Good afternoon,

The EarlyAct Club is raising funds for UNICEF: an organization that helps improve the health and wellness of children in over 150 countries and territories. On Tuesday, October 31st, students are invited to wear costume attire. Students are encouraged to bring in donations of $1 or more to help support this fundraiser. The homeroom that raises the most money will win yummy, fall treats!

Here are the parameters for appropriate festive attire:

• The costume must be school appropriate
• Costume masks or hand-held props are not allowed
• Hats that interfere with the line of sight in the classroom should not be worn
• Students can choose instead to wear black and orange
• Students can still choose to donate if they do not want to wear festive attire
• Costumes that interfere with a student's ability to complete school work are prohibited

Thank you in advance for your compassionate support of our cause! If there are any questions with costumes, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Tues., Oct. 31st: Trick or Treat for UNICEF!

Fri., Nov. 1st: End of Quarter 1

Mon., Nov. 6th: Start of Second Quarter Specials Rotation

Tues., Nov. 7th: No School - Teacher Professional Development

Fri., Nov. 10th: No School - Veteran's Day

Wed., Nov. 15th: Early Release at 12:30 - Parent Conferences 1:00 - 5:00

Thurs., Nov. 16th: Early Release at 12:30 - Parent Conferences 1:00 - 7:30

At the end of 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.

We also have a welcome from our Unified Arts team. The Unified Arts team consists of our specials, P.E., T.I. and World Language teachers.

Enjoy!

Congratulations to our Cross Country and Soccer teams on an outstanding season! We take immense pride in the camaraderie and sportsmanship demonstrated by each of our athletes throughout the season.

A special thank you to our Fall coaches and Athletic Director for their time and commitment this season!

Winter Registration is now open on familyid.com

This is for boys basketball, girls basketball and cheerleading only!

Deadline is Sunday, November 5th

On Tuesday, October 24th, the EHMS Cross Country Teams participated in their annual league meet, which was in honor of a former EHMS cross country coach, Rich LaFave. There were 6 middle schools competing in this event: East Hampton Middle School, RHAM, McGee (Berlin), Beman (Middletown), Griswold (Rocky Hill) and Cromwell. Runners who finished in the top 10 were awarded a medal. For the girls, Brianna Gustavson finished 4th out of 121 runners. For the boys, Thomas Kellogg finished 10th, Brendan Kissane finished 4th and Brett Gustavson finished 3rd out of 85 runners. In regards to team scores, the EHMS girls placed 4th and the EHMS boys placed 3rd. Coaches are very proud of the effort of all the student athletes who raced in this meet and throughout the season.

Fall Parent Conferences will be held on Wednesday, November 15, from 1:00 - 5:00 and Thursday, November 16, from 1:00 - 7:30. We have planned our conferences to provide meaningful feedback on your child's progress both socially and academically. You will have the opportunity to meet with your child's teachers who will provide an overview on your child's progress on both their Achievement, how a student is progressing on skills and standards within their content classes, and on their Habits of Success, skills we value as essential to student engagement and learning.

We are making a change to our parent conference format where 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. Families will meet with each teacher they would like separately. Parent conferences are optional, but we welcome all families who would like to meet with their child’s teacher. More specifics to conferences will be sent out via Parentsquare next week.

Students in 7th grade math are learning about Proportional Relationships. Students are using serving sizes, distance, coins, etc. to write equivalent equations for the relationships. Pictured below students are using the vertical whiteboards to collaboratively review for their quiz while talking about servings of granola.

This week in Ms. Seeley’s 8th grade ELA classes, students collaborated in stations set up around the room. Students were idea sharing and working together to discuss possible connections and social issues from the dystopian novels they have been reading and our world. Through critically thinking together, they were able to come up with some impressive insights!

Seventh grade students have been reading short stories, as well as novels of their choice. Students are focused on characterization and how character actions, dialogues, and thoughts help to develop the theme of a story. Students worked together in small groups to discuss story elements and connections to theme.

Ms. Cates Classes this week were working together to measure and build a three-dimensional square or rectangle with largest volume.

Our Panther Ambassadors put together an activity for homerooms for National Safe Schools Week. Each student decorated a link in whatever way the words community and unity meant to them. We then put all the links together to show we are one Panther community!

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!

Colby came to visit EHMS for a private session earned by a student who received a Positive Office Referral! What a warm start to the day!

During all lunch waves on Tuesday we ran a PBIS activity led by Ms. McCabe and Mr. Mannes - BINGO! Winners were able to choose a reward. Students had a blast at lunch time.

MathCounts is a popular national middle school mathematics competition. Our EHMS MathCounts has begun, but there is still time for interested students to join! Students practice, perform and learn tips and skills to solve a variety of math problems. Critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills are developed through a competition setting. If your child is interested, please have them join the google classroom with the code: bwn5vw7.

All meetings will occur in Mr. Kiser's classroom Room 12 from 2:35 until 3:30. The next meeting will be on November 21st.

It is hard to believe that we are already talking about your child's transition to East Hampton High School, however, please save the following date - In the evening of Thursday December 7th, all current 8th grade parents and guardians are invited to East Hampton High School. More information, including time, we will sent out via Parentsquare.

Looking for a way to give back? Want to help make the world a better place? Then please join the EarlyAct Club at any of our upcoming events and opportunities to spread compassion! ALL are welcome and no previous club experience is required. Check out our rolling monthly agenda to see where you can help us to make a difference!

When & Where

Mark your calendars and save the date. On Saturday, November 4, 2023 the 14th Annual East Hampton Turkey Plunge will be held at Sears Park at 9:00 a.m.

What & Why

People of all ages are invited to take the plunge and participate in the "coolest" event of the season. The event is open to the public; it's free, and it's loads of fun for the entire family.

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Because many of our friends and neighbors are struggling during this challenging time, it's critical we help to raise funds in support of our local Food Bank. Through the East Hampton Rotary Club, we have online registration! Also back this year - virtual plunging - plungers can register, dip on their own, and send us their plunge video.

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Please be part of this worthwhile event, whether it's being a plunger, sponsoring your favorite plunger, or making a donation. Everyone can be part of Turkey Plunge! Because so many of you have come back year after year, we can help so many families in our Belltown community who need a helping hand.

How

For this event, we have our own club team that you can join, or if you would like, you may simply offer a donation for the cause.

Student participants must also complete the Turkey Plunge EHMS sign-up & permission form.

Good luck to our 6th, 7th and 8th grade middle schoolers that cheer with the EH Hawks! Our students will be at the CTYFL Cheerleading Competition this Saturday, Oct 28th at the Winsted High School.

We are so proud of the hard work and dedication that our cheerleaders have shown this year.

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.

Harvest of the Month

Our Harvest of the month is apples and all our apples at Middle School are local. Beckett Farms in Glastonbury is our main apple supplier, there is just nothing better than a farm fresh apple picked ripe from the tree!

Lunch They’ll Love to Munch:

We’ve noticed that Middle School students love spicy foods, so next week we are trying a new recipe that we think your kiddos will flip for – Buffalo Chicken Tots! Cheesy Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip over tater tots served with fresh roasted zucchini fries from Cold Spring Farm. The secret to our Buffalo Dip is it’s actually healthy (don’t tell your kids!) Made with lean chicken breast and Greek yogurt to replace most of the mayonnaise that is typically used in this recipe, this meal is packed with protein and calcium.

In order to promote strong attendance habits and maximize learning, the East Hampton schools urge all parents to make sure that their children attend every day unless they are ill. Teachers work to pace instruction on a uniform schedule, so good attendance really matters in every child’s learning. As a result, parents should expect strong connection between success in school and good attendance. This year, as we continue with the second year of

new programming in grades K-5 math and implement new math programming in grades 6-7, please note that attendance matters!

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. Access to the East Hampton attendance policy is available HERE.

To increase the ease of reporting an absence and documenting parent approval of the absence for a student’s first 9 absences, the East Hampton Public Schools has created email addresses that parents can use to contact their student’s school and report an absence. Effectively immediately, the following email address for EHMS (EHMS_Attendance@easthamptonct.org) can be used by parents to report and document their approval of an absence. Below are links to each school's email address:

Note: Between the school name and the word Attendance is a underscore ( _ )

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 student’s first 9 absences. After your student has more than 9 absences, additional documentation or communication will be required to excuse the absence. Please use the email to continue to notify the school that your child will not attend. You may call your child’s school at any time to report an absence, as well.

Unfortunately, it is that time of year when the germs are going to be making their way around! Let’s work together to stay healthy. Below are a few reminders.

Illness: A fever is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. A student will be sent home and may not return the next day if they have a fever while in school. They may return to school if they have been fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT fever reducing medications.

· COVID: Currently, there are no changes to the districts policy for guidelines. We recommend a student be out of school for 5 days from start of symptoms. Please provide a physician note to the office as this is needed for attendance purposes.

· Students may bring their own supply of cough drops to use throughout the school day. They may carry them with their belongings but may NOT share with others due to allergies throughout the building.

Medications: Every medication that is brought into school requires a “Medication Authorization” form to be signed by the student’s doctor and parent/guardian. Please use a large ziplock bag for the medication plus the medication order and label the bag with your child’s name before dropping off. Any controlled medications will need to be counted and signed off with the RN and parent so please allow for a few extra minutes at drop off.

**Beginning in 6th grade, your student may carry their own inhalers and EpiPens, IF approved by physician, parent, and nurse**

Health Concerns: If you have any specific concerns that arise during the school year (such as stitches, concussions, broken bones, etc.) it is best that you send in a doctor’s note with dates and guidelines, so we can all be on the same page.

**Please remind your students to bring in their water bottles. Hydration is important!**

As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. Email is best and is below for your reference.

Regards,

Nurse Krystle

Krystle Hafele, BSN,RN

School Nurse

East Hampton Middle School

Office: 860-365-4060

Fax: 860-365-4064

Khafele@easthamptonct.org

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.

We understand that often families are seeking assistance in supporting their children through outside counseling or therapy. We are proud to have partnered with School Based Health in order to be able to provide those services within the school. Megan Donnelly is our School Based Health Center Counselor here at East Hampton Middle School who is here 5 days a week. More information is below include a link to their website. Feel free to call the main office if you would like to speak with Megan.

The Library’s Teen Advisory Board is hard at work planning a Halloween party for kids in grades 4-8 next Saturday, October 28 at 1 p.m. Below is a detailed flyer of the event. The teens are excited welcome the middle grade kids for their very own Halloween event. Here also is a link to the registration page: https://tinyurl.com/HallowTween23

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