Dear Needham Families:
Welcome to the 2011-12 school year! I certainly hope you and your family enjoyed a restful summer break and a smooth transition to the new academic year.
We have welcomed almost 5,500 students into the Needham Public Schools over the last few weeks, and we successfully opened a satellite campus for Newman's Preschoolers and Kindergartners at Pollard. The logistics have been challenging, and we still need to improve the efficiency of our transportation plans for our Newman families (who have been exceptionally patient and gracious throughout!). Overall, I am impressed with the enthusiasm of our students and the hard work of teachers and administrators who spent days and weekends setting up classrooms. I am especially grateful to the Pollard and Newman school communities for enduring last minutes delays and schedule disruptions as we prepared for the opening of school.
As we approach the third week of school, allow me to share some information and updates:
• Coordinated Program Review The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently completed a Coordinated Program Review (CPR) of our district's Special Education, English Language Learner, and Title I programs as well as a Civil Rights compliance audit. If you would like to access and read the report and the district's plan to address DESE recommendations, click onto the NPS Special Education Webpage and you will find the reports on the left under Parent Resources. Additionally, the School Committee will discuss the
DESE reports at its meeting on September 20th.
• 2011 Performance Report has been mailed out and should have arrived in your home within the last couple of weeks. The report provides detailed information about Needham's schools, programs, and student achievement. We are very proud of the report and hope you find it valuable and useful.
• Emergency and Weather-Related Communication System The school department has deployed a notification system that will allow us to phone and email parents about school emergencies and weather-related school closures. Please make sure you have updated contact information in Power School to ensure we have the most current information for your student and family.
Let me take this opportunity to wish each young person a successful school year!
As always, please contact me now and throughout the year with questions, comments, and suggestions. I can be reached at 781.455.0400, extension 203 or dan_gutekanst@needham.k12.ma.us
Sincerely,
Daniel E. Gutekanst, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools