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CONNECTING.
LEARNING.
LEADING.
November/December 2021
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VERMILLION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
501 South James
Maize, KS 67101
(316) 722-0266
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A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL |
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Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe that the first semester of this school year is almost over. We are looking forward to a great holiday season at VES. During this time, we are extremely thankful for our awesome students, parents, and staff.
We are continuing to implement a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum at VES this year called Second Step. One of the most widely disseminated SEL curricula in schools is the Second Step program, which was developed by the Committee for Children. Second Step is a skills-focused SEL curriculum that emphasizes directly teaching students' skills that strengthen their ability to learn, have empathy, manage emotions, and solve problems. Please ask your student(s) what they are learning in the Second Step program. You can find more information about Second Step by going to this website - http://www.secondstep.org/.
Part of the Second Step Curriculum relays to students the differences between tattling and telling or reporting. This would also be a great topic to discuss with your child at home. Tattling is pointing out a peer’s wrongdoing, when the situation is safe and the child can handle it him or herself. Tattling to get a peer in trouble can be mean-spirited and is usually not helpful. Telling is alerting adults that the situation is not safe and/or your child needs help managing the situation. Telling to protect a peer from harm is civic-minded or showing concern for others. Please encourage your student to tell/report an unsafe situation to an adult at school.
Wishing you and your family a terrific end to 2021 and a happy 2022!
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Sincerely,
Michael Dome
VES Principal
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Please help our school office run smooth and efficient. We've listed a few reminders below.
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Office Hours: 7:30am - 4:30pm
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Office Phone: 316-722-0266
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Student Absences: If your student is absent please call the school office each day BEFORE 10:00am. If you notify the teacher of an absence, you MUST also call the school office.
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Student Extended Absences: If your student is gone 3 or more days due to illness, a doctor's note is required for them to return to school.
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After School Transportation Changes:
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Call the school office BEFORE 3:00 pm - M/T/Th/F
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Call the school office BEFORE 2:00 pm - Wednesday (early release @3:20pm)
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The Counseling Department at Vermillion wishes you a wonderful winter break! Enjoy your time with family and just soak in all the good times.
We are busy with lots of lunch groups and friendship groups. We look forward to beginning new groups in January. If you have any questions or concerns about groups and counseling lessons, always free to reach out to either one of us!
Be safe and stay well!
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Our Kindergarten concert is scheduled for Monday, March 7, 2022 at the NEW Maize Performing Arts and Aquatics Center (119th & Academy Ave). Parent letters with detailed information regarding these music programs will be sent home with your students and also sent via Skyward. The schedule for those programs is listed below.
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Music Programs:
Kindergarten Concert: Monday, March 7, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: MPAAC (Corner of 119th & Academy Avenue)
First & Second Grade Concerts: Thursday, March 10, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 1st Grade
Time: 7:45 p.m. - 2nd Grade
Location: MPAAC (Corner of 119th & Academy Avenue)
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Quaver:
We LOVE our Quaver music curriculum! In addition to lessons we use in the classroom, it also has an at home feature so that students can explore music through games and activities using any computer or mobile device at home. Currently our 1st - 4th grade students are all registered for this year and should have brought home a parent letter with more information. A few important changes for the login are listed below.
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Quaver Login Instructions: (note NEW web address & password)
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User Name / Quaver Name: 9-digit Maize Student ID#
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Password: music123
If you have any trouble remembering the student ID# or if the login prompts you for a code, please email me at dmerkel@usd266.com.
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Mrs. Merkel is Looking for Loot!
I'm looking for prizes for my music classroom. Prizes for 3rd & 4th grade students are especially needed! I have quite a few smaller toys for the younger students right now. If you would like to donate some items, please send them to school with your child or you can drop them off at the school office. Here are some ideas:
- Larger novelty candy like ring pops or full-sized Skittles or other harder candy (no chocolate, please)
- Packs of gum
- Anything music themed
- Fun pencils - music themed or other fun themes. (mechanical or regular)
- Colorful pens or markers
- Small games or puzzles
- Posters
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We have been working on cup stacking through the month of November. Students were working on using both hands at the same time. As a school we participated in the Guinness World Record of cup stackers around the world.
We have also been working on foot skills within our soccer unit and we played some scooter soccer. We are also looking forward to some holiday games.
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If your child is sick or has been injured, please email us and let us know. We thank you for sharing your child with us. |
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Health Screenings:
We will begin our annual hearing screenings over the next few months. These are required by state law. Results will ONLY be sent home if further testing is needed. Screenings are very basic and are not meant to take the place of professional evaluations. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this.
Skyward Health History:
It is the parent’s responsibility to update health conditions in Skyward and notify the school nurse as needed.
FLU Season is Fast Approaching!
Get your flu vaccine now! Vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Symptoms of the flu can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people with the flu will not have a fever.
What is the flu? Influenza (the flu) is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by the influenza virus. There are many different influenza viruses that are constantly changing. The flu is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks and sends the flu virus into the air. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his eyes, nose, or mouth. The best defense against the flu is washing your hands often!!
Keep your child home from school for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone. Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medication. A fever is defined at 100 degrees or higher. Children and teenagers with symptoms of the flu should NEVER take aspirin. A rare but very serious and sometimes fatal illness called Reye’s syndrome can develop. Your physician can recommend safer ways to treat symptoms of the flu.
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Nurse Jaime Smith
Phone: 316-350-2810 / School Fax: 316-722-5020
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We have been very busy in the lab this fall! Students are learning how to apply the engineering process through engaging lessons that promote higher level thinking and hands-on learning. We challenge each student to apply these steps to each lesson. With this process students can really understand the why and how of the subject we are focused on. It also creates the opportunity to learn through our mistakes by expanding knowledge and improving the project. We like to remind the students that we aren't always successful at our first attempt. But we should always continue to build from what we have learned and make it better. Please be sure to ask your kids what they have learned in the STEAM lab this month! |
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If you would like to donate items to the lab, please go to our Amazon wish list for VES STEAM at the link below. There is a donation tub just outside the lab for students to drop off items anytime they wish.
Please keep us in mind when you get those black Friday boxes and your wrapping paper rolls are all used up. We will gladly put these items and anything recyclable to good use! Thank you for supporting higher level thinking and hands-on learning! We appreciate you!
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Full STEAM Ahead!
Mrs. Yates & Mrs. Otto
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We are hiring! Please share with anyone that may be interested!
Instructional Para (starting January 5th):
Special Education Paraeducator - Instructional Supports:
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SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED |
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Substitute teachers are crucial to the operations of Maize USD 266 and are able to make an important impression on our students' lives and education.
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PRE-K ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITY |
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USD 266 ONLINE BULLETIN BOARD |
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Find events, opportunities on district’s Online Bulletin Board Maize USD 266's Online
Bulletin Board is the place to go for information about upcoming events, camps, clinics, fundraisers, and other opportunities available through the district and official partner agencies. Visit www.usd266.com/OnlineBulletinBoard.
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Become a PTO member/volunteer - it's FREE! If you are interested in supporting our students and staff, please complete the online PTO Volunteer Enrollment Form.
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December:
- 12/14: Pizza Hut Spirit Night
- 12/22: PJ Day (bring $1 or more to wear your favorite PJ's)
January:
- 1/11: PTO Meeting - 6:30-7:30pm (VES STEAM Room)
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1/14: Family BINGO Night - 6-7:30pm (NEW LOCATION - Maize Middle School)
- 1/25: Freddy's Spirit Night - 5:00-9:00pm
February:
- 1/17: Urban Air Spirit Night - 4:00-8:00pm
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We raised $409.67 for our PJ Day for Veteran's Day fundraiser and the proceeds were donated to Kansas Honor Flight! Thank you for all of the donations!!
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Walk-A-Thon Grants are starting to come in. We would like to thank everyone who donated to the causes. Below are the 5 classroom teachers who were the top earning classrooms. They have received their grants and are using the items in the classrooms! Be on the look out for more staff grants and big Walk-A-Thon Purchases. |
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Mrs. Bollenbach - 3rd Grade |
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! Our Family Bingo Night will take place on Friday, January 14th from 6:00-7:30pm at our NEW LOCATION Maize Middle School (4600 N. Maize Rd.). BINGO NIGHT reservation and food order forms (and sign up links) will be sent home around the winter break. This is a FREE event for your family, with optional items for purchase.
Please note that our VES Bingo night is only for VES family and staff (and their family). Due to space limitations, we are unable to accommodate those not affiliated with the school, such as friends or neighbors. If you have any questions, please contact us at vermillionpto@hotmail.com.
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PTO can be reached at:
Facebook: Maize Vermillion Elementary School PTO
*Be sure to tag all the fun you are having at VES this year with #VES
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