Maize South High School

Greetings Mavs!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a healthy and safe holiday season. I’m excited for the start of a new semester, and am looking forward to a great spring.

We have several new faces at Maize South this semester. Please help me welcome:

• Viridiana Arias, Social Studies teacher
• Spencer Baalman, Social Studies teacher
• Robert Lounsbury, Science teacher,
• Madison Schmidt, Communications/Substitute Secretary
• Colleen Sunquist, long term substitute Functional Applied Academics

As a district and individual school, we have made behavior and attendance a focus area this year based on our needs assessment. Historically, Maize South has had a higher percentage of chronic absenteeism than the overall USD 266 percentage. That number has continued to rise over the past seven years and was the highest it has ever been during the 2021-2022 school year at 43.1%, almost 20% above the district average. We need your help with a few things as we continue to work on decreasing this percentage. Our school begins at 7:35 am and we continue to have dozens of students who are tardy each day. Twenty six percent of the office referrals generated during Term 2 were related to tardies. When your child is absent, please call to verify their absence (316-462-8000 and select option 1). Punctuality and attendance are lifelong and work readiness skills we hope our students learn, and we want our students at school. The second area we could use your support with are issues in the restrooms and students not being in their assigned area. Simply put, this means students are not where they are supposed to be, when they are supposed to be there, doing what they are supposed to be doing. This is our second highest discipline referral percentage and often occurs when multiple students are in restrooms together. Any help or conversation you can have with your child about this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Winter Homecoming is next week! The theme, Disco or HoCo, will come with dress up days, hall decorating, opportunities to support winter athletes, a pep rally, and our Homecoming dance. The Homecoming dance is from 8:00-10:00 pm on Saturday, January 14th. It is a semi-formal event and doors will close at 9:00 pm. Maize South students may purchase their tickets ahead of time online for $10 or at the door for $15. If a MSHS student is bringing an outside guest, the two tickets must be purchased online so they can register their outside guest. Tickets are on sale now through midnight January 12th through myschooldance.com.

There is no school Monday, January 16th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

Mavs Up!

Becky Sailor

Want to nominate a Maize South staff member for Maverick of the Month? Click here Maverick of the Month or go to the MSHS website anytime!

Visit our school website at www.usd266.com/mshs.

Connect with Ms. Sailor at bsailor@usd266.com or 316-462-8000.

Maize South High School is located at 3701 N. Tyler Rd. in Wichita.

College & Career Center Updates

All students are invited to utilize the College & Career Center as a resource to navigate the high school experience through developing and/or updating their Individual Plan of Study. One on one assistance is provided to students as they begin thinking about life after high school. Current freshmen, sophomores and juniors are encouraged to schedule an appointment to discuss their Individual Plan of Study. Taking time to prepare or revise current plans will make the 2023-2024 enrollment process go smoothly.

Mark your calendars!

• Annual College & Career Night - Monday, February 13th to be held in the Maize Career Academy from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

• Representatives will be in attendance from both public and private postsecondary institutions.

• Each branch of the military will be presented to discuss options available to students if they are considering the reserves or full enlistment.

• Apprenticeships programs are an excellent way for students to obtain skills while working.

• Interested in volunteer, shadow or internship opportunities for summer 2023? Representatives will be available to discuss options.

• Upcoming College Tours for students grades 10-12

• January 25th WSU Tech

• February 15th Friends University

• February 23rd Newman University

• March 29th Fort Hays State University

• April 5th Pittsburg State University

• April 19th Butler Community College

Registration for college visits will open two weeks prior to the scheduled visit date.

Vision and Hearing Screenings

Vision and hearing screenings are performed by the School Nurse’s office in accordance with Kansas

statutes and district policy. District guidelines for these screenings include 10 th grade students at the

high school level and all students new to Maize this year. We have also been catching up with other

grade level students who may have missed screenings in the past two years when the COVID protocols

altered attendance.

Parents are notified by the school nurse and an evaluation is recommended for the students with

screening results outside the normal limits. These referrals have been emailed to parents.

Katy Carter BSN RN NCSN, School Nurse

kcarter@usd266.com

316-462-8085

Ellyanna Strunk, Maize South sophomore, presents her ofrenda to the rest of the class, as they celebrate Dia de los Muertos. An ofrenda is an altar or box that includes decorations with objects; displays of the departed’s favorite food and drinks, as well as ornamental, personal belongings, flowers, candles and pictures of loved ones. (Leah Brown)

https://vimeo.com/768259043

January 16 - NO SCHOOL, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

• Because students are not allowed to bring balloons or glass items on the bus, the Maize school district will not be accepting any flower, candy, cookie, or balloon bouquet deliveries to students.
• If your student is going to be tardy to school, please call the office. They are allowed three parent excused 1st block tardies per year, after that they are subject to detention.
• When a student is absent, it is the responsibility of the parents to call the attendance office within 24 hours to verify the reason for the absence. Please be sure to provide a doctor's note to the front office when your child has seen the doctor, dentist, etc., these visits won't count against your child's attendance. Medical notes can also be faxed to 462-8001.
• If you need to pick up your child from school during school hours, please call the office with the time your child needs to be released. They will receive a pass ahead of time and can check themselves out at the requested time. The exception to this, is lunch time. If you wish to check your student out for lunch, a parent must come in and sign the student out. Parents are not required to sign students back in.
• We have a "closed lunch" policy. Students will be expected to eat at school and NO OUTSIDE FOOD may be brought in or delivered.
• If your child is absent and will require homework, please email the teacher.

Thank you for your help with this. We appreciate it!

USD 266 Maize offers Online Driver Education each term during the school year. The online

driver education program strives to prepare students to become knowledgeable and respectful

of the law; to learn basic driving skills; and to develop a responsible attitude toward driving.

The instructors will provide critical experience to students; involve parents in the process, and

foster cooperative interaction with others in the driving environment. Students should be

studying the Kansas Driver Handbook and be ready to take a handbook test at the start of the

course. Students that have a Kansas Permit that is valid through the course dates will be

exempt from taking the handbook test. More detailed information on Online Driver Education

can be found on the high school website, (click on Counselor then Driver Education).

Online Driver Education 2022-2023: Both the Student and the Parent/Guardian must attend the

enrollment night in order to be in Online Dr. Ed. Each term class is limited to 50 students.

Enrollment packets may be picked up in the counseling office or downloaded off the high

school website.

- Term 3 January 9th Student/Parent Enrollment Night 6:00pm MHS Commons

- Term 4 March 6th Student/Parent Enrollment Night 6:00pm MHS Commons

**Both the Student and one Parent/Guardian will be required to attend the enrollment

meeting. Please bring your enrollment packet, a writing pen, corrective eye wear (if needed)

and any type of Kansas Permit/License you already have to the Enrollment Meeting**

If you would like to speak with someone in the main office during the school day, you may call (316)462-8000.

Becky Sailor, Principal

Alison Klock, Assistant Principal A-G

Megan Fowler, Assistant Principal H-O

Dave Nash, Assistant Principal P-Z

Luke Smith, Athletic Director

ADMIN OFFICE

Brenda Block, Attendance Secretary

Madison Schmidt, Communications Secretary

Cassie Tholen, Accounting/Athletics Secretary

Stephanie Brooks, Discipline Secretary

COUNSELING

Jennifer Cashman, Counselor A-B

Brooke Sorenson, Counselor C-H

Paige Luna, Counselor I-P

Taluia Pentecost, Counselor Q-Z

Lyn Brown, College and Career Advocate

Tiffany Riedel, Registrar

NURSE

Katy Carter