EMS Fall Sports Updates

Greetings Eisenhower students, parents and families,

We hope this message finds you well and enjoying the start of the summer recess. We are excited to announce the Roxbury Board of Education recently approved Boys & Girls Soccer for year-one of a three-year trial period here at EMS! This means our 2024 Fall Sports offerings will now include Boys & Girls Soccer, Field Hockey and Cross Country!

In an effort to help the families of our student-athletes best prepare for tryouts this fall, please take a moment to review THIS MEMO from Roxbury's Director of Athletics, Mr. Stuart Mason. It contains time-sensitive information pertinent to the upcoming season, particularly with regards to updates the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has made to the sports forms and physical process. Linked in the memo is a QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE our nurses prepared to further assist in this regard as well. Finally, the district's ATHLETIC'S WEBSITE is also a helpful place to visit to help ensure you are completing all required tasks and meeting all related deadlines.

** PLEASE NOTE - ALL SPORTS FORMS AND PHYSICALS MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED TO THE EISENHOWER MAIN OFFICE BY 2:00 on FRIDAY, JULY 12! **

Thank you in advance for supporting our student-athletes and teams. We look forward to supporting their efforts on the field, and know that they will all represent Eisenhower and Roxbury with pride and honor! Go Eagles!!

Respectfully,

Mr. Paul Gallagher

Principal, Eisenhower Middle School

* How often does my child need a physical? We need a current physical, which means one that was done within 365 days of the sports season/tryouts. See the “which packet should I complete” section below for more information on this.

• Note - The doctor has to fill out two of the forms in the packet linked below (they cannot leave anything blank; vision must be completed; forms must be stamped):

* Which packet should I complete, the “New Physical” or the “Re-Check Packet”? This all depends on if they have played sports at EMS before, if they have had a physical in the last 365 days, and/or whether or not the school has the results of that physical already on file:

• NEW PHYSICAL PACKET - This means your child’s physical has expired OR, that your child has not already participated in an EMS sport in the past 365 days, so we DO NOT HAVE a physical on file.
• RE-CHECK PACKET - This means your child HAS already participated in an EMS sport this year (past 365 days), so we HAVE a physical on file AND it has not expired.

* Where can I access hard copies of required forms? Hard copies are available at the Eisenhower Main Office, in the security vestibule.

* What part(s) of the "New Physical Packet" does the parent/guardian complete? The parent/guardian has to fill out both the Health History and Emergency Contact Form dated no sooner than 90 days of the sports season/tryouts, and the student must sign as well. **Please note- if any "yes" answers check off on the Health History, make sure to explain and provide medical documentation for the school doctor to review. For example, if "yes" to orthopedic injury, please submit the medical clearance to return to sports without restrictions; if "yes" to cardiac testing- we'll need a copy of the cardiologist's clearance; if "yes" to inhaler use, doctor's orders for the inhaler including the permission to self-carry medication form will need to be submitted.

* What if my student plays for Recreation and/or a Travel/Club? These programs do not apply to school-sponsored sports. Eligibility for club & travel teams does not ensure eligibility for school sports.

* How do I submit completed paperwork? Hard copies can be dropped off at the EMS front office, to the attention of Ms. Desiree Hornung, EMS School Nurse.

* What happens after I submit my paperwork? How will I know my student is cleared? The school doctor then reviews the paperwork, provides the final clearance, and signs off on the forms. Once complete, a copy of the clearance will be provided to the coach and a copy of your student’s Physical Exam status will be available through the “Documents” portion of your Genesis Parent Portal. You can also set up your Parent Portal profile to receive messages and alerts such as these.

• Interest meetings, sign-ups and tryouts dates will be announced as the season approaches, with additional information to follow directly from the appropriate coach(es). Encourage your student to listen carefully to all morning and midday announcements!

* We’re not interested right now, but what about future sports seasons? If your student is interested in a school sport that runs in another season, please hold off on submitting until the deadlines for each season approach. Anticipated deadlines are shared as they become available on the district's athletics webpage, with updates/reminders communicated to families by administration.