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Statement from Norwalk Public Schools Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Estrella on US Capital events yesterday

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Yesterday’s unprecedented insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., was deeply troubling. When a protest turns from peace to violence, it damages the democratic values we hold dear in this country.  Along with the rest of the nation, our children were watching.  

Public education is one of the bedrock foundations of our democracy. National and global events always present teachable moments for our schools. As they do with any major historical event, our professional educators will provide safe spaces for students to have appropriate conversations and process yesterday’s events. District instructional specialists are available to help guide approaches on these difficult topics, especially for our social studies, civics and history classes. 

While yesterday’s insurrection was a major historical and news event, it is also an emotional one for both adults and children. At a time when COVID has already added stress to so many, events like this can be overwhelming. With that in mind, we have activated our district and school counselors to provide additional supports where needed. We encourage any families who have concerns about their child’s mental or physical health to reach out to their school principal, school social worker or school counselor.  

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Declaración de la Junta de Educación de Norwalk y Dra. Alexandra Estrella, Superintendente

La insurrección sin precedentes de ayer en el Capitolio de los Estados Unidos en Washington, D.C., fue profundamente preocupante. Cuando una protesta pasa de la paz a la violencia, daña los valores democráticos que apreciamos en este país. Junto con el resto de la nación, nuestros niños también estaban mirando.

La educación pública es uno de los cimientos fundamentales de nuestra democracia. Los eventos nacionales y globales siempre presentan momentos de enseñanza para nuestras escuelas. Como de costumbre con cualquier acontecimiento histórico importante, nuestros educadores profesionales proporcionarán espacios seguros para que los estudiantes tengan conversaciones apropiadas y procesen los eventos de ayer. Especialistas en instrucción del distrito están disponibles para ayudar a orientar los enfoques sobre estos temas difíciles, especialmente para nuestras clases de estudios sociales, cívica e historia.

Aunque la insurrección de ayer fue un importante acontecimiento histórico y noticioso, también es emotivo tanto para los adultos como para los niños. En un momento en que el COVID ya ha añadido tensión a tantos, eventos como este puede ser abrumador. Con eso en mente, hemos activado a nuestros consejeros escolares y del distrito para que brinden apoyo adicional cuando sea necesario. Alentamos a las familias que tengan preocupaciones sobre la salud física o mental de sus hijos que se comuniquen con el director de su escuela, el trabajador social de su escuela o su consejero escolar.  

This Thursday go on a virtual trip to the International Space Station!

After school programs and youth across the country are invited to go on a virtual trip to the International Space Station to see and hear Expedition 64 astronauts Kate Rubins and Shannon Walker answer questions from youth. 

There are two opportunities to participate.

Between 12:20 and 12:40 p.m. ET on Jan 7, the astronauts will answer prerecorded questions from aboard the International Space Station. At a special after school-hours event, NASA will host a Watch Party at 5 p.m. ET to view the astronaut Q&A from earlier in the day and have scientists and engineers on hand to answer questions from students live!



Norwalk Public Schools are open!

Click here for the status of each Norwalk public school as we return after the holiday break.

Also, free meals for all children are available for pick up at locations around the city as indicated below through the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. Each child may take a maximum of one breakfast and one lunch for each school day and weekend day. Duplicate meals cannot be received by visiting multiple sites. Meals can be accessed in either the cafeteria or the remote learning pickup site, but not both locations on the same day. Children may receive a maximum of 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches per week. 

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Here is the Carver community at its very best!

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Each year, Carver’s Teen Center Manager, Tremain Gilmore, organizes a massive gift-giving event at the Carver Community Center. Helping Tremain were close friends such as Ayasha Cantey, Julia Moore, Carver’s Jackie Roberson, and Jacob Tomlin.

Dozens of people and local businesses and organizations donate countless gifts that are added to however many gifts are left over from Carver’s gift-giving day to local children.

This year, GE Capital and some of their employees made an especially significant contribution to this initiative.

When a Norwalk Police Officer delivered a van full of toys, we made the obvious comment that Tremain is a wonderful person. He quickly replied that, “Tremain passed ‘wonderful’ a long time ago.”

Calvary Baptist Church, led by Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Ingraham, honored Tremain last year for his exemplary service to the community. Tremain is many things to the Norwalk community. He is known for his leadership and countless (and quiet) contributions far and wide. A Carver staffer for more than 16 years, Tremain organizes many Carver and (like this event) Carver-supported community events throughout the year. Tremain embodies the heart and soul of the Carver mission as much as anyone ever did in the 83-year history of Carver’s presence in the Norwalk community.

This giving of the “Blessings Bags” is a most fitting way for the Carver community to close out the tumultuous year of 2020. Whatever has happened, whatever is going to happen in the world, in this living moment of gift-giving contains the sum of the excitement and healing that is the Carver community.

As much as Carver measures and values its programmatic outcomes, we hold that presence is far more intricate and rewarding an outcome than productivity alone. Carver embraces a culture that measures our worth not only by our efficiency and our ability to perform this or that, but more importantly how we spend our days and therefore how we spend our lives.

Novelette Peterkin joins the Maritime Aquarium Board of Directors

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Read the article here; and here in The Hour.

The Maritime Aquarium recently elected Novelette to the Board of Directors.

The other new members are Diane Schlinkert, an active civic leader in Darien who serves on the boards of At Home in Darien and the town’s Garden Club; Norm Bloom of Copps Island Oysters in Norwalk; and the Rev. Dr. Lindsay E. Curtis of Grace Baptist Church in Norwalk.

Norwalk developer and Carver friend, Clay Fowler, founding partner, chair and CEO of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, was elected to be the Aquarium’s next chair of the Board of Trustees.

Since joining the not-for-profit Carver Foundation in 2004, Novelette Peterkin has led the transformation of Carver’s reach and impact – from a vibrant community center to a citywide network of before- and after-school and summer programs delivering equitable and holistic support to more than 2,300 students. Carver staff works closely with school and community leaders to foster environments that support students in almost all K-12 Norwalk Public Schools, Side by Side Charter School, and the Classical Studies Magnet Academy (in Bridgeport). She began her professional career as a private wealth manager in New York, and also has served as assistant director of residential services for the Andrus Children’s Center in New York.

Jason Patlis, president and CEO of The Maritime Aquarium, celebrated the opportunities and insights that the new trustees bring to the organization, and recognized the vital importance of strong leadership by Fowler and outgoing chair Audrey Weil.

“This has been among the most challenging years in the history of The Maritime Aquarium, and it is by virtue of the close partnership with Audrey Weil that we have navigated the pandemic and the Walk Bridge impacts, and it is with the steady leadership of Clay Fowler that we will emerge from these challenges stronger than ever before,” Patlis said. “Looking ahead to this new era, we welcome the new class of trustees who represent the rich diversity of Norwalk itself.

“With Novelette, we hope to strengthen Aquarium programs that elevate underserved and lower-income students, and, with Rev. Curtis’ help, we can link the goals of stewardship that unite both the religious community and the conservation community, and that look to inspire and empower families,” Patlis said.

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