MAIZE unified school district 266
CONNECTING.
LEARNING.
LEADING.


October 2020
Principal's Message
Dear Parent(s) and Guardian(s): 

Navigating new school experiences that this pandemic has required has certainly made things interesting. As with life, finding the silver linings is a prerequisite for success. Smaller class sizes, individual attention, and quieter lunchrooms are just a few of the welcomed changes. It also has highlighted the tremendous importance of a teacher; something that cannot be replaced by a computer! We are so thankful for the hard work of our teachers and their love for our students.

As a reminder, we are no longer required to track Student Learning Logs. Therefore, students are not charged with documenting 380 minutes of learning for each day that they are a remote learner. With that, teachers continue to calibrate necessary remote learning that connects with the learning that takes place in the classroom. On average, remote learners should experience about 3-4 hours of learning on those days. This time will vary per child. If you have concerns or need support, please contact your child’s teacher. Remember to establish schedules/routines. Encourage your son/daughter to utilize their support network (friends) if they need help. Teachers are working diligently to provide clear and concise instruction during these remote learning days.

It is important to remember that struggle is a part of life. One of our character traits is Grit; my favorite! We want all of our children to succeed and shine; however, as adults we know that experiencing adversity is what builds character and prepares us for life. As educators, we are here to foster a learning environment that supports students as they experience the peaks and valleys of life.

We desire to assist parents/guardians with any of our learning platforms (Google Classroom, Remote learning expectations, Curriculum, My Homework digital agenda, or Skyward). Please be prepared to schedule a time to meet with your child’s EnCor teacher. You may also choose to contact the school if you have questions about any of these items.

Thanks for your continued support of your child and MSMS!
Cort Haynes 
Principal


Follow MSMS updates by checking the following sites:

MSMS Website - https://www.usd266.com/msms
           
MSMS rSchool Calendar - MSMS RSCHOOL Calendar
 
MSMS Facebook - MSMS Facebook
 
MSMS Twitter - MSMS Twitter 

MSMS Instagram - msms_mavnews
Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences

Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Wednesday, October 14th from 7:10 am to 2:50 pm. No in-person conferences will take place this fall. In order to accommodate all families, conference options will take place with EnCor teachers. EnCor teachers have access to grades, attendance, and will be able to share important reminders that are critical for your child’s success. Our EnCor teachers also conduct Meaningful Contacts with their students every day at 2:10 pm. Please look for more information from your child’s EnCor teacher next week. We hope you will take a few minutes to visit with us. If you prefer to reach out to your child’s classroom teachers, we encourage you to do so at any time. We value your time and partnership towards providing the best education for all of our students.
Important Info for this Year

We encourage all students to bring a water bottle as the water fountains will be turned off. Refillable filtered water stations will be available to all students. All bottles must have a lid.

Since we will not assign lockers this year, students will carry backpacks to each class. Students who bring a lunch to school may carry it with them or place it in a cubby in our cafeteria.

We will restrict visitor access to our building as much as possible as a health precaution. We will not be able to accept food deliveries to the school like we have in the past. Please try to limit dropping off items that have been forgotten. If you do need to drop off an item, we have set up a table in the entryway to the office. Please put your students name on the item and leave it on the table, we will call your student down to pick up the item. 

Any non-district employee who enters our building must have their temperature checked and complete a health assessment prior to leaving the office area.
Nurse's Corner

Welcome back Mavericks! We are so excited to be back at school even though things may look and function a little differently.
Students have been doing a great job of wearing their masks and social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19! But, it is also important to be reviewing the Student Self-Assessment before they come to school each day.
Please ask the following questions: 
Has your student been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
Does your student have cold/ flu-like symptoms? (nasal drainage, sore throat, persistent cough, difficulty breathing, headache, chills, loss of taste/smell, significant muscle pain/aches, diarrhea)
Does your student have a fever or have they had a fever within the last 24 hours? 
Is your student being tested for COVID-19 or awaiting test results? 
Has your student traveled to any of the high risk areas in which quarantine is warranted upon returning home? 
If you answer “yes” to any of these above questions you should keep your student home and inform the school. You may call the main office at 316-722-0421 or the School Nurse’s office at 316-350-2508. If you are unsure of what needs to be done please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your patience and understanding in helping keep our students and staff safe and healthy! 

Have a great school year!

Robyn Friederich, RN
Maize South Middle School Nurse
 
Cross Country

THANK YOU to all Fox Ridge Residents!
We are so excited to have 46 students on our MSMS Cross Country team this school year.
They are a great group of students and athletes and we love working with them!
Coach Ruzich, Moran and Kerr are always out with the team as they run...either running with
them or biking along side or at the rear.
We just want to say THANK YOU to all you entering and exiting the neighborhood at Tyler.
We appreciate you watching out for our runners and your patience as we ask you to stop and
let them cross in front of you! We are working hard to teach them how to make eye contact and
permission to cross the entrance. 
For those of you driving along Silver Fox Rd watch out for those blinking lights letting you know
some of these runners are crossing the street. We practice from after school until 3:45pm and 
they often run across Silver Fox using the lights. 
Thank you for helping us KEEP THEM SAFE!!!
Anti-Bullying Awareness Week
 
By joint resolution, the Kansas State Senate and the Kansas State Board of Education, have declared the first full week in October as “Anti-Bullying Awareness Week.”  This year the theme is "Choose Peace." Students will wear blue Monday, October 5th and Tuesday, October 6th to kick off the week. 
TALK IT OUT! ONEMA1ZE CARE TEAM

Feeling like you could use some extra support? USD 266 and COMCARE are partnering to bring students additional resources at school (including therapy). For additional information about the OneMa1ze Care Team and your eligibility for these supports, email your schools behavioral health liaison..Jeris Broadbent (MSMS/MSHS), [email protected].
To Go Meals for Remote Learning Days

Maize USD 266 is offering hybrid students To Go Meals for remote-learning days at no charge.

School meals are available for student pickup in the cafeteria immediately following end-of-day dismissal. Meals are intended to be taken home, refrigerated, and consumed on the day(s) the student is learning from home. The menu for these meals can be found online or in the Nutrislice app.

Mondays/Tuesdays - pickup meals will contain 2 breakfast meals & 2 lunch meals
Thursdays/Fridays - pickup meals will contain 1 breakfast meal & 1 lunch meal

Students may opt in or out at any time; however an RSVP is highly encouraged to help determine how many To Go Meals to prepare. RSVP for October To Go Meals now.  

We look forward to serving your student!
Help With Supplies

With increased cleaning after each class period, the teachers are going through way more Chlorox wipes than normal. They also didn't require the supplies at the beginning of the year for homeroom teachers, so they are very low on Kleenex already. If you can help with either of these supplies please click here.
Girls Basketball Tryouts

7th and 8th grade girls basketball tryouts are October 19th after school in the main gym. Make sure your daughter has a physical and has filled out the participation packet on skyward.  
PTO Masks and Lanyards

PTO has White Maverick Masks and Black Maverick Lanyards for sale in the office. The Lanyards are $5.oo and the masks are $8.00.
Just come see one of the ladies in the office to make a purchase!
Student Fall Pictures
Inter-State will be taking student pictures of all students last names A-K on Monday, October 26th and all students ewlast names L-Z on Tuesday, October 27th. Our full remote students will have an opportunity to have their pictures taken during retakes, date TBA.
MSMS PTO

MSMS PTO
We have already been busy!! We won’t let the new changes Covid presents slow us down from making this school year fantastic! We partnered with the school and had a fabulous sign made for the chain link fence around the football field and you can check it out now! We have brought treats for the teachers and students to help keep them motivated! We are preparing for bus driver appreciation day and also teacher conferences.

We are planning a fun “Gameday” at the last football game of the season. It is on Thursday, October 15th at the Maize South High School Football field. We have Gameday shirts for purchase in our online store, www.msmspto.com. We will be doing a 50/50 raffle and will have lots of new apparel items to purchase. Come out and cheer on our Mavs as they finish up their season.

We can’t do our traditional fundraisers like in the past, so be looking for several new Mav items. We are having porch signs made, blankets, bags, among other things. We still have some license plate flower yard signs available in our online store.
We have a spirit night at the new Barn’rds on North Maize Road on October 26th. Come try them out and support the PTO at the same time!

You can also support the PTO by shopping at Dillon’s and linking your Plus Card to our PTO. Here’s how: go to Dillons.com/communityrewards, find your location and click enroll now, find our organization Maize South Middle School PTO #79456, click save. Every purchase you make at Dillon’s helps support the MSMS PTO.
We want to connect with you. Like us on Facebook at Maize South Middle School PTO or check out our website at www.msmspto.com. You can also get in touch with us at [email protected].

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 13th at 6:30pm in the library. Bring your mask and come through the exterior door. Anyone is welcome to join us!! We have a few positions available if you are interested in serving on the board!


We have an opportunity on our Facebook page to help our staff with their wish lists for the school year. Look for the welcome back post to see how you can help these teachers out!
MSMS Traffic Map & Information

"Crosswalks: If your child walks or rides a bicycle to school, we ask that they utilize the designated crosswalk areas which are outfitted with flashing lights. Dark mornings and high volume traffic create visibility issues. Walkers/Riders must ensure that the lights are flashing before crossing the street. Thank you for addressing this with your student."  
Dillon's Community Rewards  
 
We're giving away $2 MILLION to local organizations!
Where Shopping and Giving Come Together!
Use your Plus Shopper's Card & help us grow!
Supporting our organization has never been easier-just shop at Dillons and scan your Plus Shopper's Card! 
 
Here's how to enroll:
 
2. Scroll down to find your location and click "Enroll Now"
3. Sign in to your online account, or create an account
4. Find and select our organization, and click "Save"
 
You'll start earning rewards for our organization right away on qualifying purchases made using your Plus Shopper's Card!
Everyone must enroll in the Reward Program. This is necessary in order for purchases throughout 2019 to credit Maize South Middle School. Sign-in and make your contribution selection using this new 5-digit NPO number, CR632.
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. Academy, Maize, KS 67101 on or before September 20, 2016.
  
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.
Important Reminders

  • 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 semester, 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!
Important Dates

Parent-Teacher Conferences October 14th (Virtual)

Fall Break November 25th-27th

Winter Break December 23rd-31st


2020-21 MSMS Administration

Principal

 Assistant Principal A-K

Assistant Principal / Athletic Director L-Z

If you would like to speak to an administrator during the school day, you may call 316-722-0421.

2020-21 MSMS Office Staff
 
Shareen Hainke
Accounting Secretary

Sherri Wright
Attendance Secretary 
2020-21 MSMS Counseling
Department

Steffanie Moore 
A-K Counselor

Amy Beckmann
L-Z Counselor

Diane Hewlett
Registrar

If you would like to speak to a counselor during the school day, you may call 316-722-0421.

2020-21 MSMS AthleticDept.

MSMS Athletic/Activities Director

Sara McAsey
MSMS Athletic/Activities Secretary
Maize South Middle School

(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
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 [email protected].
 
Sincerely,
Maize South Middle School
Maize South Middle School
.
ONEMA1ZE  #OneMa1ze