Education

Charging that New York State’s indoor mask-wearing mandate has had negative social, emotional, and academic fallout on their children, some 20 Sag Harbor School parents demanded on Monday that administrators and school board members adopt a “mask choice” policy that would allow parents to decide what’s best for their children.

Coming up for kids and teens: a singing master class at Bay Street, a whole lot of hearts, and a library appreciation day.

The Springs School is one of the few remaining East End districts that does not have a full-day prekindergarten program, but that’s about to change. Owing to a $420,000 grant received from New York State specifically for “universal prekindergarten,” there will be a full-day program for families with 4-year-old children starting in September.

A Tennessee school board’s Jan. 10 decision to ban from its curriculum an acclaimed book about the Holocaust has made headlines across the country, and the publicity has seen the 30-year-old title, “Maus,” skyrocket to the top of best-seller lists once again. The ban has piqued an increased interest in the book among people here, too.

Friction is brewing over Covid-19 precautions in the Sag Harbor School District, where a group of parents lobbying to make mask-wearing a family choice is expected to state their case to the school board on Monday.

Lessons on personal safety in Sag Harbor, and Assemblyman Thiele facilitates a grant for the Springs School.

When State Supreme Court Justice William J. Condon ruled on Dec. 7 in favor of the Ross School in a lawsuit claiming that Hayden Soloviev was a victim of bullying and that his teachers were negligent as chaperones during an overseas field trip, the former Ross student said he was shocked. The Soloviev family has filed a notice of intent to appeal, The Star confirmed this week.

From a Project Most learning lab during the February break to a Harry Potter escape room challenge at the East Hampton Library.

TED Talks have been around since 1984. The Montauk School’s annual eighth-grade Speech Day has been around almost as long. Coincidence? Probably, but the two long-running programs share a common thread.

Auditors suggested the overspending was the result of multiple staffing shifts in the school’s business office, two changes in the architectural firms overseeing the work, and an evolving completion date and scope of the project.

Sag Harbor began examining its 2022-23 budget on Monday, starting off by cracking open its largest nut — salaries and benefits for employees — with the school business administrator, Jennifer Buscemi, noting that “all numbers are subject to change based on additional information received after this date.”

Michelle Grant, the Sag Harbor Elementary School guidance counselor, will soon embark on her annual lessons on personal safety. The program covers fire safety, seatbelt rules, bullying, and recognizing signs of abuse, and generally "helps students learn how to seek help in unsafe situations," Ms. Grant said in an email to families.

The East Hampton School District’s athletic director reported this week that his petition to Section XI that eight of East Hampton High’s teams play closer to home has been approved.

As Covid-19 hospitalizations among children skyrocketed in December, particularly impacting children who aren’t eligible for vaccine shots yet, health experts and educators are keeping a watchful eye and doing everything they can to keep kids safe. “It’s really important that if you’re thinking about herd immunity, children are part of the herd,” a chief at Stony Brook Children's Hospital said.

Isabel Madison has stepped back into the role of assistant superintendent for business in the East Hampton School District. Deirdre Herzog, who retired as district treasurer in December, is also returning. Elsewhere, the Bridgehampton School’s new fitness center opened this week to members of the public who are residents of the district.

Tasty treats, story times, babysitting basics for teenagers, and much more.

Here on the South Fork, a young couple whose daughter was born hard of hearing are spearheading their own campaign to raise awareness of hearing-loss issues. For the very young, "It's not just about speech. It’s about brain development, about connecting sounds to visuals, to behavior. And if you don’t tackle that early, there’s a high chance your child could be delayed for a very long time.”

Trees in winter, cupcake decorating, gaming, and take-home kits from libraries are on tap for kids and teens this week.

The best words to describe the Hayground School senior learners’ 2022 residency at the Watermill Center may not even be invented yet.

With in-person classes hanging in the balance, the Springs School Board adopted a five-day return rule for kids and employees out on Covid-19 quarantine or isolation — a distinct departure from the 10-day rule maintained by several nearby school districts. Another controversial Covid policy, known as test-to-stay, was under discussion in Sag Harbor, Montauk, and Springs this week.

East Hampton High School students will have at least two more days of remote lessons this week, Monday and Tuesday, with administrators planning a return to in-person classes on Wednesday.

Dance and acting classes, ukelele and percussion, virtual fun, and celebrations of snow, snow, snow are on the schedule for kids and teens this week.

Spurred by an avalanche of positive Covid-19 cases over the holiday season among families, kids, and teachers, virus-related impacts have been fast and furious in coming to South Fork schools.

With the National Weather Service predicting a 100-percent chance of snow overnight Thursday into Friday afternoon, schools here have begun to announce closures.

At East Hampton High School, AWSEM stands for Advocates for Women in Science, Engineering, Math (and Coding), and this club is offering an outlet for girls interested in those areas. The members are becoming proficient coders, designers, scientific thinkers, problem solvers, and collaborators.

The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center has become one of the first educational institutions here to announce a pause on in-person attendance following the holiday break, with planned closures Monday and Tuesday.

Now that holiday breaks are almost over, Project Most is back in action with classes and events. A beginner roller-skating class for kids ages 5 to 9 will be on Monday at 3:45 p.m., taught by Samantha Duane, a former professional roller derby skater. On Fridays in January, Ms. Duane will teach an ongoing skating class, also at 3:45.

Sydney Salamy, a 2018 graduate of East Hampton High School with a tradition of spearheading charitable endeavors, is continuing her good works. During her junior year of high school, she started a local chapter of Play It Forward, a charity that supplies sports equipment to families in need. Now Ms. Salamy is tackling bone marrow donations.

Gov. Kathy Hochul urged parents to have their children vaccinated against Covid-19 while schools are closed this week, noting a rise in pediatric hospitalizations as the infection rates across the state climb ever higher, and for those who are ready, there's a pediatric vaccine clinic planned at the Children's Museum of the East End next week.

The East Hampton Library is encouraging high school students to take on its 2022 winter challenge, which runs from Jan. 3 to Feb. 19.