Weekly News

PTO COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, November 20, 2008

PTO COUNCIL MEETING: Monday, November 24^th at Jefferson Elementary in the library. All members of the Norwalk Board of Education (BoE) have been invited to speak with the PTOC. However, per the BoE Bylaws, the BoE does not exist outside of one of their scheduled meetings. Therefore, the BoE members will be attending as individuals, not as representatives of the BoE. Their comments or observations will be their own, not the BoE. If you can not attend but have a question for the members, please submit to info@ptocouncil.org. A ‘Meet and Greet' begins at 7:00pm, regular meeting begins at 7:30pm. The meeting will be filmed and aired on the educational Channel 78.

PTOC PUBLICITY: Submit to mailto:info@ptocouncil.org by 12:00 noon on Wednesdays.

PTOC WEBSITE: www.ptocouncil.org. Questions or comments on PTOC Publicity or Website, please contact Sue Haynie at info@ptocouncil.org

SCHOOL CLIPS BLOG: Click this link: 'School Clips Blog' from the Hour Newspaper. In addition to providing more school related topics, the ‘School Clips' Blog can be a vehicle to increase the dialog and communication in regards to education issues for parents, teachers and the community. Postings are anonymous and protected.

BOARD OF EDUCATION/NORWALK PUBLIC SCHOOLS HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT BOARD OF ED MEETING: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 beginning at 7:45pm.

DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN; Status Report as presented at BoE meeting on November 18^th, see attached.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Do you have an experience of great value to share with Norwalk's Social Studies students? Joan Glass, Instructional Specialist for Social Studies, is inviting interested people to add their name to a new bank of potential guest speakers who are willing to volunteer to share their experience/expertise with NPS students in the area of Social Studies. For more info contact GLASSJ@norwalkps.org and see attached.

SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REVIEW BY CREC: The CREC review of the Special Education Department will be submitted to the BoE and posted on the NPS website on November 26^th. The full report will be presented to the BoE by CREC personnel at the December 2^nd BoE meeting. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled for the public for comments, questions and dialogue (tentative date for public meeting- December 9^th).

FRIDAY REPORT AND ACTION ITEMS: Friday Report for November 14^th and BoE Action Items from November 18^th . See attached.

BOARD OF ED MINUTES OF MEETINGS: Most current minutes are available by clicking below:

BoE Meeting Minutes October 21, 2008

BoE Meeting Minutes Draft, November 5, 2008

MENTORS NEEDED: to volunteer as a mentor, contact Sheri McCready, 854-4015 or mccreadys@norwalkps.org

COMMUNITY EVENTS

INCREASING PARENTS ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION PROJECT by Connecticut Appleseed-has just released 5 legal guides for parents. The guides were developed by attorneys and are legally-based, clearly-written, informational guides on a variety of bureaucratic/legal issues that face parents. For more information visit www.ctappleseed.org. Click the links below for the Guides:

	Special Education: The Policies and Your Rights After the Planning and Placement Team (PPT) Process
	Rights and Regulations in Working Proactively with your Child's School District & Teacher
	Zero Tolerance Suspension & Expulsion Policies
	Bullying and Your Rights
	The Nuts and Bolts Of How Your School Is Funded

In Spanish:

	Educacion Especial 101: La Ley y Su Hijo
	Sus Derechos Legales y Las responsabilidades del Distrito Escolar

STRATEGIES & ACCOMODATIONS FOR LEARNING AND/OR ATTENTION DIFFICULTIES presented by CT Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC). Strategies, ideas & tools to help children with LD's or ADD's succeed at home & school. Learn how to contribute to the development of the IEP & how modifications/accommodations can support a child in school. Wednesday, January 14^th, 7-9pm. Norwalk City Hall, 3^rd floor, Rm333. Co-sponsored by NorwalkSEEKS & CT Assoc. of Children/Adults w/LD (CACLD). Free, open to public.Questions at info@norwalkseeks.org or 846-2501.

NORWALK NEIGHBORS HELPING TEENS-The site has added pages for announcements from the Norwalk High Schools and Norwalk Middle Schools. Contact Joann Romano at jtromano1@yahoo.com or www.nnhtkids.org

SCHOOL EVENTS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:

Silvermine:

Book Fair-- November 17^th thru November 21^st, 8:30am-4pm. On November 20^th, open to the public from 6pm to 8pm.

‘Community Read In'-November 17^th thru November 21^st. City Officials are coming to read to all grade levels. Those reading, Mayor, Chief of Police, City Fire Marshall, State Representative, WRocks Principal & BoE Ms. Rivas.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS:

Nathan Hale:

	Silent Action gearing up, donation challenge letters coming home soon-questons, call Gloria Falcone gtkeene@optonline.net;
	Nathan Hale, for the 3rd consecutive year, been named a Top 10 School in State of CT, according to the ConnCAN research project titled: The State of Connnecticut Public Education: A 2008 Report Card for CT Schools. Congratulations to the staff and students for a job well done!

HIGH SCHOOLS:

Norwalk High School:

Parents for Norwalk High Web Site

Norwalk High Calendar of Events

Norwalk High School Web Site
Norwalk High Sports Web Site
NHS Fathers Club Web Site
NHS Marching Bears Web Site

NHS Alumni Association Web Site

Brien McMahon High School:

Click this link BMHS News & Updates

Center for Youth Leadership at BMHS- Info or articles, contact Bob Kocienda, 852-9488 or bkocienda@hotmail.com

PTO COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, November 13, 2008

PTO COUNCIL MEETING: Monday, November 24^{th at Jefferson Elementary in
the library. All members of the Norwalk Board of Education (BoE) have been
invited to speak with the PTOC. Per the BoE Bylaws, the BoE does not exist
outside of one of their scheduled meetings, so, the BoE members must attend as
individuals. Their comments or observations will be their own, not the BoE. If
you can not attend but have a question, please submit to} ^{info@ptocouncil.org}^{. A ‘Meet and
Greet' begins at 7:00pm, regular meeting begins at 7:30pm. The meeting will be
filmed and aired on the educational Channel 78.}

PTOC PUBLICITY: Submit to mailto:HYPERLINK "mailto:info@ptocouncil.org"HYPERLINK "mailto:info@ptocouncil.org"HYPERLINK "mailto:info@ptocouncil.org"info@ptocouncil.org by 12:00 noon on Wednesdays.

PTOC WEBSITE: ^{www.ptocouncil.org}^{.
Questions or comments on PTOC Publicity or Website, please contact Sue Haynie
at} ^{info@ptocouncil.org}

^{NEW BLOG:
Click this link:
^{'School Clips Blog'}^{Joan Gaylord from the Hour and the administrator of the ‘School Clips' Blog
spoke at our PTOC meeting on October 28th. She and the PTO Council are hoping
that the ‘School Clips' Blog can be a vehicle to increase the dialog and
communication in regards to education issues for parents, teachers and the
community. Postings are anonymous and protected. If a question or
concern raised on ‘School Clips' by a blog poster is an issue that the PTO
Council may be able to research and provide an answer to or a link or contact
for, we will do so, identifying the blog as coming from the PTOC.}

BOARD OF
EDUCATION/NORWALK PUBLIC SCHOOLS HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT BOARD OF ED MEETING:
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 beginning at 7:45pm.

BOE POLICY COMMITTEE AGENDA
for Monday, November 17th, 7pm in Room A333,
see attached.

SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REVIEW
BY CREC: The CREC review of the Special
Education Department (aka Pupil Personnel) of NPS will be submitted to the BoE
and posted on the NPS website on November 26th. The full report will be
presented to the BoE by CREC personnel at the December 2nd BoE meeting. A
follow-up meeting will be scheduled for the public for comments, questions and
dialogue (tentative date for public meeting- December 9th).

FRIDAY REPORT:
Friday Report for November 7th,
See attached.

BOARD OF ED MINUTES OF MEETINGS:
Most current minutes are available by clicking below:

^{BoE Meeting Minutes October 21, 2008}

^{BoE Meeting Minutes Draft, November 5,
2008}
^{MENTORS NEEDED:
to volunteer as a mentor, contact Sheri McCready, 854-4015 or
^{mccreadys@norwalkps.org}

COMMUNITY EVENTS
COAT DRIVE!
November 14th, 2-5pm, the Mayor, City of Norwalk & BoE employees will
spearhead a coat drive to help those less fortunate stay warm this winter.
Clean coats in good condition may be delivered to the NEON building, 98 So
Main St. Also, DPW will pick up coats at City Hall on Nov 15th. For info, call
Christian Community Action 899-2487 or ccanorwalk@yahoo.com.

GET READY TO READ! WORKSHOP-Thursday,
November 20th, 9am-12:15pm, for parents, teachers and childcare professionals.
Free. Overview of how important early literacy skills
are, how to administer an easy to use screening tool & how to interpret
results. Co-sponsored by CACLD & Verizon Foundation, Norwalk Inn & Conference
Center. Questions (203) 838-5010, Reserve your space by November 10th.

STRESSED-OUT GIRLS: HELPING THEM
THRIVE IN THE AGE OF PRESSURE; Author, Roni
Cohen-Sandler, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist specializing in parenting based
her book on a national study of 3,000 middle school & high school students.
November 13th, 7-9pm, Greenwich Library, Greenwich, CT, Contact Bob Horne
869-8464 or questions to

^{speakers@whitbyschool.org}^{.
The lecture is Free and open to the public.}

INCREASING PARENTS ACCESS TO LEGAL
INFORMATION PROJECT by Connecticut Appleseed-has
just released 5 legal guides for parents. The guides were developed by
attorneys and are legally-based, clearly-written, informational guides on a
variety of bureaucratic/legal issues that face parents. For more information
visit
^{www.ctappleseed.org}^{.
Click the links below for the Guides:}}}

Special Education: The Policies and Your Rights After the Planning and Placement Team (PPT) Process Rights and Regulations in Working Proactively with your Child's School District & Teacher Zero Tolerance Suspension & Expulsion Policies

Bullying and Your Rights The Nuts and Bolts Of How Your School Is Funded In Spanish: Educacion Especial 101: La Ley y Su Hijo Sus Derechos Legales y Las responsabilidades del Distrito Escolar

PUPPET SHOW-SHAKESPEARE'S COMEDY OF ERRORS performed by Purple Rock Productions-recommended for Elementary & Middle School Students. Free. Registration strongly suggested. December 9th, 6-7pm at the SoNorwalk Branch Library, 10 Washington St., S. Norwalk. For more info, call Sherelle Harris 899-2790 x3 or x5.

STRATEGIES & ACCOMODATIONS FOR LEARNING AND/OR ATTENTION DIFFICULTIES presented by CT Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC). Strategies, ideas & tools to help children with LD's or ADD's succeed at home & school. Learn how to contribute to the development of the IEP & how modifications/accommodations can support a child in school. Norwalk City Hall, 3rd floor, Rm333. Co-sponsored by NorwalkSEEKS & CT Assoc. of Children/Adults w/LD (CACLD). Free, open to publc.

Questions at ^{info@norwalkseeks.org}^{or 846-2501.}

NORWALK NEIGHBORS HELPING TEENS-The site has added pages for announcements from the Norwalk High Schools and Norwalk Middle Schools. Contact Joann Romano at ^{jtromano1@yahoo.com}^or ^{www.nnhtkids.org}

SCHOOL EVENTS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:

MIDDLE SCHOOLS:

Nathan Hale:

Friday, Nov 14th, Report cards go home;

Wednesday, Nov 19th, 6:30pm-NHMS Library- High School Orientation/College Night for 8th grade parents- Important information about transition to high school. For more info, contact Ms. Melchionne at 899-2910 x17212.

Silent Action gearing up, donation challenge letters coming home soon-questons, call Gloria Falcone gtkeene@optonline.net;

Nathan Hale, for the 3rd consecutive year, been named a Top 10 School in State of CT, according to the ConnCAN research project titled: The State of Connnecticut Public Education: A 2008 Report Card for CT Schools. Congratulations to the staff and students for a job well done!

	Approval of Field Trips;
	Report on Assessment of Special Education Department;
	Potential Reorganization of Finance/Operations Departments;
	State Reimbursement for Medicaid;
	CABE recognition;
	Update on Mentor Program;
	BoE Executive Committee Minutes for October 14, 2008

	Personnel actions;
	Board of Ed Minutes for October 21, 2008;
	Approval of Brien McMahon HS/CGS project as complete;
	Approval of Roton MS project as complete;
	Approval of appointments for District Data Decision-Making Teams;
	Approve reallocation of funds for Norwalk High Culinary Arts Program;
	Approve placing on hold the Director of Administration position;
	Field Trips:

	Early Childhood Education Program;
	Approval of HOT School Contract for Columbus;
	Approval of BMHS/Roton Project Closeouts;
	Update on Family Resource Center;
	Reallocation of Resources for Culinary Arts Program at Norwalk High;
	Naramake Roof Replacement;
	Interim Director of Administration;
	Implementation of Security Grant;
	District Improvement Plan Update;
	Natalie Rodriquez ELL Scholarship Announcement;
	Out-of-District Transfer Data;
	Minutes of BoE Executive Committee Meeting for 9/24/08.

	Personnel Actions;
	Minutes of BoE Meeting for 10/7/08;
	Approval of HOT School Contract for Columbus;
	Approval of BMHS Project Closeout;
	Approval of Roton Project Closeout;
	Approval Date Change of BoE Meeting from November 4^th (Election Day) to November 5^th;
	Approval of Budget Transfers

	7:00 p.m.-BoE Executive Session to discuss pending litigation w/Spectrum Kids;
	9:00 p.m.-Approximate time Public Session begins

	Budget Committee Meeting, October 29, 2008, 7:30pm, Room A300
	Executive Committee Meeting, October 28, 2008, 5:30pm, Room A330