Norwalk Education Foundation gets $5K grant from BJ’s; Common Core forum set for Thursday

NORWALK, Conn. – The Norwalk Education Foundation (NEF) has received a $5,000 grant from the BJ’s Charitable Giving Foundation that will be used to support professional development for teachers in Norwalk Public Schools as they transition onto the Common Core State Standards Go Math curriculum.

The announcement was made Monday afternoon by the NEF.

BJ’s Wholesale Club is hoping to build a store in Norwalk, and is said to be preparing a second push for a location on Main Avenue. BJ’s withdrew its earlier application last fall because of public opposition to the size and location.

The GO MATH curriculum was implemented in all 12 elementary schools in the last two years. The roll-out will be completed in all four middle schools grades this year, the release said.

NEF has reached out to several other funders to help make one-on-one professional development possible for more teachers. Anyone interested in supporting this initiative can contact foundation Executive Director Gloria Tenofsky at 203-854-4068.

Common Core public forum planned

Educators from Norwalk Public Schools will speak Thursday, Jan. 30, about Common Core State Standards in a community forum hosted by the Norwalk Public Library and Norwalk Education Foundation. The free event for parents and community members will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the library’s main branch at 1 Belden Ave.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS or Common Core) are a set of research-based, globally competitive K-12 expectations for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Adopted by 45 states across the country, including Connecticut, Common Core State Standards are comparable across states. Norwalk schools are currently rolling out changes to curriculum and testing procedures designed to meet the new standards.

“Many parents have asked us what the Common Core shift means for their children and we really didn’t know how to answer them”, said Children’s Librarian Vicki Oatis. “We reached out to NEF to help us plan an information session to demystify Common Core.”

The panel will include Deputy Superintendent Tony Daddona; Chief of Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Ralph Valenzisi; Craig Creller, district math specialist and head of the Common Core Transition Team; Diane Filardo, district testing specialist; Maureen Jones, elementary assistant principal; and Tritty Kelly, middle school English/language arts department head.

Each member of the panel will present information on Norwalk’s implementation of the Common Core which will be followed by a question and answer period. This event is open to the public and while child care is being provided by the library, space is limited and must be reserved by calling the library at (203) 899-2780, ext. 15131.