Monday, September 9, 2019 Dear Needham Public Schools Families: Welcome back to school! We enjoyed greeting your children last week, and I can report after visiting each school and many classrooms that the energy is high and learning is in full gear! We are especially excited that the new Sunita L. Williams Elementary School is finally open and providing a wonderful learning environment for 520 K-5 students. Additionally, our new Full Day Kindergarten program has enrolled over 390 Kindergarteners who are benefiting from an expanded and enriching experience. As we begin the new year, allow me to share the following updates: • *School Transportation *A new school on Central Avenue, new school bus drivers, high bus ridership, and road construction have all resulted in delays and late arrivals on some bus routes. I appreciate your patience as we work to mitigate the impact these of these issues on our students and can assure you that we are working closely with our drivers, public safety officials and our bus contractor, Connolly, to address all concerns that arise. • *Sunita L. Williams Elementary School Open House *The School Committee will host an Open House on Saturday, October 19th from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. at the Sunita L. Williams Elementary School on Central Ave. This will be an opportunity to tour the school and have informal conversations with the School Committee. Please mark your calendar. • *Superintendent's Blog* My recent post includes updates about our work over the summer and information about the new school year: Superintendent's Blo <http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/>g . • *Stay in Touch with the Superintendent! *One way to stay in touch is to follow me on Twitter: Go ahead, give it a try! The quickest way to get weather-related school closings or other important information is on Twitter. For school updates, weather-related school cancellations, reminders, and photos, go to: https://twitter.com/@NPS_Supt Also, you can be in touch with me via phone (781-455-0400, x11203) or email: dan_gutekanst@needham.k12.ma.us I look forward to sharing with you and hearing from you. Respectfully, Dan Gutekanst Superintendent of Schools