We hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing summer filled with fun. We are so excited to welcome students and staff back to NPS on Monday, August 30 for the 2021-22 school year!

Join us on August 19 for a live virtual event to hear more about opening plans for the 2021-22 school year. Stay tuned for additional information, registration and Zoom link.

The K-12 bus pass system that launched last year will be used again. Students will be provided with a bus pass to swipe in with upon entering the bus. The card will include their name, student ID and school. 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. Student passes will be distributed through schools during the first week. Stay tuned for information on the new parent tracking app that will roll out this fall.

NPS students will receive meals at no cost again this upcoming school year. However, families who require assistance are encouraged to still complete a meal application in order to receive the many benefits associated with the application.

If you do not require assistance for the meal benefit, there is no need to take any further steps. If you would like to complete the meal application, please click here. For additional information click here.

If you do not have a printer your school can provide you with a paper application or you can complete an application online by clicking here. Or visit www.Myschoolapps.com. Paper applications should be handed in or sent to Jill Kress at Norwalk Public Schools, 125 East Ave, Norwalk, CT 06852.

District and school leaders met at Center for Global Studies for a two week professional development series focusing on instructional leadership and strategic planning. Topics included building and supporting instructional teams in schools, school quality reviews, developing equity beliefs in school communities, and special education and equity, and quality learning for multilingual learners. Attendees also participated in an inspirational session with Dr. Adolph Brown, who challenged leaders to close the empathy gap with his presentation “Love, Light and Insight.” To challenge perceptions, Dr. Brown started the session dressed as his former student.

Congratulations to Nathan Hale Middle School for being honored by The Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD) with the Outstanding Program Award!

Nathan Hale was recognized for "Promoting Family Engagement Through Online Learning" for a program focusing on alleviating stress for parents through healthy habits.

As part of the NHMS student learning objectives, Physical Education Teachers Janet Folchetti and Mac Devito along with Health Education Teacher Jeremy Dane developed a social emotional program for parents via Google Classroom. This program included exercise videos, healthy recipes and helpful articles and facts to help parents focus on both physical and emotional health needs.

CTAHPERD is a non-profit organization that provides members opportunities to further professional careers. The award will be presented to NHMS staff on November 18 at the CTAHPERD Conference.

The Norwalk Art Space is hosting an exhibition of the Brien McMahon 9th Grade Summer Transition program on Friday, August 6 at 1:30PM.

Attendees of the program have been taking classes in English, social studies, math, science, visual & performing arts, and "High School 101," along with various enrichment activities over the course of five weeks. Enrichments included free rowing classes provided by the Norwalk River Rowing Association, art classes by the Norwalk Art Space, cooking classes, physical education, peer mentorships, college tours, and BMHS Career Pathways 4-day bootcamp.

This exhibition is the culminating experience for the students, modeled after an International Baccalaureate exhibition where artifacts and ideas from the program are shared with school staff, families, and community members in a public setting.

Funded by the Dalio Foundation, BMHS has partnered with the RISE Network to enroll students. RISE has provided BMHS with two counselors that specifically work with these students and offer social emotional and academic support.

Congratulations to Brien McMahon High School Athletic Director John Cross for being recognized by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) as a Certified Athletic Administrator.

To earn this distinction, Mr. Cross demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. The voluntary certification process included a thorough evaluation of the candidate's educational background, experience and professional contributions, as well as a rigorous, comprehensive written examination. John is one of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism.

The NIAAA is a national professional organization consisting of all 50 state athletic administrator associations and more than 12,000 individual members. It is dedicated to promoting the professional growth of interscholastic athletic administrators and preserving the educational nature of interscholastic athletics and the place of these programs in the secondary school curriculum.

Full Board of Ed workshop and business meetings, as well as committee meetings, will be Live Streamed on the NPS YouTube channel at the times listed below. More information on the process for public comments for Board meetings will be available on our website.

Board Business Meeting, Tuesday, August 24, 7pm

Facilities Committee, Wednesday, August 25, 6pm

Phone: 203-854-4000

Contact Brenda Wilcox Williams, Chief Communications Officer, [email protected], or call 203-854-4003.