Dear Needham Public Schools Families: Welcome back to school! We have enjoyed greeting your children this week, and I can report after visiting each school and many classrooms that the energy is high and the smiles (and the new sneakers) are bright. We are excited to begin a new year and anticipate our continued work on school construction, the development of the Portrait of a Needham Graduate <http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/2018/03/>, and planning for the implementation of Full Day Kindergarten <http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/2016/04/>... to name a few of our key initiatives! As we begin our first week of school, allow me to share the following updates: *• School Transportation *New school bus drivers, high bus ridership, and school and road construction have all resulted in delays and late arrivals on some bus routes. In particular, the ongoing construction at Needham High School, coupled with commuter and school traffic in and around the high school campus has caused some buses to be delayed on their next route. I appreciate your patience as we work to mitigate the impact of these issues on our buses and can assure you that we are working closely with public safety officials and our bus contractor, Connolly, to address all concerns that arise. *• Hey, Parents, Want to Learn about Social Media & Your Kids? *Next Tuesday evening, September 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the Pollard auditorium, the NEF and High Rock/Pollard PTC will c0-sponsor a presentation and conversation with Boston University sociologist and social media expert, Dr. Jill Walsh about the teen digital landscape. Please join us! *• School Committee Open House at Needham High School *The School Committee will host an informal Open House at Needham High on Saturday, October 27th from 9:00 until 10:30 a.m. Parents and members of the community are invited to chat informally with School Committee members about questions and concerns related to any school matter and to tour renovated spaces in the building. Please come and meet your School Committee. *• Superintendent's Blog* My recent post includes comments I made to the staff during our our annual back to school general staff meeting: Superintendent's Blog <http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/> • * Stay in Touch with the Superintendent! *One way to stay in touch is to follow me on Twitter: *Go ahead, give it a try!* The quickest way to get weather-related school closings or other important information is on Twitter. For school updates, weather-related school cancellations, reminders, and photos, go to: https://twitter.com/@NPS_Supt Also, you can be in touch with me via phone (781.455.0400, x11203) or email: dan_gutekanst@needham.k12.ma.us I look forward to sharing with and hearing from you! Respectfully, Dan Gutekanst Superintendent of Schools