October 2026

October 23, 2026

​EMS Families,

Today we had our October HLT Assembly! Our staff has worked hard to incorporate ways to build in more opportunities for fun and connection for our students, and monthly assemblies is one great example of this work! Students were recognized for participating in the Kindness Challenge which is the R in PRIDE for RESPECTFUL. We had over ?? students who were recognized for their acts of kindness big and small and for building a culture of kindess and respect. We also did a relay with Scooters and Plungers, a fun game that involved all grade levels. Fun was had by all!

Monday - Spooky Socks
Tuesday - Rhyming Duo (Santa & Fanta, Hannah Montana & Banana)
Wednesday - Class Halloween Colors

• 8th: Black
• 7th: White
• 6th: Orange

Thursday - Teacher/Student Swap Day
Friday - Halloween Costume Day (must following costume expectations)

As a way to keep our schools and students safe, search dogs are brought through every FHPS middle and high school at various times during the year. This is routine and is not in response to any specific incident at EMS. We had the opportunity to have an assembly on Tuesday with all students to introduce students to the dog, demonstrate how they keep our school community safe, and have fun showing their abilities.

Today at our assembly, we reconized Mr. Fogel and Mr. Johnston who were voted on by the studens for being FUN!

This week, we are highlighting our fourth response to an emergency situation according to our Standard Response Protocol.

EVACUATE To the announced location.

Evacuate: Students are trained to leave books and things behind and follow their teacher to a designated area. Teachers bring their “go bags,” classroom rosters, account for all students and adults, and report any injuries. An example of when an Evacuate order may occur is if a school has a gas leak during school hours, a fire, or broken water pipes in the school.

For more details about our Standard Response Protocol and our other actions, please visit our website. There, you'll find an overview of these actions along with a link to a flyer with information for parents. Thanks for partnering with us to keep our schools safe.

Link to RSVP to Bingo: https://fhemspto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/409611

Early Winter Gear Sale is now OPEN! Featuring basketball, tennis, swim/dive & general Eastern gear.

https://app.jotform.com/262176451350150

If you haven't purchased a yearbook yet, there is still time! You can place your order using this link. The price will increase to $40 beginning on December 2nd.

We know students at EMS are involved in so many activities, but pictures from all these events can be difficult to capture. Right now, the yearbook is asking for the following pictures:

Cross Country

Boys Tennis

Crew
Outside of School Activities

Students Traveling

Students Celebrating Various Holidays
Students and their pets (including the pet's name)
Student baby photos
Childhood Friend Photos that the yearbook can recreate

Please use this link or flyer for directions on how to submit photos. You can also email your photos directly to Mrs. Balaskas, the yearbook advisor, at lbalaskas@fhps.net.

Saturday, November 7

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Forest Hills Eastern High School

Shop local, Support our Senior Class, Raffles, Food and Free Admission!

All EMS students participated in a survery to indicate which clubs they would like to have at EMS. Based on that survey data, we are planning to provide the following clubs to ALL 6-8th Grade Students!

The FHE Athletic Department is excited to announce the start of FREE strength and conditioning sessions for all Eastern HS/MS students (Grades 6-8)! The weight room will be available to students every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 2:45-4:00pm.

Session Details:
Days: Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
Time: 2:45-4pm.
Location: Eastern High School Weight Room
Cost: FREE
Who: Eastern High School and Middle School students, male and female athletes of all abilities

Our very own Coach Bryce Wilker will serve as our weight room coordinator, with assistance from our coaching staff. Coach Wilker brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in weight training and conditioning, and our goal is to provide a safe, positive, and productive environment for every student. No prior strength training experience or knowledge is required! Whether students are new to weight training or have previous experience, everyone is welcome to participate and work toward becoming stronger and healthier.

We are excited to offer this opportunity thanks to the FHE Athletic Booster club!

(NOTE: On days there is no school, there will be no weight training & conditioning sessions)

Parents can now report students absent using PowerSchool Parent Portal! This feature can be used to report an absence for the current day or to schedule future planned absences. Please click here for more information.

Please note: this feature cannot be used to report absences that occurred on previous school days.

If you are dropping and picking up your child from the main entrance, please have your ID with you when picking up your child and remind emergency contacts to as well. If you enter the HS office, they are going to politely ask you to drive around to our side.

As a reminder, please call ahead when your child is coming to school late from an appointment or will need to leave early. This will allow us to properly document his or her absence and make sure he or she is ready for your pick up.

If you are choosing to not use PowerSchool reporting, please direct all attendance matters to emsattendance@fhps.net or call 616-493-8856.

Each 6th Grade Team will be sharing academic updates weekly through their newsletter!

Our scheduled daily start time is now 7:50 AM and our end time is 2:45 PM. Please note: our building will not open until 7:20 AM and all students must be picked up by 3:15 PM. Students will not be able to be in the building before or after these scheduled times.

Forest Hills Public Schools is providing student medical insurance coverage for any student injured at school or during a school related activity including athletics. If a family wishes to improve upon the district’s plan, additional options are available for individual purchase. See attached letter.

Here is how we ensure all families have access to curricular information and updates from our staff:

• Academic Calendars: all classes, grades 6-8, have their weekly agendas, upcoming tests and quizzes listed. Academic Calendars are linked below each week in the weekly newsletter.
• Individual Staff Connection: if you are wanting or needing to connect with an individual staff member, we are always wanting and willing to connect. Here is a list of all staff members who directly support our students. If you are unsure of who to connect with, please call our main office and we are happy to assist you with this information and connection (616-493-8850).
• PowerSchool: Student attendance and 7th & 8th grades are housed in this system for both students and parents to access. If your child receives accommodations, those are indicated in the comment section next to the assignment or assessment.
• Canvas: all 7th and 8th grade teachers have a Canvas page that houses calendars, assignments, and important class information. Directions for parents/guardians to become Observers is below in the newsletter.

• Early Release: Monday 11/9
• Thanksgiving Break: Wednesday 11/25-Friday 11/27