The Panther Post

Good afternoon,

Our students have been hard at work putting forth their best efforts with our Smarter Balanced assessments. We will be administering make-ups for students who may have been absent. If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to reach out. Students in grade 8 will also be administered the Next Generation Science Standards Test. The assessments will take place on Tuesday May 9th for 8th grade only.

Please remind students to charge their devices ahead of time and to bring wired headphones.

Also be on the lookout from communication from our EHMS PTO! They will be sharing information regarding the Panther Prowl and homerooms that are in the lead! We are hoping to get as many students possible registered. More information is within this newsletter.

Best,

Christina & Emily

Mon., May 8-May 12: Teacher Appreciation Week

Mon., May 8th: Jazz Band

Tues., May 9th: Bike Club

Wed., May 10th: Robotics, PTO Meeting, Band/Chorus Concert at 6:30 EHHS

Thur., May 11th: Early Act Club, Bike Club

Fri., May 12th: Panther Prowl, 6th & 7th Grade Dance

Wed., May 24th: Capstone Convention

Mon., May 29th: No School

Each month Team Leaders will share an update on current happenings throughout the team. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child's Team Leader. Contact information is within each newsletter. Team Leaders should be sending April newsletters soon!

Below is access to team's April newsletters. Don't forget to check out Team Amethyst's newsletter. This is our specials and P.E. team. May newsletters should be sent soon by Team Leaders!

Enjoy!

Congratulations to Emily Rawlinson, Emma Riddell and Summer Smith who all placed in this year's VFW Patriot's Pen contest. They will be honored at this year's Memorial Day Observance ceremony.

On Wednesday May 3rd, we celebrated National All Children Exercise Simultaneously Day (ACES). The goal is getting students to get up and move. We took the opportunity before testing to have students stand, stretch, do jumping jacks or push ups. Students were able to decide what exercise they wanted to engage in.

One student from each 8th grade homeroom, participated in a pie eating contest as part of EHMS' annual Panther Games which was started last year. Additional games will be played throughout the month of May and June. Panther Games is a battle between 8th grade homerooms only! The winning homeroom will be awarded a pizza and ice cream party at the end of the school year!

The students in Ms. McCabe's class spent the week constructing buildings that needed to withstand a monsoon simulation. Today they went outside and put their buildings to the test! Although not all of the buildings survived, the students had so much fun participating in the STEM activity.

“Students in Mrs. Rahusen’s 6th-grade music classes are working on their last project in their ukulele unit. Students get to use the chords they know to create their own chord progression and strumming patterns! After this, they will be off to the Piano unit. ”

Attention, Panthers!

From May 1st through May 20th, EHMS is running a grade-against-grade contest to raise money for “the Relay For Life movement", "which is dedicated to helping communities attack cancer. Through funds donated, time given, or awareness raised, our communities are teaming up - virtually or in-person to make a difference. When we rally together in the fight against cancer, we can accomplish anything.”

The winning grade will earn a special outdoor lunch with music and snacks!

In order to participate, please donate under your grade: 6th Grade; 7th Grade; 8th Grade team link by asking family members, or neighbors, or by texting it, or having your family share it on social media!

Thank you in advance for helping to make a difference!

Trish Seeley

8th Grade ELA Teacher

EHMS EarlyAct Advisor

EHMS Coach

East Hampton Middle School

YEARBOOKS ON SALE NOW!

Cost of Yearbook: $30

Cash or checks are accepted

Please make checks payable to: EHMS

Paper forms are available in the main office or send an email with your student's name and Homeroom to cbuchan@easthamptonct.org

NOTE: Students will receive their yearbooks on the last day of school.

There will be NO yearbook sales on the last day of school.

We are eager to announce in partnership with East Hampton Parks & Rec, the Prevention Partnership and our EHMS Student Council, that we will be holding a 6th & 7th grade dance on Friday May 12th! Please see the flyer below!

On Friday May 26th at 9:00, we will hold our annual Memorial Day Ceremony. We would love to invite any family member to our students who is a veteran so we can honor at this ceremony. If you have a veteran you would like to honor, please fill out the following google form.

The PANTHER PROWL is coming to EHMS!
THE MOST FUN, INCLUSIVE AND HUGEST FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR
SO EASY FOR PARENTS - NOTHING TO BUY - JUST REGISTER, SHARE, PLEDGE

The EHMS PTO is partnering with the PE department to create a great opportunity for ALL students to have fun with healthy activities outdoors while raising funds for EHMS through pledges. The Panther Prowl will take place during the school day on Friday, May 12th. Think of it as a stepped-up version of a Jog-a-thon or a mini field day and you’ll get the idea!

Funds raised during past Panther Prowls have gone to support:
• “Good Morning EHMS” technology
• PE equipment
• Internet safety program for students and parents
• Field trips
• Library books
• Teacher mini-grants and more!

This year, we are hoping to raise funds to begin making improvements to the lighting and sound systems for plays and productions in the Commons, purchase outdoor play/PE equipment, install new benches in front of our school and to continue awarding mini-grants and funding student activities.

Please help us reach our goal of raising $10,000 for our school!


Did we mention the RAFFLES AND PRIZES??!!

After the pledge period ends, students will be entered into raffles for great prizes at various total pledge levels, starting at just $25. The top fundraising student will be awarded a special free time activity with friends during the school day! The top fundraising homeroom will also be rewarded with a class breakfast.

Students raising $300 or more in pledges will be entered into a raffle for a pair of Apple AirPods Pro!

MANY other great prizes will be raffled at various pledge levels, including:

Hydro Flasks, Pura Vida bracelet packs, EHMS hoodies, EHMS flannel PJ pants, Yard Goats tickets, LED flying disc frisbee, color-changing Bluetooth speaker alarm clock, portable ping pong set, Smart LED strip lights, photo clips string lights, Squishmallows, Carhartt cap, spiritwear gift certificates, EHMS string bags, local arcade Pinshack gift cards and DQ and Chatham Creamery gift cards.

Throughout the pledge drive, the "top fundraising homeroom" will be announced by students on Good Morning EHMS so that everyone can enjoy some friendly competition! We will also encourage students to exhibit school spirit by wearing school or team colors for the event on May 12th.

Parents, we are asking for your help in kicking off this great event by registering your student at the website below. Please share with friends and family - every pledge counts! Check back often to track your student's individual and classroom progress.

THANK YOU for helping to achieve our "reach for the stars" goal of $10,000! If you have any questions, please let us know at ptoehms@gmail.com

REGISTRATION STEPS:
Register your child by visiting:
https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/event-webpage/6435ab27e0256

• The School Identifier is: 6435ab27ddfe7
• If you do not already have a login at FundHub, you must register as a parent first. Enter your student's name and choose their homeroom teacher from the dropdown box. On the Parent Dashboard, click the green box to add your student to the event.
• If you already have an account at FundHub from a past event, log in and go to the Parent Dashboard, scroll down to see your student's profile, click the blue button at the bottom of the page to "Add to New School." Enter the School Identifier 6435ab27ddfe7 then choose your child's homeroom teacher from the dropdown box. The other fields will populate automatically.
• Use the student fundraising webpage to promote online donations through email and social media.
• Check with your employer. Some companies will match donations to a non-profit organization (we can provide our tax ID and a donation letter if needed).
• If you prefer to send cash or a check in to school, please make checks out to EHMS PTO and include your student's name and homeroom teacher so that we can keep track of your student's total pledges.
• If you want to learn more about how to use the website features, click on Video Tutorial at the top of the Parent Dashboard for some great helpful info!

SOME OF THE AWESOME PRIZES!!!

Eighth grade students have been working on press release flyers for their Capstone projects! Want to learn American sign language? Do you know the latest developments in cybersercurity? Always wanted to learn how to make macarons?

Be sure to attend our Capstone Convention on

Wednesday, May 24 at 6:00 pm

to learn all about the wonderful things our eighth graders have been working on!

If students would like to highlight their capstones in the Panther Post, students can email flyers to Mrs. Amaral! Below are some who have shared their flyers and looking for support.

The Nutmeg Game Show is coming! From now until the end of May, we will be running a fun reading initiative that will culminate with grade-level “Nutmeg Game Show” assemblies on June 6!

What Students Will Do:

• Read as many of the 3 Nutmeg titles selected for their grade level as they can. All books can be checked out in the LMC.
• Submit questions about the book(s) via Google Form linked on the library website here (These questions maybe used during the game show!)
• Form teams of 3-4 students to participate in a preliminary round within their ELA classroom in mid-May
• Winning teams from each ELA class will go on to complete at grade-level assemblies the end of May/June
• The winning team from each grade level will get to pick 1 friend to join them to watch a movie in the LMC during the last week of June…movie snacks will be provided!

With the start of spring comes planning for all our end of the year events. We have been honored with the opportunity to see your child grow over the last three years. Each student has become an integral part of our Panther community and has evolved into an individual with interests, passions, and goals. We look forward to partnering with you as we open the doors to your child’s high school experience and all the opportunities that await while celebrating and closing the door to all they have accomplished over the last three years at EHMS.

We are planning a culminating event for our 8th graders. On Thursday June 8th at 1:00, we will hold our 2nd annual 8th grade Step-Up ceremony in our gymnasium. We will continue to celebrate our students that evening (June 8th) with our 8th Grade Formal that will be held at EHMS from 7pm to 9pm. We encourage all families to come for pictures starting at 6:30pm. The next day, our students will be attending their 8th grade High Meadow class field trip on Friday June 9th. More specifics to these events will be communicated out, but we wanted to provide you the dates to save in your calendars! If there are any questions, please feel free to reach out to administration or our 8th grade co-advisors; Mrs. Donovan and Mrs. Mercaldi.

Our first event that will take place will be our students showcasing all their hard work around their Capstone projects. Our 8th Grade Capstone Convention will be held on Wednesday May 24th at EHMS from 6pm to 8pm.

A reminder that the following email addresses can be used by parents to report and document their approval of an absence:

Memorial_Attendance@easthamptonct.org

Center_Attendance@easthamptonct.org

EHMS_Attendance@easthamptonct.org

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 child for the first 9 absences. After your student has more than 9 absences, additional documentation or communication is required to excuse the absence. However, please continue to use the email designated for your child's school to continue to notify the school that your child will be absent. You may call your child’s school at any time to report an absence but please make sure to follow up a phone call with a note or email to the attendance email.

Also, just a friendly reminder to have your child bring lip balm with them to school, if needed. This year has been tough for those lips!

Nutrition is so important for growth and development. Please be sure that your student is bringing enough snacks for themselves and remind them to eat breakfast and lunch. As a reminder, the school offers breakfast and lunch, free of charge for all families.

Is anyone else having Spring Fever?! If we aren’t going to be getting snow, then bring on Spring!

If at any point you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at khafele@easthamptonct.org or call the school office at 860-365-4060.

Thank you!

Mrs. Hafele

EAST HAMPTON MS ATHLETICS SCHEDULE

MONDAY, MAY 8

RHAM baseball/softball at EHMS, 3:30 pm game.

Note: Team pictures! Practice players should attend in their team shirts.

TUESDAY, MAY 9

Baseball 2:35 until 5 pm

Softball 2:35 until 5 p

WEDNESAY, MAY 10

East Hampton baseball/softball at McGee MS (Berlin), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 pm game.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

East Hampton baseball/softball at Griswold MS (Rocky Hill), 2:20 dismissal, 2:30 bus, 3:30 pm game.

Note: Baseball at Sunnycrest Park. Softball at Rocky Hill High School.

FRIDAY, MAY 12

No practices!

If your child is having any Chromebook or technology issues please click on the link below to do some troubleshooting: EHMS TroubleShooting Tips

If the troubleshooting doesn't work click on the link below to submit an IT work ticket:

Chromebook Trouble Ticket

Please encourage your child to take pride and care in their device. Below is a video to review the proper care of Chromebooks with your child.

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