| Maize South Middle School |
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(316) 722-0421
fax (316) 722-4077
3403 N. Tyler Rd.
Wichita, KS 67205
Office Hours:
6:30am-3:30pm
School Hours:
7:30-2:35 M,T,Th,F
7:30-2:00 Wednesday
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| 2016-17 MSMS Administration |
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If you would like to speak to an administrator during the school day, you may call 316-722-0421.
2016-17 MSMS Office Staff Shareen Hainke Accounting Secretary Sherri Wright Attendance Secretary |
| 2016-17 MSMS Counseling Department |
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Steffanie Moore,
A-L Counselor
John Suchan,
M-Z Counselor
Diane Hewlett,
Registrar
If you would like to speak to a counselor during the school day, you may call 316-722-0421.
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| 2016-17 MSMS Athletic Department |
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Craig Ryan,
MSMS Athletic/Activities Director
Tamy Pollman,
MSMS Athletic/Activities Secretary
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October 14-
No School, Prof Dev Day
November 23-25-
No School, Thanksgiving Break
December 19-30-
No School, Winter Break
January 3-
School Resumes
January 16-
No School
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MSMS Parent Newsletter
October 2016 |
Principal's Corner
Dear Parent(s) and Guardian(s):
It is amazing that our fall Parent/Teacher Conferences have come and gone this year and the first nine weeks of school is almost over. We truly appreciate all of the parents and families who took the time to attend Parent/Teacher Conferences and to visit with our staff. Communication between home and school is important for the success of our students. When parents and teachers communicate, students are more likely to improve their academic achievement and/or behavior. Please be sure to contact our staff if you have any questions and/or concerns for your child throughout the school year.
Parents can also help their child succeed outside of the school setting by talking to their children every night. At MSMS, we strongly encourage the use of your child's agenda book. This is a great communication tool for parents to find out what your child is doing in school on a daily basis. Please be sure to ask your child to show you his/her agenda book and discuss the different things they did in his/her classes. Middle school students need our help in "teaching" them how to use their agenda books. They should write down assignments and keep track of due dates. Organization is a life skill and we can work together to help our students learn this skill. Our teachers will continue to stress the importance of filling out agendas in order to be a successful student. Thank you for taking the time to review these with your child every night at home.
As you know, we have recently given the new ACT Aspire Test to students. This assessment was given to all students in the areas of Reading/Literature, English/Composition, Math, and Science. All students completed these assessments prior to Parent/Teacher Conferences. Our staff will use the data from the ACT Aspire Tests to drive classroom instruction, provide needed interventions for students, and determine valuable insights about individual student performance. The ACT Aspire is intended to be given a minimum of twice each year: once in the Fall as a pre-assessment and a second time in the Spring as a summative assessment. These tests will help our staff to better determine student growth measures, from the beginning of the year to the end of the school year. Once all ACT Aspire Tests have been completed, we will provide students and parents with the results of the test, as well as explain what these results indicate. We hope all assessments will be completed, including make-up tests, in the next few weeks.
Gillian Gaskill Macias
Maize South Middle School
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'Gold Card' Initiative
"We are what we repeatedly do; Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
We are excited to announce a new character education initiative here at MSMS. It is available to all 7th and 8th grade students who wish to apply. Applications may be picked up in the front office at any time. They are due back to the office by the end of each term. New members will be announced at the beginning of each new term.
Gold Card members at MSMS are an elite group of students who have applied and been confirmed by MSMS staff members. These students consistently exhibit good citizenship, excellent behavior, consistent attendance, a positive attitude, and perform well academically to the best of their ability. Gold Card students enjoy homework passes, cell phone privileges, food parties, and other activities.
Teachers are looking for students who display ALL six Maize Way Character Traits, in and out of the classroom. Students should work well with others in a spirit of Community; show Respect for all; demonstrate Responsibility; show Grit when times are tough; have Optimism when things are challenging; and most importantly exhibit Integrity in all actions. These six traits set Gold Card students apart.
Students will lose Gold Card status for bullying, any major misconduct, receiving 2 detentions at any point during the school year, receiving a D or an F on any Term (9 weeks) report card, or appearing on the weekly F list more than one time. Once a Gold Card has been issued, it is active until the student completes middle school. A Gold Card can be revoked for any reason deemed necessary by administration.
This is an elite group. Membership requires a steadfast commitment to being and giving your very best, everyday. NO EXCUSES!
*Three community service hours are required (must have been completed within one calendar year of the current date). Students should check with Mr. Haynes regarding any question they may have about satisfying these hours.
Nurse's Corner
Medication Policy
Sometimes students need medication at school. Please remember that all medications must be dispensed thru the nurse's office. All you need to do is fill out the district medication form available on MSMS website Nurses Corner. As a reminder, prescription meds also need to have a doctor's order. For complete policy see the Nurses Corner on our MSMS website.
Get Your Flu Shot Now
Children are sometimes kept home from school for reasons other than illness. Unnecessary absence from school may have a bad effect on a student's attitude, work habits, and progress.
Sometimes it is tough to distinguish between a cold and the flu. Here are a few characteristics of each illness to resolve some of the mysteries:
-Symptoms for a cold: stuffy nose, sore throat and cough, complications: sinus congestion
-Symptoms for the flu: fever, headache, stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, complications: bronchitis, pneumonia and earache.
Preventing The Spread Of The Infection At School
* Wash Your Hands Often!!! Wash your hands after coughing, blowing your nose or sneezing, after using the toilet, before eating, after touching or caring for animals, and before and after caring for a sick or injured person
* Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth to avoid transferring germs from your hands to the inside of your body
* Keep cuts and skin sores covered with a bandage
* Cover your sneezes and coughs with a tissue. Cough into your sleeve when a tissue is not available
* Never share drinks, water bottles, or eating utensils with other people
* Stay home from work or school and contact a doctor for advice when you have these symptoms of infection: Fever, cough, sore throat, headache, chills, muscle aches, stomachache, persistent vomiting and/or diarrhea
Remember: Sick children belong at home-Well children belong in school!
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Important Reminders
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- Remember to furnish the office with a copy of any legal documentation in regard to custody issues.
- If your student is going to be tardy to school, they are allowed three parent excused tardies per quarter, not including medical excuses with notes. Please call the school if your student is going to be late for any reason.
- KS State Law requires notes for medical absences. Please be sure to provide a doctor's note to the front office when your child has seen the doctor, dentist, etc.
- If you need to pick up your child from school during school hours, please remember that we cannot pull your student out of class until you have come into the office to sign them out.
- Just a reminder that the school district does not provide any type of health or accident insurance for injuries incurred by your child at school. The school district makes insurance available to those who wish to purchase it on a voluntary basis. Forms may be obtained in each school office.
- Please check your student's lunch account balance in Skyward Family Access regularly to be sure they have enough money for breakfast and/or lunch.
Thanks for your help!
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Harlem Ambassadors
On September 13th our MSMS students enjoyed a "Stay in school, stay off drugs, don't be a bully" school assembly put on by the Harlem Ambassadors. This group encourages students to focus on their education, set goals, be good listeners, avoid negative influences and peer pressure, and to not be a bully. For more information about this group please visit
www.harlemambassadors.com.
8th Grade Volleyball
Congratulations to the 8th grade girls volleyball team. The "A" squad is undefeated and ranked first in their end of the season tournament. The "B" squad has had an outstanding season as well, taking first place in their tournament! Great job ladies!
Basketball Try-outs
There will be a meeting for any student interested in trying out for basketball October 18th during EnCor. The Parent Meeting will be held October 20th from 5:30 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. in the main gym.
- 8th grade boys will tryout October 24th through the 28th from 2:50 P.M. until 6:00 P.M.
- 7th boys will tryout October the 31st through November 4th from 2:50 P.M. until 6:00 P.M.
- 7th and 8th grade girls will tryout October the 31st through November 4th from 2:50 P.M. until 5:30P.M.
(Your Child must have a physical turned in to the main office and a sports packet filled out in skyward to participate in tryouts.)
Scholars Bowl
CONGRATULATIONS
to the following students for making this year's Scholars Bowl team!
Carter B. Zoe H.
Logan D. Victor N.
Kenzie L. Ben S.
Noah R. Cole S.
Andrew S. Mitch W.
Practices will be held during the months of October and November from 2:45-3:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Ms. Mark's room. Information regarding meets is located on the website (mavsbowl.weebly.com).
SeeSaw Access in Physical Education
To ALL 6th Grade Parents:
SeeSaw access is now available for viewing your child's digital portfolio. Log into your Skyward Family Access Account, click on Unread Messages to view directions on how to log in. Seesaw gives your child creative tools to capture and reflect on their learning - in real time. Then this work is shared with you. Seesaw will give you a window into each of our classrooms and into your student's learning process. We will use Seesaw to reflect and grow in areas of motor skills and self-reflection. You can download Seesaw's Parent App for iOS, Android, or use the web to view your student's learning artifacts. When your child adds new work, you will receive a notification to see, hear, and respond to your child's learning item. You only have access to your own child's work and all of the content is stored securely. Please contact
Brandon Wolff with any questions about Seesaw. With your help, we can continue building our school community of lifelong learners.
World Languages Trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica
Nicaragua and Costa Rica will be the next World Languages trip which will be during the 2017 Spring Break. We are going to visit two beautiful and peaceful places full of adventure especially for Middle School students.
We are going to visit colonial sites in Nicaragua, a wonderful lake, and we will study about the Masaya indigenous. After this visit we will go to Costa Rica to experience the "Eco-tourism" We will do zip lines, kayaking, visiting volcanoes, water falls, ocean etc.
The trip is open for parents, siblings and families. This is the best trip for our students and at the same time this is the best deal of all our trips.
Alejandra Prendes
World Languages Teacher
8th Grade Celebration Committee
As you may know, our 8th grade parents host a celebration for our 8th grade students each year on the last day of school. This year, that celebration will be held on Thursday, May 18, 2016.
If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please contact Heather Sinko, 8th
grade parent who will lead our 8th
grade celebration this year, at
maizesouthmspto@gmail.com.
Maize South Maverick Patches
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Voting is one of the most effective and simplest ways supporters of Maize Schools and Kansas public education can support students.
Kansas voters can influence the future funding of our schools and the future of Kansas public education.
For those interested in voting in the Nov. 8 General Election, please follow these steps.
This week:
Request an early voting mail ballot, which allows you to vote from home at a time convenient for you. Click here to apply . Complete the form (be sure to fill in "General Nov. 8" on Section 5 of the form), and you'll be set to make your vote count in November.
Before you vote:
Find out who will be on the ballots -- and learn their positions on the issues that are important to you. Review voting records, campaign literature, websites, and personal conversations or e-mails to decide which candidates best match your views.
On or before Nov. 8:
Vote! In-person advance early voting begins Oct. 26.
Thank you for your civic contribution, which allows Kansas to maintain strong public school districts, including Maize USD 266.
Volunteers
Maize USD 266 is extremely thankful for the many volunteers who selflessly give of their time in our classrooms. Our schools are stronger thanks to the help and support of our community members, and our students benefit from this relationship.
Safety is a top priority for the district, which since 2008 has conducted background checks of potential volunteers. This, however, comes at a cost: During the 2015-16 school year alone, Maize USD 266 spent approximately $13,300 on background screenings.
According to Maize Board of Education policy, "volunteers who work in a classroom on a regular basis, supervise students during a field trip when a staff member is not present, or work with students away from the supervision of a classroom teacher are required to have a background check." This extra step helps ensure that we are keeping our students safe.
This year, Maize Schools is asking our volunteers to please consider helping us cover that cost, allowing the district to continue to invest as much of our budget as possible into our teachers and classrooms.
Those interested in becoming elementary school volunteers can visit their school page on our district website and click on the "Volunteer Background Screening" link in the left rail to begin their background check process through the National Screening Bureau. After providing some information, would-be volunteers will be prompted to pay $22 by credit or debit card on a secure system and will receive a receipt via email. (The National Screening Bureau uses a secure server and cutting-edge screening technology in order to protect privacy.)
Maize Schools does not wish to discourage any potential volunteer from getting involved in our classrooms and with our students and will pay for background screenings for anyone who chooses not to pay themselves.
Thanks to all parents and volunteers for continued support of our students and district!
Safety Top Priority
The safety of Maize USD 266 students and employees is a top priority. We do not take any threats lightly, regardless of where or how they originate. 
If you and/or your student ever see a threat posted to social media or elsewhere that makes you question the safety of our schools, please report it immediately. If it is after school hours, please report the threat to police. The Maize Police Department provides school security for USD 266. Please do not leave a message with one of our schools or at Maize City Hall after hours and instead report the perceived threat by calling 911. This will give law enforcement the opportunity to begin an investigation immediately.
Thank you for your diligence and cooperation in providing the safest school environment possible.
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| App for Cyberbullying Prevention ReThink is an innovative, protective and non-intrusive technology that effectively stops hurtful words before the damage is done. Alerts your student to improper words or phrases before they send them, gives them the opportunity to rethink the text before they send it. 
Use of Student Information in Media and District Publications
Information which may be shared with media or used in district publications is limited to: participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, school activities, honors and awards received, grade level and photographs.
Parents/guardians have the right to refuse or permit the designation of any or all of the above information for use in the media or in district publications. Parents/guardians who do not want this information published must file written notification to Lori Buselt, Director of Communications, Maize USD 266, 905 W. Central, Maize, KS 67101 on or before September 20, 2015.
If you do not file a refusal, Maize USD 266 assumes you have no objection to the release of the above information for media or district publication purposes.
Click here
to access the "Do Not Photograph" form.
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MSMS Choirs Travel To OKC
Maize South Middle School 7/8 Grade Choir students traveled to Oklahoma City in September. Students were deeply impacted by touring the museum and singing at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
Another highlight was attending a national tour of the Broadway musical "Newsies" and a Q and A session with cast members.
Pictured below: MSMS choir students at the Reflection Pool honoring those who lost their lives in the bombing.
Let's Move Club
This month we have a lot of different groups. Brain boost is coming up with games for students to play during the day to stay active. The recess group comes up with ideas of new equipment to use and also checks every day to make sure all the equipment is put away. And our school culture group is interviewing teachers and students around the school for ways to have more opportunities to stay active in classes throughout the day. We're working on getting a new logo made this year for the bull rush. In addition, we are still looking for volunteers for the Bull Rush as well as materials that people would like to donate. If you would like to help out with the Let's Move Club or the 2017 Bull Rush please contact Coach Moore or Coach Wolff by calling the school.
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Science Olympiad Try-Outs will be held after school on
Thursday October 13th
from
2:35-3:45pm
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Kay Club
Kay Club information can be reached by clicking here:
http://msmskay.weebly.com/
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Follow MSMS
Follow news on MSMS Twitter
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MSMS PTO
The parent teacher conference meal went extremely well. Barely any leftovers and teachers and staff were so thankful! Thank you to each of you that donated an item, as we could not have done it without you!
We had an apparel table from 6-8 pm on Wednesday and 3-7pm on Thursday. It was a HUGE success. We had about $1100 in sales! We are constantly getting more ideas for next year already in regards to expanding our options. Send us an email if you would like to see something in particular. Look for our apparel table at some of the winter sports coming up!
All Star night got moved to October 14th from 6-9pm. Don't miss out on this event! $15 wristband for 3 hours of unlimited fun on the go-karts, mini golf, bumper boats, rock wall climbing, and laser tag. Just find our table out front!
Our Fall Fundraiser just ended this week and we are in the stages of totalling. Details to come next month on how we did. Thank you to each family that participated! We could not do what we do for our teachers and students at MSMS without this fundraiser earnings.
Interested in joining PTO? Email us or better yet, join us at our next meeting next Tuesday, October 11th at 6:30 pm in library!
Hope to see you there!
To visit our MSMS PTO website please click here.
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Warren Theater Tickets
PTO is currently selling Warren Theater tickets for $8.00 each. You can print an order form on the MSMS website, the tickets can be picked up in our office. We only accept checks, no cash please.
Thank you!
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Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. If you have any questions or feedback, please call us at (316) 722-0421 between 6:30am and 3:30pm or send an email to swright@usd266.com.
Sincerely, 
Maize South Middle School
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