As part of our building-wide positive behavior expectations, teachers nominate students weekly that are "caught being good". These students are recognized every Friday during the morning announcements. Students also get a small reward and have their picture and name posted on the bulletin board in the main hallway. If you are visiting, please stop in the main hallway to take a look at PWS students "caught being good".

Another way staff recognizes positive behavior is by nominating two students per classroom per month for Student of the Month. Teachers recognize students that show Maize Way Character traits and have positive behavior. Students are recognized during morning announcements on the last Friday of the month. Students of the Month have special seating that day in the cafeteria and get a small water bottle and snack to go with their lunch. We utilize parent volunteers to help with the luncheon. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the classroom teacher or e-mail Ms. Buresh, Counselor.      

• 2013-2014 HOURS:

   Mark your calendar for the PWS Book Fair!

• September 25th from 4-8 p.m.
• September 26th from 12-8 p.m.
• In the Library Media Center
• Our school receives 20% of the sales in dollars and books
• Can't wait to see you there!

The Library is still collecting Box Tops for Education.  You can drop them off at the office or send them with your student.   

Volunteers play an important and valuable role in the Maize School District.  Students, teachers, staff, parents, and the community benefit from the work of individuals who freely share their talents and resources.   The Maize Board of Education adopted a policy which requires background checks on volunteers who work in the elementary schools on a regular basis.  These checks are done by National Screening Bureau (NatSB).   NatSB provides the district with secure, confidential, multi-jurisdiction checks in a timely manner.  

Individuals who plan to volunteer may start the background check process by clicking here

volunteer background check to complete the application.  Individuals can also go to any elementary school website and click on "Volunteer Background Check Application".  The form can either be filled out online at home or online in any of the school offices.   Volunteers who work in more than one building only need to fill out one application for the district, not each building.  Applicants can request a copy of the check when it is completed.  If you completed a background check last year, you will still need to complete the application this school year as well.  Background checks are conducted on an annual basis.  If you have questions about the background check process, contact Nils Gabrielson at ngabrielson@usd266.com or call 721-0902. 

School is back in session! Now is the time to get the kids back on a schedule and back to sleep. Sleep is a vital need, essential to a child's health and growth. We need sleep to keep us healthy, happy and doing our best! Kids ages 5-12 need 10-11 hours of sleep each night. At the same time, there is an increasing demand on their time away from school. Homework, sports and other extracurricular and social activities can easily keep families out late at night.  Poor or inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, behavioral problems and cognitive problems that impact kids' ability to learn in school.

Here are a few helpful tips to ensure your kids will get the sleep they need.

    *Follow a nightly routine -it will help your child relax, fall asleep faster and sleep through the night.

    *Make your child's bedroom conducive to sleep - dark, cool and quiet. Keep TV and computers out of the bedroom. 

BIG CHANGE - PTO IS NOW MANAGED WITHIN EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL

Click here for the form to join the PWS PTO. Join us and make a difference at Pray-Woodman Elementary! This is the first year without a district PTO so PWS will be responsible for all money going to the staff and programs. 

It was decided at the end of last school year that each individual school PTO will be able to set their own membership requirements, teacher grants, meetings, activities, events, fundraisers, etc. but in the interest of making it equitable for parents who have students at more than one school, membership should remain at $5.00 per staff member (if your PTO is going to offer grants) and suggested $10.00 per family contribution.  Therefore, if parents have students at more than one school and want to be active in each PTO, they would divide their membership contribution between the schools.

The annual district PTO Open House meeting will be on Tuesday, August 27th at 6:30 p.m. at Maize Middle School.  It will follow the format of previous years, with a brief introduction and then breaking into individual school PTO groups.  We plan to have two additional district PTO meetings for teacher liaisons and parent board representatives during the school year; one in the fall semester and one in the spring.

SPIRIT T-SHIRTS - money for the PWS spirit shirts is due tomorrow, Friday, August 23.  Click here to download the order form.  Each t-shirt order must be on a separate form.   

NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED! 

Welcome to all new and returning students to Pray-Woodman.  The counselors are here to help you with your personal, social and academic needs.  We will be having monthly counseling sessions with your students as well as offering small group and individual counseling.  Look for the signup sheets this week for groups coming home individually with each student.  Dr. B. J. Wells will be the counselor for all third graders and the fourth graders and at Vermillion on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Ms. Joey Buresh will be the counselor for Kindergarten, second and fifth graders.  Our counseling groups meet during the student's lunch period or recess time.  Individual counseling is done during class time that is convenient for your child's schedule.  Please contact us if you have any questions.