Dear Needham Families:

Allow me to share the following updates and information as we begin a holiday weekend:

•  Snow Daze  Inevitably, a New England storm will interfere with one of our school days, and when it does I want you to know I will do my level best to make decisions about delays or cancellations by approximately 5:30 a.m. the morning of a storm or inclement weather event, and I'll use email, phone, television, and Twitter to alert families. For more information about weather-related cancellations/delays: NPS: School Closing Information The fastest way to learn if there is a cancellation or delay is through Twitter.  (You can sign on to Twitter here: https://twitter.com/@NPS_Supt ) If it is practical to make a decision the night before, I'll certainly do that.  

It is important for students to be in classes whenever it is possible, and I don't believe a winter storm should necessarily keep us away from school.  If it is projected to snow three to six inches, for example, I am inclined to hold classes.  Safety for students and staff, of course, will always be my first consideration.  So pray for sunny days, but break out the galoshes just in case!

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​  MCAS 2.0  ​You may have heard about the State Board of Education's decision to create a new assessment, dubbed MCAS 2.0, for implementation in the spring of 2017.  Needham will continue to implement the MCAS this spring, and we will also start to learn about and prepare for the more robust and computer-based MCAS 2.0 assessment that will follow in 2019.  It will be important to ensure our students are ready to demonstrate their learning on the MCAS 2.0, especially since we have worked so hard to integrate the Common Core into our curriculum and classroom instruction.  It is, of course, important to focus on areas of improvement and growth in ELA, math, and science/technology as assessed by MCAS; and it is equally essential to remember our students should not simply become good standardized test takers but innovative and excited learners as well.  Striking a sensible balance will be our goal as teachers and administrators collaborate to improve the growth and achievement of all students.  For more information about the Board's recent decision, click here:  Massachusetts Board of Education

•  Needham Education Foundation - Teacher Appreciation Please consider contributing to the NEF by sending a Teacher Appreciation Card.  In this way you will help the NEF provide funds for innovative school programing, and you will thank a teacher or staff member for his/her work with your child.  More information here:  NEF

Student Achievements Congratulations are in order for the two Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) Academic Excellence Award honorees, Dianne Lee and Lucas Goldman, both NHS seniors.  Lucas was honored at a recent School Committee meeting and Dianne will be honored in December. Both seniors have expressed their deep appreciation for their parents' support and to all of the Needham teachers who have guided and assisted them over the years. Congratulations, Lucas and Dianne!

Kudos also to the Needham High Division I Championship girls' Cross Country Team for winning their third consecutive state title last weekend, and congratulations to the Girls Soccer Team for becoming the Division I State Champions after defeating Algonquin on Saturday.  
Whether in the classroom, on the field, or on the stage, our students are talented, mature, hardworking, and poised.  
Needham families and the teachers and coaches who have guided them should rightly be proud!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Finally, let me wish you and your families a peaceful and restful Thanksgiving holiday.  Given the tragedies in Lebanon, France, and Mali that have dominated the international news in recent days, it is understandable that uncertainty and anxiety might cast a pall over the upcoming holidays.  A few years ago I wrote in a message to the community:  

The English writer G.K. Chesterton called hope “unreasonable and indispensable.”  Hope is bright, stubborn, unyielding—hope never gives up, and we are nothing without it.  We find ourselves in such a season of hope. 

It is a childlike, youthful hope.  The kind of hope that glimmers in our students’ eyes and shines in their curiosity, creativity, and resilience.  This youthful hope allows even the most cynical and tired among us to endure difficult times, to persist, and to move forward even when the evidence suggests otherwise.  The bubbling energy and courage of young people reminds us why we do this work, why we care so deeply. 

This youthful, unreasonable, and indispensable hope inspires us to carry on and, working together, build a better, more just, and loving world. 

Let's continue to be thankful for friends, family, and our young people, especially during challenging times.  I know I am grateful to work with a talented staff, committed parents, a supportive community, and the exceptional young people of Needham - all of whom bring hope to a world hungry for peace, civility, and justice.

I am honored to serve the community as your superintendent.  Happy Thanksgiving and Go Rockets!!!

Respectfully,

Dan Gutekanst