Good afternoon,

We had a great week celebrating Start with Hello! Below you will see pictures from the various activities this week that were planed by our Panther Ambassadors, our Save Promise Club here at East Hampton Middle School.

We look forward to seeing everyone this afternoon at Pantherfest! Within the post are just reminders for the event.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Mon., Sep. 25th: Board of Education Meeting at 6:30

Fri., Sep. 29th: Memorial School PTO Jog-a-thon

Mon., Oct. 2nd: Board of Education Meeting at 6:30

Fri., Oct. 6th: No School - Professional Development for Teachers

Sat., Oct 7th: Benny Fund 5K Race & Fun Run 9:00 Sears Park

Mon., Oct 9th: No School - Columbus Day

Picture Day - October 12th - more information within this post!

Picture day for all grade levels will be held on October 12th. Specifics will be shared on Parentsquare. Please see the flyer below with some details.

At the end of each month Team Leaders will share an update on current happenings throughout the team. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child's Team Leader. Contact information is within each newsletter. Please enjoy our "Meet the Teachers" addition for each grade level team! Click on a grade level to view!

We also have a welcome from our Unified Arts team. The Unified Arts team consists of our specials, P.E., T.I. and World Language teachers.

Enjoy!

For students who will be staying after school Friday to attend Pantherfest, below are expectations. We will be reviewing these expectations with students.

We are excited to be holding Pantherfest this year! Pantherfest is an opportunity for our Cross Country and Soccer teams to compete with several of our neighboring school districts. Our EHMS PTO helps in supporting the event and hosting a concession stand where snacks and drinks may be purchased. The PTO will also be selling Pantherfest t-shirts!

We wanted to take this opportunity to remind students and families of expectations in order to ensure safety for our students and visiting athletes. We will be reviewing these expectations with students who are choosing to attend after school.

Pantherfest will be held on Friday September 22nd with the first Soccer event taking place at 3:00. Middle school students who wish to attend Pantherfest must have verbal parent permission ahead of time to stay after school; no note is needed. Please make a plan with your child on attending the event prior to Friday. We welcome any parents to attend with their children as this is a EHMS community event. As with student attendance for any middle school sporting event, families do not need to notify the school if their child will attend. Students should have been present at school. Cross Country races and Soccer games will take place throughout the afternoon. As this is a middle school event, former students may only attend if accompanied by a parent.

At the end of the day, all students who are attending will report to homeroom. We are asking that students leave their chromebooks in their lockers so they are not left in backpacks on the field. Students will be storing their backpacks near the bleachers at the field while they are at Pantherfest. At homeroom, they will receive a colored wristband in order for us to identify our students at Pantherfest. Parents are welcome to attend the duration of the event.

Parents should plan on picking students up at 6:00 or plan on accompanying their child to watch the remaining soccer games. The event will end at 9:00pm and the concession stand will end at 7:00pm.

The following is our expectations for students who are at the event:

• Polite behavior, appreciation and attention to the athletic games
• We ask that students do not bring bikes, soccer balls, Frisbees, football or any extracurricular activities to the event.
• The building will not be open for use. There will be lavatory facilities outside for use.
• Students should remain in the areas of the concession, lavatory when needed, and spectator areas.

As always, we want to ensure safety for all our student athletes and spectators. We greatly appreciate your support! Please see the schedule of athletic events attached as well as a menu for the cost of items being sold.

EAST HAMPTON MS ATHLETIC SCHEDULE SEPT 25 - SEPT 29 (subject to change)

MONDAY, SEPT 25

Cross Country 2:35 until 4 pm

Girls Soccer 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Boys Soccer 2:35 until 4:30 pm

TUESDAY, SEPT 26

East Hampton cross country at McGee MS (Berlin), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus.

Site: Pistol Creek Golf Course

Note: Girls run first

Cromwell soccer at East Hampton, 3:30 pm game.

Boys soccer at East Hampton High School, shuttle at 2:50 pm

Girls soccer at East Hampton Middle School (Note: team picture before the game)

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 27

Cross Country 2:35 until 4 pm

Girls Soccer 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Boys Soccer 2:35 until 4:30 pm

THURSDAY, SEPT 28

RHAM cross country at EHMS

Note: Girls run first

East Hampton soccer at Griswold MS (Rocky Hill), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 pm game.

Boys at Sunnycrest Park

Girls at Griswold MS

FRIDAY, SEPT 29

East Hampton boys soccer at William Johnston MS (Colchester), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 game.

Note: East Field

East Hampton girls soccer at Portland MS, 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 game.

Many students and families have been inquiring the start of our clubs and activities. As we get each club up and running, it will be shared with families in our Panther Posts and Parentsquares. Students also will receive sign up information for any club during our Good Morning EHMS morning announcements. We hope all our students will sign up to participate in one or more of our various activities this school year!

Below is a link to our "Activities Offered" page of our East Hampton Middle School website. Within is a list of all our clubs and further details.

Homework Club is starting up again with Mrs. Bloch. Homework Club will be held every Wednesday from after school until 4:30 starting on September 27th. We ask that parents arrive promptly at 4:30 for pick up.

Homework Club is an opportunity for students to have a structured quiet space to work on assignments. A staff member is there to support if needed. There will be opportunities that students from the high school come down to help students with their assignments if needed.

If there are any questions, please contact our main office. If you are interested in your child participating, please fill the following form.

The EHMS Jazz Band meets on Mondays after school from 2:35-3:15pm in the EHMS Music Room. The EHMS Jazz Band has its first practice on Monday September 25. The EHMS Jazz Band is open to any EHMS Band student that is interested in playing fun and challenging music.

Robotics/Coding Club is open to all students! Mr. Briggs, the advisor, will be holding this club twice a month beginning Wednesday September 27th. The club will run after school until 3:30. There is no sign up! Any students interested can report to Mr. Briggs classroom after school.

The morning math is back! Students have the opportunity to engage in a fun math problem when they come into school to get their brains ready to work for the day!

Our Panther Ambassadors, along with their advisors Mrs. Mercaldi and Mrs. Vasquez, worked to create activities throughout the week to celebrate Start with Hello Week. We started by our Panther Ambassadors, along with our therapy dog Colby, welcomes all our students as they entered back to school on Monday morning!

On Wednesday, advisory groups created Start with Hello Posters. Next week, prizes will be given for the best homeroom poster!

More great photos of our activities will be shared in the next post!

Last week eighth graders in Mrs. Berube's science classes participated in the Metric Olympic games. They practiced estimating and measuring length, mass, and volume using the metric system. The medalists of the Olympic games were the students whose estimations were most accurate to the actual measurements. Events included the cotton ball shot put, paper plate discus, straw javelin, sponge squeeze for measuring volume and marble grab for measuring mass.

Breakfast:

Just a reminder that school breakfast is free for ALL students this year. Students can pick up a breakfast of their choice in the cafeteria when they arrive at school and take it with them to their classroom! There is a hot option every day, so if your student doesn’t have time to eat at home or enjoys eating breakfast at school, have them stop in the café in the mornings! All breakfasts contain a whole grain and/or a lean protein, a selection of fruits, and a choice of low fat or fat free milk.

Lunch They’ll Love to Munch:

We offered taste tests of our brand-new Pollo Guisado this Tuesday, and most kids loved it! In keeping with our global theme, Monday we are offering buttery cheese pierogis – which are dumplings filled with potatoes and cheese, usually associated with Poland, but also found all over Central and Eastern Europe. Of course, ours are whole-grain rich, as is the cookie we are serving for dessert – but don’t tell your kids! Both of these items are so delicious they’ll never know it’s good for them!

In order to promote strong attendance habits and maximize learning, the East Hampton schools urge all parents to make sure that their children attend every day unless they are ill. Teachers work to pace instruction on a uniform schedule, so good attendance really matters in every child’s learning. As a result, parents should expect strong connection between success in school and good attendance. This year, as we continue with the second year of

new programming in grades K-5 math and implement new math programming in grades 6-7, please note that attendance matters!

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.

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 address for EHMS (EHMS_Attendance@easthamptonct.org) can be used by parents to report and document their approval of an absence. Below are links to each school's email address:

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

Memorial_Attendance@easthamptonct.org

Center_Attendance@easthamptonct.org

EHMS_Attendance@easthamptonct.org

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.

Unfortunately, it is that time of year when the germs are going to be making their way around! Let’s work together to stay healthy. Below are a few reminders.

Illness: A fever is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. A student will be sent home and may not return the next day if they have a fever while in school. They may return to school if they have been fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT fever reducing medications.

· COVID: Currently, there are no changes to the districts policy for guidelines. We recommend a student be out of school for 5 days from start of symptoms. Please provide a physician note to the office as this is needed for attendance purposes.

· Students may bring their own supply of cough drops to use throughout the school day. They may carry them with their belongings but may NOT share with others due to allergies throughout the building.

Medications: Every medication that is brought into school requires a “Medication Authorization” form to be signed by the student’s doctor and parent/guardian. Please use a large ziplock bag for the medication plus the medication order and label the bag with your child’s name before dropping off. Any controlled medications will need to be counted and signed off with the RN and parent so please allow for a few extra minutes at drop off.

**Beginning in 6th grade, your student may carry their own inhalers and EpiPens, IF approved by physician, parent, and nurse**

Health Concerns: If you have any specific concerns that arise during the school year (such as stitches, concussions, broken bones, etc.) it is best that you send in a doctor’s note with dates and guidelines, so we can all be on the same page.

**Please remind your students to bring in their water bottles. Hydration is important!**

As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. Email is best and is below for your reference.

Regards,

Nurse Krystle

Krystle Hafele, BSN,RN

School Nurse

East Hampton Middle School

Office: 860-365-4060

Fax: 860-365-4064

Khafele@easthamptonct.org

If your child is having any Chromebook or technology issues please click on the link below to do some troubleshooting: EHMS TroubleShooting Tips

If the troubleshooting doesn't work click on the link below to submit an IT work ticket:

Chromebook Trouble Ticket

Please encourage your child to take pride and care in their device. Below is a video to review the proper care of Chromebooks with your child.

We understand that often families are seeking assistance in supporting their children through outside counseling or therapy. We are proud to have partnered with School Based Health in order to be able to provide those services within the school. Megan Donnelly is our School Based Health Center Counselor here at East Hampton Middle School who is here 5 days a week. More information is below include a link to their website. Feel free to call the main office if you would like to speak with Megan.

Hawks football season is in session and we would like to cheer on our student athletes! Below are some upcoming events:

Sunday September 24th - Hawk's game vs. Rocky Hill at Rocky Hill High School (Squad B at 9:00 and Squad A at 11:00)

We are looking for volunteers to help sell raffle tickets from 5p -8p.

Please sign up with the sign up genius link.

Contact us at ehhsctprojgrad@gmail.com

Thanks in advance

EHHS Project Graduation Committee

@EHHSProjectGraduation

www.EHHSprojectgraduation.com

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