East Hills Connection #23

We have a short week ahead of us, but lots to do! We end our week with an AMAZING production of Cinderella! The talent is out of this world and the students have worked so hard!

Next week is the last week of February, and we are hoping for some better weather to show up soon. In the meantime, please stay warm and safe!

Mr. Horvath, Mr. Podhyski and Mrs. Braun

2/21-2/23: East Hills Theatre Company presents Cinderella

3/13: Half-Day Inservice (11:30 Dismissal)

We love to BRAG about out students. As teachers and parents nominate the students, we are able to celebrate their awesomeness here!!

Our staff and faculty are such amazing people! Working TOGETHER. CONNECTED. STRONG. we are able to do outstanding things for our students!

Freedom Football will begin our workouts for our incoming 9th graders on Tuesday 2/11 from 3:55 - 4:45 pm at the Freedom High School weightroom.

- Weekly workouts will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:55- 4:45

- Players should wear sneakers, shorts, and a t-shirt for workouts

- All workouts will be supervised by the Freedom HS Football performance coaches

If you have any questions reach out to Coach Roeder at jroeder@basdschools.org

Breaking the phone habit: Where to begin the conversation?

Last month, we discussed four SMART challenges to help your child set goals that were Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. One of the big hurdles that stands in the way of reaching these goals is excess screen time. In last month's Parent Advisory Council meeting, parents and Ms. Bouhana, Assistant Principal of Broughal discussed the effects of screen time. We learned these shocking statistics: Did you know?

• Children receive an average of 237 notifications per day

• Over half of teens use their phones over night for social media, gaming, or youtube

• 4.8 hours is the average teens spend on social media every day

• Children that spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of poor mental health including experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression

These numbers are scary, especially for developing brains. At East Hills, the no cell phone policy is giving students a break from phones to focus on class instruction, and after two years of full implementation, we teachers are seeing a difference in attention and stress levels (for both teachers and students!). However, as soon as the kids are on their way home, the phones come out. So, what can you do at home? We will be talking this month about strategies to help minimize screen time and help give your child the agency to make smart choices.

Screen Time Challenge:

1. Start a family conversation with the four bullet points above. Ask the family to guess, "how many text notifications do you think children get every day? How many hours a day do teens go on their phones?" and so on.

2. Next, do a weekly check-in on phone use as a starting point. Everyone goes on their phones, click on Settings, scroll down to Screen Time. Find out how many hours were spent on screen time in the past week. Make a chart to compare each person's screen time use (you, too).

3. Set a goal of who can lower their screen time the most each week in the next month, and decide on a prize.

Next week, we will talk about alternatives to smart phones when screen time limits aren't working.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Explore a variety of FREE events and activities happening within the #BASDcommunity in the event section of the BASD website.

To check out upcoming events, FOLLOW THIS LINK.

East Hills Parents and Guardians,

Be in the know this school year by signing up for the EHMS Parent Association emails! Click the link to provide your name and email address.

This is an opt-in only list, so you MUST register your email to get the info from the Parent Association.

Sign Up Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_6FOsHtCB7M4phyyOkHwJBFEHZ2pxOwEmICxlp5XdWEXhEA/viewform

Mrs. Constanzo shares some great ways to be healthy this school year!

New for 2024-25

Summer is coming to a close and often we neglect to realize many of the changes the students will need to become accustomed to when school starts. Waking up early, preparing to catch the bus or travel to school, schoolwork, homework, and the list goes on.

One major area to consider is that your children will not have the same access to their cell phones when they become students again.

Parents, please prepare your child(ren) for the adjustment. Most parents have limitations they set for their children throughout the summer days to limit screen time. However, all of the students and you as parents need to know that we are adjusting our standards for the upcoming school year. We looked back on the level of distraction vs. usefulness cell phones have provided over the past few years and we realize the need to set a tone for the school day to be largely void of the distractions of cell phones. Here is what you should prepare your child(ren) for when they return to school:

Students may not CARRY phones in hands, pockets, etc. Cell phones must not be out at all. They must remain in bags during the school day. This means:

1. Students can never use cell phones in class, hallway or office without teacher/staff permission.

2. Students can never carry cell phones in hand in the hallway.

3. Students can never take cellphones to/in the lavatory.

4. Students can never take cell phones to the cafeteria (not in purses/lunch bags if those items are brought to the cafe).

***Smart watches have similar restricted use in all the same ways as cell phones. Smart watches can and will be collected if used inappropriately.