Bellringer Newsletter
October 24, 2022
Principal's Message
Good morning. The month of October continues to be a busy time at EHHS. Athletic teams are getting ready for tournament competition and student artists are getting ready for the production of Sleepy Hollow. Clubs and activities are meeting and students and teachers are doing great things in the classroom. Please be on the lookout for ParentSquare e-mails from your child's teachers to set up appointments for November Parent Teacher Conferences. The first academic quarter ends on October 31. As always, continue to check the Important Dates and Reminders section of the Bellringer Newsletter for a schedule of upcoming events. If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact me directly at everner@easthamptonct.org.
Important Dates and Reminders
- October 24--EHHS Picture Re-take Day
- October 28--NHS Senior Super Heroes
- October 28--DECA Spikeball Tournament
- October 28, 29, and 30--Drama Performance--Sleepy Hollow
- October 31--End of 1st Quarter
- November 8--Election Day-Professional Development Day--No School
- November 10--EHHS Veteran's Day Ceremony
- November 11--Veteran's Day---No School
- November 12--DECA Walkathon
- November 16--AMC (American Math Competition)
- November 16 +17--Early Dismissal--Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 17--EHHS Band and Choir Concert--7:30
- November 18---Student Council Blood Drive
- November 21--DECA Bingo Night
- November 22--Senior Dinner--6:00--9:00 (Glastonbury Hills CC)
- November 23--Early Release--EHHS
- November 24--27--Thanksgiving Recess
- December 23--Early Dismissal--EHHS
- December 24--January 2--Winter Recess
- January 12, 13, 17, and 18--EHHS Mid-Year Exams
- January 16--MLK Day---No School
- January 27--Early Release--Professional Development
- February 8--EHHS Band and Choir Concert--6:30
- February 17--No School EHHS--Professional Development
- February 20-21--February Recess--No School EHHS
- March 10--Professional Development--No School EHHS
- March 20--23--Senior Class Trip to Washington D.C.
- March 24--Early Dismissal--Professional Development
- March 29 + 30---EHHS Parent-Teacher Conferences
- April 7--Good Friday--No School---EHHS
- April 10---April 14---April Vacation
- May 29--Memorial Day--No School EHHS
- June 2---EHHS Junior-Senior Prom
SAVE THE DATE
Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up
Parent Square Calendar
East Hampton High School is now using the calendar in Parent Square! Important dates will be included for easy access.
Calling All Veterans!!
"Calling all Veterans! We are looking to get in contact with former Bellringers and those in the community that are veterans or actively enlisted in the armed forces. Please complete the form below to assist us in creating an ongoing contact list of Bellringers and East Hampton community members we could honor during Veterans Day. Thank you! Contact Mrs. LaBonte with any questions at slabonte@easthamptonct.org "
EHHS Drama Presents
School Counseling News
Students Interested in Applying to UConn!
High school students from Connecticut interested in attending UConn will be able to submit their application for free on November 15th! Please remember students on Free or Reduced Lunch are eligible for fee waivers regardless of the day, but this program is an opportunity for all students to have the $80 application fee waived, but it applies to November 15th only.
Scholarships:
The School Counseling Department will be using Naviance to advertise national and local scholarships. Students can view available scholarships, access the scholarship website, or download the application by following these steps:
- Log into Naviance
- Click "Colleges" at the top
- Click "Scholarship Search" on the right
- Hover over and click the scholarship name for more information
Upcoming College Visits:
- Lasell University - Tuesday, October 25th @ 12:27pm
- Hofstra University - Wednesday, October 26th @ 12:27pm
- Stony Brook University - Wednesday, October 26th @ 1:23pm
- St. Joseph's College of Maine - Thursday, October 27th @ 8:31am
- UMass-Dartmouth - Thursday, October 27th @ 12:27pm
- Albertus Magnus College - Monday, October 31st @ 8:21am
- Elms College - Monday, October 31st @ 12:47pm
Advanced Manufacturing Open House:
- Educators, students, and parents are invited to an open house at Goodwin University’s Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Labs and CCAT’s Advanced Composite Center on Tue. Oct. 25 from 3-6 pm. Learn more about modern manufacturing and advanced technologies used across Connecticut. Goodwin University’s manufacturing training programs are for students seeking supplemental HS programs or eCamp experiences, post-high school certificates, and associates degree. The future of your students may start here! Click this link for more information: https://www.ccat.us/events/10-25goodwin/
Workshop Wednesday Reminder!
Wednesday, October 26th is the final Workshop Wednesday regarding the college application process. Counselors are available to help students with any aspect of the college application process before school, during X-Block or after school. Students can sign up ahead of time using the Google Form located on their "Seniors 2023 - School Counseling" Google Classroom, or just drop by! All are welcome!
Advanced Academic Opportunity!
Juniors and seniors with exceptional academic records are invited to apply for the Wesleyan High School Scholars Program. This is a selective program, but if you are accepted you can take a course for free on the Wesleyan campus! To apply students must complete the following before the November 14, 2022 deadline!
o Complete demanding coursework at their high school.
o Have transportation to and from campus.
o Complete the application, which includes a 250 word essay/statement of interest.
If you are interested, please complete the application below.
Athletic Department News
Boys Varsity Soccer defeated Portland 2-0 on the road. Their current season record is 9-1-1. They are scheduled to play at H-K on Monday and at home vs Old Saybrook on Wednesday which will also be senior night.
Boys Junior Varsity soccer defeated H-K 4-1 at home and was defeated by Portland 1-2 at home. Their current season record is 7-1. They are scheduled to play at The Morgan School on Tuesday and at home vs Cromwell on Wednesday.
Girls Varsity Soccer tied H-K at home 1-1 and was defeated by Portland 0-1 at home. Their current season record is 6-5-2. They are scheduled to play at Windsor Locks on Monday in their final regular season game, they may also qualify for the Shoreline Conference tournament and if they do they will play on Saturday at a location and time TBA.
Varsity Football was defeated by The Morgan School 39-58. Their current season record is 1-5. They are scheduled to play at H-K on Friday.
Junior Varsity Football did not play this week. They are scheduled to play H-K at home on Saturday 10/29.
Varsity Volleyball defeated Cromwell on the road 3-0, defeated H-K at home 3-0 and defeated Lyme-Old Lyme at home 3-0. Their current season record is 13-2. They are scheduled to play at North Branford on Monday, at home vs Mercy on Tuesday which is also senior night and at home vs Canton on Thursday.
JV Volleyball defeated Cromwell 2-0 on the road, was defeated by H-K 0-2 at home and defeated Lyme-Old Lyme 2-1 at home. Their current season record is 5-11. They are scheduled to play at home vs Mercy on Tuesday and at home vs Canton on Thursday.
The Boys and Girls Cross Country teams competed in the Shoreline Conference Championships. Both the boys and the girls teams placed 3rd. They are scheduled to run in the CIAC Class SS State Championships on Saturday at Wickham Park.
Winter Sports registration is open ay FamilyID.com
All athletic schedules and results may be found at CIACSPORTS.com.
Girls Soccer--Senior Night
Volleyball--Dig Pink
Manis for a Cure
EHHS Project Graduation News
We are looking for parents to help support our programming.
Next Meeting--November 2--6:30 in the EHHS LMC
Please e-mail our group if you ar einterested in the following:
- Secretary – take notes at meetings. Send them out. Attend every meeting
- Treasurer – count. Mange spreadsheet of finances
- Social Media/website - promote group/events on Facebook and website
- Find corporate donations (work) -matching donations (United way)
Senior Capstone Grants......
The East Hampton Arts & Culture Commission is accepting applications from East Hampton High School Juniors and Seniors for $200 grants to support an annual East Hampton High School Capstone Project. The grant will help support two student's proposed Capstone Project, a multifaceted assignment that serves as a culminating academic and intellectual experience for students. Capstone projects may take a wide variety of forms including a long-term investigative project that culminates in a final product, presentation, or performance.
Applicants for the EHACC Capstone Grant will be invited to present his/her Capstone Project idea to commission members during an agreed upon commission meeting. Deadline to apply is Feb. 1.
Applications are available at www.artsforeasthamptonct.org and can be submitted to arts@easthamtponct.org or can be mailed/dropped off at the town manager's office at the East Hampton Town Hall, 1 Community Drive, East Hampton, CT 06424.
Attendance Updates
Please review the EHHS Attendance Policy and Student Handbook as they contain important information.
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.
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.
Access to the East Hampton attendance policy is available HERE
It is also necessary for a student to be present at least half of the school day for the student to be recorded as present. When a student arrives after the mid-day point or leaves before it, the day cannot be counted for that student. Building principals will share the specific times in their communications with families.
A student is considered to be “in attendance” if present at his/her assigned school, or an activity.
sponsored by the school (e.g., field trip), for at least half of the regular school day.
At East Hampton High School, half of the regular school day arrives at 10:55 a.m. This means that if a student arrives after 10:55, even with a note, the student will be marked Tardy Absent. If a student dismisses prior to 10:55 and does not return to school, the student will be marked Early Dismissal Absent. Please contact the school with any questions regarding our attendance policies.
To increase the ease of reporting an absence and documenting parent approval of the absence for a student’s first 9 absences, the East Hampton Public Schools has created email addresses that parents can use to contact their student’s school and report an absence. Effectively immediately, the following email addresses can be used by parents to report and document their approval of an absence:
EHHS_Attendance@easthamptonct.org
If you have successfully emailed the school, you will receive an autoreply that notifies you that the absence communication has been received and recorded. This process is effective for your student’s first 9 absences. After your student has more than 9 absences, additional documentation or communication will be required to excuse the absence. Please use the email to continue to notify the school that your child will not attend. You may call your child’s school at any time to report an absence, as well.
TIP LINE
EHHS Bellringer Spirit Wear
We are excited to launch our new Bellringer Sideline Store! The store is available 24/7 and ships directly to you!!!
Please see the link below to grab your Bellringer gear
https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/connecticut/easthampton/east-hampton-high-school
Student Attendance and Dismissal Reminders
Students who are being dismissed due to illness, MUST FIRST see the School Nurse. Additionally, we ask that parents familiarize themselves with our attendance policy which is in the EHHS Student Handbook. Some of the main policies/procedures that we are mut be followed are listed below:
- EARLY DISMISSALS: A written request (no phone calls) from a parent or guardian must be presented to the main office before school begins so student may obtain an early dismissal slip. Students will wait in the main office for their parent/guardian to call the office and we will send your child out to meet you after they sign-out.
- NURSE DISMISSALS: In case of illness during school, dismissal will be arranged through the school nurse, or in her absence, through the office. Students feeling ill should report directly to the nurse's office. Students should not be texting or calling home when not feeling well.
Please note that having a parent’s written request before the start of the day allows the students name to appear on the Daily Attendance sheet so their teachers will be aware that they may not be in class on that day. This also eliminates the office staff from calling in and disrupting a classroom to dismiss the student. We do realize that there may be occasions when you may need to unexpectedly pick your child up early. In those cases we will call the student down when the parent/guardian arrives to the school.
Students that are dismissed from school will not be allowed to return without appropriate documentation from their visit/provider. In the event that doucmentation is not available, a parent will be required to sign their student into the main office upon return.
Safety and Security Enhancements
- Dropping off on items--the table to drop off items for students has been moved inside the first set of doors. Parents will be able to drop items of for students, but will no longer be admitted to the main lobby.
- Appointments--for security reasons, parents and visitors who are requesting to meet with a teacher or administration should call in advance to ensure that the requested party is available to meet rather than show up unannounced.
- Effective immediately, there is an anonymous tip line to enhance a safe environment in our schools. Students, parents, and community members have access to the front page of the website to report self-concerns, mental health concerns of a friend, or concerns of violence. https://www.easthamptonps.org/
COVID Guidance
Masks
Positive Test
Day 1 is the first day that symptoms appear--and if testing positive, students can return on day 6. If students are asymptomatic, day 1 is the day the test was taken.
Students who test positive for COVID will be able to access schoolwork to be completed at home.
If students are not feeling well..........
In addition, students with a persistent and serious cough should stay home until tested.
Test kits are available at EHHS and at the Central Office at Town Hall.
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.
Reminder of policy regarding the use of Police Dogs
As a reminder to members of our school community, Board Policy #5145.122 allows the schools to work with the East Hampton Police Department to protect the health and safety of students and staff by conducting sweeps of school property by trained sniffing dogs. Please review the policy and procedures below. Our goal is to ensure that the East Hampton Schools are free of illegal substances. Annually, we provide notice of this policy to our school community. Should a sweep be conducted, parents and the Board of Education will be notified upon completion.
Use of Dogs to Sweep School Property
The Board permits the administration to invite law enforcement agencies to sweep school property with dogs trained for the purpose of detecting the presence of illegal substances, when necessary to protect the health and safety of students, employees or property or to detect the presence of illegal substances or contraband, including alcohol and/or drugs. The use of trained canine sniffing dogs and their associated law enforcement personnel is for the purpose of “alerting” on property only, and is subject to the following:
1. Parents and students shall be notified of this policy through its inclusion in the student/ parent handbook and the Superintendent and Principal or their designees, shall explain the policies and procedures followed in sweeps and searches to students and staff on an annual basis. Once notification has been given to parents and students through the handbook and assembly respectively, the school district will have met its obligation to advertise the sweep and search policy and associated procedure. Additional notices need not be given and actual times or dates of planned sweeps need not be released in advance.
2. The Superintendent or designee shall authorize the sweep. Immediately prior to the sweep, an announcement will be made for students and staff to ‘stay put’ in their classrooms while the sweep is taking place. Representatives from school administration shall accompany dogs and handlers while on school premises.
3. The Board shall be informed by the Superintendent of Schools that a sweep has taken place.
4. Parents shall be informed through the school’s mass communication system by the Superintendent of Schools that a sweep has taken place.
5. All school property which students have access to during the day, such as lockers, classrooms, parking areas and storage areas may be swept.
6. Individuals shall not be subjected to a search by dogs.
a. Dogs shall not be used in rooms occupied by persons except for demonstration purposes. The handler and representative from school administration will always be present with the dogs
b. When used for demonstration purposes, the dog may not sniff any student and/or staff.
7. Only the dog’s official handler will determine what constitutes an alert by the dog. If the dog alerts on a particular item or place, that locker or vehicle will be identified for later search. Upon completion of the sweep, the school administration will then search the identified property in the presence of a witness.
8. Searches that disclose evidence of misconduct shall result in disciplinary consequences in accordance with Board policy and may also result in referral to law enforcement agencies.
Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes
Policy adopted: March 15, 2016
New Jersey v T.L.O., 53 U.S.L.W. 4083 (1985)
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.
East Hampton High School
Email: everner@easthamptonct.org
Website: www.easthamptonps.org
Location: 15 North Maple Street, East Hampton, CT, USA
Phone: 860-365-4030
Twitter: @EH_CTPrincipal