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Fall Maize Messenger
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Watch your mailbox for the first issue of this year's Maize Messenger district newsletter. In it, you'll find updates about our A-Maize-ing 266 Showcase community night set for Oct. 31, our strengthening partnership with the Greater Wichita YMCA and more.
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Reminder:
No school Friday
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A reminder that students do not have school on Friday, which is a Professional Development/Teacher Work Day.
Other important dates to remember:
Oct. 1: No school for Early Childhood Center and half-day Kindergarten Oct. 1-2: Parent/teacher conferences Oct. 2-3: No school Oct. 17: No school (Professional Development/Teacher Work Day) Nov. 26-28: No school, Thanksgiving Break Dec. 22-Jan. 2: No school, Winter Break Please click here to access our district calendar. |
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Have you liked Maize Schools on Facebook?
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Last month, Maize USD 266 launched our first official district Facebook account.
Please click here to like our page and to find district news, announcements, event information, photos and more.
Thank you for your support!
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Emergency alerts and notifications
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In the event of an emergency in your child's school, Maize USD 266 will use the Blackboard Connect parent notification system to notify you of the situation and will alert you about steps you need to take in order to reunite with your child. Voice messages will be sent to all phone numbers and emails listed in Skyward Family Access "Family 1."
To view the contact information the district has on file, 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. |
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 Current job openings
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Positions often feature family-friendly hours, including breaks that coincide with the school calendar and no night or weekend shifts.
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Bullying Prevention and Parenting Hotline
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The Kansas State Department of Education, in partnership with Kansas Children's Service League, is proud to offer the Bullying Prevention Hotline. This free, anonymous service is available to provide counsel and resources to those who have questions or concerns about bullying situations.
The 24-hour hotline can be reached at 1-800-332-6378 or 1-800-CHILDREN. You can also text or email the hotline at 1800children@kcsl.org.
Provided through a Safe and Supportive Schools grant, the hotline is staffed by trained professionals and volunteers who listen to each caller's concerns and seek to provide the caller with resources to assist him or her.
The hotline also can assist parents with parenting questions and available resources.
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District photo album
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ABOVE: Vermillion Elementary School Buddy Club presentations. Click here to read recent coverage in The Wichita Eagle about the program.
BELOW: Pray-Woodman Elementary School First Responder Reception.
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Superintendent's Message
True efficiency is balancing achievement, careful spending
BY DOUG POWERS
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Greetings!
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to testify before the state's K-12 Student Performance and Efficiency Commission. Maize USD 266 is the 10th-largest school district in Kansas, but we have the seventh lowest per-pupil spending statewide. Much of this is because of our low student weightings, which are the additional funding we received from the state for students who are at-risk, are migrants, etc. Weightings drive up a district's average per-student cost. However, some of our low spending is thanks to the careful budget decisions we have made: I spoke in Topeka about Maize Schools' ability to implement our own efficiencies, including outsourcing night cleaning and hiring a new employee this year to provide in-house technology device repairs. Both moves have saved us money and allowed us to be a more productive school district.
I shared with commission members that lowering and cutting spending should not happen at the cost of lowering and cutting student performance. We educators here in Maize and statewide must continue to prioritize student expectations and help our students reach them while balancing fiscal responsibility by prioritizing and allocating resources. That's true efficiency.
We will continue to find the Maize Way to do just that.
Sincerely, Doug Powers, Superintendent of Schools |
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Facilities and student placement update
During the Sept. 8 Maize Board of Education meeting, board members continued their discussion about student placement and facilities needs:
- Student placement: Superintendent Doug Powers presented the proposed preference timeline for 5th- and 8th-graders. Administrators are prepared to run the preference process for next year's enrollment this fall and winter as has happened in the past. Parents of 5th- and 8th-grade students will receive additional information about placement once the schedule has been finalized.
- Facilities: Board members agreed to hire the firm RSP to conduct demographic and enrollment analyses for Maize USD 266 at a cost of $24,000. The studies could take four to six weeks and will help educate board members regarding future needs, including that of middle school space. The board voted 5-1, with member Bruce Nicholson dissenting.
- Representatives of Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey Architecture presented updated facilities information for the board's consideration. (You can click here to view the complete presentation on Board Docs.) The presentation involved possible bond issue items that, in addition to brick-and-mortar projects, included costs such as furniture and mechanical, electrical and plumbing repairs. The items were:
- Storm shelters at Maize High School: $1,833,900
- New middle school: $29,313,900 to $34,483,900 (depending on student capacity)
- Maize Middle School renovations: $9 million to $12 million (depending on student capacity)
- Career and Professional Center at Maize High School: $8,270,000
- New Early Childhood Center: $6,739,980
- New transportation facility: $4,221,000
- Natatorium: $11,886,225
- Physical education/athletic facility improvements: $10,796,450
- Additional district projects, including new roofs, a Maize South High School expansion
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Two Maize teachers receive Kansas Teacher of the Year recognition
Congratulations to Maize USD 266 teachers Elizabeth Barnaby (at left) and Alejandra Prendes, who were honored Sept. 6 at the Kansas Teacher of the Year 2015 Region IV Awards Banquet in Wichita.
They each were recognized by leaders in Kansas education, including Brad Neuenswander, Interim Commissioner of Education with the Kansas State Department of Education.
Prendes also was named a secondary-level semi-finalist, an honor only awarded to three Region IV secondary teachers.
Please click here to read more and see additional photos from the banquet.
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Get all your Eagle and Maverick football information via our Game Notes
After debuting last season, our Game Notes are back again this year. The weekly athletic publications feature high school football team schedules, a game preview, a look at key players, ticket information, a featured In the Spotlight player and more.
You can find them on our website by clicking here or watch for them on our official district Twitter account or our official district Facebook page.
We wish our Mavericks and Eagles a tremendous season!
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Recent district news
 | | Congrats to Maize South High School student and National Merit Semifinalist Kade Kordonowy! |
Please click on the following links for information about these additional district updates and happenings:
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 Protect yourself from the respiratory virus
You may have seen local media reports about the respiratory virus Enterovirus EV-D68 that is aggressively attacking children across the Midwest, especially those with asthma.
There are no available vaccines or specific treatments for it, so clinical care is supportive. To prevent the spread of this and other respiratory illnesses, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment asks that you:
- Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. (EV-D68 is not deactivated with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.)
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, with a bleach solution, especially if someone is ill.
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Online Bulletin Board
Maize Schools uses its Online Bulletin Board to distribute information about student-related activities and events, which could include those sponsored by a Maize school or partner agency and that are related to academics, athletics or fine arts. You also can click "Subscribe" at the bottom of the page to be notified when a new opportunity is posted.
Check out our Online Bulletin Board now for information about these upcoming events and more:
- The Maize Fall Festival, Oct. 10-11
- Maize Recreation Commission programs for youth offered through March 2015
 
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