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Summer takes flight at Nathan Hale Middle School

Christy Counts, 8th Grade Language Arts and House Leader and Director, Lead Coordinator of our B.A.R.K. (Carver) Afterschool Program, and leader now of our 6th Grade Summer Transition Program at Nathan Hale Middle School, shares these images of her students’ lively summer experiences.

Gleaming with excitement as epiphanies burst into view with each new Arts, Math, and Wellness exercise, our rising 6th graders are enjoying a memorable summer. They are meeting new friends they’ll have in the 2022-2023 school year, getting acclimated to their new school and its learning environment, and continuing to learn.

Carver summer campers learn how to play lacrosse!

Thanks to Carver’s partnership with Norwalk Junior Lacrosse, including our friends Nick Phillips (President of Norwalk Lacrosse Association), Spencer Hempleman, Erin Berry, and many more friends, we can introduce our summer campers in grades 3-6 to this great sport.

Here are photos of our campers at Veteran’s Park.

This volunteer group of coaches is very motivated to bring lacrosse to all communities. This partnership with Carver will grow with more programming for our after-school students in the fall. Norwalk Lacrosse Association has taught the kids of Norwalk the sport of lacrosse since 1970.  NLA is part of the Connecticut New York Youth Lacrosse Association (CONNY). 

NLA's goal is to impact each child and the Norwalk community positively.  The NLA program instills self-confidence, teamwork, leadership, and empathy. 

The coaches have all played at the college level and are passionate about creating an environment for the players to develop a similar love of the game.  All coaches go through the Positive Coaching Alliance training workshop and are USA Lacrosse certified.  

Norwalk Junior Lacrosse offers age and level-appropriate experience to every boy and girl. The balance between instruction and the competitive emphasis shifts progressively so that graduates of the program have the skills, knowledge, and emotional discipline to play high school lacrosse if they choose.

While a child who progresses through all levels of the Norwalk Junior Lacrosse program has an advantage, many players who have entered the program as late as eighth grade have gone on to successful lacrosse careers in high school and college. Beginners are welcome at all levels.

Images from our After the Summer Bell Program at Kendall - Summer Academy!

Kevin Downing, LMSW, a social worker at Tracey Magnet School, is our program coordinator for the ATSB - Summer Academy underway at Kendall Elementary School this year. See the images of his students he shared with us below.

Our before and after-school After the Bell elementary school students enjoy the same academic and wellness activities and support they enjoy during the school year through the summer as well.

Thanks to leaders like Mr. Downing and his staff and to our many generous donors, Carver kids can fulfill this good counsel from Henry David Thoreau: One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter — Henry David Thoreau

Earthplace brings its animals to our rising 6th graders at West Rocks Middle School

Earthplace animals fill Carver students with wonderment and respect for the natural world.

Here are images of our rising 6th graders attending our Summer Transition program at West Rocks Middle School encountering Earthspace resident animals, such as a giant snake and spider and Birds of Prey! Earthplace is home to more than 50 animals. Most have injuries that prevent them from surviving on their own in the wild.

Carver operates Summer Transition Programs for rising 6th graders at Norwalk’s four public middle schools. Michael Richards, a Social Studies Teacher at West Rocks Middle School, is Carver’s program leader for our summer program there.

Earthplace blends science, conservation, and education into pathways for learning about nature and the environment. Earthplace in Westport occupies a 62-acre nature and wildlife sanctuary, interpretive exhibits, and 50+ animal ambassadors. They maintain a water quality research lab for 200+ field sites and student programs; educational programs connecting children to nature; and an outdoor amphitheater, walking trails, picnic grove, and a 22,000 square-foot learning center.

Earthplace, formally known as the Westport Nature Center, was founded in 1958. It has grown to include many mission-related resources, including a state-licensed preschool, a nature-based exhibit hall, and Harbor Watch, their locally renowned water quality research program.

Carver summer campers have an amazing day at Calf Pasture Beach!

NPS teacher Kelly Dominick shares images from her recent trip to Norwalk’s Calf Pasture Beach with a group of five to six-year-old Carver campers.

Carver is operating 12 distinct summer programs for more than 1,000 K-9 students this summer throughout Norwalk.

Here are the Beach Rules for our students this summer: Soak up the sun. Ride the waves. Breathe the salty air. Feel the breeze. Build sandcastles. Rest, relax, reflect. Collect seashells. Bare-feet required.

At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but joy to joy and memory to memory!

The Norwalk Art Space Teen Committee seeks visual or performance teen artists to participate in their upcoming art festival!

The Norwalk Art Space Teen Committee seeks visual or performance teen artists for their upcoming Art Festival at The Norwalk Art Space on Saturday, July 23rd. For further information, please contact Duvian Montoya, Artistic and Educational Director, The Norwalk Art Space, and/or their Teen Committee President, Aaron Charles.

Learn about free community college opportunities in Connecticut

The deadline to apply for financial aid through Connecticut's free community college program is fast approaching. Students looking to take advantage of the Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT) program are encouraged to apply by Friday, July 15.

PACT funding covers the gap between federal and state grants and community college tuition and mandatory fees. The legislation was expanded to include part-time college students.

Applicants must be Connecticut high school graduates who are first-time college students, have completed the FAFSA application, plan on taking at least six credits per semester, and are working toward a degree or certificate. The goal of PACT is to make higher education more accessible.

Rising 6th graders at Carver's Summer Transition Program at West Rocks Middle School learn the Marshmallow Challenge!

Our rising 6th-grade summer campers learned to...

  • Understand the importance of teamwork and failure in science and engineering

  • Understand that some shapes are stronger than others

  • Understand that even weak materials can be made stronger with good design techniques, and that distribution of mass is an important consideration when building a tower

  • Understand that compression and tension affect the stability of a structure

  • Compare their model to others to understand why some models are stronger than others

  • Understand why engineers consider tension and compression forces when designing a building or structure.

Summer 2022 is Underway!

Carver rising 6th graders just returned from a traditional New England sleepaway camp in Maine. They explored the woods, waters, and fields of The Ecology School at the River Bend Farm, a historic 105-acre farm located on a scenic bend in the Saco River, just twenty minutes from the Maine coast. Next year, this initial cohort of students will return along with the next group of rising 6th graders that follow them.

We operate 12 distinct summer programs for more than 1,000 students this summer throughout Norwalk. Carver campers have a sense of community, develop intergenerational relationships, and learn through first-hand experiences. Trained, caring adult role models help children feel loved, capable, and included. Camp helps children grow by providing a supervised, positive environment that has safety as a primary commitment.

Carver 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.

For students ages 5 through 13 years old, we have the Summer Enrichment Programs at the Carver Community Center and Columbus Magnet School. In addition to play and fun, these summer experiences offer 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.

There are summer learning programs at Side by Side Charter School and numerous elementary schools for our After the Bell students.

We will be reporting here often about all these experiences our children will be having this summer!