SM Early Childhood Education Center
September 2023
Administrative Team
Tracy Smarr-Dolezal, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator
From the Principal's Desk
Important Calendar Reminders
September 4- No School- Labor Day
September 22- Early Childhood Screening
September 28- Smart Start Parent Night 6-7 pm, by sign up only, child care available
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
Smart Start Parent Night
November 9th- tuning in to your child's emotions
January 25th- building routines for your child
March 7th- blowing your worries away, setting up a calm spot for your child and strategies for calming.
Participation will be limited to 40 families, and a sign up will be sent in a separate email. You do not have to commit to each session, you can pick and choose those that most interest you!
Sign up for September 28th here.
SMECEC has a Social Worker!
Sarah's role at SMECEC will focus on assisting with positive behavior support and well-being with families and teachers, the promotion of social emotional development and learning, and providing coordinated service support with families, teachers and staff. She will be instrumental in furthering our mission to provide a high- quality environment for learning through home, school and community collaborations. Sarah hopes to be a listener, problem solver, and supporter to you and your family! She looks forward to getting to know all of your and welcomes your phone calls, emails and visits! You can reach her via email at sarahbehrens@smsd.org or by phone at 913-993-2627.
Family Food Screening
We want to be sure our children are healthy and strong! Nutrition and food are important to be healthy learners. To meet the needs of our SMECEC community, we are asking all families a few questions about access to food. We want to be sure all families have the resources to obtain healthy foods.
Click here to answer a few questions.
Click here for food resources in Johnson County.
Resources from the Social Worker
Wonderscope Parenting with Play
Tuesday Treat Cart Donations Wanted
We like to have a Tuesday treat cart for our teachers each week. Without a PTA we rely on parents to send in items for that treat cart to make it a possibility. Please consider donating pre-packaged snacks to include on our cart. Some past favorites have been: individual bags of chips both regular and baked, individual bags of pop corn, such as smart pop, full size candy bars, and individual bags of cookies. But we encourage your creativity as you donate as well. Thank you in advance for making our treat cart happen!
2023-24 School Meals
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.
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 2023-2024 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