Bellringer Newsletter

I hope everyone had a great long weekend and was able to enjoy a break from school for a few days. We are well into 1st quarter as well as our Fall Sports seasons. Our Drama students are working hard in preparation for the fall production of Clue. As we move past the recent events that took place on October 1st, please keep an eye on your child and if they are still struggling, please reach out to our school support staff. A guide to what to look for is included below in the newsletter. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at everner@easthamptonct.org.

• October--14---Columbus Day Holiday--No School
  
• October 16--PSAT Testing--Grades 9, 10, and 11
• October 16--No Classes--Grade 12
• October 25-27--EHHS Drama Club Production---Clue
• November 1---End of 1st Quarter
• November 5---No School--Election Day/Professional Development
• November 11--No School--Veterans Day
• November 13+14--Early Dismissal--Parent Teacher Conferences
• November 13--EHHS Evening Parent Teacher Conferences
• November 19--8th Grade Parents Evening--Class of 2029
• November 20--DECA Bingo Night
• November 21--EHHS Fall Concert
• November 25---EHHS Fall Sports Awards Banquet
• November 26--Senior Class Dinner--Glastonbury Hills Country Club
• November 27--Early Dismissal--Thanksgiving Break
• November 28---December 1--No School Thanksgiving Break
• December 20--Early Dismissal--EHHS
• December 21---January 1--Winter Recess
• January 2---Classes Resume

Thanks to the generosity of our Bellringer families, we were able to provide a beautiful appreciation breakfast to the amazing faculty and staff at EHHS. Your notes of thanks were displayed for all to read, reminding them of how valued and appreciated they are. It was great to see everyone enjoying a huge spread - eggs and potatoes from Two Brothers Cafe, pastries from Marlborough Bakery, bagels from Trader Joe’s, yogurt, fresh fruit, a restock of K cups and more. We think staff felt the appreciation for not only keeping our kids calm and safe during the recent code red, but for all they do every single day!

The EHHS PTO is holding its next meeting of the school year this week on Thursday, November 21st, at 5:30pm in the EHHS library.

Please join us as we plan events to help support our students.

On Tuesday 10/1 and Thursday 10/10 nine EHHS students were selected to perform with the Shoreline Conference Choir and Band. They performed alongside musicians from across the Shoreline Athletic Conference at Coginchaug Regional HS. Bravo for an outstanding performance!

Band students Charlie Burr, Aiden Gora, Mineth Kulatunga, Beth Limmer, JT Limmer, and Grace Pekar

Choir students William Finn, Cheyenne Rodriguez, and Quinn Werme

Fall sports competition has started. If you have any questions regarding athletics, please contact Mr. Russell at srussell@easthamptonct.org or through ParentSquare.

Winter Sports Registration is now open to families. High School Winter Athletics closes on November 27th. The lini is below:

https://www.arbitersports.com/

All athletic schedules, directions and results may be found at ciac.fpsports.org.

As a reminder, the PSATs will take place for students in grades 9-11 on Wednesday, October 16th. Students should arrive to school at 7:30am. Students arriving late to school will not be able to test.

Students should bring with them their fully charged Chromebook, their Chromebook charger, a pencil or pen, calculator and extra batteries, snacks and water. Testing room assignments can be found below.

The Wesleyan University HSSP offers outstanding high school juniors and seniors (for the spring semester; seniors for the fall semester) the opportunity to take one Wesleyan University course per semester for credit, tuition-free. The program enables qualified students to pursue advanced coursework not available at their high school and experience the intellectual rigors and stimulating dialogue that commonly take place in Wesleyan classrooms and is trademark of a Wesleyan liberal arts education. Students who apply to the program are expected to provide their own transportation to and from Wesleyan University, attend each class, and fulfill all requirements of the Wesleyan course they are enrolled in.

To apply, students should have previously completed demanding coursework (AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, or maximum rigor offered by their high school) and have performed at a high level. The Fall semester program is open to rising seniors and the Spring program is open to high school juniors and seniors. Students who apply to participate in their senior year should have previously completed advanced coursework in their junior year and have, at minimum, an A/B record in high school. Students who apply to participate in their junior year should have an academic record of primarily A's, including at least one advanced course in their sophomore year, and show exceptional achievement and promise in relation to their peers.

Students wishing to peruse Wesleyan’s full course listing for 2024-2025 can do so here. Double-click on any subject of interest and select “Spring” for a list of related courses being offered during the Spring 2025 semester. Students are asked to carefully consider both the rigor and time constraints of their high school schedule (including extracurricular activities) and apply only if they will be able to attend all Wesleyan classes (including classes that may fall during their high school vacations) and devote the time necessary to complete their Wesleyan course. Currently enrolled High School Scholars who wish to participate next semester must complete a new application. No student officially is registered in the Wesleyan HSSP program until the completed application has been submitted and admission to the program has been offered.

We invite interested students to apply for this unique experience by the end of day Thursday, November 7th, 2024. In addition to providing basic student and high school counselor contact information, the application requires a short (250 word or less) statement of interest by the student as well the student’s most recent high school transcript and most recent quarterly or term grades. Students may apply and submit their application electronically here.

Decisions will be sent during the 2nd week in November by email to the student who applied (with copy to their high school counselor). Students who have been admitted to the program will receive additional information regarding course selection and enrollment at that time.

There are 30 college and university visits still to come in the months of October and November! This is a great opportunity for students to meet with a representative that may be reading their specific application if they choose to apply to that university or college.

To sign up for a visit, students must log into their Naviance account, click "Colleges" at the top and then click "College Visits" to the left. College and university visits will be listed in order of date and time. Students must click "Register" located to the right of the college name to be added to the list. Students who register for a visit will be sent a SmartPass for the day and time of the visit.

Upcoming Visits:

• Boston College: Tuesday, October 15th @ 7:45am
• Roger Williams University: Tuesday, October 15th @ 9:06am
• High Point University: Tuesday, October 15th @ 10:02am
• Miami University - Oxford: Tuesday, October 15th @ 12:27pm
• College of the Holy Cross: Tuesday, October 15th @ 1:23pm
• Merrimack College: Wednesday, October 16th @ 1:23pm
• Stony Brook University: Thursday, October 17th @ 7:45am
• University of Chicago: Friday, October 18th @ 7:45am
• Springfield College: Monday, October 21st @ 12:47pm

September is Suicide Prevention Month. In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported suicide as the second leading cause of death for youth. For more information and resources please visit:

988 Crisis and Lifeline--CT Website (www.preventsuicidect.org/get-help/ct-988/)

Bellringer Sideline Store. The store is available 24/7 and ships directly to you.

Please see the link below to grab your Bellringer gear.

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/connecticut/easthampton/east-hampton-high-school

School Nutrition Announcements:

If you have any questions about meals in our cafeterias or MealMagic, please reach out to Kate at kcaselli@easthamptonct.org.

The Profile of the Graduate Portfolio process has begun for the classes of 2025, 2026, and, 2027. Students are developing a Google Site that they will use over the course of their high school career to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their growth and development of the five attributes in the East Hampton Public Schools: compassion, innovation, perseverance, collaboration, and active learning. This portfolio will display various achievements, projects, and activities over the course of the high school experience that will show attainment of skills, broadening of horizons, and pursuit of passions. Students will reflect on experiences, strengths, and abilities to confidently approach challenges. During XBlock students used a template developed by the Portfolio Committee, wrote a brief autobiography and are crafting their paragraphs explaining their understanding of the core values. By the end of the school year, students will have written about each of the values and uploaded examples of their work. Ultimately, this work will become part of their Senior Capstone beginning with the Class of 2025.

We are proud to continue to partner with School Based Health in order to provide direct counseling or therapy services within the school. Our School Based Health Center Counselor here at East Hampton High School is:

Barbara L. Liguori, LPC
(Bi-lingual – Brazilian/Portuguese)
Regional Director-Behavioral Health
Phone: 860-365-4030
Zoom # 475-215-0577 text/call
www.chc1.com
www.sbhc1.com

Her hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 2:15 pm. For Scheduling and enrollment please contact SBHC1 Community Health Center, Inc.475-231-6978 and https://www.sbhc1.com/enroll/ or visit the website https://www.sbhc1.com/ for more information.

Increasing and Improving Access to Care for Connecticut’s Kids!

During student drop-off in the moring and pick-up in the afternoon, please refrain from using the Bus Lane. At these times (7:00--7:25 and 2:00--2:25) cars are not allowed in the Bus Lane as vehicles block the busses and present a safety hazard to students. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in keeping our students safe.

Please review the EHHS Attendance Policy and Student Handbook as they contain important information.

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

It is also necessary for a student to be present at least half of the school day for the student to be recorded as present. When a student arrives after the mid-day point or leaves before it, the day cannot be counted for that student. Building principals will share the specific times in their communications with families.

A student is considered to be “in attendance” if present at his/her assigned school, or an activity.

sponsored by the school (e.g., field trip), for at least half of the regular school day.

At East Hampton High School, half of the regular school day arrives at 10:55 a.m. This means that if a student arrives after 10:55, even with a note, the student will be marked Tardy Absent. If a student dismisses prior to 10:55 and does not return to school, the student will be marked Early Dismissal Absent. Please contact the school with any questions regarding our attendance policies.

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 addresses can be used by parents to report and document their approval of an absence:

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.

School Meals are a great value to our students! Prepayment is expected for all cafeteria purchases.

Families eligible for free and reduced meals may qualify by completing an application online on Easthampton.familyportal.cloud or by paper application here: Application for Free and Reduced School Meals(also available in the school’s Main Office). Families with children enrolled in HUSKY or Temporary Family Assistance programs will have their status transmitted directly by the State of Connecticut to the District.

To deposit funds on your child’s account, please visit Easthampton.familyportal.cloud . Our Cafeterias also accept checks made payable to “East Hampton Cafeteria Fund”.

In September, students can enjoy fresh apples from Beckett Farms of South Glastonbury and carrots from Cold Spring Farm of Colchester. Keep an eye out for upcoming celebrations!

If you have questions, please contact Director of Nutrition Services, Kate Caselli at kcaselli@easthamptonct.org or 860.316.7324.

As a reminder to members of our school community, Board Policy #5145.122 allows the schools to work with the East Hampton Police Department to protect the health and safety of students and staff by conducting sweeps of school property by trained sniffing dogs. Please review the policy and procedures below. Our goal is to ensure that the East Hampton Schools are free of illegal substances. Annually, we provide notice of this policy to our school community. Should a sweep be conducted, parents and the Board of Education will be notified upon completion.

Use of Dogs to Sweep School Property

The Board permits the administration to invite law enforcement agencies to sweep school property with dogs trained for the purpose of detecting the presence of illegal substances, when necessary to protect the health and safety of students, employees or property or to detect the presence of illegal substances or contraband, including alcohol and/or drugs. The use of trained canine sniffing dogs and their associated law enforcement personnel is for the purpose of “alerting” on property only, and is subject to the following:

1. Parents and students shall be notified of this policy through its inclusion in the student/ parent handbook and the Superintendent and Principal or their designees, shall explain the policies and procedures followed in sweeps and searches to students and staff on an annual basis. Once notification has been given to parents and students through the handbook and assembly respectively, the school district will have met its obligation to advertise the sweep and search policy and associated procedure. Additional notices need not be given and actual times or dates of planned sweeps need not be released in advance.

2. The Superintendent or designee shall authorize the sweep. Immediately prior to the sweep, an announcement will be made for students and staff to ‘stay put’ in their classrooms while the sweep is taking place. Representatives from school administration shall accompany dogs and handlers while on school premises.

3. The Board shall be informed by the Superintendent of Schools that a sweep has taken place.

4. Parents shall be informed through the school’s mass communication system by the Superintendent of Schools that a sweep has taken place.

5. All school property which students have access to during the day, such as lockers, classrooms, parking areas and storage areas may be swept.

6. Individuals shall not be subjected to a search by dogs.

a. Dogs shall not be used in rooms occupied by persons except for demonstration purposes. The handler and representative from school administration will always be present with the dogs

b. When used for demonstration purposes, the dog may not sniff any student and/or staff.

7. Only the dog’s official handler will determine what constitutes an alert by the dog. If the dog alerts on a particular item or place, that locker or vehicle will be identified for later search. Upon completion of the sweep, the school administration will then search the identified property in the presence of a witness.

8. Searches that disclose evidence of misconduct shall result in disciplinary consequences in accordance with Board policy and may also result in referral to law enforcement agencies.

Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes

Policy adopted: March 15, 2016

10-221 Boards of education to prescribe rules.

New Jersey v T.L.O., 53 U.S.L.W. 4083 (1985)

54-33n Search of school lockers and property

Students who are being dismissed due to illness, MUST FIRST see the School Nurse. Additionally, we ask that parents familiarize themselves with our attendance policy which is in the EHHS Student Handbook. Some of the main policies/procedures that we are mut be followed are listed below:

• EARLY DISMISSALS: A written request (no phone calls) from a parent or guardian must be presented to the main office before school begins so student may obtain an early dismissal slip. Students will wait in the main office for their parent/guardian to call the office and we will send your child out to meet you after they sign-out.
• NURSE DISMISSALS: In case of illness during school, dismissal will be arranged through the school nurse, or in her absence, through the office. Students feeling ill should report directly to the nurse's office. Students should not be texting or calling home when not feeling well.

Please note that having a parent’s written request before the start of the day allows the students name to appear on the Daily Attendance sheet so their teachers will be aware that they may not be in class on that day. This also eliminates the office staff from calling in and disrupting a classroom to dismiss the student. We do realize that there may be occasions when you may need to unexpectedly pick your child up early. In those cases we will call the student down when the parent/guardian arrives to the school.

Students that are dismissed from school will not be allowed to return without appropriate documentation from their visit/provider. In the event that doucmentation is not available, a parent will be required to sign their student into the main office upon return.

1. Dropping off on items--the table to drop off items for students has been moved inside the first set of doors. Parents will be able to drop items of for students, but will no longer be admitted to the main lobby.
2. Appointments--for security reasons, parents and visitors who are requesting to meet with a teacher or administration should call in advance to ensure that the requested party is available to meet rather than show up unannounced.
3. Effective immediately, there is an anonymous tip line to enhance a safe environment in our schools. Students, parents, and community members have access to the front page of the website to report self-concerns, mental health concerns of a friend, or concerns of violence. https://www.easthamptonps.org/

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.

Parents are asked to join our schools and speak to children about marijuana edibles. While legal for purchase by adults in CT, please note that the psychoactive ingredient, THC, is still considered a controlled substance in school.

We have had recent incidents at the High School of students consuming THC gummy candies - with and without knowing what they contain.

The school district treats consumption and distribution of a controlled substance very seriously. Students who ingest or bring gummies to school will face consequences up to and including 10-days of suspension. Those who distribute gummies on school grounds will face consequences up to and including expulsion from school.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/substance-abuse/Pages/Edible-Marijuana-Dangers.aspx

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.

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: everner@easthamptonct.org
Website: www.easthamptonps.org
Location: 15 North Maple Street, East Hampton, CT, USA
Phone: 860-365-4030
Twitter: @EH_CTPrincipal