Huntington East Middle School

🎉🐻 What a BEARY great way to start the year! 🐾
To kick off our Welcome Back Celebration, Mr. Pennington hyped up each grade level with the ABCs of Huntington East and our BEARS Expectations. The energy was high, the smiles were big, and our Bears are ready to ROAR into an amazing year! 💜🐻

💜 Hey Bears! Tomorrow is Purple Power Day! 💜 Grab your favorite shade—lavender, lilac, violet, or deep royal—and let’s turn our hallways into one big sea of purple! Which team will rock the most school spirit? 🐻🎉

The District has changed service providers for our messaging system. We no longer have a callback number for families to retrieve messages they may have missed.

If you miss a message, you can retrieve it in the following ways:
your phone's voicemail or answering machine
text messages sent to your phone
email messages.

Content will frequently be shared all three ways so you can access it in the manner that best fits your communication needs.

🏐 Bump, Set, Spike… BE A LADY BEAR! 🖤🐻💜 Ready to serve up some school spirit? Join us for HEMS Volleyball Tryouts! 📅 When: Wednesday–Friday, Aug 13–15 🕒 Time: After school → 5:30 PM 📍 Where: HEMS Gym ✨ Open to all HEMS middle school girls ✅ Physical required to step on the court Whether you’re a powerhouse hitter, a quick digger, or just ready to learn, we want YOU on our team! Let’s make this season unforgettable, Lady Bears! 🏐🔥 #HEMSBears #LadyBearsVolleyball #BumpSetSpike #GoBears

’Twas the Night Before School 🐾 ’Twas the night before school, and all through the den, Not a bear cub was stirring—not even Big Pennington. Backpacks were hung by the doorway with care, In hopes that the first day soon would be there. The bus rolled up early, so shiny and bright, The cubs tumbled in with pure morning delight. Pencils and lunch sacks, big smiles to share— It’s the very first day for our Huntington East Middle School Bears! 🐻💜

7th Grade Families! 🐻 As we get ready for the new school year, don’t forget to send in: ✅ Updated shot record (with 7th grade boosters) ✅ Current health check & dental exam ✅ New medical/diet orders if needed during the school day 📄 Forms are available here: Cabell Student Health Thanks for helping us keep our Bears healthy and ready to learn! 💜✨

With the school year quickly approaching, we wanted to remind you of certain student health requirements to attend school.

-PreK or Kindergarten students: please provide a complete shot record, a current HealthCheck form from your physician and a current dental exam form. (Current is within the past year)

-2nd graders: please provide a current health check and dental exam form 

-7th and 12th graders: please provide an updated shot record including the 7th and 12th grade boosters, current health check and dental exam.

Additionally, for all students requiring medication, medical treatments/procedures, or special diets during the school day, please provide a new order completed by your health care provider.

Forms can be found by visiting: https://www.cabellschools.com/o/cs/page/student-health

Thank you in advance for helping us support student health!

📢 Attention HEMS Families! 🐻

We’d like to share our Huntington East Middle School Bell Schedule with you!

At HEMS, we are committed to helping every student succeed — and that starts with being present and prepared each day. We want to see your child(ren) here every day and ready to learn!

📅✨ Let’s work together to make this school year a successful one from the first bell to the last!

🎉 CLIMB Camp Success! 🐻✨ Today, our incoming 6th-grade Bears got a fun and exciting sneak peek into middle school life at HEMS! From start to finish, the day was filled with activities designed to build confidence, friendships, and school spirit. Students participated in: 🧩 Team Building 🎨 Friendship Bracelets 🔐 Combination Lock Practice 📚 ELA Strategies 🐻 PBIS Bear Expectations 🐾 And they met our beloved School Therapy Dog, Bear! To wrap up the day, students took on the always-exciting Conquer the Pin challenge! 🏐🎯🔥 We hope every Bear left with new friends, new skills, and lots of excitement for the year ahead. We can’t wait to welcome you back on August 13th! Until then, enjoy every moment of your summer break! ☀️🌴 Visit our HEMS Facebook page to see all the fun the students had 💜

ALL students in Cabell County Schools will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost for the 2025-2026 school year!!!

This ensures that students have the nutritious food they need to be ready to learn each day.

There are no income requirements or applications. Every student is automatically included and able to enjoy free meals from the very first day of school.

This opportunity is part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) through the USDA.

Learn more about this program by visiting the Food Services page: https://www.cabellschools.com/o/cs/page/food-services

And check out our upcoming menus with MealViewer: https://schools.mealviewer.com/district/CabellCountySchools

Special thanks to Ella Austin, Huntington High alumna for creating the graphic for this announcement!

The gear up to the 2025-2026 school year has officially begun! Keep these dates handy to give your child an amazing start!

Aug 1:
CLIMB Camp (6th and 9th graders only)
Details here: https://www.cabellschools.com/article/2293884

Aug 11:
Middle School Open House 4:00-6:00pm (sensory hours 2:00-3:00pm)
High School Open House 5:00-7:00pm (sensory hours 3:00-4:00pm)

Aug 12:
Elementary Open House 4:00-6:00pm (sensory hours 2:00-3:00pm)

Aug 13:
First Day of School for 1st-12th Graders!!!
Kindergarten Orientation (families attend; check with your school for time and details)

Aug 14:
First Day of School for Kindergarteners!!!

Aug 21:
First Day of School for Pre-K Students!!!

🎉 HEMS Families — We’ve Got an Update! 🐻💜 Starting August 1st, the Huntington East Parent Page will no longer be our go-to spot for updates. But don’t worry — we’ve got something even better! 📍 For ALL school news, events, announcements, photos, and more… 👉 Follow our official Facebook page: Huntington East Middle School Bears - Huntington, WV 📸 Stay connected. 📆 Don’t miss out. 🐻 Be part of the Bear pride! Enjoy the rest of your summer — we’ll see you soon! ☀️📚🐾

🎒 Attention All CLIMB Campers! 🐻 For all students attending the 6th Grade CLIMB Camp at HEMS and the 9th Grade CLIMB Camp at HHS on Thursday, August 1st — here are the bus pick-up and drop-off times to help you plan your day! 🚌 Bus Times for pick-up and drop-off are listed below ⬇️ 📍Make sure to arrive at your stop a few minutes early and be ready to climb into an exciting day of fun, learning, and new friends! 💡 Don’t forget: • Breakfast, lunch, and transportation are provided • Bring your energy, curiosity, and a smile! 😊 • 6th graders at HEMS will get to meet our school therapy dog, Bear! 🐾 We can’t wait to see our future Bears and good luck to our Highlanders! 💜🤍💚💛

Sign your child up for a great introduction to learning through our Pre-K and Kindergarten programs.

Contact us to secure a spot for your child! Spaces are limited.
Pre-K: Call 304.743.7325
Kindergarten: Call 304.528.5000

Kindergarten Orientation (parents/guardians attend with student; schools will share times/details): August 13
Kindergartener's First Day: August 14
Pre-K First Day: August 21

Pre-K programs are provided tuition-free. Cabell County Schools works with collaborative partners to provide Pre-K programs. Operated at various locations throughout the county, (including all public elementary schools, Head Start, childcare programs, and faith-based schools), the district’s Pre-K program offers a wide range of hands-on experiences based on the West Virginia Board of Education’s Early Learning Standards. To be eligible for Pre-K, children must be four years old prior to July 1, 2025.

Kindergarten is also provided tuition-free at all Cabell County public schools. Teachers work to maintain inviting, enriching classrooms, with instruction based on West Virginia standards. To be eligible for kindergarten, children must be five years old prior to July 1, 2025.

In addition to working to meet their individual learning needs, the district also provides free breakfast and lunch for all children enrolled in Cabell County’s public schools.

Please contact your child's school for more information, or you may call (304) 743-7325 or visit https://www.cabellschools.com/o/cs/page/pre-k.

Interested in enrolling your student in Cabell County Schools?

Or want to learn more about the opportunities offered here?

We'd LOVE to hear from you!

Give us a call at 304.528.5000 Monday through Friday from 8:00am-4:00pm to learn more about our schools, request a school tour, or get your questions answered. You can also drop by for a visit or to pick up a registration packet.

We're excited to show you how your child can succeed with us!

SAVE the DATE!!!

We can't wait to welcome you and your family back to school for Open House!!!

Elementary Schools: Tuesday, August 12 from 4:00-6:00pm with special sensory friendly hours from 2:00-3:00.

Middle Schools: Monday, August 11 from 4:00-6:00pm with special sensory friendly hours from 2:00-3:00.

High Schools: Monday, August 11 from 5:00-7:00pm with special sensory friendly hours from 3:00-4:00.

*Sensory friendly hours will involve a quieter experience for students with sensory needs.

Attending Open House is a great opportunity to get to know more about your child's school, meet their new teachers, and help your child prepare for the upcoming school year. All students and families are encouraged to attend.

Interested in being a part of the Cabell County Schools Team for the 2025-2026 school year? We're looking for Substitute Bus Drivers!!! No CDL is required to apply. Training toward licensure will be provided. Apply at https://boe.cabe.k12.wv.us/ccboe/ today!!!