CNS News | October 2019
It has been a busy fall for Needham Public Schools with the opening of the new Sunita L. Williams School and the successful launch of Full Day Kindergarten. There is still exciting work ahead as the district rolls out new District Priorities and continues last year's work on both Portrait of a Needham Graduate and equity and inclusion for all students. Discussions about both next year's operating budget and future capital projects are also taking place.

CNS will continue to focus on making school-related news and information available to you both quickly and easily through our website and social media, as well as providing more opportunities for you to engage with School Committee members and school leadership.

Hilary Bruel & Liz Lee
Co-Chairs, Citizens for Needham Schools
District News
Sunita L. Williams Elementary School Opens
On Friday, October 11, the Sunita L. Williams School was officially dedicated before an audience of friends, family, educators, and community members. It was a wonderful celebration of Sunita Williams as well as the many school, town, and state leaders who worked together to make it happen.The school will be open to the community on Saturday, October 19, 9-10:30am. Come check it out!

Sunita Williams
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, October 19
9:00-10:30am


2019 Performance Report
Needham Public Schools recently sent out their annual Performance Report. This document provides all sorts of information and data related to Needham schools, shares highlights from the 2018-19 school year, and outlines goals for the coming year, including a continuing focus on equity and next steps for Portrait of a Needham Graduate. The report is also available online on the district website.
Portrait of a Needham Graduate
The competencies that were developed last year now form the basis of the new District Priorities, which will be used in developing school improvement plans and budget priorities moving forward:

  1. All Students Are Drivers of Their Own Learning
  2. All Students Experience Integrative Teaching and Learning
  3. All Students Learn and Grow Within Adaptable Environments
  4. Infrastructure Supports Needs of All Students

This year's focus will be on assessing current practices and programs, identifying the existing bright spots and foundational actions that can be taken to explore
and prepare for this work. The district has developed an action plan and 5-year roadmap which is available online.

FY21 School Budget
Although the school year has just begun, the budget process for next year is well underway. A full budget calendar can be found on pages 38-39 of the August 22 School Committee Packet, but some important dates include:

  • September 9: Budget Request Forms sent to departments
  • September 17: SC votes on Budget Guidelines
  • October 11: Budget Request Forms due
  • December 10: SC receives Superintendent's FY21 Budget Request
  • December 10 - January 21: School Budget Discussions
  • January 21: Public Hearing on School Budget
  • January 28: SC votes on School Budget Request
  • March 15: Town Budget due to Town Manager
  • May 4: Town Budget vote at Annual Town Meeting

SC Welcomes Student Member
Junior Aidan Michelow joined the School Committee in September and will represent the student voice during discussions in a non-voting capacity.
CNS News
Welcome New Board Members
CNS is pleased to welcome Amy Chan, Peter Cohenno, and Mou Fisch to the CNS Board. They join current members Hilary Bruel, Anna Giraldo-Kerr, Melanie Guarrera, Liz Lee, Ann-Marie McDonnell, Emma Navales, and Alisa Skatrud
Resources at Your Fingertips
If you haven't visited the CNS website recently, we recommend you take a look! We've added new content and new features to make information easily accessible for you:

Calendar - You can now find both the school calendar and the dates for this year's school committee meetings.
Helpful Links - The NPS website is vast, to say the least. We've collected some of links we think are most useful all in one place.
SC Meeting Highlights - We have brief summaries of each SC meeting, with links to detailed information and the Needham Channel recording.
Updates and Recaps - We are also have recaps of Town Meeting and updates on on various district initiatives — and the whole website is searchable. So if there's some school-related information you are trying to find, start at the CNS website... we may be able to help you!
Stay Connected
CNS is committed to keeping you informed of all school related news. Follow us on social media to find out the latest news fast:

Facebook - Get updates right in your feed, including agendas for upcoming School Committee meetings
Twitter - We share and retweet school-related info