Cheetah Pride Press

"The door is more than it appears. It separates who you are from who you can be. You do not have to walk through it...You can run." --Franklin Richards (of the Fantastic Four)

Hero Essay by Joseph Ploszay

I am going to try to persuade you that firemen are noteworthy. My heroes are firemen. If we do not have firemen and you make a mistake when you are cooking, your house can get damaged with fire and you’ll have no one to call to help you. But that is not today because the firemen will save the day. They have hoses with water so do not worry.

Firemen are extremely hard workers. One reason why is that they are always ready. When that alarm goes off, they sprint to the pole and go down. And the alarm can go off any time. Like you can be sleeping in your nice warm bed and all of a sudden the alarm might go off. They are always ready. But they have to go much faster in the night because they probably have their P.J.s on. They inspire me.

My second reason why firemen are heroes is because they save people’s lives. If they need to go into a burning house, the firemen put on gear to be protected. They go into the building to help the people get out. Say it's a skyscraper; there would be a lot of firemen because skyscrapers are BIG. At the same time the other firemen are with hoses and on ladders putting the fire out. That strategy will save so many lives.

The last reason why firemen are noteworthy is because I want to point out that firemen put their lives in danger to save people. For example, firemen go into burning buildings to save citizens and also put out the fire at the same time. That strategy saves a tremendous amount of people. How cool! Firemen are awesome because they do good things to help people.

That's how you know that firemen are helpful, generous and awesome. These are a lot of good words to describe firemen. You should think about firemen and remember that firemen are heroes. Hope that you like my book and also got persuaded that firemen are awesome.

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." --Pericles

Dear Memorial Families,

It has been our pleasure and a great delight to partner with you to provide all Cheetahs with the best possible school experience. Our commitment to continuous growth as lead learners and exploration of opportunities has us at exciting crossroads.

Andy is fulfilling his professional goal of extending his circle of influence beyond the school level to the district level as the newly appointed Superintendent of Schools in Lebanon, Connecticut. Brandy is excited to explore new adventures as she closes out 35 rewarding years as a professional educator and boldly, bravely steps into retirement.

“Legacies aren’t the result of wishful thinking. They’re the result of determined doing. The legacy you leave is the life you lead. We lead our lives daily. We leave our legacies daily. The people you see, the actions you take--they are what tell your story. It’s the sum of everything you do that matters, not the one large bequest at the end of your tenure.”

It is with tremendous pride that we have served the Memorial School community and with heartfelt fondness that we will reflect on experiences with our team, students, and families.

We are proud of our caring and dedicated teachers and support staff for their commitment to creating a safe nurturing environment where learners grow, thrive and explore personal passions. Our young cheetahs are at the heart of everything we do every single day. We are proud of how they grow into caring and confident students well on their way to navigating a complex global society. We are grateful for the connections, support and collaboration we have experienced with families creating a vibrant school that enriches the entire East Hampton community.

“You never know whose life you might touch and what impact you might have. You just never know when the critical moment might come. What you do know is that you can make a difference. You can leave this world better than you found it”- Kouzes & Posner- A Leader’s Legacy

Thank you for touching our lives and making a difference in our journeys.

Best,
Andy and Brandy

Dear Memorial Families,

We are excited to announce that our 2021 Writing Celebration is just around the corner! We invite you to come to marvel over the hard work, perseverance, and creativity of our young writers which will be on display in Memorial’s Main Lobby according to the class schedule/dates pictured below. To accommodate families’ schedules, this gallery of work will be open from 3:45-5:45pm for a self-guided tour. Please come and go at your leisure and understand that it is possible that some teachers may be unable to attend.

As safety continues to be our priority, families are asked to enter through the main entrance and exit via the side exit. Masks are required and hand sanitizer stations will be available upon entry and at exit. We appreciate your support with limiting hands-on contact with students’ work.

With pride,

Andy & Brandy

Please note that registration is now open for the East Hampton Public Schools Pfizer vaccine clinic run by Community Health Center on Saturday, May 22 for all students, family members, and community members, ages 12+ from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Register here: http://chc1.co/3W19E8Q.

DiGeorge Syndrome, also known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, is a chromosomal disorder that results in poor development of several body systems. 22q11.2 deletion syndrome has many possible signs and symptoms that can affect almost any part of the body. Medical experts and scientists have found over 180 different signs/symptoms. The most common being heart abnormalities, immune system problems and distinctive facial features. Most also have speech development delays. On May 18th Memorial will recognize Worldwide DiGeorge Syndrome Day by wearing red and bringing a favorite stuffed buddy to school.

Dear Community Partners,

We have partnered with Peace at Home Parenting Solutions to offer free, pre-recorded parenting classes to all HUSKY Health members. These classes are brief (20 minutes or less), informative, and fun! We would appreciate it if you shared this information with HUSKY Health members.

The link to Peace at Home, as well as the HUSKY Health "Important Phone Numbers" wallet card are linked below for your reference.

We will continue to provide support to HUSKY Health members by telephone and email. For more information on our programs and services, please visit our website at www.portal.ct.gov/husky and click "Information for Members."

Thank you,

Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc.®

The State of Connecticut's medical Administrative Services Organization (ASO) for the HUSKY Health Program

Dear Grade 3 Families,

It is with pride that we look forward to celebrating our 3rd Graders’ accomplishments and with confidence that we support their transition to 4th Grade at Center School. We are excited to offer a more traditional Movin’ On Up event this year and invite families to attend a celebration occurring during the school day in our cafetorium according to the following schedule:

June 8: Mr. Frost 9:00am Mr. Evans 9:50am Ms. Conklin 1:30pm

June 9: Mrs. Hennessey 9:00am Mrs. Haydu 9:50am Mrs. Snyder 1:30pm

Mr. Rossi 2:15pm

Each grade 3 classroom will host its own individual ceremony in order to allow comfortable and safe spacing for all attendees. We appreciate families limiting guests to 2 adults per student and will live stream the event so additional families can view remotely. Masks are required and we ask that there be no congregating after the event. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and consideration with ensuring that all families wishing to attend can be safely accommodated.

The ceremony will include Andy and Brandy’s welcoming messages and reflections, remarks or memories from your classroom teacher or students, a formal presentation of certificates of promotion, a slide show that highlights this year’s grade 3 experience, and a commemorative program brochure.

We have enjoyed getting to know the class of 2030 and look forward to following their

accomplishments at Center School and beyond.

Congratulations!

With Cheetah Pride,

Andy & Brandy

May 18--Wear Red for Worldwide DiGeorge Syndrome Day

May 22--Vaccine Clinic for ages 12+

May 24-28--Kindergarten Screenings by Appointment

May 28--IT Appreciation Day

May 31--Memorial Day--No School

June 16--Last Day of School--1:10 Dismissal

All photo inquiries (including QR Codes) should be directed to photographer Ted Morton at tedmorton1@yahoo.com.

• Implement Second Step Social Emotional curriculum with fidelity across all grade levels and classrooms.
• Achieve individual growth targets as measured by the i-Ready reading and math diagnostic assessment for all students.

The Second Step program teaches skills in the following four areas:

1. Skills for Learning: Students gain skills to help themselves learn, including how to focus their attention, listen carefully, use self-talk to stay on task, and be assertive when asking for help with schoolwork.

2. Empathy: Students learn to identify and understand their own and others’ feelings. Students also learn how to take another’s perspective and how to show compassion.

3. Emotion Management: Students learn specific skills for calming down when experiencing strong feelings, such as anxiety or anger.

Ways to Calm Down: Belly breathing, using positive self-talk, counting

4. Problem Solving: Students learn a process for solving problems with others in a positive way

Each year the East Hampton Public Schools administers the i-Ready Diagnostic in Reading and Math in the fall, winter, and spring to monitor student growth and performance. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. These results are reviewed as one data point amongst other assessments, observations and data regarding student performance. The assessment is integrated into your child’s day as part of their academic learning and is paced to ensure that they work on the assessment in small chunks of time. The implementation of this assessment is completed in accordance with Connecticut State Department of Education guidelines. Our students will complete this assessment over the next few weeks. Students in third grade will assess later in May as they are currently working on the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that help our team identify your child’s strengths and determine next steps for instruction. We utilize this assessment information along with your teacher’s feedback and observations and other information and formal assessments to plan for your child’s transition to the next school year.

i-Ready Personalized Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual skill level and needs, so your student can learn at a pace that is just right for them. These lessons are fun and interactive to keep your student engaged as they learn. We recommend usage should be limited to 45 minutes per week per subject area! See below for how to access the progress and time on task for your student.

• Implement Fundations with fidelity across k-3 grade levels and classrooms.
• Utilize the workshop model of instruction in mathematics in all classrooms.

• Ensure that all teachers engage in Individual Data Meetings with Reading/Math Specialists and Administration to review student performance data, set individual growth targets for every learner, and create instructional plans to help realize these goals.
• Create teacher driven goals at the classroom level to enhance communication, connection and support in response to the 19-20 Parent Feedback survey.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The East Hampton Public School District works to ensure the success and achievement of all students by guiding the development and implementation of a shared vision of learning, a strong organizational mission, and high expectations for student performance.

As a collaborative community, we establish and implement best practices to meet the needs of every child in the East Hampton Public Schools. Please take this opportunity to provide feedback about your child's educational experience. If you have more than one child in the district, please consider completing a survey for each child to provide specific information for each school.

On behalf of EHPS, we thank you in advance for completing this survey.

Best,
Andy & Brandy

Kindergarten has begun the countdown to day 180 with Backwards ZYX Bootcamp!

26 -- Z for Zebra Day; 25 -- Y for Yellow Day; 24 -- X for eXercise Day; 23 -- W for Western Day

We look forward to updating you weekly on the progress of our student led planting project.

We appreciate how proactive families have been in taking students to get tested for COVID. Please know that if you choose to do this, you are required, per Chatham Health guidance, to keep your learner home until the negative results are shared with the school. Please also remember that rapid molecular and PCR tests are the only tests accepted by our schools.

Close contact: within 6 feet of an infected person (confirmed COVID19) for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, or a direct exposure to possibly infected droplets of saliva or nasal mucus (e.g., being sneezed or coughed on in the face).

A Message from the Department of Children and Families

We are asking for your help spreading the word about the state’s new “Talk It Out Line”, which is a Department of Children and Families’ initiative created to provide support and services to help parents and caretakers with the stress and increased needs resulting from caring for their children during the COVID-19 crisis. Parents and caregivers are invited to call 833-258-5011 and/or visit www.talkitoutct.com to speak with trained professionals (in both English and Spanish) who will listen and discuss their concerns and, if additional help is needed, refer them to responsive services. The "Talk It Out Line" is available Monday-Friday from 8am to 8pm; and on weekends from 1 pm to 8 pm.

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.

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.

Home of 570 PK-3 Proud Young Cheetahs and Future Bellringers!

Email: memorialoffice@easthamptonct.org
Website: http://www.easthamptonps.org/o/memorial-school
Location: 20 Smith Street, East Hampton, CT 06424
Phone: 860-365-4020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ehmemorialschool/