Board Update: Apr 17, 2026

Testing & Accountability 

Required training for State Smarter Balanced and Next Generation Science testing has been delivered to schools' Building Test Coordinator. At the end of their training, they received a training module that will be used when they train their school proctors. Annual training is a state requirement. Norwalk’s testing window for grades 3-8 will open on May 5.  

The district completed the annual Panorama climate survey on April 4. Participants include students, grades 3-12, families, and teachers/staff. Students are asked questions about their social and emotional learning (SEL), school climate, and school satisfaction. Staff are asked questions about school climate, staff-family relationships, and staff-leadership relationships. Family topics include family support, school climate, and school communication. Survey will be released next month.  

Research & Analytics  

We are reflecting on this year’s School Improvement Plan (SIP) process and seeking feedback from school leadership to inform improvements to the process for next year. This year, we made several updates to how we approached school improvement planning, including implementing an earlier needs assessment submission timeline that allowed for initial feedback before further plan development, the addition of midyear progress monitoring meetings that allowed schools to engage in a supported reflection process, and the development of a progress monitoring workbook that allowed schools to look across data sets to make determinations about progress. School leaders are being asked to complete a short survey so that we can better understand what worked well and where we can improve. SIP templates for the 2026-27 school year will be generated and provided to schools by the end of April. 

We are currently developing systems and structures to support Phase III of the Portrait of a Graduate.  

This includes close collaboration with the Digital Learning Department to design an AI literacy curriculum for grades 3–8 that builds students’ understanding of AI while simultaneously strengthening their development of Portrait of Graduate skills. Our work is also gaining recognition at the state and national levels. We recently presented at Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools Conference alongside two districts, where our approach was well received. Since then, several districts and organizations have reached out to learn more. In addition, Norwalk Public Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate was featured at the STEM Alliance of Connecticut’s Play with Purpose event, highlighting the alignment between play-based learning and the development of the Portrait of a Graduate skills. 

School Spotlight

Every year, CMS K-8 partners with Silvermine Arts Guild for various integrated activities. The 6th graders just completed their Creative Connections cultural enrichment unit.  Through this opportunity, CMS students had the opportunity to connect with students in Nigeria and India. The focus was centered on sharing our personal experiences through art. The teachers led discussions on what makes us unique. The children eventually came to the same conclusion: “We may look different, and our stories are varied, but we are all one people. We all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”  The children were asked to create artwork, focused on “My Story” which they shared with their international partners on Zoom.  

School Improvement Plans

This is an important time of year in the School Improvement Plan process.  After analyzing various mid-year data sets, Instructional Leadership Teams check in on the progress they are making towards their School Improvement Plan goals.  This process allows school leaders to identify any adjustments they need to make or supports they require to have an impactful second half of the year.

Food Services 

The Smoothie Bike is still on tour and continuing to bring fun and healthy treats to students across the district. This month’s featured smoothie is the Tropical Green, and it has been a big hit. 

The bike will be rolling into several elementary schools first, starting with Silvermine Elementary School on Wednesday, April 15, followed by Cranbury Elementary on Thursday, April 16. Beginning April 21, the Smoothie Bike will head to the secondary schools, making stops at Norwalk High on April 21, Nathan Hale on April 22, and West Rocks on April 23. 

Chartwells is also celebrating Earth Day on April 22 with a special lunch featuring Pasta Fagioli and a local strawberry spinach salad. Local strawberries will be highlighted again on April 29. 

To wrap things up, two favorite events are returning. Brunch for lunch will be served on April 29, and April 30 will be Lucky Tray Day, when students who receive the lucky tray will win a prize. 

Facilities 

Facilities projects across the district are progressing, with several key updates to note. 

At Ponus and Nathan Hale, locker replacement work remains on schedule and is expected to begin after June 24. At Nathan Hale, a separate project involving asbestos flooring abatement and replacement is still awaiting State approval following the grant application submitted on February 10. If a response is not received soon, the timeline may need to be pushed back to the summer of 2027. 

At 46 Concord Street, soil samples analyzed by an independent laboratory identified a small area of contamination below grade. The grant application submitted to the State on February 10 for this project is also still pending approval. 

Meanwhile, the Wolfpit project is moving through the City’s procurement process. The Purchasing Department has requested prevailing wage information, and the project engineer has completed the plans and specifications. Once the Department of Labor provides the required wage determination, Norwalk Public Schools will coordinate with the City’s Purchasing Department to move forward with soliciting public bids. 

School Safety 

Office of Safety and School Preparedness presented a brief intro into basic de-escalation methods for Middle School Counselors. Jon and Vidal are now CPI Certified Verbal Intervention Trainers in Verbal De Escalation techniques and available to train NPS Staff.  

Transportation 

NPS Transportation and Durham School Services celebrated our drivers who were honored for Safety Awards with Safety Jackets during our last safety meeting at the new NPS Concord Location. 

We welcome two new drivers to the Norwalk driving team Takeeya and Yoanni, who will service routes for BMHS, Nathan Hale MS, Ponus STEAM Academy, Concord Magnet School and Next Steps Transitional program.  

Health Services 

Epipens have been ordered, at no cost, to replace the current stock EpiPens located at every NPS school. School nurses may administer Epipens for those experiencing anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction; school nurses also train select staff to administer Epipens in the absence of a nurse. 

On March 30, the Norwalk Health Department provided a presentation to school nurses regarding Tuberculosis including clinical implications, testing recommendations, and treatment. 

The Norwalk Community Health Center has opened a school-based health center at Kendall College and Career Academy! KCCA students now have access to high quality physical and behavioral health care during the school day. Click here to consent for services for your child in English, click here to consent for services for your child in Spanish. 

During the month of March, the Human Services Council and Dr. Robert E. Appleby School-Based Health Centers located at Norwalk High School/P-TECH, West Rocks Middle School, and Nathan Hale Middle School provided 291 medical and behavioral health appointments to students. During the same period, the Norwalk Community Health Center school-based health centers located at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy/Concord Magnet School, Brien McMahon High School/Center for Global Studies, The Family Center Health and Wellness Center, and Kendall College and Career Academy provided 723 medical and behavioral health appointments to NPS students and the Norwalk community. 

Grants 

Norwalk High School delivered an exceptional Alliance Mid-Year (MOY) presentation. The team presented in a cohesive, school-themed format that was both visually engaging and supported by strong data. Their presentation highlighted key accomplishments, including the rebranding of the SAT and PSAT and measurable improvements in absenteeism through targeted initiatives and incentives. The team also recognized Dani Brown for her contributions. Overall, the presentation reflected the significant progress being made at the school and was well received by Alliance consultants.

Humanities

In K-5 grade level meetings occurred.  Teachers provided feedback on the new developing progress report for 2026-2027. They then worked on deepening their understanding of backwards design for intentional planning. We dug into text based questions and made decisions around the most important questions to support comprehension.  We continue to support teaching and learning through coaching supports, classroom visits, and co-constructed feedback. 

Feedback meetings with middle school Social Studies teachers are underway. These meetings are collecting information on curriculum implementation and professional learning needs for next school year. TNTP continues to support our secondary literacy coaches with on-site visits. District learning walks are taking place for the final round of visits this school year across all grade-bands.  

STEM Update

The STEM department has been working with TNTP on math visioning work.  A committee of educators, with representation from elementary, middle, secondary on supporting before end of year testing

Marine Science

It has been an exceptionally active season for the Marine Science Pathway, with students across all grade levels engaging in hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and industry exploration.

Congressional Visit at Jefferson We were honored to host Congressman Jim Himes at Jefferson Marine Science Magnet School. The Congressman joined our young scholars for a firsthand look at our "Marine Science Pathway," now in its third year. Students demonstrated their knowledge of local aquatic species and discussed the importance of marine conservation, showcasing the impact of this unique magnet program on Norwalk’s youngest learners.

Jefferson STEAM Fair The Jefferson STEAM Fair returned this year with a dedicated Marine Science theme. Students presented innovative projects that integrated science, technology, and the arts, ranging from tidal energy models to local habitat conservation plans. The event highlighted the school's commitment to interdisciplinary learning centered on our local environment.

Industry Exposure: CMA Career Day & Conference Career exposure for Brien McMahon High School students was significantly expanded through two key events with the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA). Students participated in a CMA Career Day on campus, meeting with industry professionals to discuss high-growth opportunities in the "Blue Economy." Additionally, students attended the CMA Shipping Conference, where they networked with global leaders in international trade and marine engineering.

Community Stewardship at Veteran’s Park In collaboration with The Maritime Aquarium, students from West Rocks Middle School participated in a community cleanup at Veteran’s Memorial Park. This initiative allowed students to apply ecology lessons to real-world conservation, directly improving our local shoreline while analyzing the impact of debris on the Long Island Sound ecosystem.

Field Research: Project Oceanology This month, Jefferson students are traveling to Project Oceanology in Groton. This immersive experience puts students on research vessels to conduct water quality testing and biological sampling. By acting as "scientists for a day," our scholars are bridging the gap between textbook theory and specialized field research.

School Counseling and Workforce Development 

​Spring is Here!  In April, for Tier 1 Developmental Guidance Classroom Lessons, School Counselors are delivering Lesson #17 on Social-Emotional Learning for grades 6th - 8th. Our 6th Graders are engaging in "It's A Great Day to Teach Coping Skills!", 7th Graders are engaging in "A Tough But Important Conversation", and 8th Graders are engaging in the "Mindful Resilience: Coping with Depression & Preventing Suicide" Lesson. The partnership work between NPS and the Social Emotional Health Leadership Team continues, with ongoing programming, including Teen Nights Out and the Norwalk for Mental Health Event. Middle School Counselors participated in De-Escalation Strategies & Emotional Regulation Training and Self-Harm Professional Development. The School Counseling District Leader has been providing a Norwalk Public Schools Systems of Success for Tier 1-3 webinar in partnership with the CT State Department of Education, in which one of our K-5 School Counselors was able to present as well. The RISE work continues as the Senior Survey is open once again, so we can support and finalize the post-secondary plans of our graduating Class of 2026 students. The School Counselors K-12 team was visited at our district meeting by the Rowan Center to provide free programming, school counseling, and family support. The College & Career Specialists are working with scholars to support NPS Internships, planning a districtwide trade day in March, and continuing scholarship support, to name a few.

In ​April, for Tier 1 Developmental Guidance Classroom Lessons, School Counselors are delivering Lesson #1​7 in Workforce Development for grades K-3rd. Kindergarteners are engaging in "​Who Will I Be in the Future?", 1st Graders are engaging in "​Next Stop is JobLand", 2nd Graders are engaging in "​Guess the Job", 3rd Graders are engaging in the "​PAWS in JobLand" Lesson.​ The Pathways to Construction Spring Cohort will be held in April for accepted NPS students aged 16+ who are interested in the trades. The Red Fashion School Spring cohort has begun for NPS students who applied and were accepted. The CT State Norwalk Certification team has been meeting to plan for Fall 2026 class opportunities. The College for Kids course catalog is here for Grades 1 - 11, and the classes are more exciting than ever! Seats are limited, so call or email today to reserve your seat! The Workforce Development NPS Trade Series: A Day in the Life of an HVAC Technician & Plumber ​was hosted in March and a great success! The Workforce Development Workshop for underclassmen was hosted at BMHS & CGS in the Career Center. The P-TECH Norwalk STEAM Competition was also hosted, and many had the ​opportunity to come out and see the students' fine work. The 2026 Workforce Summit Conference was also attended. 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!

Early Childhood Education

This month in Early Childhood Education, our teachers are continuing the successful implementation of the Fundations program. During recent classroom visits across the district, observations have shown  strong student engagement and measurable student progress. Children are demonstrating significant proficiency in both letter recognition and accurately producing the corresponding letter-sounds they have been introduced to thus far this year.

To provide context on the impact of this curriculum, the Fundations program utilizes a systematic, explicit, and multisensory approach to foundational literacy. Our implementation of this program is guided by three core educational frameworks:

The Science of Reading: Fundations is deeply rooted in a comprehensive body of research regarding how the human brain learns to read. By focusing explicitly on phonemic awareness and phonics, the program ensures students build the crucial neurological pathways necessary for accurate decoding, spelling, and fluent reading.

Alignment to CT ELDS: The targeted skills our students are mastering directly support the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS). Specifically, this instruction advances the Early Language and Literacy learning progressions by heavily fostering alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and early print concepts.

Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP): While the curriculum is rigorous, our educators are skilled at delivering this evidence-based instruction through Developmentally Appropriate Practices. Teachers utilize engaging, tactile, and interactive activities—such as skywriting and utilizing keyword picture cards—that honor the cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development of early childhood learners.

By combining evidence-based reading instruction with developmentally appropriate methods, we are ensuring that our youngest scholars attending Norwalk Public Schools are receiving teaching and learning aligned to the district Literacy Vision.

Enterprise Software

Digital coaches now have enhanced access to analytics for their school’s ClassLink presence. This added visibility will help them better understand which products are currently in use and which ones may need further review.

Additionally, ClassLink Analytics has been updated to include current subscription information for all products used across the district.

The team continues to partner with LearnPlatform by Instructure to monitor and evaluate product usage, ensure compliance, and maximize the effectiveness of district tools and budget resources. The next meeting will focus on several key topics, including the sharing of assessment raw data files to support these goals.

Digital Learning 

Stef Barry and Jodi Flom Nathanson partnered with third and fourth-grade students to create entries for the Norwalk Parks and Recreation Arbor Day poster contest. The students learned how to create the posters with Canva.

Our fifth graders have stepped into the world of broadcast journalism! After studying the fundamentals of media and communication, 5th-grade students created a special broadcast for Fox Run's Community Meeting to promote the school's Arbor Day celebration on April 24th.

The AI Literacy Curriculum is continuing its work for the current developmental year (Spring 2026) by focusing on developing four core lessons, with one lesson planned for delivery per semester for each skill set. Ethical use, human judgment, and justice are core themes reinforced across all lessons, with reference to the SMART Framework. The group is currently developing lessons to address the AI Literacy Skills and student dispositions categorized under four main skill buckets: Understanding AI, Evaluating AI, Using AI, and Problem Solving using AI.

Rowayton fourth-grade SEL students completed a "Food Truck" project, learning and sharing unique food truck ideas. They used Canva and the AI Magic Media tool to create their designs. The project culminated in presentations to the class, which helped students develop and refine their communication skills. Fifth graders will now begin their next project, inspired by the beautiful "Where I’m From" poem by George Ella Lyon.

Budget

The Finance Team continues to support district operations through ongoing budget monitoring and financial processing. Work includes updating and distributing 2025–26 GL summaries for schools and central office departments, meeting with schools and departments to review remaining year expenses, and updating 2026–27 SBB and department budget files. The team is also processing special education invoices, as well as districtwide journal entries and budget transfers.

Grants

The Quarter 3 LGP report has been completed and will be submitted within the next one to two days. This Early Start financial report reflects that most drawdowns have been completed, with only a few remaining items outstanding. All revisions have been submitted to the grant writer, and updates are currently pending completion in EGMS.

Within Grants, the PSD summer revision has been finalized to ensure alignment and support timely submission. The goal is to complete all items so that eligible funds can be drawn down ahead of the June 13 deadline. In addition, reconciliation efforts are ongoing to ensure all funds are expended appropriately and in full compliance with grant requirements. All revisions must be completed by the May 1 deadline.

Capital

This week in Capital, efforts have focused on reconciling purchase orders and updating them to ensure alignment with contracts and ongoing work across multiple projects. This remains a complex process due to the volume and variability of project activity. Questions were also submitted to the State regarding grants filed with DAS, and follow-up is pending. Additionally, the final payment for the Cranbury project was received in the amount of $293,159. A major funding request was received for the Sonos New School project totaling $29,056,323. Lastly, a payment request was received for the New Norwalk High School project for $35,688,996.

Finance

The Finance Team also participated in the Norwalk Board of Education Community Session held on April 14 at Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School. The session provided an opportunity for community members to learn more about and ask questions regarding updates on Norwalk Public Schools’ curriculum, facilities, and finance.