Natick Redhawks

Hello Natick High School Caregivers,

Since I started at Natick High, I have begun the practice of ending our Faculty Meetings and Leadership Team meetings with a chance for those at the meeting to thank someone else in the room for something that they have done or said that week. This provides a nice way to round out the meeting, and also supports adult wellbeing, as expressing gratitude to others can have positive effects on our emotional health As we set off on our Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to all of you for sharing your children with us, and letting us be a part of their journey. Specifically, I want to thank you for your faith in my as your principal. I have experienced such a warm welcome to the Natick High School community and am grateful each day for the opportunity to work on behalf of students in Natick.

One thing that makes Natick Public Schools so special is the district's commitment to innovation. To that end, our staff will be engaging in district-wide professional development opportunity on Monday, November 27th called Natick innovation and Learning Summit or NILS. During NILS, staff across the district sign up for professional development courses, led by their colleagues and outside presenters, which range from creating curriculum development to refining social-emotional learning strategies to developing new educational technology skills. I am looking forward to experiencing NILS for the first time this Monday, and as a bonus, you and your student have an additional day of vacation; there is no school for students on Monday, November.27, 2023 so staff can participate in NILS. Classes will resume following the Thanksgiving break and NILS, on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

As we begin the holiday season, I also want to remind you that students are not excused from school for family vacations. When students miss school for a substantial amount of time due to family travel, it can negatively impact their progress, and while teachers will do their best to answer students’ questions on missed material, but it will never be a substitute for being in school for instruction. We ask that you please keep that in mind when making family travel plans.

In closing, I want to give a few shout outs. First, thank you to our Student Council for their fierce advocacy on behalf of A Place to Turn, a food pantry in Natick. Thanks to their work, Natick High staff and students are providing a substantial donation to support families in Natick. I also want to congratulate to London Wright, who will be performing a solo figure skating presentation for the City of Boston Tree Lightening Ceremony at Frog Pond on Thursday November 30th! Check out her performance! I also want to congratulate all of student athletes and our staff in the Athletics Department for an excellent Fall Season; all of our Fall Teams qualified for the post season playoffs!

I hope that the Thanksgiving Break affords you and your Natick High students a chance to relax and replenish.

All My Best,

Josepha Blocker

Principal, Natick High School

Each week our Guidance Department updates their page with important grade-specific information, including:

• Information for all grades on College and Career Readiness
• Information on specifics for post-secondary planning and other school details.

If you missed my recent email regarding vape detectors, I encourage you to read it here.

Please see linked below the "First Day Tryout/Practice" details and locations for the 2023-24 Winter Athletics Season. This is just "First Day" info. The coaches will provide long term calendars and information.

Please reach out directly to your coaches for sport specific questions.

Make sure that you are registered and prepared for Monday (or first day) for your practice and tryout.

2023- 24 Winter Athletics First Day Practice/Tryout Details

Parents/Guardians will have the opportunity to schedule a 5 minute conference with the teachers that the student has in school. Scheduling conferences is done through the parent portal in Powerschool. Please note that the opportunity to sign up for a conference is from Friday, December 1, 2023 - Tuesday, December 5, 2023.

Directions on how to schedule a conference.

School Resource Officer O'Shaughnessy would like to remind all students to lock up their bikes when they are parked on school grounds. A few students have recently reported stolen bikes, and Natick Police is working closely with us to address this issue.

Congratulations to the Girls Varsity Soccer Team on becoming the Division 1 State Champions this past weekend with their 2-0 win over Bishop-Feehan!

Student Kinslee Starling is this year's Team Captain for the Natick High School Polar Plunge Team. The Polar Plunge is a fundraising effort organized by Special Olympics Massachusetts, and benefits the NHS Unified Athletics program. This year's plunge will take place Saturday, February 10, 2024. Anyone in the Natick community, who would like to support NHS Unified Athletics, may join the team.

Location: AMVETS Post 79 at 79 Superior Dr., Natick, MA 01760

Parking: There is parking available at AMVETS Post.
Registration/Check In: 10:00AM | Plunge: 12:00PM

Please note that anyone under the age of 18 will need a parent or guardian with them to sign a waiver. Download the form ahead of time here.

If you would like more information, to sign up for The Plunge, or to donate, please visit the team's site here.

Student IDs have been delivered! Students should have their IDs on with them whenever they are at school.

Students will need their IDs to:

• Check in if they are tardy,
• Check in and out for priv., and
• To purchase food.

Any students who have not had their pictures taken, and therefore do not have an ID, should plan to be photographed when Paradise Photos returns to NHS (date to be determined shortly). Students do NOT need to purchase photos to have their photo taken for their ID; all students must have this annual photo taken.

Food delivery to students from outside private vendors during school hours or during school sponsored after-school activities will not be permitted on school grounds. Please note that this does not apply to faculty/staff ordering food for teams/clubs after school for students. Only faculty/staff members will be allowed to interact with delivery personnel.

Check out our clubs list! Students are invited to speak to their guidance counselors if they aren't sure which clubs they want to try. There is something for everyone.

The class advisors and class officers are busy planning important events for your class. However, in order to begin securing locations and vendors, we need each student to pay their class dues. Class dues are a $100 payment that each student is required to pay before they graduate. These dues help cover expenses and lower the cost of admission for events such as the Senior Prom.

Students should bring a check, made out to the Class of (the year they are expected to graduate), for $100 and deliver it to one of their class advisors. Class Advisors are:

Class of 2024: Anthony Cuoco - ancuoco@natickps.org & Danny Joseph - djoseph@natickps.org

Class of 2025: Neil Donohue - ndonohue@natickps.org & Brenna Keefe - bkeefe@natickps.org

Class of 2026: Emily Cunningham - ecunningham@natickps.org & Becky Tramontozzi - rtramontozzi@natickps.org

Class of 2027: Deanne Kanavas-DeRocher - dkanavas-derocher@natickps.org & Jim Brosnihan - jbrosnihan@natickps.org

Financial support is available for those who qualify. Students can see their guidance counselor or class VP/Dean to seek aid.

Please reach out to your class advisor with any questions.

All Natick High School students have access Paper Tutoring, which offers 24-hour online support to students in the form of live, one-to-one sessions with knowledgeable tutors. Paper also offers feedback on written submissions. Students can log in to paper using at app.paper.co/login/students. There are also online info sessions available for parents and guardians if you would like to learn more.

Parents/Guardians of Grade 11 and Grade 12 Students: if your student is age 16 or over, per Massachusetts State requirements, the Health Office must have documentation of your student's Meningococcal Conjugate (MenACWY) vaccination on file. If you have already provided documentation (i.e. included in a recent physical), please disregard. This documentation may be emailed to highschoolnurses@natickps.org or faxed to 508-651-7167.

Additionally we would like to stress the importance of completing the online PowerSchool Emergency Forms for your student(s). These must be completed each school year. The nurses use these forms to access important health information and contact numbers. These forms also include permission to administer Tylenol and/or Ibuprofen; please note that these medications will not be given without a signature from a parent/guardian.

Thank you,

Your NHS Nurses,

Nicole Marcinkiewicz, RN, Carrie Harding, RN, Kelly Keene, RN

Juniors and Seniors are permitted to park on campus, with a parking permit decal displayed on their vehicles, in the following locations:

• Seniors are permitted to park in the Memorial Football Lot or the Mahan Baseball Field Lot.
• Juniors are permitted to park only in the Mahan Baseball Field lot.
• No students are permitted to park in the Faculty or Visitor lots without individual approval from administration.
• Students may NOT make their own spots by parking in unlined areas. This creates potential safety issues.
• Students who do not abide by the school parking rules risk disciplinary action including detention, loss of priv. and/or loss of parking privileges.

Obtaining a Parking Permit

To obtain a parking permit, students must register their cars. Students may also obtain a parking permit in the Main Office during school hours.

Students must bring photocopies of the following to obtain a permit:

• A copy of their driver's license*
• A copy of the car's registration*
• This form filled out an signed by a parent/guardian and the student
• $200 - Cash or check accepted. (Checks should be made out to Natick Public Schools.)

* Please note that we will be KEEPING these photocopies for our records.

Parking permits are distributed on a first-come-first-served basis.

Governor Maura Healy's Office decided to institute free breakfast and lunch for all pubic school students in Massachusetts.

In the NHS Dining Hall, you can pre-order your lunch so it is waiting for you when you arrive!

With Nutrislice, students can pre-order their lunches, so they are ready when they get to lunch. Just order through this link by 9:30 a.m. each day, and lunch will be ready to pick up in the far left line near the salad and sandwich area. Students' names will be on the receipt attached to their orders. Just grab and go!

The Yearbook would like to share some information with you here. On their site, you can:

• Purchase a Yearbook
• Find information on Senior Photos and Senior Quotes.
• Buy an ad in this Yearbook and more!
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For all questions on Yearbooks and ordering school pictures, please email the Yearbook at nhsyearbook@natickps.org or contact Jonathan Fleming at jfleming@natickps.org, the staff Yearbook Advisor.

If your NHS student will be absent, please call the absence line at 508-647-6601 before 10 am on the day of your student's absence. Please note that if we do not receive the necessary call from you, you will receive a call from us! Please see the handbook for other attendance related information regarding excused absences.

Thank you to our PTSO for their ongoing support to our students and faculty. Our PTSO is looking for more volunteers to assist them with their work for the school year. You can learn more about the NHS PTSO, and how to get involved by visiting their website. Thank you in advance for your help!

You can subscribe to their monthly newsletter at the top of their webpage.

PTSO Website and Information

Reminder If you want to volunteer in schools, you must have a CORI check conducted and you must go into the building with identification (drivers license or passport) to do this. Click here for description of what a CORI check is and does. Without a CORI check, you cannot volunteer in the school. Here is the form to fill out for a CORI.

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5