Carver summer campers learn to swim at the Y!

The Riverbrook Regional YMCA at the Wilton branch is an integral part of the Carver community. The Y shares its human and physical resources with other agencies such as Carver that can benefit from collaboration. 

Right now, the Y Youth Swimming Lesson Program is helping Carver summer campers to become competent and confident swimmers! Children are introduced to the water through a graduated series of lessons developed and standardized by the YMCA of the USA. The program is divided into age groups, and children move through the levels at their own pace as their abilities and skills grow. 

Carver's beginning swimmers work on water acclimation, safety, and basic swimming skills. Children may or may not swim independently with a float belt. Our more advanced youth work on swim strokes for front and back, safety, self-confidence, and endurance. 

It's collaborations like this with the Y that make the goals and dreams of our youth possible.

THANK YOU, the Y! 

Carver campers visit the Maritime Aquarium to meet the sharks, otters, sea turtles, jellies, and so much more!

The Maritime Aquarium is Carver's science partner throughout the year, during summer and then after school during the school year. 

The Maritime Aquarium is approximately 140,000 square feet and has more than 177,000 gallons of water in its live animal exhibits. On exhibit are more than 2,000 marine animals and reptiles, representing in excess of 300 species. Its 93 exhibit tanks range in size from 10 to 110,000 gallons. There are two exhibit pools: seals and ray touch. Off-exhibit are more than 30 additional tanks and a small pool.

The aquarium has a display of detailed ship models with 14 in cases, as well as charts and interpretive signs. In the ship model area and throughout the Cascade Cafe are signs describing the nautical origins of many popular sayings, for example, "bitter end," "scuttlebutt," "let the cat out of the bag," "under the weather," and "three squares a day."

Carver campers love the Maritime Aquarium!

Join us for Mo's Summer Run basketball nights!

How Carver summer programs keep the learning "faucet" running

Carver provides Freshman Summer Success Academies for graduated 8th-grade students transitioning into 9th grade at Norwalk and Brien McMahon High Schools.  Carver provides a Summer Middle School Transition Program for 5th-grade students transitioning into Norwalk’s four middle schools. Carver provides two summer enrichment programs for chidren aged K-13 at the Carver Community Center and Columbus Magnet School. Carver is given free access to each school’s facilities and resources free of charge. 

A Brookings Institute article written by David M. Quinn and Morgan Polikoff explains disappointing—but unsurprising—statistics about the summer slide, a term used to describe the academic regression experienced by students over the summer.

A few keys facts:

• Learning and achievement is perishable. The average student loses a month of academic-calendar learning each summer.
• The impact of the summer slide contributes to a more pronounced achievement gap.
• Research has found a link between socioeconomic status and the loss of reading skills experienced over the summer.
• Studies show older students lose more over the summer than younger ones.
• Students see greater academic dips in math than in reading.

After mapping out the summer slide and its impact on students, Quinn and Polikoff go on to describe the “faucet theory” from the book “Summer Learning and Home Environment.” This theory provides a hypothesis for to why the summer slide hits lower-income children harder. 

The “resource faucet’ is on for all students during the school year,” Quinn and Polikoff explain, “enabling all students to make learning gains. Over the summer, however, the flow of resources slows for students from disadvantaged backgrounds but not for students from advantaged backgrounds. Higher-income students tend to continue to have access to financial and human capital resources (such as parental education) over the summer, thereby facilitating learning.”

Thanks to your support, since 2005, 100% of Carver seniors have graduated on time. Carver infuses high expectations, academic rigor, and healthy relationships into its youth development approach to instruction. Carver provides support that recognizes individual strengths, needs, and learning styles. Carver interventions and supports align with the Norwalk Public Schools 2019 Strategic Operating Plan aimed at closing the Achievement Gap. 

Carver keeps the "faucet" of resources running all through the year for its students and even after they go to college. 

Summer Learning with myOn Reader at the Carver Community Center and at Columbus Magnet School

myON Reader provides unlimited access to a broad collection of digital texts that are available for online and offline reading, and dynamically generates a list of just-right titles for each student that matches his or her current interests, grade, and Lexile® level.

Research shows that students tend to read more when they have choice and ownership over their reading and learning. That's the core concept behind myON! Flexible scaffolds, including professionally-recorded audio, text highlighting, an embedded dictionary and a zoom feature, make texts more accessible for students.

Students can choose titles from their recommended list or from the full myON library available under Carver's subscription. Student reading engagement and growth are measured in real time. Students, educators, and families use the data available at their fingertips about reading activity and growth to celebrate success, build motivation, and support differentiated instruction. 

myON Reader includes enhanced digital texts in English and Spanish from respected publishers in a mix of fiction and nonfiction. Optional reading supports and a suite of reading and writing tools foster deep connections to the text.

myON News delivers age-appropriate news articles for students, reporting on timely topics and current events through a series of five daily news articles, 52 weeks a year. Articles are available in English, Spanish and French. Coverage includes high-interest US and world news as well as arts and entertainment, sports, science and technology, and more.

Images of Summer: Carver campers visiting Beardsley Zoo and Skyzone!

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has a proud history of over 90 years as Connecticut’s only Zoo. As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and participant in its Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs, they are committed to the preservation of endangered animals and are actively developing strategies that will protect species and preserve their wild habitats. Through education, conservation, research and recreation, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo provides a wonderfully wild experience for Carver summer students!

Skyzone (in Norwalk and Bethel) is always working to invent epic new ways to play and exercise. Even though they’re the originators of wall-to-wall aerial action, they never stand still. The only way to understand it is to experience it. So we regularly rally our summer students and go!

And this is just a fraction of what happens everyday this summer in our enrichment summer camps and summer transition programs at Norwalk's two high schools and four missile schools!

Carver Summer Across Norwalk on July 3rd!

See all the photos here at our Facebook page of Norwalk River Rowing for rising 9th graders attending the Summer Transition Program at NHS; Carver Community Center campers swimming at NHS; rising 6th graders attending Carver's Summer Transition Program at Nathan Hale Middle School; and Summer Enrichment campers at Columbus Magnet School!

Norwalk River Rowing Association is teaching Carver campers how to crew!

Thanks to the generous financial support of long-time Carver board member and advocate, Dick Whitcomb, Carver summer students are learning how to crew!

The Summer Learning classes are non-competitive rowing programs for our Norwalk High School Summer Academy (rising 9th graders) led by Maureen Ireland. Jeffrey Thompson is the Director at Norwalk River Rowing. The emphasis is on learning rowing technique, boat handling, physical conditioning, teamwork, and fun!

Carver students enjoy sessions which incorporate on-land and water rowing with instruction with warm up exercises and camp activities in 2 week sessions with classes 4 days per week. After completing the Learn-to-Row class, our students are ready to move up to the Development Experienced Team.

The Norwalk River Rowing Association (NRRA) is a non-profit organization which promotes a lifelong passion for the sport of rowing among its Adult and Youth members who love Competition, Teamwork, Excellence, and Fun. They are dedicated to providing educational and athletic opportunities for the youth of our communities, and promoting excellence in the sport of rowing for all age groups. Their goal is to be the preeminent community-based rowing center in the northeast United States.

The Norwalk River Rowing Association was founded in 1986 by Ralph E. Sloan, former Norwalk Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Norman J. Weinberger, Norwalk pediatrician, and a few local residents. Initially, our goals were modest: to provide rowing opportunities for adults and youth and to develop a competitive high school program. What began as a small group of enthusiastic rowers on Long Island Sound now serves over four hundred people a year, from throughout southwest Connecticut and into New York, ranging in age from twelve to well into the eighties. Many of the founding members remain active participants at the NRRA today.

Thank you, NRRA for giving Carver kids a summer to remember!

Girl Scouts of Connecticut bring fun and learning to Carver summer camp kids!

Girl Scouts of Connecticut staff brought fun and learning to Carver kids today! One activity was making huge bubbles! 

See all the photos from today, here at Facebook!

The Girl Scouts are 2.6 million strong—1.8 million girls and 800,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world. 

Thheir extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, they’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

They remain the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. 

Thank you, Girl Scouts, for supporting Carver girls!

Mark your calendars: National Educational and Health Awareness Dates