Trailblazer Family Newsletter

BA Families,

As the school year comes to a close I wanted to share some amazing news!

A component of our school improvement goals (Wildly Important Goals) was to have a minimum of 70% of all students at benchmark / on level in reading and math. I am thrilled to share that 70% of our students in reading and 74% of our students in math were at benchmark at the end of the school year. We have made some amazing growth, and we will continue to shoot for higher in the coming school year.

Thank you for your support throughout the 2024-25 school year and I am already excited about all we can accomplish in our upcoming 25-26 school year.

Please check your child's report card in Skyward on Friday, May 30. Your child's teacher for the upcoming 25-26 school year will be listed in the comments section of the report card. Please note that a lot of time and effort was contributed to creating balanced classrooms. Changes will not be made to teacher assignments.

Have the best summer and see you soon!

Mr. Horne

MAY

23- Last Day for Grades K-6, Early Release- 12:30 Dismissal

30- 4th Quarter Report Cards posted to Skyward Family Access

30- Office Closes for the Summer

JULY

24- BA Office Opens

AUGUST

7- Meet The Teacher Night, 5:30-7:00 pm

11- First Day for Grades 1-6, Early Release- 12:30 Dismissal

11 & 12- PreK & Kdg Conferences

13- First Day for PreK & Kindergarten

Summer Enrichment enrollment is open! We have many of our popular classes back again this summer and several new classes will be offered. Enrollment is open starting February 6th in Skyward. The course catalogue and enrollment instructions can be found at the Website below:

https://www.smsd.org/academics/summer-programs/summer-enrichment

We are looking forward to seeing your student at another fun and exciting summer!

Linda Long

Principal

• Clothing for SMSD students & families: https://www.smac-pta.org/clothing-exchange
• Homelessness Resources
• Health Partnership Clinic
• Resource Request Form

The My Volunteer Pal (MVP) program is the volunteer program for all Shawnee Mission Schools. The program connects adult volunteers with students ages Pre-Kindergarten to age 18. All activities take place on school grounds during school hours with the exception of field trips.

If you would like to volunteer on a field trip with your child's class you must be MVP trained prior to the Field Trip.

• Click here for MVP Training dates/times.

Volunteer Pals are utilized for a variety of in-school activities including:

• Classroom or school volunteering
• Sharing career interests or special talents with students
• Tutoring
• Chaperones for Shawnee Mission School District approved field trips

Please visit this link for more info on how to become a MVP.

Click HERE for monthly updates and health information from Nurse Kay.

Hunger doesn’t take a vacation—and neither do we! The Shawnee Mission School District will once again offer free lunches for all children ages 1–18 during the summer months. These meals are funded entirely by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are prepared and served by our dedicated Shawnee Mission Food Service team.

Important reminder: All meals must be eaten on-site.

📍 Details, locations, and menus can be found on our Summer Lunch Bunch webpage

📄 View and share the Summer Lunch Bunch Flyer

SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, is a program to help families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. Families will get a one-time benefit of $120 per year for each eligible child to help buy groceries during the summer months. Children who get SUN Bucks can still participate in other summer meal programs. Receiving SUN Bucks will not affect children or families' immigration status. If a child's household did not receive a letter from DCF in January 2025 regarding SUN Bucks eligibility, they can apply through the DCF self-service portal here. Applications for 2025 SUN Bucks must be submitted no later than 5 pm on August 29, 2025. The SUN Bucks benefit distributions expected to begin in mid to late April 2025 have been delayed. An updated distribution timeline has not been determined, but updates will be provided on the DCF website and Facebook page - @KansasDCF. More information on SUN Bucks can be found here.

MENUS:

The school meals menus are on https://www.schoolcafe.com/SHAWNEEMISSION. To log on, select View menus (as a guest). School Café also show allergen and nutritional information.

MEAL BENEFITS:

Did you know filling out the Free or Reduced Lunch Application helps with more than meals? Applying and qualifying can benefit families and students with reduced fees, transportation, broadband, and other discounts.

Families are encouraged to complete an application for meal benefits- free or reduced priced meals as part of the Online Verification. The link to the Child Nutrition Program Meal Benefit Application is available on Skyward or the online application is on School Cafe. Contact the Food Service Office by calling 913-993-9710 for questions on the meal benefit application.

LUNCH MONEY:

Need to add breakfast or lunch money to your student's account? Bring cash or check to the office - be sure to write your students name & class code on the envelope. Payment by card can be made online or by calling the Food Service Office at 913-993-9710.