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CONNECTING.
LEARNING.
LEADING.
FEBRUARY 2020
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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,
February seems the perfect month to highlight our teachers’ Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) training. Great educators recognize the best way to impact achievement is to intentionally create good relationships with students. How does this happen? We ask teachers to greet students at the door and make sure they feel welcome each day. Teachers lead good things daily in the classroom to learn more about our students’ lives. Social contracts are written at the beginning of the year to determine how we want to be treated and how we should treat others. When misconduct does occur we are trained to get students thinking about their actions by leading them through four guiding questions. What are you doing? What should you be doing? Were you doing it? What are you going to do about it?
These techniques are just a few examples of how CKH impacts the daily lives of our students. MSE is very proud to have been selected as a candidate to become a showcase school for CKH. We will be visited by a team in March to determine whether we have reached this status. The team will visit with students, teachers, administrators and even a group of parents as part of our evaluation. Whether we achieve becoming a showcase school this year or not, we will continue to integrate these practices in our classrooms. Because as Flip Flippen, the creator of CKH, says, “If you have a child’s heart… you have his head.”
Meg Thimmesch
MSES Principal
T PRINCIPAL
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PTO FUNDRAISER - MONEY WAR
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Come join your child for fun at our Valentine Parties on Friday, February 7.
Kindergarten through 5th grade parties will celebrate from 2:45-3:30pm.
Parents will not be permitted to go to the classroom until 2:30pm
Dear Parents: I am going to ask for your support during our Valentine's Day parties. We have three big celebrations at the elementary schools. We have fall parties, Valentine's Day parties, and spring parties. We like this to be a time we focus on enjoying our elementary aged students. Sometimes middle school and high school aged students use these days to visit previous teachers. Unfortunately, there are times these students are not supervised by an adult which can lead to unwanted behaviors. In order to focus our efforts on our current students we are asking middle and high school students to not visit during our parties. Only students supervised by their parent will be allowed access to our building. Thank you for understanding and have a wonderful month.
Meg Thimmesch, MSES Principal
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PARENT / TEACHER CONFERENCES
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Please join us for Parent/Teacher Conferences!
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12
K- 5th Grade Parent/Teacher Conferences,
4:00-8:00pm
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13
No School K-12, Parent/Teacher Conferences.
12:00-8:00pm
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14
No School K-12
Conference Comp Day
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YOU ARE INVITED TO
MAIZE SOUTH ELEMENTARY’S
3
rd
GRADE VOCAL MUSIC CONCERT
Yee-Haw!
Thursday, February 20
th
,
7:30 p.m.
Maize High School
Please note that each child should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the performance. The children will meet in the Maize South High vocal music room to warm-up.
The concert will be held in the Maize South High School Auditorium
(3701 N Tyler Rd, Wichita, KS 67205).
We are looking forward to sharing with you!
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Parents:
If you did not purchase a yearbook at the beginning of the school year, you may send a check or cash to the office. Please make the check out to 'Maize South Elementary'. The cost for the yearbook is $20.00.
You can also order online through Lifetouch (ybpay@lifetouch.com and the I.D. code is 3572720).
The deadline to purchase a yearbook is Monday, February 24, Unfortunately we will not order extra yearbooks this year. Thank you!
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PRE-K & KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT NIGHT
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Pre-K, Kindergarten enrollment night March 31 at Maize High School
If you have an incoming Pre-K or kindergarten student who will start school at Maize USD 266 in August 2020, please plan to attend our enrollment night, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. March 31 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 and are 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.
For incoming kindergarten families:
If you have an incoming Kindergarten student who will start school at Maize USD 266 in August 2020, please plan to attend the come-and-go enrollment night. Online pre-enrollment for Kindergarten will start Feb. 10 through March 30 and must be completed prior to arriving at the March 31 Kindergarten and Pre-K enrollment session. Please note that arriving early has no impact on your child's building assignment or class placement.
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MAIZE FOOD SERVICE NEEDS SUBSTITUTES
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The Maize Food Service Department is now hiring Food Service Substitutes to fill in for absences in school kitchens. Pick up 2-7 hr. shifts as little or as often as you want to make some extra cash for the holiday season. Food Service Substitutes work with the kitchen team to prepare lunch, wash dishes, and serve meals. Great opportunity to gain experience in School Food Service with flexible working hours, work the same schedule as your kids, and has the potential for permanent employment. Click
here
to apply.
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In compliance with Kansas State Statutes, district students will soon receive a dental screening unless a parent does not want their child to participate. This screening will be provided at your child’s school and will be at no charge. If your child is already under regular dental or orthodontic care and you wish to opt out, please email Stephany, School Nurse, at
smcclellan@usd266.com
. If you have already returned the opt-out form you do not need to email. A screening in no way replaces comprehensive clinical examinations. All children should be seen regularly by a professional.
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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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INCLEMENT WEATHER SNOW DAY NOTIFICATIONS
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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."
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IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION
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click on the picture for school lunches
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Dillons Community Rewards Code
NPO#TWO82
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- Deliveries: MSES can NOT accept deliveries of flowers, balloons, candy, cookies, etc. This is per USD 266 District Policy. We appreciate your cooperation.
- Party Invitations: Party invitations CANNOT be distributed at school. We ask that you mail invitations for personal events or parties directly to the home of the student(s) you are inviting.
- Student Directory: Parents and guardians may 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.
- Cell Phones: Please remember the use of cell phones by students while at school is not allowed.
- Homework: When your child is absent from school and you wish to pick up homework you must request it before 10:00am. All assignments and necessary textbooks will be available in the office after 2:00pm. Thank you.
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February 7
Valentine’s Day Parties, K-5, 2:45-3:30pm
February 12
Parent/Teacher Conferences, K-12, 4:00-8:00pm
February 13
No School, K-12, Parent/Teacher Conferences, 12:00-8:00pm
February 14
No School, K-12, Conference Comp Day
Count Your Kid In Preschool Screening Clinic, 316-794-8641
February 17
No School, K-12, Professional Development Day
February 18
PTO Meeting, Media Center, 6:00-7:00pm
February 20
3rd Grade Music Program, MSHS Auditorium, 7:30pm
February 25
SITE Council, 6:00-7:00pm
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March 5
Read Night, MSE Media Center,
6:00-8:00pm
March 6
Count Your Kid In Preschool Clinic,
316-794-8641
March 10
MSE Chick-fil-A Spirit Night, 5:00-8:00pm
March 13
End of Term 3
March 16-20
No School, K-12, Spring Break
March 31
Kindergarten Pre-Enrollment, MHS Commons, 5:00-7:00pm
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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 MSES, 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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FEBRUARY: Honesty
Speaking the truth...
keeping your promises...
being trustworthy and reliable...
being sincere in both actions and words...
doing what you know is right.
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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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