The Panther Post

Good afternoon,

Happy New Year everyone! We were excited to welcome back our panthers into the building this week after the long winter break. We hope everyone had a great transition back to school. Just a reminder that our second quarter will conclude on Friday January 23rd. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teachers if you have any questions or concerns as we come to the final two weeks of our second quarter.

Best,

Christina & Emily

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!

Just a reminder - Wednesday, January 21st at 6pm, EHHS Principal Mr. Eric Verner invites all 8th grade parents to the East Hampton High School Auditorium, to review the course selection process students completed, how to view selected courses on PowerSchool, and how to request a change to a recommended class.

Mon. Jan. 12th - Board of Education Meeting, Town Hall, 6:30

Mon. Jan. 19th - MLK Day - No school

Tues. Jan. 20th - 23rd - Spirit Week

Wed. Jan. 21st - 8th Grade Parent Meeting

Fri. Jan. 23rd - End of Quarter 2

Mon. Jan. 26th - Students transition to Quarter 3 specials

Sun. Jan 25th - Volleyball Registration Closes

Mon. Jan 26th -Board of Education Meeting, Town Hall, 6:30

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. The Reading i-Ready assessment will begin next week on Tuesday, January 13th in all Social Studies classes. The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that help our team identify your child’s strengths and determine the next steps for instruction.

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 departments communicate directly with families regarding any additional services.

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.

Eighth-grade students kicked off their return from vacation by selecting independent reading books. Their new unit, Reading Literary Nonfiction, introduces students to this unique genre, which requires readers to apply strategies from both fiction and nonfiction. Throughout the unit, all eighth-grade students will participate in select read-alouds from the mentor text All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2025 Holiday Food Drive. We were able to donated baskets full of nonperishable good. Because of your contributions, our food pantry is better equipped to provide essential items and offer comfort and support to those facing food insecurity. Your generosity reflects the compassion and strength of our school community, and we are truly grateful for your willingness to help others.

Wednesday's advisory was focused on explaining to students our district’s 6-12 Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. The training will talk through the 3 steps- 1) Look for warning signs and threats, 2) Act immediately, take it seriously; 3) Say Something to a trusted adult or use its anonymous reporting system.

We encourage you to talk to your child about how important it is to Say Something and encourage them to share what they are learning. Not only will this conversation help you to recognize any signs in your own student’s expressions, but it also demonstrates to them that you take this subject seriously and can be one of the trusted adults they turn to if they suspect someone may need help.

The Sandy Hook Anonymous Reporting System will be available on the district and school website. Thank you for your continued partnership in collaborating to develop the skills to empower students to speak up for anyone in need.

Throughout the month of November into December, students explored empathy during advisory lessons by discussing perspectives, practicing active listening, and reflecting on how their actions impact others. Throughout the week, all homeroom teacher were provided with an empathy jar. Staff and students were to submit the name of someone they saw showing empathy to someone else. We will collect all the hearts to see how much empathy we have shown to one another throughout the week back!

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!

Positive Office Referrals

Ivy O'Brien, Issac Chase & David Steuerwald

JAN 12 - JAN 16 (subject to change)

Reminder: dismissal forms (found under links in Parentsquare) should be submitted 24 hours in advance.

For all parents and spectators who plan on attending a game. If our bus lines are not dismissed, parents/spectators will be asked to wait outside until the gym is cleared. All games start at 3:30 pm, unless Beman at 4 pm.

No food, drinks or beverages allowed in our gym!

MONDAY, JAN 12

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

Griswold boys basketball at East Hampton MS, 3:30 pm game.

No Cheer Leading

TUESDAY, JAN 13

Girls Basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Boys Study Hall 2:35 until 4:15 pm in room 21

Boys Basketball 4:30 until 6 pm

Cheer Leading 2:35 until 4:30 pm

WEDNESDAY, JAN 14

Girls Basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Boys Study Hall 2:35 until 4:15 pm in room 21

Boys Basketball 4:30 until 6 pm

Cheer Leading 2:35 until 4:30 pm

THURSDAY, JAN 15

No Girls Basketball

No Boys Basketball

No Cheer Leading

FRIDAY, JAN 16

East Hampton boys basketball at Portland MS, 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:45 pm game.

Portland girls basketball at East Hampton MS, 3:30 pm game.

Note: Team Picture!

Cheer Leading attending game

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

• 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!

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.

Did you know?

Community Health Care, Inc. is a part of the East Hampton Middle School success team!

Enrollment is open NOW for mental health services through the School-Based Health Center. Our licensed clinical social worker can support youth by addressing issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, peer conflict, family conflict, grief and loss, emotional regulation, increasing school engagement and other childhood challenges.

Click here: https://www.sbhc1.com/enroll/

Why choose SBHC?

Convenient same day appointment

Removes barriers to care such as lack of transportation

Decreases time away from the classroom which improves academic success

Improves student's achievement by taking care of behavioral health needs that can make learning difficult

For more information, email DeFranL@ch1.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