­The Amagansett School has a new principal. Brigit DiPrimo starts in the position Thursday, while Thomas Lamorgese, who had been appointed interim principal in June following the resignation of Robert Brisbane, has been named interim administrator on an as-needed basis, also effective today. The school board voted to appoint Mr. Lamorgese to the new position at its meeting on Tuesday morning.

Ms. DiPrimo comes to Amagansett from W.S. Mount Elementary School in Stony Brook, where she was assistant to the principal. Prior to that role, she was an elementary educator for 14 years.

“We’re delighted,” Eleanor Tritt, the district superintendent, said Wednesday. Ms. DiPrimo, she said, “has a great background in curriculum, instruction, and technology, and has done a lot of staff development previously. We know she’ll be a great asset in helping us move forward in implementing the Common Core standards.”

The school is also fortunate to have had Dr. Lamorgese as the interim principal, Ms. Tritt said. The administration will “rely upon his knowledge to help us make a smooth transition,” she said.

The New York State Education Department has designated the Amagansett School a Reward School, Ms. Tritt told the board. “This is in recognition of the achievement of the students over a period of years,” she said, as well as an indication that special-needs students have also demonstrated achievement and growth.

In a detailed presentation to the board, Ms. Tritt reported good test results from AIMSweb, which provides academic assessments in reading, math, and language arts, and the Northwest Evaluation Association, a not-for-profit organization offering educational products and services. Amagansett students compare well to the other East End districts, where students are typically among the highest scorers in the state. “Our students always perform favorably in comparison to both Suffolk County and the state,” she said.

“We can see that the percentage of students achieving growth has increased as well,” Ms. Tritt said. “That’s reflected in the state indicating that we are a Reward School. We feel that our efforts are on the right track, but of course we want to always continue to do better and see how we can help our students achieve at higher levels consistently.”

The school’s summer program, she said, was very successful. “We know that when students are not participating in a program over the summer, they do typically regress slightly. We’re very pleased that we were able to offer a program that was not only academically but socially enriching for the children,” she said, citing participation in events at South Fork museums, farms, and libraries.

In developing goals for the coming academic year, a statement by the state School Boards Association “reflects the constant conversation on the state level and the national level,” Ms. Tritt said. College preparation and career readiness are popular areas of emphasis, “but the discussion of the School Boards Association is that, to most people, what’s important is not only the academics and career but also a well-rounded citizen of the community, someone who can lead a successful, productive life and contribute to the community.”

Long-range goals at the Amagansett School, she said, will always focus on development of well-rounded students through encouraging creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving, and communicating the importance of responsibility and respect for others.

School staff will incorporate an appropriate use of technology, Mr. Tritt emphasized. “We still want to maintain personal interaction among people and to use technology where we feel it can support the program.”

A new school website went live at the end of last month. “We’re going to be working with teachers to develop their own web pages as a way of communicating with parents,” Ms. Tritt said.

Finally, the superintendent reminded the board that the school must comply with state mandates, including new data-privacy legislation, auditing, and provisions of the Affordable Care Act. “We have a very healthy set of objectives set out,” she said, “but we feel excited, invigorated, and ready to go.”

Activities for Summer’s End

As those free and easy summer days wind to a close, the local libraries have a few more activities to keep the imagination going and the brain engaged.

At the East Hampton Library tomorrow, kids 4 and up can create their own clay creatures using shells, rocks, and other items found outside. The program runs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Nature Nick will visit the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton with a porcupine, miniature kangaroo, squirrel monkey, python, and who knows what else on Saturday at noon.

Sidewalk chalk art and snow cones are on the schedule at the Montauk Library on Saturday from 2 to 3:30 p.m., and the Amagansett Library will get youngsters in a school state of mind with a back-to-school story and craft for all ages at 3:30 p.m.

Dance, Dance, and More Dance

At Dancehampton in East Hampton, registration is under way for all sorts of dance classes that begin the week of Sept. 7 for children from preschool to high school age. The studio on Lumber Lane offers ballet, tap, hip-hop, jazz, Irish step, musical theater, lyrical, and acrobatics classes after school and on weekends. A full schedule and fees can be found online at dancehampton.com

It’s time to get out the backpacks, stock up on supplies, get to know this year’s bus schedule, and enjoy those last few days out of the classroom. School starts on Wednesday in all the local districts but Bridgehampton, where students report for their first day of classes on Sept. 8.

At the Montauk, Springs, and Wainscott Schools, the Child Development Center of the Hamptons charter school, and the East Hampton Middle and High Schools, all students will have a regular schedule on Wednesday.

Prekindergartners in Amagansett’s 3 and 4-year old program will start their school year on Sept. 8, with school in session from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Amagansett’s kindergarten through sixth grade starts Wednesday.

At the John M. Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton, all students report to school on Wednesday, but kindergartners will be dismissed on Wednesday, next Thursday, and Friday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m. Another change that parents of John Marshall students should note: To better accommodate the busing schedule for the district’s other schools, the school day will begin and end five minutes later this year, running from 8:35 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.

The John Marshall administrators will hold a meeting for parents of incoming fourth graders tonight at 6 to explain “the new structure and  expectations for fourth grade,” as the school continues its transition to the Common Core curriculum.

For prekindergartners in the Sag Harbor Elementary School’s program, Wednesday will offer a chance for students and parents to meet the teachers and each other. A session for those attending the morning program will be held from 10 to 10:45 a.m.; one for those in the afternoon program runs from 11 to 11:45. All other Sag Harbor students will have a regular full-day schedule on Wednesday.   

On a sunny afternoon in Sagaponack, parents and food advocates gathered last week at the home of Erica and L.A. Reid to dine, shop, and listen to a panel discussion on healthy eating given by nutrition experts. The event, called “Food Fight: Get Into the Ring,” was hosted by Healthy Child Healthy World, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safer environments for children and providing parents with access to educational information and solutions.

Healthy Child Healthy World was started 22 years ago by James and Nancy Chuda after they lost their daughter, Collette, to cancer, attributed to pesticides. Today, Gigi Lee Chang is its chief executive officer.

Ashley Koff, a nutrition expert who has been involved with the organization for the past three years, explained that it “relies on experts so that they can simplify things for the members . . . better nutrition is simple, so we strive to come up with simple tips.”

Before the panel began, guests had a chance to purchase jewelry, accessories, and beauty products from a variety of vendors, including Lafayette 148 and Beautycounter. A percentage of the sales was donated to Healthy Child Healthy World.

Dr. Mark Hyman, the New York Times best-selling author of “The Blood Sugar Solution,” founder of The UltraWellness Center, and an expert in the practice of functional medicine, was the lead speaker. Functional medicine, he told the gathering, is “medicine by cause, not by symptom.”

Ms. Koff and Bun Lai, the executive chef at Miya’s Sushi in New Haven, said to be the only sustainable sushi restaurant in the nation, were the other panelists. Samantha Ettus, an author and a radio and television host, was the moderator.

Dr. Hyman opened the panel with comments on the importance of healthy food choices for families and children. “Food is not just calories,” he said. “The quality of the fuel you put in determines the quality of health.”

Having dinner together as a family, nightly, is one of the easiest ways to implement healthy food practices, he said. He also stressed the importance of removing high-fructose corn syrup from children’s diets, because even though it is not much worse than sugar, it is “in everything that is a poor quality industrial food.”

“What you put at the end of your fork is the most important thing you’ll ever do for your health and your family,” Dr. Hyman concluded.

Ms. Koff spoke about the dangers of genetically modified organisms. “G.M.O.s are grown with more pesticides­ than anything else,” she said. “These pesticides have been shown to be hormone disrupters, and they are in every seed of every G.M.O. plant.”

Mr. Lai, the chef, stressed the importance of eating seafood low in chemicals and eating “simply, naturally, whole, and fresh.” Environmentalism and nutrition are fundamentally related, he said, so much so that “invariably, when you produce food that is destructive to the environment, it is destructive to our health as well. The ecosystem of our body is directly linked to and part of the ecosystem of the entire world.”

On Monday night, the Sag Harbor School Board appointed Thomas J. Schiavoni, a parent and longtime schoolteacher, to fill a vacancy.

Mr. Schiavoni, who lives on North Haven and teaches at Center Moriches High School, is filling the seat of Daniel Hartnett, who resigned last month after he moved to Springs. To remain on the board, Mr. Schiavoni would have to seek a full three-year term during the regular elections in May 2015. He was elected to the North Haven Village Board in June.

Known as Tommy John, the 51-year-old was among four candidates who were interested in the position, which the board decided to fill instead of leaving vacant until next year’s election or holding a special election.

Mr. Schiavoni said he does not have any agenda in joining the board. “I think the district is on a great trajectory academically. I want to maintain what I consider an upward trajectory,” he said Tuesday. Joining the board is something he said he has long considered.

When Mr. Hartnett, a bilingual social worker at the East Hampton Middle School, left the board, he said he hoped it would be filled by another educator.

“My career is children, and this is part of it,” Mr. Schiavoni said. He has taught social studies to grades 7 to 12 in Center Moriches, and this coming year will teach economics and participation in government to seniors.

He and his wife, Andrea Schiavoni, an attorney who serves as a justice for Southampton Town and Sag Harbor Village, have two children attending school in the Sag Harbor School District — a daughter entering eighth grade and a son going into fifth. Mr. Schiavoni grew up on North Haven.

Theresa Samot, the school board president, said the decision to appoint Mr. Schiavoni was unanimous. “As an educator, Pierson graduate, parent of students in the district, and someone who is involved in many aspects of the community, the board feels that he brings valuable experience to the board that will best serve our community,” she said.

Creatures Featured

A menagerie of creatures will visit the East Hampton Library this week to mark the end of summer and the end of the summer reading program. On Monday from 2 to 3 p.m., it’ll be Nature Nick with a porcupine, miniature kangaroo, squirrel monkey, armadillo, python, and more. On Tuesday at the same time, the folks from the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons will stop in with various birds of prey, including a great horned owl and red-tailed hawk. Tomorrow from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. little artists will take inspiration from Henri Matisse as they “draw with scissors” to make collages inspired by the famous artist. All programs are for children 4 and older.

Hands-On Music Jam

Jack Licitra will let kids try out a variety of instruments during a hands-on music jam at the Amagansett Library on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. He’ll not only teach kids what to do with the instruments in his collection, but educate them about the science of music. Reservations have been suggested.

Jitterbugging

Karen K and the Jitterbugs will get kids moving during the last of the Children’s Museum of the East End’s live family shows on Tuesday, playing what the band calls “kindie” rock for the young set. Advance tickets cost $17, or $15 for members; they are $20 at the door. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the music starts at 6. In case of rain, the show will be on Wednesday.

Family Film Fest

A family film festival sponsored by the Hamptons International Film Festival and the Southampton Arts Center is offering a weekend of movies for young audiences at the center and the Southampton Cinema. The festival kicks off tomorrow night with a free outdoor screening of Charlie Chaplin short films on the arts center’s lawn. Included in the lineup will be “The Tramp,” “The Rink,” “The Pawnshop,” and “The Adventurer,” all set to live piano music. The center is in the former Parrish Art Museum building on Job’s Lane.

On Saturday at the center, “Ernest & Celestine,” an animated tale about an artist mouse who befriends a bear troubadour, will be shown at 10:30 a.m. A program of seven short films follows at 2 p.m. “We Are the Best,” about three girls in 1980s Stockholm who form a punk band, will be shown for kids 13 and older at 7:30 p.m. Sunday will bring Disneynature’s “Bears” at 10:30 a.m. and “Ghost Dog,” for kids 10 and older, at 2 p.m., both at the center. The festival wraps up with “How to Train Your Dragon 2” in 3-D at the Southampton Cinema at 5 p.m. The organizers have suggested reservations for the free screening tomorrow night. Tickets for all other films are $12 for adults and $8 for children. A package of four tickets, which includes a gift bag, can be purchased for $35.

Take It From the Moon

Puppetkabob Productions will stop in at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor today, tomorrow, and Saturday at 11 a.m. with “What the Moon Saw,” a show inspired by the tales of Hans Christian Andersen. Tickets cost $12, $10 for members and grandparents, and $8 for kids under 3 or a second child. Next Thursday and Friday, Aug. 29, A Couple of Puppets will present “The Story of King Midas.”

Monday night’s meeting of the Springs School Board tackled updates related to technology and enrollment, with the start of school less than one month way.

At the sparsely attended meeting, Elizabeth Mendelman, the board president, expressed excitement at the start of a new school year. “I’m sure my kids aren’t that excited, but their mother certainly is,” she said.

Eric Casale, the principal, next led a presentation related to a new technology initiative. Come September, the school will go 1-to-1 in grades three to eight, meaning that each student will be paired with his or her own digital device. As well as using Chromebooks, the school will also adopt a B.Y.O.D., or Bring Your Own Device, policy, whereby students can bring their own laptops, iPads, and smartphones for use during lessons.

To prepare for the transition — and its increased bandwidth requirements — Mr. Casale said the building has upgraded its Wi-Fi capabilities. In addition, teachers will create individual web pages where nightly homework assignments, monthly newsletters, and teacher contact information will be posted. Google Translate will help translate the pages into Spanish, a particular help for the school’s Spanish-speaking families, more than 50 percent of the school.

In other news, Thomas Primiano, the district’s treasurer, discussed the front vestibule project, which he said is now “60 to 70-percent complete.” He estimated that most of the work would be done by next week. With $168,000 budgeted, he said, the work came in “very close to budget” — about $20,000 over the initial projected costs.

Mr. Casale updated the board concerning enrollment. So far, the pre-K to grade eight enrollment is at 730, which is 9 students ahead of last year’s numbers. The incoming pre-K class is now at 41, and 71 students are enrolled for kindergarten, though these numbers are likely to increase in the coming weeks.

Later in the meeting, the board approved several new hires. John Finello, the district superintendent, said that the district had received more than 1,000 résumés over the summer.

Ashley Dellapolla, Amanda Rivera, and Nicole Sabatello will work as leave replacements. Laura Dunham was hired as a special education teacher, and Meghan Cereola was hired as a physical education and health teacher. Both will work for three-year probationary periods at an annual salary of $55,246.

What’s more, Joseph Van Asco will work as a teaching assistant, with Maria Del Vecchio working as a part-time account clerk. Sherry Williams will work as a part-time art teacher, with Angelina Modica assuming the role of part-time music teacher.

Lisa Seff, Laura Foti, and Sean Knight will see slight increases in their teaching loads, with commensurate increases in salary. The board appointed Keri DeLalio as chairwoman of the committee on special education. Ms. DeLalio will also oversee the committee on preschool special education.

The next meeting is planned for Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.

It was a brief but contentious meeting of the Montauk School Board on Tuesday afternoon. Carmine Marino and Dan Stavola, both of whom have children who are certified teachers, took issue with the board’s hiring process and executive sessions, which they said weren’t properly publicized.

The men spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, after the board had approved the hiring of two new teachers, Melissa Palumbo, who will teach elementary reading and math, and Shannon McLoughlin, a speech teacher.

Mr. Marino and Mr. Stavola were under the impression that there would be additional public discussion before the final hiring. Mr. Marino said, “That’s it?”

He wondered why the board went into executive session before the public portion of the meeting, during which attendees could have aired any issues they might have had with the hiring. On the school board’s website, the board meeting was announced as an executive session that started at 4:30 p.m., with the public meeting at 5:15.

Mr. Marino said that he is on two other boards, the board of commissioners of the Montauk Fire Department and the board of trustees of the Montauk Library, and said it is against state law to exclude the public from a meeting that would normally go into executive session after it opened publicly.

Diane Hausman, the school board president, said that the board did open publicly, as is required, before immediately going into executive session, but only did so in an effort to avoid making people sit outside the room, waiting for 45 minutes.

“We were told that no decisions would be made before an open meeting,” Mr. Marino said, adding that it should be the public’s choice whether to wait or not. He said it was a deceitful way for the board to operate. “You did a disservice to the public. It should be our choice whether to wait or not.”

Mr. Stavola took issue with the board’s hiring process, which he said should not involve Jack Perna, the district superintendent. He said that one of the 23 candidates was a good family friend of Mr. Perna’s who was invited back for a second interview. Mr. Perna should have recused himself from the process, he said, adding, “If I hadn’t cried foul, I’m sure that person would have been hired.”

The hiring process starts with an application submission, Mr. Perna said later. He weeds through the applications and decides who should be called in for interviews with the two hiring committees, one of which is made up of two teachers and two site-based committee members, and the other of two board members, Brigid Collins, who is the assistant principal, and himself. The candidates spend 20 minutes with each committee, and if the members feel a candidate should come back for a second interview, they call him or her back.

In retrospect, said Lee White, a board member, Mr. Perna should have excused himself from the process. Board members said that the superintendent has always been included in the hiring process, but agreed that maybe changes are due.

“This was tough,” Mr. Perna said after the meeting. “We haven’t hired a regular teacher in 11 years, and there were many young people out there competing for the few jobs available.” He said he would like to see the hiring process streamlined in the future.

Camp Shakespeare, a summer program for students between 8 and 15, will wrap up its 15th season on Friday with a 3:30 p.m. performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Amagansett, where the camp holds two weeklong sessions each summer. 

“It’s difficult to find other theater nerds, so it’s great to come here and find people who share your interests,” said Tyler Thompson, a 13-year-old, after a successful performance of a half-hour version of “Romeo and Juliet,” in which he played Mercutio, on Friday, when the first camp session came to an end. The general mood among the actors before and after the performance was clearly one of excitement and happiness. Many said they were sad that the week was over and intended to be back next year.

Amelia Shapiro, who has attended the camp for seven years, said, “There’s an amazing sense of community here. It’s nice to be with people who like Shakespeare as much as I do.”

The camp is run by the Hamptons Shakespeare Theater Festival, which began presenting outdoor Shakespeare performances at Montauk County Park in 1996 and later offered full productions at Lake Agawam in Southampton, among other venues. Most popular with children of middle school age, the summer program has a devoted following. Nathaniel Greenlaw, who is 13 and played Romeo in last week’s production, came all the way from Wisconsin. “I needed more acting opportunities. Then I heard about this program. This is my second year,” he said.

 According to David Brandenburg, the artistic director of the festival, “Shakespeare, for this age group, works really well. . . . We benefit from the fact that Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not just read. Getting it on its feet really opens it up to kids.” To help make their camp experience enjoyable, campers engage in improvisation, play movement games, do arts and crafts, and learn about the historic context of the plays they undertake. And, of course, they memorize lines.

 Mr. Brandenburg said character development is a basic teaching tool. “I think that character is really the key for younger kids to get into the play, because the characters are so timeless and clear . . . on a basic level they are very approachable and understandable,” he said.

 Putting together a production, even a short one, with only a week’s time, however, can be challenging, Enrico Spada, the director of Camp Shakespeare, said. “They can only memorize 20, 30, maybe 40 lines, and as the day approaches, we don’t want them to worry. So we don’t demand perfection.”

For each production, five or six scenes are chosen and linked with narration. “Romeo and Juliet” opened with a fight scene between the Montagues and the Capulets, and was followed by a few other well-known scenes, including Mercutio’s soliloquy about Queen Mab and the lovers’ tryst in the Capulet orchard.

Maizy Scarpa, one of the camp’s teachers, said the experience differs from other educational programs. “There is so much goal-oriented work these days, telling kids that they have to be the best all the time,” she said. “Camp Shakespeare is different because it gives kids a chance to play, but with structure . . . and encourages them to let their voices be present.”

 During performances, Ms. Scarpa holds the book and helps the players, who are allowed to ask for their lines. In “Romeo and Juliet,” though, many of the players got through their lines, including lengthy soliloquies, without a problem.

In addition to Camp Shakespeare, the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival performs at schools and has internship programs for college students during the academic year.

Smoke and Mystery

The Nelson Illusions Smoke and Mystery Tour will materialize at Guild Hall in East Hampton on Wednesday with shows at 1 and 5 p.m. The show, according to the museum, “combines rare and original illusions from around the world with award-winning, jaw-dropping magic.” It is geared to those 5 and up. Tickets cost $16 for adults, $13 for kids, and $14 and $11 for members.

An arts and crafts workshop focusing on an op-art project will precede the show at 4 p.m. The cost is $10, $8 for members.

Circus Camp

Want to learn to juggle, walk a tightrope, or just clown around? The National Circus Project will lead a circus camp for kids 8 to 12 Monday through next Thursday at the Montauk Playhouse. Campers will gather each day from 1 to 5 p.m. to learn circus skills and can take part in a National Circus Project performance next Thursday at 7 p.m. The camp costs $150, $100 per additional sibling, and includes two tickets to next Thursday’s show. Tickets to the show alone cost $15.

Frogs, Toads, and Bugs

Kids 4 and older can learn about “frogs that stick, toads that fizz, and bugs that hiss and sing” during a nature program tomorrow from 2 to 3 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. At the end of the free program, demonstrators will inflate a giant science weather balloon.

“The Happy Clam Show,” an interactive music adventure for kids 2 and older who have completed the Read-to-Me summer reading club, will be at the library on Tuesday from 2 to 2:45 p.m. On Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m., kids 4 and older can create wise owl luminaries from Chinese lanterns, card stock, and other materials.

Rock for Kids

Suzi Shelton will take her lively interactive pop-rock to the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $17, or $15 for members, in advance, and $20 at the door. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. The rain date is Wednesday.

Sunday brings a free story time with Sima from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

“Danes Are Great!”

Victor Joseph, the author of “Danes Are Great! Follow the Adventures of Brando and Kruger,” will read from his book during a story time at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center. A coloring activity will follow, and refreshments will be served. The center is at 1061 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

Making Brushbots

What do you get when you mix a toothbrush head with a tiny motor? A brushbot, of course. On Saturday at 10 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton, kids 6 to 9 can make their own brushbots while learning about simple robotics. There is a $4 materials fee for the program.