Maize Intermediate School
March 1, 2024
Hello Eagles!
I hope you all are having a GREAT Friday! We have made it through February and here we are knocking on the door of Spring Break. Your students are really beginning to take off as we move into more rigorous content in our classes and prepare for the Kansas State Assessments that will be given after Spring Break. There are so many things to celebrate at MIS, but I wanted to highlight just one of them. We implemented a positive incentive building wide reading program, using the web based platform, Beanstack. As of today our students have read over 750,000 minutes on their own this school year. That is remarkable! Kudos to your students and your households for fostering a love for reading. Our building goal is 1,000,000, and I have no doubt our students will reach that goal by the end of the school year. Please take a minute to read below about important information, dates and notes as we move into March!
Mark Your Calendars - Upcoming Special Events @ MIS
All School Movie (Beanstack Reading Challenge Reward) - March 14th 1:00pm-2:50pm
MIS Bingo Night - April 15th @ MHS 5:30pm - 7:30pm
MIS Color Run - May 1st in the evening/time TBD
MIS 6th Graders Tour @ MMS - May 8th
MIS 6th Grade Field Day - May 14th and May 21
Beanstack All School Party - May 16th
Kansas State Assessments: April 3rd - April 89th
When we get back from Spring Break the assessing window for the Kansas State General Summative Assessment opens. The state of Kansas mandates that our 5th and 6th Graders take the Mathematics Summative and English Language Arts Summative assessments, and our 5th Graders will also take the Science Summative assessment. We will be sending out more information next week on what these days will look like for your students. These Summative State Assessments are very important. Please make sure your student is getting plenty of sleep and high quality nutrition during the Assessment window. Thank you in advance for your help and support in helping support your students to help them be as successful as possible!
Warmer Weather and Dress Code
As the weather gets warmer, please make sure that your students are wearing appropriate clothing to school. We have seen an uptick in shorts that are too short, crop top shirts that show off too much of the midriff area and pants that have large rips that show off too much skin. If your child's dress violates our Dress Code they will be called down to the Front Office and asked to change into something else.
I hope you all have a relaxing and recharging Spring Break!
Go Eagles!
Have a great weekend,
Kevin Roulhac
Hello Eagle Families!
Spring break is just around the corner and we have been plugging in as many activities as we can, navigating around snow days and days off of school. Here’s hoping for more sunny weather!
Highlights!
Mrs. Kempf was able to purchase TWO additional 3D printers and lots of fun filament with a grant, from Credit Union of America, for students to utilize! Woohoo!
Mrs. Hatesohl was able to purchase four PocketLab Sensors for an upcoming spring project involving weather and kites… stay tuned for more!
Donors Choose patrons have sponsored the purchase of 3D pens for STEAM - this is a great way to support your teachers at MIS!
Mrs. Hatesohl’s Donor Choose: https://www.donorschoose.org/maggie-hatesohl
Mrs. Kempf’s Donor Choose: www.donorschoose.org/samantha-kempf
A NEW 3D St. Patty’s Day design challenge is open to 6th graders - all designs due Friday, March 7, 2025!
Looking Ahead:
5th Grade:
After completing our Lava Lamp art projects and 3D printed game pieces in January (see photos of our display cases), students have been working hard to create their own board games! This project has been a fun and interactive way to re-visit everything the students learned in science during the fall, and is helping us review for the 5th grade science state assessments. In groups of 3-4, the students are designing the board their game is played on, writing the rules, and creating the science review question cards. I have been so impressed with their creative game rules and colorful boards—watch out, Hasbro!
When we return from spring break, students will have the chance to play each other's board games. After that, we’ll move on to a shorter unit focused on coding and robotics, followed by an exciting new project that involves weather and kites!
6th Grade:
January may have been short, but our 6th graders made the most of it! They wrapped up their 3D design name tag and cartouche projects, ask to see what they created! Then students got creative with Van Gogh-inspired Sunflowers, exploring Impressionist techniques. Leading up to and following Super Bowl weekend, students stepped into the world of stop-motion animation! Ask your child about their project—whether it’s a thrilling Super Bowl play-off, an exciting halftime show, or an animated journey through the world of cells and organelles, there’s sure to be something fun to share! Cupid also made a surprise visit to our classes that took place before Valentine’s Day! Students worked in teams to design and build a bow, arrow, and quiver, testing their engineering skills to deliver a "love potion" to targets in the classroom. It was a fun and engaging Valentine’s Day challenge! Looking ahead, with March Madness approaching, our 6th graders are diving into March Mammal Madness! They’ll research animal contenders, fill out their own brackets, and see which mammal reigns supreme. Students are either making the attempt to create the most winning bracket or most busted bracket. Leading up to spring break, your student will get to have some more hands-on experience with our We Build it Better curriculum to learn about precision, accuracy, tolerance, and biomeasurement.
Mrs. Hatesohl & Mrs. Kempf
5th & 6th Grade STEAM
