Hi Friends,   

Joyful and delightful theater performances happened at Julian Curtiss and New Lebanon schools.

JC students 3-5th grades boldly expressed themselves at their first Declamation Contest and NL kindergarten - 2nd grade Theater Clubs became planets in the solar system.

Teachers are raving about the transformative impact of these two theater grants. Congrats to all involved! Greenwich High School - talented actors are heading your way!

ATTENTION rising 6th - 12th graders!! REGISTER TODAY and embark on a transformative journey! UNBOUND INNOVATIONS XR STEM Camp - July 1-26 at Central Middle School.

Join me at HOPE DAY on Sunday, April 28 1-4PM at Arch Street Center.  Let's Smash the Stigma together around mental illness. Sponsored by Greenwich Together.

Sponsored by Greenwich Together. Includes: youth performances and music, food, 15+ resource tables, individual stretch sessions, arts & crafts for all ages, healing touch team, great raffle prizes (including 2 tickets to Greenwich Town Party).

Two 2-week Camp Sessions. July 1-26th at Central Middle School for rising 6th-12th graders. 

World Building, Game Design, Robotics, Coding & Drones - it's a one of a kind experience taught by Distinguished teacher and XR Technology Leader, Gaspare Lipari.

TUNING INTO MUSIC (TITM)

Since 2006, a Greenwich Alliance funded program making private music lessons free and accessible to low-socioeconomic students in the GPS.

The one-on-one instruction and focused learning environment contribute to the growth in skills and confidence for 56 musicians this year.

During my visit with a TITM foundation donor, I observed the effective teaching methods of CT School of Music. Despite the Western Regional tryouts not being held until November, band teacher Dylan is already guiding his students through challenging music pieces in preparation.

HAMILTON AVENUE ODYSSEY OF THE MIND TEAM 

Help them get to the Odyssey of the Mind World finals! This inspirational group from Hamilton Avenue School is raising money to send the team to the finals being held in Iowa from May 21-24, 2024. They have been hosting bake sales and fundraisers to cover the cost of meals, airfare and accommodations. Click here to view the "gofundme" page and donate.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS RECEIVES DONOR DIRECTED GIFT 

The purpose of GPS Community Connections is to foster independence for young adults who are not quite ready for their next phase of life. Students are supported with daily living skills. Learning to prepare meals for themselves is a major focus of the program.

With this special donation, the staff purchased recipe ingredients and supplies for the new kitchen. Students practice by following a recipe as part of a team and benefit from task completion while building self esteem.

GHS eSPORTS GETS NATIONAL RECOGNITION!

The club now includes 30 students playing on 7 teams across 5 different games: Smash Bros Ultimate (CIAC), Mario Kart (CIAC), Overwatch, Splatoon and NBA 2K.

All of these teams competing in the spring season landed GHS in PlayVS' "Super 25", the top 25 high school esports programs nation-wide on the PlayVS platform. See USA Today article for more details.

eSports Club was supported by Alliance Reaching Out Grants totaling $15K from 2020-2022 to purchase new gaming computers and headsets.

College News!

AVID 12 Elective Teachers, Pilar Rabassa and Evan Olmstead, report 100% of 39 AVID seniors have college acceptance letters.

What's different this year for seniors across the country is that many financial aid packages have not been sent. There are technical issues with the new FAFSA so college financial aid offices are postponing packages until they can verify a student's financial data.

May 1st will not be the deposit day this year. Hopefully, the class of 2024 will soon have the information they need to evaluate, commit and begin planning their college journeys.

CMS & WMS AVID Students Visit Drew University

AVID's philosophy is for students to "see" themselves on a college campus and the best way to do that is to bring them there!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

---

Board of Education Meetings at 7:00 PM:

• Thursday, May 16, 2024, Central Middle School
  Thursday, June 13, 2024, Central Middle School

Connecticut Food System Transformation: Pathways to Equity & Resilience, Friday, April 26, 2024. 9:00-11:00 AM. Foundation House, 124 Old Mill Road, Greenwich, CT.

YWCA - Stand Againtst Racism, Friday, April 26, 2024. Greenwich Town Hall @12PM.

Live Like Luke Beach Clean-up, Saturday, April 27, 2024, 9AM-1PM. This event honors Luke Meyers, GHS environmental activist who lost his battle with cancer in 2019.

HOPE DAY, Sunday, April 28, 2024, 1-4PM.  Arch Street Teen Center. Admission is free.

OTHER:

Visit Greenwich Together website for resources to prevent substance misuse, promote behavioral and mental health and strengthen healthy choices.

Questions about the Greenwich Alliance for Education? Want to share your ideas on how to spread the word?

Contact me at julie@greenwichalliance.org.

Sincerely,

Julie Faryniarz, Executive Director
203.340.2323 
julie@greenwichalliance.org
www.greenwichalliance.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie.faryniarz

PS. Follow us on FB and Instagram for Alliance updates.

The Greenwich Alliance for Education is a public/private funding partner 
to the Greenwich Public Schools.

Funding Innovation, Expanding Opportunities, Inspiring Educators