Around Town

VIDEO: Emergency Responders Roll Out ‘Happy Birthday’ Drive-By’s for Local Kids

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Happy Birthday Valentina Chavez Del Campo

On April 20, 2020, members of New Canaan Police, Fire, EMS and Public Works with a Happy Birthday Valentina Chavez Del Campo, age 6. Credit: Michael Dinan

Members of New Canaan Fire, Police, EMS and Public Works on Monday morning sounded their sirens and honked their big horns from emergency vehicles for six elementary school kids on their birthdays. As part of a newly launched birthday celebration effort, the row of public safety vehicles rolled slowly past East School kindergartner Valentina Chavez Del Campo’s home on Cross Street at 10:16 a.m. She appeared in the doorway with her family just as EMTs began serenading her with the “Happy Birthday” song, waving back. Neighbors emerged from their own homes to see what was happening and, on realizing their young neighbor had a birthday, called out “happy birthday,” too. “It’s the least we could do to brighten the spirits of kids in town, and everybody in town, and show people we are still here and there are still positives going on in town that we can collectively celebrate,” said Police Deputy Chief John DiFederico. Others receiving the special birthday salutes Monday included South School kindergartner Alice Duan (six), East School fourth-grader Theodore Pemberton (10), East School kindergartner Spencer Weiner (six), West School third-garden Brady Hibbert (nine) and West School third-grader Jacob Fisher (nine). 

The idea was shared by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi during a recent daily call of emergency operations officials, DiFederico said. 

More celebrations are planned for the 10 a.m. hour.

Board of Education

Superintendent: 4th-Quarter Grading Will Depend on Duration of School Closure, State Guidance

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New Canaan Public Schools’ decision on how to grade students during the fourth quarter of the academic year will depend on how long schools are closed, officials said last week. Until the district knows what that duration will be, “it’s very difficult to make a final decision around what the grading structure should be,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi told members of the Board of Education. 

“I do believe that the guidance from the [Connecticut State Department of Education] commissioner will be relatively strong, because I think that districts are struggling with this question,” Luizzi said during the Board of Ed’s April 6 meeting, held via videoconference. 

“As far as what the Board of Education’s role will be in making that decision and as far as what the district team’s role will be in making that decision, I think we need to wait to see what comes out from the commissioner’s office and from the governor in this regard.”

New Canaan schools have been closed since March 12. Students here have been participating in the district’s continually refined e-learning or “remote learning” program, and school will reopen no sooner than April 20, Luizzi has said. Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday that he intends to sign an order keeping all Connecticut schools closed through at least May 20. The district has already been forced to cancel the popular Senior Internship Program scheduled for this spring, and state officials said they intend to meet next week to discuss the spring varsity sports season.

COVID-19 New Canaan

District: School Buses Are On Roads To Improve Routes

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The school buses traveling local roads and even making stops as though children would board them are testing routes in order to make drive-times more efficient, district officials say. New Canaan Public Schools rarely gets an opportunity to drive-test routing improvements, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi. “The bus drivers are still working for us—they are still employed by DATTCO as part of the contract—and so we thought, let’s get the buses driven and see if we can make the routes more efficient,” Luizzi told NewCanaanite.com. 

“We have an opportunity to have them drive the runs and have them look at the new runs for the [proposed new] school start times, as well,” he added. With COVID-19 drive-thru testing launched Friday outside Saxe Middle School, the school buses have suspended the test-runs for now and they’ll be “sporadic” in the future, Luizzi said. Public schools have been closed since March 12 and the district the following day launched a remote “e-learning” program to keep students learning and connected to their educators.

COVID-19 New Canaan

Superintendent: School Buildings Now Closed Through April 20; Changes Coming to E-Learning Program

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New Canaan Public Schools will resume no sooner than April 20, district officials said late Wednesday. 

Originally planned for two weeks, the e-learning program launched last Friday as the COVID-19 emergency took hold—a system that parents, while grateful for educators’ efforts, have found cumbersome in some ways—will be modified “to ensure that it will be sustainable for our students, staff, and families, and that it will be responsive to whatever lies ahead,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said in an email to parents. 

“These adjustments at each level permit us to adapt to the few challenges that have arisen while capitalizing on some wonderful opportunities that have appeared,” the email said. It wasn’t immediately clear what the changes would involve, though they’ll take hold Monday, Luizzi said. Principals are to contact public schools parents about them. The news comes as state officials waive a requirement that districts hold 180 school days amid growing concerns about the spread of the virus. Connecticut cases are increasing a rapid rate—up from 68 Tuesday to 96 Wednesday, according to the state Department of Public Health,  with more than 70% of cases in Fairfield County.

Dr. Bryan Luizzi

New Canaan Public Schools To Close Thursday After First Confirmed COVID-19 Case in Town

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In a move designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 following the first confirmed case in town, New Canaan Public Schools will close Thursday, district officials said, and starting Friday students will continue learning remotely for two weeks. Faculty and staff “have been working tirelessly over the past weeks to prepare for this scenario,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said Wednesday afternoon in an email to parents. “We have prepared for this scenario by coming together as a district to develop plans that provide our students with a continuing educational experience during the closure,” he said. “These plans will be shared by your building principals in subsequent communications.”

Thursday will count as a snow day, district officials said. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.