Finally. . . Full Day Kindergarten in Needham!

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Full Day Kindergarten is coming to Needham next school year! 

After years of planning, the Needham Public Schools will offer a publicly funded, student-centered, and developmentally appropriate Full Day Kindergarten program for eligible students.  Once implemented next September, Needham will become the last community in Massachusetts to offer to at least some of its Kindergarteners a Full Day Kindergarten program!

Under the leadership of the School Committee and with the unanimous support of the Select Board and Finance Committee, the School Committee has included almost $2 million in its FY20 (School year 2019-20) to provide for the additional teachers, teacher assistants, and materials required to open 22 Kindergarten classrooms in each of the schools next fall, including the new Sunita L. Williams Elementary School which will replace Hillside.  With a final appropriation of funds anticipated at the May Town Meeting, we will be ready for next fall!  Principals, school staff, central office administrators, and others are busy developing the new program, hiring teachers, planning for renovated spaces, and meeting with incoming families to orient them to Full Day Kindergarten.

The curriculum and program are modeled after the Boston Public School’s successful Focus on K2 Program  and mirrors in many ways the existing half day Kindergarten program and the Kindergarten After School Enrichment (KASE) Program that has served Needham children and families for over 27 years.  The community has been fortunate to have the talented and dedicated KASE staff work with our children under the enduring, caring, and loving leadership of KASE Director Connie Leonard who will retire at the end of this year after 25 years.  While KASE will go away at the end of this school year, we will be fortunate to be able to hire some KASE staff to teach and work with our Kindergartners next year.

The Kindergarten program will be guided by six core principles that will guide teachers in the implementation of a classroom experience that allows children to experience and explore various learning centers throughout the day even while they focus on literacy, math, and social and emotional learning.

To learn more about the implementation of Needham’s Full Day Kindergarten Program, you may view a recent Needham Schools Spotlight cable show here:  Needham Schools Spotlight: Full Day Kindergarten  Incoming Kindergarten parents should also plan on attending orientation and information sessions at each of the elementary schools:

Broadmeadow, Wednesday, April 10^th

Eliot, Thursday, May 2^nd

Hillside (Sunita L. Williams), Wednesday, May 15^th

Mitchell, Wednesday, May 8^th

Newman, Wednesday, May 8^th

For details or to receive updated times and information, please check out each school website.  Full Day Kindergarten, here we (finally) come!

Getting REAL in the Needham Public Schools

We have been hard at work in the Needham Schools reviewing programs, school policies, instructional practices, curricular programs, and school cultures from an equity perspective in an effort to ensure all students feel represented, valued, included and welcomed.

This year we are using the following working definition of Equity to guide our work:

Equity:  Fair and just access, inclusion, and participation; the practice of nurturing a learning environment in which all children are empowered to grow, create, and achieve; freedom from bias and discrimination; an understanding that each child possesses personal gifts and attributes and brings these to the classroom which strengthen learning for all; a process by which we promote justice, engender respect, and inspire hope.

It’s an imperfect definition, but it provides a framework for our ongoing discussions and conversations around what all children need to succeed.

Our district’s focus on equity has resulted in the creation of a district wide team, the Race, Equity, Access & Leadership (REAL) Coalition whose purpose is to lead the work and conversations around equity in our schools and classrooms.  The REAL Coalition is guided by three essential questions:

• How do we engage and educate the community, staff, students and families on the importance of developing and supporting educational practices that provide equity, achievement, and excellence for all students?
• What do we need to do in order to have an interdisciplinary approach to race and equity that becomes part of the fabric of who we are as a school system?
• How do we create a safe environment for having difficult conversations?

Our work is really just beginning, but we feel energized and positive about our focus and direction.  On the evening of April 24^th, the REAL Coalition, in partnership with other community-based organizations, including the Needham Human Rights Committee, will provide an update to the community and invite questions about and participation in our work.  Details and more information soon!

For additional information about the District’s commitment to equity, please check out our website:   Equity in the Needham Public Schools

Empowered and Resilient Students: Finding Their Voice, Building Community, and Taking Responsibility

Needham students, teachers, and staff knocked it out of the park this week with two programs designed to empower student voice and strengthen school culture and community.

First some context:  Needham’s educators are committed to promoting the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) of each student in grades PreK-12.  We believe that a learning environment which emphasizes the skills, experiences, and relationships required for children and young people to thrive and grow into competent, caring, aware, giving, and resilient adults is critical to the Needham Public Schools experience.  We believe that SEL enriches and empowers young people and is fundamental to their academic and personal growth and success. 

SEL has long been a critical component of our elementary curriculum, including, for example, the use of Responsive Classroom to build a classroom community and develop students’ social skills.  In addition, our Physical Education & Wellness Program incorporates the domains of Emotional Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing, Intellectual Wellbeing, Occupational/Leisure, Social and Spiritual Wellbeing into the curriculum for all students.

This past week two amazing SEL opportunities for our 7-12 students occurred at Pollard Middle School and Needham High School.  I attended both programs and came away amazed at the level of creativity, energy, and opportunity for young people to learn about and engage in important and current issues and ideas that impact their lives and schools.

At Pollard Middle School, all students participated in Make Your Move Day:  Know Thy Selfie!  Students attended classes and workshops designed to develop relationship skills, self-awareness, responsible decision making, and self-management, all with a emphasis on the use of technology and social media.  Workshop titles included, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and Don’t be MEME.  Students also worked in their advisories to unpack what they had learned and share ideas for making small changes to online and social media behaviors.

At Needham High School, students helped organize and plan for One Day, a program designed to complement this year’s all school read, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  A variety of workshops, lectures, and performances focused on the theme of Finding Power in Your Voice—a major theme in the book—provided students and teachers with opportunities to explore issues related to equity, race, social media, and substance abuse.  Additionally, students led and explored workshops focused on the development of athletic leadership skills, climbing, speech and debate, history, and poetry.  Musical performances by the Sons of Serendip, the creation of art and sculptures, and TED Talks rounded out the program.  In many cases students developed and led the workshops, an important way in which to include their personal experiences and stories.

We believe students need opportunities to strengthen relationships, empathize with a different point of view, and build confidence and resilience.  We believe the academic curriculum and classroom experiences are enriched and reinforced by vibrant SEL practices and programs that boost learning.  We believe that young people grow and the broader community strengthened and enriched when we empower student voices. Thanks and congratulations to all involved who continue to develop these amazing learning experiences in the Needham Public Schools.

To learn more about the District’s SEL programs, check out our website: Social and Emotional Learning in the NPS