Dear Needham Families:
Allow me to share a few updates:
• New Hillside School Presentation Please join the School Committee on Thursday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the Center at the Heights (Senior Center) to hear a presentation about the planned new elementary school to replace Hillside. As you know, Needham voters will decide on November 8th whether or not to support the construction of a new school to replace Hillside. Please attend the meeting to learn about the project and ask the designers and school officials questions about the proposed new school. For more information: Hillside Elementary School Project
• Congratulations Eliot and High Rock! Both schools were named "Commendation Schools" by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a result of high achievement on last spring's MCAS. Both schools were specifically commended for narrowing proficiency gaps among high needs students. What is especially noteworthy is that there were only 49 total schools in Massachusetts so recognized, and Eliot and High Rock were among them! And, by the way, kudos to the Hillside School for achieving Level One status as a result of the students' MCAS scores.
• Needham School Committee Meets in Boston November 1st The next scheduled meeting of the Needham School Committee will be held at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, November 1st at the Jeremiah Burke High School in Dorchester. This will be the second time the School Committee has held a public meeting in Boston, in part to engage parents of our Boston resident students who participate in the METCO Program. All are invited, and for those unable to attend, the meeting will be rebroadcast on The Needham Channel next week.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas. My email address is dan_gutekanst@needham.k12.ma.us and my phone is 781.455.0400, x203.
Respectfully,
Dan Gutekanst
Superintendent of Schools