The Panther Post

Good afternoon Panther Families,

On Tuesday, November 29th, each grade level will participate in a presentation by Scott Driscoll, President of Internet Safety Concepts. Scott founded Internet Safety Concepts in 2007 with the goal of educating people about online safety through conferences and seminars. Today, Scott presents to both students and families in order to inform individuals on how they can protect themselves from the potential dangers of technology in an ever-increasingly connected world. On Wednesday, November 30th at 6:30 pm, Scott will present the positives, pitfalls, and available resources for parents and guardians on student phone safety related to social media and online digital footprints. This presentation will be held virtually on Zoom.

Today, many teens and adolescents turn to online channels to express themselves, their thoughts and hopes, and their anxieties and personal feelings. Often we see students challenged with choices on communication with peers in popular settings like Snapchat that, although occur after school hours, have a direct impact on their school day. This presentation heightens students’ awareness of what could happen if they are not thinking about safety or potential consequences. Students will learn the potential long-lasting impact of words or photos that are sent through social networking sites.

Often students and their peers are the eyes and ears of a school community and may observe communications but not always understand or know what to do with that information. With our anonymous reporting system in place and staff available to talk with, we want to ensure students are aware of their options on how to report something if they need to. Following the presentation, students will meet in Advisory groups to reflect on the assembly and advisors will remind students of the resources available to them here.

We strongly believe that middle school is an important time in a student’s educational career where they develop the skills and confidence that will help them navigate the world around them. It is vital that we provide our students with the experiences to foster those skills through positive social interactions that allow students to inquire, problem-solve, and take initiative. Our students are juggling navigating social interactions both in person and online. With your partnership, we hope to best guide students in positive decision-making both while here at EHMS and in their lives beyond our school walls.

Zoom information will be sent prior to the webinar. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would like to also give our gratitude to our EHMS PTO partnership, as PTO helped to fund this opportunity for our students and families.

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Christina & Emily

• November 8th - No School - Teacher Professional Development
• November 9th - EHMS PTO meeting at 5:30pm in EHMS library
• November 10th - Lions Club Food Pantry St. Patrick's 9:00 - 10:00am
• November 11th - No School - Veteran's Day
• November 14th - Board of Education Meeting 6:30pm
• November 16th & 17th - Early Release Days for Parent Conferences
• November 23rd - Early Release
• November 24th & 25th - 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.

Below is access to team's October newsletters. Don't forget to check out Team Amethyst's newsletter. This is our specials and P.E. team.

Enjoy!

Just a reminder that Team Leaders sent out a Parentsquare including the sign up for parent conferences. Our conferences will be held on Wednesday November 16th (1:00 - 5:00) and Thursday November 17th (1:00 - 7:30).If you have not yet signed up for a conference, please do so or complete the link within Parentsquare if you would like to decline a conference at this time.

Math Counts is an exciting program where middle school students learn, practice, and coach each other on solving engrossing problems which force them to think outside the box. Students not only learn how to solve math problems, but by coaching others through solutions, they gain communication skills as well as confidence. February is our chapter competition and twelve of our students will compete. Our practice sessions will be held on:

Most Tuesdays from 2:40 until 3:30 in the Library during the months of November through February.

Our first meeting will be November 15th!

Mrs. Aiken’s 8th graders continue their Dystopian Book Club unit. Most students have finished reading the first novel within their series and will start to read the second novel, , continuing to study and analyze the elements and themes of the Dystopian genre. Students will be writing a literary essay that analyzes the author’s craft of theme and character across texts.

After learning about neurons and drawing a labelled model on paper in class, students then took their knowledge to the lab. There they got into groups, planned and created a 3D model of a neuron. They had to be creative with the materials presented to them, as no specific directions were given for creating a neuron. Lastly, they had to label their final product, using their notes from class. Their amazing neurons are proudly displayed in our room.

Students’ in Mrs. Donovan 7th grade classes are continuing to investigate Operations with Integers. They have completed their lessons on Adding and Subtracting, they are currently learning how to Multiply and Divide Integers. Students are using Integer chips to model whether the outcome is going to be positive or negative. Integer chips are used throughout the unit on Operations with Integers to give students a visual representation and understand the rules for all operations.

Panther Chefs met to work on cooking up some comfort food!

Students during FLEX Enrichment participated in Yoga with Mrs. Terribile.

We are so proud of all the students who were celebrated this week for exemplifying our PBIS pillars. Below are the students from this week!

6th grader Corbin Engle for showcasing Responsibility and Pride!

6th Grader Isabella Sypek for showcasing Compassion!

NOVEMBER EHMS PTO MEETING

Please join us at our next monthly meeting Wednesday, November 9th at 5:30pm in the EHMS Library/Media Center. We will discuss upcoming events, so come with your ideas or just to listen!

Another EHMS Spirit Wear Sale Begins Next Week!

This holiday sale will run from Monday, November 7th through early December. Full details will appear in an upcoming ParentSquare message. If you have any questions, please contact the PTO at ptoehms@gmail.com

Congratulations to the East Hampton Hawks A Squad Cheer team placed 2nd place in the A - Large division this morning at the CTYFL Cheerleading Competition! We are so proud of our Panthers and their accomplishment outside of school!

6th- Tamzin Lemire

6th- Ava Riley

6th- Emma Egan

6th- Paulina Lukaszczyk

6th- Arianna Blancato

7th- Eliana Kiernan

7th- Keirah Lyman

It is hard to believe that we are already talking about your child's transition to East Hampton High School, however, please save the following date - Tuesday, December 6th at 6:30pm, all current 8th grade families are invited to East Hampton High School for an Incoming 9th Grade Curriculum Night.

Team Diamond will be doing a food drive for the month of November. It will begin November 7th and end November 21st. We prefer boxed goods or plastic containers rather than cans. Some examples would be: macaroni and cheese, cake mix, toilet paper, shampoo, body wash, peanut butter, kleenex, etc. Thank you for your help!

In PE, students in all grade levels began a month-long unit focusing on the vocabulary, technique and physical activities surrounding our four categories of fitness. The categories of fitness include Cardiovascular Endurance, Muscular Endurance, Muscular Strength and Flexibility. Students are competing against other classes through the completion of each category and last week students attempted the Pacer fitness activity, using the State of CT performance regulations. A leader board can be found in the gymnasium hallway showcasing each teacher and their cumulative lap counts for all classes. The winning teacher will have a prize for their classes! The department looks forward to working on these skills throughout the year and will communicate once students in grades 6 and 8 are administered the CT Physical Fitness assessment in the Spring.

Effectively immediately, 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, as well.

"Many interesting characters required reading materials on Monday from the library!"

Message from Mrs. Hafele:

Just a reminder, gym excusals will only be accepted if there is a physician or parent note. Physical Education is an important part of growth and development, and students should participate when able.

We are in need of "Warm Weather" Clothing donations for our students. We would happily except sizes Youth 10/12 to Adult sizes.

It is cold and flu season! Just a reminder that we do not carry any cold medications in the health office, so please ensure that students have taken what they need at home before coming to school. Any student with a fever will be sent home and must be fever free for 24 hours prior to their return to school. Students may bring cough drops (for themselves only) to school, if needed. Let’s work together to stay well!

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

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.

Our Fall season has concluded.

We thank all our coaches, students and families for a great season!

Winter sports (Girls & Boys Basketball and Cheerleading) will be starting in a couple of weeks.

To sign up please visit https://account.familyid.com/.

Registration closes on November 7th.

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