[Superintendent's Update] Superintendent's Update

[Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Update]

Dear Needham Public Schools Families:

Allow me to share some brief updates:

*• Health and Safety*  Since March 7th the district has successfully
implemented a "mask friendly" learning environment for all K-12 students
and staff; on March 14th we implemented the same protocol at the
Preschool.  Our students and staff have embraced the change and are also
respectful of those who choose to wear a mask. We know that COVID is still
something we will need to manage, and you can expect that, with your
cooperation, we will continue to support healthy practices and protocols in
our schools:

- Please continue to *complete the daily health attestation* for each
student.  We will reevaluate the need for the attestation later in the
spring.
- If you are receiving at home tests, please continue to test on Sundays
and another day of the week (e.g., Wednesday).  *If you wish to opt out of
receiving the at home tests*, please email: covid at needham.k12.ma.us
- The district's COVID dashboard
<https://datastudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/38f06c1e-7093-4a9e-9c83-af8a36c457c9/page/dmbiB>
is now updated weekly and includes all positive lab tests (PCR) reported by
the Department of Public Health and at home test results that parents
report to us.

*• Student Accolades*   The young people in the Needham Public Schools are
pretty amazing!  Kudos to the following NHS students for receiving the 2022
Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards:  *Victoria Zolotar* (Gold Key), *Gabriela
Diaz* (Honorable Mention), *Samantha Cai* (Gold Key), and *Michelle
Virovtsev* (Honorable Mention).  Congratulations as well to the following
NHS seniors who represent five out of the 16,000 high school seniors
nationwide recognized as National Merit Finalists: *Samuel Billante, Vijay
Fisch, Jeremiah Gold, Benjamin Lee, *and* Drew Winkler*. Finally, congrats
to the cast and crew of the high school Musical production of *Newsies.  *The
show was a lot of fun, and it was especially meaningful to enjoy a live
audience in a full house. Our students' artistic, musical, and academic
performance is a real tribute to their teachers, families, and, especially,
the individual students themselves!

*• School Committee Open House  *The Needham School Committee will host its
Spring Open House on Saturday, April 30th from 9 until 10:30 a.m. at the
high school.  This is an informal opportunity for families and community
members to stop by and share ideas and suggestions to your elected School
Committee representatives.  They look forward to seeing you!

Have a great week.

Dan Gutekanst
Superintendent of Schools
Needham Public Schools
1330 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492
*He/His/Him*
781-455-0400 x11203
dan_gutekanst at 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.
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