Good afternoon,

Just a reminder - there will be no school for students on Friday, February 14th, due to teacher Professional Development. Additionally, school will be closed on Monday, February 17th, and Tuesday, February 18th, for February recess. Wishing everyone a fantastic long weekend!

Best,

Christina & Emily

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

Wed. Feb 12th - EHMS PTO Meeting 5:30

Fri. Feb 14th - No School Teacher Professional Development

Mon. Feb 17th - Feb 18th - No School

Below are students who have received Positive Office Referrals for their behaviors that have exemplified our PBIS pillars of Respect, Responsibility, Compassion and Pride. Students were able to choose a reward from our menu of options like eating outside with friends or prizes that we have. Great job!

6th Graders

David Steuerwald, Skyler Lafountain, Alexa Baer, Walker Briere, Cecelia Guest, Aubrey Embacher

7th Graders

Nolan Hilton & Aubree Dunnells

Throughout the month of February, there will be multiple opportunities for your child to learn about East Hampton High School and receive support in scheduling. On Tuesday, February 11th, members of the EHHS Counseling Team came to introduce themselves to our 8th graders and provide a brief overview of the scheduling process and courses available. Our 8th graders will visited the high school on February 12 & 13th where they will get a tour of the building, learned about the classes and electives available for them and were introduced to the graduation requirements.

During Specials classes on February 24th - February 25th, students will be assisted with selecting classes on PowerSchool with the support of our guidance counselors and the East Hampton High School guidance team. Further information will be sent through Parentsquare.

EHHS Music is traveling to Disney in April 2026! We’re holding an online meeting on 2/20 at 6pm. Come join us to find out about the trip, including how to sign up. The deadline for signups is February 28th!

Disney Kickoff Meeting

Thursday, February 20 · 6:00 – 7:00pm

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/rfw-eyvn-bpq

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 980-552-1273 PIN: ‪203 945 210#

Students must sign up for the trip no later than February 28th.

The first deposit of $100 will be due by March 14th.

Our EHMS Unified Sports team had a basketball game this week at Smith Middle School. All our athletes did a great job and had fun on the court!

February is Heart Health Month, a time to raise awareness about cardiovascular health and encourage healthy habits for students, families, and staff. A strong heart leads to a healthier life, and small changes can make a big difference! We are continuing with our movement challenge to keep our hearts healthy and strong! PE & Homeroom Teachers will provide students with the attached document for students to track their movement each week. We will keep track of our progress and the winning homerooms with the most movement in the month will receive a prize along with PBIS points for their grade-level. Below is a pdf of the tracking sheet for students.

This week in Advisory, groups explored the significance of heart health and designed an informational poster highlighting key ways to keep the heart healthy, including physical activity, nutritious eating, quality sleep, and stress management.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our EHMS PTO for their generosity in providing a free team-colored t-shirt for every student in the school. On Thursday, we hosted another exciting PBIS Pep Rally, featuring a highly anticipated staff versus student basketball game—where the student athletes emerged victorious! The game was a thrilling match, with our Cheerleading Team delivering an outstanding halftime performance and additional fun activities, like sweeping a potato across the gym. Everyone had an amazing time!

Throughout Spirit Week, students enjoyed various activities, including a special Wednesday event where those who discovered a hidden heart in their classroom earned a prize from the office. It was a fantastic week filled with school spirit and community fun!

We will be continuing our implementation of a valuable program. Over two decades of research has helped us understand the important role social and emotional skills play in each child’s success in school, in the community, and, eventually, in higher education and the workplace. Skills such as demonstrating self-control, persisting at challenging tasks, making good decisions, and working well in groups are all necessary to being successful students and adults. To support our students in developing these skills that will help them become successful and responsible adults, we will be implementing a life skills program throughout the school district.

As part of this program, our teachers will be using a tool called the DESSA. This tool asks trained teachers to assess how often a student has demonstrated specific life skills in the past month. The DESSA is sponsored by the Connecticut State Department of Education and is completed three times a year by a teacher who works with your student on a regular basis. Teachers will be completing the second rating in February.

Sample DESSA questions include:

• How often did the child keep trying when unsuccessful?
• How often did the child offer to help somebody?
• How often did the child get things done in a timely fashion?
• How often did the child work well in groups?

Based on this rating students may be identified as in need of instruction, demonstrating typical competencies or having certain strengths by competency. This information would be used to design learning opportunities to support or further skill development. If a student is in need of instruction, the teacher would also be asked to complete a longer survey for additional detail.

The purpose of the DESSA is to identify which life skills your child has already learned and what skills they might still need to develop. Once our teachers identify the skills their students still need to learn, they will teach those skills using the Second Step curriculum through our Advisory groups. Our goal is to ensure that your child is continuously developing the skills they need for lifelong success.

While the DESSA is just one component of our program this year, we want to make sure that you are informed of our use of this instructional tool. We believe that the information gathered from the DESSA will be beneficial to your child’s overall success both inside and outside of the classroom.

To view additional information about the DESSA, the privacy policy, or the parent portal, visit https://info.apertureed.com/parent-portal.

If you would like your child to OPT-OUT of this assessment, please contact Christina Amaral through the main office at 860-365-4060 or by email at camaral@easthamptonct.org to discuss your concerns.

FEB 17 - FEB 21 (subject to change)

MONDAY, FEB 17

NO SCHOOL

TUESDAY, FEB 18

NO SCHOOL

WEDNESDAY, FEB 19

East Hampton girls volleyball (Pacesetters/Producers) at McGee MS (Berlin), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus. Berlin boys volleyball at EHMS

THURSDAY, FEB 20

East Hampton boys volleyball at Cromwell MS, 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus.

Cromwell girls volleyball at EHMS (Panthers/Pride)

FRIDAY, FEB 21

Girls volleyball 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Boys study hall 2:35 until 4 pm in room 29

Boys volleyball 4:15 until 5:30 pm

During the month of March the school nurse will be conducting a postural screening program for grade 7 female students and grade 8 male students. This postural screening program is required by the State of Connecticut. The purpose of this program is to recognize the signs of spinal curvature at its earliest stages so that the need for treatment can be determined.
If students already have documentation of a current postural screening by their doctor, they will not be reassessed.

Specifically, scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine. In its early years, it is painless and develops gradually, especially during the years of rapid adolescent growth. Kyphosis, sometimes called round back, is an exaggerated forward bend of the spine and is often confused with poor posture. Many cases of curvature of the spine are mild and require only on-going observation by a doctor after first diagnosis. Others get progressively more severe as the child grows and require active treatment. Early treatment can prevent the development of a severe deformity which can affect a person’s appearance and health.

The postural screenings will be done by the school nurse. The procedure for examination is a simple one, requiring less than one minute. Students are asked to remove their shirt in privacy and then, with their back facing the nurse, lean over to touch their toes. (Girls are encouraged to wear bras or swimsuit tops. They will be reminded prior to the screening). The nurse will then assess the spine for any type of curvature. If a spinal abnormality is suspected, the parents will be notified of the findings and will be asked to seek further evaluation from their own physician.

You may choose to OPT OUT. Just send an email (listed below) to let the nurse know.

If you have any questions concerning the postural screening, please contact the school nurse.
Thank you!
Melanie King RN, BSN
East Hampton Middle School Nurse
mking@easthamptonct.org
860-365-4060 Ext 5

SAVE THE DATE!

EHMS PTO will be hosting a Comedy Night on Saturday March 29th at Rule of 3! We hope to see everyone there.

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.

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.

The East Hampton Board of Education and the school community as a whole promote a secure and productive school climate, conducive to teaching and learning that is free from threat, harassment, any type of bullying behavior, and teen dating violence. Therefore it shall be the policy of the Board that bullying and/or teen dating violence committed against a student by another student is prohibited. The Board believes that a school environment in which students feel safe, supported, engaged and helpfully challenged is optimal for learning and healthy development. The Board seeks an environment in which students and adults feel socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically safe; an environment that is free of harassment, intimidation, teen dating violence and bullying. Our website provides links to various policies and reporting forms including our Safe School Climate Plan. Hard copies are also available in our main office. If at any point you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to building administration for further assistance.

Happy New Year! Did you resolve to be more on top of your and your child’s health this year? Here’s an easy solution: Sign your child up for School-Based Health Care. Your child’s school works with Community Health Center, Inc.’s School-Based Health Care program to provide health services to your child during the school day. This means they won’t miss as much class and you don’t need to miss work to support their health care needs. Learn more about the services offered at your child’s school and enroll today at SBHC1.com!

The attached bulletins below were developed through a collaborative effort among the Department of Children and Families, the Department Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Office of Child Advocate, the Department of Public Health, the State Department of Education, and the Governor's Office. The content includes information on suicide, helpful tips to support people of all ages, and where to go for additional support and resources.

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