BRIDGEPORT, CT (November 21, 2022) - New Beginnings Family Academy (NBFA) is excited to announce that it has been selected by The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, a recognized regional leader in science education, as one of its Whole School Partners. The Whole School Partnership is a collaborative effort between The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and schools to bring students and science educators together multiple times over the course of the school year. Thanks to this new partnership, NBFA and The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk will re-introduce student field trips and welcome Aquarium educators into classrooms in 2022-23 as an essential component of the whole-child learning experience.
The partnership will consist of a series of science-based field trips to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk by NBFA students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Aquarium educators will also visit NBFA for classroom programs for Pre-K students. For example, in the House for Hermit Crab module, students will learn about habitat as they “meet and touch live crabs and mollusks, sorting and classifying them by size, shape and other attributes that promote early science skills.”
“NBFA is thrilled to partner with The Maritime Aquarium. As leaders in science education, The Maritime Aquarium will enhance our curriculum through a variety of programs,” said Ronelle P. Swagerty, NBFA’s director. “This is especially important because field trips were discontinued during the pandemic and many NBFA students in grades K-3 have not yet experienced inquiry-based learning outside of the school building.”
The partnership with The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk will strengthen NBFA’s STEM education and provide students with a curated learning opportunity outside of the classroom that will support their social and emotional development.
“We are delighted to work with NBFA and support an Emotionally Responsive Practice school through enhanced science education,” said Tom Naiman, Vice President of Education. “With our hands-on programs conducted at the Aquarium and schools, we aim to bring classroom science to life to substantially close the science learning achievement gap.”
The NBFA and The Maritime Aquarium partnership recognizes the educational value of field trips when they complement and reinforce curriculum-integration classroom learning. Studies have found that students who participate in science-based field trips have improved academic performance.
About New Beginnings Family Academy: NBFA is a Pre-K - Grade 8 tuition-free public charter school. Through NBFA’s student-centered approach steeped in child development, and emotionally responsive practice, the needs of each child are addressed holistically through skillful relationship building and culturally relevant curriculum. Its mission is to provide students a meaningful, high-quality education through experience-based learning that helps develop essential social, emotional and critical-thinking skills. This gives all children a foundation to achieve their full potential at every stage of life. To learn more, please visit www.nbfacademy.org
About The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk: The Maritime Aquarium inspires people of all ages to appreciate and protect the Long Island Sound ecosystem and the global environment through living exhibits, marine science, and environmental education. To learn more, please visit maritimeaquarium.org
The partnership will consist of a series of science-based field trips to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk by NBFA students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Aquarium educators will also visit NBFA for classroom programs for Pre-K students. For example, in the House for Hermit Crab module, students will learn about habitat as they “meet and touch live crabs and mollusks, sorting and classifying them by size, shape and other attributes that promote early science skills.”
“NBFA is thrilled to partner with The Maritime Aquarium. As leaders in science education, The Maritime Aquarium will enhance our curriculum through a variety of programs,” said Ronelle P. Swagerty, NBFA’s director. “This is especially important because field trips were discontinued during the pandemic and many NBFA students in grades K-3 have not yet experienced inquiry-based learning outside of the school building.”
The partnership with The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk will strengthen NBFA’s STEM education and provide students with a curated learning opportunity outside of the classroom that will support their social and emotional development.
“We are delighted to work with NBFA and support an Emotionally Responsive Practice school through enhanced science education,” said Tom Naiman, Vice President of Education. “With our hands-on programs conducted at the Aquarium and schools, we aim to bring classroom science to life to substantially close the science learning achievement gap.”
The NBFA and The Maritime Aquarium partnership recognizes the educational value of field trips when they complement and reinforce curriculum-integration classroom learning. Studies have found that students who participate in science-based field trips have improved academic performance.
About New Beginnings Family Academy: NBFA is a Pre-K - Grade 8 tuition-free public charter school. Through NBFA’s student-centered approach steeped in child development, and emotionally responsive practice, the needs of each child are addressed holistically through skillful relationship building and culturally relevant curriculum. Its mission is to provide students a meaningful, high-quality education through experience-based learning that helps develop essential social, emotional and critical-thinking skills. This gives all children a foundation to achieve their full potential at every stage of life. To learn more, please visit www.nbfacademy.org
About The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk: The Maritime Aquarium inspires people of all ages to appreciate and protect the Long Island Sound ecosystem and the global environment through living exhibits, marine science, and environmental education. To learn more, please visit maritimeaquarium.org