Norwalk Public Schools News & Information
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Honoring Veterans Across The District
Patriotic songs, experiences shared by Veterans, homemade gifts, and words of thanks from students and staff were part of very special Veterans Day celebrations held throughout the district last week. For more photos visit our
Facebook page.
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Norwalk Stands Up To Bullying With Anonymous Alerts Safety App
Norwalk Public Schools will roll out a new bullying and safety app, Anonymous Alerts, to all middle schools and high schools this week. The system allows students, parents and staff to confidentially report bullying, cyber-bullying, and other sensitive topics through private messages to our administration. While we encourage students to bring any issues to the attention of a teacher, school administrator, psychologist or counselor, we know that sometimes a student or parent may want to communicate anonymously. Schools will share information about the system in a variety of ways including student assemblies, posters, and tutorial videos. For more information on how to access and use the app click
HERE.
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State Budget Approved
With a 2017-18 State of Connecticut budget finally in place, the Norwalk Board of Education reviewed the impact to our local budget during its workshop meeting on Tuesday night. Overall, the news was positive.
The Alliance District grant, which funds our Curriculum & Instruction Site Directors, was reauthorized and fully funded. Although the emphasis on property values continues to unfairly impact funding to Norwalk under the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant, Norwalk’s ECS funding is expected to remain flat for the current year. The Priority School District (PSD) grant was also reauthorized, although with an 11.8 percent cut to the statewide appropriation. The state has not yet released the actual allocation of PSD funding to Norwalk Public Schools.
The impact on Norwalk's two Family Resource Centers (FRCs) is one area that remains uncertain, as the state has allocated funding for only one FRC per district. However, NPS has been encouraged to submit applications for both, so we are hopeful that this can be resolved.
Although Norwalk expects a cut of 5 percent in overall state funding, Chief Financial Officer Tom Hamilton reported that the district is well positioned to continue implementing the Strategic Operating Plan. In the face of an unsettled state budget, the district had already adjusted spending to make sure that we were prepared for any outcome.
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Norwalk Performs Well On State Growth Benchmark
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New Connecticut Smarter Balanced (SBAC) test results show NPS ranking first in Percent of Target Achieved (PTA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and math as compared to similar districts. The PTA is a measure of what portion of the target goal is achieved under the Connecticut Next Generation Accountability System. The rankings reflect the average growth results for all NPS students in the district. Norwalk also ranked first as compared to similar districts in growth results for high needs students. For additional information visit
norwalkps.org.
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NPS Communications Award For Educational Excellence On Social Media
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Norwalk Public Schools has won the Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence for Educational Communications in the Social Media category for its official district Facebook page. NPS also received an Honorable Mention in the Special Project
category, where the district was recognized for the
Modern Schools for a Growing City campaign
. The annual awards are selected by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), and will be showcased at the organization’s annual convention this week. For more information
click here.
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Norwalk High School Marching Band Named National Champions
Congratulations to the Norwalk High School Marching Band on winning the US Bands Group VI National Championships on November 11. The national competition took place at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Additional awards were earned for Best Music and Best Overall Effect. Hats off to our 175 musicians and color guard, and to the hard-working staff and band parents!
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Conferences Begin November 29
A reminder that elementary school conferences begin Wednesday, November 29. Slight changes were made to the original 2-17-18 district calendar due to a conflict with Monday faculty meetings. To view the updated calendar visit
norwalkps.org
Progress report guides will be accessible to families on
norwalkps.org this year. Some schools may provide printed versions for families without online or printer access. The handbooks, which are broken out by grade, include a guide to standards-based grading, standards for English Language Arts and math, and scope and sequence for science. A Spanish version is also available online.
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NPS Appoints Supervisors of Specialized Learning and Student Services
Kristi Bellara and Sang-Chul James Lee were appointed 12 Month Supervisors of Specialized Learning and Student Services. Bellara and Lee will provide direct supervision to educators, paraprofessionals, and special education support staff. Additional responsibilities include supervision of PPTs, and other special projects as defined by the NPS Chief of Specialized Learning.
Bellara joined NPS in 2016 as a 10 month Special Education Supervisor. Her new role will allow her to continue in her current position, and assume additional responsibilities for ESY services and summer PPTs in July and August. Previously, Bellara held positions as a Speech/Language Pathologist and a Director of Student Support Services in public school districts in Massachusetts. Prior to joining NPS, she worked as the Secondary Supervisor of Special Education in the Ridgefield Public Schools, where she oversaw all Special Education at the secondary level. Bellara holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Special Education Administration from American International College, and a Master of Science Degree in Communicative Disorders/Speech Language Pathology from the University of Rhode Island. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and an Associates of Arts in Speech/Language Pathology Assistance from Our Lady of the Elms College.
Prior to joining NPS, Lee held industry positions focused on Special Education software platforms. He was also Director at an alternative high school, and Special Education High School Department Chair in Ridgefield. Lee also taught Special Education and facilitated a number of district-wide Special Education reform initiatives at Stamford Public Schools. He holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership, Master of Arts in Education, and Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Connecticut.
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NPS Welcomes New Board of Education Members
Congratulations to Norwalk's newly elected Board of Education members including incumbent Heidi Keyes, newcomers Barbara Meyer-Mitchell and Sarah LeMieux, and Bruce Kimmel, who previously served on the Board 2005-2009. These BOE members will serve four-year terms, to be completed in 2021. An organizational meeting to select the new board officers will be held November 21 in the Norwalk City. Please join us in thanking outgoing Board of Education members Shirley Mosby, Sherelle Harris and Artie Kassimis. Their hard word and dedication to NPS students is very much appreciated.
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Thanksgiving Break
In honor of the holiday, all Norwalk Public Schools will have a two-hour dismissal on November 22. There will be no school November 23 and 24. We hope to see you all at the annual NHS vs. BMHS football game, which will take place at BMHS on Thursday, November 23 at 10:30am. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Tuesday, November 21
, Curriculum Committee Meeting, 6-7pm, Room 333
Tuesday, November 21
, Board Annual Organizational Meeting, 7-9pm, Room A300
Wednesday, November 22
, 2-Hour Early Dismissal, All Schools
Thursday & Friday
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November 23 & 24
, Thanksgiving Recess, All Schools & Central Offices Closed
Monday, November 27,
Facilities Committee Meeting, 6-7:30pm, Room A300
Tuesday, December 5,
Policy Committee Meeting, 6-7pm, Room 333
Tuesday, December 5,
Board Business Meeting, 7-9pm, Common Council Chambers
Thursday, December 7
, Elementary Conference Night, 90-Minute Early Dismissal, All Schools
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Norwalk Public Schools
125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06852
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This newsletter is compiled & published by the NPS Communications Department.
Have a question about our school district or an item to share?
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