The Panther Post

Good afternoon,

Fall Parent Conferences will be held on Wednesday, November 12 and Thursday, November 13. Families will receive an email via Parent Square from each of their child's individual teachers to sign up for a 5 minute time slot for each class. E-mails and information regarding Parent Teacher Conferences will be sent out to families at 5:00 P.M. on October 30th. Conference sign-ups will close at 3:00 P.M on November 7th. You may sign up to meet with one, a few, or all of your child’s teachers. Parent conferences are optional, but we welcome all families who would like to meet with their child’s teachers.

For planning purposes, If you do not plan to attend conferences this Fall, please fill out the google form (https://forms.gle/PQ5TFz5vtTu1q1AW6) to specify you will not be participating. Due to scheduling and the necessary preparation required for conferences, teachers will not be able to accommodate “Drop-Ins” during Parent Conferences.

As always, whenever a concern arises, please reach out to your child's Team Leader. The following are the contacts per grade level:

Team 6 contact: Ms. McCabe - tmccabe@easthamptonct.org

Team 7 contact: Mrs. Luukko - kcates@easthamptonct.org

Team 8 contact: Mrs. Berube - mberube@easthamptonct.org

We can accommodate a team meeting at any point of they year to ensure we are best supporting your child and family. A reminder that the end of our first quarter will be Friday October 31st. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Emily or myself.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Mon. Oct 27th - Board of Education Meeting, Town Hall, 6:30pm

Thurs. Oct 30th - Retake Picture Day!

Tues. Nov 4th - Staff Professional Development - No school

Wed. Nov 12th - Early Release for students due to parent conferences

Thurs. Nov 13th - Early Release for students due to parent conferences

Wed. Nov 26th - Early Release for students

Thurs Nov 27th - 28th - Thanksgiving Recess

We just wanted to take an opportunity to give a reminder that as you exit the middle school, please make sure to fully stop at the stop sign and use caution as you turn left onto Childs Road. Cars traveling down Childs Road, at times, continue down the road past the school rather than turning into the school. We appreciate everyone’s attention to ensure safety for all.

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!

8th Graders

Keyliz Cardona, Ava Kosek & Nolan Hilton

Seventh-grade students are wrapping up their first reading unit of the year with a creative project: designing custom water bottle stickers that capture the essence of the main character from their author study novel. To craft their designs, students must analyze key literary elements such as character traits, settings, symbols, and motivations, using visuals to reflect deeper understanding. As they transition into the next writing unit, students will continue reading novels by their chosen authors and will be writing their own companion books.

Our eighth grader Pre-Algebra students are working in Unit 2, where they are exploring dilations and how shapes can grow or shrink while keeping their same shape. Students are learning to describe and create dilations using a scale factor and a center of dilation. They are also discovering how dilations connect to the idea of similar figures. These concepts help build a strong foundation for proportional reasoning and future geometry work.

Four middle schools from districts along the Connecticut River will be partnered for a joint investigation of the watershed they share. Students from partnering schools will be established to conduct experiments in the classroom, in the laboratory, on the shore, and aboard their EnviroLab research vessel. Students will collect, handle, and study a wide variety of marine and aquatic organisms, study the behavior of eagles and seals in their natural habitats, and use sophisticated oceanographic technology to measure water quality in the Connecticut River. Students will practice critical thinking and communication skills within their work in the program. We are able to provide this opportunity to 25 students from each participating school and this week was our first trip!

For this week's PBIS mini-event, students were to guess how many candy corns are in the jar. To submit a guess, students were to complete a google form. Winners will be announced next week and earn grade level PBIS points!

Oct 27 - 31 (subject to change)

Sunday, Oct 26 Deadline for Winter Athletics

MONDAY, OCT 29

No Athletics

TUESDAY, OCT 28

No Athletics

WEDNESDAY, OCT 29

No Athletics

THURSDAY, OCT 30

Winter information sheets to go out via Parentsquare.

FRIDAY, OCT 31

No Athletics

Thank you to all our Fall coaches and athlete's for a fantastic season! We look forward to the end of the season for soccer with their evening games tonight!

The cross country teams ran in their final race of the season at the conference championship. Both teams were very competitive and should be very proud. For the girls, Emily Stiles finished in 9th place out of 149 girl runners and earned her medal. For the boys, Tommy Kellogg finished in 2nd place out of 135 boy runners and earned his medal. Congratulations to all the 8th grader runners. We will miss you next year and best of luck as you move onto high school cross country.

📅 Mark Your Calendars!
All EHMS PTO meetings are held in the Middle School Library at 5:30 PM.

🗓️ Upcoming Meeting Dates:

• November 6
• December 11
• January 15
• February 3
• March 3
• April 7
• April 29
• May 14
• June 2

✨ All parents and guardians are welcome — join us to stay involved and help make a difference at EHMS!

🎉 FAMILY BINGO NIGHT! 🎉

📅 Wednesday December 3rd
🕕 6:00 PM
📍 EHMS Commons

The EHMS PTO is hosting a fun-filled Family Bingo Night — open to all! ​We’re currently seeking Bingo prize donations to make the night extra exciting.
🎁 Suggested prizes include:

• Gift cards (any amount!)
• Family-friendly items like board games, puzzles, movie night bundles, theme baskets or small treats

💡 Bonus: Each donation earns you an extra Bingo card at the event!

Donations can be mailed or dropped off at:
East Hampton Middle School
19 Childs Rd, East Hampton, CT
📦 Please mark items for “PTO.”

Let’s make this a super fun, family-friendly community event!
Thank you for supporting EHMS PTO 💙🐾

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

East Hampton High School hosts veterans for a breakfast and assembly. The Veterans Day Committee would like to spread news of our fundraiser and assembly to local veterans . Most of all proceeds will go to the VFW. Below is the flyer!

RSVP form for breakfast and assembly: https://forms.gle/vp2wCbtRhE2U8Due8

Field of Flags Purchase: https://forms.gle/DyzDASNUYtedQQZT8

Bellringers in Service Photo Gallery Submission: https://forms.gle/hJogbWUQK1hjqEDHA

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