November sure snuck up on us! As the weather begins to turn and we welcome some much needed rain, the beginning of November signifies that the end of the first semester is rapidly approaching. This month is also a great time to remember all that we are thankful for. I know that I am thankful for the opportunity to help support our students and staff at Maize High School. Here are a few notes and reminders about our celebrations and upcoming events:

News & Notes

• Fall Break will be the week of November 25-29. Students and staff will have the full week off! I hope you all enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!

• The winter sports season will begin the week of November 18th. There is a buffer week (Nov. 11-15) where students and coaches cannot participate in pre-season workouts. Winter sports include boys and girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling, boys and girls bowling, and boys swimming/diving. Students must have a physical on file with the athletic office prior to being allowed to practice. There will be a mandatory winter sport parent meeting on Thursday, November 7th starting at 6pm in the MHS Commons.

• Tuesday, November 12th is our National Honor Society induction ceremony. Congratulations to the juniors and seniors who will be inducted into this prestigious program. In order to qualify, students must be a current junior or senior, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.7, be involved in at least two extracurricular school activities, and have volunteered at least 20 hours in their community. This year, we will be inducting 74 students.

• Congratulations to Maize High School junior Kayla Lowmiller. Kayla was recently named a Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders. She will head to Boston this summer to attend this esteemed academy for future medical leaders.

• Students and staff had a great time celebrating Halloween at school. If you would like to see what some of our students/staff did during FLEX, you can click this link.

• Don’t forget that Tuesday is Election Day! I hope everyone gets out to cast your ballot!

Have an awesome November!

With Eagle Pride,
Dr. Botts

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.

Flex is a for credit class for graduation. On Fridays, students have the opportunity to leave Flex early if they adhere to the following rules:

1. Students MUST check in with their flex teacher before leaving.

2. Failure to check in will result in an absence in Flex and a 1 hour detention.

3. Students can not leave if they have more than 5 absences in the current term.

4. Students can not leave if they have a tardy in any block.

5. Students must not be on the D/F list.

6. No disciplinary issues for the week.

"Flex Week" starts on Friday and runs to the following Thursday. Example, If a student is tardy to 3rd block on Friday that will count for flex NEXT Friday and not that day.

Students who do not have an immediate ride or ride the bus must stay in flex class until the final bell rings.

If you need to call out your student for flex class we ask that you do so as early in the day as possible.

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

MHS Counseling Facebook Page

Follow us on our Facebook page, MHS Counseling Center, for all the latest updates from the MHS Counseling department.

Note These Important Dates

• October 30th & October 31st - Balfour will be at MHS to take Senior Announcement orders and class ring orders from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM.

• October 30th - Balfour will be available in the evening from 7-8:30 PM in the MHS Commons.

• November 1st - No School, Staff Development Day

• Friday, November 8th - ACT Registration deadline for Saturday, December 14th test.

• November 25th - 29th - No School, Fall Break

• December 4th and 5th - Balfour will be at MHS taking Senior Graduation Cap & Gown Orders from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM.

• Monday, December 16th - Early Completer Meeting @ Commons during Flex

• Wednesday, December 18th - Senior Early Completer Farewell @ Commons during Flex

• Friday, December 20th - Last Day of Term 2

• December 23rd - January 3rd - No School, Winter Break

• Monday, January 6th - No School, Teacher Work Day

• Tuesday, January 7th - No School, Professional Development

• Wednesday, January 8th - Term 3 Begins

SENIOR SLIDESHOW PICTURE SUBMISSIONS

Senior parents/guardians are invited to submit pictures of Class of 2024 seniors for the senior slideshow that is shown before the commencement ceremony and during the senior breakfast in May. For each senior, one baby/toddler picture and one current picture may be emailed to mhsseniorpics@usd266.com. JPEG format is preferred. Deadline for submission is April 11th.

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 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, November 8th is the last regular day to sign up for the Saturday, December 14th ACT test. This is the final senior ACT testing opportunity that many colleges will accept for merit-based scholarship deadline submissions.

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 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 workshop dates and registration, please go to http://actprep.info/maize .

DRIVER’S EDUCATION
Online Driver’s Education is a district course offered to high school students who meet the minimum age requirement of 14. This course is offered each term during the school year with a limit of 40 students each term. The book work is available 24/7 online, and the driving is done after school. Drive times are typically 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 pm for one hour. The course is pass/fail (.25 credit) and the course cost is $250. It is recommended that students obtain a learners permit before enrolling in this course. If you would like to enroll in Online Driver’s Education, the student and parent/guardian must both attend the enrollment night.

2024-2025 Driver’s Education Enrollment Dates:

Term 3: December 16, 2024 at 6:00pm MSHS Commons

Term 4: March 10, 2025 at 6:00pm MSHS Commons

Questions – contact Brent Pfeifer (bpfeifer@usd266.com) or John Anderson (janderson@usd266.com) Click here for link to district Driver’s Ed website information.

NCAA Eligibility for Student Athletes

Many student athletes wish to compete at the highest levels in college sports; however, NCAA Division I and Division II sports have high standards of academic achievement that require special attention to class selection and GPA throughout a student’s high school career. Please click on these NCAA Division I and Division II Fact Sheets for a quick overview of current standards, and contact your school counselor early on with questions regarding potential eligibility.

The month of October was designated by the state as college application month with three days allotted where seniors could submit college applications to Kansas Regents Universities FREE of charge. 135 seniors participated in the Apply KS event during the school hours. The senior class as a whole reported 459 college applications were completed between July and October. Eighty-four seniors reported they are planning to enter an apprenticeship program, join the military, enter a trade school, or go directly to the workforce. This, along with the Cost of Attendance Information session and a College visit to Wichita State made for a busy month.

During November, the College and Career office will be providing information to juniors and seniors asking for assistance along with college visits to K-State and Emporia State.

Seniors will be encouraged to prepare for the opening of FAFSA on December 1st.

• THE FIRST STEP FOR ALL SENIORS IS TO COMPLETE THE FSA ID

• Senior students and one parent will need to complete this process preferably before Thanksgiving to ensure their data is verified allowing them to file the FAFSA.

• January 18th - The College and Career office will host the FAFSA Completion event. Several Financial Aid representatives from area post-secondary institutions will assist families as they work through the process of completing the FAFSA.

• November 14th - Juniors and seniors are invited to visit Emporia State University. Interested juniors and seniors should register using this link and pay their $15 in the College & Career office. Registration for this event will close November 7th.

• December 4th - Spirit AeroSystems will make a presentation during FLEX about their PAID summer internship opportunities for students, ages 16-18. Interested students should use this registration link to sign up to attend.

If you have any questions, or would like assistance with the items listed above please email me at dclose@usd266.com

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.

This year we are experiencing technical difficulties with our Online Over the

Counter Medication Consent form in Skyward. Please log in and make sure the

2025 Consent for Over the Counter Medication Form is completed and signed. If

not, complete again and make sure you change the date to the current date

before submitting.

Over the Counter Medications Policy 2024-2025 School Year-

No more carrying over the counter medications! 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 medication form and bring the medication

into the school nurse. Please click the link below.

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. Parents or an adult must bring the prescription medications to school in their prescribed bottle. Please click the link below for the the medication 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. Print the medication form and have their doctor send the health plan to the school nurse. Again, the link to the medication form is below.

Students Going Home - Have your teen check out through the school nurse if they are going home sick or have injured themselves during the school day. We are here to help them get home safely.

School Nurse Office Hours: 7:20am to 2:55pm Monday through Friday. Phone 316-350-2123.

Be safe and take care!

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.

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

Maslow's closet is currently taking donations. Maslow's closet provides, food, clothing, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies to families in the Maize area. This assistance is available to any student in any Maize school.

Please click on the picture to learn more about the MHS Basketball Clinic. Sign-ups are also available through the link.

Maize FCCLA has had an exciting start to the year!

We have a whole new slate of officers, including Madisen Goracke (President), Ella Painter (First VP), Wyatt Bergstrom and Harry Stout (VPs of Development and Membership), Bailey Harris (VP of Recreation), Jaylianna Cranor (VP of Public Relations), and Carcyn Field (VP of Community Service).

Members and officers organized and executed Trick or Treat So Kids can Eat on October 22, where they collected food, hygiene products, clothes, and paper products for the Maize community pantry. On October 23, they attended FCCLA District I Fall Leadership Conference at MPAAC and enjoyed a day of leadership, development ,and relationship building.

Math Day Success

Nine MHS students and eleven MSHS students traveled to Emporia on Wednesday, October 16 to participate in the 51st Annual Math Day competition. Students competed individually in two written tests and as three-member teams in 3 team competitions. For the first time in a very long time, Maize teams placed second in all three team events. Congratulations to the following students who attended, listed with the name of the team competition in which they participated:

Student Council sponsored a Halloween decorating contest. We had some great entries!

Winners were:

The Scariest was Mr. Rankins' door

Most Artistic was Mrs. Sauer

Most Clever was Ms. Greene/Ms. Ramsey

Funniest was Mrs. Meirowsky

Best Design was Mrs. Fair

AND THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WAS...

Mrs. Arnette!!!!!

• . 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

• The winter sports parent meeting is at 6 p.m. on Nov. 7 in the MHS Commons. All parents of athletes who intend to participate in winter sports should attend.

• All athletes who didn't participate in fall sports must have their physical and emergency medical form on file using the RankOne app and their Skyward athletic packet completed prior to the first day of practice.

  
  

  There will be a signing ceremony on Nov. 13 for student-athletes who are going on to compete in college. The ceremony will begin at 10:20 a.m. in the main gym.

  
  

  
  

Congratulations to the Maize Cross Country Team for its performance at the Class 6A Regional in Hutchinson on October 26th. The girls placed 1st, with 5 girls earning All-Regional. Those girls were Baylee Frost (4th), Lexi Peters (6th), Cambri Dietz (8th), Jillian Gudenkauf (11th), and Caylee Ohl (14th). The boys placed 3rd and were paced by Grady Carlson's 4th place and Jayden Parrent's 7th place finishes. The team will race at the 6A State Meet on Saturday, November 2nd.

Ever dreamt of riding to the top of the Swiss Alps? Seeing the curving streets of Monaco? Learning to dance Flamenco in Spain? Come join the World Languages department in the summer of 2026 for our 11 day trip to Switzerland, Italy, France and Spain. Students and families are welcome! For more information contact Mrs. De La Torre (adelatorre@usd266.com), Ms. Prendes (aprendes@usd266.com), Mr. Mercado (vmercado@usd266.com) or Mrs. Moon (amoon@usd266.com) for more info!

United Nations Association recognizes students for volunteering and making a difference in their community. Alexis Thompson, National Honor Society member, has been honored with the Ambassador Award for serving in the community for at least 100 hours at 12 different service activities since June 1, 2024. Congrats Alexis! It all makes a difference and we want the world to see it!

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 second chance breakfast is a great opportunity for our students that arrive late. The kitchen will be open 9am to 9:20am,we ask that students only come down during their block 2 passing period (if they missed early morning breakfast which is 7:10am to 7:30) and not their bathroom breaks.

Maize USD 266 Food Service and MOXI Junction, a coffeehouse and bakery in Maize, are making Mondays a little easier with MOXI Mondays during school breakfast. Check out our breakfast menus to see when your student will have the opportunity to select a freshly baked carmelita bar from MOXI Junction as a part of their school breakfast. Students can select a carmelita and add choices of fruit, juice, and milk.