[Superintendent's Update] Superintendent's Update

[Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Update]

Dear Needham Families:

Cross your fingers... Spring is around the corner!

Allow me to share some important updates and information:

•*  No Homework Night March 12th  *Tomorrow evening March 12th, the Needham
Public Schools will observe *No Homework Night* as part of Needham
Unplugged, a month long program sponsored by Needham Youth Services.  The
goal of *No Homework Night* is to give students, parents, and families an
excuse to enjoy some down time and family time together in the evening. I
have asked our teachers not to assign homework tomorrow evening, and I hope
you will have a chance to catch up and enjoy a family meal or just relax
with one another!  For more information, about this month's
activities:   Needham
Unplugged <http://www.needhamma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10735>

*•  S.T.E.A.M Night March 19th at Newman's Science Center  *Come and
celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Science Center on Thursday evening,
March 19th at Newman.  Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math
(STEAM) activities, demonstrations, and hands on projects will provide an
evening of fun and learning for all children.  For more information please
visit our website: Needham Science Center: STEAM Night
<http://rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/science_center/>

*•  Meet & Greet Your School Committee!*  The Needham School Committee will
hold its spring Open House on Saturday, March 21st from 9 until 10:30 a.m.
at Pollard Middle School.  The Open House is an informal opportunity for
parents and community members to stop by for a cup of coffee and meet
School Committee members and share ideas, questions, and concerns.
Additionally, several Pollard students will be on hand to share their
learning experiences with the iPads that have been introduced there as a
pilot program.  Please stop by Saturday morning, March 21st to meet your
School Committee and learn more about the District's Personalized Learning
Initiative.  For more information about the use of iPads in the middle
school:  Personalized Learning Initiative
<https://sites.google.com/a/needham.k12.ma.us/hrtechresources/home>

*•  April 7th School Committee Meeting in Boston  *In its continuing
efforts to engage families and support Boston-resident students, the
Needham School Committee will hold its regularly scheduled meeting at
Jeremiah Burke High School in Boston on Tuesday, April 7th beginning at
7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend the meeting which is open to the public
and will be held in the school's library.  The agenda will include updates
from high school student groups, budget issues, and a METCO Program update.
The complete agenda will be posted on the District's website later this
month.

*•  Hillside Project Moves Forward! *Yesterday the Massachusetts School
Building Authority (MSBA) named Dore and Whittier Architects, Inc. as the
designer for the first phase of the Hillside school renovation/construction
project. While there are many steps ahead before a construction project can
start, naming the designer is an important milestone that moves the
community closer to a new school for Hillside.

*•  Superintendent's Blog  *My most recent post can be found here:  METCO
Cuts Unreasonable! <http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/>

*•  NEF Spelling [?]   *The NEF is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a
big weekend event, including a pancake breakfast and the bee:  NEF Spelling
Bee <http://www.nefneedham.org/events/spelling-bee/>


*•  NHS Ski Team Achieves Top Honor  *Congratulations to the NHS Ski Team
for receiving the prestigious Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic
Association's (MIAA) Winter Sportsmanship Award.  The athletes and coaches
were honored by the MIAA for their teamwork, sense of fair play, good
spirit, and genuine commitment to sportsmanship and mature, intelligent
behavior. These fine young men and women bring honor and distinction to the
Needham community, and we are very proud of them.

As always, please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or
ideas: dan_gutekanst at needham.k12.ma.us  or 781.455.0400, x 203.

Respectfully,

Dan Gutekanst
Superintendent of Schools
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.needham.mec.edu/pipermail/superintendents_update/attachments/20150311/0074b3eb/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 1E1.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 195 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.needham.mec.edu/pipermail/superintendents_update/attachments/20150311/0074b3eb/attachment.gif>