School News

Springs School

Junior high students are getting ready to put on the musical “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” later this year. Students auditioned before winter break, and roles will be announced next week.

Fourth graders recently studied the Colonial era in social studies. Each classroom set up a center, where students took turns completing activities like building a home out of craft sticks, drawing a landscape, creating an old school book, and learning about how children in colonial times played and kept busy.

Fourth graders also enjoyed a Pajama Day last week. “We had a book club with hot chocolate just like adults do with coffee,” said Ms. McGrath, who organized the event. Starbucks in Bridgehampton donated the hot chocolate.

The school is still collecting box tops to raise money for the PTA. Children are asked to bring in box tops from General Mills foods. When the school sends them to the company, it pays 10 cents for each box top. Last year, the Springs PTA earned $800 to help fund its activities.

Junior high students had a “Game Show” pep rally on Friday, January 4. Students had the chance to participate in a trivia contest and compete in different challenges. The game show is an annual event and one that students always look forward to.

Hampton Bays

Hampton Bays Middle School hosted its 11th annual College Awareness Day on January 2. Geared to motivate eighth graders to think about their future plans, the event features Hampton Bays High School alumni currently enrolled in college.

The alumni, who attend schools such as the University of Vermont, SUNY Buffalo, Harvard University, and Stony Brook University, answered questions about schedules, admission processes, and extracurricular offerings. The event was organized by Laurie O’Halloran and Jessica Sears, the school’s guidance counselors.

Westhampton Beach

Motivational speaker Rohan Murphy visited Westhampton Beach Middle School on Wednesday, January 2, to talk about needing resilience and courage to overcome adversity.

Murphy, an East Islip native, talked to the students about his own experience as a double-leg amputee who went on to wrestle for Penn State. He encouraged the students to take on challenges and never give up.

“No excuses,” Murphy said. “Anything is possible.”

Following the assembly, Murphy met with small groups of students to answer questions and also stopped in to several lunch periods to take selfies with the students.

Riverhead

The Riverhead Central School District will present the workshop “Educating the Whole Child, Inside and Out” at Riverhead High School on Wednesday, January 9, at 6:30 PM as part of the Parent University series.

Community participants will hear from a panel of experts on the topic of social-emotional wellbeing in children. The session will provide Zumba, yoga, and rock painting for students.

The Parent University series aims to connect parents with school and community resources to provide information on challenges parents may face. Additional workshops and seminars are planned for later this year.