Education

Every summer, Charlie Soriano, principal of East Hampton Middle School, picks a theme that sets the tone for students and staff to have a successful school year. The theme for 2022-23 is “perseverance,” and to prepare for classroom discussions of this, students have been asked to read the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes.

Tuesday, Sept. 6

First day of school in

In such a small village, enrollment has always come in waves. This is something that Lauren Thayer has seen firsthand in her role not just as Sagaponack School Board president, but also as an alumna herself and a parent of two former Sagg students. “I think of it as a positive. . . . It’s the chance that parents dream of” for their children, she said.

The arrival of September isn't just about school supplies and classroom assignments -- it's also time to sign up for after-school activities, and for children and teens who enjoy dancing, or want to learn, opportunities are plentiful here.

The Sag Harbor School Board has set a date for a town-hall forum about the Mashashimuet Park bond proposal, and is weighing changes to its public-comment policy for meetings.

Ayanna El, LeBron Napier, Bryan Solano, and Melanie Valladares are the recipients of this year’s scholarships from Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island (OLA).

School districts here are shaping curriculums to respond to students’ evolving passions, needs, and career aspirations. This year that means Latin American and African-American studies electives at Pierson Middle and High School, the return of mock trial classes and Bonac Broadcasting at East Hampton, and game design and film studies at Bridgehampton.

South Fork school districts have been beyond busy scooping up all the qualified teachers, teaching assistants and aides, special-education therapists, mental health providers, and substitutes they possibly can ahead of the first bell this year. Since May, school district records show that between Montauk and Bridgehampton, at least 50 teachers have been hired across various academic disciplines — most to replace people who retired, some to launch new programs.

New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday updated the official Covid-19 policies for schools, aligning the state with recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control. Notable among the changes is a relaxing of quarantine rules and testing requirements.

An ongoing review of the Wainscott School District's tuition payments for special-education services received by some of its students from the Sag Harbor School District has yielded $23,000 in savings for Wainscott from the 2021-22 school year.

Over the summer, 20 more students living in Springs enrolled at East Hampton High School, which means that the Springs School District may be called upon to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars more on tuition than it anticipated.

Career and Employment Options, a company that offers career coaching and job placement help for students and young adults with disabilities, is seeking a consultant to work in East Hampton and Bridgehampton.

This summer marks the first time the Amagansett Library has had a staff member dedicated to teen programming and involvement. Kimberly Parry, the library’s new head of adult and teen services, was born and raised in Sag Harbor, and previously worked at the John Jermain Memorial Library there. She is working to construct a relaxing and welcoming space within the library’s walls for the teens of Amagansett.

School districts across the region are encouraging families in need to apply for a federally funded school meal program that allows schools to provide both breakfast and lunch for free or at reduced cost.

The actress Julie Andrews, who wrote the children's book “The Great American Mousical" with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, will direct a staged reading of the book on Monday evening at 7 at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor.

In this week's lineup for kids, teens, and families: A fairy parade, movies and stories, butterflies and birding, and more.

For about 28.2 million homes in the United States a permanent state of digital disconnection is an everyday reality. According to Evan Marwell, chief executive and founder of Education SuperHighway, a nonprofit that’s dedicated to bridging the gap to broadband connectivity, the reason 18 million households are offline is that they simply afford an internet connection.

The East Hampton Library's free children's fair is a highlight for kids this weekend.

The Sag Harbor School District on Monday publicized more details of its pending agreement with the Mashashimuet Park board of directors, which will play into the $13.5 million bond referendum that is up for a vote on Sept. 29.

Jacky Loving, a German-born, Montauk-based skater, surfer, paddleboarder, hiker, and all-round adventure-seeker, founded Loving Adventures to teach kids life skills through outdoorsy and challenging sports. “I’m just providing tools to get outside."

Stony Hill Stables in Amagansett is offering three classes in August for the benefit of its children's riding scholarship program.

This week's to-do list for kids and teens includes birds of prey, Lego building, Camp Shakespeare, jewelry making, and more.

In this week's lineup for kids, teens, and families: A Rainbow Party at CMEE, old-fashioned toys at the East Hampton Library, an ocean-themed scavenger hunt, magic in Sag Harbor, and more.

 “A little bit more back-and-forth dialogue with the community would be appreciated,” Ben Gregor told the Sag Harbor School Board on Monday, as one of several parents who spoke about the $13.5 million overhaul of Mashashimuet Park that the school and park administrations have proposed.

Each year, there were dozens of people anxious to learn English left on the waitlist of a local E.S.L. program for adults. Ruta 27, newly named and with a plan to offer Thursday evening classes at East Hampton High School in the fall, will now be able to accomodate many more — if it can find the volunteers to teach them.

An introduction to the Indian tabla drums and "Shrek Jr." on stage courtesy of South Fork Performing Arts are just some of the fun in store for families, kids, and teens this week.

The three rising East Hampton High School seniors have spent the last several weeks perfecting a pickling recipe for their new business, Kooky Kirbs.

Among this week's lineup of fun for kids and teens: art and nature exploration at SoFo, music and dance, and a moon-themed story time session for all ages.

Sag Harbor School District voters will have a chance on Sept. 29 to weigh in on a proposed $13.5 million renovation and upgrade of Mashashimuet Park.

“The timing could not be better,” Rebecca Morgan Taylor, Project Most’s executive director, said in an announcement, “as we aim to expand our services to meet the increased needs of our young people,” some of whom, who, she said, had experienced “traumatic interruptions during the pandemic.”