Welcome to the 2019-20 EDS Athletic Program

Welcome to the EDS athletic program and the home of the Panthers.  You are now part of the Panther Nation! Middle School is a great time for your child to explore different sports, and here at EDS we are proud of the wide array of offerings we have developed.  This letter will provide a quick overview of our program, however, if you ever need more information, please go to www.edspanthers.com.  There you will find the school interscholastic handbook and other useful links.

Students in 5th through 8th grade have the privilege to participate and represent the EDS community in competitions against other schools in the area.  Students are given the opportunity at the beginning of each season to express an interest in joining a team. When teams have greater interest than we can accommodate, we will either form a “jr. varsity” team or we will have to make cuts.  Parents will receive an email each season reminding you of the season’s options and dates for signing up.

Our program has 24 athletic teams in 14 different sports:

Fall: Boys & Girls Cross Country, Boys & Girls Tennis, Golf, Football, Girls Volleyball, Cheer Squad, Shooting Team

Winter:  Boys & Girls Basketball, Boys & Girls Swimming, Cheer Squad, Swimming, Bowling, Shooting Team

Spring:  Boys & Girls Soccer, Boys & Girls Track and Field, Baseball

Team Formation

We use the terms “varsity” and “jr. varsity” when labeling the team level.  Varsity teams compete in the Augusta Aiken Middle School League (AAMSL) for league championships.  Our JV level competes against AAMSL schools but focuses more on developing skills and competitions versus teams with similar skill levels and not for championships.  For more information about this, please refer to our handbook.

Practice

Our program is mainly a four day a week program, Monday – Thursday.  Not all teams practice for the four days but you will learn more about that once the season begins.  During the fall and spring seasons, practice is typically from 3:15p to 5:30p. During the winter season, the basketball program will have four teams and, therefore, will have to run practices from 3:00p to 8:00p.  A schedule will go out at the start of the season with more details.

Games

Most games are played Monday – Thursday.  However, some games can be scheduled for Friday and even on Saturday. Please note:  for volleyball, football, and basketball games, there is a spectator fee to enter all games, even home games.

Transportation

EDS provides transportation to both practices and games.  However, we do not provide transportation back from practices or games.  The only exception is swimming.  There are times that our EDS buses are overbooked and we will request parents to help get the teams to the designated location.  When this is needed, I will communicate this to the parents.

Pre Season Meetings

Before each season, the athletic department will host a Parent/Coach/Player meeting.  These meetings are intended for parents and athletes to meet with the coaches of the team/sport for that season and understand the expectations, policies, and procedures for that team.

Forms

All athletes must have all health forms completed.  This includes:

• The All-School Health Form
• 5th– 8th Physician Health Form
• Parent Concussion Acknowledgement Form  

These health forms can be found through the parent portal.

If you have any comments or questions, my office door is always open.  You can call or email me as well; my contact information is jcohen@edsaugusta.com and office number 706-261-0111.

I look forward to meeting you and seeing you on the sidelines.  Go Panthers and welcome to the Panther Nation!

Jaye Cohen, CAA

Director of Athletics