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Citywide Feeding Program to Continue Providing Meals to Students
Through the Summer with Revised Schedule
NEW ORLEANS – (May 20, 2020) – NOLA Public Schools’ (NOLA-PS) Citywide Feeding Program has officially served more than one million meals to students since the program started on March 16. NOLA-PS and Charter Management Organizations launched the full-scale Citywide Feeding Program in collaboration with many charter school leaders, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORD), local non-profit organizations, faith-based partners and private businesses. The program is comprised of 39 Community Feeding Distribution sites across New Orleans that ensure families can easily access breakfast and lunch during this prolonged school closure. The 39 sites consist of schools, NORD facilities and local business locations and the Citywide Feeding Program will continue throughout the summer.
“As New Orleans prepared for the spread of COVID-19, we as educators quickly realized the need to provide child nutrition services and worked diligently to build and launch the Citywide Feeding Program,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “I’d like to thank our school leaders, partners and the food distribution site workers for making the Citywide Feeding Program a success. This service is vital for students to receive a proper education.”
As a district, NOLA-PS and school operators recognize the need to provide daily meals to students via the Citywide Feeding Program and all parties remain dedicated to serving those most in need during this trying time. This work will continue through the summer to ensure students’ health and wellbeing stay on track. Additionally, NOLA-PS is working to create a revised meal distribution schedule for the summer.
“As a district, we are committed to servicing the whole child through this entire crisis,” said Orleans Parish School Board President Ethan Ashley. “Our top priority is the health and wellbeing of our students. We are thrilled to be able to serve our students and families as we continue our meal distribution program through the summer. This is not only monumental for the families that we serve but we must also recognize the hard work and dedication of our food service providers.”
NOLA-PS worked closely with Charter School Leaders, the City of New Orleans and NORD to execute the Citywide Feeding Program. Additionally, LYFT donated $5,000 in free rides for families to travel to and from food distribution sites in Orleans Parish. These partnerships made it possible for families across the District to access the food distribution sites. NOLA-PS is leading the way, locally and nationally, by providing students with the meals, health services and remote learning they need to grow and succeed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Citywide Feeding Program Schedule:
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ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.
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The Annenberg Learner programming will reach 45,000 local students through NOLA-PS TV
NEW ORLEANS – (May 18, 2020) – NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) and the Annenberg Foundation have partnered to broadcast Annenberg Learner programming on NOLA-PS TV free of charge to help support continued distance learning needs over the summer impacting more than 45,000 local students in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The Annenberg Learner content collection contains K-12 educational materials and videos covering a variety of subjects from math and science to literature and music.
Starting today, May 18, the Annenberg Learner programming can be accessed at: https://nolapublicschools.com/opsb-tv or NOLA-PS TV on channel 8 via COX Cable now through July 31, 2020.
“I’d like to thank Annenberg Foundation for giving our families and teachers the opportunity to experience this educational programming, free of charge to fulfill distance learning needs,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “The Annenberg Learner content is a great way for our students to continue their educational growth, especially during the upcoming summer break. We truly value this partnership and look forward to the entire NOLA-PS community utilizing this content.”
Families and teachers will benefit from some of Learner’s most popular series including The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science which explores the natural functions of Earth’s systems and Earth’s ability to sustain life, and Against All Odds: Inside Statistics which shows the relevance of statistics in real-world settings. In the American Cinema series, over 150 Hollywood insiders document American culture through film. Additionally, The Constitution: That Delicate Balance series is a timely resource that probes beliefs and biases about the Constitution.
“Broadcasting Learner programming via television ensures that all students, whether or not they have access to a computer or an Internet connection, can continue their education remotely as we redefine what learning looks like during this crisis,” said Cinny Kennard, Executive Director, Annenberg Foundation. “Annenberg Learner has always known it is critical for teachers to have access to educational materials that supplement their curricula to create deeper learning connections with their students, educators in the midst of a global pandemic are certainly no exception.”
Annenberg Learner – Week 1 – Daily Schedule – May 18-23
To access the Annenberg Learner weekly programming schedule now through July 31, 2020 on NOLA-PS TV visit www.nolapublicschools.com.
The Annenberg Foundation is making Annenberg Learner programming available free of charge to any school district in the country to assist with distance learning. Annenberg Learner also has free content resources and coordinated online materials, such as user guides, downloadable textbooks, labs and interactives, that can be used directly at www.learner.org.
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ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NolaPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.
ABOUT ANNENBERG LEARNER:
Annenberg Learner is the education division of the Annenberg Foundation, created to advance excellent teaching in American schools. For more than three decades, Annenberg Learner has pursued this mission by funding and distributing multimedia resources, including video, print, and web materials, for the professional development of teachers (K-12 and college levels). These resources in all discipline areas help teachers to stay up-to-date in their fields and to use current learning research in their classrooms. More than 100 multimedia courses and workshops are streamed free through http://www.learner.org. As the name Annenberg Learner implies, its focus is on the teacher, as well as the student, as a learner.
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NEW ORLEANS – (May 14, 2020) – This evening New Orleans Public Schools (NOLA-PS) Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. presented his recommendations on the Spring Charter Applications to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). In total, two organizations received a recommendation to either approve or deny their application to begin a new school (Type 1 – New Start) or transform an existing charter school (Type 1 – Transformation). They are as follows:
“Expanding our school programs that are doing well is how we continue to ensure the number of seats in quality schools continues to grow throughout the district. Making these decisions with regards to charter applications is a responsibility I take seriously,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “We are committed to seeing our top performing schools expand and to embrace exciting new school programs in our district.”
Completed application materials and independent evaluator review documents are available online at https://nolapublicschools.com/schools/open-a-school.
“We require a high level of excellence from our operators and are excited to see some of these applications move forward,” said Orleans Parish School Board President Ethan Ashley. “To that end, I want to thank everyone involved, from the applicant teams to our independent evaluators along with the NOLA-PS administration, for their tireless work to ensure our schools remain competitive in providing the best quality education to our students.”
Spring 2020 Charter RFA Process
In January, the OPSB issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the spring 2020 cycle. Applications undergo a rigorous evaluation that includes three committees: independent third party evaluation, internal committee of NOLA-PS staff, and a community committee comprised of the Superintendent’s Parent, Teacher and Faith-Based Advisory Councils. All applicants had the opportunity to present their proposed school(s) to the OPSB Board Members and community during the public hearing that was held on, April 23, ahead of the May 2020 Orleans Parish School Board Business Meeting.
ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.
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NEW ORLEANS – (May 14, 2020) - This evening, at the May Board Business Meeting, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) voted to extend the contract of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. The vote, which passed 5-2, will extend the contract by an additional twelve months, extended from ending June 30, 2021 to ending June 30, 2022.
“Dr. Henderson Lewis has been an exemplary leader of our public schools these past five years and is the leader we need to move us into the future. Whether he was ushering in the successful return of schools to local control from the RSD, overseeing new initiatives to raise graduation rates, setting high standards for school accountability, or becoming the first local government agency to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Dr. Lewis has risen to the challenge. Even before this global pandemic, he had earned his contract extension. But now, as COVID-19 has ravaged our city, he has demonstrated strong leadership once again, mobilizing technology, food and resources for families and students,” said OPSB Board President Ethan Ashley. “I believe that our job in this moment, on the front end of this crisis, is to offer our students, parents and educators as much stability as possible so that we all can focus our energies on the work toward recovery. Our school community should not have to worry about leadership changes in a time such as this, and certainly not when we have a Superintendent who has performed well through many difficult challenges. We are in good hands with Dr. Lewis and I’m proud to support his continued tenure.”
“Leading the New Orleans public school system is the most gratifying job I’ve ever had and I’m excited to build on the progress we have been making,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “Our students are on a great path, but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure every child can graduate, ready for success in college or to attain his or her first job. And now, due to the global pandemic that has presented our schools with new challenges, our charge is more urgent than ever. I’m proud of how educators and this entire city have stepped up on behalf of our children and look forward to continuing to work with school leaders and board members to overcome and persevere.”
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NOLA-PS Provides Updates on School Re-opening Plan, Formation of Task Force
NEW ORLEANS – (May 7, 2020) - Per Gov. John Bel Edwards’ recent announcement, all NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) facilities will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. This necessary action is an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19 across our city and state. The District will issue updates to the public with developments every Thursday moving forward. Please note what is new and what has previously been shared below.
WHAT’S NEW:
NOLA-PS PLANNING FOR RE-OPENING OF SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR
Over the last several weeks the district has been in the assessment phase of the COVID-19 recovery, working with school leaders to determine what has worked and what will be needed to continue to support teachers and students in the next school year. As the district works through realigning plans and budgets for the next school year, NOLA-PS has announced it is creating a Reopening Task Force to advise district administration and the board on needs for school plans and protocols as students return, either in person or virtually, next year. The Task Force will focus on planning for every possible scenario and taking every precaution to ensure students, staff and faculty are safe while helping children grow and learn. The group will be comprised of school leaders, teachers, social workers, medical experts, parents and other key experts, that will focus on how to safely return to school.
Additionally, NOLA-PS is in the process of hiring a medical and public health advisor who will oversee reentry planning processes and who will be available to all schools in the district to advise on actions to take and how to keep our campuses safe.
UNIFIED START DATE FOR 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR ANNOUNCED
As the 2019-2020 school year comes to a close, NOLA-PS has been working closely with school leaders to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. For the first time, a majority of the K-12 institutions authorized by NOLA-PS will follow a citywide, unified calendar. Based on this unified calendar, which was announced after months of collaboration between charter schools, the 2020-2021 academic school year is scheduled to kick off between the common window of August 4-11, 2020. Schools have also agreed to common windows for fall, Mardi Gras and spring breaks and to align to the same dates for all single day holidays as well as Thanksgiving and winter breaks.
SUMMER SCHOOL WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA DISTANCE LEARNING
NOLA-PS has announced that students needing summer school will do so via distanced learning. This is being done in order to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff as the city continues to combat the virus. Any student needing to complete summer school coursework should coordinate with their school leader on accessing distance learning.
PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING:
NOLA-PS OFFERS SCHOOLS SUPPORT FOR GRADUATION
As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic wear on, graduation seniors are having to postpone celebrating the end of their high school careers. While some schools are doing virtual or socially-distanced celebrations on their own, many are planning for full graduations at later dates. NOLA-PS is currently working with schools to carry out a virtual celebration for graduates, through the NOLA-PS television channel. More details on timing of such celebrations will be released soon. NOLA-PS is also offering schools support in planning for virtual and in-person ceremonies as needed and is committed to ensuring all students are celebrated, when it is safe to do so.
CHILD NUTRITION
Since Monday, March 16, approximately 976,103 meals and counting have been served to students in Orleans Parish.
Current Citywide Feeding Program Schedule:
Students over 18 that are enrolled in public K-12 schools, including students with disabilities through age 22, are also eligible for free meals at open sites.
COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER WEBPAGE:
The NOLA-PS website has been updated to share important information and resources related to COVID-19 for community members. The community resource center includes distance learning resources for families, as well as links to local agencies and non-profits that are providing critical services and updates on the coronavirus. There are also mental and behavioral health resources to support students, educators and community members through this difficult time. We will continue to update this page as we learn of resources that may be valuable to community members.
The page also serves as a way to connect with community members that are looking for ways to support students and schools. The District is coordinating the collection of resources for schools such as sanitation supplies, educational materials, and various technology needs. If you are looking for information on giving donations, please email donations@nolapublicschools.com or contact 504-430-5311.
To access the NOLA-PS community webpage, visit https://nolapublicschools.com/community
To access distance learning resources webpage, visit https://www.nolapublicschools.com/distance-learning-resources###
ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.
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