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CONNECTING.
LEARNING.
LEADING.
October 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,
We take safety and security very seriously at Vermillion Elementary. All exterior doors are locked throughout the day, and visitors must enter through a secure entry in the office, sign in, and be screened through our Raptor System. Surveillance cameras have been installed in all of our hallways and on the exterior of the building for monitoring purposes.
We have safety drills on a regular basis.
- Fire drills are held four times a year, and the Sedgwick County Fire Department monitors one drill each year. Maps with a primary exit are posted in every room. Once a teacher has evacuated his or her students to the safe location, he or she confirms that all students are present. Numbers are posted on each of our exterior door locations to enable first responders to arrive at the correct entry point for an emergency.
- Tornado drills are held two times a year. During these drills the entire student body and staff is moved to the FEMA shelter (gymnasium). We are able to move everyone to this safe location in about five minutes. Teachers have a safety backpack with supplies for students in the event of an extended tornado warning.
- An evacuation drill is practiced yearly. During this drill, the staff and students walk to another location in a very quiet and orderly fashion. If it was unsafe for us to be in the building, we could quickly move to a new safe location.
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Crisis drills occur three times a year. We utilize the Safe Defend system during our crisis drills. This system is new to us this year. Our staff received Run, Hide, Fight training when dealing with an internal crisis. We also have procedures for an external lock down, an event in which something is happening outside and we need to stay inside the building, but can still continue our normal activities.
I want you to know we are doing everything possible to make sure VES remains safe for students and staff.
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On another note, I want to thank you for a very successful VES PTO Walk-A-Thon fundraiser. We raised over $35,000 to help furnish our library with books and flexible seating, provide our music rooms with fun new instruments, and our gym with cool new items for movement. That was an amazing total! We really appreciate your support!
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Sincerely,
Michael Dome
VES Principal
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Please help our school office run smooth and efficient. For your convenience, we've listed a few reminders below.
Office Hours: 7:30am - 4:30pm
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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We had a successful Healthy Selfie week October 25-29. This week was devoted to 5 different ways to keep the body healthy through mindfulness, eating healthy, rest, hobbies, friends, and exercise. Encourage your child to be as healthy as possible and have conversations about taking care of the body and mind.
We continue to see students in lunch groups and look forward to getting to know all of our students! We also have small counseling groups going on. If you have a concern for your child and would like them in a small group, feel free to call or email us!
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We are starting our second nine weeks with some fitness. We will also be starting cup stacking in November. This will help with bilateral coordination and dexterity. |
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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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Pictures needed for our yearbook! If you have any pictures from the beginning of the year, Walk-a-Thon, or spirit nights please send them to vesyearbookpix@gmail.com.
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Our upcoming music program for 3rd & 4th graders are scheduled for Monday, November 8th at Maize High School. Parent letters with detailed information were sent home with your students at the beginning of the month and were also sent via Skyward. The schedule for those programs is listed below.
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Music Programs:
Third & Fourth Grade Concerts: Monday, November 8, 2021
STUDENTS SHOULD MEET IN THE CHOIR ROOM 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THEIR SHOWTIME
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 3rd Grade
Time: 7:45 p.m. - 4th Grade
Location: Maize High School Auditorium (11600 W. 45th Street North)
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)
Kindergarten Concert: Monday, March 7, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m.
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 will be doing vision screenings in October and hearing screenings soon after that. Results from these screenings 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 contact me with any questions or concerns. |
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We have completed our vision screenings and will do hearing screenings next. Information has been sent home regarding your child's screening ONLY if they did not pass the exam. If you did not hear from me, then your child has passed!
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We are still in need of some immunization records and physical exams, so if you haven't gotten those to me, please do as soon as possible. You are welcome to bring the records to the school, scan/email to jsmith@usd266.com or fax them to 316-722-5020.
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Nurse Jaime Smith
Phone: 316-350-2810 / School Fax: 316-722-5020
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The Steam Lab is off and running! We have been so impressed with the effort students are putting into their projects and how they really take ownership of their work!
With the holidays coming up, we will be doing some fun activities and challenges. If you have any discarded or gently used items, we would love it if you would donate them in the name of science to our lab! We have a donation box outside of the steam lab that students can drop off items any time. To us, the following items are gold! Gift wrapping rolls, paper towel rolls, cardboard, packing paper, bubble wrap, newspaper, string, egg cartons, plastic bottles and lids, just to name a few. We will also accept items used for building such as Legos or tinker toys. So please keep us in mind when cleaning out your closets!
Thanks in advance for supporting STEAM!
Mrs. Yates: 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Mrs Otto: Kdg. & 1st
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The STEAM lab's curriculum is an extension to the science/math curricula and it includes hands-on activities that emphasize the application of scientific concepts as we experience them in our daily lives. |
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Our 2nd grade students painted fall leaves and made the STEAM Lab tree. |
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All students created spider webs with hula-hoops and masking tape and they are working on pumpkin catapults in the next week. |
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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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We are looking for additional instructional and special education paraprofessionals for the 2021-2022 school year. We would love to have you on our team!
Please apply below or contact Mrs. Nash with any questions.
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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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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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PTO is looking for assistance with several annual fund raising committees. TLC, Walk-a-Thon, Family BINGO Night, and more. If you are interested please email at vermillionpto@hotmail.com
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November:
- 11/4: Chick-fil-A Spirit Night (3-10pm)
- 11/9: PTO Meeting (6:30pm - VES STEAM Room)
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11/11: Hat Day for Kansas Honor Flight (bring $1 or more to wear your favorite hat)
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11/20: Wichita Thunder Hockey Game Spirit Night (7:05pm - Thunder vs. Tulsa Oilers) - Buy your tickets here https://fevo.me/3G6know and VES will receive a portion of all sales!
December:
- 12/14: Pizza Hut Spirit Night
- 12/22: PJ Day (bring $1 or more to wear your favorite PJ's)
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A huge THANK YOU to all the kids and parents who worked very hard to make this year's Walk-a-Thon happen! You raised $35,919.61. This will help purchase library books and flexible seating, provide our music rooms with fun new instruments, and our gym with cool new items for movement. A special thank you to Children's Dental Professional and DJ Panda for their sponsorships. |
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! Our Family Bingo Night and Raffle Basket event is scheduled to take place on Friday, January 14th from 6:00-7:30pm at Maize High School (11600 W 45th St N). We will be flexible and can make this a virtual event if needed depending on COVID protocol. BINGO NIGHT reservation forms will be sent via email during fall break and then paper copies will be sent home after winter break. This is a FREE event for your family (this is not a drop-off event), 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.
We are in need of sponsors who would like to donate a raffle basket or provide items that we can assemble into raffle baskets. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact Kim Dickerson-Oard at vermillionpto@hotmail.com by Wednesday, December 7th.
Volunteers are invited to our raffle basket assembly on Friday, December 10th from 8:45am at Vermillion Elementary until completion. Please bring any baskets, decorative boxes, cellophane or ribbons, filler items, etc. that you are willing to donate to the cause. To sign up to be a volunteer raffle basket assembler, please contact Kim Dickerson-Oard 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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