Fall Parent Conferences will be held on Wednesday, November 13, from 1:00-5:00 and Thursday, November 14, from 1:00-7:30. We have planned our conferences to provide meaningful feedback on your child's progress both socially and academically. You will have the opportunity to meet with your child's teachers who will provide an overview on your child's progress on both their Achievement, how a student is progressing on skills and standards within their content classes, and on their Habits of Success, skills we value as essential to student engagement and learning.

Families will receive an email via Parent Square from each of their child's individual teachers to sign up for a 5 minute time slot for each class. E-mails and information regarding Parent Teacher Conferences will be sent out to families at 6:00 P.M. on November 5, 2024 . Conference sign-ups will close at 3:00 P.M on November 8, 2024. You may sign up to meet with one, a few, or all of your child’s teachers.

Parent conferences are optional, but we welcome all families who would like to meet with their child’s teacher. If you do not plan to attend conferences in November, please fill out the google form to specify you will not be participating. You can include your child/children's name(s) in the notes. Due to scheduling and the necessary preparation required for conferences, teachers will not be able to accommodate “Drop-Ins” during Parent Conferences.

Virtual conferences will also be available for families who may need that option. If you need to schedule a virtual conference, please reach out directly to your child’s teacher. These conferences may be held at a mutually agreed upon time between individual teachers and parents and may fall outside of the 13th and 14th.

As always, whenever a concern arises, please reach out to your child's Team Leader. The following are the contacts per grade level:

Team 6 contact: Ms. McCabe - tmccabe@easthamptonct.org

Team 7 contact: Mrs. Cates - kcates@easthamptonct.org

Team 8 contact: Mrs. Berube - mberube@easthamptonct.org

We can accommodate a team meeting at any point of the year to ensure we are best supporting your child and family. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Emily or myself.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Tues. Nov 5th - No School - Professional Development

Wed. Nov. 6th - Rescheduled 8th Grade Parent Night 6:00

Mon. Nov. 11th - No School - Veteran's Day

Wed. Nov. 13th - Early Release for Students - Parent Conferences 1:00 - 5:00

Thurs. Nov. 14th - Early Release for Students- Parent Conferences 1:00 - 7:30

A calendar view of before and after school activities is linked below and included on the calendar on Parentsquare.

Please see the link below with a letter from Eric Verner, the Principal of East Hampton High School, inviting you to an orientation taking place for parents on November 19th at 6:00.

Seventh-grade students have been exploring author techniques and characterization through a collaborative author study. This week, they created character sketches that not only depict the character’s physical traits, but also highlight important objects, personality traits, motivations, and conflicts.

Congrats again to our Cross Country teams during last week's League Meet!

The PBIS Committee has been looking for ways to inject a little fun into our school, for students and staff. All week, we have been playing a CLUE themed game/contest/adventure that runs in the background, with minimal distraction to our normal classes and routines. Each day as been more to the storyline and clues. Winners have been selected throughout the week as clues are solved.

Pictured below is Professor Plum with Detective Asklar and Butler Buchan! Gianna Jarzabek, Dash Palmer and Mrs. Berube won with their creative answers to Professor Plum, the Office and the Cauldron! Grade 8 takes the points this time to our grade level contest!

Below are students who have received Positive Office Referrals 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 or prizes that we have. Great job!

6th Graders

Wyatt Tomkus, Autumn Tillinghast, Collin Kloepfer, Cayden Santos, Kadyel Cardona

8th Grader

Alayna Jensen

We had some Halloween fun throughout the week as well from dressing up to support UNICEF to our Halloween poster contest!

Our 8th graders had the opportunity to attend this year's ACM Conference which provided students the opportunity to speak with over 90 local aerospace firms to learn about the valuable career opportunities that exist and discuss the expectations employers have when hiring as well as see first-hand leading-edge manufacturing technologies used across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Our 8th graders along with students from EHHS attended.

We are pleased to let you know about a valuable program taking place in your child’s school this year. Over two decades of research has helped us understand the important role social and emotional skills play in each child’s success in school, in the community, and, eventually, in higher education and the workplace. Skills such as demonstrating self-control, persisting at challenging tasks, making good decisions, and working well in groups are all necessary to being successful students and adults. To support our students in developing these skills that will help them become successful and responsible adults, we will be implementing a life skills program throughout the school district.

As part of this program, our teachers will be using a tool called the DESSA. This tool asks trained teachers to assess how often a student has demonstrated specific life skills in the past month. The DESSA is sponsored by the Connecticut State Department of Education and is completed three times a year by a teacher who works with your student on a regular basis.

Sample DESSA questions include:

• How often did the child keep trying when unsuccessful?

• How often did the child offer to help somebody?

• How often did the child get things done in a timely fashion?

• How often did the child work well in groups?

Based on this rating students may be identified as in need of instruction, demonstrating typical competencies or having certain strengths by competency. This information would be used to design learning opportunities to support or further skill development. If a student is in need of instruction, the teacher would also be asked to complete a longer survey for additional detail.

The purpose of the DESSA is to identify which life skills your child has already learned and what skills they might still need to develop. Once our teachers identify the skills their students still need to learn, they will teach those skills using the Second Step curriculum through our Advisory groups. Our goal is to ensure that your child is continuously developing the skills they need for lifelong success.

While the DESSA is just one component of our program this year, we want to make sure that you are informed of our use of this instructional tool. We believe that the information gathered from the DESSA will be beneficial to your child’s overall success both inside and outside of the classroom.

To view additional information about the DESSA, the privacy policy, or the parent portal, visit the website linked below.

If you would like your child to OPT-OUT of this assessment, please contact Christina Amaral through the main office at 860-365-4060 or by email at camaral@easthamptonct.org to discuss your concerns.

NOV 4- NOV 8 (subject to change)

TUESDAY, NOV 5

No School!

WEDNESDAY, NOV 6

Basketball tryouts (no study halls during tryouts)

Girls basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm (Grades 6, 7 and 8)

Boys basketball 4:30 until 6 pm (Grades 7 and 8)

(Arrive back by gym doors at 4:15 pm.

THURSDAY, NOV 7

Basketball tryouts (no study halls during tryouts)

Girls basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm (Grades 6, 7 and 8)

Boys basketball 4:30 until 6 pm (Grades 6 only)

(Arrive back by gym doors at 4:15 pm.

FRIDAY, NOV 8

Basketball tryouts (no study halls during tryouts)

Girls basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm (Grades 6, 7 and 8)

Boys basketball 4:30 until 6 pm (Grades 6 and 7)

(Arrive back by gym doors at 4:15 pm.

TUESDAY, NOV 12

Basketball tryouts (no study halls during tryouts)

Girls basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm (Grades 6, 7 and 8)

Boys basketball 4:30 until 6 pm (Grades 8, with invite only for some 7th and 6th)

(Arrive back by gym doors at 4:15 pm.

FRIDAY, NOV 15

Basketball tryouts (no study halls during tryouts)

Girls basketball 2:35 until 4:30 pm (Grades 6, 7 and 8)

Boys basketball 4:30 until 6 pm (Grades 6, 7 and 8)

(Arrive back by gym doors at 4:15 pm.

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Cheer Leading tryouts Grades 6, 7 and 8

Monday, Nov 18 (2:35 until 4:30 pm)

Tuesday, Nov 19 (2:35 until 4:30 pm)

Wednesday, Nov 20 (2:35 until 4:30 pm)

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.

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