MAIZE unified school district 266
CONNECTING.
LEARNING.
LEADING.


October 2020
MAIZE CENTRAL NEWS
Photo of David Jennings, MCE Principal

Although it might look a little different this year, we are excited to be able to continue the tradition of enjoying our Fall Parties at MCE! The students will have an opportunity for some well deserved fun to celebrate all of their hard work this fall! The parties are Friday, October 30th from 2:50-3:45 p.m. The details are listed in the next section.


We would like to extend a special thank you to the MCE PTO for providing all of the treats for our upcoming Fall Parties!

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With cooler temperatures upon us, please arrive promptly for afternoon parent pick-up at the north parking lot. We want to minimize the time students are exposed to the cold weather.

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 (www.usd266.com), 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."

Thank you for all of your support to help make MCE a great place for everyone!
David Jennings
MCE Principal
2020 FALL PARTY
FALL PARTY
Friday, October 30th
KG-5th: 2:50-3:45 p.m.  
      
COSTUME GUIDELINES:
  • Make believe weapons such as guns, swords, knives, etc. are not to be brought to school as part of the costume.   
  • No make-up or face paint.   
  • Children should not wear their costumes to school.
  • Costumes should be easy to put on over clothing.
  • We request that students bring their costumes in a sack in the morning.  
  • Before school is dismissed, the costumes should be removed to take on the bus.

NEW FOR 2020
  • Parents will not be providing food or treats for the parties. Please do not send any food, candy or treats with your student. All items for the parties will be provided by our very generous MCE PTO.
  • Parents will not attend or plan parties.
  • We will not have a costume parade.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL
Arrival and Dismissal
● Temperature checks will be conducted in accordance with any lawful state or local order. In the absence of an order, temperature checks will be conducted as determined necessary by the District Response Team.
● Parents will drop off and pick up students curbside. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.
● Parents should not exit their vehicles during drop-off or pickup.


● Students who walk to school should arrive no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
● Students who walk home from school should leave campus immediately and not congregate in the hallways or parking lots.
EARLY CHECK-OUT PROCEDURE
Parents/guardians need to sign the student out on the sign-out sheet in the office entrance, then the office staff will call the student to the office.

Parents can notify the teacher in advance via email to let them know that they will be leaving early, but students will not be called to the office before the parent/guardian arrives to the school to pick them up.
FALL PICTURES
Picture retake day will be on Thursday, October 15, 2020 from 9:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M. for any student who did not have his or her picture taken on our first picture day in September. This includes students who were absent or who are new to MCE.

Any student who did not like his/her original picture may return the picture packet and have a retake taken during this time.  

*Please note: Students who are enrolled in full-time remote learning will not have their pictures taken at MCE on Oct. 15. The district is reassessing picture day for our remote families and will share details in the coming weeks. 

Order Code is: 52122D

All orders will be placed online.
Orders can be placed before or after pictures are taken.


Just a reminder...Students will remove their face mask briefly to have their photo taken, except for students whose parents have communicated to the school their preference for their child to leave his/her face mask on. All adults and anyone else in the room at the time will have their face masks on. We will practice social distancing and will not make adjustments to your child’s hair, jewelry, etc. as in the past. There will not be parent volunteers present as there have been in the past for health and safety purposes.  
MOVING?
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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 kmarshall@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 Katlyn Marshall at kmarshall@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 student's records for transfer. 
2020-2021 CHANGES
To begin the school year, students will attend school in person on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and participate remotely on Wednesdays. This schedule will be routinely reevaluated based on gating criteria adopted by the Board of Education and may be adjusted as needed.

In order for meaningful learning to occur on Wednesdays:
● Curriculum and instruction will be prepared, provided, and/or supervised by the students’ regular classroom teacher(s). Emphasis will be on meaningful practice of remote learning tools and strategies that students and teachers could use in the event of a future school shutdown due to potential worsening COVID-19 factors.
● Remote Learning will approximate, to the furthest extent possible, the student learning experience that would take place in the on-site (in-person) classroom.
● Students will have at least one daily meaningful remote connection with their classroom teacher. Such connections may be through telephone and/or interactive video conferencing.
VISITORS AND VOLUNTEERS
Visitors and Volunteers
● Visitors who require access to the building beyond the secure vestibule will be required to wear a mask.
● Lunch and treat deliveries will not be permitted.
● Classroom volunteers not essential to student learning will not be allowed.
● MCE will have a drop-off table positioned in our secure entry.
A MESSAGE FROM PTO
MCE Families,
Hello from PTO! We are excited for a new school year!
As you all know, this year will look different in many ways. Our PTO events and fundraising efforts will look different as well. We are trying our best to come up with creative ways to continue showing staff at MCE our appreciation and to continue raising funds for our Grant Program.
Please watch our Facebook Page (MCE PTO) to keep up to date or to share any ideas you have!

Please join us for our virtual PTO meeting on October 27th at 7 p.m. Check our Facebook page for more information.

If you are interested in helping, please e-mail mcepto1@gmail.com.
We look forward to all of the fun activities and friendships that will be built.
CHARACTER ED TRAITS
  January - Self Discipline
  February - Honesty
  March - Cooperation
  April - Acceptance
  May - Perseverance
August - Friendship
September - Compassion
October - Respect
November - Responsibility
December - Generosity
2020-2021 MAIZE USD 266 CALENDAR
SKYWARD HEALTH INFORMATION
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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.

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.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
FREE MONEY
for MCE 
 
Please consider helping your child's school by participating in the following programs:   
 
  
  When registering be sure to use our
NPO number FQ604 .






ONEMA1ZE  #OneMa1ze