Good afternoon,

We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to law enforcement and our community for the overwhelming support provided since Tuesday. Your children did an amazing job following directions, remaining quiet, and supporting one another through this very scary event. We are incredibly thankful that all of our students and staff remained safe. Tuesday’s events have deeply affected both students and staff, and we understand that everyone will process this experience in their own way and at their own pace. We are working on scheduling therapy dogs to continue visiting our school through next week. Please know that we are here to offer any support your child may need. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Emily Asklar, myself, or your child’s guidance counselor if additional assistance is required. We will continue to provide support for as long as it’s needed to help our students and staff.

On Wednesday, we had a debrief with students and gave them the chance to provide us with questions they have. Some students asked about hearing yelling or popping sounds. The Superintendent’s latest update from October 3rd addresses those concerns. If you haven’t had a chance to read through his communication, please take a moment to do so. As many students were not at school Wednesday, we will be holding brief grade-level meetings with students so we have the opportunity to follow up with them regarding their questions.

The safety and well-being of our Panther community remains our top priority. We hope everyone can take time this weekend to rest and spend quality time with their loved ones.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Mon. Oct 7th - Early Release for EHMS Students Only - Dismissal at 12:35

Fri. Oct 11th - No School for Students -Professional Development

Mon. Oct 14th - No School Columbus Day

Wed. Oct 16th - EHMS PTO Meeting 5:30 in Library

Fri. Oct 25th - Picture Retake Day!

Our school community this week engaged in an advisory lesson that allowed students to both express their experiences on Tuesday and to express their appreciation and gratitude to anyone who supported them yesterday. Students wrote thank you cards to staff, our ASO, law enforcement, and each other. Throughout the week, therapy dogs walked the hallways and visited classrooms to provide a friendly face (and tail!) for students to connect with. We are so grateful for all the resources and the outreach of community members supporting our community - we can't thank everyone enough!

Parents – Your students school pictures are ready for viewing. Please use the QR code sent home with your student. If you don’t have that information, please reach out to our photographer, Ted Morton at tedmorton1@yahoo.com. If you order before October 14, shipping will be free to EHMS.

Re-take day is the morning of Friday October 25th.

Below are students who have received Positive Office Referrals on Monday for their behaviors that have exemplified our PBIS pillars of Respect, Responsibility, Compassion and Pride. Students were able to choose a reward from our menu of options like eating outside with friends! Great job!

6th Graders

MariAnna D'Amore, Cayden Santos, Michael Cerreta

7th Graders

Lukas Werme, Calum Danaher, Caleb Pinaud

8th Graders

Emma Riddell

We are working to finalize our club advisors and the days that clubs will meet. Communication will be shared either in Parentsquare or our Panther Posts to provide families with details on clubs and the process for students to sign up. We encourage all our students to try an activity out and would love for everyone to be part of something here at East Hampton Middle School.

More to come!

Oct 7 - Oct 11 (subject to change)

MONDAY, OCT 7

Early release for students - no Athletics

TUESDAY, OCT 8

East Hampton XC at Beman MS (Middletown), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus.

Note: Girls run first

Note: school bags can stay in locker rooms

No Boys or Girls Soccer practices

WEDNESDAY, OCT 9

East Hampton girls soccer at Washington MS (Meriden), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:45 pm game.

Site: Falcon Field (turf field)

Note: White uniforms!

Note: Washington only has a varsity team. JV's will travel and work out before and at half time.

Note: school bags stored in team room!

Boys soccer practice 2:35 until 4:30 pm-boys will report to commons for 5 minutes!!

Cross Country practice 2:35 until 4 pm

THURSDAY, OCT 10

McGee XC at East Hampton

Note: Girls run first

East Hampton soccer at Griswold MS (Rocky Hill), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 pm

Site: Boys soccer at SunnyCrest Park

Site: Girls soccer at Griswold MS

Note: School bags stored in team rooms!

FRIDAY, OCT 11

No School-No Athletics!

Friendly reminders from your school nurse:

*School field trips are starting to pop up! Please make sure I have your child's medication/s in the health office so that they may participate.

*There are lots of germs going around right now so please remember to keep your child home if they are not feeling well. Even if it's just for the morning so you can reevaluate and send them to school if they have improved. Reminder that you should be fever-free for 24 hours to return to school WITHOUT fever reducing medication. Students must be able to keep food and fluids down (without vomiting or diarrhea) in order to return.

Thank you for your continued support!

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.

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.

The East Hampton Board of Education and the school community as a whole promote a secure and productive school climate, conducive to teaching and learning that is free from threat, harassment, any type of bullying behavior, and teen dating violence. Therefore it shall be the policy of the Board that bullying and/or teen dating violence committed against a student by another student is prohibited. The Board believes that a school environment in which students feel safe, supported, engaged and helpfully challenged is optimal for learning and healthy development. The Board seeks an environment in which students and adults feel socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically safe; an environment that is free of harassment, intimidation, teen dating violence and bullying. Our website provides links to various policies and reporting forms including our Safe School Climate Plan. Hard copies are also available in our main office. If at any point you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to building administration for further assistance.

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.

Happy New Year! Did you resolve to be more on top of your and your child’s health this year? Here’s an easy solution: Sign your child up for School-Based Health Care. Your child’s school works with Community Health Center, Inc.’s School-Based Health Care program to provide health services to your child during the school day. This means they won’t miss as much class and you don’t need to miss work to support their health care needs. Learn more about the services offered at your child’s school and enroll today at SBHC1.com!

The attached bulletins below were developed through a collaborative effort among the Department of Children and Families, the Department Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Office of Child Advocate, the Department of Public Health, the State Department of Education, and the Governor's Office. The content includes information on suicide, helpful tips to support people of all ages, and where to go for additional support and resources.

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