Maize School District
   www.usd266.com   Skyward Family/Student Access        

    Connections - Maize USD 266 Parent Newsletter - November 2015 - OneMa1ze
In This Issue
Important dates
Shop through Amazon Smile to support Maize Education Foundation
Current job openings
Online Bulletin Board
Like us on Facebook!
Inclement weather notifications
Annual Emergency Safety Interventions notice
Shelly Jennings honored as 2016 Kansas Teacher of the Year finalist
Bond 2015 update
Maize Board of Education update
School bus drivers work with Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office to ensure safety
Reminder of district's head lice practice
District photo album
 Important dates
  • Nov. 25-27: No school, Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 18: End of term
  • Dec. 21-Jan. 4: Winter break
  • Jan. 5: School resumes
  • Jan. 18: No school

Please click here to access the 2015-16 district calendar.  

 

  

Shop through Amazon Smile to support Maize Schools, students
Foundation Logo
When you shop at Amazon Smile, Amazon donates a half of a percent of your purchase amount to the Maize Education Foundation. 


Everything will look exactly the same as when you shop Amazon, except you'll see the Amazon Smile logo at the top of your page - indicating a portion of your purchase is being donated. No loss for you, but a big gain for the Foundation. 

Thank you for your support.
Join our team!
Interested in joining our Maize Schools team? Many openings are part-time jobs with full-time benefits, including:
* Group health insurance
* Summers off
* Winter break off
* Spring break off
* No evenings or weekends

School bus drivers start at $11.15 an hour, plus attendance incentives. Please call the Maize USD 266 Transportation Office at 316-722-0582 for more information.


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Substitute food service workers needed: 
Maize Schools is looking for substitute food service workers who can fill in when needed in schools across the district. Hours coincide with the school day. No weekends or holidays.

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Substitute nurses needed:
The Maize School District is looking for substitute school nurses to fill in when needed. As a substitute school nurse, you must:
* Be a registered nurse in the State of Kansas.
* Be certified in CPR and AED.
* Have had a TB test within the last year.
* Pass a background check.

You may submit an application online by clicking here. The daily rate of pay is $95. Please contact Maize USD 266 Nursing Coordinator Joann Wheeler, RN, BSN, at jwheeler@usd266.com for more information.
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Paraeducators needed:
The Sedgwick County Area Educational Services Interlocal Cooperative No. 618 needs paraeducators (teacher aides) for students with special needs at Maize USD 266 elementary and secondary schools.
Competitive salaries and health insurance benefits are available for those working more than 30 hours a week. The rewarding jobs follow Maize school days and hours.
To apply, please click here.
 Online Bulletin Board
For information about upcoming school- and partner agency-sponsored events, such as classes, camps, and fundraisers, please click here to check out our Online Bulletin Board.

Upcoming events include Maize South High School's "Elf Jr. The Musical."
Tickets are $9 in advance by clicking here, $12 at the door, or $10 at the door with a donation of non-perishable food items to benefit the Kansas Food Bank.

Shows are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and Dec. 5 in the Maize South High Auditorium, 3701 N. Tyler Road in Wichita.
Come early for pictures with Santa from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and enjoy caroling during intermission.

Have you liked Maize Schools on Facebook?

In August 2014, 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!

frosty-branches-header.jpgInclement weather,
snow day notifications
With the arrival of cooler weather, it's a great time to remind our families of our practice for announcing school dismissals and cancellations.
 
In the event of school being dismissed or canceled because of inclement weather, the district will send out an email, 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.

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."
Annual Emergency Safety Interventions notice
Emergency Safety Interventions (ESI) are seclusion and restraint that are used when a student presents a reasonable and immediate danger to him or herself or others.

Maize USD 266 has written policy regarding Emergency Safety Intervention. You can view the Maize USD 266's board policy in full by clicking here. (ESI is addressed in Article V, Section 30.)

You also can visit our ESI resources page by clicking here. Among resources there you will find a guide for families that includes further definitions and descriptions, as well as information about when ESI may be used, related requirements, parent notifications, and how to file a complaint.

Parents have a right to file a complaint through the local dispute resolution process and the Kansas State Board of Education's (KSBE) administrative review process. If you have an issue you would like to discuss with Maize USD 266, please contact Associate Superintendent Marsha Beard at 316-722-0614 or mbeard@usd266.com.
Superintendent's Message

At school, in life, there's so much to be thankful for

BY CHAD HIGGINS 

       
On Nov. 17, I joined a few administrators and a couple dozen choir students from Maize High School and Maize South High School for a special check presentation at Reflection Ridge Retirement Community. 

The residents there recently raised funds and generously donated $1,000 to each school's choir. Maize High students performed the song "Thankful," and, as the lyrics show, it was an appropriate soundtrack for the event and for this time of year:

"It's up to us to be the change 
And even though this world needs so much more
There's so much to be thankful for."


With our Thanksgiving break just around the corner, gratitude has been on my mind.

Ask an adult to list the top influences and supporters in his or her life, and you likely will hear about parents and family members. But you also likely will hear the name of a teacher, a coach, or another educator who shaped, pushed, and directed him or her to be who he or she is today. Just as I challenge myself, I would challenge you to reach out to those people -- in our classrooms or ones farther away -- and let them know just how much their influence has meant to you.

As I have shared recently with various groups -- including our Site Council members and the West Wichita Rotary -- I am thankful to be the superintendent of Maize Schools. This job is a dream job for me and continues to be. I am thankful for community members, as well as our staff members and students, who have welcomed my family and me. 

I am thankful for the challenge to collaborate on big decisions. (And we certainly have many of those here in our district that educates 7,300 students.) I am thankful for the ideas and perspectives others offer, including our students, staff members, and parents. 

I am thankful for those who have embraced our OneMa1ze vision to be stronger and better together.

"Even with our differences 
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light."

I am thankful for a Royals World Series win, a community and school that take care of each other, and a supportive and caring family. I am thankful for our staff members who give so much of their hearts and minds to our students.

I am thankful for the two Complete High School Maize graduations I have attended during my first months on the job, seeing how far those students have come. I am thankful for Maize South Middle School's recent Veterans Day program, during which students took the time to personally thank our veterans for their service. I am thankful for a success story at Maize Central Elementary School, where a student who came to us from Ethiopia and spoke no English last year has made dramatic improvements. Just recently the student wrote me a charming -- and very nicely done -- handwritten letter to thank me for visiting and reading a Dr. Seuss book.  

I am thankful for the chance to share small -- but important -- moments, such as greeting preschoolers during their costume parade last month, reading to a classroom of first-graders, and hearing about our students collecting items for a food drive this month to benefit the local Caring Hearts organization.

"It's up to us to be the change 
And even though this world needs so much more
There's so much to be thankful for."

Enjoy your break, and I hope it allows you some special extra time for the things -- and especially the people -- for whom you are most thankful. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,
  
Chad Higgins, Superintendent of Schools
Shelly Jennings honored Saturday as Kansas Teacher of the Year finalist
Congratulations to Maize South Elementary School teacher Shelly Jennings, who was recognized during Saturday's 2016 Kansas Teacher of the Year event in Wichita. She was one of eight teachers statewide to be a finalist in the Kansas State Department of Education program.

Mrs. Jennings, a 2nd-grade teacher who has worked at Maize Schools for 15 years, will collaborate with other finalists in 2016 to represent public teachers statewide in a variety of ways, including public presentations, classroom visits, and other initiatives aimed to improve schools, student performance, and the teaching profession. 

She and Maize High School Culinary Arts/Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Cara Poole were honored in September as Kansas Teacher of the Year nominees.
Bond 2015 update 

Bond issue brings new bleacher tops to Maize South High, Maize High gyms

Though some bond projects are still in design and planning phases, a few smaller projects already are completed, most notably the new bleacher tops in gyms at both Maize High and Maize South High schools. 

During the Nov. 9 Maize Board of Education meeting, Darin Augustine and Matt Hamm from Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, Frey Architecture presented bond project plans for Maize High School, Maize South High School, and Maize Middle School (pictured below).


Photos and renderings are available to view on Board Docs by clicking here. A few plans have been tweaked, including the north storm shelter/multipurpose room at Maize High. That shelter will be a bit larger, and the location has moved slightly.

During the meeting, board members also approved Hellas as the vendor for the Maize South High School football field turf.

Voters' approval in June will bring these projects to Maize Schools to provide a safe and promising future for all of our students:
  • tornado safe rooms and a Career and Professional Center at Maize High School.
  • a renovated and expanded Maize Middle School.
  • additions and improvements at Maize South High School, including a new fine arts storage addition and an expanded gym and cafeteria.
  • a new transportation facility.
  • roof replacements at various buildings.
  • technology and infrastructure improvements at various buildings.
  • athletic upgrades, including new locker rooms, stadium upgrades, all-weather playing surfaces, bleachers, lighting and equipment.
You can learn more about the bond vision by visiting our bond resource page at www.usd266.com/bond.
Maize Board of Education update 
 
Maize board members express interest in reviewing placement policy with a goal of what is best for students
 
During the Nov. 9 Maize Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Higgins shared with board members that he has received many requests to revisit the issue of student placement. Board members are in the process of reviewing committee work, surveys, etc.

Members indicated an interest in revisiting the topic, looking at issues including equity, the 1/3-2/3 enrollment ratio, efficiency, building capacity, enrollment trends, and curriculum with a goal of what is best for students.

Board members requested data to quantify the problems expressed by staff members and patrons on what problem may exist with the current system. There was conversation about comparing two options rather than many. There is no set timeline for this discussion, but June would be the latest to implement any changes for the 2017-18 school year.

The Wichita Eagle published a recent article about the board's plans, as well as changes to this year's process. Find additional information, including answers to frequently asked questions, by visiting the Placement page on the district's website by clicking here. Those with questions also may email placement@usd266.com. 
 
The Maize Board of Education is next scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Educational Support Center, 905 W. Academy Ave. in Maize. The meetings are open to the public. 
School bus drivers work with Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office to ensure safety
 
Maize USD 266 bus drivers recently received training from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office on how to report drivers who run school bus stop signs. The district works with law enforcement officials to help ensure a safe environment for students getting on and off of our school buses. 

Check out this story from KSN about how our drivers work with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office to report drivers who run our school bus stop signs.
Reminder of district's head lice practice
 
A reminder from our 2015-16 District Student Handbook that pediculosis (head lice) do not transmit disease agents. A student with a case of active head lice poses little to no risk to others. Students can go home, be treated, and return to school. If a student is diagnosed with head lice, confidentiality must be maintained. A child should not be restricted from school and miss vital class time and lessons because of lice.

District photo album
 
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Maize Schools!
Maize USD 266 Mission Statement  The mission of the Maize School District is to inspire students to discover their potential through connecting, learning and leading.