Go Ahead, Get Lost!

As the school year concludes, allow me to share my June 4^th remarks to the Needham High School graduating Class of 2012.  Here’s hoping we all have an opportunity to get lost this summer, if only for a little bit.

Members of the class of 2012:  Get lost! 

No really, I mean it.  Get lost!  Tomorrow, next year, and for the rest of your life, make sure you take time to turn left when you should go right; turn off the GPS every once and a while; ignore your schedule on occasion; wander off the path a bit; go solo when the crowd is pressing on you to head one way; strike up a conversation with the loner in the back of economics class everyone else ignores…Just take off to parts unknown and go get lost.  I am encouraging you to get lost in order to live and experience a full life, a life of learning, of laughs, of creativity and self-discovery. 

So, go ahead, Get lost!

I know…the predictable and planned is comfortable and secure.  It’s easier and less messy to stick to the script and talk to the same friends and tread the same route others have. It is safer, saner, and simpler to stay within the confines of a college or career plan that ensures smooth, uncomplicated, and conventional success. The rewards seem certain; the obstacles few and nothing is daunting. 

But if you deviate from the routine, wander a bit, and if you allow yourself to become a little confused and discombobulated, isn’t it possible you might meet new people, hear a unique perspective, and experience the mysterious?  And could these new and different encounters transform and shape you?

Margaret J. Wheatley, a brilliant professor, thinker and writer believes individuals and organizations flourish when they experience a certain amount of chaos and confusion in their lives.  She thinks our lives and our world will only improve when we accept the unexpected, listen to diverse voices, and confront confusion with a sense of awe, tolerance, and a willingness to learn.

She writes: “As we work together to restore hope to the future, we need to include a new and strange ally—our willingness to be disturbed.  Our willingness to have our beliefs and ideas challenged by what others think.  We can’t be creative if we refuse to be confused.  Change always starts with confusion; cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for the new.  Of course it’s scary to give up what we know, but the abyss is where newness lives.  Great ideas and inventions miraculously appear in the space of not knowing.  If we can move through the fear and enter the abyss, we are rewarded greatly.”

As a young and newly minted high school English teacher in urban Los Angeles, I learned long ago that a willingness to be disturbed, an enthusiasm for risk-taking, requires a leap of faith:  A leap of faith in others and a willingness to trust and believe in yourself.

One late Friday evening after correcting assignments in my classroom, after everyone had already gone home for the weekend, I found myself waiting for the bus outside my school’s locked main entrance on Central Avenue in the Watts section of South Central LA.  I needed to get downtown to catch a transfer to my home in East LA.  I stood there in the gathering darkness exhausted, lonely, hungry, and defeated after another week of trying to figure out how to craft exciting lessons, connect in a positive way to my students, discipline unruly sophomores, and understand and appreciate the lives of my mostly African-American students. 

But I was really wondering what, exactly, I was doing 2,000 miles away from family and friends in an environment where I looked different from everyone else and was unsure if what I was doing even mattered.  My students hated me, I was sure of that; I didn’t know what I was doing; and they desperately wanted to learn… but deserved someone who had a clue! 

And what a loser I was on a Friday night correcting papers instead of hanging out with friends.  On top of all that, here I was standing on a street corner in Watts—loud shouting, police sirens, and gunfire erupted in the neighborhood, and the stupid bus hadn’t arrived. All of a sudden, an old blue Buick with tinted windows came to a screeching halt at the curb…  I tensed up as the rear window slowly lowered and a young man leaned out and exclaimed:  “Mr. G!  It’s Dwayne.  What are you doing out here, man??  Are you lost?”

Momentarily frozen with fear I realized I was, indeed, lost. 

Dwayne, a student I had argued with that very morning, threw open the car door and said, “Come on, Mr. G., get in.  We’ll give you a ride downtown.”  Wary, but relieved and trusting that somehow this would work out OK, I jumped into a car full of strangers, and we flew down Central Avenue on my way home.  Dwayne and I got to know each other pretty well after that ride and eventually—he told me later—I even became a half way decent teacher.

I was unsure of myself, anxious about what I was doing, uncertain if I was doing it the right way or having any impact on students, and mostly, I was scared and uncomfortable and without a good road map.  But looking back, I view those years teaching in LA as the best of my life—being confused, disturbed, and lost for a while set me on a journey of self-discovery and fulfillment.  Oh, sure, a journey beset with problems, dead ends, and struggles—but one that helped me mature, grow stronger, and find a challenging career. Along the way, I made lifelong friends, including Dwayne.

Getting lost means taking chances and accepting a little chaos in your life and relationships.  It requires openness to fresh ideas and a willingness to learn and to make yourself vulnerable and exposed.  But the reward is great and life is more than fun and fulfilling.  You see, getting lost in many ways is an act of hope—hope in oneself and in a world that desperately needs your commitment, courage, and leadership.

And so, members of the Class of 2012, with great respect, admiration, and love, I wish you the best.

Now, GO GET LOST, will you?!!

School Volunteers: Bringing to life our core value of Community

On behalf of the students and staff of the Needham Schools, allow me to extend my gratitude and thanks to the many volunteers who have given of their time and talents over the last year to improve teaching and learning in our community.

Our volunteers, who come from all walks of life, work as aides in elementary classrooms, provide math support and enrichment in the middle schools, run a before-school math enrichment program at Newman, support the high school robotics team, do project and preparation work in the Science Center, provide clerical support in our school offices, staff the Math Resource Room at NHS, and they offer countless hours and devotion to the Needham Public Schools.

Thanks for all you do!

Xenia Kwee

Barbara Levine

Bill Connerney

Carol Reinhardt

Cathy Krueger

Elizabeth Handler

Jack Carr

Jay Pasco-Anderson

Jim Kreidler

Larry Wetmore

Mary Kreidler

MaryBeth Mittaz

Neil Stigliano

Peg Hohler

Susan Spence

Tom Ferriero

Wendy Sheehan

Xenia Kwee

Anne Hurwitch

Barbara Bergquist

Bill Sloane

Carol McHugh

Cissy Kottman

Dan Kilburn

David Loeser

Dayna Gill

Gail Lehman

Gayle Dempsey

Jo Anne McDevitt

Jocylyn Bailin

John DioDato

Joseph Lynch

Joyce Jacobson

Judi LongJulia Castiglia

Julie Hannon

Kay Malouf

Kristina Krok

Laurie Wilson

Louise Chapman

Lynn Angel

Margaret Wermer

Mariapaz Casado

Mary Kordas

Maureen Doherty

Peter Mesnik

Reuth Nir

Richard Kesner

Richard McLaughry

Ruth Roblin

Sally  Powers

Sandy McGinnes

Sarah Winig

Sheldon Apsell

Shirley Converse

Susan Anderson

Susan Eyler

Anne Schiraga

Annmarie Babcia

Dave Nikolajczyk

Elizabeth Lee

Frederick Malouf

Julia Baratowski

Martin Yapp

Pat Howe

Richard Derby

Susan McGarvey

Zahra Haghighatjoo

If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities in the Needham Public Schools, please check out our website for additional information:  NPS Volunteer Opportunities

School Space Planning: Next Up, Hillside and Mitchell

School space and school renovations continue to top the agenda for the Needham School Committee and administration.  Even while we wrap up a major repair project at Newman, which we began planning for right after the new High Rock School was opened, we are looking ahead to the renovation and/or replacement of the Hillside and Mitchell elementary schools.  And it won’t be too long before we consider what it is we need to do to modernize Pollard. 

Last week architects from Dore and Whittier shared an update with community members about their analysis of Hillside and Mitchell and possible building options. The School Committee and Permanent Public Building Committee commissioned the study in anticipation of submitting a request to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for further study and possible state funding of a renovation project for both schools.

The School Committee established several conditions they asked the architects to consider in their planning.  Among them:

•  Elementary school size between 400 and 500 is optimum.

•  Neighborhood based schools reduce transportation costs and build a sense of community and ownership.

•  A full day Kindergarten option is important.

•  Minimize redistricting.

•  Avoid costly and unreimburseable features like temporary classrooms to house students while construction is underway.

Based on these assumptions, the architects have suggested three ideas for further review:

•  Renovate and/or repair Hillside and Mitchell at their present locations. This requires an expansion of each school’s footprint to meet new MSBA, educational, and building and planning board code requirements.  This option would likely involve building a new and permanent school on the Mitchell site to accommodate Hillside’s population while construction takes place on the Hillside campus. After this phase of construction, Hillside students would move into their new facility and Mitchell students would move into their newer facility while the old Mitchell is torn down to make way for fields and additional parking.  This option requires over 900 students to be co-located on the Mitchell campus for up to two years while construction is underway on the Hillside campus.

•  Build a new Hillside Elementary School on Cricket Field, renovate Mitchell, and repurpose the existing Hillside campus for ball fields and possible school space.

In this scenario, the School Committee and Park and Recreation Commission agree to “swap” land:  A new Hillside is built on Cricket and the fields are replaced on the existing Hillside campus after the school is torn down.  Possible school administration and/or early childhood programming might also be planned for the site alongside the fields.  In this option, students remain in their existing school building until they can be relocated off campus to the new school at Hillside while Mitchell is renovated.  Using the new facility as swing space is a prudent use of taxpayers’ dollars.  This option does, however, place two elementary schools (Hillside and Eliot) nearer one another, likely requiring some redistricting. 

•  Build a new 6^th Grade Center on the DeFazio Field site; move Mitchell students to DeFazio while Mitchell is renovated; move Hillside students to High Rock or Newman; move 6^th graders to DeFazio; and repurpose the Hillside campus for fields and/or additional school programming space.  This option takes advantage of DeFazio, which is under partial control of the School Committee, and moves 6^th graders near Pollard’s campus and ball fields.  It does require a tight building design at DeFazio given space considerations, and it requires the Hillside community to be redistricted.  But it does allow the Hillside campus to be used as a future school site, school administration space, or for other community programming and activities.

All of the proposed options have limitations and possibilities, and each requires further study and exploration before deciding a course of action.  In fact, the School Committee will want to share this information with the MSBA and gain their perspective and feedback; the MSBA, in response, could even suggest a different plan.  The architects continue their work, including cost estimates and implications for these three ideas, and they will present a final report later in June.

What is clear is that the entire Needham community—not just Hillside and Mitchell families—will need to work together on a practical and thoughtful renovation plan that potentially has broad implications for all of Needham’s students and key neighborhoods near Hillside, Mitchell, Newman, Eliot, and DeFazio and Cricket Fields.  What is equally clear is that this is a community that thrives on collaboration and is willing to step up to ensure a responsible plan is developed with the MSBA and meets the needs of Needham’s students and its residents.

For additional information about these and other options studied, please visit the Needham Public Schools website and check out the News section: http://www.needham.k12.ma.us/

Checking in on the District's Goals

Early each spring the administration shares a brief update on the status of district goals and initiatives.  There is so much going on in the Needham Schools, it’s easy to keep moving forward at a high speed without reflecting on where we are going and how we are doing.  However, the update to the School Committee allows us to press pause, step back, and check in to see if we are on track.

Here are some of the highlights we shared with the Committee:

•  Goal One:  Advance Standards Based Learning

-       Implemented new elementary math program (ThinkMath!) in grades 1-5.

-       iPad pilot program underway in 8^th grade.

-       Conducting world languages curriculum review.

-       Developing K – 12 common assessments.

-       Published curriculum maps.  For a look, click here: http://needham-public.rubiconatlas.org/Atlas/Public/View/Default

•  Goal Two:  Develop the Social, Emotional, and Wellness Skills of all Children

-       New elementary and parent programs initiated, including the “Social Thinking Curriculum” and fall middle school parenting conference.

-       Positive Coaching Alliance programs established for student athletes, parents, and coaches.

-       Bullying intervention curriculum developed and implemented in all grades.

-       Bullying prevention and intervention guide distributed throughout schools and community.

•  Goal Three:  Promote Active Citizenship

-       STEAM initiatives involve the growth of robotics teams, including FIRST Tech Challenge and girls’ robotics team at the high school; middle school students work with Stratus Center; and middle school teacher participating in Project LIFT.

-       Each school has identified and implementing at least one school and curriculum based service learning project.

-       District administrators studying cultural proficiency as it relates to all of our students and work in the schools.

•  Goal Four:  Ensure Infrastructure Supports District Values and Learning Goals

-       Pre-feasibility assessment of Mitchell and Hillside Schools underway.

-       Pilot teacher observation and evaluation model underway at Hillside and High Rock Schools.

-       Online payment vendor selected; new financial system software bids being evaluated for a spring award.

These highlights do not represent all of the activity in the district, but they reflect the current status of key elements in the district’s work plan.  Much remains to be accomplished as we collaborate and work together as a professional staff and within the broader community to strengthen teaching and learning in the Needham Schools.  Look for a final report on the 2011-12 goals later in June.

The Power and Promise of Needham's Teachers: Learning and Serving with Students in Florida

Over the last week I was again reminded of the power, promise, and role of great teachers in our schools.

Traveling to Palm Beach County, Florida I was privileged to join 20 remarkable Needham High School students and their four teachers who were serving and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to help build a new home for a young mother named Yolanda.

Needham High Students with Yolanda

 

It was an honor for me to work alongside our students who were diligent, enthusiastic, respectful, and, well, just fun to be around. Without a groan, the kids were up at 6 every morning and piled into vans headed for a sweaty and grimy day building, digging, and landscaping. They never tired or complained, and they were always looking forward to the next task or chore as if it were a gift. They smiled, joked, and took care of one another like brothers and sisters (including one or two arguments over tuning the minivan’s radio station!).

The students were led by four superb members of the Needham High School faculty and advisors to the Habitat Club: Emily Will, Peter Arsenault, Diana Parkhurst, and Bill Goldman. Not only did these teachers give up their vacation time and many weekends and evenings earlier in the year to help students raise money and to organize trip logistics, they ensured everyone was safe, well fed, and on time to the worksite. They insisted that everyone work hard (no problem with this crowd), have fun, and learn about Habitat’s mission and the people they serve. Everyone, including the teachers, ate the same peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and slept on the same cold tile floor at the local YMCA; everyone pitched in to build, plant, and rake. The teachers were immensely patient, flexible, and often quite humorous, especially when they could poke fun at the superintendent.

Needham High Teachers Peter, Diana, Bill, and Emily

I watched proudly as our teachers assisted individual students, encouraged them, offered a suggestion, or, once or twice, even provided a stern look at just the right time. The conversations held in the van, on the job site, during meals, and even late into the night were wonderful opportunities for our high school students to interact with and learn from their teachers in ways that go far beyond the standard classroom routine. The teachers were incredibly enthusiastic and made it a priority to connect with and care for each student, including a late night run to the grocery store to buy a birthday cake for one of the boys who turned 18.

Throughout the week, no doubt the teachers learned many new things about these exceptional young people. I am also certain our students learned much from our teachers about what it means to be a caring and conscientious adult in a culture that sometimes underestimates the value of compassion and responsibility. Emily, Peter, Diana, and Bill were selfless and tireless on this trip, and they—and all of their Needham colleagues—are exemplary role models for young people.

Recent classroom visits in the Needham Schools and now last week’s experience on this service trip reinforce my belief that no single policy change, technology innovation, or curriculum update alone can improve and inspire students as much as a well educated, creative, dedicated, and joyful teacher. Without the presence of a caring adult who can guide, nurture, and personalize the educational experience for young people, inside and outside the classroom, learning will suffer and the hopes and aspirations of the individual child—indeed the entire community—are diminished.

The 2012-13 Needham Schools Budget Proposal: The Resources we need to Support Teaching and Learning

January not only marks the beginning of a new calendar year, it is also a critical time for the Needham School Committee as it considers and votes a budget for the 2012-13 (FY ’13) school year. I appreciate the School Committee members’ advocacy around the development of a budget plan that will provide appropriate resources for the 5,500 students in our schools. The task ahead of them is difficult, and I know they will certainly appreciate feedback from the community at the FY13 Budget Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Broadmeadow.

In the past few years, the School Committee, Selectmen, and especially the Finance Committee have worked diligently with us to bridge the revenue and expense gaps that have resulted from a shaky economy and diminished resources. Everyone has tightened their belts and the schools are no exception. Together we have pared back programs, reduced staff, and postponed improvements in order to adapt and to balance budgets. The schools have reallocated and repurposed available funding, increased class size, decreased funding for supplies and materials, and as part of the collective bargaining process, cut health care costs in a significant way.

This year the loss of Federal stimulus funds, growing secondary enrollment, and stagnant local and state funding has resulted in a sobering budget development process and discussion. We simply cannot bridge the revenue gap with further cuts, reduced services, and higher class sizes.

Instead, this time around, I proposed a 5.7% overall increase in the FY13 budget, which I think is a reasonable, prudent, and balanced plan that will have a positive impact on teaching and learning in the Needham Public Schools. It addresses contractual obligations, enrollment growth, state mandates (mostly unfunded mandates), and allows a tiny amount for program improvement. It is a responsive plan and one that meets the community’s high expectations for its children.

FY13 Budget highlights include:

• The total requested budget is $51,264,825, a 5.7% increase of $2.8 million over the current school year.

• 85% of the total budget proposal is for level service, which maintains existing programs and staffing levels. Level service meets ongoing contractual obligations, mandated special education services, increased transportation costs, and enrollment growth. Only 15% of the total budget proposal increase is for program improvements, and of that amount, over half is to improve mandated services (e.g., English Learner Language instruction) or to strengthen our technology infrastructure.

• In order to meet growing enrollment, especially at the secondary level, 13.5 new teachers and staff are included in the $2.8 million budget proposal.

• Special Education improvements in the budget plan also include an expansion of the Preschool and a reorganization of the PreK through Grade 12 special education program to meet student learning needs and to ensure special education services are more efficient and the costs more sustainable into the future.

Members of the School Committee and central office administration have been working closely with the Finance Committee to review the school budget plan in anticipation of a presentation to the full Finance Committee on January 18^th. While supportive of identified needs in the schools, members of the Finance Committee are concerned that the proposed school budget exceeds available resources and may require reductions in Town services to fund the requests. They have asked the School Committee and school administration to reconsider some worthwhile budget requests. However, as your superintendent I am worried that reductions in this plan will further erode services parents and students have come to expect.

Through additional consultation with Town officials, I remain hopeful the Town will support this plan. I continue to believe this budget supports our district values and goals in a fiscally responsible way and in a way that strengthens student learning. And I am confident Town officials, school administrators, and parents, working together, are up to the challenge of finding a way to meet the critical needs of our children as they learn and grow in a community that cares deeply about them.

Please attend the School Committee’s FY13 Budget public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17^th at Broadmeadow to learn more about the budget proposal and voice your ideas, concerns, and support. You may also email the School Committee at: schoolcommittee@needham.k12.ma.us .

Transforming Special Education in the Needham Schools

It’s time for us to transform special education in the Needham Public Schools.

After almost two years of surveys, focus groups, and a programmatic study of our special education services, Christine Brumbach, our Director of Student Development, tells me two things have become clear:

1. Needham teachers, administrators, and staff offer excellent programs and educational support for students with special education needs.

2. At the same time, we can become more efficient with our resources and offer even better services for special education and regular education students in each school throughout the district.

In order to become more efficient with limited resources and ensure all students are learning at high levels in an inclusive classroom environment we need to address these challenges:

• Develop an early intervening or Response to Intervention (RtI) model in each school that parents are aware of, teachers understand, and principals support.

• Provide professional development for regular and special education staff that reflects the district’s values and ensures collaboration and articulation between and among our teachers as they work to serve students with disabilities.

• Ensure vertical alignment and supervision of the district’s special education programs through a reorganization of the administrative structure and supports.

• Ensure a cohesive instructional model, including co-teaching and learning and skills centers, that meet students’ learning and developmental needs.

• Provide stronger transition planning from year to year and level to level to enable student growth and success.

• Support special educators, teacher assistants, and related service providers with a robust supervision program and opportunities to learn new skills.

• Stem the tide of out of district placements by examining the “breaking points” for existing in-district programs and by providing additional training and better supports for staff and families. Look for new program opportunities within our schools.

• Develop stronger, more trusting relationships with parents of special education students to ensure their children are well served and are growing and learning throughout their years in the Needham Public Schools.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we will need the support, encouragement, and assistance of parents and the community to get us there. But I am convinced we have the capacity and courage to bring an already strong special education program to the next level. Along the way, we welcome your suggestions, comments, and input.

Now, let’s get to work!