The State Education Commissioner's Summer Math Challenge!

The 2021 Commissioner's Summer Math Challenge stresses the importance of maintaining math skills during the summer. Schools compete based on student population and grade level. The program identifies the schools with the highest percentage of participating enrollment and the highest number of badges earned by participating students. Registration instructions, district reporting forms and all other materials are available online.

• Regististration for Grades 1-8 / Registration for Grades 9-12

• Summer Math Log (Metametrics and Khan Academy)

• Summer Math School Reporting Form - Form must be completed by October 29, 2021.

• Student Certificate

• Information for Principals

• Message to Parents and Students / Mensaje a padres y estudiantes (Spanish)

• Summer Math Flier / Folleto de Summer Math (Spanish)

• Poster

Connecticut Summer Math Passport

Passport booklet

• Beach

• ChalkWalks

• Farmer's Market

• Gardening

• Hiking

• Ice cream

• Playground

Getting Ready for Summer!

This Sumer is Different!

Here is the Carver website page to register for all our summer programs.

After a tumultuous school year, there has and continues to be substantial disruption to our children’s learning, interpersonal interactions, and social-emotional well-being. Addressing these disruptions requires an educational response, which is already underway, to promote renewal, reduce opportunity gaps, accelerate learning, and advance equity by providing access to supports, resources, and enhanced enrichment experiences available this summer and into the 2021-22 academic year.

That is why Carver is investing in providing and expanding free and affordable access to summer enrichment and wellness opportunities for all students with an emphasis on those who were most impacted by the pandemic, a critical first step toward helping our students thrive in the years to come.

Disruption is a time to innovate, create, partner, and collaborate to redefine education moving forward by combining traditional educational tools with the nontraditional methods we found most successful during the pandemic while being mindful and responsive to the needs of the children we serve. Now more than ever, it is critical to see this as an opportunity to renew these high-impact practices through summer and beyond, and leverage the assets that our partners and donors make possible.

Our initiatives will prioritize engaging, hands-on learning experiences and transformative enrichment opportunities. We will help children re-engage, provide services to address children’s social-emotional and mental health needs and help them get caught up so that they can thrive during the 2021-22 school year and beyond. These enhanced learning and enrichment opportunities are key to recovery and to helping our young people heal from the past, prepare for the future, and flourish along the way.

Carver Summer Transition Programs

The summer transition programs are designed to help incoming 6th and 9th-grade students transition into Norwalk’s four middle and two high schools. Programming includes individualized instruction, parental involvement, small group learning experiences, diverse enrichment activities, free transportation, and full-day activities benefiting working families.

Students learn the basics of navigating their respective new schools. The incoming 9th-graders learn how to read a transcript, understand graduation requirements, earn credits in courses, and look ahead to potential career options. Students use Naviance/Family Connection to develop an individualized Student Success Plan.

Summer Enrichment Programs

These are the most affordable and high-quality programs available to students ages 5 through 13 years old in Norwalk. These program offerings range from (CDC rules permitting) swimming to project-based and hands-on personalized learning to prepare students for the coming school year.

Our summer literacy program, facilitated by certified teachers, uses the myON and Lexia Reading Core 5 software to provide personalized learning. NPS certified teachers also teach math sessions, the two primary programs are TimezAttack and ThinkCentral. TimezAttack is a computer-based math fact game that strongly supports fact fluency. ThinkCentral is the online component of the GO Math Common Core math program used in NPS K-5 classes.

The Need for Quality Summer Programs!

​​A new, national survey explores the unique role out-of-school time programs play in youth development compared with home and school, how parents assess quality in OST programs, and the impact of COVID-19 for summer 2021—and beyond.

And speaking of summer, a new report by the Afterschool Alliance and Edge Research shows participation in summer programs is higher than ever, but the demand is far from being met. For every child in a program, there’s another child waiting to get in.

Fairfield County Corporate Collaborative for Education Equity awards Carver a grant for summer programming

This new corporate collaborative awarded Carver a $50,000 grant for our summer transition program for rising 9th graders at Norwalk’s two high schools.

Six local businesses created a partnership with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (FCCF) to establish the Fairfield County Corporate Collaborative for Education Equity.

A multi-year local impact and funding collective, the founding corporate members seek to foster educational equity in Fairfield County by helping to reduce and eliminate disparities that impact the region’s most vulnerable pre-K through 12th-grade students, parents, and guardians as well as teachers and staff.

Participating companies work with FCCF to support local nonprofit organizations and initiatives in the Greater Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk, and Stamford regions with financial contributions, employee volunteerism and expertise, mentorship and internship opportunities, and other resources.

“As business leaders, we have an opportunity to support our community’s economic recovery while also addressing the educational disparities that impact far too many children and families in our county. Now more than ever, supporting education is critical to promoting equity, fairness, and opportunity for all,” said Marc Lautenbach, President and CEO, Pitney Bowes, who first extended an invitation to the other companies to form the collaborative. “It is unacceptable that entrenched educational gaps sharply divide Connecticut students along racial, ethnic, and economic lines. Stepping forward to help reduce these gaps is the right thing for all of us, and for all of our stakeholders.”

“We are grateful for the leadership of Bank of America, First County Bank, Lapine Associates, Pitney Bowes, Synchrony, and Xerox in forging this new education-focused collaborative,” said Juanita James, President and CEO, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. “By pooling their philanthropic resources, leveraging the influence of their respective corporate brands, empowering their employees, and aligning around specific projects we believe we can make a meaningful and measurable difference in helping to close some of the opportunity gaps that exist in our region.”

Local high school student is named semifinalist in the annual Profiles in Courage essay contest

Ridgefield High School student Julia Clavi was a national semifinalist in the annual Profiles in Courage Contest. She was among the top 15 student finalists. Her evocative essay on Jose Canales will be published on the Profiles in Courage website and she will receive a monetary award. 

The annual Profile in Courage Essay Contest invites high school students from across the nation to write an essay on an act of political courage by a US elected official. The contest is a companion program of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award™, named for Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which recounts the stories of eight US senators who risked their careers by embracing unpopular decisions for the greater good. This year, 2,290 essays were submitted from students in fifty states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, and from US citizens in China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Carver received a state grant for summer and state COVID-19 news updates

Carver was among those awarded State Department of Education 2021 summer enrichment grants which will expand high-quality summer enrichment programs for Connecticut children.

Our grant is for the new summer enrichment program we are creating this summer at Side By Side Charter Charter School.

Carver is also conducting summer transition programs for rising 6th and 9th graders at Norwalk’s four middle and two public high schools, the After the Summer Bell program at Kendall Elementary School, and its summer enrichment programs at the Carver Community Center and Columbus Magnet School.

We are grateful to Senator Murphy for having fought hard for summer programming funds to be included in the American Rescue Plan that passed Congress earlier this year.

Below is an update on COVID-19 as life returns to normal.

• REMINDER: The Treasury Department has released guidance on the implementation of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. For reference, here are the links to the fact sheet, Interim Final Rule, and the program website. They also released a FAQ document, which can be found here, which they will continue to update as program implementation progresses.

• REMINDER: CDC announced that fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. Connecticut will no longer require fully vaccinated residents to wear a mask in most indoor and outdoor spaces.

• REMINDER: Governor Lamont announced that as Connecticut continues to recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he is creating the Back to Work CT program, which will provide a one-time $1,000 bonus payment to 10,000 long-term unemployed people who live in Connecticut and obtain new jobs. The program is designed to encouraged long-term unemployed individuals to find work. The program is being administered by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. In the coming days, the department will create a form on its websitefor individuals to apply. The first applications will be accepted eight weeks from the start date of the program. Workers will be eligible to receive only one incentive payment.

For information on federal coronavirus relief, including help for small businesses, direct cash payments, and more visit  murphy.senate.gov/coronavirus. This page provides answers to frequently asked questions and gives a summary of available programs and funding. 

For the latest information about keeping you or your family safe go to  cdc.gov/coronavirus. For resources and information about Connecticut’s response, including updates about vaccine distribution, visit  ct.gov/coronavirus. 

Register now for Carver's Outdoor Soccer League, grades K-5, 5/28-6/25

Carver thanks State Representative Terrie Wood for her support of our gala

Second Vaccination Dose at Carver TODAY, 10AM-4PM

Norwalk Talent Show, Friday, June 4, 6 PM!

Norwalk Strives to Achieve Equity in Education

We know of no school district more committed to Equity in Education than Norwalk Public Schools (NPS).

The work of creating the next NPS Strategic Plan involves a wide variety of stakeholders, including input from the district’s senior management team and school administrators, as well as teachers, staff, parents, students, community leaders, and funders.

Here is an update from Nancy on Norwalk.

To help guide the discussion and move the Strategic Plan forward, NPS Superintendent Dr. Alexandra Estrella convened a Strategic Plan Task Force. The group includes Carver CEO Novelette Peterkin, teachers, principals, administrators, and community leaders. See the other task force members here.

This planning is occurring just as funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) hits the city and school district coffers. High-quality education can make a significant difference in the lives of individuals and families.

NPS is in a unique position to help create a more equitable community. Our local efforts will be strengthened by the Biden-Harris Administration’s executive order on advancing racial equity through systemic and policy change.

The NPS cohesive approach to equity in education reflects student needs, parent voice, stakeholder input, differences in school populations, and attention to funding, high-quality teachers, student/teacher/staff ratios, and sound and well-maintained school buildings. These are not easy goals, but they are receiving the attention they deserve to ensure equitable access and resources for all children and families.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, research shows educational inequities (nationally) for students of color (e.g., Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and particular Asian groups such as Burmese Americans), including overidentification in special education, exclusionary practices, lowered expectations, and a lack of access to instructional resources.

Other children and youth have also experienced serious and disproportionate disadvantages, including those who live in under-resourced homes and communities, those who have disabilities or specific health or behavioral/emotional needs, those from immigrant backgrounds, and those who are English learners. The pandemic has exacerbated inequities.

NPS and allies such as Carver will play a critical role in this process, as will other key stakeholders like parents and mental health providers. These groups not only have the knowledge and experience to reimagine an equitable and inclusive approach to education, but will also have access to fiscal resources—thanks to ARP funding—to turn this vision into reality and monitor outcomes. As education leaders debate how to allocate new resources, they should keep the following strategies in mind.

Focus on the whole child in the return to in-person learning

Students have faced isolation, loss, and trauma during the pandemic, all of which have impacted their home and school lives. Resources and plans to address these challenges vary across school districts, and many are ill-equipped to do so. For instance, prior to the pandemic, research found that 60 percent of schools lacked mental health services, and that mental health services for children of color were less accessible and of lower quality than services available to non-Latino White students. Additionally, school staff who may be best equipped to address students’ emotional and health issues (i.e., social workers, counselors, psychologists, and nurses) are in short supply, have high caseloads, and often serve multiple schools.

Incorporate parent voices into school decision making

Parents have played multiple roles during the COVID-19 pandemic and are most aware of their children’s academic, social, emotional, mental, and physical strengths and needs. NPS and Carver solicit feedback from parents on a regular and ongoing basis. Importantly, data collection tools like parent surveys—often analyzed to indicate average preferences—may not meet the unique needs of all students, such as those who have faced economic hardships or significant family loss, or those who have disabilities or special health or other care needs.

Involve varied stakeholders in planning

NPS and Carver are listening to parents while also engaging with students, teachers, staff, and other stakeholders when developing plans for the 2021-2022 school year. Students, in particular, can offer solutions to strengthen their own educational experiences. Norwalk is using virtual town halls, social media, focus groups, and targeted surveys to solicit feedback from students themselves, child and youth-serving organizations, local governments, mental health providers, and other stakeholders. NPS is engaging the community in collaborative and inclusive planning that will be better able to develop equitable plans that respond to the disparate ways in which students, families, and neighborhoods have been impacted by the pandemic.