Eagle Connect MHS September 2024

September 2024

What a great start to the 24-25 school year! While we have all been busy, there is a positive vibe in the hallways and classrooms. This year, we have a little over 1400 students at Maize High School who are served by over 120 teachers, counselors, administrators, counselors, paras, cafeteria staff, nurses, and administrative assistants. If you would like to join our team, we are always on the lookout for high quality staff to join our team. If you are interested in applying, here is a list of positions available.

Notes // Reminders

• No school on Monday, September 2nd for Labor Day!

• Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Wednesday, October 9th from 4-8:00 p.m. and then again on Thursday, October 10th from 8-3:40 p.m.

• We had our annual Club Fair on Friday, August 23rd. We hope all of our students signed up for at least one club or activity. For a complete list of opportunities available at MHS, click here.

• Picture retakes and the Class of 2025 panoramic picture will be on September 25th.

• I wanted to share two of our main school goals this year. We call them WIGs, or Wildly Important Goals. We have charged each department with coming up with a strategy to do within their content to help meet our goals. Our first goal is centered on literacy. We want our students to increase their proficiency in text complexity. We feel this will help them in all content areas and beyond high school. Our second goal is focused on student performance. We want to decrease the overall number of students who have a D or F on the weekly report that comes out. To help with this, teachers will conference with students during FLEX at least once a week to review grades, develop a plan of action, and offer necessary instructional support.

• If you have students who are struggling with math, there is after school tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45-3:45 in room H16.

Graduation 2025

Attention Senior Parents! We have an update on graduation! This year, graduation will take place on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. This will be at the Park City Arena (formerly known as Hartman Arena) starting at 6:30 p.m. A few other notes about graduation week:

• Seniors Last Day: Tuesday, May 13, 2025

• Senior Parade: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 starting at 7:45 a.m.

• Senior Breakfast/Awards: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 after the parade

• Senior Walk-Through: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 around 9:15-10:00

• Senior Graduation Practice: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 from 10:15-noon at Park City Arena.

All-School Service Day

Students and staff from Maize High School will participate in an all-school day of service on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. This year, we are excited to include our friends from Complete High School Maize and the Maize Career Academy. Our theme, Lilly’s Legacy, is named after Maize High graduate Lilly Koehn who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident on her way home from college during her first spring break. Lilly was a champion for selflessness and volunteerism and we hope to help honor her legacy by giving back to our community. And what better day to do so than September 11th. We learn to be civically engaged by being civically engaged! Here are some additional Notes for the day:

• Students will sign up for their service activity during the week of September 2nd.

• If you have an individual project service project for your individual student, please send us a letter with their activity and we will mark them present for the day.

• Students will report to school like normal. They will report to their first block class when the bell rings for attendance to be taken and a brief explanation of our expectations for the day. Students will then report to the gymnasium for an all-school assembly getting them ready for Service Day.

• Because many of the service activities take place off campus, please indicate the preference you have for your student on this Permission Form.

• Not all activities will take all day so once your student’s group has completed their activity, they will be dismissed to leave as long as they have transportation. If they do not have transportation, they will stay until the end of the day with their group leader.

• Grab and go lunches will be available for students in the school cafeteria.

• Students should be mindful of their clothes and shoes. Many activities will result in students getting dirty so please wear clothes that are comfortable but also ok to get messy! Students should wear closed toe shoes and bring a bottle of water to their activity.

Thank you for sharing your student(s) with us at MHS! We truly believe it is the best school on the planet!

Sincerely,

Dr. Botts

Principal

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

Connect with Dr. Botts at cbotts@usd266.com or 316-722-0441.

Maize High School is located at 11600 W. 45th St. North in Maize.

Students may have 5 absences per class, per 9 week term. Students will risk losing credit for classes after the 5th absence. Professional documentation is the only way to have an absence excused and not count toward credit and/or Truancy.

If you need to call out a student for an appointment we ask that you call in as early in the day as possible. We start answering phones at 7:00am. By doing this, we can ensure that your student has a pass to leave at the time you need them to leave.

Maize High School does NOT have an open lunch policy. Any student called out during 3rd block will be marked absent for the entire block unless returning with professional documentation. Parents/guardians wanting to take their student to lunch without an absence may do so by coming into the office, signing your student out, and having that student back within their 30 minute lunch period.

MHS does not accept food deliveries or outside food to be delivered to a student.

Betsy Manning, Director of School Counseling

School Counselor for students whose last names begin with A through B

Office Phone: 316-350-2120 & email: bmanning@usd266.com

Katie Shephard, School Counselor for students whose last names begin with C through G Office Phone: 316-350-2118 & email: kshephard@usd266.com

Megan Bleier, School Counselor for students whose last names begin with H through L Office Phone: 316-350-2119 & email: mbleier@usd266.com

Katie Wiechman, School Counselor for students whose last names begin with M through R

Office Phone: 316-350-2147 & email: kwiechman@usd266.com

Anne Debes, School Counselor for students whose last names begin with S through Z Office Phone: 316-350-2114 & email: adebes@usd266.com

Diane Close, College & Career Advocate for all students

Office Phone: 316-350-2281 & email: dclose@usd266.com

Kami Smith, Counseling Secretary

Office Phone: 316-350-2122 & email: krsmith@usd266.com

Senior Counseling Meetings

During the first term, the counseling staff will meet with each senior either individually or in a small group to make certain seniors are on track for graduation. In these meetings we will discuss post-graduation plans, the college application process, scholarships, important senior dates, and other key pieces of information.

Note these Important Dates

• September 6 - College & Career Fair at MCA 6-8 PM

• September 14 - National ACT Testing Date

• September 20 - Last day to register for the October 26th ACT Test

• October 9 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4 PM - 8 PM

• October 10 - No School; Parent/Teacher Conferences, 8 AM - 3:40 PM

• October 11 & 14 - No School

DUAL CREDIT ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

• To access a list of all dual credit classes offered to Maize High School students, click the following link: College Information Chart

• Newman University Classes

• Advanced Standing Link for Student Registration and Payment.

• Directions for New Advanced Standing Students

• Directions for Returning Advanced Standing Students

• Newman Advanced Standing Coordinator Candace Davis visited MHS on August 27th to help with the registration process. August 30th was the deadline for Term 1 Newman class registration; registration for future terms will be available after the first day of the applicable term. For more information or questions regarding Newman dual credit enrollment, please contact Candace Davis at DavisC@newman.edu or by calling (316)-942-4291 ext. 2162.

• WSU Tech Classes - In August, a representative from WSU Tech visited with students in WSU Tech dual credit classes. For more information or questions regarding WSU Tech dual credit enrollment please contact Megan Losch at mlosch@wsutech.edu or by calling 316-677-1689.

PSAT

October 16 - Maize High School will be an official testing site for the PSAT this fall. Registration test space is limited and will be granted on a first come, first serve basis. The link to register will be emailed to parents and students on September 13. Registration costs $20 and should be given to Mrs. Smith in the Counseling Office. Checks can be made payable to Maize High School. A student’s registration will not be considered final until payment has been made.

ASVAB

ASVAB stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which is a multiple-choice test that helps students identify which Army jobs (Military Occupational Specialities) would be best suited for them. Students in grades 10-12 may take the ASVAB on October 16 in the MHS Lecture Hall @ 7:40 AM. There is no charge for this assessment, but students must register in advance. An email with instructions on how to register will be sent to eligible students on September 13.

GENERAL ACT INFORMATION

ACT scores are important for all college applications after high school! Students can show proficiency when applying to community colleges and avoid taking a placement test. Some colleges also give students credit for introductory math and English classes if they score well. ACT scores and GPA are often used to award scholarships, which are a great way to congratulate students for doing well academically.

Students can take the ACT up to 12 times, but most don’t need that many practice tests. More than 50% of students who take the test more than once will increase their scores, so at least one full test in addition to the one provided by Maize High is recommended. Maize High will provide a paid ACT testing date for all MHS juniors in February during a designated school day.

To sign up for a Saturday ACT test date, students and parents need to create an account at my.act.org. Students who took the ACT provided by Maize High during their junior year will already have an ACT ID number to use when setting up their accounts (contact your school counselor for this ID number). The ACT is offered on Saturdays in June, July, September, October, December, February, and April. Saturday test locations include Maize High School during the months when school is in session. MHS juniors do not need to register online for the February during-school test date provided by Maize High.

To use Maize High as a test center, use the test center code: 213970

To make sure Maize High gets a copy of your test scores to list on your transcript, use the high school code: 171-885

Students can take the test at any point in high school. To determine the best time for your student to take the ACT, consider these things:

• Pick a time of year when your student doesn’t have activities on Saturdays (especially sports)

• Choose a test date after your student has completed Algebra II (or is taking any higher-level math).

• Complete Chemistry I before taking the test to improve Science Section scores.

By October of their senior year, students should have submitted at least one ACT score to the college(s) where they plan to apply for admission. When they take the junior year test provided by Maize High, they will have the opportunity to send the score to at least 4 colleges. Most colleges will allow students to submit a higher score to improve their eligibility for scholarships even after their application is accepted. Check with specific colleges to find out what options and deadlines apply.

If paying for your student to take a Saturday ACT presents a financial hardship for your family, or if you qualify for free or reduced lunches, please contact your student’s counselor for information about fee waivers for the ACT.

UPCOMING ACT TESTING DATE

Friday, September 20 is the last day to sign up for the Saturday, October 26 ACT test. We recommend that college-bound juniors take the ACT at least once their junior year (the during-school February test date works) and again at the beginning of their senior year. High-achieving sophomores may want to take it for practice.

Students signing up to take the ACT on Saturday, October 26 should register at www.actstudent.org. Students who took the ACT provided by Maize High during their junior year will already have an ACT ID number to use when setting up their accounts (contact your school counselor for this ID number).
To use Maize High as a test center, use the test center code: 213970
To make sure Maize High gets a copy of your test scores to list on your transcript, use the high school code: 171-885

Senior Parents: If seeking an improved senior year ACT score opportunity, it is important to take one of the first two ACT tests of the school year. This way scores can be sent to colleges by scholarship deadlines. Maize Schools will not be giving the ACT this year free to seniors.

Junior Parents: This year MHS will give the ACT to juniors during a school day in February, free of charge. Students DO NOT need to register individually for this particular test date. Maize High School will complete all necessary arrangements.

If you have any questions, please contact your counselor.

ACT WORKSHOP

Power Prep ACT Workshops take place at MHS throughout the year. Each workshop includes two evening sessions covering practical and relevant information on how to increase your ACT score. The cost of each workshop is $85. For more information regarding fall workshop dates and registration, please go to http://actprep.info/maize .

College & Career Center

Greetings!

The College and Career office will once again kick off our year by hosting our annual College Career Fair on Monday, September 16th at the Maize Career Academy. Last year over 40 colleges were in attendance. This is a great opportunity for students and their parents to come out and talk with college representatives regarding the admission and financial aid process as well as to see what each school has to offer. In addition, several business representatives will be available to discuss future opportunities for students. This is a wonderful opportunity for those choosing to enter the workforce, several businesses will assist with paying for students' education. REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND THE COLLEGE & CAREER FAIR

The goal of the College & Career Center (C&CC), located in room H-23 is to provide a variety of resources for college and career planning. Students are invited to use the C&CC as a resource to help navigate the college planning and application process as well as explore various career opportunities. The College & Career Center is open Monday-Thursday 7:00a-1:00p; however, appointments are accepted to benefit parents Monday-Thursday 7a to 7p. To schedule an appointment please email me at dclose@usd266.com.

Our yearly calendar of events is linked below, with activities to address the needs of students and prepare them for their future after high school. These events include:

• College & Career Fair - Monday, September 16th

• FAFSA/Scholarship Information Session - Monday, September 23rd

• 10 College/University visits throughout the school year.

• College representatives will be visiting MHS during lunch periods in the Commons.

• Apply Kansas - This event will assist students as they complete and submit applications to the school(s) of their choice. College representatives will be available to answer questions and give students tips on the application process.

• October 7-9 are Apply KS Days - college applications to Kansas Regent Universities are FREE!!

• Here is a link to the 2024-25 Fall College & Career Events.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with your student(s) to help them make better informed decisions on their education and career choices.

Buy a yearbook!

Now is the best time to buy the 2024-25 yearbook. The cost is $40 but will go up to $45 at the end of the semester. You can purchase the yearbook by clicking on this link.

Recognize your senior!

Celebrate your student's final year in high school with a senior tribute. You can purchase eighth-page, quarter-page, half-page and full-page tribute by going to the Jostens website.

Amongst the general signs and symptoms of the cold and flu virus we are also seeing the following: Strep Throat, Corona Virus, Influenza and Bronchitis. Please help keep our students and staff members healthy:

• Never send a student to school with a 100 or greater temperature.
• Take your child to the doctor, especially if not better on or after the 3rd day of being ill or if symptons are worse and not better with over-the-counter medication.
• Students may return to school if they have been fever free without taking fever reducing medications for 24 hours.
• If you are unsure, always call the school nurse before sending an ill student to school at (316) 350-2123 or (316) 350-2137.

Health Matters

By Dana Desjardins, MHS RN.

Keep Your Home SAFE and Environment – Drug Wasting Kits available.

Courtesy of Kansas DCCCA. Org the Maize High school nurse have a few free Deterra Drug Deactivation System Kits to give. If you have expired or unused medications you would like to

to dispose of without hurting the environment, come pick a kit up from the MHS School Nurse's

Office.

Over the Counter Medications NEW Policy 2024-2025 School Year

No more carrying over the counter medications at the high schools in Maize. All

medication must be brought to the school nurses office. The parent may log in to their

Skyward Account, go to Online Forms, then click on Over the Counter Medication

Consent Forms. Click on what over the counter medications you would like the school

nurse to give. If you would like your student to take something other than what the school nurse has for over-the-counter medications, sign and return the medications form along with the medication into the school nurse. (See link below for form)

Prescription Medications - Will you child be taking prescription meds at MHS? You will need to print the medication form, have the prescribing doctor fill it out and return it to MHS Nurse with

the prescription bottle. Parents or an adult must bring in the prescription medications to school in their prescribed bottle. (See link below for form)

Inhalers, EpiPens, Diabetic Medications, Seizure Meds – All need a signed medication form. Parents can print the medication form and have their doctor's send the health plans to the school nurse. (See link for form below)

Immunizations OVERDUE! Immunizations are due by October 1st, 2024. Notices were mailed and emailed in April of 2024. Another notice will be emailed and mailed after Labor Day. Please check your emails and your child's email for this information.

'Please send any immunizations your child gets into the school nurse as soon as they get them. We will make sure we add your child's immunizations to your child's school health record.

Snack Grant-Many students come to school hungry. The MHS Nurse's office snack grant has run out. We can no longer provide snacks to students in the Nurse's office. Please make sure your student eats before coming to school. Also, pack a snack in their bookbag to hold them over until lunch time.

Thanks for another healthy, happy and safe school year. Take care��

You are no doubt a parent or caregiver who deeply cares about the wellbeing of a teenager. As an adult who cares, there are many ways you can help improve the mental health of the teens in your life.

Zero Reasons Why is a teen led organization seeking to break the stigma of mental health. The teens involved in the campaign believe one of the biggest barriers to their mental health is when parents or caregivers don’t recognize mental health as a real or valid health concern. Having an honest, empathetic conversation about mental health with their parents can be challenging, let alone accessing additional support like therapy when needed. For information on the Zero Reasons Why campaign and for support in having conversations related to mental health with your teen please visit #zeroreasonswhy.org

Do you know the mental health supports available at Maize High School? Did you know there is a mental health intervention team member in each school grades 5-12? For more information on the MHIT program please email your behavioral health liaison Ashleigh Hughbanks at ahughbanks@usd266.com

Did you know that if you text 741741 when you are feeling depressed or suicidal, a crisis worker will text you back immediately and continue to text with you? Many people don’t like talking on the phone and would be more comfortable texting. It's a FREE service to ANYONE - teens, adults, etc. - who lives in the U.S. It's run by The Crisis Text Line.

You. Matter. #youmattertome

Join us on Thursday, September 12th as our district hosts the KC-based nonprofit, Screen Sanity! A presenter from Screen Sanity will share about the difficult side effects of screen usage as well as how we, as parents, can be proactive with screen time, introducing our kids to smartphones and social media, and more. Space is limited - so anyone after the first 100 registrants will receive a notification that they're on a waitlist. Click the following link or scan the QR code in the attached graphic to sign up: bit.ly/USD266ScreenSanity

Maize High Cheer would like to invite veterans and current military to join us for the first home football game on Sept 20th for our Annual Honor Flight Night, where we partner up with the Kansas Honor Flight to raise money to send veterans on the trip of a lifetime. The post 4 American Legion Riders and the Tornado Alley Young Marines will be on site. TAYM will be presenting the colors and the Legion Riders will provide an American flag line on the track. There will be a dinner voucher for veterans to thank them for their service. There will be an honored veteran who will be recognized and will participate in the pregame coin toss.

Little Eagle Cheer Clinic is on Thursday Oct 17th, from 6-8pm. Participants will cheer with us pregame and 1st quarter of the October 18th football game. The cost is $35 and includes a pom and tee -shirt. Boys and girls pre-k through 6th grade are welcome to participate. Be on the lookout for the registration form, soon to come!

• Sports and activities are in full swing. Practices started Aug. 19, and varsity competitions started Saturday with the volleyball team in action at the AVCTL Preseason Tournament. You can keep up with Maize High events in a number of ways. Our most up-to-date event schedule is available at bit.ly/MHSschedules. You can also follow us on social media. On Facebook, search for Maize Eagle Athletics and Activities. On X, you can find us at MaizeEagleAD and on Instagram at MaizeEagle_AD.
• If you are going to an event, you can purchase tickets in advance by going to our GoFan page at bit.ly/MHSEaglestix.
• Mark your calendars for Sept. 18. On the Border will donate a portion of all sales to the athletics and activities department when you mention the department at checkout or use the code fundraiser when ordering online . You get a great meal, and 20% comes back to the AD office to support our students.
• I want to give a special shout out to Kama Crockett and Robin Thornburg. Both of these ladies are parents of Maize High graduates, but neither has any students still in school. However, they donate tons of hours to help keep Maize High strong. Kama is the Booster Club president and Robin runs all our concession stands, among many other things. If you see them, please tell them thank you. And if you're looking for ways you can help out, let us know.

The World Languages Department is very excited to announce the first travel program with all their language teachers together! We are preparing a great adventure during the 2026 summer. During this trip we are going to visit different countries and cities including, Lucerne, The Swiss Alps, The French Riviera, including Monaco, Avignon in France ,and we will finish in Barcelona Spain! We are so happy to open this opportunity for our students and their families. We are looking forward to discovering another part of the world and experiencing new cultures and languages.

We will have our first informational meeting on Monday, September 9th at 6:00 pm at Maize High School in the Lecture Hall. If you have any questions, please contact one of the world languages teachers:

- Mrs. De La Torre adelatorre@usd266.com

- Mrs. Moon amoon@usd266.com

--Mrs. Prendes aprendes@usd266.com

- Mr. Mercado vmercado@usd266.com

Students and staff from Maize High School will participate in an all-school day of service on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. This year, we are excited to include our friends from Complete High School Maize and the Maize Career Academy. Our theme, Lilly’s Legacy, is named after Maize High graduate Lilly Koehn who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident on her way home from college during her first spring break. Lilly was a champion for selflessness and volunteerism and we hope to help honor her legacy by giving back to our community. And what better day to do so than September 11th. We learn to be civically engaged by being civically engaged!

One of the service day projects that Maize High students can choose to participate in this year is a card-making project for the organization Operation Gratitude. Check out this link to find out more about what Operation Gratitude does to support members of the military. https://www.operationgratitude.com/volunteer/handmade-with-love/greeting-cards/

To help with this projects, please contact Leigh Johnson at lajohnson@usd266.com if you have supplies to help create cards that you would be willing to donate, or if you would like to make a cash donation to help cover the cost of sending the cards that are created to Operation Gratitude.

Supplies that are in most need include BLANK greeting card sized envelopes, cardstock or scrapbook paper to create and decorate the cards, and stickers, markers and other supplies to decorate with. Glue, gluesticks and double-sided tape would also be helpful. Thank you for whatever you are able to do to help with this project. Please bring or send supplies no later than Monday, Sept. 9, 2024.

Check out the Spirit Central website for all your Maize Eagle spirit gear! You can purchase online and then choose to pick-up at the school or have the merchandise shipped to you! All proceeds support the Maize High Business Professionals of America club.

Please be mindful and YIELD the right of way to the buses when they arrive in the morning. Please DO NOT try to dart in between the buses. Allowing the buses to pull into the parking lot and proceed to the south entry doors is priority. Thank you - Crossing Guard Staff

MHS can not accept food, flower, or gift deliveries.

The Maize High School cafeteria will serve breakfast until 10:00am