Maize South High School

We recently had the statewide official count day for the 2023-2024 school year. Maize South continues to grow with our official student count at 1,127. To share some perspective on how much we have grown as a school, during the 2017-2018 school year MSHS had 859 students. That is a 31.3% growth over the past six years. More recently, we have seen a growth of 7.2% since the 2020-2021 school year, and a 4.4% growth from 2022-2023 when our official count was 1,080 students. It is exciting to see this growth and know that Maize South and USD 266 is a place where families want their children to attend! This is a testament to the quality educators, parent and community support, and leadership in our district. Maize South will continue to be classified as a 5A school through KSHSAA.

Fall Homecoming is next week. MSHS Student Council has been hard at work preparing events, themes, and activities for Homecoming. The theme, A Night in Barbie Land, will come with dress up days, a door decorating contest, opportunities to support fall athletes, Powderpuff game and dance performance, our annual parade and pep rally, and our Homecoming dance. Our community is invited to attend the parade on Friday, October 6th. The Homecoming dance is from 8:00-10:00 pm on Saturday, October 7th. It is a semi-formal event and doors will close at 9:00 pm. Maize South students may purchase their tickets online for $10 or at the door for $15 cash. If a MSHS student is bringing an outside guest, tickets must be purchased online so the outside guest can be registered and approved by their school administrator. Tickets are available from now through October 5th at myschooldance.com.

Upcoming change in the school day - Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Our fall assessment day is Wednesday, October 11th. Please refer to the district wide email regarding more details for your student and their attendance expectations next week.

Freshmen will report to Maize South High for the PreACT assessment. Following the assessment, students will be released at 11:40 and have a grab and go lunch option.

Sophomores are not required to report to school. There are optional college and career readiness opportunities sophomores can sign up for in the morning. These opportunities are optional and sophomores are not expected to be in attendance October 11th.

Juniors will report to Maize South High for the ACT WorkKeys assessment. Following the assessment, students will be released at 11:40 and have a grab and go lunch option.

Seniors will NOT report to Maize South High. Seniors who are enrolled in dual credit courses taught at MCA by WSU Tech or Hutch Community College will be expected to attend classes. WSU Tech classes will also take place at the Grove and Webb campuses for seniors enrolled in block program courses.

Other items to note in October:

• The last day of Term 1 is Friday, October 13th.
• There is No School on Monday, October 16th.
• MSHS Hat Day is Friday, October 27th - students may wear a hat for a $1 donation; money raised goes towards student clubs and staff appreciation.

Mavs Up!

Becky Sailor

Principal

Maverick of the Month Nomination Form

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.

Follow Us

• Website: Counselor’s Corner

• Facebook: MSHS Counseling Center

• Twitter: @MavCounseling

Upcoming Events

• Oct 4: PSAT/NMSQT
• Oct 11: PRE-ACT for Freshman and WorkKeys for Juniors
• Oct 24: ASVAB testing

PSAT/NMSQT will be October 2nd for all Juniors and gifted Sophomores. Registration is now open and they can bring the $20 fee to the North or South Office.

Fall is a busy time in the College and Career Office. Students are beginning to make decisions on what life may look like for them after high school by attending our College & Career Fair and college visits.

During the month of September:

• We hosted the Fall College & Career Fair where over 400 participants were able to visit with college representatives, military representatives and community partners.
• We also visited Butler Community College and the University of Kansas.
• College & Career Advocates will attend parent/teacher conferences if you are interested in visiting to discuss your student’s future.

In October, we will be hosting several events:

• Presentations are being made to first semester senior English and government classes. Links to the presentation have been sent out through Skyward message center.
• DATE CHANGE - Our first information session for students and parents, The Cost of Attendance. This event will be held in the Maize Career Academy on Monday, October 23rd at 6:30pm.
• Students will be invited to attend Recruitment Day events at Hutchinson CC on October 20th, registration will open two weeks prior
• Powercat Preview at Kansas State University on October 30th (registration is already completed and closed for this event)

In the past October has been the month for Apply KS and FAFSA completion events; however, the FAFSA process is undergoing major changes and will not open until January 1, 2024. Our events are now scheduled for:

• Wednesday, November 8th - Apply KS during blocks 1, 2 and FLEX
• Monday, January 8th - Information session for FAFSA/Scholarships
• Thursday, January 18th - FAFSA Completion event

Future’s Fair

Futures Fair provides a one-stop shop for postsecondary options after high school. Tuesday, October 17th representatives from in-state, and out-of-state institutions, military and apprenticeships will be available to discuss options. This event is held at Koch arena from 8:00a - 11:30a and 12:30p - 3:00p.

ASVAB

October 24th is our ASVAB test. Juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The ASVAB is a multiple choice test used to determine qualifications for various careers. Taking this test does not obligate you to join the military. Click this link to register or visit the North Office.

Secure your senior ad or yearbook NOW at: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1873667/Maize-South-High-School/

Yearbook prices:

Fall: 9.30-12.8 for $45.00

Winter: 12.9-2.16 for $50.00

Spring: 2.17-6.1 for $55.00

Deadline to order a yearbook will be June 1st. There will be no extensions for any reason.

The students in Mrs. Johnson's Graphic Design class at the Maize Career Academy used their newly acquired knowledge of Adobe Illustrator to Illustrate posters for the Song of Hope choir concert that is coming up on October 7, which will feature students throughout the Maize district. Congratulations to Bianca Rivera, whose design was chosen to advertise the show at various elementary schools in the Maize district.

Homecoming week is October 2-7, and this year’s theme is A Night in Barbie Land! There are daily dress up themes and activities for students to participate in.

• Daily Dress up Themes: PJ Barbie, Country vs Country Club Barbie, Weird Barbie (wacky), Career Barbie, Ken and Barbie.
• Class Spirit Contest: Each Flex teacher will receive a spreadsheet to document each day how many freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are dressed up for the theme of the day. This will be part of winning the spirit stick at the Pep Assembly on Friday.
• Barbie Safari: Each day of homecoming week there will be TWO barbies dressed up to the theme of the day and hidden in the school! Listen to the announcements for the hint of the day. Bring the barbie to J108 to receive a prize!
• Taco Tuesday at Volleyball: Tuesday, October 3 is Pink Out night and Senior Night at the volleyball games. Pep Club will be giving out free tacos to Pep Club members! It is also Pink Out night at the soccer game! Come out and support your Mavericks!
• Powderpuff Football on Wednesday Evening: Come out and watch the Powderpuff football game between the senior and junior girls! Start time is 7:00 pm. Halftime entertainment will be the boy's dance performance . The concession stand will be open!
• Football game and Crowning ceremony: Crowning ceremony will be before the football game.
• Homecoming Dance: The dance is on Saturday night from 8-10 pm. It is a semi-formal event. Tickets for the dance cost $10 if purchased online by Thursday, October 5 at midnight. They will be $15 cash at the door the evening of the dance. Any MSHS student bringing an outside guest must purchase tickets online and register their guest online by Thursday, October 5th at midnight. No outside guests will be permitted the night of the dance if they are not pre-registered with their school administrator’s permission to attend completed online through myschooldance.com. All students attending the dance, MSHS students and guests, must have their ID to present at the door.

In Mrs. Armenta's biology class, students have been using biological concepts and applying them to real world scenarios. In the first photo, students are counting the weeds they see in a quadrant outside of Maize South to learn about species density.

This photo is an example of real life food web posters that students worked on. They randomly had an environment assigned to them and they were to create a food web using organisms in that environment.

Students in Miss George's chemistry class are learning about how temperature and particles change as a substance goes through changes of state. Students in this photo are drawing and labeling their own heating curves with chalk outside on the sidewalks.

Oct 11: Fall Assessment Day, half day for 9th and 11th grade students

Oct 12: Fall Picture Retakes

Oct 13: End of Term 1

Oct 16: No School

Oct 17: Start of Term 2

Nov 10: No School, Professional Development Day

Nov 20-24: No School, Fall Break

If you have a child with a health condition that may require emergency action beyond first aid and/or emergency medication to be carried by the student or given in emergencies, please make sure you have communicated the health needs to the school nurse this school year.

Some students have health conditions which might require certain prescribed emergency procedures beyond standard first aid and/or emergency medication to be given at school if the student experiences severe symptoms of their health condition during the school day. Asthma, anaphylaxis, seizures, and diabetes are examples of health conditions that may require an Emergency Action Plan to be in place.

Emergency Action Plans are developed by the School Nurse at the request of the parent, to ensure necessary prescribed emergency care procedures for each individual student, including medications to be given, are communicated to the school staff who supervise the student during the school day.

This information must be updated with each new school year or whenever the condition or necessary care changes. It is the responsibility of the parent to notify the school nurse each school year of the health condition and to provide the necessary documentation from physicians for prescribed emergency actions to be taken. When this information is received, the Emergency Action Plan is developed.

District policy in USD 266 allows students in grades 9-12 to carry and self-administer certain emergency medications for the treatment of diabetes, asthma, anaphylaxis and/or seizures. In order to self-carry these medications, parent must submit the proper documentation signed by parent and physician.

Contact me to update your child’s most current health care needs at school if you have not done so yet this year so we are ready to provide the individual care they need. Thank you!

Vision and Hearing Screening Notice

Katy Carter, BSN, RN, NCSN

School Nurse, Maize South High School

kcarter@usd266.com

• If you need your student released during the school day, please contact the attendance office at 316-462-8000 as soon as possible so we can get a pass to them. The more advanced notice we have, the easier it will be to ensure your child is able to leave on time. If your child will be absent all day, please notify the school by 8:00am.
• Parents are strongly encouraged to call the school instead of coming into the building to have their student checked out. This will help reduce traffic through the front office.
• As defined in the BOE attendance policy, students have THREE school days to have a medical note turned into the office to excuse an absence.
• Parents are able to excuse SEVEN absences per class for the whole school year. Once seven has been reached, absences will be marked unexcused unless excused for a different reason.
• If you know ahead of time that your student is going to miss more than one day of school in a row, they're able to fill out an extended absence form. Completing this form will make sure those absences are excused. It requires signatures from all teachers, a parent, and an administrator. This form will need to be completed before the student is absent.

• If your student is going to be tardy to school, please call the office. They are allowed THREE parent excused 1st block tardies per school year, after that they are subject to detention.
• Students are allowed TWO tardies per term. Once they reach their third tardy, a one hour detention will be assigned to them.
• Tardies reset every term.

• 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.

• 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 your child is absent and will require homework, please email the teacher.
• It is a district policy for all students to wear their school ID and lanyard at all times. If a student does not have their ID, they will be given a temporary name tag. Students will be issued detention once they have been given FOUR temporary name tags. IDs and lanyards can be replaced for $3 each.

• 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.
• We have a "closed lunch" policy. Students will be expected to eat at school and NO OUTSIDE FOOD may be brought in or delivered.

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, Enrollment and Course Information, then Driver Education).

Online Driver Education 2023-2024: 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 downloaded off of the high school website or the link below.

Enrollment Dates:

Term 2: October 9, 2023 at 6:00pm MSHS Commons

Term 3: January 4, 2024 at 6:00pm MSHS Commons

Term 4: March 4, 2024 at 6:00pm MSHS 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**

2023-2024 Driver Education Information

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

NORTH OFFICE

Megan Fowler, Assistant Principal I-P

Paige Luna, Counselor I-P

Dave Nash, Assistant Principal Q-Z

Melissa Bush, Counselor Q-Z

Christina Black, Counseling Secretary

Stephanie Brooks, Discipline Secretary

Ivanna Rodriguez, Registrar

Madison Schmidt, Communications Secretary

SOUTH OFFICE

Becky Sailor, Principal

Luke Smith, Athletic Director/Assistant Principal A-B

Taluia Pentecost, Counselor A-B

Alison Klock, Assistant Principal C-H

Brooke Sorenson, Counselor C-H

Lyn Brown, College and Career Advocate

Taryn Scott, Accounting/Athletics Secretary

Suzanne Sullard, Attendance Secretary

NURSE

Katy Carter