Sharks and Gingerbread

Next week may be shark week, but Saturday at the Montauk Library it will be shark day, as a shark-attack survivor talks with kids in first grade and up about the fact and fiction surrounding sharks.

Scott Curatolo-Wagemann, a marine biologist who was bitten by a shark off a small island in the Bahamas while in college, now educates people about threats to sharks. Starting at 3 p.m., he’ll take a look at sharks in the news and touch on new research and conservation efforts. Kids will have a chance to touch shark jaws and teeth and to sit in on a “virtual shark dissection.”

Gingerbread houses in July? That’s what the Baking Coach will make with families on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the library, but when it’s summer you don’t call them houses, you call them beach huts. The program is limited to 15 families, so advance sign-up is essential.

There’s a bilingual English-Spanish story time on Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. for young children who speak either language at home. Later that day, from 2 to 4 p.m., older kids can take part in a Wii gaming tournament. 

The Medium Is the Message

Wood art, faux glass art, and scratch art are all on the agenda this week at the East Hampton Library. 

Tomorrow, kids 4 and older can build whatever their imagination comes up with during a woodcraft program at 3 p.m. That same age group will learn about the history of techniques of glass art on Wednesday at 4 p.m., while also making their own faux glass designs to take home. On Friday, July 27, grades six through eight will be let loose on the scratch art paper as they create bookmarks from 3:30 to 4:30 in the young-adult room.

Little ones ages 2 to 5 can learn the differences and similarities among farm birds while meeting a real-life duck and chicken on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m.

This time of year, you’d be wise to register in advance for a spot in any program.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Crystal Oakes of the South Fork Natural History Museum will lead a family exploration to the salt marsh at Munn Point Preserve in Southampton on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. Families will look out for herons, ospreys, and egrets, use two-person seine nets to examine some of the creatures of the water, and learn what it takes for animals to survive the extremes of a salt marsh. 

Dragonflies and damselflies will be the focus of a walk for adults and children 8 and older on Sunday at 10 a.m. with Annette DeGiovine Oliveira. Participants in this one will visit a local pond and should dress to get wet.

All That Jazz

Shenole Latimer, a jazz musician, will head up a jazz-appreciation program for kids 3 and up on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Amagansett Library. Kids will play listening games and hear live music and stories in this interactive program. Advance registration is a must.

Swimming and Sailing

The next rounds of East Hampton Town’s summer sailing classes and free swim instruction will begin on Monday. Swim instruction for the next two weeks will be at East Lake Beach in Montauk, weekdays through Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. Registration is at the beach on the first day. Kids have been asked to take water shoes and swim goggles.

Sailing is for ages 12 and up and will take place at Fresh Pond in Amagansett, Mondays through Thursdays through Aug. 2. There’s a morning session from 9 to noon and an afternoon one from 12:30 to 3:30. The cost for each is $225, payable upon registration at the town’s Parks and Recreation Department offices behind Town Hall. 

“Human Architecture”

Acrobatics, physical comedy, out-of-the-box choreography, and “experiments in human architecture” have been promised for Wednesday when Galumpha performs at Guild Hall at 5 p.m. The trio won the Edinburgh Festival Critics’ Choice Award and the Moers International Comedy Arts Prize for its inventive performances. Tickets, which should be purchased in advance, cost $18 for adults, $14 for kids, with a $2 discount offered for Guild Hall members.

Lovable Dinosaurs

The Hudson Vagabond Puppets promise kids “a musical trip through the wonders of prehistory” in “Mammoth Follies,” the next of Guild Hall’s KidFest performances on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The musical revue features a cast of lovable, larger-than-life dinosaurs. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $14 for kids, $16 and $12 for Guild Hall members. 

Animals in Store

Soap, goats, and creatures of the night are on tap this week at the East Hampton Library. A soap-making workshop this afternoon from 4:30 to 6:30 will have high school students using different molds and scents to create a usable craft. 

Animals known for many things, but not their sweet scent, will pay a visit to the library on Tuesday from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. An educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension will be on hand with a live goat in a program for children 2 to 5. Although the program is already full, the library is taking names on a wait list. 

A geometric abstract painting workshop for children 4 and older will be held on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Next Thursday at 2 p.m., a Quogue Wildlife Refuge representative will introduce children 4 and older to an owl, an opossum, a snake, a chinchilla, and a tarantula as they learn about the adaptations that help each animal navigate the night. 

The family movies this week are “Minions,” today at 4 p.m., and “Beauty and the Beast,” next Thursday at the same time. 

Advance registration is required for most programs. And mark your calendars for Aug. 11, when the library’s free Children’s Fair will take place at 555 Montauk Highway, just east of the I.G.A. in Amagansett.

Other Libraries, Other Programs

There’s plenty for kids to do at the smaller libraries this week, too. In Bridgehampton, children 6 and up can use the Hampton Library’s Makey Makey electronic invention kit to surprising ends on Tuesday at 2 p.m. 

Over at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, there’s a teen movie today at 5 p.m. Jared Hess’s “Napoleon Dynamite,” the 2004 cult classic, will be screened, and snacks and popcorn will be provided, all for free. Reservations are not necessary. 

Tonito Valderrama, an environmental artist and educator, will work with children 7 and up to make bamboo rain sticks on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Montauk Library. 

Next Thursday, prospective babysitters in sixth through eighth grades can learn the basics of the job in a three-hour course offered at the library by the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Participants will learn about child safety, children’s developmental stages, and age-appropriate activities. The course runs from 4 to 7 p.m. and is limited to 10 students. Advance sign-up is a must.

Children’s Fair

The biggest of East Hampton Library’s offerings for kids this week is its annual children’s fair on Sunday from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in the field at 555 Montauk Highway in Amagansett. 

The fair, which happens the day after the library’s Authors Night fund-raiser, includes carnival-type rides, inflatables, games, crafts with book themes, performers, treats, and a host of children’s book authors signing their books. Among the dozens of authors expected to attend are Susan Verde with her “Rock ’n’ Roll Soul,” Billy Baldwin with “Wipeout the Wave,” G.B. Gurland with “The Secret Files of Phineas Foster,” Elizabeth Doyle Carey with “Mayday,” from the Junior Lifeguards series, and Cynthia Bardes with “Pansy in Africa.” 

The fair is free, and copies of the authors’ books will be available for purchase. 

This week’s family movies at the library will be “Beauty and the Beast,” today at 4 p.m., and “Planes,” next Thursday at the same time. Today at 2 p.m., someone from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will visit the library with a 

presentation on nocturnal animals for children 4 and up. 

Tomorrow at the library, kids in sixth through eighth grade can use Washi tape to turn flip-top tins into colorful little carrying cases. The program begins at 3:30 p.m. 

In a Storytime Yoga session with Ms. Verde on Tuesday at 11 a.m., kids 5 and older will become part of the story as they practice different poses and breathing exercises. Toddlers 2 to 3 years old will try out various postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques, and then do a craft in a yoga class next Thursday at 1 p.m. 

Children 5 and older will use Mason jars, shells, sand, and plants to make light-up “aquariums” in a workshop on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Advance registration is required for all but the children’s fair. 

Puppets at Bay Street

Goat on a Boat’s puppet theater series continues at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor with two productions this week. First, the Columbia Marionette Theater will present “Cinderella” on Saturday at 11 a.m., and next Thursday it will be the Robert Rogers Puppet Company and “The Bugtown Follies,” also at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $15 to $25 online or at the box office. 

Children 4 to 7 who want to put on puppet shows of their own might be interested in Bay Street’s Puppet Power theater camp, which runs from Monday through Friday, Aug. 17. Campers will learn about and play with an assortment of puppets and work with a teaching artist to create their own puppets, sets, and stories. 

Older children ages 9 to 12 will explore a kid-friendly version of a Shakespeare play in a camp that runs from Aug. 20 to 24 and culminates with a performance for friends and family on Bay Street’s stage. 

Theater camps meet from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and cost $475 per week.

Bay Street is also offering a series of teen master classes this month. Participants will analyze a play and study a scene on Wednesday. Directing will be the focus on Aug. 21, and on Aug. 28 attention will turn to “making a monologue.” Each class runs from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $135 for a single class, $250 for two, and $350 for all three. 

Stranger and Stranger

It’s not every kid who can watch the creepy “Stranger Things” series on Netflix, but those who do may know that it’s based loosely on mysterious things said to have taken place at Camp Hero in Montauk. With that in mind, the Montauk Library has invited kids in fourth grade and above to make their own “Stranger Things” jewelry using Shrinky Dinks paper on Saturday from 3 to 4:30 p.m., with a 1980s playlist setting the tone. 

Kids in first grade and above can play Wii Sports and Mario Kart at the library on Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Snacks will be served. 

Live frogs, toads, bugs, a bunny, mice, reptiles, hermit crabs, and even a chinchilla will be on hand at the library on Friday, Aug. 17, at 4 p.m. during a program for kids 4 and older. 

Drawing at the Parrish

At the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, a drawing course for children 10 and older will have students exploring the galleries and applying some of the drawing techniques they see to their own work. The class will meet Monday through Wednesday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The cost is $110, including materials. Members pay $85. 

Sculpture and Disco

Kids who take part in an instrument-making workshop this afternoon at 4:30 at the Southampton Arts Center will be invited to take their creations back to the center to join in a family concert on Aug. 23. 

An outdoor story time today at 5:30 p.m. will mark National Book Lovers Day.

Next Thursday at 3:30 p.m., children will work with Giancarlo Biagi, a marble sculptor, to cast their hands or feet in sand in a style inspired by the late Costantino Nivola. 

After that, at 4:30, they can shake their hands and feet at an afternoon family dance party with Baby Loves Disco.

The above programs are free, but the arts center has asked for sign-up ahead of time for the workshops.

Hurray for Libraries!

The Amagansett Library has a singing, dancing, story-filled celebration of libraries planned for Saturday at 3 p.m. Alexair Dreams Storytelling, an outfit from South Ozone Park, Queens, will headline. Advance sign-up has been requested.

Sand and Dirt

The Perfect Earth Project, which promotes toxin-free landscapes and lawns, will offer kids 5 to 12 a closer look at the “world beneath their feet” in a workshop on soil on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton.

Participants will examine soil under a microscope to discover its living properties and then make “soil food bombs” with compost and beneficial insects. 

On Sunday, littler kids, ages 3 to 5, will dig into sand as they create beach memory jars filled with shells, driftwood, and other things they’ve collected on the beach. Eleni Nikolopoulos, a SoFo nature educator, will lead this 9 a.m. program at the beach. 

Advance registration is required for both.

Images of Adolescence

MM Fine Art in Southampton will open “17,” an exhibition of photographs by Joey Farrell, with a reception tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. The show will remain on view through Sept. 3.

A high school senior, Mr. Farrell captures fleeting moments of his adolescence in his photographs. He is passionate about portraiture and feels “a physical action or expression is the most unique type of moment one can capture.”

Block Island Adventure

Camp SoulGrow in Montauk has a day trip to Block Island planned for kids 7 and older on Monday. Young adventurers will gather at the Viking Dock on West Lake Drive at 9:30 a.m., where they’ll collect their SoulGrow T-shirts, hats, and Block Island dogtags. The ferry departs at 10. On the island, they’ll visit Abram’s Farm, have lunch and ice cream, and explore the town before boarding a return ferry at 5 p.m. The boat arrives back in Montauk at 6:15. A $100 donation per kid is requested to cover costs for this nine-hour excursion, and advance registration is a must. 

On Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m., while Nancy Atlas plays at the Surf Lodge in Montauk, Camp SoulGrow leads arts and crafts sessions. Advance sign-up is not required.

Puppets in Sag

Goat on a Boat’s series of puppet shows continues at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor next Thursday at 11 a.m. when Liz Joyce and a Couple of Puppets present “The Doubtful Sprout.” 

This 35-minute show featuring hand, finger, and rod puppets, marionettes, and an animated segment is ideal for ages 3 to 8. Tickets start at $15.

On Sunday, Ms. Joyce will be at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor for a shadow puppet workshop with children 4 to 7 at 3 p.m. Kids will perform short vignettes. The program is free, but advance registration is required. 

Chess and Pizza

The Children’s Museum of the East End and Hamptons Chess will host the museum’s fourth annual Chessfest on Saturday from 10 a.m. The morning includes crafts, activities, and games for players of all levels. A group of kids will even challenge an internationally ranked grandmaster. Chessfest is free with museum admission.

On Wednesday, CMEE will team up with Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett for a pizza night at the farm. Those who attend will be able to pick their own toppings for wood-fired pizzas made as they wait. There will be crafts and games. The event runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and costs $50, $40 for members of Amber Waves or CMEE. Space is limited and should be reserved in advance.

At the East Hampton Library

Summer may be winding down, but the activities for kids at East Hampton Library are not. 

A practice SAT for high school students will be given on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Priority will be given to residents of the East Hampton Library District, which includes the East Hampton, Springs, and Wainscott School Districts. 

Also for high school students, there will be a temporary-tattoo session next Thursday at 5 p.m. and a beach fire at Main Beach from 6 to 8 p.m. The library will supply ingredients for s’mores. 

Susan Verde returns to the library with a Storytime Yoga session for kids 5 and older on Tuesday at 11 a.m. As kids assume different poses, they will become part of the story. 

The ever-busy Liz Joyce will be at the library on Tuesday at 2 p.m. with her puppet show “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

For kids 4 and older, there is lots to do at the library this week. A tropical fish sculpture workshop happens on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and on Friday, Aug. 24, seashells will be the inspiration in an abstract watercolor class at 2 p.m. Next Thursday at 2 p.m., Erik the Reptile Guy will visit the library with replicas of a cobra, a crocodile, a python, and more, and an interactive presentation about their special qualities. 

Sixth through eighth graders will make beaded pets that can be used to decorate a locker or a backpack on Friday, Aug. 24, at 3:30 p.m. 

Family movies on the schedule this week are “Bee Movie” on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and “Finding Nemo” next Thursday at 4.

Montauk Fun

Tonight will be all about bubbles and barbecue at the Montauk Playhouse Community Center. There will be crafts, games, and treats during a family picnic on the lawn, and then Just Fun for Kids will amaze with some giant bubble feats. The fun begins at 5 p.m. The cost is $10 per person or $35 for a family.

Recycled water bottles will become beautiful fish sculptures in a workshop for ages 7 and up on Saturday at the Montauk Library. Tonita Valderrama will lead the class, which runs from 3 to 4 p.m. 

Two bilingual happenings on Wednesday at the library will give children a chance to listen, learn, and play in English and Spanish. A bilingual story time happens at 11:45 p.m., and will include a reading of Jorge Argueta’s “Salsa” and a chance to make salsa. The program is set to be repeated later that day at 4 p.m.

A college essay workshop for high school juniors and seniors and their parents will be offered next Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the library. The workshop will address what college admissions officials are looking for and offer prompts, brainstorming ideas, and a question-and-answer period. 

 Parrish Family Party

A summer family party at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill on Sunday will have kids making art, joining in an art scavenger hunt, and enjoying the museum grounds from 3 to 6 p.m. 

The artists Monica Banks, Eric Dever, Brian Farrell, Paton Miller, Bastienne Schmidt, and Almond Zigmund will lead workshops throughout the afternoon, and guests can also take part in a collaborative project. A buffet-style barbecue will be catered by the Golden Pear, and an ice cream truck will pay a visit, too. 

Inside, A Flippin’ Good Time will guide children as they make flipbooks. 

The party is a fund-raiser for the museum’s year-round programs. Tickets start at $125 for adults, $100 for children, $100 and $75 for museum members. 

Magic, Music, Movies

In the waning days of summer vacation, the East Hampton Library’s programs for kids are not slowing down a bit, with movies, yoga, magic, music, and arts and crafts filling the calendar this week. 

The magic will come courtesy of the Magic of Amore in a show for all ages on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Next Thursday at 1:30 p.m., animals will be the stars, as kids 4 and older learn why creatures do what they do. Frogs, insects, a chicken, a chinchilla, and other animals will be on hand.

Also this week, for kids 4 and older there’s a shell watercolor painting class tomorrow at 2 p.m. Older kids in sixth through eighth grades can make a beaded animal craft tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

Susan Verde, a children’s book author and yoga instructor, will have kids 5 and older doing poses to become part of the story in a yoga program on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Younger yoginis ages 2 to 3 can get an introduction to the practice in My Yoga With a Twist on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Kids 4 and older can make and decorate their own musical shakers on Wednesday at 4 p.m. or use soft sculpture to make an imaginary sea person or creature on Friday, Aug. 31, at 2 p.m. String will be the medium in a program for kids in sixth through eighth grade on Friday, Aug. 31, at 3:30 p.m. 

Family movies this week at the library are “Finding Nemo” today at 4 p.m. and “Lilo and Stitch” on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

As a reminder, Erik the Reptile Guy will lead an interactive program for kids 4 and older today at 2 p.m. Later today, there’s a do-it-yourself temporary tattoo session for high school kids at 5 and a beach fire at Main Beach from 6 to 8, also for high schoolers. S’more ingredients will be provided.

Advance registration is required for all programs.

Puppetry, a Universal Language

Teatrino Giullare, an Italian theater company that mixes music, drama, and puppetry, will make two stops on the South Fork this week, performing “The Comedians” as part of the Goat on a Boat puppetry series at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Saturday and talking about the company’s style of puppetry tomorrow at the Montauk Library. 

In Montauk, two puppeteers, Giulia Dall’Ongaro and Enrico Deotti, will talk about Italy’s commedia dell’arte tradition, explaining their craft through demonstrations and visual media in a program at 5:30 p.m. that is designed for a family audience. 

On Saturday at 11 a.m. at Bay Street, they will offer “funny episodes of puppet theater in a universal language,” according to Bay Street’s website. Kids 6 and older and adults should enjoy this one. Tickets start at $15 and will be available at the door and at baystreet.org. 

Also at the Montauk Library, the Magic of Amore will dazzle on Saturday at 5 p.m. Registration ahead of time has been suggested.

It’s the Lolly Jollies!

Liz Corwin and Holly Johnson, two singer-songwriters otherwise known as the Jolly Lollies, will get kids dancing on Monday at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton. The duo, who hail from Charlotte, N.C., play songs that encourage imaginative play, help kids “self-regulate,” and get them moving. At Monday’s show, which will start at 6, there will be all of that along with some arts and crafts. Tickets cost $20, $15 for museum members, and should be reserved in advance. 

Taste Test Challenge

Can you tell the difference between Doritos and Chichitos, if there is such a thing? Cheerios and Joe’s Os? What if you were blindfolded? At the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton and the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor kids 7 to 12 will have a chance to test their tastes this week. The Bridgehampton taste test is today at 4 p.m.; the Sag Harbor program happens on Saturday at 3:30. 

Tomorrow at the Hampton Library, kids 4 and older can make sand slime at noon. The project for kids 7 to 12 next Thursday at 4 will be Sharpie-decorated mugs. 

Drawing in Southampton

Linda Capello will lead a drawing workshop for 6 to 10-year-olds in the Southampton Arts Center’s galleries on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants will respond to the work in “Counterpoint,” the exhibition on view, sketching from the works they see. Dry media and drawing materials will be provided for the class, which costs $15. Advance registration is required at southamptonartscenter.org.

“Three Billy Goats”

In the final puppet show of the Goat on a Boat summer series at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, the Puppet Art Theater Company of California will present “Three Billy Goats Gruff” on Saturday. Show time is 11 a.m., and tickets start at $15. 

Sea People, Snap Circuits

Inspired by days at the ocean, maybe sand castles, or all those whale sightings reported off the beach lately, kids 4 and older will create their own imaginary sea people in an art program tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. Also tomorrow, sixth through eighth graders will use string as their medium in an art session beginning at 3:30 p.m.

With an iffy forecast for Saturday, the library’s afternoon movie, “The Muppets,” at 1:30 might be the perfect thing to do. 

On Sunday, high school students will get to use recycled materials to make wind chimes during a program from 3 to 5 p.m. 

A Snap Circuits electronics workshop for kids ages 7 and older will ease them into that thinking time of year on Tuesday at 4 p.m. — either a fun after-school activity or one to turn the brain power back on before the school bell rings, depending on where you go.

The young-adult librarian will face off against high school students in a test of pop culture trivia using the Kahoot! app next Thursday at 5 p.m. Participants should take their smartphones. There’s a “secret prize” promised for the winner. 

Rocks and Such

A session on sedimentary rocks for ages 4 and up at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton will finish with a tasty rock-like creation tomorrow at noon. On Tuesday, kids in sixth grade and up can fashion their own Shrinky Dink creations from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

The newly waxed floors glistened in the empty hallways of the Springs School on Friday as a handful of teachers readied classrooms for the start of the school year on Tuesday, when 681 kindergarten through eighth-grade students are expected back on campus, with another 39 set to attend the district’s prekindergarten program at the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton.

On a tour through the school building, the superintendent, Debra Winter, and principal, Eric Casale, pointed to a green line that runs down the center of the hallways, basically a traffic divider that helps provide a semblance of order when the hallways swell with a crush of students changing classes. 

District voters in March approved a $16.9 million bond to help fund a nearly $23 million expansion and renovation project — with an anticipated completion date of 2021. The expansion will add some 24,000 square feet to the school, while 17,000 square feet will be renovated, but “the day we move in, we’ll be at capacity,” Mr. Casale said. 

Still, the extra space will be welcomed. Over the summer, the district won a $1.33 million New York State grant for a new nitrogen-reducing wastewater treatment system and chose H2M Architects and Engineers to oversee that work, which is to take place next summer, along with initial site work for the addition. The engineers are working with Stony Brook University’s Center for Clean Water Technology on ways to get nitrogen so low that it actually would be “below the drinking water standards,” Mr. Casale said. 

On Friday, Ms. Winter and Mr. Casale pointed out classrooms arranged in ways that might be surprising to someone who hasn’t been inside a school building recently. There are signs of the school’s very pressing space needs: classrooms partitioned into two or three spaces, others with no windows. But there are also glimpses of new directions in education that start with how classrooms are laid out. In some, the teacher has no desk and there is no front or back of the room, a layout that allows for a more fluid style of teaching. 

As administrators geared up on Friday for the start of the academic year, they talked about the progress taking place behind the scenes to bring the big capital improvements to fruition, but also the changes in store when the bell rings on Tuesday. Most obvious among them to students and parents may be new faces at the head of several classrooms and familiar faces in new roles throughout the school.

Over the course of three years, the district has seen a 40-percent turnover in professional staff. Six longtime teachers retired at the end of last year, as did three teaching assistants, together representing a combined total of 220 years on the job. This year, 11 of the 74 members of the teaching staff will be new to the job, but in that number are three who had been working as teaching assistants before being promoted.

In kindergarten, Melissa Erb and Diana Russell will go from teaching assistants to classroom teachers. KelliAnn Toto, who had been a T.A. for English as a new language, will become a first-grade classroom teacher. Kimberly Havlik, a leave-replacement last year, was hired as a new first-grade teacher. 

Also preparing to meet Springs students for the first time next week are new music, science, art, and Spanish teachers, a new special-education teacher, and new first and fourth-grade classroom teachers, as well as a new librarian. 

Megan Payne, a special-education teacher, will head the kindergarten inclusion classroom. Jennilee Santiago is a new fourth-grade teacher and Jessica Rubio joins the district as a Spanish teacher.

Two middle school science teachers, Lisa Seff and Robert Walker, retired at the end of last year. Taking their places will be Eric Schwab, who will teach sixth and eighth-grade science, and Brittny Pannizzo, Ms. Seff’s leave replacement last year, who will teach sixth and seventh-grade science. Angelina Modica, a choral music teacher who had been tenured at the end of last year, has left to take a position elsewhere teaching band, her specialty. Taking her place will be Meghan Kelly, who had been teaching in New Jersey. In addition to teaching, she will take on the fourth-grade opera and the school musical.

Kathleen Comber will take over as librarian, while the former librarian, Bill Hallman, will take over from Ms. Seff as the academic enrichment teacher. That program, meanwhile, will continue to shift its focus toward science, technology, engineering, art, and math, commonly referred to these days as STEAM. 

Lauren Marino will join the staff as an art teacher following the retirement last year of Colleen McGowan. 

At a new-teacher orientation on Monday for those who have been in the district for three years or less, there were 32 staff members. “They’re excited, they’re motivated,” Mr. Casale said on Friday. The theme of the orientation, inspired by a conference that newer staff attended last year, was “getting your teach on.” The textbooks for the day: Dave Burgess’s “Teach Like a Pirate,” subtitled “Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator,” and Hope and Wade King’s “The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator’s Creative Breakthrough.” 

“My philosophy is I want you to take risks. I want you to think outside of the box,” Ms. Winter said. Not every new initiative will work, she acknowledged, but that, too, has value. “We have to demonstrate to children that it’s okay to fail; that’s how you learn.” 

While they are excited by the energy the new instructional staff will bring, Ms. Winter and Mr. Casale are also enthusiastic about some of the social-emotional initiatives the district is taking part in.

These include partnering with the New York State Mentoring Program to pair at-risk students with adult mentors within the school and implementing a social-emotional learning program called Second Step that aims, Mr. Casale said, to “help kids understand their role in conflict resolution,” as well as teach things like self-regulation and situational awareness. “Cooperative learning, problem solving, strong interpersonal skills . . . these are all 21st-century skills,” Mr. Casale said.

By supporting students in areas beyond academics, “we hope to raise student achievement and reduce the suspension rate,” Ms. Winter said. 

On the heels of a “generation of giving students no disappointments,” Ms. Winter said, “these kids, if it doesn’t go their way, they don’t know how to navigate it.” Part of what the school is trying to teach them, Mr. Casale said, is “resiliency.”

It was hoped that recently added programs like robotics would offer an outlet for students who may not be part of team sports, but could still benefit from the experience of being on a team. The goal, Mr. Casale said, was “to have them feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.” 

And, “If people come to us with ideas for new clubs, we’ll try it,” Ms. Winter said. 

“We want them to have that connection to the school,” the principal added.

“For a small school, Springs has really been very forward-thinking and progressive,” Ms. Winter said. “And the community has stepped up through programs like the visiting artists program,” Mr. Casale added. “These relationships we hope are long lasting.”

Reptiles, Henna, Paddington

There’s a lot going on at the local libraries this week, and summer is only just beginning. 

In Montauk, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will take a variety of snakes, turtles, and tortoises to the library on Saturday at 3 p.m. This program is appropriate for all ages but registration is required.

On Tuesday at 4 p.m., the South Fork Natural History Museum will have sea stars, sea urchins, hermit crabs, spider crabs, and sea snails at the Montauk Library in a program for kids 5 and up. 

There’s a bilingual story time at the library next Thursday at 11:45 a.m., and that day at 3:30 p.m., kids ages 9 and up can learn about the latest technology in 3-D printing and 3-D pens.

Children of all ages can decorate “buggy” cupcakes with candy and cookies on Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Amagansett Library, with help from the Baking Coach. On Tuesday at 4 p.m., kids ages 5 and up can create marshmallow and toothpick structures, build straw bridges, and see how many pennies they will hold. “Smurfs: the Lost Village” will be shown in Amagansett on Friday, June 29, at 3 p.m.

Family movies playing this week at the East Hampton Library are “Paddington 2,” tomorrow at 2 p.m.; “Toy Story,” next Thursday at 2 p.m., and “Wall-E,” Friday, June 29, at 2 p.m.

A henna art session for teens will be held Tuesday, 2 p.m., at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton. Kids ages 7 to 12 can participate in the Escape Room Challenge, a dice game with prizes, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at 2 p.m. A teen version will be held next Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.

The John Jermain Memorial Library’s graphic novel club for fourth through sixth graders will consider Victoria Jamieson’s “All’s Fair in Middle School” on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Copies of this and future books to be discussed are available at the circulation desk. On Sunday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., kids ages 5 to 9 can take seashells to decorate while listening to stories.

Outdoors and In at SoFo

Children ages 6 to 12 can sign up for an introduction to drawing class on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum, at which the emphasis will be on using nature as inspiration.

Children ages 8 and older will learn about the nocturnal insects of the South Fork on Saturday at 3 p.m. with Crystal Oakes, a SoFo environmental educator.

On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. there’s a nature-inspired art workshop for the entire family for a fee of $3 per participant.

Summer Camps at Bay Street

Summer theater camps at Bay Street Theater begin next month, but the time to sign up is now. 

Offerings include My Life: The Musical, in which kids create and perform their own musical. For children ages 9 to 12, the camp will be held from July 9 to 13 and Aug. 13 to 17. For children ages 7 to 9, the camp will run from July 16 to 20 and Aug. 6 to 10. Kristin Poulakis will teach all but the Aug. 13 through 17 camp. Lisa Engellis takes over for that one.

There’s also a Greek mythology camp for kids ages 4 to 7 that will be held from July 23 through July 27, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

A Shakespeare camp for kids ages 7 to 9 runs from July 30 to Aug. 3, and will be taught by Bethany Dellapolla, an actress, teacher, director, and choreographer.

The cost is $475 for one week, $850 for two, and $1,200 for three. All run Mondays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

Teen master classes will be held all summer long. Beginning July 10, the focus will be on musical theater auditions and students will learn how to prepare and present themselves for auditions. Classes run from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the cost of $135 for one class, $250 for two classes, and $350 for three. Complete details on all summer camps can be found on the Bay Street website.

Camp Invention!

Registration is underway for Camp Invention, a program for kindergarten through sixth grade that will be offered this year at both the John M. Marshall Elementary School and the Springs School. 

This year’s curriculum includes video challenges from National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees. Campers will create self-driving robots, care for an ailing robotic puppy, design their own smart home, and invent solutions to real-world challenges. The Springs School program costs $250 and will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from July 23 through 27. The John Marshall Camp Invention will run from Aug. 13 through 16. The cost is $300. Registration is online at inventnow-web.ungerboeck.com. 

A range of summer programs, from tennis and basketball clinics to crafts and games, sailing classes, and free swim lessons offered through the East Hampton Town Parks and Recreation Department, will get underway next week. 

Parents looking to keep their young ones busy and entertained during the workday have town-run options at the Montauk School and the Springs Youth Building, where programs run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Monday through Aug. 24. 

Children in kindergarten through age 12 can join in crafts and games sessions in the morning, afternoon, or both in Springs and Montauk. Morning sessions run from 9 to 12:30; afternoons from 12:30 to 4. The cost is $100 per week for a half day, $150 for two siblings, and $200 for three. Advance registration is required and can be completed at the Parks and Recreation Department behind Town Hall from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. 

Free swimming instruction for children 4 and older will be offered at various town beaches throughout the summer. Havens Beach in Sag Harbor is the site of the first two-week session, starting on Monday. Children can be registered at the beach at 10 a.m. They have been asked to take swim goggles and water shoes. 

Also on the water, the first of the town’s two-week summer sailing lessons will begin on Monday at Fresh Pond in Amagansett for ages 12 and up. Class days will be Monday through next Thursday and July 2, 3, and 5, either from 9 a.m. to noon or from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $225, and registration is also at the Parks and Rec Department.

Tennis and basketball clinics will be offered at the Youth Park on Abraham’s Path starting on Monday and continuing through August. For tennis, clinics will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. for second and third grade and from 7 to 8 p.m. for sixth grade and up. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, tennis will be from 6 to 7 p.m. for kindergarten and first grade and 7 to 8 p.m. for fourth and fifth grades. 

Basketball clinics will run Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. for kindergarten and first grade and from 6 to 8 p.m. for fourth and fifth grades. Basketball clinics will be on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. for second and third grades and from 6 to 8 p.m. for sixth grade and up. The cost is $45 per session, also payable at the Parks and Recreation Department.

Fish-Print Tees

Sue and Al Daniels will teach families about the variety of fish in South Fork waters while leading a hands-on fish-print T-shirt workshop at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. There is a $12 materials fee per person for the shirts and supplies. Participants have been advised to dress for a mess with a smock or cover-up. Advance registration is required.

Science, Smurfs, and a Submarine

At the Amagansett Library, this week’s offerings begin with a family screening of “Smurfs: The Lost Village” tomorrow at 3 p.m. Looking ahead to Saturday, July 7, kids 5 to 9 will learn about fluorescence and phosphorescence while making their own glow-in-the-dark rocks and capturing their shadows on a glow wall. Mary Riotto will head up this science program at 3 p.m. A Science Buddies program on July 10 will give kids 6 and older a close-up look at chemistry at 4 p.m. 

There’s a story time for 3 and 4-year-olds at the library on Wednesday at 3 p.m., and next Thursday new readers can practice reading aloud with Valentino, an American Kennel Club-certified Canine Good Citizen. The program runs from 11 to 11:45 a.m., and children must be accompanied by adults. Advance registration is requested for most library programs. 

At the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, kids ages 7 to 12 will make dog toys to donate to the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons next Thursday at 4 p.m. On Friday, July 6, the library will show the animated Beatles musical “The Yellow Submarine” at noon. Popcorn will be provided. 

SAT Prep

The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike is offering SAT prep classes throughout the summer to help high schoolers get ready for the college admissions process.

Classes will be held on Sundays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., beginning July 8 and ending on Aug. 19. The last class will be on Aug. 24 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The cost is $40. For more information and to register, high schoolers can send an email to [email protected] or call 631-537-0616.

So Much at CMEE

Monday marks the beginning of a plethora of summerlong offerings at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton for kids from 2 to 5 years old.

A daily drop-off program for 3 and 4-year-olds will run Mondays through Fridays from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The first session runs through July 27; the second from July 30 through Aug. 24. The cost is $1,300 per week, $4,750 per session, or $6,450 for the full summer. For members it’s $1,150, $4,250, or $6,050. For 2-year-olds, a program fostering early independence will run the same days, but only from 9:15 a.m. to noon. The cost is $650 per week or $2,300 per session; $575 and $2,100 for members.

Also on tap are a farm club for children 2 to 5 at Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett, offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays; a garden program at Bridge Gardens for kids 18 months to 4 years old; a child-directed outdoor play series; toddler time, cooking, music, and movement at the Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack with Marlene Markard for ages 16 months to 3 years, clay play, art studio workshops, a creative arts camp, and soccer. Prices vary, and advance sign-up is a must. Full details of the museum’s many summer programs can be found online at cmee.org.

Movies, Magic, and Music

Kids who have seen all the new movies in the theaters might want to return to some old favorites at the East Hampton Library, whose schedule this week includes three family films: “Toy Story” today at 2, “Wall-E” tomorrow at 2, and “Inside Out” next Thursday at 4 p.m. 

A summer book club for high school students will meet for the first time tomorrow at 2 p.m. to pick up a copy of the first book of the season and get to know each other. Sweet treats have been promised. This week, high school students who join the library’s young-adult summer program will get a journal filled with ideas for fun, creative, insightful activities to keep them busy. Each completed journal entry will win them a ticket to weekly raffles. 

The Great Zucchini, a children’s entertainer from the Washington, D.C., area, will bring an interactive magic show for ages 2 to 7 to the library on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. He has performed at embassies, the World Bank, and even the White House!

On Tuesday, the first Snap Circuits program of the summer season — offering a primer on electronics — will be held at 2 p.m. for ages 7 and up. Snap Circuits offers a primer on electronics. 

Ellen Johansen, an early-childhood music and movement specialist who runs a studio in East Hampton, will head a weekly music program for toddlers up to age 3 and their adults starting next Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the library. 

Inquiring high school students who enjoy hashing out the issues of the day and more philosophical matters can do so during the library’s new Socrates Cafe next Thursday at 4 p.m. Participants will vote on topics of discussion, and coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will be provided.

Finally, on Friday, July 6, a workshop for ages 4 and up will have children molding animals out of self-hardening clay. The fun begins at 3 p.m.

Registration is required for most library programs, as space is limited. It can be done by phone, online, or in person. 

Making Lemonade

Children passionate about helping animals can channel their energy this summer into a fun fund-raising effort for the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons. ARF has put together lemonade stand starter kits to give entrepreneurial kids the basics they need to set up shop and also contribute to the organization. 

Kits include a Lemonarf poster, so that customers know the stand is raising money for ARF, a Lemonarf minibank, cups, buttons, and ARF tattoos, as well as recipes for lemonade and cookies. Last year members of the Lemonarf kids club raised $4,000. Kits can be picked up at ARF’s adoption center on Daniel’s Hole Road in East Hampton.