Visions of Sugar Plums

    Two dance companies will offer their takes on Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic “The Nutcracker” on Friday, Dec. 9, Dec. 10, and Dec. 11.

    In East Hampton at Guild Hall, the Hampton Ballet Theatre School’s production will feature performances by the school’s young dancers as well as professional guest artists. Choreography is by Sara Jo Strickland, costumes are by Yuka Silvera, and lighting design is by Sebastian Paczynski.

    Show times are Dec. 9 at 7 p.m., Dec. 10 at 1 and 7 p.m., and Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for children under 12.

    Two local ballerinas will share the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a production staged by the Conservatory of Ballet and Danse Arts at the Southampton High School auditorium. They are Sarah Talmage, an East Hampton High School senior and a student at the Bridgehampton ballet studio from the age of 3, and Ciena Quinn, a Bridgehampton senior who has studied at the studio since she was 6.

    The role of the prince will be danced by a professional guest artist, Leonel Linares.

    Southampton show times are Dec. 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15, $10 for children 4 to 16, and free for children under 3.

It’s A Wonderful Play

    Serena Seacat will direct an adaptation of the Frank Capra classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” at East Hampton High School this weekend.

    Performances are tomorrow and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. The production will be staged in the high school auditorium.

Let it Snow

    Puppetkabob Productions will present “The Snowflake Man” on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor. The puppet show, a true tale based on the story of Snowflake Bently of Vermont, features live acting, marionettes, watercolor landscapes, and music. Tickets are $10, $9 for members and grandparents, and $5 for children under 3. The theater is at 4 Hampton Street.

Student Art at the Parrish

    The Parrish Art Museum in Southampton will open this year’s student art exhibit, “Students View American Portraits,” with a free reception on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at which there will be face painting, a circus performer, and refreshments.

    Students from schools including the Bridgehampton School, the East Hampton Middle School, the Ross School, the Sag Harbor Elementary School, the Southampton Elementary School, the Southampton Intermediate School, the Montessori School in Southampton, and the Tuckahoe School took part. They toured the museum’s last show, “American Portraits: Treasures From the Parrish Art Museum,” and used the mediums, methods, subjects, and themes from it in their own work.

    The work is by students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, and the show will be up through Jan. 15. An exhibit of work by high schoolers will open on Jan. 29.

Melodious Sing-Along

    Miss Melody will be at Sangha Yoga in Montauk today to lead a sing-along for students in prekindergarten, second, third, and fourth grades from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. Kindergartners and first graders will join the fun from 3:15 to 4. The event is sponsored by Montauk Youth, and admission is free.

Nutcracker Ballet

    The Hampton Ballet Theatre School and the Conservatory of Ballet and Danse Arts will present Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic “The Nutcracker” this weekend at Guild Hall and the Southampton High School.

    At Guild Hall, the Hampton Ballet Theatre School production choreographed by Sara Jo Strickland, will be staged tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

    Admission is $20, $15 for children under 12, and tickets are available in advance by e-mailing [email protected].

    The Southampton production, choreographed by Megan Cancellieri and Betteanne Terrell, features two Conservatory of Ballet and Danse Arts sharing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy — Ciena Quinn, a Bridgehampton High School senior, and Sarah Talmage, a senior at East Hampton High School. Showtimes are tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15, $10 for children 4 to 16 and grandparents.

Bread & Poetry

    Tomorrow evening, the Hayground School in Bridgehampton will play host to a family event, “Bread & Poetry: A Saggitarian Reading.” The evening, hosted by Hayground Forum, a community initiative, is the first in a series titled “Bread & . . . ”

    The poets Cheryl Boyce-Taylor and Kathy Engel will be on hand to share poetry, and participants will also have a chance to bake their own focaccia bread and shop with local vendors.

    The evening begins at 6 p.m. Hayground is located at 151 Mitchells Lane in Bridgehampton.

Lights, Camera . . . Camera?

    Sue Ellen O’Connor, a teacher at Springs School and an award-winner for the “Springs In Action” television show that she produced with students, has sent out a note that the film club at the school is in need of camcorders. The younger students use mini DV recorders to make movies for their film festivals, and there just aren’t enough to go around this year.

    With technology constantly changing, Ms. O’Connor is hoping that some families may have this sort of camcorder to donate. Two are needed. Those who are upgrading to the latest video camera and have no use for their old one can contact her at [email protected].

Young Playwrights Performance

    Ten short plays written and performed by high school students from the East End and the Bronx will be presented at Stony Brook Southampton’s Avram Theater on Saturday at 7 p.m.

    The free event marks the end of the 2011 Young American Writers Project high school playwriting program, led by Emma Walton and Will Chandler, and will feature plays by students from Bridgehampton, Pierson, Southampton, Eastport-South Manor, the Ross School, Shelter Island, Westhampton Beach, and the Foreign Language Academy of Global Studies in the Bronx, written in collaboration with professionals.

    Professional actors will appear in the plays, which run the gamut from comedies to dramas, with the subject matter drawn from issues that are important to the students.

    The Avram Theater is in the Fine Arts Building on the campus of Stony Brook Southampton.

Snowy Adventure

    On Saturday, the Dolly Wagglers of Vermont will take their puppet show “The Mystery of Ice Mountain” to the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor. With rod puppets, live music, and intricate scenery, this is a tale of an expedition in a remote, snowy region that leads to mysterious encounters. It is good for all ages.

    Shows are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets cost $10, $9 for grandparents, and $5 for children under 3. The theater is on East Union Street behind Christ Episcopal Church, and its Web site is goatonaboat.org.

    A petition filed by parents who live in the area of Woodbine Drive, Glade Road, and Sandra Road to bring back a discontinued bus stop was denied by the Springs School Board on Monday night.

    The written petition submitted earlier in the year caused the school board to commission a child safety zone study, as the parents who petitioned stated that the area, which is just within the one-mile cutoff for buses, was hazardous for kids walking to school.

    The Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services, in consultation with the New York State Department of Transportation, determined that the area did not qualify for the establishment of a child safety zone. However, Michael Hartner, the district superintendent, was directed to ask the East Hampton Town Board for a reduced speed limit there and a blinking yellow light.

    Also Monday night, Bill Hallman, the school’s library specialist, gave a presentation on the library media program and the Common Core Learning Standards. He told the board of the revamped school library Web site, “where kids can find the right resources and bring it back to the class,” he said.

    When it comes to book borrowing, Mr. Hallman was pleased to report, “We’re 1,100 books over where we were last year.”

    David Baird, the head bus driver, presented Cheryl George, another driver, with a citation. “Cheryl saw a child, unattended, walking on the side of the road,” he said. “The child needed assistance. Cheryl made an important difference in that child’s life that day.”    

    Mr. Baird also continued a discussion of propane-fueled school buses, which are more expensive to purchase but save on fuel and are better for the environment in the long term.   

    The Amagansett School library was decked out in holiday finery on Tuesday as the Amagansett Holiday Store — goodies and gifts piled high on four large tables — opened for business.

    Unlike other, or any, South Fork businesses, all items ranged in price from 50 cents to $5. Almost all of them were donated or purchased at a deep discount from local stores. And the median age of shoppers was about 8 years old.

    “It’s for the kids,” said Holly Li, the store’s planner and a parent of two children at the school. “It’s a great way for them to learn how to shop for others and assert their independence.”

    Prekindergartners through sixth graders — the entire Amagansett School student population, in other words — are allowed into the two-day holiday store one grade at a time.

    “We send letters home explaining it,” Ms. Li said. “Sometimes the kids come in with a list of people to shop for. Sometimes the family gives them extra money, and sometimes they use their allowances.”

    Although the store has been running during the holidays for about a decade, only recently have local shops — Crossroads Music, Stuart’s Seafood, Gone Local, BookHampton, Amber Waves Farm, and Mary’s Marvelous — gotten involved, which is thanks to Ms. Li’s reaching out to the Amagansett business community.

    “Last year BookHampton and Amber Waves were really generous,” she said. “It’s so great to have others on board. With even more businesses, it could be even better.”

    Charlene Spektor, BookHampton’s owner, called the gifts “an investment in the future. It’s wonderful that kids can give books to their parents, that they consciously think, ‘My parents read — this is a good idea.’ What could be more fun?” she said.

    With the economy being what it is, Ms. Li is even more appreciative of the businesses that donated goods. “The idea was for the stuff to be from overstock,” she explained. “But nowadays, stores don’t really keep a lot of overstocked items. Also, it’s the holidays. It’s a busy season, and for the businesses to donate so much,” she looked around, “it’s really extraordinary.”

    Trinkets and stocking stuffers dominated, with guitar picks for Dad or Mom, different bread and cookie mixes, chocolate treats, toys and books, boiled wool ornaments, even jewelry, as well as other items that just begged to be played with.

    Although, Ms. Li said, “if the kids have extra money, they buy a little something for themselves,” the purpose of the store is to allow the children a chance to think of their loved ones and buy gifts for them.

    A pre-K student entered the store

How the Earth Got Its Color

    On Saturday, Drama of Works Kids, a Brooklyn-based, award-winning group of performers, will stage “How the Earth Got Its Color,” a puppetry reworking of an Aztec legend, at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre.

    In the story, Wind must prove himself to the Lord of the Night and other Aztec gods when he is entrusted to save the Musicians of the Earth. With a little help from various characters — and a little audience participation — Wind learns how to use his own unique gifts.

    The following week, on Jan. 14, Chip Bryant, a vaudevillian clown and comedian, will be at the theater with his interactive fun for all ages.

    Performances are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The theater is on East Union Street in Sag Harbor. Admission is $10, $9 for grandparents and members, and $5 for children under 3. As the setting is intimate, reservations in advance have been suggested. Goat on a Boat also offers puppet playgroups for the younger set.

Fourth Graders’ Opera

    What’s a sea womp, and what is it doing in Accabonac Creek? Those questions will be answered by the Springs School’s fourth-grade opera company, Super Fun 61, when it presents “The Tale of Sea Womp” on three days at Guild Hall.

    The public has been invited to the culmination of months of effort by the students, who worked on everything from writing to set and costume design to makeup to marketing.

    The 50-minute opera can be seen on Wednesday at 7 p.m., next Thursday at 9:30 a.m., and Friday, Jan. 13, at 9:30 a.m.

Albany Tour for Two

    For juniors and seniors who are interested in the inside workings of the state government, the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons is offering two scholarships to a New York State Education Foundation program called Students Inside Albany. The conference will be held toward the end of March, but the application deadline is Jan. 20.

    “This interactive conference brings together high school students from across the state to learn about New York State government and the process by which citizens can participate in the policy making arena,” a release said.

    Students will have an opportunity to tour the State Capitol, have lunch with senate interns, and shadow State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr.

    Applications and packets of information are available in the social studies departments of high schools on the South Fork. Completed applications will be picked up at the high schools on the deadline date.

    The scholarships will cover all expenses, including meals, three nights in a hotel in Albany, and bus or train transportation. Those interested can find out more by calling the League of Women Voters in East Hampton.

Family Nature Movies

    On Saturday at 7 p.m., the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton will present the first in a series of family nature movies.

    “Winged Migration,” a film that follows a variety of birds across 40 countries and seven continents, was called “a movie miracle” by Rolling Stone magazine. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children, and free for members of the museum.

    The museum is on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

Pizza and Politics

    New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and Bonnie Cannon, executive director of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center, will help introduce kids in 6th through 12th grades to some of the ins and outs of politics on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton.

    There will be pizza to eat while kids chew over the big issues.

    At the East Hampton School Board meeting on Sept. 20, Kevin Seaman, the new attorney for the district, gave a quick surmise as to where the district stands in the long-running and money-consuming legal battle with Sandpebble Builders.

    The firm initially sued the district, after its construction contract was canceled in favor of another builder, for $3.75 million. Over the past four years, both sides have fired accusations back and forth, and the attorneys’ bills have climbed. At last count, the district had spent more than $2.3 million on the case.

    “But there’s one very significant question,” Mr. Seaman said, returning to a point that may have been initially overlooked. “Did Sandpebble file a notice of claim within the required three-month period? Did they bring a timely action?”

    The Melville law firm of Pinks, Arbeit & Nemeth has replaced the firm previously employed to handle the lawsuit, which is now scheduled to be heard by an appellate court in Brooklyn at 10 a.m. on Oct. 17.

    “The court will see if the [Sandpebble’s] motion can be reversed. If not, Sandpebble wins,” Mr. Seaman said.

    “The court will have to determine when the starting date actually was,” he continued. “Was it when they [Sandpebble] knew they wouldn’t be paid, or when they were formally terminated?”

    “If they lose this case, they’re going to have a tough time proceeding with the claim,” he said.

    In a different but related matter, Mike Guido, the architect, is expected to attend the board meeting on Tuesday to discuss what has and has not been finished at the schools. That meeting will take place at the district office at 7:30 p.m.

    “So the players are all going to sit down at a table and work it out until it’s finished, so we can close the bond issue?” asked Patricia Hope, a school board member.

    Mr. Seaman assured Ms. Hope that that was the intention.

Harvest Festival at Ross

    On Sunday, the Ross School will host its annual harvest festival at the Center for Well-Being on Goodfriend Drive in East Hampton.

    Offering an indoor farmers market featuring produce and organic products from local purveyors, live music by Caroline Doctorow and Job Potter, with food, games, and more, the family festival is free and will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Prior to the fun and games, there will be an admissions information session at 10 a.m. for parents interested in sending their children to the school. Reservations with the school have been requested for this session.

Find Your Inner Buccaneer

    David Engel’s Pirate School — which has been featured in New York magazine’s “Best of New York: Kids,” and has performed extensively around the world — will drop anchor at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton on Sunday as the museum hosts a Family Pirate festival from 1 to 4 p.m.

    Touted as a “one-man seafaring vaudeville that spoofs the Golden Age of Sail,” David Engel will follow the 1 p.m. performance with an “academy” where eager pirates-in-training can learn the fine and ferocious pirate arts of swashbuckling and gathering doubloons, and engage in art activities, face painting, and more.

    Admission is free and no advance registration is required. The pirate festival will take place rain or shine.     

    The Hayground School in Bridgehampton has announced the receipt of a $208,000 educational grant from the Leon Levy Foundation, a philanthropic foundation created by the estate of Leon Levy, co-founder of Oppenheimer and Company. It is the third grant Hayground has received from the foundation.

    “This is a very important year for the school,” it said in a statement. “As a result of the continued support of the Leon Levy Foundation, we will begin our endowment campaign. This is essential to maintain our mission of economic diversity.”

    “In the spring of 2012 we will complete the expansion of Jeff’s Kitchen, Hayground’s professional kitchen and community meeting space. With the support of the Leon Levy Foundation and plans donated by Deborah Burke, this expansion will allow us to increase classroom space for the school, accept more children in our camp program, have an expanded space for our growing Hayground Forum, and upgrade the kitchen equipment to highest health department standards, allowing us to rent the space to professional chefs and organizations. This is all part of our short and long-range goals to create a sustainable future for Hayground School and its organic gardens, farmers market, and camp.”

    Eric Casale, the Springs School principal, gave a presentation on Monday night on the new common-core learning standards being adopted in 48 of the 50 states, which will hold schools “to the same bar of accountability — teaching for mastery rather than just covering topics.”

    “There has been such an emphasis on reading and writing, we forgot about literacy, social studies, science, and more,” he said, referring to the education system as a whole.

    The importance in developing a consistent assessment system would show first in students  moving to new schools. “A student from Florida could go to Wyoming and would be held to the same standards,” Mr. Casale said. “There will be data systems to monitor growth, and principals and educators will be evaluated according to how students are performing.”

    These standards will not go fully into effect until 2014, but are beginning to be phased in even now. Luckily for Springs, said Mr. Casale, “we’re ahead of this process. The change for us will not be so drastic.”

    The principal acknowledged that he was “passionate about this” and looked forward to “ramping up expectations,” adding that new scoring systems will be “more rigorous. Right now students are graduating high schools after being told they were proficient since third grade, and then when they get to college, they are being told they’re remedial.”

    The new common-core learning standards are actually a return to old school, so to speak, the tenets of “reading to learn instead of learning to read,” said Mr. Casale, with a more philosophical approach to education.

    Part of the equation includes using a “staircase of complexity” to measure benchmarks along a student’s path of learning.

    In other news, the school received a petition with the required 55 names to add back a bus stop for students who live on certain portions of Sandra Road, Glade Road, and Woodbine Road. In a child safety zone study, the area had been judged less than a mile from the Springs School, and therefore ineligible for a bus stop. However, the school accepted the petition and has reinstated the stop.

    Lisa Matz, the president of the school’s parent teacher association, reminded the crowd that the next P.T.A. meeting would be held on Tuesday at 7 p.m.