Bang the Drum

    Kids ages 2 to 10 will have a chance to hear a variety of musical instruments and then try their hands at playing them during a music fair at the Children’s Museum of the East End on Saturday. The free fair, presented with Crossroads Music of Amagansett and Bulldog Studios, will have performers and instruments inside and outside the museum from 10 a.m. to noon. The museum is on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton.

Getting Close to Raptors

    The Amagansett Library and the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons is offering an up-close view of a variety of rescued birds of prey on Saturday. The program, for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade, will start at 3:30 p.m. Sign-up in advance has been requested.

Found Animal Art

    Cardboard, recycled wires, beads, trinkets, and other found materials will be turned into animal sculptures during an art program at the East Hampton Library on Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. Kids 4 and older will look at sculptures by such artists as Picasso and Calder and then build one of their own without using any glue.

    An autumn story and craft time will be offered next Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. for kids 4 to 6 with an adult. Reservations have been requested for all library programs.

Playful Puppets

    Puppet play groups and a Tot Art program at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor will resume tomorrow. The play group, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., includes free play, songs, circle time, games, and a short puppet show for kids 3 and older with an adult. The art program from 10:30 to 11 a.m. is for kids 2 to 4, accompanied by an adult.

    There is a $25 drop-in fee for each program. A package of 14 sessions costs $300, or $250 for members of the theater. Those wishing to sign up for 14 sessions of both Tot Art and the play group will pay $375.

Science Goo

    Experimentation is the word of the week at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, where kids can “investigate the ingredients of the universe” during a science program on Saturday, and then concoct their own candied apples on Tuesday. The science program, aimed at children 4 and up, will teach kids about physical and chemical change and even polymers from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. They’ll leave with a “secret formula” for making their own “mad science goo.”

    Kids of all ages can take part in the candied-apple workshop on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Advance registration is required for both programs.

For Teen Scribes

    Teen writers can find instruction, inspiration, and an opportunity to develop a body of writing during the nine-month Jeannette Sarkisian Wagner writing workshop at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor. The sessions will meet weekly on Thursdays at 5 p.m. through May 15 and include writing prompts, discussion, and constructive group critiques.

    At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have select works published in MOSS, the library’s online magazine of teen creative work. The workshop is free and snacks are provided. Advance registration would be appreciated.

All About Snails

    Molly Adams, a nature educator at the South Fork Museum of Natural History in Bridgehampton, will offer kids 4 to 6 a peek into the secret life of snails on Saturday at 1 p.m. Kids will learn about the different types of snails, their unusual bodies, and their role in various ecosystems, and then make their own craft snail to take home. There is a $4 materials fee for the class. Sign-up in advance has been requested.

   Springs School, which has been without an assistant principal since last May, announced at a school board meeting on Monday night that it had hired Cleopatra Panagiosoulis, who will assume the post soon.

    Ms. Panagiosoulis last worked as an assistant administrator for data and instruction at the Evergreen Charter School in Hempstead.

    On Monday night, board members voted to allow the district to prepare her contract. The resolution did not appear on the evening’s agenda.

     “We’re ready to roll,” said Dominic Mucci, the outgoing interim superintendent, who presided over the night’s two-hour meeting. “We had 168 applicants for the position.”

    Later in the evening, he said that Ms. Panagiosoulis, who is fluent in both Spanish and Greek, had moved through the lengthy hiring process with the highest rankings. In addition to her work at the charter school, for the past three years she has also done data work for the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

    A graduate of Hunter College, who completed a Master’s degree at Stony Brook University, Ms. Panagiosoulis has also spent several years in the classroom, working for seven years in Manhattan and the Bronx as both a kindergarten and first-grade bilingual teacher. After leaving the classroom, she also worked for four years as a literacy coach and as a data specialist at P.S. 65 in the Bronx.

    The hiring of Ms. Panagiosoulis follows the resignation last May of the school’s prior assistant principal, Katherine Byrnes. Louis Aiello, who has helped cover some of Dr. Byrnes’s duties in the interim, will stay on as a part-time employee. He will continue overseeing special education.

    In other news, the board welcomed Jay Finello, the new interim superintendent. His first day, along with the students, was Monday.

    “It was a smooth transition,” said Mr. Mucci, who will remain at his post over the next couple of weeks. 

    “It was a great day and it’s wonderful to be here,” said Mr. Finello. “I was most impressed by how easily and seamlessly everyone settled into their first day of school. There was a lot of teaching and learning going on, like they hadn’t missed a beat.”

    “I promise to try and continue us on a path of excellence, which is something the district prides itself on,” he said.

     In other news, Eric Casale, the school’s principal, led a presentation related to the most recent New York State test scores, which were released over the summer, and which showed declines in schools across the state.

     “You may have a heard a collective scream across Long Island — us being one of them,” said Mr. Casale, who viewed the past year’s tests, which were tied to the Common Core, a new set of national learning benchmarks, as a baseline.

    “The test scores are important but they’re not reflective of our students,” said Mr. Casale. “We see this as an opportunity for growth, but not for labeling a student a 1, 2, 3, or a 4.”

    In terms of enrollment, Mr. Casale said the numbers were up, with 711 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. Last year at the same time, 671 students had enrolled. Though he said new students were scattered across all grades, kindergarten and pre-K both saw higher than normal enrollment this year.

Theater Workshops

    Stages will offer a fall performance workshop for 8 to 18-year-olds in preparation for a late-October production of “Frankenstein Follies” at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. Workshop rehearsals will begin on Monday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Southampton Recreation Center and will continue on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the same time through Oct. 27, though actors may not have to attend every rehearsal. Performances will be on Oct. 25, 26, and 27. The cost is $475.

    A creative drama workshop for younger kids 6 to 9 will be offered at the Bay Street Theatre on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. this week through Nov. 12. The program, which costs $285, will conclude with a short play on Nov. 12.

    Helene Leonard, the director and co-founder of Stages, will lead both programs. Advance registration is required online at stagesworkshop.org or by e-mailing [email protected].

For Budding Artists

    Budding artists can find outlets for their talent at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton this week. A collage workshop on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. will have families with kids 21/2 and older learning about texture and creating artworks with fabric, feathers, paper, shells, and more. The program costs $20 including museum admission, or $7 for members.

    The Butter Lane Art Academy will have after-school workshops for children 4 to 11 on Wednesdays starting this week. The workshops, which run from 3:30 to 5 p.m., will give kids a chance to explore a variety of mediums, with an emphasis on art history, creative discovery, and personal development, according to the museum’s Web site. The cost is $240 for six weeks or $40 for drop-ins.

    Registration in advance is required with Hilary Helfant at [email protected].

Fun Club Book Club

    The East Hampton Library is adding a Saturday story and craft time to its schedule this week. Kids 3 and older can join the fun from 2 to 2:45 p.m.

    Next Thursday will bring the first meeting of the Fun Club Book Club for young teens. The monthly book discussion will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. and is meant for sixth through eighth graders.

    A Music Together music and movement program for toddlers 1 to 3 years old will be held next Thursday from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Advance sign-up is required for all programs.

Homemade Robots

    Kids 13 and older will make their own robot metal detectors during a program on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton. According to the library’s Web site, the homemade robot will stop, buzz, and flash when metal is found. The workshop will run from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and is limited to just eight participants. Advance registration is required.

    In an otherwise routine meeting of the East Hampton School Board Tuesday, at which loose ends were tied up in anticipation of Monday’s start of the 2013-2014 academic year, it was learned that the district’s ongoing lawsuit against Sandpebble Builders may go to trial.

    “We have attempted to negotiate and make settlement offers, but to no avail,” said Kevin Seaman of Stony Brook, who is representing the district. “It appears very clear to us that this matter is going to have to be adjudicated at trial at some point in 2014.”

    At issue is a multimillion-dollar contract that dates  to April of 2002 for construction. When Sandpebble, a Southampton company, began negotiations with the district, the project was slated to cost $18 million. Eventually, it ballooned to upwards of $80 million.

    Mr. Seaman spoke toward the end of the two-hour session, during which the board voted on 34 recommendations. Among the highlights, Dawn Gallagher, a former school bus driver who appeared in public disciplinary hearings earlier this year, has been reinstated to her position, effective Sept. 1. At the same time, the board voted to accept the resignations of two bus drivers, Cherylann George and Sandra Dombkowski.

    The board also accepted the resignations of two teachers, Jonathan Bowe and Eric Ferraro, and approved the contract for Ana Núnez, a community liaison who works to improve ties between the school district and the Spanish-speaking community. For the 2013-2014 school year, she will receive an annual salary of $23,520.

    The board also voted to extend the contract of Bridget LeRoy, who, as the district’s communications consultant, will be paid an annual salary of $40,000. On the matter of driving instruction, the district is now contracting with Chucky’s Driving School, which will be paid by parents of students taking advantage of it rather than the district.

    Later in the night, to great applause, Patricia Hope, the board president, read aloud a letter from the East Hampton Rotary Club whose $17,000 donation will allow the district to do long-awaited repair to the scoreboard on the high school football field.

    The board also voted to approve the implementation of the NutriKids Cafeteria Payment System at a one-time implementation cost of approximately $17,000 and an annual maintenance fee of $2,000. The new system, which is likely to be implemented in late October or November, will eliminate the stigma for those students in the district who receive free or reduced-price lunches.

    Ms. Hope, a former science teacher at East Hampton High School, also spoke, calling her two and a half years of service on the board the “most important thing I’ve gotten involved in that directly helps children.”

    Lastly, Jackie Lowey, a board member, briefly discussed the results of recent state exams. East Hampton, as with most other neighboring districts, saw a steep decline in scores in most subjects.

    “There’s an enormous concern, which I share, that there’s already enough teaching to the test,” said Ms. Lowey, who urged that a public discussion concerning next steps convene at a later date. “No one wants the lesson here to be that we have to teach more to the test.”

    Though the school year is not yet underway, the administrative chaos that plagued Springs School toward the end of last year continues.

    At a special meeting on Tuesday night, the Springs School Board announced that its current superintendent, Dominic Mucci, would not continue for the 2013-14 school year. Earlier this summer, the New York State Education Department denied a necessary waiver and additional appeals to the state have since stalled. 

     “It is no secret that recruitment of an experienced part-time superintendent, which is the leadership model we think is most cost-effective and appropriate for our district, is a real challenge,” said Elizabeth Mendelman, the board president, in a statement. “We are disappointed because continuity is important and Dom provided a very steady hand.”

    Going forward, Jay Finello, a veteran school official, will take over. His one-year term will expire on Aug. 31, 2014. He last worked as the interim superintendent of the East Islip Union Free School District, a position he held for the past two years. Prior to that, he led the Huntington School District.

    Since electing to appoint a part-time superintendent over a full-time one, a cost-saving measure, Springs has had a difficult time securing steady leadership. The board also cited the uniqueness of its location as a further hindrance.

    On the administrative front, it has been a tough few months for the district. In May, Katherine Byrnes quickly resigned from her position as assistant principal. Shortly thereafter, the school turned over information to the Testing Integrity Unit of the New York State Education Department concerning a possible testing irregularity related to a recent state assessment. The issue has yet to be resolved.

    Because Mr. Mucci is not yet 65 and is officially retired and collecting his pension, his appointment requires the approval of the New York State Education Department since he would earn more than $30,000 a year. The board secured a waiver for the 2012-13 school year, with the hopes of securing a second one for the coming year.

    Mr. Finello’s appointment, on the other hand, will not require a waiver from the state, even though he is not yet 65, because the terms of his employment agreement comply with state regulations on earnings for retirees. He will receive approximately $25,000 in the current calendar year and $30,000 come January. The Board has contractually required Mr. Finello to live in East Hampton and is reimbursing him up to $3,000 per month for rental expenses.

    Going forward, Mr. Finello, who was not present at Tuesday night’s meeting, will establish a temporary residence in East Hampton. He currently lives in Cold Spring Harbor. “I look forward to enjoying the community of the East End as I serve the Springs School,” Mr. Finello said in a statement released by the school. “I consider this to be a unique opportunity both professionally and personally, and I am grateful to the board for welcoming me to Springs.”

    “Many of us are going to miss Dom,” said Margaret Garsetti, an English as a second language teacher. About a dozen audience members filled the school’s library. “It was wonderful to have him for this year and I wish it could be for anther year. Thank you for teaching us and being a great leader.”

    Pat Brabant, a parent of three children at the school, also expressed his frustration. “I’m sad to see Dom go. He did a great job and I’m afraid it’s going to happen year after year. I would love to see a permanent person.”

    “It would have been great to stick around, but you don’t always get what you want,” said Mr. Mucci, at the conclusion of Tuesday’s meeting. He was the district’s superintendent from 1999 to 2002. “I was blessed to have this opportunity. It was sort of like leaving your hometown and coming back and getting to see how your kids had grown. It was the strongest group of educators I’ve had the pleasure of working with in my career.”

Mr. Mucci will stay on in the coming weeks until Mr. Finello is up to speed. The position of assistant principal remains unfilled, with the board continuing to interview and vet candidates. In other news, the board announced that the parking lot has been completed and sidewalks have been added time for the start of school on Monday. Additionally, security cameras have been installed to improve student safety. The next regular monthly meeting scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m.

    Music classes for kids 15 months to 6 years old will begin next week at the Ellen Johansen Music Studio in East Hampton Village.

   Ms. Johansen, who has been teaching music and movement to young children for over 25 years, will lead three different classes. Clap With Me, for toddlers 15 months to 3 years old, will be offered on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 10:10 a.m. or Fridays from 9:15 to 9:55 a.m. The cost for 15 classes is $270. Wind Dancers, a music class for 3 and 4-year-olds, will be offered on Fridays from 10:15 to 11 a.m. at a cost of $325 for 15 classes.

    Finally, Music Makers at Home in the World, for kids 4 to 6, will be offered on Thursday afternoons from 3:45 to 4:45. The 15-class price is $380. Class fees include home materials.

    Ms. Johansen’s studio is on Stratton Square. She can be called to register or information can be found on her Web site, ellenjohansenmusicstudio.com.

Animation Alfresco

    “Madagascar 3” will be shown on a big outdoor screen at the Neighborhood House in East Hampton on Friday, Sept. 6. The screening is a fund-raiser for the East Hampton Neighborhood House Early Learning Program. Tickets cost $5 per person or $20 for a family of five. The movie will start at dark.

Make Your Own Fossil

    For many kids, Labor Day does not quite mean the end of summer, and at the East Hampton Library, there’s still a little more fun ahead. On Wednesday, kids 4 and up can make their own fossils from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The same age group will use plaster gauze to make ice cream sculptures on Friday, Sept. 6, from 2 to 3 p.m. Advance registration has been requested for both programs.

Creatures Up Close

    Future herpetologists can see some of their favorite creatures up close when Erik’s Reptile Edventures visits the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton on Saturday for an end-of-summer celebration. There will be lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodilians, toads, salamanders, and even arachnids at the library that afternoon at 3. Reservations and early arrival have been recommended.

Seining Excursion

    Al Daniels will lead children and adults on a bay seining excursion in Noyac with the South Fork Natural History Museum on Sunday at 1 p.m. Participants will watch him cast his net and then take a look at the variety of near-shore marine creatures it catches. The museum has requested reservations.

    A program on atoms, molecules, and compounds for kids 7 to 9 that was originally scheduled for last week has been rescheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. Kids will use simple toys to understand what the tiny building blocks of life look like and how “some of these important pieces, like water and carbon, are shared across the whole world in a cycle, and how they are part of all living things.” There is a $4 materials fee for the program. Reservations are required.

   With school to start next Thursday, Jack Perna, the district superintendent, wanted to make sure this week that the community knows the school board decided to reinstate a full-day prekindergarten program.

   Enrollment is down to 32 students, making it possible to have two classes with 16 pupils in each. The program will run Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    Last year, the student numbers were much higher and the board split the group into four classes, with two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Working parents pleaded with the board to add a third class so that some students could attend for a full day. They even offered to hold fund-raisers to pay for it. At the time, many parents said it would be almost impossible to leave their workplaces to pick up students at the assigned times. They were told that the price of adding another teacher and an aide, plus health insurance for the new employees would make it impossible.

 Mr. Perna also reminded parents that they or adult guardians must transport the little ones to and from school.

    The Montauk School is all spruced up and ready for classes to begin on Sept. 4. There are new teachers, new equipment, new programs, and a new security system. Lee White, the newest school board member, was elected in May and has already taken his place on the board for several meetings this summer.

    Mary Jo Walker, whose position was eliminated three years ago, has been reinstated as promised and will teach kindergarten, first and second-grade math, reading, and language arts. She is replacing Richard Larsen, who will teach fifth grade, replacing Sue Nicoletti, who retired in June.

    Louis Guzman has been hired to teach Spanish, replacing Kathleen Byrd, who also retired in June. Will Collins of East Hampton replaces John Salmon, the physical education teacher, another June retiree.

    During budget meetings in March and April, Jack Perna, the school superintendent, pitched a plan for tighter security at the school, especially after the Sandy Hook shootings in Newtown, Conn. The new system, still under construction, features a set of glass doors that can only be accessed by staff when they swipe an identification card. The new doors are set back from the entrance doors, leaving a glass vestibule for visitors to wait until they are identified and buzzed in by a staff member. All other entrance doors will be retrofitted in the fall, but are always locked during school hours.

    There are new laptop computers in the library/media center to replace the older models. The laptops can be moved around to classrooms as needed, which could free up the computer room throughout the day, said Mr. Perna.

    The Spanish program has been expanded in grades one and two. In other grades, in addition to the two regular Spanish classes per week, there will be two computer classes and one library class run by Spanish teachers in cooperation with the school librarian, Rachel Kleinberg. Some classes will be bilingual.

    Finally, new hanging light fixtures have been installed in the school entrance hall; the library has new and different fixtures.

    Everything will be ready on the first day of school, Mr. Perna promised. It might take a while for the staff to adapt to the new security system, but adapt they will, he said.

    A Tempting Tabletops benefit for the East Hampton Day Care Learning Center on Saturday will give ticketholders a chance to win a variety of “unique and whimsical” table settings on display during the 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. affair.

    The party will be at the center on Gingerbread Lane Extension near East Hampton Village’s long-term parking lot. Savory hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. The price of entry, starting at $20 for a single ticket, includes a chance at winning a favorite table setting. For $100, guests will get 12 raffle tickets, $300 buys 20, and $500 buys 30 tickets.

    Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit center, which serves preschool students with full and half-day programs geared toward meeting the needs of working parents. Tickets can be reserved by calling the center or e-mailing [email protected].