Maize Intermediate School

Hello Eagles!

I hope you all are having a GREAT Friday! It is kind of crazy to say, but here we are at the end of the second full week of the school year. Your 5th and 6th Graders have been ROCKSTARS as they have gotten back into the swing of a new school year.

They have done a great job following our building-wide behavior expectations, being engaged at a high level in the classroom, building and growing new friendships, and showing up every morning with a positive attitude.

Your students have been exposed to new classes and learning opportunities with Orchestra, Band, EAGLES Ignite Clubs, STEAM, and WINN TIME and are ready to take off. Based on these first two and a half weeks of school, I have a feeling we are going to have a great year at MIS!

Please see below for important information and notes:

WINN (What I Need Now) Time: Walk-To-MTSS Model

With it being the beginning of the year, I wanted to provide some clarity on certain parts of our schedule and what happens during that time of day. I am sure most of you have read through your child’s daily schedule and have wondered what WINN Time is?

WINN (What I Need Now) Time is our Multi-Tier System of Support structure at MIS. This is a 40-minute time in your student’s day, where they are grouped in small groups with their Hallway Team classmates in groups of similar skill/ability. We then deliver targeted, leveled instruction to help support their academic needs.

This has proven to be one of the most beneficial structures and practices we have at MIS. We believe that during this time of day, students are getting exactly what they need at their given learning level.

• English Language Arts WINN → Monday & Thursday
  
  

• Math WINN → Tuesday & Friday
  
  

• No WINN Time → Wednesday (Early Release Schedule)
  
  

EAGLES Ignite Clubs

At MIS we have interest-based Club opportunities for our students on Wednesdays. This past week, students were given the option to choose from 10–15 different Clubs to be a part of, based on their interests. Your students actually had their first day of EAGLES Ignite Clubs this week on Wednesday.

Our staff provides an incredibly wide variety of Clubs for our 5th and 6th Graders—everything from 3D Printer Club, LEGO Club, Card Games, Learn How to Draw, Soccer, and Team Sports to clubs like Disney Movie Character Analysis, 3D Printing, Non-Motorized Woodworking Tools, Video Design & Broadcasting, and many more incredible opportunities for your students.

These interest-based clubs are grade-based, so 5th Graders and 6th Graders meet at separate times. These Clubs require a lot of time and effort from our staff, we may ask for monetary and/or tangible donations this school year to help support our students and staff.

We have found that these Clubs also help our students connect with others who share similar interests! Over the long weekend, ask your student what Club they joined—we are excited for all the learning opportunities and friendships these Clubs will create!

Morning Parent Drop Off

7:20am – 7:45am

A reminder that if you are dropping your student off in the morning, you must use the Parent Drop Off/Pick Up line on the backside (west side) of our building. For the safety of our students, please make sure you are utilizing our Unloading/Loading Zone (denoted by the signage and area between the two custodial staff members). When students get dropped off or picked up outside of the Unloading/Loading Zone it causes safety and other challenges for our students and staff. Thank you for making the safety of our students and staff a top priority!

The front drive near the Main Entrance is reserved for bus drop off only in the morning. The building will remain closed until 7:20am.

Thank you for helping us keep morning arrival safe and efficient!

Warmer Weather and Dress Code

As the warm weather continues, please make sure that your students are wearing appropriate clothing to school. We’ve noticed an increase in shorts that are too short, crop tops that reveal too much midriff, and pants with large rips exposing too much skin.

If your child’s clothing violates our Dress Code, they will be called to the Front Office and asked to change.

Administrative Excused Absence Forms

If you are aware of upcoming absences for your student that will last 2 or more school days (vacation, medical reasons, family crisis, etc.), please call our Front Office and request an Administrative Excused Absence Form.

This allows us to formally excuse the absences if notified in advance.

Kevin Roulhac, Principal

Maize Intermediate is located at 12100 W. 45th St N, Maize KS 67101

Connect with Mr. Roulhac at kroulhac@usd266.com or call 316-462-8201.

Visit our website at www.usd266.com/mis.

September 7- Labor Day No School

October 7- Fall Picture Retake

October 15- No School: Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 16-No School

November 2- No School: Professional Development

November 5th- Gragson's 6th Grade Concert @MPAAC

November 23-27- Fall Break

December 10- Orchestra Concert

December 21- Maize Intermediate Concert at Maize High School

December 23-31- Winter Break

January 1-5- Winter Break

January 18- No School: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 2- Wangberg''s 5th Grade Concert @ MPAAC

February 4-Matteson's Music Concert @ MPAAC

February 18- No School: Parent Teacher Conferences

February 19- No School

March 3- Spring Pictures

March 8- 6th Grade Band Concert

March 15-19- Spring Break

April 19- No School: Professional Development

May 18- 5th and 6th Grade Band Concert

May 20- Last Day, Half Day

September Counselor’s Corner

Ms. Miranda Montano (last names A-G); mdmontano@usd266.com

Ms. Amanda Corning (last names H-N); acorning@usd266.com

Ms. Judy Brown (last names O-Z); jmbrown@usd266.com

What’s new? Counselor Small groups will begin in the 2nd quarter! If your child may be interested in an Art & Anxiety Group, a Healthy Friendships Group, or Other, please fill out the link below. Teachers will also get a form to be able to recommend students. We will always send home a permission slip of consent, if considered.

(Parent Referral Small Group Form Link)

Counselor Lessons

Last month we met with your students as hallway teams to share with them a little about us, how to send in a student referral, and give them access to our Counselor Google Classroom (have your student show you)!

Coming up… This month’s lessons will be our chance to get to know your students better in a smaller setting, help them build connections with their classmates, as well as teach them how we can support them while they’re here at MIS!

Attendance Matters! Did you know?

• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation

• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of the three signs that a student may drop out of high school.

• By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.

What can you do?

Make school a priority.

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.

• Help maintain routines, such as finishing homework, and getting a good night’s sleep.

• If your student must stay at home because they are sick, make sure to have your student ask teachers for the missed work. This could be as easy as sending the teachers an email.

Help your student stay engaged.

• Make sure your student is not missing because of challenges at school such as: a class is hard, or problems with friendships. If any of these are problems, contact your student’s teacher or counselor to help find a solution.

• Notice and support your student if they are showing signs of anxiety.

Communicate with the school.

Kansas Law requires the school district to report truancy after unexcused absences accumulate: 3 in a row, 5 in a semester, or 7 in a school year.

After 7 absences: professional documentation is required for an absence to be excused, please send a note from a medical provider within 3 days of absence. Thank you!

• Drop off items: Individually wrapped snacks, chocolates, candies, sodas, tea or sparkling waters can be dropped off at the main office.
  
• Cash/Donations: Monetary contributions are always welcome so we can restock fresh treats.
  

OFFICE HOURS: 7:00am - 3:15pm

OFFICE PHONE: (316) 462-8201

Student Absences: If your student is absent please call the school office each day BEFORE 10:00. If you notify the teacher of an absence, you MUST also call the school office. If your child is late, leaves early or is absent all day due to a doctor's appointment, please make sure you bring a doctor's note to the office the next day.

Reminders:

• School begins promptly at 7:45am

• Students are not allowed in the building until 7:20am

After School Transportation:

• If your child has a transportation change during the day and your child is unaware of the change, please call the office.

• Call the school office BEFORE 1:00pm M/T/TH/F

• Call the school office BEFORE 12:00pm Wednesday (Early Release @ 2:15pm)

Battle of the Books

Students will have the opportunity to participate in the Battle of the Books at MIS. This will be introduced to the school starting in September. Students are allowed to create their own teams, but we can also assist in team creation as needed.

The list has 10 books. Students will be required to read 6 of the 10 books by March 1st. This allows students 6 months to read 6 books.

We will have our competitions in March. The winning MIS team will compete against the winning MSIS team in our district competition.

For every book completed, students must complete and turn in a graphic organizer. They are in the library for pick-up.

Beanstack

Our school is so excited to be using Beanstack once again this year. This reading program helps motivate students to read with prizes, reading streaks, top 10 lists, badges, and more! We will have individual rewards, monthly challenges, and whole-school incentives! Minutes can be from physical books, e-books, and audiobooks.

Students can log minutes during school on their assigned chromebook or at home on a parent’s or student’s device with access to apps.

Contact Kim Lehner at klehner@usd266.com with any questions.

Medication Reminder for 2026-2027 School Year

A new medication form needs to be completed each school year. If it is a prescription medication, please have your physician complete the medication form over the summer break.

Immunization Notice for Future 7th Graders

Students that will be in 7th grade next year need a tdap booster and one dose of meningococcal ACWY vaccine. Turn in updated immunization records to the school nurse.

5th Grade:

Zipline Engineering Design Challenge:

We have already had a great start to the school year in 5th grade STEAM!

Our 5th graders tackled their first engineering design challenge of the year: building a zipline carrier! The goal was to safely transport a Lego minifigure passenger from the top to the bottom of the zipline without them falling out—and speed was the main objective!

Students experimented with material properties to find items that created as little friction as possible. I loved hearing all the creative conversations taking place, and I was so impressed by their teamwork—especially their ability to compromise, take turns, and communicate respectfully!

NASA Mission Patches:

This past week, our students explored symbolism by analyzing official NASA space mission patches. They discovered how astronauts use colors, shapes, and images to tell the story of their crew and their mission in space. It was also a fantastic opportunity to connect their learning to NASA's current Artemis missions—which many students remembered following back in April!

Next, students will design their own personal mission patches to represent who they are, what they love, and who they want to be. This will launch us into our upcoming space-themed units!

6th Grade:

Thermal Energy Transfer Solar Ovens

6th Grade STEAM has already kicked into high gear this school year!

Our 6th graders hit the ground running in their first few weeks, sharpening their observation and inferencing skills to get those inquisitive minds buzzing! We focused on collaboration and rich discussions to set the stage for an exciting year ahead.

Now we're diving into Thermal Energy Transfer with our first engineering design challenge—Solar Ovens! Students are hard at work planning their designs to meet specific criteria that will capture and trap thermal energy to melt a delicious s'more they'll enjoy as their sweet reward. Watching them combine their creative thinking and problem-solving talents as they prepare for build day has been absolutely fascinating, and I can't wait to share their designs in action!

A huge thank you to all the families who signed up and donated items for our solar oven experience! We'll be cooking mid-September, so keep an eye out for pictures of their progress, testing, and—of course—tasting their hard-working success!

Creative Collaboration

Our 6th graders are working on something special! Each student will design up to two large popsicle sticks using their own choice of colors, shapes, patterns, and personal touches.

The best part? All of these individual creations will be connected together to form 1-2 beautiful collaborative art displays that represent our entire 6th grade family of 350+ students! It's a wonderful way to celebrate each student's unique creativity while showing how amazing we are when we work together.

Stay tuned, we can't wait to share the final masterpiece!

We care about our students and we want them to be successful!

After 7 absences professional documentation is required for an absence to be excused

Send a note from a medical provider within 3-days of absence.

Kansas Law

Requires the school district to report truancy after unexcused absences accumulate: 3 in a row, 5 in a semester or 7 in a school year.

If you know of an extended absence ahead of time you will need to fill out the Administrative Excusal form prior to the absence.

For more information on truancy, please refer to the: Compulsory Attendance Law (K.S.A. 72-3120)

🌯 DOGOOD WITH CHIPOTLE! 🌯❤️

Maize Intermediate School families, mark your calendars and make dinner easy while supporting our school! Join us for a Chipotle Fundraiser on Wednesday, September 23rd from 4–8 PM!

✨ 25% of event sales will be donated to Maize Intermediate School!

📍 Chipotle
2241 N. Maize Rd., Suite 111
Wichita, KS 67205

💻 Ordering online? Use code DRRV9NT for pickup orders, or simply show this flyer in the restaurant!

Grab your family, invite your friends, and let’s turn dinner into a delicious way to support our Eagles! 🦅🌯❤️