Good afternoon Panther Families,

We are so proud of all our students for their work and engagement on their iReady math diagnostics. Next week, students will be working on their Reading mid-year assessment. More information on the assessment can be found in this Panther Post issue.

Best,

Christina & Emily

• January 16th - Martin Luther King Day - No School
• January 17th - Math counts 2:35-3:30, Drama Rehearsal 2:35-3:30
• January 18th - Band and Chorus Winter Concert, EHMS Art Club 2:40-3:30
• January 19th - Yearbook Club 2:35-3:30
• January 20th - 2nd Quarter Ends, Intramurals 7:00-7:45am, Drama 2:35-5:00
• January 27th - Early Release for Students at 12:35 - Teacher Professional Development

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.

Below is access to team's January newsletters. Don't forget to check out Team Amethyst's newsletter. This is our specials and P.E. team. Team Leaders will be sending out their December newsletters through Parentsquare.

Enjoy!

Highlighted is one of our 6th graders, Landon Lord, who has been rewarded a Positive Office Referral for showcasing Respect, Responsibility and Pride last week!

In 6th grade Social Studies class students learned about Egyptian Mythology. They were assigned an Egyptian god to research and learn about. After individual research, students became experts in their groups to create Egyptian God Body Biography Posters. Each student was given a piece of the poster to complete, and they put it together to create the masterpieces you see here!

The morning math minute was a success! Students were able to warm up their Math brain before they tried their personal best on the iReady math diagnostic. Thank you, students, for your hard work and perseverance!

Ms. Seeley leads her 8th grade students in a class discussion on the book Hidden Figures for the current ELA unit, Literary Nonfiction and Investigative Journalism. Students will be reading and analyzing parts of Hidden Figures, which will serve as the mentor text for the unit. They will then apply their skills and strategies to a literary nonfiction text of their choice.

We explained to the students during rehearsal that crew would not be needed until mid-February at the earliest. As we grow closer to that time, we will make sure to post the exact date we want them to start attending rehearsals.

As for the cast, Mrs. Rahusen or Mrs. Werme will post who we need for the following week via Parentsquare and Google Classroom before the following week begins. Assume that if you are in the cast, you will be needed every rehearsal.

**You can click on the flyer to the right to access the schedule for the remainder of the year. (Schedule is subject to change) Rehearsals will immediately follow the school day and meet either in the library or music room (students will be made aware of location). Be sure to send your child with a water bottle, pencil, snacks, and their script.

We are so excited to get started!

We are looking forward to our band and chorus students performing at our EHMS Winter Concert. Please see the invitation below for specifics!

-Band and Chorus students should arrive at East Hampton High School at 6:00pm with Concert Attire

-Mr. Shilansky and Mrs. Rahusen have asked students to wear blue, white or black if needed.

- For example, students can wear a white polo or dress shirt with blue/black pants/jeans or a solid blue shirt or sweater with khaki pants/blue/black jeans/pants. If there are any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mr. Shilansky or Mrs. Rahusen.

-Reminder that our snow date will be Thursday January 19th

iReady Diagnostic

Each year the East Hampton Public Schools administers the i-Ready Diagnostic in Reading and Math in the fall, winter, and spring to monitor student growth and performance. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. These results are reviewed as one data point amongst other assessments, observations and data regarding student performance. The assessment is integrated into your child’s day as part of their academic learning and is paced to ensure that they work on the assessment in small chunks of time. The implementation of this assessment is completed in accordance with Connecticut State Department of Education guidelines. I-Ready will continue on Tuesday January 17 in all ELA classes. The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that help our team identify your child’s strengths and determine next steps for instruction.

Math and Literacy Intervention Services

The East Hampton Public Schools uses assessment data to measure student growth and skill development in both math and literacy. Through these universal assessments, the reading and math department identifies students who may need additional tiers of support to demonstrate grade level skill attainment. Once our winter assessments are completed, we will review student needs to determine changes to services or groupings of students. The reading and math department communicates directly with families regarding any additional services.

What can I do to help?

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:

• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
• Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
• Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they
• will only get about half of the questions correct.
• Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish
• Students should come to school with their earbuds and a fully charged chromebook.

We're so excited to be ramping up the Ski and Snowboarding Club! If you are interested in joining the Ski and Snowboarding Club please join the Ski and Snowboarding Club Group on Parent Square. All information will be posted on the group page. Thank you!

We will be running things just as we did last year.

• Family members Grades 2 and older will be able to join at the club rates!
• There will be no bus to and from the school; students and their families will be responsible for providing their own transportation. The school will leave it to parent/guardian discretion as to how their child and equipment (which cannot be stored at the school) get to and from the mountain each week.
• Arrive at the mountain at 3:15 PM, depart from the mountain at 7:30 PM

The dates we have booked are:

Thursday, 1/19

Thursday, 1/26

Thursday, 2/16

Thursday, 2/23

Pricing per person for the 4 passes varies depending on which package you choose:

Lift Ticket $140

Lift and Lesson $192

Lift and Rental Equipment $212

Lift, Lesson and Rental Equipment $252

While there are no refunds for missed days, Mount Southington will let you trade your lift ticket in for a different day later this season or the following one.

Just a reminder that we continue to offer before school intramurals. Intramurals will run on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. These sessions will be held on Fridays from 7:00 - 7:45 in the gym. Depending on the weather and space available, activities will include basketball, flag football, kickball, and wiffle ball. (1/20/2023 is the next session)

If your child is interested in participating, please email Mr. Sullivan at psullivan@easthamptonct.org or through Parentsquare.

Just a reminder that we continue to run Homework Club. Students can join at any point. Facilitated by a staff member, students who are interested can stay after school until 4:00 to have a quiet, structured space to work on school work. There will be times that we collaborate with the high school and students from Interact come to help assist students. The next Homework Club session is Tuesday, January 24th and the club will run every other Tuesday after that. If you are interested in your child participating, please complete the following google form. If there are any questions, please contact our main office.

With the new year comes time to prepare our 8th graders for their milestone transition to high school. Please see the attached letter, also shared through Parentsquare, that speaks to specifics occurring during February as we begin to prepare our students for their transition to East Hampton High School.

The PTO is busy planning upcoming events at EHMS!!

Please join us at our next meeting on Wednesday, February 8th at 5:30pm in the EHMS office conference room.

We will discuss:

- Munson’s Chocolates fundraiser

- Restaurant events

- Panther Prowl planning (the largest fundraiser for our school)!

Come to listen and learn about the PTO or share ideas for future events and fundraisers.

We’d love to meet you!

My name is Megan Donnelly, LCSW, and I am the School-Based Behavioral Health Clinician from the Community Health Center (CHC), and work at the East Hampton Middle and High Schools. I wanted to share a little bit about myself with the East Hampton Community.

I earned my BSW at Eastern Connecticut State University, and my MSW at UCONN School of Social Work. I am a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Connecticut. I joined CHC in December 2022. Previously, I worked for a School-Based Health Center through Hartford Healthcare for 9.5 years. In this position I was stationed at a magnet school in North Windham that served Kindergarten-8th grade students and serviced over 30 local area towns. Prior to that position, I was a Clinical Care Coordinator at a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Clinic in Vernon for 3 years. My clinical work focuses on using play therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and trauma-focused intervention with children, adolescents, and families. I also have extensive experience in facilitating groups on topics such as trauma, social skills, impulse control, anxiety, anger, and substance abuse.

I am happy to be a part of the East Hampton community and look forward to supporting the students and families in the district.

Thank you!

Megan

*please visit SBCH2.com for enrollment information and forms.

A reminder that the following email addresses can be used by parents to report and document their approval of an absence:

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 child for the first 9 absences. After your student has more than 9 absences, additional documentation or communication is required to excuse the absence. However, please continue to use the email designated for your child's school to continue to notify the school that your child will be absent. You may call your child’s school at any time to report an absence but please make sure to follow up a phone call with a note or email to the attendance email.

Send the library a photo of you reading over break. Let’s fill in the collage wall with lots of great places to read. Send it to Ms. Fielding at cfielding@easthamptonct.org.

Message from Nurse Hafele:

We are working on creating a collage of pets for the health office. Please send in a picture of your pet to add to our wall! Any and all pets welcome! Please hand in to Mrs. Hafele.

Now that Winter is upon us and the germs are starting to get a little too comfortable, let’s review the below guidelines.
Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if he or she has any of the following symptoms:

• Very stuffy or runny nose and/or cough
• Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep)
• Mild headache and/or stomachache
• Fatigue

Definitely keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any of these symptoms:

• Fever (greater than 100 degrees. May return to school after 24 hours of no fever WITHOUT fever reducing medications)
• Vomiting (Even once. Must wait 24 hours after last vomit episode to return to school)
• Diarrhea (Must wait 24 hours after last episode to return to school)
• Chills
• General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness, and/or muscle aches
• Frequent congested, wet, or croupy cough
• Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose

To help prevent the flu and other colds, please remind your child(ren) about good hygiene habits:

• Wash hands frequently
• Do not touch eyes, nose, or mouth
• Cover mouth and nose when sneezing/coughing and then wash hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick

Helpful resources:
Please contact your child’s pediatrician first. If unable to be seen, here is a list of
local walk in/urgent care locations if unable to be seen by pediatrician:
CVS Minute Clinic, East Hampton 866-389-2727
ProHealth Extended Hours, Glastonbury 657-5940
Middlesex Health Urgent Care, Middletown 860-358-4170
Colchester Urgent Care 860-531-9749

If at any point you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at khafele@easthamptonct.org or call the school office at 860-365-4060.

Thank you!

Mrs. Hafele

EAST HAMPTON MS ATHLETICS SCHEDULE

JAN 16 - JAN 20 (subject to change)

MONDAY, JAN 16

No School!

TUESDAY, JAN 17

East Hampton girls basketball at RHAM MS, 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 pm game.

RHAM boys basketball at EHMS, 3:30 pm game.

Monitors: Head Cyndi B and Assistant Carol Ann E

Cheer Leading attending game

WEDNESDAY, JAN 18

Girls Basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Boys Basketball study hall 2:35 until 4:15 pm

Boys Basketball 4:15 until 6 pm

Cheer Leading practice 2:35 until 4:30 pm

THURSDAY, JAN 19

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

Griswold boys basketball at EHMS, 3:30 pm game.

Monitors: Jarrett D and Maria S

Cheer Leading practice 2:35 until 4:30 pm

FRIDAY, JAN 20

No Girls Basketball

No Boys Basketball

No Cheer Leading

SATURDAY, JAN 20

Cheer competition-Coach to provide families with more information!

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.

EH Little League Registration is now open. Please follow the link to register. Registration is open until February 12th.

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