Natick Redhawks
Your Weekly Update from Natick High School
Dear Natick High School Caregivers,
We have now finished our week of midterms and are on to semester 2! I hope your students felt prepared and are ready to embark on the second half of the year. Term grades will be available next Friday at 3 pm on Powerschool. Information on how to log into Powerschool is below.
As we head into the next two weeks, there are a number of events on the horizon. First, curtains open on our student-run musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, next Friday! There will be performances on Friday (1/31) evening and a matinee and evening performance that Sunday (2/2). We hope you will join us! There are also a number of music performances listed in the "Important Dates" section and an upcoming Lunar New Year Gala sponsored by our Chinese Culture Club. In addition to our in-school events, our Game Changers are sponsoring an important evening event on dating relationships; we hope you will consider attending.
During the next few weeks we will also begin our course registration process for grades 8 - 11. Teachers are finishing making their course recommendations now, and students will be able to see those recommendations later next week. We encourage you to speak with your student about what is listed in Powerschool for course recommendations and to review the Program of Studies with them. There are so many options for courses here, and we encourage our students to try new things. More information on the process of course registration is below.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Warmly,
Josepha Blocker
Principal, Natick High School
1/27 - First Day of Term 3 & Semester 2
1/27 - Registration for spring athletics opens @ noon (Info below.)
1/25 - Choral Kaleidoscope Concert, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
1/31 - Term 2 & Semester 1 Grades posted on Powerschool @ 3pm
1/31 - Portal opens for grades 8 - 11 course registration @ 3pm
1/31 & 2/2 - NHS Theatre Company's Winter Student Run Musical, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" (Info below.)
2/1 - Band Jam '25, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
2/5 - Staff Professional Development - Early Dismissal for Students at 11:00 am
2/7 - Deadline for 10th graders to regIster for pre-ACT (Info below.)
2/11 - Town - School Public Forum on FY26 Potential Budget Override
2/14 - Deadline for seniors to register for the STAMP test (Info below)
2/14 - Portal closes for grades 8 - 11 course registration @ 8 pm
2/17- 2/21 - February Vacation - No School
Grades for term 2, midterm assessments and semester 1 will be available on Powerschool next Friday (1/31) at 3pm. Even for full year courses, students receive grades and credit by semester. The semester 1 grade is weight with 42.5% for term 1, 42.5% for term 2, and 15% for the midterm assessment. We encourage you to discuss your student's grades with them and to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
These documents may help with viewing your student's grades:
This Wednesday, January 29th marks the Lunar New Year, a period of celebration and joy in many Asian cultures. While particular customs may differ, the themes of abundance, family, good luck, special foods and renewal are common. If you and your family celebrate, we wish you a happy new year!
We also want to make sure that we are supporting our students who celebrate. Students should speak to their teachers if they need extra time on assignments to allow them to celebrate.
NHS is hosting the preACT test on Saturday, March 29th from 7:30 AM to (approximately) 12:00 PM.
Taking the PreACT may help some students become more comfortable with taking the ACT (an exam required on some college applications) and may help them understand how they are doing in core subjects.
To sign up, students should:
- Complete this Google Form. Students who have testing accommodations should indicate on the form whether or not they would like to use them during the preACT.
- Bring a check for $35 made out to "NHS Testing" or "Cash" to the Guidance office and submit it to Ms. White or Ms. Slattery by Friday, February 7th.
For more information about practice tools and resources, click here. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Erving at serving@natickps.org.
Seniors have the opportunity to have a special seal, the Seal of Biliteracy, added to their diploma as a recognition of their fluency in a second language. In order to earn the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy, students must:
Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English by earning a score of 472 or higher on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS,
Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in a world language by attaining a minimum score equivalent to Intermediate-High on an assessment approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and,
Satisfy all other graduation requirements.
Students who have achieved progressed even further in their language skills have an additional opportunity to earn the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction. This is available to students who:
Earn a score of 501 or higher on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS
Demonstrate a proficiency level of Advanced Low or higher on the approved language assessment, and
Satisfy all other graduation requirements.
We will be administering the STAMP test, which is the DESE-approved test required to show proficiency for the Seal of Biliteracy, on Thursday, February 27th (blue day) starting at 7:30 and ending around 11:00. This exam covers all four language skills (for most languages tested). While AVANT (the company who produces the STAMP test) does add languages to the exam each year, they do not offer an exam in all languages. You have the opportunity to test in your language of study and/or an additional language that you know. Please email Denise Trubiano (dtrubiano@natickps.org), the World Language Department Head, if your additional language is offered through STAMP.
Students who were in Year 5 of a language as juniors took the STAMP test in their language of study last year. These students should reach out to their teacher from last year about their results if they did not receive them. Some students have earned the Seal already and may want to retake all or part of the exam to earn the Seal with Distinction. Other students may want to retake all or part of the exam as another opportunity to earn the Seal.
If you would like to take the STAMP test for the Seal of Biliteracy, please fill out this form by Friday, February 14th. There is a place to include a second testing language. Please reach out with any questions at dtrubiano@natickps.org.
Join us on Wednesday, February 12th at 6:30pm at Natick High School for an in-person event for parents, caregivers, educators, community members and older high school students.
This program will feature a video regarding the tragic loss of Wayland resident Lauren Astley in 2011. During this interactive evening, Natick High School students will facilitate important conversations for community members, high school students and parents to promote healthy relationships, while recognizing the signs of unhealthy relationships and developing effective intervention skills.
Join us for this student led, free event for parents, 11th and 12th graders - REGISTER HERE
Presented by the Natick High Game Changers with support from Spark Kindness.
Learn more about Lauren's story at the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund website.
Support our school with the "Build-a-Brick" fundraiser! As their National Honor Society lead project, seniors Julia Bloom, Henry Zeman and Matty Gordon are working with Vice Principal, Mr. Galvin, to finish a project started prior to the COVID pandemic: the Build-a-Brick fundraiser. As many of you may have seen, there are engraved bricks that celebrate past graduates lining our walkways. Your brick could join them and support our school! For $100, you can personalize a brick with your name and a message, and have it placed on the walkway outside. Bricks will be sold through February 15, 2025 and will be installed this summer.
Bricks can be purchased directly from Polar Engraving here:
https//polarengraving.com/natickhighschool
Questions on the fundraiser can be directed to Julia, Henry or Matty or to Mr. Galvin.
All proceeds will benefit the Principal's Discretionary Fund, which is used to cover the cost of various initiatives at Natick High School.
All student athletes from MIAA schools, including NHS, MUST complete two free NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) courses before registering for a sport: one general course and one concussion course. These courses are available at the links below.
After completing a course, a student athlete will earn a Completion of Course certificate, which the athlete will need to upload as a part of the registration process. Pleased note that all of the courses are embedded in the registration to make it easier to find them and to upload the certificates of completion.
A few details for multi-sport athletes:
- A multi-sport athlete must only complete the courses one time during the academic year.
- If an athlete has already completed the course after May 2024 the course completion certificate should already populate into the registration and/or the athlete should use their previous course completion certificate to proceed with the registration process.
Your student's physical must have taken place within 13 months to suffice for athletics registration. If you need a new physical, and cannot get an appointment with your child's physician, you may need to consider going to an Urgent Care or Minute Clinic OR have your doctor write a note stating the date of your child's upcoming physical and that your child is "healthy and able to participate in sports". A current physical or doctor's note is necessary to participate in sports. Please note that you must submit a physical, not the summary.
The Guidance Department maintains a website full of useful information geared towards each grade. It changes regularly, and highlights some of the information that is shared with students during their guidance seminar. Parents and guardians are encouraged to bookmark the site and review it regularly.
Inside this month's update, you will find information on student course registration for next year.
The next School-Town FY26 Potential Budget Override: Public Forums will be held on 2/11 and 3/12.
Visit the FY26 Potential Budget Override dedicated webpage to keep up to date and stay informed today and throughout the weeks ahead.
Sign-up for alerts and receive updates on meeting notices, financial documents & more.
- Go to: https://www.natickma.gov/list.aspx?ListID=550 to receive regular updates. (Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage.)
Submit "Q&A Tool" questions & receive official responses from Town & NPS staff. (Responses will be published weekly, see the FY26 Potential Budget Override dedicated webpage for details.)
CLASS OF 2025 (12th Grade)
- Advisors: Neil Donohue (ndonohue@natickps.org) and Brenna Keefe (bkeefe@natickps.org)
- Dues Amount: $100
CLASS of 2026 (11th Grade)
- Dues Amount: $100
- To Pay:
- Use THIS LINK or
- Write a check payable to Natick High School with your child's name and "Class of 2026" in the memo line
- Advisors: Rebecca Tramontozzi (rtramontozzi@natickps.org) and Jessica Stefanini (jstefanini@natickps.org)
CLASS of 2027 (10th Grade)
- Dues Amount: $100
- To Pay:
- Use THIS LINK or
- Write a check payable to Natick High School with your child's name and "Class of 2027" in the memo line
- Advisors: Deanna Kanavas-DeRocher (dkanavas-derocher@natickps.org) and Jim Brosnihan (jbrosnihan@natickps.org)
CLASS of 2028 (9th Grade)
- Dues Amount: $150
- To Pay:
- Use THIS LINK or
- Write a check payable to Natick High School with your child's name and "Class of 2028" in the memo line
- Advisors: Emily Diesl (ediesl@natickps.org) and Kelsey Wiliams (kwilliams@natickps.org)
If your family requires financial assistance in paying class dues, please fill out the district's financial assistance forms to qualify.
As of today only 66.43% of our students' forms have been completed and submitted. If you have not yet completed your Required Yearly Form (RYF) please do so, so that we have the most accurate information regarding your student(s). These forms allow caregivers the opportunity to update their contact information and invite caregivers to share medical information pertinent to their NHS student. The forms also provide important notices and give caregivers a chance to consent to various school-related activities that may impact their student.
If you have not yet completed your student's yearly forms, here is the link to complete the forms and some important reminders: https://natickps.powerschool.com/public
If you have not yet completed the forms, further instructions were given in this past newsletter.
- Student parking
- School buses
- Food services, including how to order lunch ahead of time
- Purchasing a Yearbook
- Annual notifications from our nurses
- How to find out about, and purchase tickets for, athletic events
- Junior and senior "priv"
- Our cell phone use practices
- How to call your student in absent
- CORI checks for parent volunteers
- Joining the PTSO
