[Superintendent's Update] Blue and Gold Days

[Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Update]

Gabrielle:

I appreciate your advocacy and thoughtfulness around this.  Overall, in the
calendar I have shared, there are 70 gold days and 67 blue days.  While it
is uneven in the fall, it generally evens out in the spring. The reality of
any calendar is that we have holidays and have to work around and with
them; every year different programs and classes are impacted in this way.

Thanks,

Dan Gutekanst
Superintendent of Schools
Needham Public Schools
1330 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492
781-455-0400 x11203
dan_gutekanst at needham.k12.ma.us

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On Thu, Aug 27, 2020 at 12:22 PM gabrielle oliveira <gabrielle.mro at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hello everyone -
>
> While the difference between Gold and Blue cohorts are only 3 days, the
> distribution of days between September and December is unbalanced. Blue is
> getting hit with all short weeks in the fall and that will be to the
> detriment of kids trying to find a rhythm in their studies. That is a very
> easy thing to fix. Please be balanced int he distribution of days of the
> hybrid model.
>
> I also want to say that in the meeting for Hybrid families several
> principals mentioned how the fully remote plan will mean a more structured
> class schedule because there will be a dedicated teacher full time with the
> same students. I chose the hybrid model. I am confident we will make it
> work, but I think folks in the position of leadership shouldn’t be throwing
> the model under the bus when parents (87%) committed to it. If the weeks at
> home will be messy and unstructured, I am fine with it. I just need to know.
>
> I urge you to fix the unbalanced nature of Gold and Blue days'
> distribution in the fall.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Gabrielle
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