FAFSA Day at Norwalk Community College on Saturday, October 16th
Community conversation next Thursday on Equity Literacy via Zoom, 6-8PM
Free vaccination every Wednesday now through October 27th
Town Hall meeting tonight at 7 PM on the issue of Student Mental Health!
Please join the students of the Center for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School for a discussion on student mental health needs, what schools have done to address them, and how the district can better meet the needs moving forward.
Click here or on the image below to join in the discussion via Zoom, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm, tonight.
This discussion is made possible by Norwalk ACTS. It provides a safe space for youth to come together to educate, share experiences and explore solutions to ensure an equitable school environment. As a reminder, these are student-led discussions, however, adults are encouraged to listen in.
In the news: Carver receives state youth violence prevention grant
Read the entire article here at Nancy on Norwalk.
NORWALK, Conn. — State grants totaling $150,000 will help fund youth violence prevention initiatives at “five wonderful nonprofit organizations in our community,” State Rep. Stephanie Thomas (D-143) said Friday.
“I believe that we all benefit when government and nonprofit organizations team up to address difficult issues,” Thomas said, at City Hall. “Our nonprofit partners are closest to the problem, and they focus on database solutions that work. Given the challenges we’ve all faced over the last 18 months, this funding will help vulnerable youth move forward in a positive direction. All five of these organizations have proven strategies that will help our young people stay on a positive path throughout their lives.”
“I want to just take a moment to really thank Representative Thomas for her efforts to bring this funding to our local communities. She is in her first term in the first year of her first term,” State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-25) said. “… It’s very hard to kind of find your way around (in your first year), whether it’s virtually or in-person and she managed to do not only that but find funding for these great organizations.”
“This grant will specifically help us to expand our Summer Run program. That’s a program that we’ve done for a number of years,” Carver Center Executive Director Novelette Peterkin said.
A Carver Facebook post explains that this summer, the program included the “new mobile L.O.V.E. Unit, an initiative that provided free basketball training and mentorship at Roodner Court and Columbus Court.”
“We actually took this on the road, which, as a result of this grant, we’re able to do that, so we’re very happy about that,” Peterkin said at Friday’s event.
Carver also offered high school students paid internships through an Earn and Learn Initiative, “as a result of this grant,” she said. “We also will add a number of family engagement at the community center. We plan to do a workshop on artificial intelligence. “There’s so many things that we want to do with families as well as with the students. So, we are grateful for this grant.”
The Carver Center, Homes for Hope, the Norwalk Housing Foundation, the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County, and The Rowan Center are benefitting from the grant….
Bankwell's support of Carver is in the news!
As a longstanding supporter, Bankwell is proud to again support Carver Foundation and its mission to close opportunity gaps for all children and ensure they graduate on time and ready for college and careers.
Carver is Norwalk's largest provider of before and after school and summer programs. Serving approximately 2,400 students, Carver operates in 18 K-12 Norwalk Public Schools, Side By Side Charter School, the Carver Community Center, and the Classical Studies Magnet Academy in Bridgeport. Since 2005, 100% of Carver seniors have graduated on time, 95% of whom immediately enrolled in college.
Novelette Peterkin, Carver's Chief Executive Officer states, "Bankwell's generous support through the years helps to further our mission in many priceless ways. The great capacity of Bankwell managers to explore and address ways to close opportunity gaps for our children remains one of their greatest communal gifts. I do not think a day passes in which I fail to look with fresh gratitude on Bankwell's commitment to Carver kids. It helps that we proudly display a big Bankwell banner in our gymnasium!"
Bankwell is a commercial bank that provides banking and lending services to businesses and residents. Bankwell was founded on the principles of providing an exceptional banking experience and adding value to the communities it serves. More about Bankwell can be found at www.mybankwell.com.
New NPS bus routes starting on Tuesday, October 5th
Revised NPS Start Times Effective Tuesday, October 5, 2021
NPS Bus Routes
Please click here to view the NEW NPS School Bus Routes Starting Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Please click here to see the CURRENT NPS School Bus Routes as of 8/29/2021
Bus Information
The K-12 bus pass system that launched last year is being used again. Students swipe in with their bus pass upon entering the bus. The equipment works in cooperation with the GPS tracking system installed on the buses. There is a digital dashboard, which provides the district with reports of students’ daily attendance on buses.
Bus Pass Distribution Information:
If you are a new student to Norwalk and you are eligible for the bus, a new bus pass will be issued in school. If you need have questions regarding eligibility please contact your school office.
As part of our health and safety measures, NPS will continue using the standard protocols to keep both students and staff safe while riding the bus. As a reminder:
Masks are required to ride the bus at all times. If a student arrives at the stop without a mask, one will be provided by the bus driver.
Students will have an assigned area on the bus based on where their bus stop is scheduled on the route. Students will adhere to the driver’s directions on seating as they enter the bus. As they enter they will be expected to sit in the last empty seat available and fill the empty seats from the back to the front of the bus.
Students will not change buses or stops and will remain in their assigned seats during the ride.
On arrival at the building, staff will be available to direct students to their assigned entries.
Please arrive at the scheduled bus stop 15 minutes prior to the estimated arrival time.
Durham School Services is the NPS bus company and can be reached at 203-428-4192 between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm.
Rental and utility assistance for those impacted by COVID-19
Click here or on the image below to go to UniteCT - Emergency Rental Assistance for Connecticut's Economy.
Click here to access the UniteCT application and to see the bus schedule. On the bus, you will be able to use a computer to complete your application. Walks-ins are accepted, but appointments will be prioritized.
Click here to see our past blog post about rental assistance contact information for Norwalk residents.
UniteCT Program is administered by the Department of Housing on behalf of the US Treasury. UniteCT provides up to $15,000 rental and up to $1,500 electricity payment assistance on behalf of Connecticut households financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank You, Pitney Bowes!
The Carver community is deeply grateful to Pitney Bowes employees and to Ana Chadwick, EVP and CFO at Pitney Bowes, in particular for supporting our initiatives to close opportunity gaps for all children. We just received a generous sponsorship gift and last summer our high school transition programs for rising 9th graders was supported in part by Pitney Bowes, a member corporation of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s Fairfield County Corporate Collaborative for Education Equity.
Pitney Bowes focuses its philanthropy on education to help improve opportunities for all students. Pitney Bowes joins Carver in believing that every child needs and deserves the opportunity, through a strong education, to grow to their fullest potential. For information about their Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy initiatives, visit pb.com/community.
Pitney Bowes is a global technology company providing commerce solutions that power billions of transactions. Clients around the world, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500, rely on the accuracy and precision delivered by Pitney Bowes solutions.
Thank you, Pitney Bowes, for including Carver in your giving!