Dear Parents and Guardians:
A couple of updates to begin the week:
• Middle School Musical/Concerts As I am sure you know, Needham's students are exceptional theatrical and musical performers. Beginning February 3rd , Pollard students kick off a new season of musical theater in the Needham Schools with three performances of the musical, Working. For ticket information and a calendar of other school musical performances, please go to the Fine and Performing Arts website: http://rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/FPA/
• Weather Related School Delays/Cancellations As you may recall, I notified parents this past fall that the school district implemented a new phone and email messaging system that would alert NPS parents in the event of a weather related school cancellation or school emergency. We also continue to use the district's website and local media outlets to alert parents and students about NPS Weather related school closing information. (The Town of Needham has a separate emergency notification system for town-wide emergencies. For more information about the town's system, please click this link: http://www.needhamma.gov/index.aspx?NID=1249)
I have received feedback from parents who wish not to receive automated phone messages notifying families about weather related school cancellations/delays but who do wish to receive automated messages about school emergencies.
If you would like to opt out of the weather related school cancellation/delays and not receive these messages:
1. Please log onto PowerSchool and click on Update Information.
2. On the Student Data Update page ensure all personal/family contact information is correct, then click submit to continue.
3. On both Parent/Guardian pages, verify information and click submit to continue.
4. On the Emergency Contact page verify information and click submit to continue.
5. On the Copy Student Data page follow the on screen instructions.
6. On the next page titled "Other" your home phone appears in the box, and you simply have to delete it and no calls will be made for weather related school cancellations/delays. Click submit to continue. You will receive calls for other school emergencies. Alternatively, you may change the number in that box to a phone number more convenient to you and your family.
7. Contact the school secretary if you have a question or problem with your PowerSchool account.
If you want to continue to receive automated messages about weather related school cancellations/delays, you do not need to do anything. All families will continue to receive automated phone messages and emails in the event of a school emergency.
Finally, some parents have suggested that the automated phone messages should arrive earlier in the morning and some suggested they arrive later. It takes the system about 45 minutes to make all of the calls, so I will continue to send out the message between 6 and 7:00 a.m. knowing that some families may receive it after 6:00 a.m. and some before 7:00 a.m.
New England winters are tricky, and this one is no exception! Please know that I will continue to make decisions about school cancellations/delays that are based on the best weather information available and only after consulting with public works/safety officials. Whenever possible, I want us to hold school unless I believe it would be unsafe or dangerous to do so. The upcoming Newman School repair project does not impact my decisions around whether or not there will be a school cancellation. We have five "snow days" built into the NPS 2010-11 School Calendar but if we needed to do so, we could extend a day or two beyond that. Like you, though, I am praying for the arrival of an early spring!
Many thanks for your support and patience. As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Dan Gutekanst
Superintendent of Schools
781.455.0400 x 203