A limited number of spots are available for 3 and 4-year-olds looking to join the early learning program at the Neighborhood House in East Hampton. Classes run weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon and will continue until June of next year. The monthly fee is $360.
The Neighborhood House is at 92 Three Mile Harbor Road. Registration information is at 631-324-0175 or by email to eh[email protected].
Happy Birthday, H.A. Rey
Saturday marks the 119th birthday of H.A. Rey, creator of the beloved Curious George character. The Amagansett Library has invited children ages 3 to 8 (siblings and family members, too) to stop by between 3 and 4 p.m. Saturday, to celebrate with party hats, treats, and, of course, stories starring Curious George.
Musik and Big Trucks at CMEE
Kids will have the chance to explore and interact with some of the massive machines, such as emergency vehicles, construction and farming machines, that share our roads and keep the East End moving as well at the Children’s Museum of the East End’s third annual Big Truck Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is $14; members get in free.
Marlene Markard from Markard Music for will lead a Musikgarten program for children 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays starting next week. The 12-week program uses music from around the world as a backdrop and cultivates music literacy through dance, movement, singing, instrument exploration, tonal and rhythmic patterns, active listening, and imaginative play. It will meet weekly from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. and is for children and a caregiver. The cost is $310, $290 for museum members.
Parents with younger children between 3 months and 5 years old can join a 10-week Wiggle and Giggle program presented by Music Together by the Dunes on Fridays from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m., beginning Sept. 22. The program aims to provide a nurturing environment for children to learn basic music competence through play. It will run through Dec. 22. The cost is $250 for children under 5 and their parent or caregiver. A 40-percent sibling discount is offered. Registration is online at mtbythedunes.com.
Writing, Reading, Fun
The East Hampton Library will offer high school seniors free individual college essay help and feedback during writing conferences with an experienced tutor on Mondays through Oct. 2. Students can schedule half-hour sessions between 3 and 5 p.m. on those days.
Joan Dupont, the author of the picture book “Philippe the Black Sheep,” and Ellen Shire, its illustrator, will do a dramatic reading from the book on Monday from 4 to 4:45 p.m. at the library. The book is described as the story of a lamb “with artistic ambitions.”
Another round of Snap Circuits electronics programs for ages 7 and up will start on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. Kids will construct circuits that light up, sound off, and power an accessory. Additional sessions will be on Oct. 3, Oct. 4, and Oct. 18. Participants need not attend all four.
Children 4 and older can discover the art of Picasso and other painters who used facial features to create imaginative portraits and then create their own portrait collages in a program on Friday, Sept. 22, at 3:30 p.m.
Advance registration is requested for all programs.
Soccer, Tennis, or Basketball, Anyone?
Soccer players in first through sixth grades should grab their cleats and register for East Hampton Town’s upcoming youth season, which will run from Sept. 23 through Nov. 4. Saturday games are at 9 and 10:30 a.m., noon, and 1:15 p.m. at the Stephen Hand’s Path field in East Hampton. The cost is $45 for the season, and registation is at the field on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon or at the East Hampton Town Parks and Recreation Department behind Town Hall weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tennis clinics begin this week at the Youth Park on Abraham’s Path. Clinics for first through third grades will be on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. and for fourth through sixth graders on Fridays from 5 to 6 p.m. through Oct. 21. The cost is $45 for the season.
A free basketball clinic will be held at the Youth Park on Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. for kindergarteners through third grade and from 5 to 6 p.m. for fourth through sixth graders. This weekly clinics begin next Thursday and end on Oct. 19.
Teen Ink in Sag Harbor
Eighth through 12th graders can explore writing outside of the classroom in a teen writing workshop at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor starting on Tuesday. Sessions will include writing prompts, discussion of craft and technique, and constructive group critique. Participants will develop a body of original work and will revise selected pieces for publication and performance. Free pizza will be included to keep the creativity flowing. Those interested have been asked to email [email protected]. Sessions run from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. through Oct. 31.
Children ages 6 to 12 can meet real butterflies and learn about local species and their habitats at the library on Saturday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Ahoy, Montauk Mateys!
In celebration of Saturday’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day, kids can walk the plank at the Montauk Library for some pirate fun from 2 to 3 p.m. They will learn about Montauk’s historical connection to Captain Kidd, and pirates ages 5 and up can create their own treasure map and treasure chest and go on a treasure hunt for gold in the library.
Next Thursday is World Peace Day and to help promote peace and kindness, crafty kids ages 4 and up can stop by between 4 and 5 p.m. to make dream catchers, kindness rocks, and recycled peace signs. Registration is required as space is limited.
The contract for the sale of the Springs-Fireplace Road property where the East Hampton School District plans to build a much-discussed bus depot has not yet been signed by East Hampton Town, as it awaits the results of a required State Environmental Quality Review Act study. Jonathan Heidelberger, the district’s attorney, explained the reason for the delay at an East Hampton School Board meeting Tuesday evening.
The delay, according to Richard Burns, the district superintendent, makes it unlikely that the necessary public vote can be held this fall, with May a more realistic goal.
In its initial phase, the study is a coordinated effort by the Suffolk County Water Authority, the East Hampton Town Board and Highway Department, and other authorities. The town will defer signing the contract until the report is public. Once signed, the school district will declare itself the lead agency in the process and will have 45 days to carry out further environmental and safety studies.
“We’re bound,” Mr. Heidelberger said, referring to the district’s commitment to purchase the land. He remained hopeful that the deal would be formalized by the end of the month.
Stages Theater Programs
Stages, a children’s theater company, will once again run its popular “Frankenstein Follies” fall performance workshop for young actors 8 to 18. Workshops are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Southampton Town Recreation Center, and they start this Monday. The cost is $475. The program culminates with performances at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Oct. 27, 28, and 29.
For younger actors, mature 6 to 9-year-olds, Stages offers a creative drama workshop on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Bay Street starting this week and running through Nov. 14. A short play will be presented on the final day of the workshop. The cost is $285.
Registration for both programs is online at stagesworkshop.org or by calling or emailing the Stages director, Helene Leonard, at 631-329-1420 or [email protected].
Seashells and Grandparents
Eleni Nikolopoulos of the South Fork Natural History Museum will lead families with kids 3 to 5 on a beach walk in search of seashells on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Afteward, they will use the shells to make keepsake magnets. There is a $3 materials fee and registration is requested.
Sunday is grandparents day at SoFo. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., kids, parents, and grandparents are invited to meet everyone at the museum and all the animals who live there. At 10:45 a.m. there will be a story time.
De-stress at the Library
High school seniors who need guidance with their college application essays can head to the East Hampton Library on Monday between 3 and 5 p.m. Individual advice and feedback from a professional tutor will be provided. Space is limited, so people have been asked to sign up in advance for 30-minute sessions by phone or by emailing the young adult librarian, Lisa Michne, at [email protected]
Stressed out in high school? Head to the young adult meeting room on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and make a stress ball to squeeze the stress away. carry around at school or home.
For younger kids, ages 4 to 6, there’s an autumn story time and craft activities on Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Kids in sixth through eighth grade can decorate notebooks, pencils, folders, and all their school supplies with crazy, colorful, Japanese washi tape next Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. Tape will be provided, as well as some school supplies, or kids can take their own.
Weather Forecast in Sag Harbor
The fall is a great time to explore the changing weather, and on Sunday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., kids 5 to 8 can head to the John Jermain Memorial Library to learn to create personal weather systems in a bottle. Registration is required.
During the big Harborfest celebration in the village on Saturday, the library will have people at the Sag Harbor Youth Committee booth between noon and 3 p.m. helping kids use its special button maker to make their own pinback buttons. Participation is free, but supplies are limited.
Students at the Amagansett School are outperforming the national average at all grade levels in math and English language arts, according to Maria Dorr, the school’s principal. “That’s something to be very proud of,” she said at the school board’s Aug. 22 meeting. “This helps us to show the curriculum we’re providing to our students is meeting their needs.”
In announcing the results, Ms. Dorr summarized an analysis of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 New York State report card and standardized assessment data. The school aims “to exceed the state in all grades in all levels,” she said.
The assessment data is available at data.nysed.gov.
The objective this year, Ms. Dorr said, is to provide “targeted training to teachers in implementation of student computer programs to enhance and enrich instruction.” To that end, the school will integrate Google Classroom, a learning platform utilizing Chromebooks, laptop computers that run Google’s Chrome operating system.
“We have purchased Chromebooks for all our students,” Ms. Dorr said. “The reason we moved from Mac to Chrome was we really wanted to provide an opportunity for students, before they go on to middle school, to have that opportunity to interact.” She said that higher-level education often integrates online learning today. Later in the meeting, the board voted to deem many Apple laptop computers and tablets as surplus.
Also at the meeting, the board adopted a resolution declaring the school’s septic system an emergency, allowing it to authorize repair. Historically, rainwater has been routed into the building’s cesspools, Kerry Griffiths, of the district’s buildings and grounds department, told the board. “That’s not allowed anymore. When they built the building, it probably was. We have to separate that and redo the cesspools, and upgrade,” he said.
Repairs are necessary to be compliant with Suffolk County standards and are estimated to cost $11,270. In order to comply, Eleanor Tritt, the district superintendent, said, “We’d like to consider it an emergency so we can go ahead and fix it immediately, and then move on.” She said the work should be completed next month.
As most children’s camps are getting ready to pack up for the year, Camp SoulGrow in Montauk is busy preparing its fall and winter schedule.
“We go all year round,” said London Rosiere, the camp’s indefatigable founder, “running free workshops after school and on weekends so that children continue having these wonderful events and opportunities to connect with each other and the community in a pressure-free, open-arms way.”
This summer, Camp SoulGrow saw 214 kids participate in 92 hour-and-a-half-long, free workshops that Ms. Rosiere considers platforms for people in the community to offer children hands-on experiences, and for kids to broaden their horizons. She engages high schoolers to help at the camp, for which they receive community service hours. On Tuesday, the campers traveled to Block Island, where they visited a petting zoo, had lunch, and explored the island.
Ms. Rosiere’s nonprofit is now in its fourth year and is open to children ages 7 and up. Money left to Ms. Rosiere (pronounced Roszhay) by her late mother and the generosity of East End businesses and residents have helped her operate workshops on a donation-only basis. However, additional fund-raising is also required, Ms. Rosiere said. “But I’m a one-woman operation, working with kids, being the janitor, the P.R. person, and everything else.”
She is also a seasoned marathoner and will run in her 17th marathon on Nov. 19 in Philadelphia, through which she hopes to raise $3,000 for the camp. But to ensure that its programs continue to be sustained in the future, more significant fund-raising will be necessary.
Beginning on Sept. 15, camp will be offered every Friday evening from 6 to 8 in Montauk, with workshops in yoga, karate, painting, volunteering, visiting local businesses, as well as one workshop devoted to table etiquette during a dinner at Muse Restaurant in Montauk. Each workshop is limited to 15 kids, offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Many beloved annual events await campers this fall and winter, such as transforming the Montauk Lighthouse into a haunted house for Halloween, a turkey drive over Thanksgiving with 108 turkeys donated to the needy, and a holiday-season break camp at Gurney’s Resort in Montauk.
Last year Camp SoulGrow had a windfall thanks to the Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton, which donated $25,000 to the nonprofit, giving Ms. Rosiere the breathing room to focus more on programming, but fund-raising remains a constant if she is to continue the organization’s mission, and so too are volunteers.
High schoolers looking to earn community service credits working with Camp SoulGrow can contact Ms. Rosiere at [email protected]. Others who want to support the camp and its free programming can make tax-deductible donations online at campsoulgrow.org or by mail to Camp SoulGrow, P.O. Box 1016, Montauk 11954.
Secret Pizza Party in Bridgehampton
Kids can pull on their pajamas and head over to the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton for this month’s Pizza and Pajama Night from 6 to 7 tomorrow. There will be a reading of Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri’s “Secret Pizza Party!” and — what else? — pizza. The gathering is open to families with kids of all ages. It is free for members and $12 for everyone else. Space is limited and registration is required.
A weekly Lego Club for children of all ages who love to build and create with Legos begins Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. Works in progress can be stored at the museum. The cost is $12, free for members. Although the museum owns thousands of Lego blocks, more are always needed for this program. Donations can be arranged in advance by calling the museum.
From Owls to Trolls
Kids 4 and up can come face to face with owls and other birds of prey today at 3 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. A variety of owls including the eastern screech owl and the great horned owl, as well as a red-tailed hawk, will be visiting. Snap Circuits electronics sessions will be offered in September and October for kids 7 and up, with the first on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Additional sessions will be on Sept. 19, Oct. 3, Oct. 4, and Oct. 18. Incorporating science, technology, engineering, and math, the program helps make learning electronics easy and fun. Kids can attend any or all of the sessions offered. The family movie next Thursday at 4 p.m. will be “Trolls.” Advance registration is required for most programs.
Puppetry Finale
The final show of the summer in the Goat on a Boat’s puppet series at Bay Street Theater will be on Saturday at 11 a.m., when Art Puppet Theatre presents “Tommy’s Space Adventure.” The show tells the story of a boy fascinated with aliens and outer space who meets a real live alien from millions of light-years away. Tickets cost $15.
Teen Time and More at the Parrish
Kids 11 to 18 who take part in the Parrish Art Museum’s open studio on Saturday at 10 a.m. will make a mini-book with guidance from Pamela Collins. Advance registration is required with the museum; the program is free.
A bilingual family gallery talk and art workshop will be held on Sunday afternoon at 2. Visitors can wander through the galleries and then head to the studio to create projects inspired by the works on view. This one, too, is free with museum admission. Advance registration is not required.
Native Critters in Montauk
Any kindergartners through sixth graders interested in reptiles and amphibians should head over to the Montauk Library today at 4 p.m., when the South Fork Natural History Museum will introduce kids to a number of Long Island’s native reptiles and critters. Registration is required as space is limited.
Concerns that the Springs School might reach opening day without a usable septic system were put to rest at a Springs School Board work session on Monday. Debra Winter, the school superintendent, announced that the 12 leaching pools recently unearthed by an excavating company, Laser, would be repaired, restored, raised, and fully operational before school reopens on Sept. 5.
The work, which includes replacing pumps that cannot be repaired, will provide the school with a functioning system that might last until 2019, she said, by which time an expansion project is expected to be underway and at which point it is hoped a new, state-of-the art nitrogen-reducing system will go in
The approximate cost of the work to be done now is $102,000, falling well under the $130,000 limit for a contingency expense in the annual budget, according to the school’s attorney.
It remains indisputable that the current system is outdated and potentially hazardous for neighboring bodies of water.
“It wasn’t that our current system was inadequate,” Ms. Winter said. “It was that several of the pools weren’t leaching properly.” The system dates to the 1970s when the student population was around 300. The school now accommodates approximately 900 students, teachers, and staff.
In addition to the pools that weren’t leaching properly, some pools that had once been functional were buried and inaccessible, Ms. Winter said, causing a strain on the few that remained usable. The situation lead to a complete septic shutdown in April, and the district has had to have the pools pumped every 10 days since then.
Christopher Weiss of H2M Architects and Engineers attended Monday’s meeting and presented four innovative, low-nitrogen wastewater treatment plans for the school board to consider when the expansion begins. All four systems are Suffolk County-approved and available immediately, he said. On a Suffolk County map, which identifies areas where technologically advanced, eco-friendly systems are most necessary, Springs is listed as a “High Priority (Priority 1) Area.” Almost the entire coastline of eastern Long Island, and properties near the bays and Long Island Sound are also identified as top priority areas.
Given that Springs is classified as a Priority 1 Area, explained Mr. Weiss, the school will be near the top of a list of potential recipients of grants or other funds, which would help offset the approximate $600,000 cost of a new system.
Despite H2M’s recommendation that 22 leaching pools should be installed in the future, “based on the flow capacity,” Mr. Weiss echoed Ms. Winter’s statement that even though the current system has only 12 pools, it will require no more than standard, twice-a-year pumping because it has been brought up to grade. It is now expected to function without major problems until a state-of-the-art replacement can be installed.
In other matters discussed at the meeting, the Springs School’s Emergency Response Plan for 2017-18 has now been posted on the school’s website, where it will remain for 30 days for anyone wishing to comment or suggest changes.
Art Meets Nature
Andrea Cote and her 9-year-old son, Nathan, will lead families in an Art of Science workshop on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. The mother-son team will teach participants to use tools and pigments from nature to create art.
Al Daniels will head up a seining excursion for families on the shores of Noyac Bay on Sunday at 10 a.m., giving people a chance to see the variety of marine life that inhabits our local waters.
Advance registration is requested for both programs.
Tails and Talons
Tara is all ears when it comes to listening to kids read. A certified therapy dog from Pet Partners, she will be at the East Hampton Library today from 4 to 5 p.m. to help first through fifth graders who struggle with reading. Pick a favorite book and sign up for a 15-minute session with Tara.
On Saturday from 9:30 to 1 p.m. high school students preparing for their ACT exams can take a free practice test. Space is limited and registration is required.
Kids ages 5 to 11 can have fun creating with Legos and meeting new friends at Monday’s Lego Club from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
On Tuesday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., the magician Alexo will bring the thrill of illusion as well as his magical animal menagerie for some midday wizardry at the library in a show suitable for all ages.
More magic is scheduled on Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. with Snap Circuits, an electronics program for ages 7 and up. Kids will construct circuits that light up, sound off, and power an accessory.
On Wednesday kids 3 and older can have their faces painted at the library from 2 to 4 p.m. Ages 4 and up will make soft felt sculptures with a sea creature theme on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Next Thursday, a birds of prey program for ages 4 and up will offer a chance to meet an Eastern screech-owl, a great horned owl, a barn owl, and a red-tailed hawk at 3 p.m.
Advance registration is required for all events.
3-D and Coding in Sag Harbor
Seventh through 12th graders can learn how to create a 3-D file using Tinkercad, an online 3-D design and printing app, from 3 to 5 p.m. today at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor. The library has some laptops available, and kids are invited to reserve one or take their own.
Younger kids 6 to 12 can join the Coding Club today at 5 p.m., where they will learn some of the basics of computer coding. No experience is necessary for this self-paced club. Laptops are provided.
A Summer Reading Club party tomorrow from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. will be open to all children who participated in the summer reading program. The Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre will provide the entertainment.
With a Bang!
Guild Hall’s KidFest program will finish with a bang on Wednesday at 5 p.m. with Bam! Percussion, a comedy-drumming production with a cast of cartoon characters who speak their own language. Tickets cost $18 for adults and $14 for children, $16 and $12 for members.
During an arts and crafts workshop before the production, at 4, kids 3 and up can create their own musical instruments. The cost is $10, $8 for members.
The Power of Words
Clowning and puppetry will take audiences on a word play adventure through the alphabet complete with a visit to a word zoo full of surprises at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Saturday, when Good Hearted Entertainment presents “Word Play” at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $15.
Bay Street’s final teen Masterclass, Speaking Shakespeare, will be offered on Monday from noon to 3 p.m. for ages 13 to 18. Intended to help young actors interpret and speak Shakespearean verse, this workshop will culminate in a presentation of the students’ work on the Bay Street Theater stage for family and friends. The cost is $125 and advance registration is required.
Family Fun in Southampton
A painting party for ages 8 and up with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County — an educational program promoting a wide range of topics from wellness to sustainable agriculture — is scheduled for tomorrow at 5 p.m. at the Southampton Arts Center on Job’s Lane. The cost is $30 and advance registration is required.
Next Thursday, Wonderspark Puppets will take children 3 to 8 on a “Wild West Mystery” ride at 4:30 p.m. The 30-minute show is free.
Seashells and Reptiles
Kids 7 and up can learn about Long Island mollusks with Tonito Valderrama, an environmental artist and educator, on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Montauk Library. Students will decorate seashells to create a beach-inspired mobile.
Next Thursday afternoon at 4, kindergartners through sixth graders will meet some of Long Island’s native reptiles and amphibians and learn how they get around during a program presented by the South Fork Natural History Museum.
Advance registration is requested for both programs.
Make Art at the Parrish
Families can drop in to the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to take a tour of the galleries and create art through hands-on activities, using art materials and techniques inspired by the works on view. All ages must be accompanied by an adult. The tour and open studio are free with museum admission, which is $12 for adults and $9 for those over 65. Students, members, and children under 18 get in free.
Two workshops are offered next week. A three-day sculpture workshop for ages 10 and up will be held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The cost is $100, or $75 for members, and space was still available as of yesterday.
Children 7 and older will explore a variety of mediums in a two-day art workshop on Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $190, or $150 for members, and advance registration is a must.
Golden Eagle Art Camps
For the next two weeks, the Golden Eagle art store in East Hampton will be offering weekday mini art camps at its Studio 144 on North Main Street. Kids 6 to 11 will get an introduction to a variety of mediums that may include drawing, painting, printmaking, or sculpture, from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, Sept. 1. The cost is $190 for all five days or $40 for a single session. Registration is at 631-324-0603.
As advertisers are reminding us, it’s time to go shopping for back-to-school supplies. Yet, for many people across the country, financial constraints make such shopping sprees impossible.
On Wednesday, at the lower campus of the Ross School, in Bridgehampton, the UJA-Federation of New York’s Supplies for Success program will hold its 16th consecutive backpack assembly, during which volunteers will pack thousands of backpacks with donated school supplies to be delivered to local children in need of a hand to start school on a positive note.
“No parent should have to choose between food on the table or notebooks and pencils,” said Mindy Richenstein, a Sagaponack resident and the program’s founder and chairwoman. “It’s so important that kids walk into school with their heads held high, with all the tools they need to feel confident and hopeful rather than anxious and ashamed,” she said.
The UJA-Federation is an international Jewish service organization established more than 90 years ago. The Supplies for Success program is in its fifth year on the East End. Last year, more than 11,000 backpacks were filled in eight locations, including four on Long Island.
At last year’s Ross School event, volunteers filled 2,000 backpacks with age-appropriate supplies, including binders, folders, pencils, pens, markers, crayons, rulers, sharpeners, notebooks, and loose-leaf papers. “Everything a student needs to get the school year started,” Ms. Richenstein said. The stuffed backpacks were given to children in Springs, East Hampton, Riverhead, Hampton Bays, and Southampton, as well as to the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services last year. They were also distributed to the Retreat, the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, and other nonprofit organizations.
Wednesday’s backpack-filling event will be held at the Ross Lower School field house, 739 Butter Lane, Bridgehampton, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is open to children and adults of all ages and donations of $18 per backpack have been suggested.