35th Annual New Canaan Rotary Club Lobsterfest!
The New Canaan community is near and dear to heart of the Carver community! The next Lobsetrfest will be a drive-through with curbside pick up at the Waveny Pool Pavilion (663 South Ave, New Canaan) on Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th.
Orders need to be placed online in advance at https://www.newcanaanrotarylobsterfest.org. No tickets will be sold on site.
All food will be prepared and packed by professional caterers from New Canaan's Fjord Fish Market (steamed lobster or grilled salmon dinners) and Walter Stewart's Market (fried chicken dinner) with wine and beer selected by Stewart’s Wine & Spirits also available for purchase.
A limited number of home deliveries are available for orders of 8 or more. Orders will be placed in your car/trunk per your request by members of the Rotary Club and the SLOBs.
Proceeds from Lobsterfest are the New Canaan Rotary Club's main source of funds to provide grants to support many local non-profits. In 2020 alone, over $40,000 was donated to more than 30 local non-profits.
Order by September 30th to save 10% on all meal tickets! NO discount code required! NEW: Buy Gift Cards and send a dinner to friends, co-workers, clients or say THANKS to a local First Responder.
If you would like to become a sponsor, please visit their website link above. If you cannot attend but would like to make a donation, you can do so on their website.
Nancy on Norwalk: Superintendent Alexandra Estrella shares next steps for the district
Norwalk Superintendent of Schools Alexandra Estrella, just two months into her new job, sat down with NancyOnNorwalk to discuss starting work here during a pandemic and the Board of Education’s strategic approach to defining new goals for the future.
Estrella, former superintendent for Community School District Four in East Harlem, described herself as hands on, making it a priority to visit every school and have in-depth conversations with each principal in the weeks prior to the schools reopening, so she could get to know them. She also sought information about the district and advice on what she should continue doing or keep in mind as she transitions into her new role.
…the district is working toward drafting a new strategic operating plan, “hopefully at some point between January and February.” The listening and learning tour guided by Temple University Associate Professor Edward Fergus, Ph. D., as part of the equity initiative is part of that: “We are starting off by building the capacity and building a common language and understanding of what, what implicit bias is what does it mean? And how do we, as individuals contribute to the largest system around some of these challenges?”
MISSION POSSIBLE! Darien youth to undertake a campaign to support Carver kids
Organized by the Community Fund of Darien, Darien youth are about to undertake a campaign to gather PPE supplies for Carver students!
The weeklong MISSION POSSIBLE! drive will be to collect as many new reusable and disposable face masks for Carver kids as possible. MISSION POSSIBLE! runs from Saturday, September 19th to Saturday, September 26th. We will have a collection bin at the Darien Sport Shop at 1127 Post Road in Darien to collect the donations.
Carver kids are back to school!
All of our K-12 before and after school programs are operating with the goal of achieving full enrollment by November 1st. Students and teachers are adjusting to the new public health challenges and rules. All our students have computers. Transportation is adjusted with more bus monitors. Carver also operates one of the two Community Pods for Norwalk public middle and high school students on their virtual learning days.
Thank you for your generous support!
Norwalk Educational Equity Initiative: Survey & Focus Groups Begin
The Norwalk Public Schools (NPS) district has undertaken a comprehensive initiative designed to examine and address educational equity in Norwalk.
This ongoing project consists of four phases of work: an examination of disproportionate representation that looks at where children of color are under-represented or over-represented in programs and situations; a community survey and focus groups; presentations to the Norwalk community on findings and recommendations; and equity literacy development of district leadership.
Recommendations from the work will also include plans for a year-long program of professional development for employees that will focus on strategies for reducing implicit bias-based beliefs.
To get a deeper perspective from the community on equity, NPS and partner Temple University will kick off a “Listening and Learning Tour” over the next several weeks. It will include surveys for parents, students and staff, as well as focus groups that will explore equity as a pillar of the conversation. A variety of focus groups will be held both virtually and in-person for staff, parents and educators.
Back to school updates!
We are back to school!
REGISTER HERE FOR ALL CARVER K-12 BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS.
Make arrangements directly with the school to register your child in Carver’s after school program at Side By Side Chater School in Norwalk or the Classical Studies Magnet Academy in Bridgeport.
Our before and after school programs are operating with the goal of achieving full enrollment by November 1st. Students and teachers are adjusting to the new public health challenges and rules. All our students have computers. Transportation is adjusted with more bus monitors.
Throughout Connecticut, the governor announced that since last Friday, another 136 residents had tested positive for COVID-19 and 10,790 tests had been conducted, bringing the total number of cases to 55,031. No additional deaths from coronavirus-associated causes were reported, keeping the total at 4,485. The number of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 increased by 7 bringing the total to 71. The governor signed his 70th executive order.
Read the governor's latest update as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15
Indicators for School Learning Models released Aug. 20
Reopening Rules - Phase Two (English and Spanish)
Many hospitals and healthcare providers around Connecticut are now offering COVID-19 testing without a doctor's order. Check 211 for the list here.
Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center: Desktop & Mobile
Carver celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month!
Google's search website was updated Tuesday for the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month with a new Doodle to honor Puerto Rican civil rights pioneer Felicitas Mendez. Hispanic Heritage Month began as Hispanic Heritage Week. Hispanic Heritage Week was established by legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. In 1988, the commemorative week was expanded to a month (September 15 to October 15) by legislation signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.
William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty offers tremendous financial support and expressions of solidarity
The Carver community received a generous gift of $7,800 from William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty today to support our students as they return to school this week.
There was an “outpouring of generosity” from the company’s real estate agents and employees contributing to this effort “…to promote the advancement of racial equality and social justice,” said the William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty President and CEO, Paul Breunich. The company raised a total of $39,000, distributed equally to five charities.
Additionally, Carver will receive a gift of $15,000 from the estate of Joan Toepfer and her Executor, Alix Prince, as will the other four beneficiary charities.
Breunich said his company is committed to “…stand in full solidarity and support of people of color. …Together, we are all called to do better.”
Finding the right words to accurately capture the current challenges our children and their families face is nearly impossible. But we are greatly heartened by these generous gifts and expressions of solidarity. It is with inspiration from partners like William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty that we are able to boldly continue to support our students in these uncharted circumstances.
Carver’s mission has never been so critical. Please join us in thanking William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty for joining us in our work towards providing an excellent education for all students.
Dr. Alexandra Estrella visits Robert Pennington, Principal, Rowayton Elementary School
Dr. Alexandra Estrella visits Robert Pennington, Principal, Rowayton Elementary School, who is also a Carver board member. It was also his brithday!
The Hour: Carver included in "5 things to know about schools reopening in Norwalk"
NORWALK — Tuesday marks the first day of school for the city’s public schools. By now, most families have decided whether to send their children back into the classrooms or keep them home for virtual learning. They know the rules around masks, washing their hands and being in the classroom while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Norwalk Public Schools has also initiated some of these new protocols and programs to help ease families back to school, many returning to the building for the first time since March.
Community pods for virtual learning
Superintendent Alexandra Estrella said the Norwalk Public Library and the Carver Center will offer support for middle and high school students on their virtual learning days. Each pod will contain up to 12 students who will be part of the group for the entire semester. A paraeducator will be assigned to each pod.
For more information, see the district’s Reopening Handbook for Parents.
Free meals still available at Carver
Families with children between the ages of 2 and 18 can pick up free meals at the Carver Community Center and around the city through the end of 2020, thanks to the USDA extending its Summer Food Service Program. The district began meal pickup when school buildings closed due to COVID-19 in March. It’s available to all children in the city, not just those with Norwalk Public Schools.