Dear Needham Public Schools Families: As we get ready for summer break, I’d like to update you on our thinking and planning efforts for the fall. First, let me congratulate the 404 members of the Needham High School Class of 2020! While they had a challenging conclusion to their senior year, the community recently honored the class with an extraordinary show of spirit and celebration during a parade through town which culminated in a final stop at NHS where many received their diplomas before heading on to work, college and the military. Seniors will also have another ceremony on Memorial Field in July when the remainder of the class will receive diplomas. We wish them the best! Allow me also to express my appreciation for your partnership, patience, and support over the last few months as we worked together during the health emergency to implement our remote learning plan. When we shuttered schools back on March 13th, our staff had only a few days to figure out how we would continue providing instruction and maintain connections with our students in a remote environment. I am proud of how hard they worked to meet student needs and create lessons that kept them learning, however imperfectly. We clearly have not yet perfected the art of remote learning; there are things we know we can and will do to strengthen our instructional plans should we need them in the future. There are areas to improve and grow, and I appreciate that over 2,500 parents completed the recent survey to help us better understand the parent perspective on our work. This summer, almost 400 teachers will work together to review their instructional strategies, learn new technology skills, and recalibrate and adjust the curriculum so we will be prepared for students in the fall. We are excited to leverage our remote learning experience into new ideas and strategies in order to enhance the classroom experience for our students. Even as we end school and prepare for our summer work, we are planning for the fall. I know parents have many questions about next year: Will the school start on time? What will it look like? Will it be safe? These, and other questions, are the right ones and the very questions we are thinking about and focused on. I can’t tell you at this moment what next fall will look like; we simply don’t know yet. What I can do is share the following information: • We will prioritize health and safety for all of our students and staff in any plans we develop. • We are awaiting guidance from the Governor and the Commissioner of Education who will provide general direction and plans for all schools to implement in the coming year. I expect that he will share his initial plans within the next two weeks. For more information: COVID-19 MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education <http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/> • In anticipation of receiving the Commissioner's guidance, we have created five task forces in the areas of technology, teaching and learning, student support services, operations & human resources, and health & wellness all working together under the guidance of a COVID-19 Advisory Committee comprised of staff, parents, town officials, and public health experts. These groups are collaborating now and will work throughout the summer to plan for a safe reopening of school in the fall. For more information about our work, please review a recent School Committee update: Update on COVID-19 Emergency <https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aGzeik5J4GyCxTmXAdbNl4RMqLcR0K-2WIPMj04h6Ew/edit?usp=sharing> • Our work, which we have based on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Guidelines <https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html>, so far has identified five possibilities: 1. A return to school with a new normal of health and safety protocols so that all students can be in the buildings 2. A model with some students in the buildings and some at home to accommodate students' physical and mental health needs 3. A model with alternating schedules where students attend on different days so we have more room in the buildings for social distancing 4. A model that requires the school to be closed for a short period of time with learning at home, in response to reported cases of COVID-19 at school 5. A complete remote learning model in which all students remain home • We will continue to partner with the Needham Education Association in all of our planning, and we will make sure that all employees representing teachers, teacher assistants, nutrition services, clerical/technical staff, and administrators are represented in the process. While the timeline for making decisions about the reopening of schools will depend on the Commissioner's guidance as well as public health considerations, I expect to bring tentative plans and updates to the School Committee in July. *Of course, any plans we make to reopen schools could be changed later in the summer if public health officials determine it is necessary to do so. * We will have to be flexible and nimble with our planning to adjust as the situation requires. Families can expect regular updates and information throughout the summer months as we plan for your child's new school year. Finally, let me conclude by also acknowledging and recognizing how we as a community of learners have responded to the recent events surrounding the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Our teachers and staff prioritized lessons, readings, and difficult conversations about racial violence and inequities in the last couple of weeks, and our high school students led a Black Lives Matter rally and march involving hundreds of students, staff, and community members that culminated in an 8 minute and 46 second period of silence honoring Mr. Floyd and all of those who are victims of racial violence and hatred. Our students were eloquent, passionate, poised; and they are hurt, angry, and tired. They shared stories about racist experiences they have had in school and in town at local stores and restaurants; they expressed frustration at how they are often perceived or treated. As the students that live and learn in Needham ended their rally, they stood on the steps of Needham's Town Hall and demanded that we, the adults, do better by them and for them. And they are right. We can and we must do better. What I have come to realize is that this is not their fight, nor is it the responsibility of black, brown, and Asian neighbors and colleagues to lead the efforts around anti-racism. Instead, Needham’s students and staff of color have taught me it is the white staff and community members who must assume responsibility for taking anti-racist and anti-bias actions and steps that will finally address hatred, discrimination, and racism in our schools, community, and nation. We are responsible to help make this world a better, fairer, and more just place for all children and adults. The Needham Public Schools is committed to this work, and we promise to share additional actions and updates in the new school year. For more information about our initial efforts, please check out the district’s website: Equity in the Needham Public Schools <http://www.needham.k12.ma.us/equity> I hope the weeks and months ahead provide you and your family time to hang out, enjoy some good books, and relax and rejuvenate. Thanks for your partnership with the Needham Public Schools. Stay safe and have a great summer! Respectfully, Dan Gutekanst Superintendent of Schools Needham Public Schools 1330 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492 781-455-0400 x11203 dan_gutekanst@needham.k12.ma.us ATTENTION: If you speak a language other than English, language assistance services are available to you free of charge. Contact your child’s school for assistance. Chinese (Simplified): 请注意：如果您的母语不是英语，我们将免费提供您语言辅助服务。如需协助，请与您孩子 的学校联系。 Spanish: ATENCION: Si usted habla un idioma que no sea el inglés, hay servicios de asistencia lingüística disponibles gratis. Contacte la escuela de su hijo para asistencia. Russian: ВНИМАНИЕ: Если вы не говорите на английском языке, для вас доступны бесплатные языковые сервисы на вашем языке. Обратитесь за помощью в школу, в которой учится ваш ребенок.