Dance Party

       Families can get their groove on tomorrow when the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill hosts a D.J. dance party for families from 5 to 7 p.m. The A&G Dance Company will teach hip-hop moves and give a performance to the music of Adam Baranello, and everybody will be invited to add their “tags” to a collaborative graffiti-style mural. Visitors can also tour the 2014 student exhibition, which is on view in the museum’s galleries. The evening is free with museum admission, but advance reservations at parrishart.org have been suggested.

Hao Bang Ah Horse!

       This is the Chinese Year of the Horse, and on Saturday at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor, Chinese Theatre Works will introduce audiences to the horse and other animals of the Chinese zodiac, as well as some Chinese New Year customs in a show called “Hao Bang Ah Horse!”

       The show includes hand puppets based on popular Chinese songs or expressions. Hao bang ah, for example, means “great” or “well done.” Some parts of the program will be in Chinese with English translations. “Sing-alongs, games, and audience participation and post-show hands-on demonstrations make the Chinese cultural experience and language learning accessible to even the youngest audience members,” a release said. Performances will be at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets cost $12, $10 for members and grandparents, and $8 for siblings or children under 3.

Plaster, Fossils, Clay

       Plaster casting, fossil making, and sawdust clay are on the schedule at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton this week. Tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon, Roisin Bateman will work with 7 to 10-year-olds to make plaster hand casts, and then use those to make sculptures. The cost is $20, or $10 for members. Kids 6 to 10 can make their own “fossils” during a workshop on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. This one, too, is a drop-off class, and costs $15, $5 for members. Children 3 to 6 will make their own versions of Play-Doh with sawdust during a workshop on Saturday morning from 10:30 to 11:15. The cost is $18, $7 for members. Adult assistance will be required. Reservations are a must for all programs.

Nests for Bluebirds

       Visitors to the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton will learn about birds and salamanders this weekend. On Saturday at 10 a.m., kids 7 to 12 can build a bluebird nest box with Nicole Cummings. Ms. Cummings will talk about why natural nesting sites for eastern bluebirds have been disappearing and tell kids what they can do to help. They will be able to take home their nesting boxes after the program, which includes a $10 materials fee in addition to the cost of museum entry.

       Andy Sabin will lead a family walk in search of the eastern tiger salamander on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. “Don’t miss a rare opportunity to see this salamander as it makes its way to the pond to mate and to lay its eggs,” the museum says. The walk is dependent on weather: Heavy rain is a must, and too much snow would cancel the event. Participants have been asked to wear rain boots and take a flashlight. Younger children will learn about winter birds and go outside to look for some during a program on Sunday at 10 a.m. with Lindsey Rohrbach. This is for 3 to 5-year-olds, who will make a craft, too. There is a $3 materials fee. Advance sign-up is required for all programs.

Pet Programs

       Pets will be the subject of a story and craft time at the Amagansett Library on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. At the East Hampton Library on Tuesday, kids 4 to 6 can turn their attention to dogs during a story and craft session from 4 to 5 p.m. Next Thursday, second through fourth graders can test their math skills during a math bee from 4 to 5 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. And a reminder: For kids looking to get out of the house today, Susan Verde will lead a yoga session at the library for children 5 and up (no adults) from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m.

Word Up, Kids!

       “Word Up!” a celebration of poetry by the Montauk School’s eighth grade, will be presented at Guild Hall tonight at 7. The students worked with professional poets to create, revise, and learn to present their own work. They will read their own poems, memorized pieces, and work by other students during the program, which is free and open to all.

Future Meteorologists

       Future meteorologists can learn how scientists predict the weather during a program on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. Kids 8 to 12 will study air pressure, temperature, and humidity and how these are used to forecast the weather. They will also make their own sling psychrometers, allowing them to measure the heat index, and can take them home after the workshop. There is a $10 materials fee for those who want to take the psychrometers home, in addition to the cost of museum admission. Reservations are required for all SoFo programs.

Stages, Twice Over

       Stages, a Children’s Theatre Workshop, will offer two workshops for budding actors starting this week. A spring performance workshop for 8 to 18-year-olds will start on Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Southampton Town Recreation Center and continue on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through May 11, though participants may not have to attend every class.

       The session will culminate with a musical production at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. Among the productions being considered are “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “Anything Goes.” The cost is $475 per student. The recreation center is on Majors Path in North Sea.

       A separate creative drama workshop for 6 to 10-year-olds will meet on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. this week through April 8 at Bay Street. This introductory acting class will conclude with a short play at the theater on April 8. The cost is $275. Registration is with the Stages director, Helene Leonard, at 329-1420 or by email at [email protected].

High School Artists Honored

       Seventeen high school seniors, including a number from the Ross School, East Hampton High School, and Pierson High School in Sag Harbor, were honored for their talents at a ceremony for the Parrish Art Museum’s 2014 Student Exhibition. From East Hampton High School, Emely Rodriguez was recognized for her photography, and Jonathan Ryan for printmaking. From Pierson, Nell Dobbs and Leah Alraud-Ben Cnaan were recognized for mixed-media works, Miranda Hirsh was singled out for a 3-D mixed-media piece, and Sara Bucking was recognized for her photography. Lily Kamata of the Ross School was honored for her painting. The exhibition can be seen today, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Water Mill, and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

       It was death by a thousand cuts during the East Hampton School Board’s Tuesday evening budget workshop, as members of the board pored over items related to English as a second language, East Hampton Middle School, and the John M. Marshall Elementary School during a three-hour dissection of the budget.

       “We can’t say we’re doing line-by-line if we’re not doing line-by-line,” Patricia Hope, the board’s president, said on the phone yesterday morning. Armed with data, she said she spent hours analyzing each of the budget documents in advance of the meeting.

       Though open to the public, only the press was in attendance.

       Although numbers are still being finalized, she estimated that the overall 2014-15 budget would likely involve some $1.2 million in cuts district-wide, given the state-mandated 2-percent cap on property tax increases.

       District-wide, board members looked at consolidating graduation ceremonies as a possible avenue for increased cost-savings.

       Charles Soriano, the principal of East Hampton Middle School, presented his proposed $167,013 department budget, which does not include salaries and benefits. It marks a 25-percent, or $33,489, increase over last year’s budget of $133,523.

       At the middle school, nearly $1,000 was budgeted for a graduation sound system, with another $400 for flowers and $2,150 for white folding chairs. Each of the district’s three schools includes similar line items for individual graduation ceremonies, for kindergarteners, fifth graders, eighth graders, and high school seniors.

       Ms. Hope suggested that future ceremonies be condensed, with everyone using the same tent and resources at East Hampton High School. One proposed solution would be for the John M. Marshall Elementary School’s fifth graders to graduate on Thursday morning, with eighth graders graduating that evening. The high school graduation is now scheduled for Friday, June 27.

       “We’re buying chairs four times, the sound system four times,” said Ms. Hope.

       “It’s costly but there’s something nice about having it on the front lawn,” said Dr. Soriano, who called himself a traditionalist. “It’s important to graduate from the school that you attended. Kids attach memories to those events. Certainly you could go the other route and it would be fine. But there’s something very nice about it.”

       “It is nice,” said Ms. Hope.

       “We want to hear from the public what they think about it,” said J.P. Foster, a board member.

       A $30,707 character-education program in the middle school budget called Why Try, which works to build resiliency, drew criticism from board members.

        “I’m not sold on this,” said Jackie Lowey, a board member.

        “These little tiny chunks add up to a teacher’s salary,” said Robert Tymann, the assistant superintendent. “We have to get down to the tax cap. Nobody wants to cut anything. We want to keep it all. Those are the decisions that we’re making now. By the time we’re done with this packet, we will have a teacher’s salary.”

       During the meeting, requests for materials and supplies were typically cut between 10 and 15 percent. Stickers, bookmarks, and classroom decorations drew the ire of board members. At John Marshall, two requests for Franklin Covey calendar refills (each at a cost of $42.07) and $123.76 for helium and balloons for graduation were summarily axed. Kindergarten class trips to a North Fork pumpkin patch and King Kullen were also questioned, given both the expense and subsequent reduction in instructional time.

       Beth Doyle, John Marshall’s principal, presented a proposed department budget of $200,253 — an increase of nearly 6 percent, or $11,022, over last year’s budget of $189,231.

       This followed a presentation earlier in the meeting on the district’s English as a second language program by Elizabeth Reveiz, its director. The district now has 244 English language learners in kindergarten through 12th grade. More than 58 percent of them are at John Marshall, with the kindergarten boasting the largest E.S.L. population in the school. There are 28 E.S.L. students in the middle school this year and 76 at the high school.

       In total, Ms. Reveiz proposed a budget for the program of $35,216 — an increase of 23.2 percent or $6,630 over last year’s budget of $28,586. Most of the increase is attributable to a $10,000 increase in supplies for a new high school curriculum to meet the growing needs of its diverse learners.

       Half of the E.S.L. students at the high school are between the ages of 17 and 21, with many having experienced interrupted schooling in their home countries and hoping to catch up on credits in order to graduate. “New York State law says you have to educate them until they’re 21 or through 12th grade — whichever comes first,” Ms. Hope explained.

       The next budget workshop will be on March 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the district office on Long Lane. A regular school board meeting will be held there on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

       On Mondays, the children come hungry.

       Harriet Daniels, a teacher at Bridgehampton Head Start, said it was not uncommon for her students to inhale their breakfasts, particularly at the start of the week.

       Early Monday, more than a dozen 3 to 5-year-olds devoured whole-grain rolls with cream cheese accompanied by slices of apple.

       “It’s typical that they eat more on a Monday. They’re hungrier than, say, on a Wednesday,” said Ms. Daniels. “They always want seconds. If they want more, there’s always more. We never say no.”

       The Head Start program provides preschool and early-intervention services to 52 of the South Fork’s neediest families, with dozens more on a waiting list. Each family lives at or below the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that translates into a 2014 income of $23,850 a year, according to Health and Human Services Department guidelines. 

       Last month’s federal budget allocated Head Start programs nationwide $8.6 billion, but each parent organization must provide a 20-percent cash or in-kind match. Long Island Head Start is the parent organization of Bridgehampton Head Start, which is one of the network’s 22 agencies. Each year, Long Island Head Start, which provides services for 2,000 Suffolk County children, must raise $3.8 million. Its total grant is $19 million.

       The Bridgehampton location has two classes of 18 children each. A third class meets across the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike at the Children’s Museum of the East End. For the two locations, which together serve 52 children, the agency needs to come up with $37,700 annually, or the equivalent in in-kind matches.

       Though they are only minutes away from grand Sagaponack estates, fund-raising has proven a persistent stumbling block. Last year, Bridgehampton Head Start came up more than $10,000 short.

       “If we can’t meet our match, there are direct consequences,” said Carol Burnett, its community outreach and recruitment coordinator, who has worked for  Patchogue-based Long Island Head Start for the past 18 years. “Programs could be cut. Children could be let go. The need is great.”

       She considers Head Start to be a great equalizer, a program that works to even the playing field for poor children before they begin kindergarten with their luckier peers.

       Home visits, which occur periodically through the school year, are a constant reminder of how dire the need is. Ms. Burnett said it was not uncommon to see families of four or five crowded into one bedroom. She and other staff members often come across exposed electrical wires and residences lacking working stoves and refrigerators.

        “All parents want what’s best for their children, whether they have money or don’t have money,” said Ms. Burnett, who is constantly on the lookout for  volunteers willing to donate their time to read a book aloud or help assemble an art project. She sees such contact with the greater community as a vital part of the children’s social development.

       But support has proven elusive.

       “You wouldn’t think this is happening on the East End. I want people to be aware that poverty exists in their own backyard,” said Ms. Burnett. “You don’t have to look outside the Hamptons. It’s right here, and the question is, what are we going to do about it?”

       Head Start began in 1965 as part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. What began as an eight-week summer program to prepare children for kindergarten now serves nearly 1 million toddlers and preschoolers between the ages of 3 and 5. In recent years, while universal pre-K for 4-year-olds has gained in popularity — with mounting evidence that early-intervention programs are of particular benefit to low-income children — Head Start remains the federal government’s only pre-K program.

       Later this year, a 48th-anniversary party will be held in Bay Shore, on May 28. In addition to financial contributions and scholarships, Long Island Head Start is seeking donations that can be raffled off to help meet the 20-percent in-kind match.

       Local families are also said to be in need of basic supplies, everything from diapers to shampoo and laundry detergent to canned goods. Ms. Burnett said she would be happy to supply a detailed list of needed items.

       Maggie Sweeney, a teacher who is in her sixth year at Bridgehampton Head Start, said that despite frequent home visits, poverty can be cleverly disguised. She estimated that about half of her 16 students do not have warm coats. In her class, 15 of the 16 children are Latino. One lives in Southampton and the rest in Springs.

       Since transportation is not provided, parents drop their children off at 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. Pickup is at 3:30 every afternoon. During the day, children are given breakfast, lunch, and a snack.

       On Monday, Juan Viteri dropped off Liam, his 5-year-old son. Mr. Viteri works as a landscaper; his wife cleans houses. The family recently relocated from East Hampton to Springs, where they share a three-bedroom house with two other families, together paying $3,000 a month in rent.

       Come summertime, when Head Start is closed and when Mr. Viteri and his wife each work 13-hour days, they struggle to ensure that Liam gets care and attention. From September to June, when the program kicks in, they can put that worry aside.

       “I love it. I save money, and he looks forward to it,” said Mr. Viteri, a native of Ecuador, with the assistance of a translator. This time of year, before paid work again becomes plentiful, is always hard, he said. “It’s hard to pay rent, pay car insurance, pay for food. But I do the best I can.”

       By lunchtime Friday, with the weekend fast approaching, anxiety starts building in the classrooms, with some children fearful of losing their predictable meals and snacks.

       “Can I save this for my mom?” Ms. Daniels recalled a child asking her  recently as she clutched a package of crackers.

       On Friday afternoons, just before dismissal, the cook will box up perishable items such as containers of milk and bread that would otherwise go bad over the weekend. When parents come to pick up their children, they are encouraged to take the supplies home.

       “I try to calm their anxieties the best I can,” said Ms. Daniels. “At least here, they know there will always be meals.”

       Starting in January, the Ross School in East Hampton will launch a program devoted to the study of marine science. Run through its Innovation Lab, a special academy for students who are enthusiastic about math, science, engineering, media, and technology, the program will provide students interested in marine biology, oceanography, and environmental science with a hands-on, in-depth experience.

       Two students, Evi Kaasik Saunders and Liam Cummings, both from the Shelter Island High School, started at the Ross School this month with merit scholarships to cover the full cost of tuition. One remaining scholarship has yet to be awarded.

       Evi regularly volunteers to help preserve South Fork waterways. Liam has conducted award-winning research on how bacteria found in the mud of creeks and marshes here might be harnessed as an alternative energy source.

       “The marine science program was designed to allow students who are passionate about studying the ocean and biodiversity a chance to acquire valuable expertise in these subjects, apply their skills and knowledge in a real-world context, and cultivate relationships with professionals in the field,” David Morgan, who directs the Innovation Lab, said in a release.

       Working to address issues related to global sustainability, students will collect, analyze, and share scientific data. In addition, participants will spend three weeks during the school’s midwinter term at the University of California at Berkeley’s Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station and take part in summer marine science programs both locally and abroad. Students will also use drones and robotic submarines and conduct independent research projects.

       “For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a marine biologist,” Evi said. “Living on an island my whole life has accentuated the importance of our bays and the organisms within. I worry for the future of our local bays and the organisms that live and depend upon these waters. Being an inquisitive person I want to investigate causes and contribute to solutions.”

       Liam is known for thinking creatively. He said he believes the ocean is similar to outer space in terms of the opportunities for exploration. He has a particular interest in learning how to apply engineering principles to concepts that will help expand our understanding of ocean life.

       Though the program begins next month, Ross is still accepting applications. They can be accessed on the school’s website.

       Increased student access to technology is likely to be weighed during next year’s East Hampton School Board budget debate, given the discussion at the board’s meeting Tuesday night that followed a presentation by Donald Fox and Chris Merkert, East Hampton Middle School science teachers, about Google Chromebooks, laptops that use Chrome operating systems. The East Hampton Middle School has 80 Chromebooks, or three class sets, which rotate among a small cadre of teachers. Each costs about $250. The question is whether to expand the program.

       Around the nation, some districts have successfully experimented with providing a digital device for each student. In East Hampton, middle school students use Chromebooks during class but are not allowed to take them out of the building. This has raised a question about fairness because not every student has Internet access outside of school.

        “We’re weighing a lot of things, and we know the direction that we seem to want to go in — toward technology and embracing the technology that’s available,” Patricia Hope, the board president, said Wednesday morning. “The wise use of technology can engage students in rigorous and meaningful learning.”

        “These types of things are being fleshed out. The statement was made that we could save thousands going paperless,” Richard Burns, the superintendent, said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We still need to have paper. You can’t have it all, but we’re at the point now where these conversations will be part of the budget process.”

       Though the district has come in under the state-imposed 2-percent tax cap in recent years, Jackie Lowey, a board member, said the board faced difficult decisions in weighing priorities for the year ahead.

       “As we all know, there are academic and structural building security issues that over the long haul may mean we need to take a good look at things,” Ms. Lowey said. She spoke about the possibility of investing in additional Chromebooks, increased test preparation, and adding a section of a popular coding class, among other things.

       “Our community of taxpayers is confident we are not wasting their money. We want to do these things and we can’t afford it, and here’s the decision and the fork in the road that we’re at.”

       Later in the meeting, Mr. Burns handed out a fact-sheet about the Common Core, a set of national learning standards. It included a cheat-sheet of Common Core-related acronyms.

       It also was announced that three East Hampton High School students had donated $2,500 to the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Southampton Hospital. Shannon Ryan, Trevor Mott, and Thomas Brierley, members of the varsity swim team, had raised the money by selling pink bracelets.

       In addition, Claude Beudert, a middle school teacher, said its student association recently delivered 1,106 cans to the East Hampton Food Pantry. The organization also supplied 15 families with Thanksgiving dinners.

       Finally, board members unanimously approved the administration’s recommendations. Among the highlights was the extension of an external auditor’s contract for two additional years at an annual cost of $22,500, an extended medical leave for Michael Rivas, a custodial worker, and approving Enrique Jarrin and Edwin Rowe as substitute custodians. The board also reinstated Barbara Murray, a paraprofessional, effective Dec. 2, and  approved a shared sports agreement between East Hampton and Springs and a special education contract between East Hampton and Southampton.

       The meeting planned for Tuesday, Dec. 17, has been postponed. The next public meeting will be on Jan. 7, following a two-week holiday recess.

    Even if you’ve never seen Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” you’ve probably had its most iconic song, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” stuck in your head at some point this holiday season. Two local companies will present their versions of the Christmas classic this weekend.

    Studio 3 in Bridgehampton will bring “Mixed Nuts” to the Bay Street Theatre stage in Sag Harbor tomorrow and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2. The Hampton Ballet Theatre School, also in Bridgehampton, will perform “The Nutcracker” at Guild Hall tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 and 7, and Sunday at 2.

    Studio 3’s production, described as “a holiday ‘Nutcracker’ with a twist,” is set in the 1920s. Professional dancers from Festival Ballet Providence will dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for students, and can be purchased at the door or in advance by e-mailing [email protected].

    Sara Jo Strickland, the director of the Hampton Ballet Theatre School, did the choreography for the Guild Hall production, which features costumes by Yuka Silvera and lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski. Adrianna de Svastich and Nick Peregrino of Ballet Fleming in Philadelphia will dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier.

    Advance tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for those under 20 at hamptonballettheatreschool.com. Tickets at the door are $30 and $25.   

      Middle school can be cruel enough without also having to contend with the slings and arrows of social media, or the insults and judgments that originate online but routinely manifest during the school day.

       As of January, partly as a response to cyberbullying and also to the fairly widespread sense that students remain tethered to devices during school hours, East Hampton Middle School will institute a new policy on student-owned electronic devices.

       The “no display during the school day” policy, as it is being called, will forbid students from using cellphones, iPods, earphones, headphones, and other devices during the day.

       It is a departure from the existing policy, which currently allows middle school students to use their devices before school, at recess, and during lunchtime.

       Increasingly, students are sneaking screen time into other parts of the day, with some girls reportedly stashing their phones on the insides of fur-lined Ugg boots for stealth access.

       “This policy has been some time coming,” said Charles Soriano, the middle school’s principal, in a conversation earlier this week. Early Friday morning, he sent an e-mail alert to parents, updating them about the change. “Over the past year, I’ve witnessed a number of incidents with phones, where students are either over-sharing or bullying someone. Impulsivity and electronics don’t mix. It’s a toxic combination.”

       Though students are still likely to remain tethered to such devices during after-school, weekend, and evening hours, Dr. Soriano sees it as his responsibility to set limits during the part of the day he can control. “It can lead to situations where children are hurt and bullied and teased and made fun of,” he said.

       The new policy, which was created by the school’s site-based committee, comprised of administrators, teachers, staff members, and parents, will go into effect once students return in January. From Jan. 6 through 10, the school will offer a one-week grace period, during which time students will be given reminders and warnings, but no formal consequences.

       But for the remainder of the year, from the moment students enter the building until the dismissal bell rings, cellphones must be in either off or silent mode and stored in lockers or on their person (but hidden from sight in either a backpack or pocket). Should students fail to adhere to the new policy, a series of disciplinary actions will ensue, from confiscation of the device to detention to in-school suspension.

       “The decision was a wise one and long overdue,” said Marie Klarman, whose son is in sixth grade. “Kids don’t need to be in 24/7 contact with their peers.” She considers her son to be in the minority of students not in possession of a cellphone.

       Ms. Klarman said she has watched a generation come of age glued to their screens. “Whether texting and Tweeting or on Facebook, these kids are sleeping with their phones and bringing them to the table when they’re not supposed to,” she said. “It leads to antisocial tendencies and behaviors. Children don’t know how to communicate outside of typing a note. The art of conversation is being lost.”

       Partly, she sees it as a developmental hurdle. Recent research has shown that the frontal lobe of the brain, or the region that governs decision-making and self-control, doesn’t fully develop until the mid-20s.

       “They’re sending around these half-clothed ‘selfies’ and they have no idea this stuff is out there forever,” said Ms. Klarman. “You can say it until you’re blue in the face, that you can destroy your life, but until the frontal lobe develops, the child truly believes they are invincible.”

       Courtney Garneau, a site-based committee member and mother of a sixth-grade student, is similarly in support of the new policy. She said that when students could use their phones during recess and lunchtime, many teachers and staff observed that students preferred to text, send photos, and Instagram their peers, rather than socialize in person.

       With two children at the John M. Marshall Elementary School, Ms. Garneau thinks it’s a policy that should be extended to the district’s younger grades as well.

       Adam Fine, the principal of East Hampton High School, said the high school has had a “no display” policy for many years. However, since September, he has shifted away from the policy, now permitting the devices so that students can use them as Internet-enabled learning tools. Though allowed in the hallways, Mr. Fine said that teachers govern their use during class time.

        “Personally, I would like to expand their instructional use,” Mr. Fine wrote in an e-mail. “I feel we have an untapped resource that can be used to improve teaching and learning.”

       In recent years, several districts around the country have successfully adopted Bring Your Own Device policies, which allow students to bring in smartphones, laptops, and tablets to use during class. Meanwhile, other districts have also adopted 1-to-1 programs, where districts supply each student with his or her own device. At the last school board meeting in early December, members intimated that resources devoted to technology would likely comprise a significant portion of next year’s budget debate.

       So far, neither Ms. Garneau nor Dr. Soriano have received much in the way of pushback. And for parents concerned about being able to contact their children during school hours, Ms. Garneau said that many will simply have to revert to the old way of doing things.

       “If I need to get a hold of him, I will just call the school,” said Ms. Garneau. “Like everyone did before we all had phones.”

       “If people need to call their parents, they can just go down to the office,” said Talia Albukrek, 12, who is in the seventh grade and a member of the student government. Earlier this year, she received an iPhone as a birthday present.

       Though generally in support of the policy, Talia considered one potential downside — not being able to document things happening during the school day, whether through pictures or video.

       Dr. Soriano is the first to concede that his students are digital natives, accustomed to growing up in an interconnected world where devices have always been present. He believes his teaching staff is uniquely tasked with demonstrating acceptable use, and denoting special times when such devices might help to enrich and enhance lessons.

       “We’ll reevaluate at the end of the year and see where we stand,” he said.

Get Out of the House

       Kids who need to get out of the house after the holiday will find plenty to do at local libraries over the next few days.

       At the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, kids in seventh grade and above can make New Year’s wish fortune cookies today and tomorrow during library hours, or stop by at 2 p.m. tomorrow to create silhouette wall art. Reservations are required for the latter.

       New Year’s Eve will come early at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, where kids of all ages are invited for games, dancing, treats, and a countdown (to noon, that is) on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Registration is not required.

       Families can make a pinecone birdfeeder following a story time at the Amagansett Library on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Advance sign-up is required.

       Salt dough snow families are on the agenda at the East Hampton Library on Monday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. during a program for kids 4 and up. Next Thursday, Joyce Raimondo will lead the same age group as they turn the letters of the alphabet into word paintings.

Gustafer at the Goat

       Morgan Taylor will bring his Gustafer Yellowgold multimedia show for kids to the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

       The show is a mix of live music, animated illustrations, and storytelling, focusing on a little yellow “guy from the sun who landed in the Minnesota woods.”

       Tickets cost $12, $10 for members and grandparents, and $8 for siblings and children under 3. Goat on a Boat performs in the parish hall of the Sag Harbor Episcopal Church, Route 114 and East Union Street.

Teen Music Month

       Tomorrow night will mark the beginning of Monster Music Month at the Amagansett Library, a series of free concerts and musical events for teens co-sponsored by Crossroads Music.

       First up in the series, performing from 7 to 8:30 p.m., will be Sara Hartman, a local singer-songwriter who is home on break from the Berklee College of Music. Also performing Saturday are Clark2, the duo of Clark Hamilton and Jackson Clark, playing jazz, R&B, and other favorites on guitar, and the indie rock group Method 2 Madness, featuring Yori Johnson, Rick Nardo, Thomas Bennett, and Jackson Clark. The music will continue each Saturday in January from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Soft drinks will be provided.

       Families can stop in to the library at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday for a snow globe story and craft time. Advance registration has been requested for both programs.

I’m Melting!

       Melted snowman cookies will be on the table during a session for kids 4 and older tomorrow from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the East Hampton Library. Kids will use icing and other sweets to decorate the cookies. Reservations have been requested. Children under 7 should be accompanied by an adult.

Vroom, Vroom

       Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. A workshop at the Children’s Museum of the East End on Saturday will have kids 6 to 10 planning, building, and racing their own rubber-band-powered cars. The program runs from 10 a.m. to noon and costs $15, $5 for members. Space is limited and advance sign-up is required. The museum is in Bridgehampton.

Making the Grade

       The John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor is offering general writing and research help to teenagers on Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m. starting this week. Oliver Peterson, a journalist and certified art and English teacher, will help students with writing and research projects across disciplines. Snacks will be provided. Advance registration has been requested.

Strokes of Genius

       Children 7 and older who love to paint can learn different techniques and processes while painting in a variety of mediums during a four-week workshop at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill. Lori Colavito will teach the class, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays this month. The cost is $150, or $120 for Parrish members. Advance registration is a must.

For the Birds

       Why do birds’ beaks come in different shapes and sizes? Melanie Meade will help kids 5 to 7 answer those questions and more during a program on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. In the workshop, kids will use simple tools in the same way that birds use their beaks to understand how important this body part is. Advance registration has been requested.

Dance, Dance, Dance

       Girls 8 to 15 with a love of dance will have a chance to develop and direct their own dance theater pieces during an intensive one-day workshop on Jan. 25 with the Neo-Political Cowgirls.

       Held in the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall, the workshop will begin with journaling, then move on to body awareness and creative movement exercises. It is designed for the girl “who loves to be creative or needs to be creative, has a lot to say or could use some inspiration to find the courage to share her ideas,” according to a flier. At its conclusion, participants will present short dance pieces for family and friends.

       The cost is $30 per student. Advance registration is required through Guild Hall.

Dog Arias?

       Springs School fourth graders are hard at work on this year’s opera, “Dogs Don’t Talk,” which they will perform on Guild Hall’s John Drew stage from Jan. 15 to 17.

       The opera program, coordinated by Sue Ellen O’Connor, is in its 17th year. Each year, the production is entirely student run, with the help of parent volunteers. Students are the actors, writers, composers, makeup artists, costumers, and set designers, and even handle their own public relations.

       So mark your calendars, theatergoers. The opening night performance will begin at 7.