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CONNECTING.
LEARNING.
LEADING.
September 2021
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Dear Fallback,
On behalf of our entire staff, I would like to welcome you and your family to the 2021-2022 school year!
Beginning school is such an exciting time for you and your child. We are honored that you have chosen Maize Early Childhood Center to begin your child’s journey from birth through the early years of growth, development, and learning. Our goal is to provide high quality experiences to all children ages birth-five years, their families and our community.
We have new sensory and exploratory areas throughout our building this year! These areas are designed with fine/gross motor development, sensory processing, and self-regulation skills practice in mind. Make sure and read about them in this newsletter and Ms. Amy’s Counselor Corner; they have already proven to be useful and favorite spots for students (and staff!) to hang out.
We want to welcome our new neighbors, Maize South Intermediate School! From time to time our classrooms will visit their classrooms via ZOOM to learn from each other and celebrate our common themes. Our first theme is “Family”. We have chosen the book, “Our class is a Family” by Shannon Olsen for each classroom to read. We would love you to partner and with us by sharing the story with your child at home. It is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, and various other outlets. A read aloud version is available on YouTube. The link is provided later in this newsletter or you can simply search by the book title.
Throughout the school year, we will continue to offer opportunities to extend your child’s classroom experience into your home to complete our MECC Family Circle. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family!
Together is better,
Ms. DeDe
MECC Principal
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Reminders for the 2021-22 School Year
Arrival/Dismissal
- Please drive slowly in parking lot and be aware of surroundings.
- Do not enter the playground area until the arrival/dismissal bell has sounded.
- No dogs allowed at arrival/dismissal.
Health and Safety
- Parents and volunteers will not be allowed in district buildings this year.
- Please remember to call in absent students or email us at tstewart@usd266.com and kparson@usd266.com.
- Please call Nurse Allison with Covid question or concerns.
- If you are awaiting a Covid test results please do not send your student to school.
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Beginning of the Year Checklist |
Welcome back to school everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic summer.
As the school year starts, there are some important things to remember that I will be needing soon for my office records.
- Immunizations and Health Assessments:
- Don’t forget to turn in your child’s most up-to-date immunization records as well as an updated Health Assessment (physical) if this is the first time your child has been in a Kansas school.
- Skyward Health History:
- It is the parent’s responsibility to update health conditions in Skyward and notify the school nurse as needed for health concerns.
- Medications:
- Under certain conditions medication may be given at school per the Board of Education Policy. A new consent form must be filled out EVERY school year BEFORE any medication is administered at school. Please feel free to ask me for this form.
- Food Allergies:
- In order for a food allergen to be removed from the school lunch tray and be replaced with another option, a meal modification form 19 B MUST be completed and signed by a parent and healthcare provider. Please feel free to ask me for this form as well.
Keep your child at home if he or she has any of these symptoms
(this is not an all-inclusive list):
- Fever > 100 degrees; (Your child may return to school ONLY after his/her temperature has been consistently below 100 degrees for a minimum of 24 hours WITHOUT the use of medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen).
- Vomiting (even once; for a full 24 hours from last vomiting episode)
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
- Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough
- Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose
- Rash
- Loss of taste or smell
Colds are the most contagious during the first 48 hours. Often when a child awakens with vague complaints (the way colds and flu begin) it is wise to observe your child at home for an hour or two before deciding whether or not to bring them to school. Keeping a sick child at home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom.
Please talk to your kids about washing their hands frequently, instructing them to sneeze into tissues, and cough into elbows.
Please feel free to stop by my office, call, or email me if you have any questions or concerns about your student. Thank you all for taking an interest in your child’s health and well-being.
Allison Parkhurst, RN
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Parents as Teachers is a free parent-child program for families that have children ages birth to 5.. We offer home visits, developmental screenings, groups and resource connections. This school year we are so excited to be offering our full programming. Beginning September 13 we will offer music classes at 9:30 and 10:15 on Mondays. Wednesdays and Thursdays we will offer playgroups from 10:00-11:00. NEW this year we will have a once a month story time with Anne Harris. She is a former public librarian and the very best story reader around. Our first story time will be Tuesday, September 14 from 10:00-10:30. If you are interested in joining Parents as Teachers please click here to enroll.
If you or somebody in your family is not feeling well, awaiting a Covid test or are a close contract please refrain from attending any groups and reschedule your home visit (or do virtual) to ensure that as many people as possibly can stay healthy
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Our Starlets program is our parent/child preschool class and we have openings! We have classes starting the week of September 13th and we have openings in our Monday class from 9:00 - 10:15 am, our sibling class from 10:30-11:45am and our Tuesday class from 1:00-2:15 p.m. We meet once a week and there is an option for home visits as well. The cost is $30 for the whole year. Please email the teacher Erin White if interested at ewhite@usd266.com.
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Hello, my name is Amy Beckmann. I will be your child’s counselor this year. This is my 6th year as a school counselor and my 4th year in the Maize School District. I will be sharing my time between the Maize Early Childhood Center (MECC) and Maize South Middle School. Prior to school counseling, I was in private practice as a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist. I worked specifically with children, adolescents, and families. I am excited about this new role and have already met many of my new friends. My goal is to interact with students, within their classrooms, to focus on social/emotional learning. I will also meet with students in smaller friendship groups, as well as individual counseling. In addition to working with students, I also hope to engage with parents/caregivers and community stakeholders. We are still discussing what this might look like and will share with all of you soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at abeckmann@usd266.com or 316-722-8420.
Ms. Amy
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At MECC, we continue to focus on strategies to teach our students social-emotional skills through Conscious Disciple. This skill-based program focuses on safety, connection, empowerment, encouragement, respect, self-regulation, positive choices, and problem-solving as we seek meaningful relationships within our school family.
As partners in developing strong social-emotional skills with our students, we want to share Conscious Discipline resources with our MECC families. Visit the Conscious Discipline website for additional resources and videos https://consciousdicipline.com/. If you have questions or need more information, please feel free to contact Amy Beckmann (abeckmann@usd266.com) at the MECC.
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September's Character Trait |
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Facebook and Twitter
Join our group "Maize Parents as Teachers and Early Childhood Center" on Facebook! Just search for the group and ask to join. Get updates of activities going on, free tips and more!
Also follow us on Twitter @maizeecc_pat
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Carriage Crossing Pie Sales are happening the month of September! Please help us raise funds for our staff by selling these delicious pies. They are due on September 23rd for pick up on October 8th. Forms will be sent home next week or download them now by clicking here!
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Upcoming PTO Events:
- September 15 - Spirit Night at Chipotle 5-9pm
- September 23 - Pie Sale orders are due
- October 8- Pick up pies from gym from 2-6pm
- November 5 - PTO meeting at 11am
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Picture Day: Fall picture day with Inter-State Studio will be Thursday, September 30th. Monday/Wednesday students will get their picture taken on retake day, Wednesday, November 10th. Please be on the lookout for emails.
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Mark your Calendars!
Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up! There will be NO SCHOOL on September 22 for conferences from 8am-4pm and September 23rd from 8am-8pm.
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