SM Early Childhood Education Center

Carla Heintz, Principal, Early Childhood Education Center

Tracy Smarr-Dolezal, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator

Welcome to Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center!! I am in the sixth year as principal here and I love what I do!! We have had a WONDERFUL start to the school year. It has been amazing getting re- acquainted with those who returned to us and seeing all the growth they have made over the summer. Equally amazing are the new students, who have acclimated to school beautifully and are off to a great start! Knowing that this is the first experience at school for many of our students, parents, please feel free to reach out to me and ask questions, get advice, or just say hello! We are a building that desires to partner with you, as your child's first teacher, in this experience. If there is ever anything I can do to support you all, please let me know. It's going to be a great year!

September 2- No School, Labor Day

September 3- No School- Professional Development for Staff

September 20- Early Childhood Screening

September 26- Smart Connections Parent Night 6-7

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 24-25

We have a new Facebook page for our school. Please use the QR code to like and follow us.

You can also follow us on X- Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center @theSMECEC

Every Tuesday I like to treat the staff to a special snack between sessions. This is a much anticipated activity, and much appreciated event! I would love your help to keep it stocked throughout the year. If you would like to help in this way, please drop your donations off in the office or hand them to me at car line!

We are looking for items such as:

• Full Size Candy Bars
• Individual Snack Bags of Chips- Baked and Regular
• Individual Snack Bags of Popcorn
• Single servings or individual bags of Cookies- Kirkland Chocolate Chip is a favorite!
• Granola Bars
• Individual bags of snack crackers (pretzels, ritz bitz with cheese, etc)
• Any other kind of individually wrapped snack you think staff might like!

Mark your calendars!! We are continuing our Parent Smart Connections this year. During this time, we invite parents to come learn more about their child and how they can support them through big feelings, day to day routines, and help build social skills. SMECEC Staff will provide child care, while parents learn. We will have 3 Smart Connections Meetings on the following dates:

September 26

November 7

January 8

We do ask that you sign up to attend, so we have the right amount of materials and childcare available.

More information and sign up will be coming soon!

In addition to the Smart Connections Parent Meetings we will also have a parent/child learning night on March 13

All events will be from 6-7pm

Want to know if your child's bus is running on time?? To keep on top of what is happening with your child's bus, I would highly recommend you sign up for TextCaster. Once signed up, you will receive text messages regarding the buses if they are running late or have another problem arise. Click the box by the bus number(s) your child rides under early childhood to be sure you have all of the most up to the minute information. You can sign up here

Join us on Monday, September 16, 2024 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Shawnee Mission West High School for the Shawnee Mission School District’s Multilingual Community Event. Expanding on our annual Bilingual Back to School Night, this event aims to highlight the diversity of the district while connecting families from all backgrounds with resources, support, and camaraderie.

The evening is FREE and open to ALL SMSD families.

Help us spread the word by sharing the event information with your families and staff!

In an effort to reach as much of our community as possible, we have provided translations of the event flier in our most commonly spoken mother languages, English, Spanish, Dari, and Arabic.

Our school along with the district are working to improve attendance for all students. I encourage you all to do all you can to get your child to school on time (and we will continue to work with the buses for the same) and to have them here each day we are in session. As a reminder our school times are 8:10-10:55 and 12:25-3:10. We do open the doors 5 minutes before school starts to get students in their classrooms before the official start of the day. Tardies do add up to absences, 10 tardies equals a full day absence. If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home and if they are going to be absent due to illness or other reasons, please call our attendance line 913-993-2688. If your child is a bus rider, please call D.S. as well at 913-384-1190 to let them know your child will not be riding.

My name is Michelle Van Doren and I am looking forward to connecting with and supporting all of you! My passion for children led me to pursue a Master of Social Work degree with primary focus on supporting children in school. I have had significant experience collaborating with families and multidisciplinary teams to create the best learning experience for kids. Extensive exposure to Special Education spaces (SPED), coupled with a special interest in trauma informed care and social emotional development, ultimately lead me here. I feel blessed to be a part of the SMECEC family! Outside of the building I enjoy spending time with my children and traveling.

As the building social worker, I hope to promote social emotional development and learning, encourage positive behavior supports and provide balanced support to families and teachers. Additionally, I seek to aid in strengthening the connection between our school, community and families. Looking forward to getting to know you all. So, please do not hesitate to call, email or visit. Contact: 913-993-2627 michellevandoren@smsd.org.

Helpful Links

A Parent’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice And Autism

This manual discusses the complexity of diagnostic evaluations for children on the autism spectrum, identifies and describes effective treatments, and outlines the importance of professional judgment and using data to guide treatment decisions

Hallmark Kaleidescope at Home

Free weekly emails with fun art activities from the team at Kaleidescope here in Kansas City

Social Emotional Tips for Families of Toddlers

5 one-page posters with strategies to use during daily routines

Johnson County Library Storytime Information

Learn more about the story time offerings at Johnson County Library locations. Also, the Johnson County Library Foundation is hosting the annual event, Library Lets Loose, on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

August - December (Agosto - Diciembre)

Free gently used clothing and shoes for those within the Shawnee Mission School District boundaries

September Bucket List for Kansas City Families

Condensed list of family actives in the Kansas City area for this month

Food service offers breakfast and lunch for our students

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, 2024. 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 2024-25 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/SHAWNEEMISSION

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 2024-2025 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!!

X: @theSMECEC

Facebook: Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center

Or search for #EarlyEDSMSD to see what's happening district wide in PreK!

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