EPAMS Family Update
October 21, 2026
October 28 - November 20: PTO Sub and Pizza Sale
October 30: End of First Marking Period
October 30: Early Dismissal (12:30)
November 2: New Activity Bus Rolls Out
November 23 & 24: Parent Teacher Conferences
6th Grade Event Needs Your Support
Our 6th graders will visit BizTown for their annual visit on February 1st and 2nd, and we're going to need about 30 volunteers each day to make that event a success. But before we get there, we need your help with student interviews.
We are excited to share that our 6th graders are currently working through the various lessons provided by JA BizTown, helping them build real-world skills in financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship.
A major step in the process is the Mock Job Interview. Students will participate in mock job interviews to prepare for their roles at BizTown. We are reaching out to invite you to serve as a volunteer interviewer for this event.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday, December 10
Time: 8:00 - 10:30 AM
Location: Middle School Cafeteria (sign in at main office)
Expectations for Interviewers (who will not be permitted to interview their own child):
- Conduct brief (5–7 minute) interviews with students using the provided questions.
- Offer encouraging feedback to help students improve their interview skills.
- Model professional behavior and communication for our students.
- No preparation is required — all materials and guidance will be provided when you arrive.
Your participation will give our students valuable, authentic practice and help them gain confidence for their upcoming BizTown experience.
If you are interested in participating, please reply to Courtney Long, clong@epasd.org by December 1, 2026.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our students’ learning!
Getting kids to school and back home again is obviously a key part of our operation. Students will arrive to school one of three different ways: they walk, they get a ride from a family member or friend, or they ride district transportation like a bus or a school van.
Morning Drop-Off
DO NOT DRIVE AROUND THE BACK OF THE BUILDING UNLESS YOU'RE DRIVING A SCHOOL BUS OR SCHOOL VAN!
Students who walk to school or catch a ride in a personal vehicle will enter the building using the main entrance in the front of the building. Students who ride district transportation like a bus or a van, will enter via the cafeteria entrance in the rear of the building. Either way, the doors open at 7:45 AM.
School buses and vans will travel to the rear of the building, drop off their kids, and head back out for their next run.
Personal vehicles do it a little differently – and it really depends on where the driver needs to go after they drop off their passengers. Drivers have two places to drop off in the morning.
- If you plan to head out to Valley Road afterwards, you will drop off your students at the bottom of the ramp that connects the lower lot with the main entrance. If you drop off at the bottom of the ramp, you will turn left out of the lot.
- If you plan to head out to Enola Drive afterwards, you will drop off your students at the top of that connecting ramp. Please stick to one lane of traffic and do not try to pull around other vehicles. If you drop off at the top of the ramp, you will turn right out of the lot. Please note the signage that indicates you should not stop at the stop sign due to making that right turn.
A couple highlights if you drop off at the top of the ramp:
- Turn right at the bottom stop sign without stopping (as the sign instructs). Do not turn left. Turning left slows everyone down and should only be done by the buses and school vans as needed.
- Your student can get out of the car once your vehicle is next to the cones. No need to wait until you get to the front of the line.
A highlight if you drop off at the bottom of the ramp:
- Turn left as you exit the parking lot.
Remember, it's okay to have students walk up the ramp. A little cardio in the morning is a good thing.
By doing this, we can drastically reduce cross traffic and get you moving on to your next destination a bit sooner – and safer.
Afternoon Pick-Up
Our afternoon departure procedures will remain the same as last year. All buses line up behind the school. School vans line up in the very front of school.
Personal vehicles park in a space in the lower lot and wait for students. Please do not idle in the travel lanes of the parking lot, blocking cars who may be trying to back or pull out. Pull into a spot and make this process safer and more efficient for everyone.
Bus Stop Information
The transportation department takes care of bus stops. If you have any concerns, they'll be happy to help. 717-732-3601, ext. 5308. Hours are 8 AM to 4 PM.
Bus Behavior
It’s important to remember that safety is the most important consideration for our bus riders. If students are behaving in a way that makes the ride unsafe for anyone including other riders, the driver, or others outside the bus, they will be referred to the administration and consequences assigned. This can include removing students from the bus for a period of time.
Bus suspensions can be very difficult for families as they try to make alternative arrangements, so it is best to prevent the need for any of this by behaving properly right from the start.
Other Questions?
If you have any questions about arrivals and departures, give us a call at the middle school office. If you have questions about bus routes, bus stops, or pick-up/drop times, please reach out to the transportation department.
Every month we recognize one student from each Core team as Students of the Month.
Student are selected to be recognized for representing our school, their families, and themselves in a way we can all be proud of. Work ethic, kindness, integrity, respect for self and others, and focus on task are all considered by the team of teachers they work with every day.
Each Family Update will list the latest students to be recognized. We'll present them with a certificate and a $15 gift card to Five Below. We'll then include them in a display in our lobby so everyone knows how great they are!
September
Jaguars: Neema Kibui
Panthers: Nova Edwards
Olympians: Ana Herrera Beras
Titans: Kendall Skaugen
Griffin: Calvin Mizak
Phoenix: Alex Conley
Is your student blowing through his/her lunch account faster than you think?
Parents and guardians are reminded that though the school cannot restrict how much money students spend in the cafeteria, you certainly can. If you notice your child purchasing a lot of snacks for himself/herself or a group of friends, for example, and would like to limit this sort of thing, please email our Director of Food Services - Mr. Ryan McCarthy - at rmccarthy@epasd.org and ask him to set up a spending limit for your child's account.
There's a right way and a wrong way...
These days, you can't be too careful! Kids are never to be in possession of any medication during the school day. This includes prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.
If your student needs medication during the school day, our school nurse is happy to administer those medicines based on parent permission and your physician's orders. The attached form must be filled out, signed by your doctor, and submitted to the school in order for any medications to be administered.
Parents/guardians must deliver medications in the original packaging to the school. Students may not transport or possess them. Exceptions will be made for emergency medications (inhalers, epi-pens, etc.) based on a doctor's written order.
Students found in possession of medicines - even those prescribed by a doctor - are in violation of board policy and that carries significant consequences. For the safety of all, please make sure this form is submitted. If you have any questions about this, please call the school nurse or building administrators for clarification.
Board policy restricting electronic devices in school
Middle school students are not permitted to be in possession of personal electronic devices, including but not limited to cell phones, personally-owned computers, and/or earbuds, during the school day, beginning from the time they enter the building, until the end of the instructional day (typically 3:00 PM).
Each student will be or has been issued a Chromebook with everything they need already loaded onto it.
In addition to their own backpack, each student is issued a locker (with a lock), one of which must be used to store personal electronic devices during class time.
This means students may not carry a phone or other device on their person, in their pockets, or in their hands.
The data is irrefutable. Cell phones in classrooms are the biggest impediment to learning in our society. Constant notifications, even on a phone set to silent, are a major distraction to learning. In order to make the classroom specifically and the school in general a better environment, we must restrict electronic devices.
Students in possession of a device will have that device confiscated and stored in the main office safe. For a first offense, the student will receive a 30-minute detention and will be able to pick up their device at the end of the day. For a second offense, the student will receive a 1-hour detention and the phone will be held until a parent/guardian picks it up. Further offenses will result in Saturday detention or ISS.
Parents and guardians who need to contact their student are welcome to call the main office with a message. We'll be happy to deliver it for you. In the case of an emergency here at school, the most important person students need to listen to is the adult they are with in the building. We will keep families informed as is appropriate and safe.
The rules on backpacks
Students are encouraged to use a backpack as they move from class to class in the middle school. Large Zipper Binders are discouraged.
Now, here's where it gets a little tricky...
Kids can carry any backpack they choose to and from school. However, once they arrive and set off for first period, their backpacks must be either mesh or clear.
Some kids carry a solid, more conventional backpack to and from school and then switch over to a clear/mesh backpack once they arrive. That's fine. Others just stick with the same clear/mesh before, during, and after the school day. That's fine, too.
The district is unable to provide backpacks.
Bus Evacuation Drills
For most bus riders, this isn't a new idea. Those who are new to the school bus are able to pick it up quickly and blend right in.
Fire Drills
Fire drills happen once per month, without warning our students.
Locks on Lockers
Each year we give every new middle school student a combination lock to be used at all times on their lockers during their middle school years. Returning students must bring their locks back to start the year. In order to be as safe as we can, we want to keep student belongings secure. However, we also want to make sure lockers aren't being used to hide anything that has no business being in a school.
In the past, this has made a number of students a little nervous about being late to class or forgetting their combination. We'll be reassuring the students all the time that they can do this!
Safe2Say Something
The state has partnered with Sandy Hook Promise to create an anonymous reporting system for students to notify school and law enforcement officials of any possible activity that puts our school community at risk of harm.
During the first week of school, our students will view a training video on how to use this system. This system has been in place for almost six years and the tips we have received over that time were invaluable when it comes to helping kids.
If you have questions about Safe2Say, please reach out to Mr. Wright or Mr. Atkinson at 717-732-0771.