Bellringer Newsletter

Good morning. It's hard to believe that there are only two weeks left in the first academic quarter. This is a great opportunity to check Power School with your student and reach out to teachers if you have any concerns. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at everner@easthamptonct.org.

• 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

The EHHS PTO Election Day Bake Sale is coming!

This much-loved event is a big fundraiser for the PTO with proceeds going to support senior scholarships and mini grants at EHHS. We need your help to ensure its success!

Please consider baking or purchasing goodies and packaging them in “grab and go” units in baggies or plastic wrap: cookies or brownies (include several in each baggie), individual muffins or several mini muffins, slices of quick breads, donuts or donut holes, Rice Krispie Treats, etc. We suggest no cupcakes or frosted items please as they’re difficult to package and sell cleanly.

We also welcome entire plates of cookies/brownies, Rice Krispie treats, etc., multipacks of muffins or donuts, whole loaves of quick breads and whole pies or cakes - all have been extremely popular at past sales!

Please send your donations to the school office with your student on Monday, November 4th marked "PTO Bake Sale" or drop off yourself in the school office. Please make sure that all items are packaged for sale in plastic wrap or baggies, etc. Include a note to let us know what the item is and if it contains nuts of any kind. Gluten-free items are appreciated as well.

If you don’t have time to bake but still want to support the PTO, we gratefully welcome monetary donations. Cash or checks made out to EHHS PTO can be brought or mailed to school anytime. You can also Venmo a gift donation to @Ruth-Lintz

If you have any questions or need to drop items off either earlier than the date above or at the bake sale itself (preferably before 9am), please email us at ptoehhs@gmail.com or call/text chairperson

Ruth Lintz at 860-416-9034.

Thank you for your support!

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.

Allison McGuigan

Allison is the of Student of the Month due to her remarkable commitment to personal growth and her positive impact on the school community during her senior year. Her dedication to theatre reflects her seriousness and passion, as she immerses herself fully in her role in the school play. As the newly appointed co-president of Unified Sports, she not only helps organize events but also fosters an inclusive environment where all students feel welcome and valued. Despite facing challenges throughout high school, Allison exemplifies perseverance, showing that hard work and resilience lead to meaningful progress. Her recent acceptance into the automatic admissions program at Mitchell College is a testament to her academic dedication. Moreover, she is actively stepping outside her social comfort zones, embodying the spirit of growth and inspiring those around her. Allison's journey and achievements make her a truly deserving candidate for this recognition.

Samantha Pugo

Sam has been an integral part of the art club for the past two years and has independently spearheaded some initial activities for the beginning of this school year for a strong start. These activities include the Involvement Fair, new member recruitment and introductory slideshow, and community outreach to coordinate art events/fundraisers in the wider town community.

Sam has also planned face painting activities for student council’s spirit week and is working to organize an “Empty Bowls” fundraiser event for the East Hampton Food Bank. Way to go Sam!

Charlotte Cascio

Charlotte organized a Professional Development webinar for staff professional development to bring awareness to students with special education needs and anxiety. She did fundraising to pay for presenter Johnathan Mooney, and has used the fundraising money to purchase a book written by the presenter for each teacher. Thank you Charlotte for your efforts.

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.

In an effort to ease the financial burden that comes with the application process, the following Connecticut Universities are providing fee waivers for students who apply on the designated day(s).

• University of Connecticut: November 1st
• Eastern Connecticut State University: November 1st
• Southern Connecticut State University: November 1st - November 15th
• Central Connecticut State University: Month of November
• Western Connecticut State University: Month of November

The school counseling department continues to hold Workshop Wednesdays every Wednesday during X-Block to support students through the college application process. Students with November 1st deadlines are strongly encouraged to attend Workshop Wednesday this week to ensure all of their application questions and concerns are addressed well before the deadline.

Colleges visits continue into November! This is a great opportunity for students to meet with the 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:

• Springfield College: Monday, October 21st @ 12:47pm
• Central CT State: Tuesday, October 22nd @ 9:06am
• Western CT State: Tuesday, October 22nd @ 10:02am
• Keene State College: Tuesday, October 22nd @ 1:23pm
• University of Saint Joseph: Friday, October 25th @ 9:06am
• University of Rhode Island: Friday, October 25th @ 10:02am
• Lasell University: Friday, October 25th @ 12:27pm
• Mitchell College: Monday, October 28th @ 9:10am
• Saint Anselm College: Monday, October 28th @ 12:47pm
• University of Mass - Dartmouth: Tuesday, October 29th @ 10:02am
• University of Southern Maine: Tuesday, October 29th @ 12:27pm

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