SM Early Childhood Education Center
March 2022
Administrative Team
Tracy Smarr-Dolezal, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator
In the News
From the Principal's Desk
Hello Parents,
And just like that it will be March!! So hard to believe we are getting ready to wrap up the third quarter and start the 4th. I am definitely looking forward to enjoying more Spring like weather consistently! I am sure you have heard by now that masking is optional at this time, unless our illness percentages rise. If you would like your child to wear a mask consistently while at school, please be sure and let your child's teacher know. Masks are still mandated by Federal law for the bus and assisted transportation for those students who can mask. If you have questions regarding district guidelines regarding COVID you can access that information here. As always if your child is ill, please be sure to keep them home and call them in on the attendance line 913-993-2688.
With March comes baseball season, and West High's baseball field is behind our school. As practice starts, traffic increases. We have already seen some increased difficulty with drop off and pick up with the addition of the COVID testing on site. Now at the end of the day, it will become even trickier. If your child is a car rider that gets dropped off at door 2 in the front of the building, you can help us out by striving to arrive on time for drop off and dismissal (8:10, 11:00, 12:10 and 3:00). Late arrival of parents slows down the drop off and pick up as we have to wait for you to pull in and be out of the way before we can move additional cars forward. For the speediest drop off and pick up, if everyone can be on time, your wait should never be more than 15 minutes.
Our school will be going through renovations both this summer and next to make our space more PreK friendly and accessible. Because of this, our school year is changing slightly from the district calendar. The last day for students at SMECEC will be Thursday May, 19th. Please note this change on your calendars. For those of you with children returning to SMECEC for the 22/23 school year, the first day of school will be August 16th.
Important Calendar Reminders
March 14-18- No School- Spring Break
March 25- Early Childhood Screening
March 27- Report Cards Live in Skyward, Progress Reports sent home
Our building follows the district calendar and PreK schedule, with the exception of no school on Fridays. Last day of school for SMECEC is May 19th. You can access the district calendar here District Calendar 21-22
Notes from the Nurse
Knowing that some of our students are 5, and some will be turning 5 as we move through the school year, we are asking parents of students who have received the COVID vaccine to provide documentation to the school nurse of their child's COVID vaccination. While COVID vaccine documentation is not required, it helps the school nurses in two ways:
1. Students who are asymptomatic, with documentation of being fully vaccinated, are not excluded from school if exposed to a positive case.
2. Nurses can better estimate the number of fully vaccinated students in a building which is useful information when there are outbreaks.
Again, while COVID vaccine documentation is not required, it would be helpful to the school nurses. You may send those to me at katiewatkins@smsd.org.
Attendance Reminder: Please call your student in to our attendance line if they will be missing school for illness/appointments/out of town. Our attendance line is 913-993-2688.
Food Service
Free Meals
School breakfast and lunch meals are FREE for ALL students at all schools for the 2021-22 school year. Once again, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put into effect nationwide waivers allowing school foodservice departments to continue to serve healthy school meal options free to all students. PreK students at SMECEC attending the AM session receive breakfast, those attending the PM session receive lunch.
Breakfast
Breakfast is available each school day. The breakfast menu includes an entrée, grain, fruit and milk. Students are served all items to receive a full breakfast; including the required ½ cup of fruit.
Lunch
Lunch includes an entrée, grain, fruit, vegetable and milk. Students are served all of these five components on their lunch tray, including the required ½ cup fruit and/or vegetable.
The “pig” symbol on the menu means that the item contains pork.
Menus, nutritional and allergy information are available online at https://www.schoolcafe.com.
Special Diet
If you have an allergy or specific dietary concerns, contact your school nurse for a medical form to be filled out by your doctor.
Food service information is available on the district’s web site at www.smsd.org/about/departments/food-service or you can call the Food Service office at 913-993-9710.
Early Childhood Screening
SMSD offers an early childhood developmental screening which includes the areas of vision, hearing, problem-solving, personal-social development, gross/fine motor skills, and speech/language skills. The purpose of the screening is to identify children who may have substantial developmental delays and who may be eligible for special education services. SMSD’s Early Childhood Screening (ECS) is appropriate for children ages 2 years 9 months to 5 years old who reside within the Shawnee Mission School District boundaries.
How often are screenings offered?
Screenings for 2020-2021 occur monthly on a Friday morning and are by appointment only. Parent or other legal guardian must complete a request for screening and submit the required documents before an appointment is offered.
How do I request a screening for my child?
More information about the ECS program can be found on the district’s Early Childhood Special Education home page under Early Childhood Screening.
Connect with us via Social Media
We have new social media sites this year! Please feel free to follow us and like us!!
Twitter: @theSMECEC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THESMECEC/
Or search for #EarlyEDSMSD to see what's happening district wide in PreK!
Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center
Email: carlaheintz@smsd.org
Website: earlychildcenter.smsd.org
Location: 6701 West 83 Street, Overland Park, KS, 6USA
Phone: (913)993-2600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shawnee-Mission-Early-Childhood-Education-Center-101802735143826
Twitter: @theSMECEC