In This Issue
Important Dates
Mission Statement
Quick Web Links
School Hours after Spring Break
Counselor's Corner
Fundraiser Thank You
Family Fitness Fun Night
5th Grade Parent Preview Human Growth and Dev.
Donations Needed
2014-15 Calendar
Ronald McDonald House Pull Tab Contest
Sisters Forever
Music Programs
Kindergarten Pre-Enrollment
Lost and Found
Safety Reminders
Emergency Notification
Coach Sloth Books Available
PWS PTO
A Note from the Nurse
Library News
Online Bulletin Board
Student of the Month Awards

 IMPORTANT DATES 

Monday, March 31-Thurs., April 3
Reading State Assessments

Tuesday, April 1
Site Council, 7:00 pm

Thursday, April 3

Human Growth and Development Parent Preview, MSES, 5th Grade Only, 6:00 pm

Friday, April 4
Maize Way Day - Acceptance

Monday, April 7 - Thursday, April 10
Math State Assessments

Thursday, April 10

Kindergarten Pre-Enrollment, 5-8 pm at PWS

Friday, April 11
NO SCHOOL K-12
Prof. Dev. Day

Monday, April 21 -
Thursday, April 24
4th Grade Science Assessments

Monday, April 21
2nd and 3rd grades
Music Program, 6:30 & 7:30 pm, MSHS Auditorium (see article for class times)

Tuesday, April 22
4th Grade Classes
Music Program, 6:30 & 7:30 pm, MSHS Auditorium (see article for class times)

Monday, April 28
Brownlee AM and Darbonne, Field Trip to Tanganyika 10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Tuesday, April 29
Brownlee PM, Shively, Paul, Field Trip to Tanganyika 10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Site Council Mtg.
6:30 pm

Wed., April 30
Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast, 8:45 - 9:45 am, Band Room

Friday, May 2
NO SCHOOL K-12
Prof. Dev. Day

Monday, May 5
All District Spring Band Concert, MHS Gym, 7:00 pm

Friday, May 9
Maize Way Day -
Perseverance

Monday, May 12
Kindergarten Music Program, 11:00 am & 3:00 pm (see article for class times)

Tuesday, May 13
Kindergarten Music Program, 11:00 & 3:00 (see article for class times)

Kindergarten Connection, PWS, 6:00-7:15 pm

Thursday, May 15
Kindergarten Field Day, 9:30 am
5th Grade Field Day, 12:45 pm
5th Grade Spring Parties, 2:45 pm

Friday, May 16
4th Grade Field Day, 9:00 am
2nd & 3rd Grades Field Day, 12:45 pm
2nd-4th Grades Spring Parties, 2:45

Orchestra Concert, MSHS Auditorium, 7:00 pm

Tuesday, May 20
Talent Show, MHS Auditorium, 1:15-3:15 pm

Wednesday, May 21
Last Day of School


 


 Mission :

The mission of Maize USD 266 is to inspire students to discover their potential through connecting, learning and leading.


 

QUICK WEB LINKS

The Pray-Woodman Way

March 27, 2014 

Volume 20, Issue 7 
 
Pray-Woodman Elementary Principals  
605 W. Central
Maize, KS  67101

(316) 721-0902
 
 


A Note from Nils...

  

Welcome back! We hope that you had an awesome spring break! We are looking forward to a great fourth quarter!

 

*State Assessments-Third, fourth, and fifth graders will take the state reading assessment next week, and the state math assessment during the following week. Fourth graders will take the state science assessment during the week of April 21.

 

Your child's teacher will let you know the exact times and dates. Please be sure that your child is well-rested and is ready to do their very best. Our teachers and students have worked hard on their reading and math skills, and this will be a great opportunity to show their progress.

 

*PTO Projects-Our PWS PTO has done a great job supporting our students and staff. We would like to thank everyone for all of this support.

 

During the 2013-2014 school year, PTO has provided the following items for our school:

               *Buses for field trips

               *Classroom supplies ($50 per teacher)

               *Mini Grants ($50 per teacher)

               *Food for conferences

               *Supplies for the staff lounge

               *Prizes and food for Crunch, Munch & Read Family

                 Night 

               *Student of the Month prizes

               *Name Tags for every student

               *Planning calendars for every staff member

               *Volunteer Recognition Breakfast items

               *Kindergarten Caf� supplies

               *Postage for welcome back letters for teachers to send  

  to students 

               *New banners for the foyer

               *Indoor recess games for every classroom

               *Prizes for PWX Winter and Summer Reading and  

                 Math programs 

        *Matching grant money for I-Pads, Math  

          materials and classroom sets of books 

               *Money for each grade level to purchase learning

                 materials 

                 Thank you!

 

*Volunteer Opportunities-As we prepare for next school year, we are looking for parent volunteers to help with a variety of important jobs at PWS.

               **Site Council-Meets at least four evenings during the school year to provide guidance on school policies and programs. Also helps plan our annual Family Night.

               **PTO -Help coordinate Entertainment Book sales and T-Shirt sales to raise money for a variety of school projects as well as other school projects.

               **Yearbook-Take photos of school events and prepare the yearbook for students to remember another special year at PWS.

 

If you are interested in serving on any of these committees, please contact me at [email protected] or 350-2603. We really appreciate all of our parent volunteers!!!!!

 

   

NEW DISMISSAL TIMES AFTER SPRING BREAK 

The state of Kansas requires a minimum number of school hours per school year.

 

Because of our no-school snow days taken Feb. 4-6, Maize USD 266 needs to make up a shortfall of hours.  

 

To make up that gap, we will be extending our daily school day schedule by five minutes for all K-12 students at all of our elementary, middle and high schools beginning after spring break on Monday, March 24 through the end of the school year. The new dismissal times at our elementary, middle and high schools will be five minutes later than the current dismissal times.

 

PRAY-WOODMAN DISMISSAL TIMES AFTER SPRING BREAK:
MONDAY - 3:50
TUESDAY - 3:50
WEDNESDAY - 3:10
THURSDAY - 3:50
FRIDAY - 3:50

COUNSELOR'S CORNER...by Dr. B.J. Wells and Joey Buresh

In the month of March, counselor lessons focused on test-taking skills and the Maize Way character trait, cooperation.

 

Kindergarten students listened to "The Little Red Hen & the Ear of Wheat" audio book clip. In the story, the cat, dog, and duck refuse to help plant, cut, grind, and make bread. When the little red hen decides not to share the loaf of bread with her uncooperative friends, they learn their lesson, and decide to cooperate the next time so they, too, can have some bread. Last, the students worked in groups to practice cooperation and made a poster that re-told the story using pictures and a word map.

 

Second graders learned basic cooperation skills and played a game called "Teams & Towers". They worked in groups of 3 to build the tallest, freestanding tower using toothpicks and marshmallows. After the measuring was complete and a winning group decided, students from all groups shared the strategies that helped their group be successful.

 

Fifth grade students focused on test-taking tips and cooperation. Students made a flip book and added the important test taking tips they need to know. On the inside of the flap they added details, pictures, and gave an example of the testing tip. For example, the flap labeled "Stop, Look, and Listen" on the inside reminds students Keep still, Eyes on the teacher, Think about the directions. On the back of the flip booklet is space for the teacher to have them add additional tips. We finished the lesson by discussing the importance of giving your best effort at home and school.

 

FUNDRAISER THANK YOU'S 

We want to thank you all for supporting PWS on Chick-Fil-A night.  It was a packed, fun night!  We raised $854.48. 

Popcorn day was a huge success, also!  We want to especially thank Stephanie Graham and Chellie Powers for spending the better part of the whole day popping popcorn for the staff and students.  We raised $384.52.  Great job, everyone!

All of these monies will go toward our PTO projects. 
 
FAMILY FITNESS FUN NIGHT
Mark your calendar for
Family Fitness
 Fun Night

April 28, 2014

5:30 - 7:30
Free Admission
MAIZE SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL
FOOTBALL FIELD
3701 N. Tyler
Wichita, KS

Fitness Challenges with
Maize Student Athletes
Nutritional Snacks and Recipes
Healthy dinner options from Wild Thyme Catering
will be available for purchase at 5:00
1/2 Wrap Sandwich $4.00
Hummus/ Veggies Grapes/Orange Slices
Pretzels/Baked Chips Fruit Smoothies
$2.00
No Rain Date

 5th GRADE  HUMAN GROWTH & DEV. PREVIEW 

Fifth grade parents will have an opportunity to preview the Human Growth and Development videos before their children see them with their classes.  The parent preview is scheduled for Thursday, April 3rd at Maize South children-friends-portrait.jpg Elementary, 6:00 p.m. At school, the girls will watch their video with the counselors and the boys will watch their video with the coaches.  If you prefer that your child NOT see these videos, you will need to contact the fifth grade counselor at [email protected] or call 721-0902.

After careful review of the State Standards regarding Human Growth & Development, the district has decided that at the elementary level, the standards are most appropriate for 5th grade students. Therefore, we will no longer be viewing the Human Growth & Development videos with our 4th grade students. The New Generation Science Standards can be accessed at the following link: 
http://community.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=5391
DONATIONS NEEDED

As we pass the halfway point of the school year, our supplies are running low.

 

If you would be willing to donate any of these items for our school, we would really appreciate it!

 

**Old clean socks to use as marker board erasers (holes are fine.)

**Boxes of facial tissue

**Clorox Wipes

**Pencils (new or slightly used)

**Color Pencils (new or slightly used)

**Used crayons 

**Markers  (new or slightly used)

**Rulers (new or slightly used)

**Protractors

**Sandwich size zipper bags

**Quart size zipper bags

**Gallon size zipper bats

**2 liter bottles of pop for Fun Fridays for staff members

 

All donations can be brought to the office.

 

Thank you for your help!

NEW CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR AVAILABLE

Click here to view the
calendar for 2014-2015. 

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE PULL TAB CONTEST 

Just a reminder to please save pop tabs, soup can tabs, dog food tabs, any kind of tabs for the Ronald McDonald HoRonald McDonald 3use. These pop tabs go to the House to be recycled as a source of income for them. They serve families with sick children in Wichita hospitals. What a gift to be able to stay near your sick child without having to worry about the expense of food and housing!

SISTERS FOREVER
 

The picture above is the 2014 graduating class of Sisters Forever, a relational aggression group, that teaches girls not to gossip or spread rumors, be better listeners and friends, and not to be jealous.

SAVE THE DATES - MUSIC PROGRAMS COMING UP

Upcoming Music Programs:   


"Spotlight on Music"  

April 21: Hobbs, Andrus, Eikelman, Hinson - 6:30 p.m.

Ewert, Weis, Wiltse, Schweikert - 7:30 p.m. 


April 22: 4th grade classes   

 Baird, Carter, Palmer, Hay - 6:30 p.m.  

Whitson, May, Ramey, Runck - 7:30 p.m.    

 

MSHS Auditorium

 

Parents - mark your calendars to watch your child share through song, dance & instrumental pieces what they have worked on this school year using our new series, "Spotlight on Music".   

 

Your child will need to wear black and white the night of their performance to go along with the black and white derby hats that I purchased through PTO funds.  Any combination or single color will work fine.

 

Plan to have your child at Maize South High School 15 minutes before his/her performance time.

 

Digital Images will be taping the performances and should be able to get all 4 shows on a single DVD.  More information later.  Questions? Feel free to contact me at [email protected]

                                               

"Get On Board"  

Kindergarten classes   

May 12:  Brownlee a.m. - 11:00 a.m.   

  Brownlee p.m. & Paul - 2:45 p.m. 

May 13: Darbonne & Shively - 2:45 p.m.

PWS Band Room

   

More information will be sent later.   

KINDERGARTEN PRE-ENROLLMENT 2014-15

Kindergarten pre-enrollment will be held on Thursday, April 10th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at PWS cafeteria.  You should have received a postcard about this.  If you have any questions, call the PWS office 721-0902.

LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found is overflowing.  Is your child missing a jacket, coat, gloves, or glasses? It might be in the PWS lost and found.  Please have your child check the lost and found located by the cafeteria.  Lost glasses are kept in the office.  All articles will be donated to a non-profit organization at the end of the year.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS
PARENTS- FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR STUDENT

1.  If you have changes in your child's regular transportation arrangements, you MUST either send a note to the child's teacher or call the office by 3:15 p.m. (M,T, Th, F) and by 2:30 p.m. (W).  If the office is not notified by these times, your child will be expected to follow normal procedure home.  It is very difficult to get a child off or on the bus at the last minute.

2.  North Door Reminders: 

If you drop off or pick up your child at school at the north door, please pull forward as much as possible.  Pulling forward will save time and gas as more students will be able to load or unload at the same time.

 

3.  Students may not enter the building until 8:15 when we have staff available for supervision in the cafeteria. 

EMERGENCY ALERTS AND NOTIFICATIONS
In the event of an emergency in your child's school, the Blackboard emergency Connect parent notification system will be used to notify you of the situation and will alert you to 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 Information."  If you are unsure how to log on to Skyward Family Access, please contact your child's school for assistance.
TEACHER OF THE WEEK

Brian Johnson was named Lite99.7 FM's teacher of the week.  He received a gift card to Bonefish Grill, a fruit basket, a gift certificate to a salon, and a free frosty for each of his students from Wendy's. Congrats, Brian! 

PWS PTO NEWS

The PWS PTO has provided $50 for each licensed staff member to purchase materials to use with students in the classroom. In addition, each licensed staff member can apply for a $50 PTO Mini Grant.

Our teachers are putting this money to great use for our students. The PWS staff truly appreciates the support of our parents. By buying Entertainment Books and T-Shirts, you are providing funds that make PWS a great place to learn.

Here are some more items that been purchased:

 

$50 per teacher 

Hinson
2nd grade
art materials
Palmer
4th grade
classroom books
Hunsaker
5th grade
classroom books
LaMunyon
Reading
reading games
Knapp
Math
math games
Connell
Library
IPad cases
Buchanan
PE
exercise flashcards
Emery
Music
hats for program

Mini-Grants
 
Knapp
Math
math is fun supplies

 

A NOTE FROM THE NURSE...by Darlene Henderson

5th grade students will need to have 2 varicella immunizations for 6th grade.  This is a new requirement for next year.  Many students already have the 2 varicella shots done.   If your student needs a second shot, you will be receiving a letter from the nurse letting you know.  

LIBRARY NEWS... by Sheryl Connell

We culminated our Read Across America SRC contest by celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 3. The winning classes who received cake, ice cream and a visit from the "Cat in the Hat" were Mrs. Hinson's class (second grade), Mrs. Ewert's  class (third grade), Mrs. Carter's class (fourth grade) and Ms. Hunsaker's class (fifth grade). Thank you to MEA-Maize Education Association for sponsoring this; and congratulations to all the Pray-Woodman students for being such great readers!

 

Library classes continued celebrating Dr. Seuss throughout the week, reading many of his books, discussing important lessons to be learned from his stories, and voting on our favorite Dr. Seuss book. Students were introduced to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and how to convert spreadsheets to charts and graphs as we voted on each of the books written by Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham was the winner for the entire school with The Lorax coming in second.

 

As the weather warms up, we will be exchanging a plant (flower or vegetable) for each 25 boxtops or Tyson labels brought to the  library. In preparation for Earth Day, we will be learning and relearning the importance of the interconnected relationship between plants, animals, and people on our one planet. Our library also greatly appreciates the money made from this project to purchase SRC prizes and books.

 

Battle of the Books teams have now been designated and will continue practicing until our competition in May. If your child is participating in this, please urge them to continue reading to make Battle of the Books sure they have 12 of the books and SRC tests taken by April 30. It's a fun event which encourages reading new and different books as well as an opportunity for some fascinating book discussions. I enjoy the practices with the teams almost as much as the final contests.

 

ONLINE BULLETIN BOARD
reminder   Click here for 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.  

STUDENT OF THE MONTH AWARDS 

FEBRUARY
Kindergarten:
Lillian & Zander, Brooklyn & Bronson (Brownlee)
Brendan & Maddie (Darbonne)
Lilly & Nathan (Paul)
Michael & Savannah (Shively)

2nd Grade:
Laci & Xavier (Andrus)
Hung & Cameron (Eikelman)
Madison & Riley (Hinson)
Isaac & Kaylee (Hobbs)

3rd Grade:
Jacob & Nayeli (Ewert)
Tyler & Briley (Schweikert) 
Paige & Hunter (Wiltse)

4th Grade:
Lakin & Weston (Baird)
Nicole & Gavin (Carter)
Kaden & Toria (Hay)
Isaac & Addison (May)
Rylee & Aiden (Palmer)
Ryan & Marissa (Ramey)
Caitlyn & Chaz (Runck)
Ceianna & Jordan (Whitson)

5th Grade:
Jaxson & Brooke (Christian)
Tyler & Bella (Hunsaker)
Trenton & Jasmine (Morrow)
Gabe & Mikiahla (Pfaff)
Madison & Kaden (Scribner)
Cassie & Blake (Tice)
Olivia & Shawn (Wiechman)

MARCH - COOPERATION
Working together to complete a goal...
looking for ways to help...
sometimes staying out of the way.

APRIL - ACCEPTANCE
Appreciating differences in others...listening to and respecting a different point of view...looking past outer appearance...
enjoying what others have to offer.