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Board Update: Nov 15, 2024

Every two weeks, the different departments of Norwalk Public Schools provide an update to the Board of Education to show the work they've been doing to ensure an excellent and equitable education for all our scholars. We're sharing that update with our entire community now!

From the desk of Dr. Alexandra Estrella, Superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools

**Para traducir al español, selecciona el idioma en la esquina inferior derecha de la página.**
**Pou tradui an Kreyòl Ayisyen, chwazi lang lan nan kwen anba dwat paj la.**

COMMUNICATIONS

Norwalk BOE Town Hall: FY 2025-26 Budget

The Norwalk Board of Education will offer its next opportunity for the community to engage in early budget development on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. (please note the date and time change) at Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School.  

This meeting will build on the discussions from the first two Town Hall meetings held on Oct. 10 and Nov. 6. Participants will learn more about the budget process and have the opportunity to add their voice to the development of the FY 2025-26 Operating and Capital Budgets.

NPS School Choice

The Middle School Choice Lottery is currently open. It will close on Dec. 6, and the lottery drawing will take place on Dec. 16. 

Mark your calendars! The High School Showcase will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brien McMahon High School. Click here for more information about High School Choice!

CABE Board of Distinction
The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) has named Norwalk Public Schools and the Norwalk Board of Education recipients of the 2024 CABE Board of Distinction Award.

The program, which was created in 1998, awards boards of education and superintendents “which exhibit the most effective leadership and are characterized by their ability to work together as teams. The CABE Board Recognition Awards are designed to recognize Boards which work effectively in this manner.”

The Board of Distinction Award is the highest honor that CABE presents to state boards. The Norwalk BOE was recognized at the 2024 CABE/CAPPS Convention on Nov. 15. Lunda Asmani, Chief Financial Officer of Norwalk Public Schools, accepted the award on behalf of the district.

Quick Links

In Case You Missed It

Naramake Celebrates 25+ Years of Service (VIDEO)

Let’s hear it for the incredible teachers and staff at Naramake Elementary School who have been working in Norwalk Public Schools for over 25 years!

Superintendent Dr. Estrella joined Principal Jane Wilkins on Nov. 7 to honor and celebrate the school’s longest-serving staff members. We can’t thank them enough for their outstanding dedication and commitment to our students!

Veteran’s Day at Fox Run Elementary School (VIDEO)

Fox Run Elementary School staff and students invited veterans from their family to the annual Veterans Day celebration on Friday! The ceremony has been going on for a few years and is one of the flagship events for Fox Run each school year.

All City Strings Festival Performances (VIDEOS)

Superintendent’s Book Club feat. Dennis Thiago Mejia Cabrera (VIDEO)

Dr. Estrella is inviting some of our best young readers to be part of her Superintendent Book Club this school year. Her third guest reader is Dennis Thiago Mejia Cabrera, a fifth grader from Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School, who is reading “Who Am I?” in celebration of National Native American Heritage Month. The book is by Julie Buchholtz and illustrated by Aliya Ghare.

Hispanic Heritage Festival: “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together (VIDEO)

We had such a great time at this year’s Hispanic Heritage Festival celebrating “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.” Check out our photo slideshow from the event!

NPS Shorts (VIDEOS) - Be sure to watch more of our NPS Shorts (VIDEOS). You’ll never miss one if you follow us on Instagram @norwalkschoolsct

Important Dates

  • Thursday, Nov. 21 - K-5 Conferences (2-Hour Early Dismissal)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Break (2-Hour Early Dismissal)
  • Thursday, Nov. 28 & 29 - Thanksgiving Break (No School/Central Office Closed)

Upcoming Events

BMHS Presents “Romeo & Juliet”
Friday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.
Brien McMahon High School, Auditorium, 300 Highland Ave. in Norwalk

The Brien McMahon High School Drama Department will present a special performance of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” on Nov. 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. The production will feature a violin soloist, a BMHS student, performing throughout the show.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and NPS staff. Click here to purchase your tickets.

High School Showcase
Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Brien McMahon High School, Gymnasium, 300 Highland Ave. in Norwalk

Norwalk Public Schools will host its fourth annual High School Showcase on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brien McMahon High School. Join us to learn more about Brien McMahon High School, the Center for Global Studies, Norwalk High School, and P-TECH Norwalk.

Each of our four schools will have booths set up in the CGS Community Room along with their respective choice programs such as the Marine Science Academy at Brien McMahon or the Digital Media and Communications Academy at Norwalk High School.

Representatives from each school and choice program will be available to speak with our current eighth graders and their families about the amazing opportunities available for them next year.

33rd Annual Norwalk River Fun Run
Saturday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m.
Veterans Park, 42 Seaview Ave. in Norwalk

The Physical Education Department of the Norwalk Public Schools and Recreation & Parks are joining together to organize a Fitness Fun Run for the young people of Norwalk to promote the idea of physical fitness and the joy of running on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. at Veterans Park.

The run will finish at The Maritime Aquarium which will be offering a voucher for the 4-D movie with purchase of an admission ticket.

Click here for more information and to register.

Poinsettia Concert
Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
Brien McMahon High School, 300 Highland Ave. in Norwalk

Brien McMahon High Schools presents the Poinsettia Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.

Candlelight
Dec. 16, 17 and 18 at 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Norwalk High School, 23 Calvin Murphy Dr. in Norwalk

The Norwalk High School Performing Arts Department presents Candlelight on Monday, Dec. 16; Tuesday, Dec. 17; and Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. each night. Tickets will be sold at the door for $8. Seating is first come, first served, and doors will open for seating starting at 6:30 p.m. 

Tickets may also be purchased from the main office at Norwalk High School during school hours (7:30-2:15) only. All Norwalk High School/P-TECH students can purchase tickets from their respective music teacher.

Limited parking will be available in the lower lots behind Norwalk High School. Expanded handicapped parking will be available in front of the school. Shuttle buses will also be available before and after the concert for those parking at Naramake Elementary School or Andrew’s Field.

Please email Jennifer Burkhalter burkhalterj@norwalkps.org with any questions. Click here for complete details.

EXCELLENCE, EQUITY & INCLUSION

Testing & Accountability
A review of district and school 2024 Next Generation Accountability results is underway at the district and school level. This reporting is required by every state under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). District and schools earn points for 12 indicators. Some indicators are measures of achievement, growth, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, access to college and career ready (CCR) courses and achievement on CCR exams, such as SAT, ACT, IB and Dual Credit Courses. Points are earned for each indicator. The accountability index (AI) is the percentage of total possible points earned for all indicators. In 2023 Norwalk's accountability index was 69.3%. It increased to 70.8% in 2024.   

School Quality Review (SQR)
There will be 13 schools receiving a School Quality Review for 2024-25. The schools have all attended training for this second cycle of SQRs. The first SQR was at West Rocks Middle School on Wednesday-Thursday, Oct. 16 and 17, 2024. The second SQR was Concord Magnet School on Thursday-Friday, November 7-8, 2024. Both SQR reports are in the quality assurance process and drafts. Next up is the SQR for the Center for Global Studies on Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov. 19 and 20, 2024.  

Research & Analytics
The Portrait of a Graduate fall feedback surveys for families and staff will close this Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Over 960 NPS families and staff members have completed the surveys. This week, NPS staff and student focus groups were completed in collaboration with Digital Promise. The insights from these surveys and focus groups will be invaluable in assessing the initiative’s launch and shaping the next steps for the Portrait of a Graduate.  Each year representatives of Grade 9 on-track teams from each high school come together to look at data, set goals and share best practices. The first session of the year was held this past Friday in collaboration with the Connecticut RISE Network. The meeting's focus was on chronic absenteeism and change ideas to be implemented prior to the next gathering this winter.  

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Building Leadership Capacity - Coaching Support
The district is continuing its partnership with TNTP, an educational leadership organization, this year. A segment of their work will include 1:1 coaching support for the literacy coaches in the secondary schools. This coaching support will strengthen the capacity of the coaches to lead the improvement of literacy instruction in schools to align with the critical thinker competency of the NPS Portrait of a Graduate.

Building Leadership Capacity - Instructional Leadership Visits
The Leadership Development team has completed their first round of instructional leadership visits. These visits are supportive in nature and allow school leaders to receive feedback on how they are progressing towards meeting their leadership goals.

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS

Health Services
On Nov. 5, all district school nurses participated in a professional development day with Stratford Public School nurses, covering critical topics such as pediatric urology, diabetes management in school-aged children, and the role of the school nurse in public safety, with presentations from Stratford’s police, fire, and EMS departments. On November 6, Health Services met with Norwalk Community Health Center, a school-based health center partner, to discuss enrollment and expanded services for students. Upcoming on Nov. 14, BMHS will host *In a Heartbeat*, offering free, voluntary cardiac screenings to middle and high school students to help identify those at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. See here for more information. 

Additionally, we are pleased to announce a new full-time nurse has been hired to fill a recent vacancy.

Food Services
This week, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program will be serving Empire Apples and Diced Peppers Learning & Tasting videos: Red Bell Peppers and  Learning & Tasting video: Apples and the week of Nov. 18 to 22, our students will enjoy Mini Cucumbers and Kiwis Yummy.

West Rocks Student choice took place on Nov. 7 and the students have spoken! On Nov. 20, the BBQ Philly Hoagie will be served on the menu!

Mood Boost ALERT kick off at Brookside this week went well. On Tuesday, our students enjoyed a fresh fruit salad. On Thursday, they enjoyed a raspberry, chocolate basil salad.

The Norwalk Public Schools Food Corp team also has a new member. Please check out the Newsletter with all the happenings and a little bit about each member.

Also, NPS and Chartwells workers are back again with Jeans for a Cause. During the month of October, if staff made a donation to help the Norwalk shelter, they could wear jeans to work  and of course include there Pinkest shirt for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The FSD was able to collect $194.00 to go towards our Open Doors meal in January.

Transportation 

Grants
NPS has been awarded $150,000 in competitive grant funding through McKinney-Vento to support students and families experiencing homelessness. Additionally, the district has also been granted an additional $50,000 in L.E.A.P. (Learning Engagement Attendance Program) funding to support and improve chronic absenteeism with our alternative education programs.  

School Safety
The Safety and Security team presented a de-escalation training to all high school security guards. These types of trainings ensure that the guards have the tools they need when dealing with high intensity situations.

CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION & SPECIALIZED LEARNING

Humanities
The team presented at Voices of Hope at Southern CT State for teachers around CT on the inquiry work for the new SS curriculum. The team has been working on the new assessments for grades K-5 in literacy for unit 3. We continue to support schools in the area of Fundations, the SOR, and LETRS training. Teachers attended the district wide PD on Nov. 5 on the Science of Reading. There are 3 sessions remaining for the year. Curriculum revision will begin in the coming weeks.  

Mathematics/STEM
The STEM department was very excited to support Kendall College and Career Academy with their career fair! We shared the love of STEM and STEM careers with their students and enjoyed amazing questions about our careers.  

 

 
 

Grade 6 Science teachers who are teaching Open SciEd this year were offered a collaborative planning day yesterday. The focus was around scope and sequence, connections of performance expectations and middle grade NGSS standards, and collaborative planning for Units.   

School Counseling/Workforce Development
The Mental Health and Wellness District Leads presented Mindfulness at the Assistant Principal Meeting. The District Attendance Team meets consistently to support the schools’ attendance teams and is using data to help drive school-based support for the IA procedure. On Oct. 15, school counselors met Resiliency Coach Rebecca Murphy from Silver Hill Hospital. In this session, she immersed the team in all things “Resilience” which included meditation. On Nov. 9, school counselors were trained on the Risk Assessment & Intervention Guide which was updated for October 2024. The district RISE Network team met in November for the Grade 9 Collaborative, in which we help schools support their scholars based on their needs. “Norwalk Helps” has been created as a one stop shop mental health and wellness resource for all our stakeholders and inclusive of other communities as it is a free and open website resource.

 

 

 
 

The CT State Norwalk partnership meets weekly to review potential courses Spring 2025 and support for scholars’ needs for Fall 2024. Central Office staff attended a district-wide training session which lets us team inside and outside of our current staffing configurations. The NPS Internship Application is Now Available for NPS Scholars in Grades 10 to 12, who have earned a 2.0+ GPA, and are 16+ years old. The Red Fashion School is now accepting applications for a free class experience in Costume and Fashion Design. “Are You In, Or Are You Out?” 

For all NPS Workforce Development Opportunities and more, visit www.norwalkps.org/careertraining. Please be sure to bookmark the site and check back regularly for new and exciting opportunities!

 

 

 

Specialized Learning
The Specialized Learning Department presented last Wednesday at the Board of Education Workshop on specialized programs. We presented data on the current specialized programs in our schools. We highlighted the importance of these programs to meet the diverse needs of our students to keep them in the district. Our in district specialized programs compared to out to out of district placements are a savings per pupil and address our students' needs in their least restrictive environment. 

The Department is also preparing for the next New Teacher Academy on Tuesday Nov. 19, 2024, where the topic will be on SMART Goal Writing and Standards Alignment. Teachers will have to align their IEP goals to state standards starting in January and this month will focus on how teachers will align this practice. 

DIGITAL LEARNING & TECHNOLOGY

Digital Learning
DL Coaches recently attended and presented at Fairfield University's Ed Tech Forum on Friday, Nov. 1. A select group of coaches is enrolled in an AI course through ISTE, working to develop chatbots that support teachers across the district. One chatbot is designed to assist instructional coaches in building and maintaining their digital portfolios, while another focuses on helping teachers embed critical thinking opportunities in their lessons.

A special shout-out to Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy as part of our Digital Promise Partnership. On Friday, Nov. 8, Ponus hosted visitors from Verizon, Digital Promise, the University of Arizona, and Heart of America—all organizations that help support our one-to-one initiative, coaches, and the development of our Innovation Lab. The visit included classroom walkthroughs and a student-teacher panel discussion, showcasing a strong integration of technology throughout the entire program at Ponus.

Library Media
Lynn Payton-Roby, DL Coordinator, attended the AI Community of Practice workshop, where professionals from various fields gathered virtually to engage in a session with Matt Mervis and Liz Radaday, discussing topics related to AI implementation.

Casey Andersen, LMS at CMS, Katie Angelidis, LMS at Kendall, and Lynn Payton-Roby participated in their first virtual workshop for a micro-credentialing course. With approximately 80 members in the cohort from diverse locations, this workshop covered course details and demonstrated AI tools that were new to many in the audience, broadening their perspectives on available AI tools. The group also reviewed and critiqued an AI tool called SideKick. 

Twilight
In recent weeks, the Twilight program has welcomed visits from NCC and Porter and Chester, and Lincoln Tech will be meeting with students this week. We have also scheduled a visit from Workforce Development. Additionally, students in the Twilight, Virtual, and NAOP programs will participate in the Norwalk Youth Survey. 

FINANCE

Purchasing/Accounts Payable
The Purchasing/Accounts Payable team is progressing with the replacement of orchestra instruments for high schools and middle schools. Instruments are being received and inspected in collaboration with band directors to ensure they meet quality standards. Once approved, invoices are processed for timely payment.

The team is actively working with auditors by providing necessary documentation, lease details, and backup materials to support audit inquiries, reinforcing our commitment to transparency and accountability.

The team is actively working with auditors by providing necessary documentation, lease details, and backup materials to support audit inquiries, reinforcing our commitment to transparency and accountability.

Budget Management
The team is actively working with auditors by providing necessary documentation, lease details, and backup materials to support audit inquiries, reinforcing our commitment to transparency and accountability.The Budget team is focused on maintaining up-to-date information within the Munis system, handling employee status updates, as well as account and position control number (PCN) management.

The team is actively working with auditors by providing necessary documentation, lease details, and backup materials to support audit inquiries, reinforcing our commitment to transparency and accountability.The team continues work on the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which includes Munis data entry, updating the general ledger, and conducting meetings with various departments and schools. They are also processing special education invoices, handling budget transfers, and managing journal entries.

Additionally, the team is preparing the excess cost workbook and verifying special education data for the upcoming Dec. 1 state submission deadline.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Talent Acquisition
The Talent Acquisition Team has performed an analysis of previous recruitment campaigns to develop an improved recruiting strategy for the 2024-25 School Year. An emphasis will be placed on digital channels and advanced searching tools that can reach qualified candidates in difficult to fill areas. Highly targeted campaigns will be used to focus outreach for certified staff vacancies in shortage areas and high priority vacancies. 

Organizational Development
HR Generalists and Organizational Development team has successfully reduced certified staff vacancies by 73% since the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, minimizing the impact of vacancies on our students. HR Generalists and Organizational Development team have begun collaboration with other departments to improve the new employee onboarding process. These new processes are aimed at improving the processing time and tracking of newly hired employees. These changes allow all relevant departments to receive new hire information with improved timeliness and accuracy to eliminate disruptions to the onboarding experience. 

Human Resource Information Systems
HRIS has supported cross-departmental teams by providing access to relevant employee metrics and trends to assist in proactive planning and drive project decisions with data. In review of HR processes, the HRIS team have developed different electronic forms to simplify the submission of HR transactions and improve employee data management.