Carla Heintz, Principal, Early Childhood Education Center

Tracy Smarr-Dolezal, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator

Thank you to all of the parents that attended parent/teacher conferences, whether in person or online. It is so wonderful to have you all actively participating in your child's education and partnering with us! Spring is here and the school year is moving forward. Third quarter is almost done and we will be in our final quarter, continuing to work hard to prepare your child for their next steps be that Kindergarten, a different PreK setting or next steps here at SMECEC. We look forward to continued partnership with you all.

March 8- Picture Retake Day

March 13-17- No School, Spring Break

March 24- Grade Cards posted in Skyward, Progress Reports sent home

Early Childhood Screening

April 4- Chipotle Fundraiser 4-8 PM

May 22- Last day of School for SMECEC students

Our building follows the district calendar and PreK schedule, with the exception of no school on Fridays. You can access the district calendar here. District Calendar 22-23

Thanks to the Bond Issue SMECEC is recieving some much needed renovations to support our students. Over the summer our school will have a 3 million dollar transformation that includes new bathrooms with student sized fixtures, updated classrooms with new technology, additional storage, and child sized sinks, cubbies will replace the lockers, and new spaces created for both students and staff to utilize. With the renovations come changes to our schedule. Because we have to pack up all of our building prior to the renovations and there is such a tight window to get it all done, SMECEC will end classes a day before the rest of the district PreK. The last day for SMECEC students will be Monday, May 22. This is a change from the district calendar. Please make note of it for yourselves. In addition, those returning to us next year will have a delayed start. SMECEC will start the school year on August 21st, again a change from the overall district calendar. If you have questions, please let me know!

Longhorn Steakhouse at 9551 Metcalf, provided the SMECEC staff with an amazing chicken dinner for their late conference night last week. This was a huge treat for us! If you are looking for a place to eat, please check them out and while you are there, please tell the manager how much you appreciate them supporting the staff at the Early Childhood Education Center! They are making a difference in the community!

We will be having a fundraiser for SMECEC at Chipotle.

Please plan to join us for dinner on April 4th!

• 4:00pm-8:00pm
• 6879 W 91st St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1459

33% of sales will come back to support students at SMECEC! I hope to see you there!

Food service will continue to offer breakfast and lunch next year. Unfortunately the USDA nationwide waivers allowing for free school meals for all students will conclude at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Prices will be as follows:

Elementary Breakfast: $1.55

Reduced $0.30

Elementary Lunch: $2.85

Reduced: $0.40

Families can complete a child nutrition meal benefit application to see if they qualify for free for reduced meal prices after July 1, 2022. The information and link will be on the Food Service web page after July 1 and families are encouraged to apply as soon as it is available so that any benefits the family may receive are processed prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year.

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.

Food Services has updated the School Meal Information flyer for parents. It is available on the main page of the Food Service web page and linked here for you convenience.

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.

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.

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!