The Panther Post

Good afternoon,

As we head into February recess, we hope all of our families enjoy a well-deserved break! Whether you’re traveling, spending time with loved ones, or simply enjoying some extra rest at home, we wish everyone a safe, relaxing, and fun-filled long weekend. We look forward to welcoming students back refreshed and ready for the weeks ahead on Wednesday.

As we begin a new quarter, you may notice that the overall average for classes is not immediately visible in the gradebook. At the start of a term, only a few assignments have been entered, and an overall average at that point would not accurately reflect a student’s progress. To ensure grades provide a more meaningful picture of performance, overall averages will become visible after a few weeks into the quarter. For this marking period, overall grades will be made visible on Friday, February 20th. Thank you for your understanding and continued partnership.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Wed. Feb 11th - Feb 14th - French Quebec Trip

Mon Feb 16th - 17th - February Recess - No School

Mon. Feb 23rd - Board of Education Meeting, Town Hall at 6:30

Fri. March 6th - Professional Development Day - No School for students

Tues March 18th & 19th - Parent Conferences - Early Release Days for students

Our 7th & 8th Grade French students are off to Quebec! We can't wait to hear about their time visiting. Students and parents came early on Wednesday to load the busses! Pictures of the visit will be shared in next week's Panther Post.

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! Great job to our Panthers!

Positive Office Referrals

Nevaeh Guzman, Skyler LaFountain, Max Rawlinson, Kadyel Cardona, Blake Rau, Nathan McDowell, Jayden Caliskan, Josslyn Marrero, Natalie Maxwell, Harper Woodson and Mason Ferguson

During the month of February, physical education students are developing their badminton skills and gameplay, while also preparing for the Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment push-up test. Our 6th grade students are focusing on serving and rallying techniques in badminton, along with incorporating upper body strengthening exercises into their warm-ups to build endurance and confidence for the push-up assessment at the end of the month. It’s been great to see their effort, teamwork, and positive attitudes as they continue to improve and challenge themselves!

We are excited to share that our EHMS PantherBots Robotics Team competed in their very first robotics competition this past Saturday! The team went up against 31 teams from across the state and, at the end of the event, earned the prestigious Judge’s Award. This award recognizes a team that demonstrates exemplary effort, perseverance, effective communication, leadership, teamwork, professionalism, and a strong student-centered focus.

This is an incredible accomplishment for a brand-new team attending their first competition. They represented our school and district with pride, respect, and kindness, and we could not be more proud of their hard work and dedication. A special thank you goes to EHHS senior Beth Limmer, who generously volunteered her time over the past three months to mentor the team. The team t-shirts were graciously donated by EMP Apparel right here in East Hampton. They were so generous, helpful, and amazing to work with. Our kids felt great in their team gear.

While there are no additional competitions scheduled for this year, we look forward to seeing the PantherBots back in action during the 2026–2027 season!

Congratulations to our Pantherbots!

Jarek Barillaro, William Clark, Colin Meier, Ben Munoz, John Reis, Izzy Fromme & Alex Gora

Our Drama Club is hard at work preparing for their performance of Beetle Juice Jr. taking place this coming March. Below is a peak into their rehearsal.

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. Volleyball does not have a set start time. Reminder: seating is limited at EHMS and at other schools.

No food, drinks or beverages allowed in our gym!

Note: the boys bus is later for away games. Boys still report to the boys locker room and will be monitored until their bus leaves at 3 pm, so start times will of course be later as well. This is subject to change.

FEB 16 - FEB 20 (subject to change)

MONDAY, FEB 16

No Athletics!

TUESDAY, FEB 17

No Athletics!

WEDNESDAY, FEB 18

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

McGee boys volleyball at East Hampton MS

THURSDAY, FEB 19

Girls Volleyball 2:35 until 4:30 pm

Boys study hall 2:35 until 4:00 pm

Boys Volleyball 4:15 until 5:30 pm

FRIDAY, FEB 20

East Hampton boys volleyball at Cromwell MS, 2:20 dismissal, 3 pm bus (subject to change)

Cromwell girls volleyball at East Hampton (Teams Panthers/Pride) Team pictures!

As soon as our winter season ended, we were right into our Volleyball Clubs here at EHMS. Our students participating in volleyball are having a great time! Below is our boy's team pictured during a recent game.

Our Unified Sports team had a wonderful time at their basketball game at Smith Middle School. Below are some pictures!

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

• 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.

A message from the School Based Health Center:

School-based health centers help parents by getting their children help sooner, reducing transportation barriers, and working with families to get the care their children need.

Impact of Behavioral Health Services

Student Satisfaction Reports:

• Students report having a trusted adult makes them more likely to come to school.

• Improved peer relationships

• Improved communication with family members

• Increased ability to manage difficult situations

• Improved self-image

Clinical Observations:

• Improved relationships with peers

• Reduced self-harm

• Increased skills to manage difficult emotions

For more information - contact Lindsay DeFrancisco, LCSW

DeFranL@chc1.com

Enrollment form link:

https://www.sbhc1.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