Maize South High School

Greetings Maverick Parents and Guardians,

Winter Homecoming is this week and this year’s theme is GlowCo. Student Council will host the dance Friday, February 2nd following the conclusion of the basketball games. Attire for this dance is casual. Tickets are on sale through Thursday at midnight for $5 at myschooldance.com. Any student bringing an outside guest must purchase tickets online. Maize South students may purchase tickets at the door with their student ID and $7. Doors close one hour after the dance begins.

Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year will begin next week with class meetings during Flex. Students currently in 9th - 11th grade will meet with our counseling department to prepare for pre-enrollment. Current sophomores will be the first group to meet with our counseling department on February 7th. Freshmen and Junior meetings will follow on February 8th and February 13th respectively. Please have conversations in the next two weeks with your child about next year’s courses. Counselors will be available during conferences on February 22nd to answer any parent or students questions about courses.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, February 22nd from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Teachers will be in their classrooms for in person conferences. Students, parents, and guardians are invited to meet with teachers to discuss student progress. Due to conferences, students will not have school on Thursday, February 22nd or Friday, February 23rd.

Feeding teachers during the 12 hour conference day can be expensive, and I am grateful to the parents who have offered to assist by providing snacks, sides, and desserts. If you would be willing to donate an item for our staff, please use this link to sign up, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A4CA5AD2EA2FE3-47582508-mshs. Thank you for supporting our Maverick teachers and staff!

Upcoming change in the school day - Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Our spring assessment day is Tuesday, February 27th. Please refer to the district wide email regarding more details for your student and their attendance expectations next week.

Freshmen do not report to school.

Sophomores 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.

Juniors will report to Maize South High for the ACT 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.

A few notes/reminders:

• There is no school for students on Monday, February 12th due to our district professional development day.
• A full calendar of events can be found at www.avctl.org.

Mavs Up!

Becky Sailor

Principal

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.

Follow Us

• Website: Counselor’s Corner

• Twitter: @MavCounseling

• Facebook: Maize South High School

The Counseling Center Facebook page has been deactivated. We are now using a general school Facebook page. Like the page for updates!

Upcoming Events

• Feb 2: Friends University will be in the commons during all lunches
• Feb 6: Oklahoma State University will be in the commons during all lunches
• Feb 8: Missouri Western State University will be in the commons during all lunches
• Feb 10: ACT @ MSHS
• Feb 15: Kansas State University will be in the commons during all lunches
• Feb 21: US Army will be in the commons during all lunches
• Feb 27: Spring assessment day: sophomore PreACT and junior ACT
• March 4: Cap & gown and senior announcement delivery, commons during all lunches
• March 5: Cap & gown and senior announcement delivery, commons during all lunches

We will be hosting an ACT Test Prep Course taught by Power Prep, a Midwest-based company that has specialized in ACT preparation for 15+ years. This class is designed for any student who wants practical and relevant information on how to increase their ACT score. Although targeted towards Juniors, all grades are welcome to participate. Click here to learn more and/or register.

Counselors will be meeting with each class during Flex in the auditorium to discuss enrollment.

• February 7th - Sophomore enrollment
• February 8th - Freshman enrollment
  
• February 9th - 8th grade enrollment
• February 13th - Junior enrollment

Enrollment will end February 22nd. Students will be working closely with their Flex teachers.

Mark your calendars!

February events:

5th - College & Career Fair - Register for your time slot to visit with over 40 of our partners.

College & Career Fair Registration

8th - WSU Tech college visit - Reserve your spot for this college tour.

WSU Tech Campuses Tour Registration

13th - Friends and Newman University college visit - Students grades 10-12. Students need to complete the registration and turn in $8 to the College & Career office.

Friends University & Newman University College Visit Registration

We look forward to you joining us for the College & Career Fair and students visiting the colleges of their choice. These opportunities allow students and parents to make informed decisions as they plan for their next step.

March events:

Spring Break is a great time to have conversations about students' post-secondary plans and even possibly tour college campuses.

25th - College Tour - Fort Hays State University

April events:

2nd - College visit to Pittsburg State University

4th - GPACAC Signature Fair for students during Flex & Block 3 in the MCA Hub. This fair will host universities from out of state. More information to come.

17th - College Tour - Junior Days, Butler Community College

May events:

Date TBD - Senior celebration - During FLEX in the commons area

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

Yearbook prices:

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.

Senior Mavs - Yearbook is collecting your quotes for the yearbook! Check your email for the form to submit yours today. Please read through the rules and regulations before you submit yours; if deemed inappropriate we will send you 1 more chance to submit another one.

Kate Quinton, MSHS senior, has been named Student of the Month for December by the Kansas wide Seatbelts Are For Everyone program, or SAFE.

For two years, Kate has led our building’s traffic counts and SAFE pledge tables and worked to educate our school. This year, Kate is president of the MSHS group and constantly looks for new ways to communicate the SAFE message of making good decisions behind the wheel. This award makes her eligible for a state-level scholarship awarded in the spring.

Kate also represents Maize South this year on the 2023-24 SAFE Student Board. As a member of this statewide eleven-person board, she helps create new education opportunities for students in dozens of Kansas schools.

Seatbelts Are for Everyone, is a free student-led program for middle and high school students; it focuses on peer-to-peer promotion of traffic safety. Available in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Iowa, SAFE promotes wearing a seatbelt, driving alertly, and following traffic laws, all with the goal of decreasing teen injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes.

Maize South students in any grade can participant in SAFE as part of CACOW Student Volunteers, sponsored by Mr. Bradshaw: mbradshaw@usd266.com.

Photos by J. Higares

Jan 29-Feb 2: Winter Homecoming

Feb 2: Winter Homecoming Dance

Feb 10: ACT @ MSHS

Feb 12: No School

Feb 13: Girl Swim/Dive Parent Meeting, 6:00pm at MPAAC

Feb 22: No School, Parent/Teacher Conferences 8:00am-8:00pm

Feb 23: No School

Feb 27: Spring assessment day: sophomore PreACT and junior ACT

March 8-15: No School, Spring 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.
• The accumulation of SIX absences in a block, per term/9 weeks, may result in no credit being granted. Credit may be granted pending a decision by a review panel. The review panel is available upon request by the student or parent.
  
• 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 at least three days before the student is absent. You can access the form below.

• 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.
• Tardies are defined as coming in late and missing 20 minutes or less of class time.

• 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 button below.

Enrollment Dates:

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**

A parking permit is required for students to park on campus. A completed form will need to be turned in to the North Office and a sticker will be assigned to the student. The sticker will need to be placed on the back window in the bottom left hand corner. The form can be accessed below.

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, Registrar

Stephanie Brooks, Discipline Secretary

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