Superintendents_update

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October 2014

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Superintendent's Update
by Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Update 23 Oct '14

23 Oct '14

Dear Needham Families: Allow me to share the following updates: • Come and Meet Your School Committee at an Open House this Saturday, October 25th The Needham School Committee will hold its fall Open House on Saturday, October 25th at Needham High School. The Open House will be held from 9:00 until 10:30 a.m. in the library and provides an informal opportunity for parents and members of the community to drop by and interact with the School Committee. The high school's Annual Craft Fair will take place on the same day in the gyms, so stop by the fair and then visit the School Committee for coffee and conversation. They are eager to meet you! • What is the Town Facilities Master Plan? Over the last year the Town has engaged the services of an architectural firm, HKT, Inc., to help provide guidance and planning around several Town and School building projects as part of the Facilities Master Planning process approved by Town Meeting. The Permanent Public Building Committee (PPBC) will hold an important presentation about the developing plan on Monday, November 24th at 7:00 p.m. in the Needham Library. Several critical School and Town projects will be discussed, including Hillside, Mitchell, and Pollard, and I urge parents to attend and become informed about the issues and challenges ahead. • What are the District Goals? The School Committee recently adopted the [ http://Rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/superintendent/documents/2014-2015DistrictGoa… ]2014-15 District Goals plan. This plan guides the work of the schools, and the administration will share an update with the School Committee about progress later this winter and again in June. Please click on the link to view the goals and actions steps. • Digital Citizenship for our Students The School Committee also adopted a new [ http://Rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/superintendent/documents/StudentResponsibleUs… ]Responsible Use of Digital Resources Policy to ensure the appropriate use of technology in our schools and to assist students to become responsible digital citizens. Over the coming weeks the school staff will be sharing this policy with students in an age-appropriate way to help students understand their responsibilities regarding the use of technology in the schools. Parents will eventually be asked to acknowledge with a signature that they, too, have read and understand the new policy. • Google Mail Transition On November 4th the Needham Public Schools staff will transition to Google Mail. Staff email addresses will not change and, ideally, parents and community members will not notice anything different about sending or receiving emails to/from school personnel. However, any transition away from one system to another sometimes has unexpected glitches, and I will ask for your patience and understanding as we make this move. Beginning on November 4th, if you experience a problem with sending or receiving school emails, please call the appropriate school office to alert. • Upcoming Parent Workshops and Conferences The Needham Schools and parent groups will sponsor upcoming workshops and a lecture series: - Annual Middle School Conference On Saturday November 22nd, the High Rock-Pollard PTC is hosting its annual half-day Middle School Parenting Conference with strategies for helping your adolescent make smart choices and develop healthy attitudes. Mark your calendar to attend The Glass IS Half Full: Positive Approaches to Your Middle School Parenting Challenges for practical tips from educators, community youth leaders and youth development experts on parenting approaches; helping teens avoid risky behaviors; using technology responsibly; talking about sexuality; and learning about your teen. Registration for the half-day conference at Pollard is now open. Check the PTC website for more information: [ http://www.highrockpollardptc.org/index.php?page=homepage ]High Rock/Pollard PTC Parent Workshop - Needham Talks An exciting free parent lecture series called Needham Talks will be open to all Needham Elementary School parents. The series is funded by a multi-school NEF grant entitled Fostering Resilience and Social-Emotional Wellness in Needham’s Elementary School-Age Children: SY2014-2015 Parent Lecture Series. All five elementary schools will be participating in this bi-monthly parent lecture series. The series will be advertised by the elementary schools through the bulletins and PTC emails. Registration information can be found here: [ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/needham-talks-2014-2015-needham-elementary-sch… ]Needham Talks: Parent Lecture Series Thanks for your ongoing support and for sharing the best students in Massachusetts with us each day! As always, you can be in touch with me via phone (781.455.0400, x203) or email: [ mailto:dan_gutekanst@needham.k12.ma.us ]dan_gutekanst(a)needham.k12.ma.us Sincerely, Daniel E. Gutekanst, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

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Superintendent's Update
by Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Update 01 Oct '14

01 Oct '14

Dear Needham Families: We have enjoyed a superb school opening! I have had the honor of visiting dozens of classrooms in all of the schools and can share that students are already working hard to grow, learn, and achieve. Today was our first early release professional development day for grades K-8, and teachers and staff were fully engaged in a variety of training and learning opportunities in the afternoon, including: Technology/iPad training, literacy and math assessment development, cultural proficiency, educator evaluation, and team building. It was a packed agenda for our teachers and principals. Please allow me to share the following updates: • Parent Workshops and Conferences The Needham Schools and parent groups will sponsor upcoming workshops and a lecture series: - Annual Middle School Conference On Saturday November 22nd, the High Rock-Pollard PTC is hosting its annual half-day Middle School Parenting Conference with strategies for helping your adolescent make smart choices and develop healthy attitudes. Mark your calendar to attend The Glass IS Half Full: Positive Approaches to Your Middle School Parenting Challenges for practical tips from educators, community youth leaders and youth development experts on parenting approaches; helping teens avoid risky behaviors; using technology responsibly; talking about sexuality; and learning about your teen. Registration for the half-day conference at Pollard opens October 14. Check the PTC website for more information: http://www.highrockpollardptc.org/index.php?page=homepage - Needham Talks An exciting free parent lecture series called Needham Talks will be open to all Needham Elementary School parents. The series is funded by a multi-school NEF grant entitled Fostering Resilience and Social-Emotional Wellness in Needham’s Elementary School-Age Children: SY2014-2015 Parent Lecture Series. All five elementary schools will be participating in this bi-monthly parent lecture series. The series will be advertised by the elementary schools through the bulletins and PTC emails. Registration information can be found here: [ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/needham-talks-2014-2015-needham-elementary-sch… ]https://www.eventbrite.com/e/needham-talks-2014-2015-needham-elementary-school-parent-lecture-series-registration-12709523527 • 3rd Annual Needham Diversity Summit Needham's 3rd Annual Diversity Summit (NDS 3.0: Join the Conversation!) is scheduled for October 18th at Pollard from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30. The summit will bring together community leaders, friends, neighbors, and students for an event designed to explore, foster, strengthen, and celebrate Needham's diversity of socioeconomic status, race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, ethnic identity, age, immigration status, and ability. This annual occasion aims to create a network of people committed to creating an equitable and welcoming town, and to challenging its residents to think in new ways about our evolving community. The Needham Diversity Summit equips participants with the tools and confidence to actively and thoughtfully promote respect and understanding of others in our community by engaging with each other through open and candid conversation. For additional information and registration: [ http://www.needhamdiversitysummit.org/about-us/ ]Needham Diversity Summit • Needham Schools Spotlight: 2014-15 School Committee Priorities Please check out the latest cable broadcast of Needham Schools Spotlight, a conversation with members of the School Committee about communication priorities and initiatives in the year ahead: [ http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/TV-nps/14-15/SchoolCommittee.htm ]Needham Schools Spotlight • School Committee Open House October 25th The Needham School Committee will hold its fall Open House on Saturday, October 25th at Needham High School. The Open House will be held from 9:00 until 10:30 a.m. in the library and provides an informal opportunity for parents and members of the community to interact with the School Committee. The high school's Annual Craft Fair will take place on the same day in the gyms, so stop by the fair and then visit the School Committee for coffee and conversation. They are eager to meet you! • Twitter: Give it a try! A parent commented to me recently that some folks are reluctant to have a Twitter account because it is one more thing to manage in an already busy and hectic day. I certainly understand. However, setting up and managing a Twitter account is simple and will allow you a quick, easy, and fun way to stay connected to school news and events. (I know it is easy because even I can do it!) Please follow me on Twitter for school updates, weather-related school cancellations, information, and photos: [ https://twitter.com/@NPS_Supt ]https://twitter.com/@NPS_Supt As always, you can be in touch with me via phone (781.455.0400, x203) or email: [ mailto:dan_gutekanst@needham.k12.ma.us ]dan_gutekanst(a)needham.k12.ma.us Sincerely, Daniel E. Gutekanst, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

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