Education

After 31 years with the East Hampton Town Police Department, 26 of them leading the DARE program in schools, Officer Kim Notel's retirement on Tuesday was the start of a new era, not just for her but for everyone who knew "Officer Kim" in the classrooms and on the roads.

Storytime sessions, a historic building tour, art workshops, and more coming up for kids and families.

The Bridgehampton School has instituted remote learning for six days starting Wednesday as more Covid-19 cases were diagnosed there. One staff member and two students tested positive for the virus, according to Robert Hauser, the district superintendent.

The School Covid Report Card, a state database that details the number of cases in local schools, shows one new case reported on Monday, three on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday. Of those five, four were students and one was a staff member.

Statistics are showing that schools with Covid-19 protocols in place are among the safest places for children to be, but remaining open for in-person classes may depend on staffing. "If we close, that will be the reason we have to close -- that we don't have enough staff to cover classes," the East Hampton School District superintendent said.

Events, programs, and online activities for children and families on the South Fork.

The Amagansett School District has opted into a Suffolk County program intended to boost safety for students riding buses to and from school.

The Stop Arm Enforcement Program equips buses with cameras that can record cars that drive around a school bus that has its stop sign extended. Seth Turner, the Amagansett superintendent, said that Bus Patrol LLC owns the cameras and monitors the footage for offenders, and that the cameras will be installed by the office of the county executive.

A new sod athletic field is about to be installed at the Springs School as part of the school's ongoing construction and renovation project, but the district has a message for its families and community: please stay off the sod.

The Covid-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over the holiday season for many families. The good news is that Toys for Tots, now in its 35th year, is stepping in to fill gaps and provide gifts for children whose families need help.

At the Springs School, the PTA is hosting a Sunday, Dec. 20, fund-raiser in which families and businesses are being asked to set up holiday decorations in the parking lot.

Bringing today’s current challenges to life onstage, Pierson High School students are making theater more accessible than ever by tapping into 2020’s most relatable phenomenon: quarantine. Their production of Don Zoldis's "10 Ways to Survive Life in Quarantine" will be live with a limited audience and stream free online.

Eric Casale, the longtime principal of the Springs School, formally resigned from his position on Monday after being on a leave of absence since late August.

The Bridgehampton School has quarantined one of its two sixth-grade classes for 14 days — 14 out of the 18 students that make up the whole sixth grade — after the administration learned a student in that grade has tested positive for Covid-19. Ten staff members are also quarantined, according to an announcement from the school district on Sunday.

The East Hampton School District tested 207 students and staff members for Covid-19 on Friday — and turned up zero positive results.

Moooove over, chickens. At the Bridgehampton School, which welcomed a flock of barred Holland hens earlier this year, kindergartners have "adopted" a calf through a Discover Dairy adopt-a-cow program, the school recently announced.

The Bridgehampton School was the beneficiary in November of expedited work by the Suffolk County Water Authority to install mains that connect the district's newly built classrooms and fitness center to the public water supply.

A common theme emerged this year as school districts went through their routine audits: The Covid-19 pandemic has motivated some to hold on to more surplus funds than in past years, despite a state law limiting the amount of money a district can retain.

The East Hampton School District on Tuesday began offering free breakfasts and lunches to all students as part of a state-funded program intended to relieve the stresses of Covid-19 on families. The program will run through June 30.

A fabulous variety show, tree decorating, book clubs, and activities galore from Project Most.

The East Hampton School Board on Tuesday formally accepted a retirement letter from Richard Burns, who has served the East Hampton School District as superintendent since 2011. His retirement, effective June 30, 2021, will cap a more than 30-year career in East Hampton.

During the pandemic, the online overhaul of work, school, and the rest underscores a tech-aware message passed along by Denise Roland's Intentionally Unplugged and Nicole Delma's Mind Offline, brainchildren largely inspired by their real children.

The Bridgehampton School is anticipating approval from the Southampton Town fire marshal this week to begin using three temporary trailers for teacher offices and five of its newly constructed classrooms for educating students, even though the rest of the construction project is still in progress.

From online laboratory simulations to individual sets of science supplies to constant cleaning of equipment, teaching and learning science amid the Covid-19 pandemic has been one big experiment in itself for local educators and students. In normal times students would be able to work in groups, clustered around a table sharing lab equipment like beakers, burners, and microscopes — but these are not normal times.

Students from East Hampton High School are taking part in an international effort called the Breathing Project that is meant to be therapeutic for essential workers who have kept society afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In it, students first interview doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, food pantry staff, social workers, and others, with the goal of gathering their personal stories. Then, artists from the high school's National Art Honor Society, along with others from around the world, create works of art to illustrate or represent those stories.

Bedtime stories, bouncy balls, online trivia and creative writing sessions, and a Thanksgiving photo contest for teens.

A new case of Covid-19 diagnosed in a fourth-grade student at the John M. Marshall Elementary School has led the East Hampton School District administration to close that school to in-person classes for the two days leading up to the Thanksgiving break next week.

A new program for girls from the Neo-Political Cowgirls, a photography contest for teens through the East Hampton Library, and more.

A Covid-19 outbreak in a school can impact the community, and an outbreak in a community can impact its schools. So goes a circle that school officials here are keeping their eye on — while still planning, in some cases, to bring back more students for in-person classes.

I-Tri, an East Hampton nonprofit, met its goal last month of raising $200,000 over 11 days for its programs fostering positive body image, empowerment, and healthy lifestyle choices for adolescent girls.

One more positive test result was confirmed in Sag Harbor, meaning with four total cases, 22 students and five staff members are quarantined. The East Hampton Middle School reported its second covid case on Monday, and two additional East Hampton High School students have tested positive, bringing the school's total to 16 as of Monday.