Norwalk Public Schools News & Information
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NPS Celebrates MLK Day
Last Friday, West Rocks Middle School students entered a school-wide assembly honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Junior to the beat of African drumming. The theme of the morning was
The Path of Nonviolence with King’s Six Key Principles.
Throughout the event, students and staff presented music such as “The Power of One” by Bombshel, strings piece “Ashokan Farewell,”
“
Lean on Me,” and “We Shall Overcome”
performed acapella. Pastor Ewell joined the celebration as the keynote speaker. Historical events highlighting nonviolent protests were also shared.
Schools throughout the district celebrated Dr. King with unique lessons, celebrations and activities last week.
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Norwalk Families Invited To School Start Time Focus Groups
Health experts agree that later school start times are better for the physical, emotional and educational needs of high school students. While the scientific research is clear, there are many challenges to changing school schedules. As part of the research being conducted by the School Start Time Committee, we want to hear from you! Please join us at one of the focus groups to learn more and share your thoughts.
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School Start Time Survey To Go Live
The School Start Time survey is now available for parent input. If you did not receive an email containing the link, please contact
Communications
. The survey will be available through February 14. The survey covers a variety of areas from after-school sports and activities, student employment, transportation and childcare, and school bus ride length. We encourage all parents to participate in this important survey.
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Governor Lamont Visits Tracey To Highlight Social & Emotional Wellness
A roundtable discussion and school tour hosted by Barbara Dalio and the Dalio Foundation was held at Tracey Elementary School last week. Gov. Lamont opened the event, which highlighted a report from The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD). To hear more on what the panel had to say about Norwalk during the event,
click here
to watch the YouTube video.
Tracey students have greatly benefited from the school’s Character Education program, which provides a more holistic approach to academics and social and emotional wellbeing.
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NPS Students On Track To Earn State Seal Of Biliteracy
Congrats to the 39 NPS high school students who passed a test in October to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy! These Brien McMahon High School and Norwalk High School seniors demonstrated proficiency in a language other than English through one of the State approved assessment tools. These students will receive the Seal on their diplomas at graduation, and will have the award noted on their transcripts after completing all English language arts graduation requirements.
Click here
for the names of the students.
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NPS Celebrates National Mentor Month
January is National Mentoring Month! The Norwalk Mentor Program currently has 264 mentor/mentee matches. With over 11,500 students in Norwalk Public Schools, there is always a need for more mentors! During their one-hour together each week at school, the mentor and mentee may play games, read books, shoot some hoops, create an arts and crafts project, or just talk. Through these experiences, a mentor teaches social skills, encourages positive choices, promotes high self-esteem, supports academic achievement and introduces the mentee to new ideas.
To apply to become a mentor, contact Nancy Pratt, Program Director, at
npratt@hscct.org
or 203-849-1111 x3042 to schedule an individual meeting. You will then be invited to attend a training/orientation for potential new mentors.
The Norwalk Mentor Program is one of the programs of the Human Services Council, a local not-for-profit organization. It is the first school-based mentoring program in the country.
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NPS Teacher Receives UCONN Innovation Award
Congrats to NPS Gifted & Talented Teacher Ms. Jessica Stargardter on being selected to receive the 2019 Rogers Educational Innovation Award. This award will provide Ms. Stargardter with $5,000 to support a project titled “An Eye for Change: Real World Investigations Through Photojournalism.” The grant will be used to purchase disposable cameras, digital cameras, and resources.
The project is part of the Student Enrichment Model (SEM) being piloted at Cranbury and Tracey. SEM provides students with the opportunity to research real-world problems based on interests. By looking through the lens of their cameras, students involved in this project will experience and learn about social change.
Ms. Stargardter will be formally recognized in March at the University of Connecticut Storrs campus. Congrats to Ms. Stargardter!
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NECA Granted Separate School Status By The State
The Norwalk Early College Academy (NECA) will become its own NPS high school effective July 1, 2019. The first P-TECH model school in the state, NECA was granted separate school status approval by the State Department of Education in mid-January. NECA is in Norwalk High School and will remain in this location. To find out how this change will affect SAT scores, school performance indexes, graduation rates, class rank and more,
click here
.
.
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Preschool Preliminary Applications Are Live
NPS School Readiness Preschool programs serve residents who meet certain income requirements. To get on the waitlist, parents should complete a
Preschool Preliminary Application
. For more information, contact Evelyn Martinez at 203.854.4113. Registration will close March 15 and families will be alerted by the end of April. Tours are available upon request.
The program, run in partnership with Stepping Stones Museum For Children, introduces opportunities for Early Language and Learning Initiative students (ELLI) to build essential life skills. For information on the types of preschool activities available
click here
. With five locations across the district, the preschools are made possible through funding from CT State School Readiness and the Norwalk Board of Education.
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West Rocks Presents Mary Poppins Junior This Week
In what promises to be a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious performance, West Rocks Middle School will present Mary Poppins Junior, tonight through January 26. Set in England in the early 1900’s, the popular Broadway musical follows young Jane and Michael as a magical Nanny appears on their doorstep. Featuring song favorites such as “A Spoon Full Of Sugar” and “Jolly Holiday,” this classic has something for all ages.
The Friday show begins at 7PM with a Saturday matinee at 2PM. To purchase tickets
click here.
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Nominate Your Favorite NPS Support Staff Member
Is there an NPS support staff member who makes a huge difference in your child’s life each day? Do you think that someone on the custodial staff, a nurse, para or librarian deserves recognition for their hard work? Now is your chance! Teachers, staff, parents, students and community members are invited to submit nominations for the 2019 Excellence in Educational Support program. Submission forms are available
online
, and are due in each school principal’s office by February 13.
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Jefferson Student Selected As Winter Break Contest Winner
Justin Tallman from Jefferson Elementary, has won Achieve3000’s Make the Break holiday contest! There was only one winner per state, and Justin was selected in a drawing from thousands of students. Justin’s prize is a Singsation 5-in-1 karaoke system. Way to go Justin!
Achieve3000
provides tailored online content to help students build reading and writing skills.
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Update Your Info To Be In The Know
NPS sends out notifications to parents via email and automated voice message. To ensure that you receive these messages, if your contact information has changed, please let your school secretary know by January 31. After this date, if your information is incorrect or blank, you will not receive phone or email notifications regarding weather or emergency events.
If you would like to receive a text message you will need to
click here
for additional instructions on how to opt-in.
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Monday, January 28
, High School Start Time Focus Group, Norwalk High School, 6-7:30pm, Public Forum Room
Tuesday, January 29
, Board of Education Finance Committee & City of Norwalk Finance Committee Joint Meeting, 7-9pm, Common Council Chambers
Wednesday, January 30
, High School Start Time Focus Group, Brien McMahon High School, 6-7:30pm, Center for Global Studies
Monday, February 4
, High School Start Time Focus Group, Norwalk City Hall, 7-8:30pm, Community Room
Tuesday, February 5
, Policy Committee Meeting, 5:45-7pm, Room 333
Tuesday, February 5
, Board Workshop, 7-9pm, Common Council Chambers
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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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