The Panther Post

Good afternoon,

Just a reminder that next Friday October 10th will be no school for students due to Professional Development for staff. In addition, Monday October 13th is no school for students due to Columbus Day.

Keep an eye out as teams are sharing their October newsletters via ParentSquare! These newsletters offer valuable updates on upcoming events and provide insight into the teaching and learning taking place in your child’s content classes.

On Wednesday, October 15th, we invite all parents and guardians to join us for a special presentation by Scott Driscoll, President of Internet Safety Concepts, in the East Hampton High School auditorium from 6:00–7:30 p.m. Since founding Internet Safety Concepts in 2007, Scott has dedicated his work to educating communities about online safety through engaging conferences and seminars. During this session, he will share the positives, potential risks, and practical resources to help families guide their children in safe, responsible phone use — especially when it comes to social media and digital footprints. Middle school is a pivotal time for students to build the skills and confidence they need to navigate both in-person and online interactions. With your partnership, we aim to guide our students in making positive choices at EHMS and beyond. We are committed to providing you resources to support your child in today’s rapidly digital world.

A flyer with full details is below. We strongly encourage all parents and guardians to attend this important and informative event.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Wed. Oct 1st - 8th Grade Parent Night, EHMS Library, 6:00pm

Mon. Oct 6th - Board of Education Meeting, Town Hall, 6:30pm

Tues. Oct 7th - EHMS PTO Meeting, EHMS Library, 5:30pm

Fri. Oct 10th - Teacher Professional Development - No School

Mon. Oct 13th - Columbus Day - No School

Wed. Oct 15th - Scott Driscoll Presentation EHHS at 6:00pm

Thurs. Oct 30th - Retake Picture Day!

Our sixth graders are wrapping up Unit 1 in math, where they’ve been learning how to find the area of parallelograms and triangles. In recent activities, students practiced identifying the correct height for each base and made the exciting discovery that the area of a triangle can be found using the formula: base × height ÷ 2.

Last week, 8th grade students welcomed East Hampton Public Librarian, Keri Lancelot. She showed students how to use Hoopla and Libby to access free audiobooks and eBooks with a library card.

There are many benefits to listening to audiobooks: they build vocabulary, improve fluency and comprehension, and make it easy to enjoy books anytime, on the bus, at home, or while multitasking. Audiobooks can even bring stories to life through expressive narration. Audiobooks count towards your child’s weekly reading homework!

For more information, visit: https://easthamptonpubliclibrary.org/e-library/ebooks-and-eaudio/

In our Family and Consumer Science classes, 8th grade students sharpened their cooking skills by preparing applesauce and quesadillas using our new induction pans and cooktops, generously provided by the EHMS PTO. Everything turned out delicious and the students had a great time learning in the kitchen!

Below are students who received Positive Office Referrals for their behaviors that have exemplified our PBIS pillars of Empathy, Honesty, Mindfulness and Safety. Students were able to choose a reward from our menu of options like eating outside with friends! Great job to our Panthers!

6th Graders

Miles Hibbeler, Jorge Rivera, Addison Trombino

7th Graders

Kade Sheehan, Allie Dipace, Leah McCormick, Dylan Marino, Bronn Ewan, Jayden Caliskan

8th Graders

Isabella Kiernan, Cameron Meacham, Alex Farrell, Nolan Hilton

Below is one of our past winners who selected to eat lunch in the library with friends!

OCT 6-OCT 10 (subject to change)

MONDAY, OCT 6

RHAM MS Soccer at East Hampton, 3:30 pm game.

Site: Girls Soccer at East Hampton High School

Site: Boys Soccer at East Hampton Middle School

Note: White Uniforms

Cross Country 2:35 until 4 pm

TUESDAY, OCT 7

Cromwell Cross-Country at East Hampton MS

Note: Girls run first! (team pictures)

Boys Soccer 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Girls Soccer 2:35 until 4:30 pm

WEDNESDAY, OCT 8

Cromwell MS Soccer at East Hampton, 3:30 pm game.

Site: Boys Soccer at East Hampton High School

Site: Girls Soccer at East Hampton Middle School

Cross Country 2:35 until 4 pm

THURSDAY, OCT 9

East Hampton soccer at Beman MS (Middletown), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus.

Site: Boys Soccer at Ed Collins Football Field

Site: Girls Soccer at Middletown soccer fields on Long Hill Road

Note: Game time 3:45 pm

Note: Dark uniforms

East Hampton Cross-Country at Beman MS, 2:15 dismissal, 2:30 bus.

Note: Girls Run First

FRIDAY, OCT 10

NO ATHLETICS

On the agenda:

• PantherFest wrap-up
• Upcoming restaurant fundraisers
• Teacher engagement projects (hands-on help during the meeting)
• Fall conferences & staff dinner planning
• Volunteer opportunities
• Open positions for 2026–2027 PTO President & Treasurer

Per the East Hampton Board of Education’s Attendance Policy and Connecticut statute, parents and guardians may only approve the first 9 absences of the school year with a parent note. Absences 10 and above can only be excused with further documentation and under specific circumstances.

Just a reminder that when we do not hear from a parent, then our attendance line will send out a call that your child is absent. Even if your child is sent home by the nurse the day before, we still need a call or notice each day your child is out.

In addition, if a student has four unexcused absences in one month or 10 unexcused absences in a year they are classified as truant. If a child misses 18 or more days in a school year – excused or unexcused absences – the student is classified as chronically absent.

A phone call is appreciated, but only an email to our attendance inbox or written note can officially excuse absence 1 through 9. Below is our attendance email:

Note: Between the school name and the word Attendance is a underscore ( _ )

EHMS_Attendance@easthamptonct.org

If a student has four unexcused absences in one month or 10 unexcused absences in a year they are classified as truant. If a child misses 18 or more days in a school year – excused or unexcused absences – the student is classified as chronically absent.

As we are now half-way through September, I would like to send a friendly reminder for parents to check their student's lunch account balances. Weekly, emails are sent through Meal Magic with negative account balances. Please check your junk folder to ensure you are not missing crucial information!

The Cafeteria Staff and I love to see smiling faces daily and we are grateful to have your students dine with us!

Please use the link below to set up an online meal account for your child or apply for free or reduced meals.

https://easthampton.familyportal.cloud/

For questions or concerns, contact Kate Caselli, Director of Nutrition Services at kcaselli@easthamptonct.org or 860.316.7324

The East Hampton Public Library is participating in the first annual Spooky CT writing contest! Submissions can be made to the Library via our website any time from Oct 1 through Oct 31. All entries will be published in the first edition of Spooky East Hampton, which will be made available on our website and in print at the Library. More information can be found in the flyer attached below.

Hello East Hampton Middle School!

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. My name is Lindsay DeFrancisco and I am very excited to join you this year to provide behavioral health services through the School Based Health Center. I am a licensed clinical social worker and will be providing crisis intervention, individual, group and family therapy to those students in need. There is a referral process and I’d be happy to chat with anyone who has questions about our program. The easiest way for a parent to enroll their child is through this link:

https://www.sbhc1.com/

I can be reached at DeFranL@chc1.com if anyone was questions.

Lindsay DeFrancisco, LCSW

Behavioral Health Clinician

Community Health Center, Inc. - School Based Health Center

Board of Education Statement on School Safety: The East Hampton Board of Education is committed to a safe and secure learning environment that honors and celebrates the diversity of our students, our community, and our nation. The Board of Education in partnership with the school community will not tolerate any threat of violence in the schools or any hate speech that targets any race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. Each student is held to the highest standards of responsible decision making within a culture that is expected to foster compassion, caring, and empathy.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement of the East Hampton Public Schools: The school community of East Hampton is committed to the mission of honoring and celebrating the diversity of our students, our community, and our nation. We strive to guide our students to conscious, deliberate, individual and collective actions that cultivate the respect of all races, religions, and social backgrounds. Our school community endeavors to produce graduates who are equipped with a greater understanding of the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Nondiscrimination Statement of the East Hampton Public Schools: The East Hampton Board of Education, in compliance with federal and state law, affirms its policy of equal educational opportunity for all students and equal employment opportunity for all persons. It is the policy of the District to promote nondiscrimination and an environment free of harassment regardless of an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, ancestry, disability (including but not limited to, intellectual disability, past or present history of mental disorder, physical disability, or learning disability), genetic information, marital status, or age or because of the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, or age of any persons with whom the individual associates. The District shall provide to all students without discrimination, course offerings, counseling, assistance, employment, athletics, and extracurricular activities. The District shall provide equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The District shall make reasonable accommodations for identified physical and mental impairments that constitute disabilities, consistent with federal and state statutes and regulations.

Email: camaral@easthamptonct.org
Website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/o/ehms
Location: 19 Childs Road, East Hampton, CT, USA
Phone: (860) 365 4060