[Superintendent's Update] Superintendent's Update

[Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Update]

Dear Needham Families:

We have had a wonderful school opening this fall!  I have visited many
classrooms in each school and I can assure you the energy is high and the
focus clear as students and teachers get to know one another and settle in
for a great year of learning.  The high school athletic teams are enjoying
a successful fall season; Pollard students spent part of a school day this
week discussing the impact of bullying and cyber-bullying; and almost 300
young "engineers" at Hillside developed and designed tools and technology
as part of that school's engineering extravaganza last weekend.  It's a
real honor and joy to work with such talented students, teachers, and
coaches!

Allow me to share a few updates as we conclude the week:

•  School Committee Open House The Needham School Committee will hold
its fall Open House tomorrow, Saturday, October 26th at the Mitchell
Elementary School located 187 Brookline Street. The Open House will be
held from 9:00 until 10:30 a.m. and provides an informal opportunity for
the School Committee to hear from parents and community members.
 Principal Mike Schwinden will also be available to take you on a tour of
the building to explain some of the space challenges Mitchell has as the
district's enrollment continues to climb.  Enjoy a cup of coffee and say
hello to your School Committee, ask a question, or make a suggestion.
 They are eager to meet you!

•  Committee on Extended Time   A committee representing teachers,
administrators, and the School Committee met recently to propose an
extension of the school day that would provide new programming for
elementary students and additional collaboration and planning time for all
teachers, K-12.  The report is available here as a PDF: [
http://rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/student_development/documents/CET_SC_101513.pdf
]Extended Time in the Needham Public Schools , and I encourage parents to
read this important report and provide feedback.

•  Congratulations Professional Status Staff!  Congratulations to our
teachers who were honored recently at the Needham Golf Club for achieving
Professional Status after three intensive years of mentoring, supervision,
and hard work in the Needham Schools:

Sarah Cole, Pollard
Mary Beth Graham, Pollard
Brent Concilio, NHS
Peter Alexopoulos, Pollard
Rachel Cuddeback, Pollard
Manisha Patel, Pollard
Patrick Kerr, Eliot
Deanna Detorie, NHS
Laurie Blakely, Broadmeadow
Erica Wright, Pollard
Jennifer Person, Eliot
Andrew Sgro, NHS
Erin McGuire, High Rock
Elizabeth Cushing, NHS
Kelly Hurley, PreK-6
Stephen Plasko, NHS
Jonathan Bourn, NHS
Laura Hindermann, Newman

We are proud of them and happy they have reached this milestone.

•  Needham Schools Spotlight  The latest program, featuring School
Committee Chair Joe Barnes and Vice-Chair Michael Greis, is available on
cable or you can watch it here: 
http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/TV-nps/index.htm 

•  Stay in Touch This Year!  You may find the Superintendent's Blog
here:  [ http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/
]http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/    And you can follow me on
Twitter as well:  https://twitter.com/@NPS_Supt   It is my intention to
use Twitter as an additional way to announce weather related school
closings, so please follow me to stay informed and updated.

Sincerely,

Daniel E. Gutekanst, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

781.455.0400, x203
[ mailto:dan_gutekanst at needham.k12.ma.us ]dan_gutekanst at needham.k12.ma.us



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