A professional journey most likely includes at least one “Big Test." Maybe it is a test for a professional certification or licensure or even an entry exam for a particular program. Even though test scores are not the only measure of a success, they often serve as a step we must navigate at some point in our professional lifetime. As students prepare for state assessments, embracing the opportunity to prepare for and take a “Big Test” will help them practice for the even more impactful “Big Tests” in their own professional journey.

The Lead Forward strategic plan aims to increase our students' reading and math proficiency on state assessments by 2028. We want to raise our reading proficiency rate from 73 percent to 80 percent and our math proficiency from 77 percent to 85 percent on the Kansas State Assessment. Our teachers have been working hard to provide engaging lessons each day and identify appropriate levels of tiered support to best prepare our students.

We hope our families will join us in encouraging students to prioritize state assessments. Please help us by:

• Ensuring your child gets a good night’s rest.
• Sharing an encouraging word to “do your best.”
• Providing a good breakfast. This also could be a great opportunity for your child to have breakfast at school. Click here to access our school breakfast menus.

Thank you for continuing to support your child's learning, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming Spring Break!

Dr. Raquel Greer

Superintendent

Maize USD 266

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

March

• Thursday, March 7: End of Term 3
• Friday, March 8 through Friday, March 15: No school, Spring Break
• Monday, March 18: Start of Term 4

April

• Friday, April 5: No school, Professional Development Day
• Monday, April 8: No school
• Friday, April 26: School is in session

May

• Tuesday, May 21: Last day of school (half day) and end of Term 4

The Tuesday, May 21 last day of school will be a half day, with dismissal times varying per school as follows and based on normal staggered start times. Lunch will be served, and after-school bus routes will be provided as normal.

• Maize Early Childhood Center: 11:25 a.m. dismissal
• Maize Central Elementary School: noon dismissal
• Maize Elementary School: 12:10 p.m. dismissal
• Maize South Elementary School: 12:15 p.m. dismissal

• Pray-Woodman Elementary School: noon dismissal
  

• Vermillion Elementary School: 12:10 p.m. dismissal
  

• Maize Intermediate School: 11:15 a.m. dismissal
  

• Maize South Intermediate School: 10:50 a.m. dismissal

• Maize Middle School: 10:55 a.m. dismissal
• Maize South Middle School: 11 a.m. dismissal
• Maize High School: 11:05 a.m. dismissal
• Maize South High School: 11:05 a.m. dismissal
• Complete High School Maize: 11:45 a.m. dismissal

During the Feb. 12 Maize Board of Education meeting, members unanimously approved a suite of alternate Maize USD 266 logos. The modernized branding continues the imagery with the letter M and a star, which has represented the district since 2009. It also uses the familiar color scheme of red and gold and block text. The updated design features modernized text, connects the M and star into one image, and provides for increased digital use.

District leaders surveyed key stakeholders groups in January before selecting the option that was presented to the school board. Thank you to the members of the following groups for providing valuable feedback: Superintendent Student Advisory Team (students), District Site Council (including parents), Building Leadership Team (including teachers), principals, Educational Support Center employees, district leaders, and Maize Board of Education members.

As shared in the Maize Pulse in December 2023 and again in February 2024, this refreshed branding will be featured on a new district website, which will launch later this calendar year. A goal of this work is to update the district's branding in a way that reflects the continuous improvements to the district's growth and standards of excellence. Much has changed in the district and in logo usage, and we are excited to Lead Forward with this new look!

BELOW: During the February Maize Board of Education meeting, President Kerry Fellows and her fellow board members celebrated the Maize South High School boy's soccer team, which won back-to-back state championships. Congratulations to Maize South High School's boys soccer coach Rey Ramirez, selected as a 2022-23 Section 5 Boys Soccer Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association. The team was presented a banner for their state championship.

The Maize Board of Education's next monthly meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, March 4 in the classrooms at the Maize Performing Arts and Aquatics Center, 1155 W. Academy in Maize. 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. Regular monthly meetings are broadcast live at bit.ly/Maize266YouTube.

Maize USD 266 is now enrolling pre-k and kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year. To enroll, visit www.usd266.com/enrollment and follow the steps. All enrollment must be completed on a desktop browser.

• Students must be 5 years of age on or before Aug. 31, 2024 to attend kindergarten.
• Pre-K is available to children who are age 3 or 4 by Aug. 31, 2024.
• All pre-K and kindergarten students must live in the Maize USD 266 district.

Questions about enrollment?

• For kindergarten enrollment, contact the Enrollment Center at 316-350-2050 or enrollment@usd266.com.
• For pre-K enrollment, contact the Maize Early Childhood Center at 316-722-3105 or enrollment@usd266.com.
• Visit the Enrollment Center at 201 S. Park in Maize. Translation services are available at the Enrollment Center.

Officer Lia Faber is the newest school resource officer (SRO) in Maize USD 266. Faber is the SRO at all five of the district’s elementary schools, which house grades kindergarten through four. She has a background in child welfare and has a degree in psychology from Friends University. She has been a police officer with the Maize Police Department since July 2022 and said her role in the elementary schools is to create positive relationships and make kids comfortable being around a uniformed police officer.

Having SRO presence in elementary schools is new this year for Maize USD 266. There have been and continue to be SROs in the intermediate, middle, and high schools. It’s rare that a school district has a SRO in elementary schools, said Tim Brant, Maize USD 266 Executive Director of Health, Safety, and Prevention. He has a background in law enforcement.

This addition is not the only change in terms of SRO presence this year at Maize USD 266. With the support of SROs, the district also brought back the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. It teaches students how to make healthy choices and good decisions. More than 600 fifth graders at Maize Intermediate School and Maize South Intermediate School will participate during the year. Click here to read more about the D.A.R.E. program in Maize.

Through March 8, the Maize Police Department will join other law enforcement agencies in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma with increased enforcement near high schools to raise awareness on roadway safety. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens ages 15 to 18 years old in the United States. Officers will issue citations to anyone who refuses to obey traffic laws, whether for speeding, texting, or failing to buckle up. Please remind teens that driving is a privilege and encourage them to learn the importance of driving safely.

Thanks to a $51,426.50 grant from the Kansas Department of Agriculture, our new Cultivate Maize program showcases the production and harvest of produce from 35 hydroponic gardens in schools across our district. Then students enjoy the fruits — and vegetables — of their labor.

Altogether, the gardens total an impressive 1,400-square-foot farm growing produce for our students to eat during school meals!

The Cultivate Maize project has gardens at the Maize Early Childhood Center, Maize Career Academy, and all elementary, intermediate, middle, and high schools in the district. Students are tasked with planting, maintaining, and harvesting the seedlings.

“The kids are really excited to see the food that they harvested,” Megan Barnard, Director of Food Service, said. “They’re more likely to try something that they had a hand in growing.”

Maize USD 266 is actively hiring Food Service employees special education teachers. Join our team to make an important difference in Maize Schools and the lives of our students!

Maize South High School senior Meya Howell made school history earlier this month when she won the 235-pound 5A/6A state wrestling championship. She is the first female to ever qualify, medal, and win the state championship in Maverick school history. Congratulations to her on this record-setting accomplishment! Click the link below to read a recent Wichita Eagle article about how she and other Wichita-area state winners are paving the way in high school girls wrestling.

Congratulations to Maize Elementary School music teacher Katie Todd, winner of a recent Music for All Advocacy in Action award! Indianapolis, Indiana-based Music for All's national program recognizes achievements in music education. Maize Elementary School was one of only seven schools nationwide to be recognized in the Elementary Excellence Category. Todd's award was for her Children's Music Collaboration Project, though which she connects her kindergarten through fourth grade students with musicians across the country.

Students have the ability to virtually have conversations with artists, interview them, and sometimes even debut original music or perform pieces written just for them. Todd has involved producers, Broadway performers, Maize USD 266 choirs, and alumni in her Children's Music Collaboration Project. In 2023 alone, student enjoyed 20 artist collaborations, 10 artist interviews, and two live performances. They connected with artists, including six who have been nominated for Grammy awards, from eight different states.

Congratulations to Maize Middle School engineering teacher Jessica Buchanan for being named a 2024 Kansas Master Teacher! She was surprised in class with the news Feb. 21 and learned that she is among seven teachers statewide and the only educator from the Wichita area to be part of this 2024 class.

Awardees were selected by a committee of representatives from the Kansas Association of Principals, Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas State Board of Education, Kansas Parent Teacher Organization, Kansas National Education Association, United School Administrators, ESU’s Kappa Delta Pi student organization, and representatives of the 2023 Kansas Master Teacher class.

Emporia State University established the annual Kansas Master Teacher awards in 1954. It honors those who demonstrate the attributes of exemplary professional educators.

Congratulations to Dr. Christy Skelton, Maize USD 266 Assistant Superintendent for Special Services, for being named the Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators (KASEA) Special Education Administrator of the Year! The association has about 200 members representing 286 school districts across the state.

Central to Dr. Skelton’s role is the oversight of special education and the Maize Special Education Cooperative, which began serving students in Maize USD 266 and Renwick USD 267 on July 1. In 2021, the Wichita Business Journal named her among its Women Who Lead: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Vermillion Elementary School STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) teacher Melissa Love was honored recently with a KAKE Golden Apple Award! She was surprised in her classroom with the news last month. This school year is the first to have a dedicated STEAM teacher in the elementary and intermediate schools in Maize. All the STEAM teachers were previously grade school teachers in the district.

Love has been in the field of education for 16 years, and this year starts her third year with the Maize district, teaching mostly fourth and fifth grade. This is her first year teaching STEAM, and she said teaching it is something she looks forward to every day when she wakes up.

“I can’t be any happier than what I am right now,” Love said.

Thank you to KAKE, Davis-Moore, and Project Teacher for honoring her!

Thank you to the nearly 200 people who attended and supported the inaugural Birds and Bulls Gala in support of the Maize Education Foundation! The fundraising event, presented by Credit Union of America, raised more than $30,000, which will benefit the students and educators of Maize USD 266! The event took place at Prairie Hill Vineyard, featured an elegant evening of dinner and dancing, live and silent auctions, entertainment, and more. Funds raised will allow the Maize Education Foundation to build on its existing grant initiatives, creating more opportunities to elevate learning for our students. Please stay tuned for information about the teacher grants that will be funded thanks to our generous donors!

Maize Career Academy Carpentry 1 students have been hard at work creating this beautiful playhouse, which was part of the Birds and Bulls Gala silent auction. The finer details, such as color, trim, and decor, are all customizable, so the owner can dream up the best playhouse they can think of.

Maize USD 266 students in grades 7 through 12 are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $500 to help cover the costs associated with enrichment, leadership, and educational activities like leadership seminars, science expeditions, national competitions, community service projects, and more. Click here to learn more or contact Maize Education Foundation Director Emi Simmons at esimmons@usd266.com. Applications are due Friday, March 22.

Join district leaders in celebrating Maize School employees represented by the following appreciation days:

• School Resource Officer Appreciation Day
• National Special Education Month
• Physical Therapist Appreciation Month
• School Social Work Week

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/X 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.