There’s something magical about exploring music with children. Besides teaching them about musical genres, famous musicians, and instruments, music also provides opportunities to connect with different cultures, experience feelings and emotions, and bring history to life.
Here is a diverse list of favorite music books for kids.
In the past week, Norwalk Public Schools has consulted with the Norwalk Health Department and their medical advisor about plans for the expansion of in-person learning. While vaccinations are progressing as quickly as possible, community transmission remains high.
NPS schools have been working to plan out how to move to 3 feet distancing, based on the new CDC guidelines. At this elevated status, keeping students in cohorts is required in order to operate at 3 feet. NPS is able to do this effectively at the elementary school level, but not at the middle and high schools.
The new CDC guidelines also require that schools still maintain 6 feet of space in common areas such as hallways, and when masks cannot be worn, such as during mealtime.
Based on these considerations, NPS needs to delay the switch from hybrid learning to full in-person learning for middle and high schools. Hybrid and remote learning will remain in place for now at all secondary schools.
It is a priority for the district to have as many students as possible return to full-time, in-person learning. But that can only be accomplished when health and safety conditions allow it.
Alma Samuel, Carver’s Program Coordinator for our 5th Grade Scholar transition program at Brookside Elementary School, is with a student in the first photo. Our Program Coordinators and Carver’s Chief Program Officer Brian Alert joined 32 Carver families from Tracey, Brookside, Kendall, and Naramake Elementary Schools for an evening of fun at Bowlmor Lanes in Norwalk! Our families experience these outings together thanks to the generous support of 21st CCLC, the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local after-school programs.
On Mondays at Brookside Elementary School, students partake in athletic activities like jump rope, soccer, and basketball, arts and crafts, or computer games like Kahoot, Escape Rooms, and Quizlets.
On Tuesdays, they participate in China Club, thanks to students from BMHS who teach our 5th graders Chinese. There are also the wild experiences offered by the Maritime Aquarium!
On Wednesdays, we are beginning computer coding.
Yoga is taught by Ms. Ledger on Thursdays.
Our 5th-grade students experience these enrichments, along with homework help and other academic activities, all thanks to the generous support of 21st CCLC, the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local after-school programs.
Carver kids are able to engage in hands-on activities, watch spectacular demonstrations, take home educational science-themed creations that reinforce the concepts they've learned, and learn new life-long skills like yoga.
This important funding enables Carver to prepare 5th grade students at four Norwalk elementary schools for what they will experience in middle school.
Our 5th-grade transition students are assigned to a homeroom which they attend following the school’s afternoon dismissal bell. Students then have a few minutes to eat a snack and get ready for the Carver experience. Study hall and homework are first. Certified teachers and assistants help, and sometimes students help each other.
Then our students explore all manner of enrichment opportunities that both interest them and that open their minds and expand their abilities. Within each elective session, students are breaking barriers by completing challenges, enhancing skills, and building teamwork abilities. The students make presentations of their work later in the school year. These academic and enrichment experiences complement what the students are learning during the school day.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local after-school, before-school, and summer learning programs. The program serves nearly 2 million youth nationally, through very competitive grants awarded by each state education agency.
Carver is proud to report on the results we are achieving with these grants our state education leaders entrust us with.
The funding level for the 21st CCLC is set each year by Congress in an appropriations bill that is then signed into law by the president. For more than 20 years 21st Century Community Learning Centers have been providing high-quality programming to a wide range of children grades pre-K to 12th grade in communities nationwide.
This downloadable fact sheet is a great primer on who is served and key outcomes of local programs such as Carver.
As Connecticut prepares this week to open access to the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone aged 16 and older, yesterday Gov. Ned Lamont outlined plans to prioritize specific populations including people with certain medical conditions and developmental disabilities. Read more
The governor announced that the statewide positivity rate was 3.53%.
Read the Daily COVID-19 Report as of 5 p.m. Monday, Mar. 30
Indicators for School Learning Models released Aug. 20
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
Naramake students created their art on Friday during SEL/ARTS Day. Each grade level was given a specific color of post-its to write acts of kindness.
This Carver program is made possible with generous funding from the 21st CCLC grant program administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education
In the photos below, you will see our 5th grade scholars making slime under the guidance of Mad Science experts; constructing bridges; creating animated flip books and storyboards; and the Maritime Aquarium teaching our students all about sharks!
And that is just a glimpse of what is in store for our 5th grade transition students each day, thanks to the generous support of 21st CCLC, the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local after school programs.
Carver kids are able to engage in hands-on activities, watch spectacular demonstrations, and take home educational science-themed creations, such as bridge you see below, that reinforce the concepts they've learned.
This important funding enables Carver to prepare 5th grade students at four Norwalk elementary schools for what they will experience in middle school. Below are images of our students at Naramake Elementary School during their individual enrichment sessions.
Our 5th grade transition students are assigned to a homeroom which they attend following the school’s afternoon dismissal bell. Students then have a few minutes to eat a snack and get ready for the Carver experience. Study hall and homework are first. Certified teachers and assistants help, and sometimes students help each other.
Then our students explore all manner of enrichment opportunities that both interest them and that open their minds and expand their abilities. Within each elective session, students are breaking barriers by completing challenges, enhancing skills, and building team work abilities. The students make presentations of their work later in the school year. These academic and enrichment experiences compliment what the students are learning during the school day.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local after-school, before-school and summer learning programs. The program serves nearly 2 million youth nationally, through very competitive grants awarded by each state education agency.
21st CCLC was reauthorized in 2015 as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Programs support:
Academic enrichment activities that can help students meet state and local achievement standards.
A broad array of additional enrichment services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as: drug and violence prevention programs, career and technical programs, counseling programs, art, music programs, STEM programs, and physical activity and nutrition education programs.
Literacy and related educational development services to the families of children who are served in the program.
Carver is proud to report on the results we are achieving with these grants our state education leaders entrust us with.
The funding level for 21st CCLC is set each year by Congress in an appropriations bill that is then signed into law by the president. For more than 20 years 21st Century Community Learning Centers have been providing high quality programming to a wide range of children grades pre-K to 12th grade in communities nationwide.
This downloadable fact sheet is a great primer on who is served and key outcomes of local programs such as Carver.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we would like to express our gratitude for the diverse network of women who so graciously serve on Carver’s Board of Directors. Though our CEO, Novelette Peterkin, and each of our female board members are highly accomplished professionals, this month we celebrate them for being the all-around amazing people they are in both their individual careers and beyond. Their dedication to Carver’s mission and commitment to assisting their communities are remarkable in their own right. We also celebrate Carver’s immediate past board president, Diana Napier, a senior manager at The Workplace who serves as an ex officio member of our Board of Directors today.
Sandra Faioes serves as Vice-President on Carver’s Board. She is Director of School Improvement for the Norwalk Public Schools District, after serving as Principal of Norwalk’s Brookside Elementary School for four years. During her tenure there, she successfully completed a RELAY fellowship as a member of Norwalk’s first cohort and was selected to work closely with the district’s Chief of School Operations. Sandra is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Creole.
Valerie Watson is Secretary of Carver’s Board and Vice President & Manager at Patriot Bank N.A., which has been a steadfast Carver partner since 2002. She has managed the Norwalk branch for over 14 years while being actively involved in local community affairs through efforts such as offering free financial literacy seminars at Carver to educate individuals on money and credit. In addition to her role on Carver’s Board, she serves on the Boards of the Human Service Council in Norwalk, The WorkPlace, and her church.
Kimberly Gaddy, a Carver alumna, is the Director of Reporting & Analytics at Gartner. She directs and manages all aspects of enterprise business intelligence data warehousing and enterprise integration strategy for Gartner Global Consulting Strategy & Operations. Prior to Gartner, she worked for Yale University as the Director of Information Systems and Decision Support in the Yale School of Medicine/Yale Medical Group. She is Chairperson of the Finance Board at Friendship Baptist Church and serves as a national committee member for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Leadership Academy.
Inwha Huh works for IBM as a Partner & Practice Leader for Banking & Financial Markets, Cognitive Process Transformation, across corporate & institutional banking, retail and transaction banking. Throughout her career, she has been an active diversity forum leader, serving as Executive Sponsor for the Financial Women’s Association, among many others. Inwha is currently the Executive Sponsor of IBM’s Asian American Advisory Council and a Board member of Ascend Leadership.
Rose Lanard founded Lanard Consulting, LLC after her last corporate role as S&P Global’s Chief Diversity Officer. As an experienced leader in Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), senior executive and employee engagement, women’s leadership initiatives, and mentoring programs, she helps organizations create highly diverse and inclusive work environments. Her recognitions include Black Enterprise’s Top Corporate Executive in Diversity & Inclusion and Tri-State Diversity Council’s Most Influential Woman, among others.
E. Suzanne Small is a Director in Credit Management at TD Securities, USA, where she underwrites loans and manages them over their lifetime. During her 20-year career in investment banking, she worked for UBS as an Executive Director overseeing portfolio risk management and corporate lending and was VP & Director in structured finance at TD Securities. On top of her position on Carver’s Board, she serves as Treasurer for Rowayton Yacht Club’s Board of Directors. Sue has been an ardent Carver supporter for the last 12 years.
Novelette Peterkin is Carver’s Chief Executive Officer. Since joining Carver in 2004, she 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 learning opportunities to K-12 students in 19 schools. Novelette is a recipient of numerous awards such as the Women of Distinction Award (Darien YWCA) and The Elizabeth Roberts Changing the Odds for Children Award (United Way of Coastal Fairfield County). She is also a member of the National Black MBA Association and the Maritime Aquarium’s Board of Directors.
The Carver community joins the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history!
Like with our students, we treasure more than measure the women who lead Carver initiatives. Though our CEO, Novelette Peterkin, and each of our female board members are highly accomplished professionals, this month we celebrate them for being the all-around amazing people they are in both their individual careers and beyond.
And then there are our Carver alumna. They are making their mark in the fields of law, government, medicine, finance, entertainment, professional sports, technology, education, entrepreneurship, and the creative arts, among many other professions. They are ambitious critical thinkers who understand that achievement is not a destination but an ongoing and exciting journey. You can read some of their inspiring stories here.
Before women had the whole month, the U.S. recognized Women’s History Week; before that, a single International Women’s Day. Dedicating the whole month of March in honor of women’s achievements may seem irrelevant today. But at the time of the conception of Women’s History Week, activists saw the designation as a way to revise a written and social American history that had largely ignored women’s contributions.
Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women’s history milestones of course stretches back to the founding of the United States.
The National Women’s History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2021 theme is a continuation of 2020's: "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced." This theme recognizes the battle for women's suffrage, which was gained with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. For almost 100 years, women had been fighting for the right to vote: They made speeches, signed petitions, staged demonstrations and argued over and over again that women, like men, deserved all of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
