EMS PARENT NEWSLETTER
EMS Website: http://www.ellingtonpublicschools.org/page.cfm?p=1813
Dates to Remember:
SEPTEMBER 2014
08-25
17-18
25
26
Cookie Dough Fundraiser
Vocal Ensemble Auditions
School Picture Day
Student Council “Running for Office”
Applications Due
29
PAC/PTO Meeting 7:00pm – Media
Center
* * * * * * * * * * *
It’s Not Too Late to Get Your Child
Off to a Great Start
The Ellington School Readiness Council supports
Ellington residents by offering early childhood
education/child care for three and four year olds in
high quality, NAEYC accredited programs.
Half day programs are available at Somers
Cooperative Preschool in the morning (9:00am –
11:30am) and afternoon sessions (12:30pm –
3:00pm) on a school year calendar. Full time
programs are available at the Work and Play School
in East Windsor and at Hockanum Valley Child
Day Care Center in Vernon. Work and Play
School’s program runs year round from 6:30am to
5:30pm. Hockanum’s program runs 50 weeks per
year from 7:00am to 5:30pm.
These preschool openings for Ellington families are
partially funded by the grant. Families pay on a
sliding scale, based on family income, making the
programs highly affordable. This is a great
opportunity to have your child participate in a high
quality program at a low cost. Applications are still
being accepted. Applications are available at:
http://www.ellingtonpublicschools.org/uploaded/Mi
ddle_School_Files/Application_for_School_Readin
ess.doc.
September 18, 2014
Meet the New Staff
My name is Danielle Leone and I am
teaching eighth grade Social Studies at
Ellington Middle School this year. I am excited to
be a part of a wonderful school community. I am
also currently coaching boys and girls cross
country, and we are off to a great start!
I graduated in May of 2013 from St. John Fisher
College with a Bachelor’s degree in History and
Adolescent Education. I completed my student
teaching in the city of Rochester, New York. At
Fisher, I was an All-America Scholar Athlete all
four years as a member of the school’s softball
team, a member of the Student Athlete Mentor club,
and enjoyed volunteering at many events.
Last year I was a long-term substitute at Ellington
High School from January through the end of the
year. I had a great experience at the high school
and am excited to still be a part of the school
district!
This past summer I spent a week in San Diego. I
visited their Zoo and Safari Park, where I was able
to feed and pet a rhino, and go on a safari.
Outside of school, I love to spend time with my
family and my chocolate lab, Mousse. I also spend a
lot of my time coaching softball players throughout
Central Connecticut.
I am looking forward to a great year at EMS!
If you would like more details, please contact Diane
Lasher-Penti at Ellington Youth services at (860)
870-3130.
Ms. Danielle Leone
Sweet Crumbs Cookie Dough
Fundraiser
Our fundraiser is coming to an end on September
25th – there’s just one week left for students to take
cookie dough orders. Please stop in the Main
Office if you need another order form. Remember –
this fundraiser is a great opportunity for your
student to earn credit that will reduce the cost of
his/her Washington, D.C. field trip. Thank you for
your support of EMS!
School Counseling Corner
Open House Helpers
The following eighth grade students did a fantastic
job helping at the EMS Open House on September
8th. Thanks for a job well done!
Nick Barone
Jacob Gentile
Suchet Kadari
Cierra LaBranche
Mandy Marcus
Ethan Martins
Keiajah McNeal
Grace Nordmark
Jodi Norton
Tommy Samson
Demaris Trapp
Xavier Velez
Noah Welti
2015 Prudential Spirit of Community Award
The search is on to find our top volunteers. Do you
do volunteer work? If so, then we want to hear
about it! We invite all seventh and eighth grade
students who do volunteer work to apply for the
Prudential Spirit of Community Award.
Students who complete the application may not
only qualify for recognition on a school and statewide level, but may also qualify for an unrestricted
award of up to $1000 (which may be spent anyway
that you choose), an engraved medallion and an all
expense paid trip, with a parent, to Washington, D.
C. Information about the award and the application
is posted outside the Guidance Office. Please stop
in to see one of the School Counselors, Mrs. Shaw
or Mrs. Agnew for information or go directly to
www.prudential.com/spirit to fill out the
application.
The deadline for submitting your completed
application is November 4, 2014. We are proud of
the volunteer work that our students do and we want
to recognize them for a job well done!
EMS Student Council Election Sign-Ups
WHEN: Thursday, September 11th through
Friday, September 26th
WHERE: Outside Mrs. King’s room (#16) and
Mrs. Reynolds’ room (#18)
WHO: President (8th grader only)
Vice-President (one 8th grader)
7th grade Vice-President (7th grader only)
Secretary (8th grader only)
Treasurer (8th grader only)
Social Chairman (8th grader only)
Students can also campaign to be a
homeroom representative (no form required)
OTHER:
 Please remember to fill out a “Running for
Office” sheet and return it to Mrs. Reynolds
(Room 18) by Friday, September 26th.
Late forms will not be accepted - no
exceptions will be made. No student can
begin campaigning without this form!
CAMPAIGNING AND ELECTION REMINDERS:
1. Students who are running for office are
allowed to create a maximum of five
posters. The posters need to be approved
prior to being hung around the building.
2. Students may not pass out candy or any
other food items to promote themselves.
Pencils, stickers, and other costly
promotional items are also not allowed.
3. Campaign speeches are due to Mrs.
Reynolds by Wednesday, October 1st.
4. The EMS Student Council elections will be
held on Friday, October 3rd. If your child is
running for an office, please encourage them
to practice their speech so that they are able
to maintain eye contact and speak in a clear,
loud voice. You may also want to encourage
them to dress nicely.
5. Student Council meetings are held once a
month on a Wednesday from 2:15pm to
3:00pm. If this is a commitment your
student is not able to keep, they should
rethink the idea of running for an office
position.
If there are any questions about the EMS Student
Council elections, please contact the school.
EMS Sports News
Soccer and Cross Country seasons are in full swing!
A schedule of games and meets is available on the
Ellington Middle School website and at the CIAC
website. Parents, please sign up for text or email
updates from the CIAC Website. Signing up for
notifications on this website will keep you up to
date on any changes to the game schedule
automatically.
Although our winter sports season is several months
away, it is never too early to start getting the sports
physical form ready for tryouts. If your child plans
to try-out for cheerleading or basketball, please
download and complete the sports physical form
earlier rather than later. Students are not permitted
to try-out for, or participate on, a team without an
updated (within 12 months) sports physical form on
file with the school nurse. The form can be found
on the Ellington Middle School site on the Athletics
page.
Box Tops for Education
This is a reminder that Ellington
Middle School participates in the Box Tops for
Education program. Send your box tops in with
your child, so that EMS can collect the money.
This money funds programs that are important to
our school. The program runs all year long and
accepts box tops from the partial list of products
below. If you have any questions, please contact
the school.
Betty Crocker Desserts
Nestle Juicy Juice
Pillsbury Refrigerated Products
Nature Valley Bars
Total Cereals
Ziploc Bags and Containers
AND MANY OTHER PRODUCTS
EMSPTSO 2014-2015 Membership
Our membership drive continues to gain
momentum. If you haven't become a member yet,
please join us! You can follow this link to print a
form:
http://www.ellingtonpublicschools.org/Middle_Sch
ool/pto/membership.htm. Let’s make this the most
successful membership drive in EMS history!
Cash for Trash
The computer room is now collecting and
recycling old cell phones in addition to empty ink
jet and laser cartridges! For each ink or laser toner
cartridge collected, Hartford Toner will donate up
to $14 to our school and Pace Butler will donate
up to $100 for your unwanted cell phone! To view
a list of eligible cartridges, please visit
www.hartfordtoner.com, and to check to for more
information regarding your old cell phone visit:
www.pacebutler.com . The money earned will be
used to purchase new technology equipment.
Please send your empty cartridges to Mrs. Nigro in
the computer lab