Calling all kids: Contributions boost summer camp program
The summer camp program at the East Hampton YMCA meant to piggy back onto the Shelter Island summer school educational program will go forward this year thanks to contributions by the town and the PTSA.
While parents will pay for tuition and pay toward transportation that will pick up students at the school and bring them to East Hampton Mondays through Fridays for four weeks, the full transportation cost of $13,000 needed support from these other groups to make the program viable.
Parents of students in kindergarten through eighth grade have the option of sending their children to a full day’s program that would start with the educational component at Shelter Island School in the morning, then continue in East Hampton with lunch and either a regular camp program or sports program in the afternoon.
Parents would pay $165 per week for the regular camp program or $175 for the sports program, but at least 24 students must sign up to make the camp program viable. The bus cost would be $50 per week and could be lower if more than 24 students enroll, according to Academic Administrator Jennifer Rylott.
Full-time Islanders would have the first option to sign up for the camp program that would then be opened to summer kids, she said.
Representatives from the YMCA will be on the Island Wednesday, May 17, for a demonstration of the programs and to enroll students. Another visit happens on June 14. The summer program starts on July 3 and runs through July 27.
There is a Friday camp program, but parents who want their children to participate in that would have to provide their own transportation and sign up with the YMCA separately, Ms. Rylott said.
New programs
The Joint Professional Practice Committee (JPPC) is suggesting two initiatives to the Board of Education.
The first would be an after school video game programming club. Under the direction of computer technician Jeremy Stanzione, students would learn how to develop video games.
The program would afford opportunities for students to be creative, learn computer coding skills and enhance their abilities with math as well as learn to work effectively with others, Mr. Stanzione said It would start with seventh and eighth graders, he said.
Eventually, if the program takes hold, he predicted it would give students a chance to compete with teams from other schools and provide them with an opportunity to show their abilities to college recruiters when they’re looking to single themselves out from the competition when it comes to gaining acceptance to their chosen schools.
For others, it could lead to immediate employment as game developers, he said.
A second initiative the committee is suggesting is hiring someone who could function as a translator assisting parents and community members for whom English isn’t a first language.
Ms. Rylott said up to now, various faculty members have provided this assistance to enable people to communicate with the staff. But because it hasn’t been a full-time position, those translators have not always been available after school or evenings when meetings might be set.
Another effort the JPPC will make is to examine various initiatives that have been launched in the past to determine their viability. The aim is to determine which programs might be tweaked to be more effective and, in some cases, which might be eliminated for lack of interest.
In other actions, the Board of Education:
• Approved a medical leave for school aide Lora Hamblet to run from about June 14 through June 23
• Approved the following teachers as home instructors at the rate of $66.02 per hour, not to exceed 20 hours each: Janine Mahoney, Brittney Russo, James Theinert, Lynne Colligan and Peter Miedema
• Approved extra teaching periods for Ms. Colligan, Jessica Nardi, Ms. Mahoney and Jennifer Gulluscio
• Accepted a $100 donation from Jacqueline and Kevin Dunning to be used toward the new ukulele program
• Accepted a $75 donation from Our Lady of the Island R.C. Church for materials to build a bench
