Good afternoon,

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who supported our EHMS PTO fundraiser-the Panther Prowl! It was an afternoon filled with fun and friendly competition. It is not over yet! Every dollar raised over the weekend will count as a PBIS point for your grade level. The grade with the most points by the end of the year will earn the ultimate prize-the final event of the year! It’s a tight race, and it’s still anyone’s game. We can’t wait to see which grade will come out on top!

Best,

Christina & Emily

Tues. May 20th - EHMS PTO Meeting at 5:30 Library

Wed. May 21st - 8th Grade Capstone Convention 5:30 - 7:30

Fri. May 23rd - Early Release for Students - Teacher Professional Development

Fri. May 30th - Festival of Flight for 6th Grade

Thu. June 5th - 8th Grade Step Up Ceremony

Thu. June 5th - 8th Grade Formal

Fri. June 6th - 8th Grade End of Year Trip - Lake Compounce

Fri. June 6th - 5th Grade Visit to EHMS

Fri. June 6th - 7th Grade Field Day

Mon. June 9th - 6th Grade Field Day

Thu. June 12th - Last Day of School

A big thank you to Mrs. LaBrec and Mr. Shilansky for a wonderful spring concert! Our students have worked hard on their skills and did a fantastic job at the performance.

Congratulations to 8th grader Emily Baer who was recognized by the East Hampton Arts & Cultural Commission for her artwork. Below is her wonderful art piece!

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! Great job!

8th Graders

Gabby Cooke, Bennett Galovich, Ethan Mortimer, Avery Guild, Miya Nichols & Shannon Mahoney

We had a great afternoon for this year's Panther Prowl! Below are some pictures. It is still anyone's game! We can't wait to see what happens over the weekend! A special thank you to our PE department who planned the afternoon of activities.

Our 7th graders surprised Ms. Cates with a bridal shower during the 7th grade lunch wave. During lunch, they played bingo and won prizes. Ms. Cates was very surprised!

Our Unified Sports team competed in a cornhole competition this week!

Congratulations to our French students who were honored at Monday night's Board Meeting on their performance on the National French Contest, an annual national competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Students were evaluated for their reading and listening comprehension skills, as well as their knowledge of grammatical structures. These students have demonstrated excellence in their study of French.

As we move into the final stretch of the 2024-2025 school year, we invite you to share your feedback and reflections with us. While we are proud of the work we do, we are always looking to improve and implement best practices that will meet the needs of every learner at East Hampton Middle School. Please use this link to provide your feedback about your child's experience:

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 third rating in May.

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.

8th grade students took part in a town hall meeting this Wednesday where the final steps of the Capstone process and presentation expectations were discussed. We wanted to share the highlights with you so that everyone is informed:

What should students be doing to finish their projects?

• Students should be uploading evidence of what they have done for their projects into their Capstone Portfolio Google slideshow which can be found on homeroom Google classrooms. Evidence can include photos, videos, screenshots, emails, graphs, charts, etc. of the hands-on work they have completed, and students should share their slideshow presentations with their families this week as they should have the evidence added no later than Friday, May 9th.

When is the Capstone Convention and when should students arrive?

• The convention will be held at EHMS on May 21st from 5:30-7:30pm and students should plan to arrive at 5pm to set up.
• Students will enter through the gym doors upon arrival and there will be staff to help let students know the location of where to set up.
• For reference, the convention will run similar to a Science Fair.

What should students be preparing for the Capstone Convention?

• Students should bring their charged chromebooks to display their Capstone Portfolio Google slideshow. They may choose to bring in additional items to display. In the past, students have brought in: trifold posters with photos of their work, pamphlets, samples, models/protypes, materials for demonstrations, etc.

What if a student cannot attend the convention?

• Students who cannot attend the convention should notify their homeroom advisors and make arrangements with administrators to present on another day and scheduled time.

Please see the attached presentation that was shared with students that also has some photos of examples.

If you have any questions please don't hestiate to reach out to me, your child's ELA teacher or your child's homeroom teacher. We look forward to seeing all the work our students have put into their projects.

May 19-May 23 (subject to change)

MONDAY, MAY 19

East Hampton baseball at Portland, 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 pm game

Site: Rose Hill Fields

Valley Regional softball at East Hampton MS, 3:45 pm game.

TUESDAY, MAY 20

East Hampton baseball/softball at McGee MS (Berlin), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 pm game.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
Practice 2:35-4:00 pm-please notice end time!!

THURSDAY, MAY 22
North Branford softball at East Hampton MS, 3:45 pm

FRIDAY, MAY 23

½ DAY, NO PRACTICES!

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TUESDAY, MAY 27

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

Baseball Site: Sunnycrest Park

Softball Site: Vicino Field

Note: softball and baseball uniforms collected at the end of the game! Please make sure you have a change of clothes, thank you!

This will conclude our Spring Season!

End of year information from the Health Office:

All medications in the nurse’s office must be picked up by the last day of school or they will be discarded. Students are not allowed to carry medication home themselves. All controlled medication must be picked up and signed off!

** All 6th grade students must have a current physical on file before entering 7th grade ** Physicals must be dated after the last day of school LAST year (June 13, 2024).

There are 2 required immunizations prior to entering 7th grade: Tdap and Meningococcal

Any clothing donations are welcome and appreciated! The health office is most in need of leggings and sweatpants currently.

Thank you!
Melanie King RN, BSN
East Hampton Middle School Nurse
mking@easthamptonct.org
860-365-4060 Ext 5

🎉🐾 Panther Prowl was TODAY!! 🐾🎉
But the fun (and fundraising) doesn’t stop here!
We’re keeping the momentum going through the weekend with an EPIC new twist —
💥 Every dollar you raise = points for your grade! 💥
That’s right — Dollar-for-dollar match to boost your grade’s total!
💰 Plus, fundraising = PRIZES! 💰
Every student who raises funds gets a prize — no matter how much — and prizes will be handed out on Thursday!
So keep those pledges coming, support your school, and show your Panther pride!
Let’s go, Panthers!! 🐾💪🔥

Homeroom Leaderboard was shared on Parentsquare!

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.

Below is a helpful handout for families as you engage in discussions around attendance with your children.

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