Nov. 18 2022 Maize Pulse

This month, I have reflected on the blessings that I'm counting this season.

First and foremost, I am grateful for our talented and caring students! In the latest Super Note, an email just for students, I expressed that our students continue to surprise and delight with state and national awards, collaboration projects, and real-world learning. Our kids are the best!

Next, I also am grateful for our dedicated employees! I am grateful to work alongside our staff members, leading a district with exceptional talent. Please help me thank them for their dedication, passion, and commitment. It’s something that is apparent on a daily basis, and I know our employees’ professionalism, passion, and commitment to student success is one reason why many of you enrolled your children here at Maize USD 266.

Now, I’d like to thank you, the parents, families, and community members who surround our students, employees, schools, and district with such strong support! When we hosted our Nov. 1 Site Council Kickoff, we had more than 120 people attend who want to work together to make our amazing district even better. Thank you to all who showed up in support of our kids. I am excited to see your strong support through our Building Site Councils, school PTOs, booster clubs, special education advisory council, and Maize Education Foundation, just to name a few. I see so many volunteers engaging with us at school events and cheering on our students in their many academic and extracurricular endeavors here at Maize. Thank you for choosing to help our students be the best they can be while learning and growing with us.

I am grateful for the measures of success we have seen so far! Recently, we identified six district-level barriers that relate to students’ needs. You can read more about them on the district's Needs Assessment webpage. A Teaching and Learning update presented during the Nov. 14 Maize Board of Education meeting included a Needs Assessment Progress Report, and I am happy to say that we are already making positive gains toward our goals! You can click here to see the presentation in full.

I am also grateful for another measure of #266Success: Kansas State Department of Education Kansans Can awards, presented to Maize USD 266 in recognition of exceptional student success:

• Silver Star Award for Postsecondary Effectiveness
• Silver Star Award for Graduation Rate
• Copper Star Award for Academic Preparation
• Copper Star Award for Individual Plan of Study

I am thankful for ongoing improvement; for recognition of the areas in which Maize shines; and for a team of educators, parents, and community members moving the needle forward. I wish you a restful Fall Break with family and friends and lots of blessings of your own to count.

Dr. Raquel Greer

Superintendent of Schools

• On Twitter: @rockigreer
• Email: rgreer@usd266.com
• Online: www.usd266.com/superintendent

November 2022

• Nov. 21-25: No school, Fall Break

December

• Dec. 21: End term two
• Dec. 22-30: No school, Winter Break

January

• Jan. 2-3: No school, Winter Break
• Jan. 4: No school, Teacher Work Day
• Jan. 5: Term three begins
• Jan. 16: No school, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Access the 2022-2023 Maize USD 266 Calendar by clicking here.

With winter around the corner, please keep these reminders in mind:

• Please ensure that you have updated your information for notifications: If you want to receive phone calls and/or text messages from Maize USD 266, please log into Skyward Family Access and click “Skylert” on the left. Skylert enables you to receive notifications concerning your child(ren). Snow day-related notifications and the majority of district-sent parent communications fall into the category of “General.” You can check the boxes under “General” in Skyward to select how you prefer to receive this information. Please also make sure your phone number is accurate. Please click “Save” in the upper-right corner if you make any updates.
• Make sure to opt in to notify your carrier if you want to receive text messages: Those who want to receive the district’s School Messenger text messages also will need to opt in by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to 67587. This informs your mobile carrier that you approve of receiving text messages from School Messenger. Those wishing to opt out can do so by sending “Stop.” Please click here for more information. Text recipients will receive automated district messages from the number 67587.
• In the event of school being dismissed or canceled because of inclement weather: The district will send out notifications via phone call, text (SMS), and email to those who have elected to receive them. Phone notifications will go out as early as 5:30 a.m. on the day of the closure. If a decision is made the night before to call off school, calls and texts will go out no later than 10:30 p.m. District officials will update the district’s website (www.usd266.com), official Twitter account (@maize266), and official Facebook page as soon as the decision is made to call off school. When in doubt, the district encourages parents and employees to verify school closings by consulting multiple official district sources. Please do not rely on only one form of notification, such as a text message, if you are uncertain.

Thank you for your cooperation in preparing for potential inclement weather this winter.

The Maize Board of Education will meet for a workshop at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28 in the classrooms at the Maize Performing Arts and Aquatics Center, 1055 Academy Ave. in Maize. During the workshop, members will provide school board committee updates and discuss strategic planning. Members' next monthly meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12. Meetings are open to the public. Find a link to meeting agendas and minutes, school board member information, and policies at www.usd266.com/schoolboard.

When you consider how much educators give of themselves to make sure students have what they need to learn and grow, it is easy to imagine how little they have left at the end of the day. But many of our district's employees also personally support the Maize Education Foundation's efforts.

Many Maize educators contribute through a payroll donation option. Last school year, Maize USD 266 employees donated more than $12,000 in support of Maize Education Foundation programs throughout the district. That's nearly enough to fund 25 student grants.

Did you know that if 100 people will pledge just $10 a month, we could match that contribution? Who will help us to meet that goal? We CHALLENGE you to visit bit.ly/Donate-MEF and make your pledge today. Thank you for your support of Maize USD 266 students, educators, and schools!

Congratulations to our Maize South High School Mavericks boys soccer team for their perfect 21-0 season and Kansas high school 5A state victory! The Mavericks are the first Wichita-area team to win the Class 5A state championship in 20 years! What an amazing season!

Congratulations to Maize High School sophomore Kinslea Jones, who won the 5A state girls golf title and successfully defended her championship from 2021. She won seven of the nine tournaments she competed in this season and finished with the lowest scoring average across all classifications in the entire state of Kansas.

Maize USD 266's excellent journalism program has many honors to celebrate so far this school year, including the following. Please also click to read about additional journalism honors featured in the Nov. 8 Super Note e-newsletter. Congratulations!

Congratulations to this three-person team, whose members placed third nationally in the NSPA's Broadcast News Story.

Maize South Elementary School teacher Lenora Biggs was presented Nov. 4 with the KAKE Golden Apple Award for her excellent teaching. Congratulations!

Vermillion Elementary School students recently had their first peek into the Maize Career Academy when they opened sheep hearts with health science instructors, used virtual reality to glance inside human hearts, learned about the heart of the community through stories told by Maize Police officers and firefighters, cooked up a heart-healthy snack, and learned to have a heart by writing thank you cards to first responders. Some eager fourth grade students wanted to start taking high school courses the next day.

Inviting Vermillion Elementary School to the Maize Career Academy is part of Maize Career Academy Director of College and Career Readiness Dr. Lindsay King’s greater vision for the space.

“It’s important to expose students of all ages to as many career fields as possible before they enter into high school,” Dr. King said. “You can’t dream of your future career if you don’t see it in person. I want this space to be for every student and every community member and hope they feel like they belong here.”

With the success of this event, the Maize Career Academy hopes to invite other elementary schools to their space for similar rotations. Read the story in full at www.usd266.com/heartofmca.

Maize Career Academy health science instructor Rob Archibald, a Maize High School graduate, has one desire: to prepare and equip his students with the tools needed in any health science field after graduation. When he began his role at the Maize Career Academy in 2017, he helped lay the foundation of the health science pathway for the years to come. Read more about his teaching experiences and how students are provided real-world learning opportunities in his classroom and beyond to learn about plastic surgery, open heart surgery, and more from local medical experts.

The Maize Caring Hearts holiday gift drive will be contactless again this year. Maize Caring Hearts is a local organization that supports Maize USD 266 students and their family members in need. Caring Hearts asks that donors please purchase gifts by Friday, Dec. 9 to ensure item availability and to allow for shipping time. There are nearly 50 families on the list this year. Thank you for your support!

Thank you to the students, employees, graduates, community members, supporters, donors, and guests who attended the Nov. 17 Complete High School Maize Thanksgiving Feast to enjoy great food and conversation.

Maize USD 266 is reflecting back on 2022 and celebrating our amazing stories of the year in its Top 22 Facebook Posts of 2022 series, launching soon on the district's Facebook page! Stay tuned during the last weeks of the year as we count down and celebrate once again our amazing students, employees, and #MaizeFamily!

The Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance Program provides rent, utility, and Internet assistance to households experiencing a COVID-19 hardship. Click here for a flyer that describes the eligibility requirements for households to qualify for assistance, how to apply, and the time periods that the assistance will cover.

• Nov. 8 issue
• Sept. 9 issue