Superintendent: Lockdown Lifted; Campus Safe, Secure
“We have just been informed that the lockdown has been lifted, and the campus has been cleared and safe. Additional information will be forthcoming for the community.”
Superintendent Thomas Scarice
Westport Schools: Investigation Continues; No Active Threat Reported
Dear Families,
This morning a call was made to the Westport Police Department WPD) that warranted a lockdown at Staples High School. As a precaution, Bedford Middle School was placed in a “shelter in place”. The WPD is on scene at this moment investigating and the building is secure. When a school is in a lockdown or “shelter in place”, no visitors are allowed on campus. All district schools have implemented safety procedures until this matter is resolved.
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Clear, with a low around 46. South wind around 6 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph after midnight.
Musical Duo Dan + Claudia Zane headline Voices Cafe Kids on November 5th
Press ReleaseThe nationally heralded, award-winning duo Dan + Claudia Zanes will be at Westport’s Voices Café (10 Lyons Plains Rd, Westport) on Saturday afternoon November 5th, at 4pm, for a terrific in-person concert for all ages. Doors open at 3:30. This event introduces Voices Café KIDS, so bring the whole family to enjoy Dan + Claudia Zanes, “the gold standard in kids’ music,” according to NPR. It will be an afternoon of singing, laughter, movement, dancing and joy. Everyone is invited to join the fun!
Voices Café offers a welcoming, uplifting atmosphere, in a sensory-friendly, spacious, open environment; seating will be theater-style with space upfront for movement and fun. General admission is $25 per adult, $15 per child ages 2 to 17, and children under two are welcome at no charge. A 15% FAMILYTIME discount is available for families of four or more. Tickets and more information at: https://voicescafe.org/
Voices Café KIDS continues the tradition of a deep commitment to social justice that has always been attached to our Voices Café programming. Voices Café, now in its 12th year, is known for drawing in superb folk singers and bands for adult fans, while also supporting important social justice causes. Voices Café KIDS is the first concert designed for full family participation in a sensory-friendly atmosphere, even as the commitment to social justice continues. A portion of this concert’s proceeds are dedicated to the fight against food insecurity in our local community, through Connecticut Food Bank. Non-perishable food items may be donated at this event and, in addition to funds raised through this concert, will be brought to Connecticut Food Bank for local distribution.
About the artists:
Grammy award winning Dan Zanes and Haitian American music therapist / jazz vocalist Claudia Zanes have been making music with each other since the day they met in the fall of 2016. Inspired by their artful modern-day all-ages folk music and their commitment to inclusion and accessibility, in 2017 the Kennedy Center commissioned Claudia and Dan to create a theater piece for young audiences, Night Train 57: A Sensory Friendly Comic Folk Opera.
Their love of songs and communal music-making led to an award-winning songbook entitled Dan Zanes’ House Party: A Family Roots Music Treasury, released in 2018. People calls Dan ”the crown prince of contemporary kid’s music.”
In late 2019 the couple moved from Brooklyn to Baltimore and what had been a full schedule of performances evaporated with the advent of the pandemic. It was in March 2020 that Dan and Claudia started their Social Isolation Song Series. For the next two hundred days, to stay connected and uplift others, they performed a different song every day. This series of videos currently resides in the Library of Congress.
The two continue to adapt and reinvent and sing their way to new beginnings. Claudia runs a flourishing skin care business and Dan continues his work with Constructive White Conversations, a white antiracist organization he co-founded in 2011.
Time magazine calls Dan Zanes “the family-music genre’s most outspoken and eloquent advocate,” and The New York Times says their concerts “are always cause for celebration.” https://www.danandclaudia.com
To hear a bit of what makes Dan + Claudia Zanes’ concerts “the happiest concert vibe since Woodstock...,” according to New York magazine, go to: https://youtu.be/TsWWBgo1MM8
Learn more:
Voices Café’s upcoming lineup includes an afternoon of holiday jazz with the talented Heather Pierson Trio on December 3rd at 4pm, and the highly energetic Buffalo Rose on January 21st at 8pm. For additional information please contact Kim Fuchs at kim.f.fuchs@gmail.com, or via mobile 201-674-2853.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 58. Southwest wind 7 to 15 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 62. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Clear, with a low around 44. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 5; State Positivity Rate 8.71%
The State Department of Public Health reported 5 new COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past two days. The State positivity rate was down to 8.71%.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,932 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 40 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 8.71%
Downtown Halloween Parade Slated for October 26th
The Parks and Recreation Department, the Westport Downtown Association and Westport P.A.L. have announced that the Annual Children’s Halloween Parade will take place on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, with a rain date of Thursday, October 27. Children and parents will meet at Main Street and Post Road East at 3:30 p.m. This event is for all children, especially those 8 and under.
The parade will proceed up Main Street, turn right onto Avery Place, then turn left on Myrtle Ave to Town Hall and Veterans Green. Children may trick-or-treat along Main Street and outside the front of Town Hall. Entertainment, refreshments, and a small gift will be provided on Veterans Green across from Town Hall at 4:00 p.m.
Please note that there will be NO PARKING on Main Street between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. during this event.
In case of inclement weather, the Halloween Parade will take place on Thursday, October 27. Please call (203) 341-5073 for weather updates.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 55. Southwest wind 6 to 13 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 38. West wind around 9 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 56. Southwest wind 7 to 14 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph.
Autumn Reflections over Downtown
The fiery oranges of tonight’s sunset reflect off of Downtown Westport onto the river beneath it. Photo by Pam Garra for WestportLocal.com
Staples Principal Announces October Students of the Month
(L-R) Eleni Braga, Nina Lauterbach, Logan Noorily, Samantha Henske, Jeffrey Pogue, Morgan Tamm. Contributed photoPrincipal Thomas has announced Staples High School's recipient’s for October Student of the Month:
Eleni Braga. Gr. 9
Logan Noorily - Gr. 10
Samantha Henske- Gr. 10
Nina Lauterbach - Gr. 11
Jeffrey Pogue - Gr. 12
Morgan Tamm - Gr.11
The Students of the Month award program recognizes students who help make Staples High School a welcoming place for their peers and teachers alike. They are the “glue” of the Staples community: the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students that keep the high school together, making it the special place that it is.
Students of the month are nominated by their teachers, who are asked to think of those students who come to school regularly, are friendly to the staff and to fellow students, and make positive contributions in class as well as the Staples community. In short, these students are all-around good citizens of our school. Students of the Month are not necessarily star athletes, high honor students, or lead performers, and even if they are, this award recognizes the positive attitude they bring to school every day in making Staples High School a genial place in which to learn and teach.