Education

A common theme emerged this year as school districts went through their routine audits: The Covid-19 pandemic has motivated some to hold on to more surplus funds than in past years, despite a state law limiting the amount of money a district can retain.

Moooove over, chickens. At the Bridgehampton School, which welcomed a flock of barred Holland hens earlier this year, kindergartners have "adopted" a calf through a Discover Dairy adopt-a-cow program, the school recently announced.

The East Hampton School District on Tuesday began offering free breakfasts and lunches to all students as part of a state-funded program intended to relieve the stresses of Covid-19 on families. The program will run through June 30.

The Bridgehampton School was the beneficiary in November of expedited work by the Suffolk County Water Authority to install mains that connect the district's newly built classrooms and fitness center to the public water supply.

A fabulous variety show, tree decorating, book clubs, and activities galore from Project Most.

The East Hampton School Board on Tuesday formally accepted a retirement letter from Richard Burns, who has served the East Hampton School District as superintendent since 2011. His retirement, effective June 30, 2021, will cap a more than 30-year career in East Hampton.

During the pandemic, the online overhaul of work, school, and the rest underscores a tech-aware message passed along by Denise Roland's Intentionally Unplugged and Nicole Delma's Mind Offline, brainchildren largely inspired by their real children.

From online laboratory simulations to individual sets of science supplies to constant cleaning of equipment, teaching and learning science amid the Covid-19 pandemic has been one big experiment in itself for local educators and students. In normal times students would be able to work in groups, clustered around a table sharing lab equipment like beakers, burners, and microscopes — but these are not normal times.

The Bridgehampton School is anticipating approval from the Southampton Town fire marshal this week to begin using three temporary trailers for teacher offices and five of its newly constructed classrooms for educating students, even though the rest of the construction project is still in progress.

Students from East Hampton High School are taking part in an international effort called the Breathing Project that is meant to be therapeutic for essential workers who have kept society afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In it, students first interview doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, food pantry staff, social workers, and others, with the goal of gathering their personal stories. Then, artists from the high school's National Art Honor Society, along with others from around the world, create works of art to illustrate or represent those stories.

Bedtime stories, bouncy balls, online trivia and creative writing sessions, and a Thanksgiving photo contest for teens.

A new case of Covid-19 diagnosed in a fourth-grade student at the John M. Marshall Elementary School has led the East Hampton School District administration to close that school to in-person classes for the two days leading up to the Thanksgiving break next week.