illegal substances, violence, racist organizations/symbols, gangs, obscenities, or nudity are not allowed.
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Please sign up for Watch D.O.G.S.!
Dads can now sign-up for a total of TWO days.
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp.com)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - SignUp.com will send you an automated confirmation and reminders.
Please remember to complete a volunteer background check on our school website at least a week before volunteering. Also please remember that we are unable to debit your child's lunch account for your lunch. You are welcome to bring cash or bring a lunch from home.
We are looking forward to seeing you!.
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VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECK
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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,
"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.
Thanks to all parents and volunteers for continued support of our students and district!
Background checks are conducted on an ANNUAL BASIS. If you have any questions about the background check process, contact Meg Thimmesch at 316-462-8300.
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SEPTEMBER - Compassion
Showing sympathy and concern...
caring for others...being kind and thoughtful...helping those in need.
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MSE MISSION STATEMENT
M
aking a Difference
S
triving for Excellence
E
mpowering Young Minds
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Principal
Meg Thimmesch
mthimmesch@usd266.com
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Assistant Principal
Carrie Thrash
cthrash@usd266.com
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