Dear Families,

I hope you have enjoyed the summer. It is a great pleasure to welcome both our returning families and those new to our schools.

The start of the school year is a wonderful time for anyone involved in education because it allows us to develop new goals, build new relationships and embark upon new challenges. Our Systemwide Goals this year highlight both academic and social and emotional learning. While improving student achievement remains the most important part of our mission, we know it is also essential to focus on the social and emotional needs of our students. I look forward to updating you on some of our key initiatives over the course of the school year.

This summer, our faculty and staff further developed their own knowledge and skills by taking courses and participating in workshops. We have also done work that requires extensive time for reflection, research, and collaboration, such as revising and updating curriculum units, sharpening our abilities to use data, reworking curriculum units to incorporate the ever-growing possibilities of instructional technology, and planning improvements to the social and emotional structures and supports for students.

Those of you who have traveled on Beacon Street and Beethoven Avenue probably have noticed that the Zervas School is progressing nicely and will be ready for new students in a year. When Zervas leaves their temporary space at the Carr School, Cabot students and staff will move to Carr as the Cabot renovation will begin in the summer of 2017. We are also excited to welcome our preschool students to their new facility (formerly Aquinas), which will at long last give our program sufficient space. In the fall we will update our long-range facilities plan as we continue the exciting work of rebuilding and renovating our school buildings.

One of the most important parts of my job is to be in our schools on a regular basis working with staff and students. I also look forward to hearing from you and addressing your questions and concerns. To that end, School Committee members will again join me for parent meetings in each of our 22 buildings. New this year, we will also utilize social media channels and a new district app to highlight some of the exciting work happening throughout our district, provide updates on facilities construction, and facilitate easy access to important school information. Visit our district webpage for more information.

As we begin again, please accept my best wishes for a wonderful school year.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

Superintendent of Schools

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