Board of Education

Pilot Program: Board of Ed Approves Policy for Bringing Certified Therapy Dogs into Schools

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The Board of Education during its most recent meeting voted unanimously in favor of a policy designed to oversee a pilot program whereby a certified therapy dog can visit New Canaan Public Schools. Led by a teacher who also is a trainer, the program has already seen a certified therapy dog visit South School once “and it was a big hit,” according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi. 

“And not only was it a big hit, it was a big dog—it’s a Newfoundland, hard to miss,” Luizzi said during the Board’s regular meeting, held Nov. 20 in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “But it was wonderful. The kids loved it.

Board of Education

Following State Law, Board of Ed Updates Kindergarten Policy for 2024-25 School Year

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The Board of Education last week unanimously approved a revised policy regarding kindergarteners, following a new state law that takes effect in the 2024-25 school year. Under the law, children must be five years old by Sept. 1, 2024 in order to start kindergarten that year, though children who do not meet that cutoff date may still be admitted into kindergarten with a written request from a parent or guardian and school “assessment” to determine that the admission would be developmentally appropriate for the child. 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi noted during the Board’s regular meeting Nov. 20 that the change effectively shifts the age of eligibility for kindergarten from children who turn five before Dec. 31 to Sept.

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‘An Incredible Human Being’: Board of Ed Accepts Gift from Unnamed Donor for Lunch Program Support

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The Board of Education last week voted unanimously to accept a donation that helps kids enrolled in New Canaan Public Schools’ free and reduced lunch program. The “incredibly generous donation” from an unnamed individual goes into an initiative that the district piloted last year within the program, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi. “Without going into too much detail, the long and short of it is that it’s an opportunity to help children across the district that are in that program to have a little bit more flexibility in their purchasing of snacks and food in our cafeteria,” Luizzi said during the Board of Ed’s regular meeting, held Nov. 20 in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “There’s one anonymous donor who’s underwriting this for us,” Luizzi said before the school board voted 9-0 in favor of accepting the $27,649.76 donation, facilitated by the New Canaan Community Foundation.

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Global Citizenship: 50 NCHS Students Participate in ‘Model UN Club’

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New Canaan High School’s Model UN Club promotes a non-U.S.-centric worldview where participating students debate nuanced issues that show them a different perspective and help them become “global citizens,” according to one of the team’s leaders. A central question facing Model UN members is not just “How can I become a good U.S. citizen?” but “How can I become a good global citizen?” according to NCHS senior Melissa Rizzo, who joined Model UN as a fifth-grader at the Zurich International School and continued in New Canaan when she arrived at Saxe Middle School as an eighth grader. A secretary general on the team overseeing three Model UN captions and its executive board, Rizzo said she and others on the team “are exposed to a diverse range of global issues and cultures.” “

“Particularly in The Hague, sitting adjacent to 150 students who are from all over the world, you truly see the different cultures and how it comes into play in debate and how it is important to have an entity such as the UN that addresses issues—global issues—in a way that is individual and productive for each nation,” she told members of the Board of Education during their regular meeting Monday, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. 

The comments came prior to the school board voting unanimously to approve an overnight field trip for the NCHS Model UN program. Rizzo in delivering her presentation was joined at the podium by faculty advisor Paul Phillips. Model UN is a program that helps develop research, critical thinking, persuasion, collaboration and public speaking skills, Rizzo said.

Board of Education

‘The Dome’: School District Aims To Open Renovated NCHS Planetarium This Fall

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The Board of Education during its most recent meeting voted to update the district’s goals and objectives, including new language around one of its major and most widely discussed initiatives in recent years. During its Aug. 21 meeting, the Board voted in favor of a number of updated objectives including “begin implementation of short- and long-range plans for integration of the renovated Dome into the student experience K-12.”

Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jill Correnty called the renovated planetarium, known as “the Dome,” “one of the most exciting” areas of the regularly updated goals and objectives document. “Obviously the Dome is moving along,” Correnty said at the meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “It’s kind of exciting to walk in and see the renovations taking place and we’re very excited.