Back To School: Proper Bus Behavior

School's almost back in session—were you aware of these state laws about school buses?

School opens Wednesday for Needham students, and that means drivers around town will soon be seeing the familiar yellow school buses. Most drivers know they should stop when the bus' red stop sign is out, but many may not be aware that there are some serious penalties for drivers who don't follow all the rules. Nobody's as good as six-year-old Meggie Norton when it comes to knowing all the "Rules of the Bus," but here are a few Massachusetts' state laws about school buses you might not have known... #1. Everyone knows to stop when a school bus is loading and unloading passengers, but what you may not know is that if you don’t stop, you could get a ticket of up to $250. That fine can go up to $2,000 and a suspended license of up to a year …

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Mandarin Class, iPad Initiative Among New Programs in Needham Public Schools

District Superintendent Dan Gutekanst talks with Patch about what's new for the 2012-13 school year.

When Needham students return to the classroom next Wednesday, they will see quite a few new faces—about 55 new teachers and administrators were hired over the summer—and participate in new classes and programs, such as a Mandarin course and one-to-one iPad initiative at Pollard Middle School. In addition, one Needham school that was under renovation all last year will officially reopen with the start of the 2012-13 year—Newman Elementary School. The modular units have been cleared from the site and the building’s newly renovated classrooms and common spaces are ready for when students return on Wednesday, Sept. 5. In preparation for the new school year, Needham Patch chatted with Needham Public Schools Superintendent Dan Gutekanst about …

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Raising Needham: Making Homework Fun

With school back in swing homework can’t be far behind and creating good habits can make everyone’s life easier.

Now that I have school-age children, I feel the homework debate brewing. Some feel it takes away from the little time families seem to have with each other these days and others feel it reinforces what is taught in school. I fall somewhere in between the two. I understand some of the arguments on both sides. But for now, I am putting on a positive face for my kids and making it fun and productive. I will take my fight to the streets another time and in another article. So, how do you make homework fun and productive? 1. Stay Positive First, get rid of any of the bad homework baggage you’ve collected from your school days and start anew. We all have memories of being exhausted with pages of algebra to do and Shakespeare to read, so let all …

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Top 10 Reasons Back To School Is Cool

After a summer full of camp, late nights and no schedule some kids need a little convincing that back to school is cool.

I always love this time of year although I don’t tend to embrace it until a week before it arrives. Back to school means so many things and it is different for parents and for kids. So here is my kickoff to the school year with 10 reasons for parents and kids to get psyched for the first day of school. 1. You get new stuff: It doesn’t matter that it is still 90 degrees outside; new fall clothes are a must for back to school. While you are at the store might as well pick up a new backpack, lunch box and those ever important trendy sneakers. Maybe Mom will even throw in an iPad. Maybe not. And let’s be honest when have you ever gone shopping for your kids and not thrown in something for yourself? A shirt for them, a shirt for me. A backpack …

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Raising Needham

Raising Needham: It's Not Time For Back To School

Summer is short enough, so let’s enjoy it and not start the back-to-school mania too soon.

It gets me so irritated every year. It’s the end of July and the advertising industry, the fashion industry and Walmarts all over the country all want you to get ready for back to school. Well, I say no. No to buying new lunch boxes, no to buying new clothes that the kids won’t need until October and no to packs of No. 2 pencils and reams of lined paper. No! I don’t think I am even going to open the overstuffed envelope that is due to arrive from my kid’s school any day now. I will tell you what I am going to do, though. I am going to take the kids out to breakfast for local blueberry pancakes while watching the bi-planes take off. We’ll stop at the small farm around the corner and watch Mamma cow be milked and the goats be fed. Then we …

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Lady Mama

The Back to School Sendoff

Trading the dog days of summer for the hectic schedule of back to school.

Editor's Note: This week's article was written by Emily Schuller.  Schuller is a stay-at-home mother of two boys in Needham. She is a dedicated volunteer for Parent Talk and is Room Mother for Mrs. Sampson's first grade class at the Mitchell School. I remember it like it was yesterday.  For ten long minutes, I waited.  Crouched down, I could feel the late summer sun bouncing back up at me from the pavement. My face was sweating. My hair was starting to fall out of its hastily made ponytail.   Just a few more minutes and the job would be done.  Suddenly, I heard a squeak and a bang.  Small shuffling footsteps punctuated by muted voices made their way toward my hidden corner.  Dare I look? Stretching slowly, I began my mission.  Exaggerated…

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Get the Most Out of Patch This School Year

Five things principals, educators, parents and students need to know to get the word out.

The school year is underway for Needham Public Schools, and Needham Patch will be there to cover all the big news. But we can’t do it without your help. To make sure you get the most out of Patch this school year, we invite you to get active in the news-gathering process. There are five things you can do to make sure your school and its students get all the coverage they deserve from Patch: To find out more about using Patch this school year, just e-mail Becca.Manning@patch.com. You can also become a blogger and share your school's news directly with Patch readers on a regular basis—just send us an e-mail for more information). And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @NeedhamPatch and on Facebook.

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2011 Back to School

A Back-to-School Chat with Supt. Daniel Gutekanst

Patch sat down with the Needham Public Schools administrator to discuss what's new for 2011-12.

The bags are packed, the lunches made, the nametags freshly printed and the rooms clean and ready to welcome kids back—today is the first day of school for Needham students. To get ready for the big day, Patch met up with Needham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Daniel Gutekanst earlier this week to talk about the what’s new for the 2011-12 school year. Along with providing an update on summer building projects at Newman Elementary School and Pollard Middle School, Gutekanst talked about his staff and the work ahead in the coming year. How is the turnover this year—do you have more or less new staff members than in past years? It’s pretty typical. We have about 45 new teachers this year, and a few new administrators [including Pollard …

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2011 Back to School

2011-12 Needham Public Schools Bus Routes

Know when and where your kids need to be to catch the bus.

It's back-to-school time, and that means we will start seeing those yellow school buses around Needham again. Whether you're planning your morning wake-up, finding out when to meet the kids in the afternoon or just want to avoid getting behind the bus during your commute through town, you'll want to check out the following information. Below are the 2011-12 bus routes for Needham Public Schools, as published on the district Web site. Click on your route below to view the schedule or click on the PDFs in the photo gallery to the right to view or print the schedules. But first, here is a quick look at when each school is in session:   2011-12 BUS ROUTES Broadmeadow Elementary School Eliot Elementary School High Rock School Hillside …

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PatchCast

PatchCast: Cleanup Continues, School Begins and a Teacher Goes on TV

A video roundup of the area's latest developments for Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Follow the links below for more on today's featured headlines:

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