Maize Early Childhood Center
September 2022
Dear MECC Families,
On behalf of our entire staff, I would like to welcome you and your family to the 2022-2023 school year!
Beginning school is such an exciting time for you and your child. We are honored that you have chosen Maize Early Childhood Center to begin your child’s journey from birth through the early years of growth, development, and learning. Our goal is to provide high quality
experiences to all children ages birth-five years, their families and our community.
Thank you for responding to our plea to follow our parking and drop-off/pick-up procedures – it makes our areas much more safe for everyone!
Here are some upcoming events to mark on your calendar:
September 5 – No School, Labor Day
September 12 – Starlets Classes begin
September 20 – MECC Spirit Night at Chipotle
September 21 & 22 – Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for students)
September 27 – Fall Picture Day
Here is a link to our MECC Parent Handbook. It is your go-to resource and outlines protocols and procedures for birthdays, absences, leaving early, etc.
Throughout the school year, we will continue to offer opportunities to extend your child’s classroom experience into your home to complete our MECC Family Circle.
Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family!
DeDe Pierce
Email: dpierce@usd266.com
Website: www.usd266.com/pre-k
Location: 9405 West 37th Street North, Wichita, KS, USA
Phone: 316-722-3105
Facebook: facebook.com/MaizeECC
Twitter: @MaizeECC_PAT
Welcome to a new school year! I would like to introduce you to the Parents as Teachers staff. Michelle McAllister is the PAT coordinator and has been working at the MECC for 17 years. Our parent educators are Jana Kubik, Erin White, Petrissa Palmer, Samantha Berry, and Michelle Kinnevan. You will see our amazing staff at music classes, playgroups, Starlets and family events. Please feel free to introduce yourself. We would like to get to know all of you.
Here is a list of our parent-child groups this year (no sign up required):
Music:
- Tuesday 10:00-10:40
- Tuesday 10:45-11:20
Playgroup:
- Wednesday 10:00-11:00
- Thursday 10:00-11:00
Starlets is our parent-child preschool that meets once a week. We have openings in our Tuesday afternoon class that meets 1:00-2:15. If you are interested in participating, please email Erin at ewhite@usd266.com.
Please note that the week of conferences (Sept 20-23) there will be NO playgroup or music but there will be Starlets.
If you're on your phone, scroll down to the Enrollment for Parents as Teachers section and click on the first link.
Library News
Scholastic Book Fair
Join us for our Scholastic Book Fair during Parent-Teacher Conferences! We will be open:
- Wednesday 8:00am - 4:00pm
- Thursday 8:00am - 7:30pm
Wednesday, Sep 21, 2022, 08:00 AM
Maize Early Childhood Center, West 37th Street North, Wichita, KS, USA
Nurse's Nook
Welcome back to school everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic summer.
As the school year starts, there are some important things to remember that I will be needing soon for my office records.
Immunizations and Health Assessments:
Don’t forget to turn in your child’s most up-to-date immunization records as well as an updated Health Assessment (physical) if this is the first time your child has been in a Kansas school.
Skyward Health History:
It is the parent’s responsibility to update health conditions in Skyward and notify the school nurse as needed for health concerns.
Medications:
Under certain conditions medication may be given at school per the Board of Education Policy. A new consent form must be filled out EVERY school year BEFORE any medication is
administered at school.
Keep your child at home if he or she has any of these symptoms (this is not an all-inclusive
list):
- Fever > 100 degrees; (Your child may return to school ONLY after his/her temperature has been consistently below 100 degrees for a minimum of 24 hours WITHOUT the use of medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen).
- Vomiting (even once; for a full 24 hours from last vomiting episode)
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
- Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough
- Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose
Please feel free to stop by my office, call, or email me if you have any questions or concerns
about your student. Thank you all for taking an interest in your child’s health and well-being.
Nurse Allison
Phone: 316-462-8403
Email: aparkhurst@usd266.com
Counselor's Corner
Hello, my name is Amy Beckmann. I will be your child’s school counselor this year. This is my 7th year as a school counselor and my 5th year in the Maize School District. I will be sharing my time between the Maize Early Childhood Center and Maize South Middle School. Prior to school counseling, I was in private practice as a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist caring for children, adolescents, families and couples. I am looking forward to getting to know your child this school year as we focus on social-emotional learning.
I am also happy to introduce Miranda Montano. Ms. Miranda is a graduate student from Wichita State University pursuing her Master’s in School Counseling. She will be interning at MSMS and the MECC. If you have concerns regarding your child and would like more information regarding individual counseling, small groups or services provided by the Kansas Children’s Service League in-school therapy, please reach out to me via my email (abeckmann@usd266.com), by phone (316-722-8420), or through your child’s teacher.
Ms. Amy
School Counseling Intern
My name is Miranda Montano.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, Sciences and Disorders from Wichita State and have worked in the schools in SpEd and unstructured learning classrooms from elementary up to high school, and also in many different preschool classroom settings. As you can see, schools are my calling, and I love to be with any age group!
I have been married to my husband for 10 years and we have two boys, ages 9 and 5.
I am currently finishing my Master’s degree in School Counseling at Wichita State University, as well as earning a play therapy certification.
I am blessed to have the opportunity to learn from the USD 266 school counselors and for it to continue to fuel my love for helping and supporting students.
Here are some of our upcoming fundraisers and events:
- Pie Fundraiser Sales - next week thru September 22
- T-shirt Sales - next week thru September 22
- September 20 - Spirit Night at Chipotle
Watch your kiddos backpack for a flyer next week about the fundraiser sales!
MECC Quick Links
Maize USD 266
The Mission of Maize USD 266 is to inspire students to discover their potential through connecting, learning, and leading.
Website: www.usd266.com
Location: 905 Academy Avenue, Maize, KS, USA
Phone: 316-722-0614
Facebook: facebook.com/maizeusd266
Twitter: @Maize266