Natick Redhawks

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Families,

As we wind down the school year, and this being the last newsletter of the 2022-2023 year, I wanted to write to you with a personal note. Thank you for the support, encouragement, and feedback you have given me as interim principal. It has been a privilege and honor to work with you and your children this past year in this role. Natick is an amazing community that supports each other, and our students always rise to the occasion when called upon - even though the ride can be bumpy at times.

Watching the Seniors receive their diplomas last Friday was fulfilling on so many levels - for the students themselves, our families, and our staff that have watched them learn and grow into the young adults they are. As I transition back to a Dean of Students role and Ms. Blocker becomes the new NHS Principal, I look forward to seeing what the next group of students, a year older, bring to NHS. Thank you again for playing your part in making our school community strong. Take care and have a great summer with your families.

Jason Hoye

Interim Principal

Natick High School

THE WEEK AHEAD

MONDAY, JUNE 12 - BLUE 2 - Final Exams

TUESDAY, JUNE 13 - Final Exams - Early Release

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14- Final Exams - Early Release

THURSDAY, JUNE 15 - Make Up Exams - Last Day of School - Early Release

Natick High School and the Ball Family are proud to announce the first annual NHS Public Service Celebration and the presentation of the inaugural Jay and Ricky Ball Award. On Wednesday, June 7th in the Natick High School Library, NHS students and student groups presented proposals of a service project aimed at providing a positive impact on their community. Students identified authentic problems facing the community and proposed thoughtful solutions to address them. The Ball Family has endowed an annual award promoting and celebrating service in the community and recognizing their parents’ commitment to serving the Natick Community. The Jay and Ricky Ball Award will donate $1000 annually to an individual or group whose proposal exemplifies this positive impact and commitment to service. The inaugural Jay and Ricky Ball Impact award was presented to Kinslee Starling for her proposal to provide sensory support to students with disabilities at school and community functions. Finalists for the award were Cami Smith, Anna Keller, Rex Caruso, Cam Bernard, Kabir Anand, Phineas Rando, Talia Bradley, Ayla Shimoni, Ellery Gleason-Kaiser, Fia Jastrzebska, and Lila Malek.

The following students were recognized in an awards ceremony Thursday morning in the library. Each year, a select group of Colleges and Universities grant book awards to members of the Junior class that exhibit qualities in academics, leadership, and service to their community. For a complete list of the Colleges and Universities Awards, as well as Class of 2024 recipients, please CLICK HERE.

1)Medication Pick Up- Please read this letter from the Nurse's Office regarding picking up your student's medication prior to the end of the school year.

2) Final Exams at NHS - Please CLICK HERE to see Exam Schedule and Expectations for students and families

3) Dismissing a Student - If you know that your student needs to be dismissed early, please send them to school with a note at the start of the day. This is more efficient for our staff to process the dismissal's rather than a phone call. Of course there will be times where you need to call in an emergency, but please make an effort to provide a written note whenever possible.

As Massachusetts teenagers prepare for summer jobs, the Attorney General’s Office encourages educators to help minors stay safe at work.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office enforces the Massachusetts youth employment laws, including the work permit laws. By issuing work permits, you and your representatives play an important role in keeping young workers safe. We therefore encourage you and your designees who issue work permits to review this flowchart summarizing the work permit process and to share this information with students and parents. Should you have any further questions about work permits, please contact the Department of Labor Standards (www.mass.gov/dols).

I also encourage you to distribute the attached letter to every parent or guardian of a high school student in your district. The letter encourages parents and teens to talk about workplace safety and informs teens about their rights as employees. Should you, district parents or students have questions about youth employment or the MA wage and hour laws, please do not hesitate to contact our Fair Labor Division at (617) 727-3465. Workers who believe their rights have been violated at work should file complaints with the Fair Labor Division on our website (www.mass.gov/ago/fld).

Finally, I am enclosing a Fact Sheet for School Administrators, Educators, and Personnel which highlights protections for young immigrant workers who are particularly vulnerable to workplace exploitation. Most of us have read recently about the horrific working conditions that some immigrant youth are forced to endure to support themselves and their families. It is important to note that all workers, irrespective of immigration status, are protected by our wage and hour laws.

Thank you for your commitment to your students’ safety in and out of school. I look forward to partnering with you on these and other issues impacting children. Please don’t hesitate to contact Lauren Moran, Chief of our Fair Labor Division, at Lauren.Moran@mass.gov or 617-963-2264, if you have any questions about the rights of young workers.

Sincerely,

Andrea Joy Campbell

Massachusetts Attorney General

We are pleased to offer school bus transportation for the 2023-2024 school year. Registration for the 2023-2024 school year will begin on April 14, 2023 with a registration deadline of 6/30/2023. The transportation fee for the 2023-2024 school year is $200 per student with a family cap of $400.

School Bus Transportation Online Registration available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

The 2023-2024 online registration form is available to register students for transportation. Parents are encouraged to use the online registration form to meet the registration deadline of 6/30/2023. The online form is available on the district website at www.natickps.org. If the 2023-2024 paper registration form is used, please mail the completed form to the Natick Public Schools Transportation Department at 13 E Central St, for processing. The postmark date will determine the registration date.

All students who ride Connolly bus, must be registered for the bus, regardless of receiving free transportation due to mileage or free/reduced lunch.

If your student is transported through METCO or JFK Transportation, they DO NOT need to register for the bus.

If you do not have your student's NPS ID#, please write "unknown" in that field.

Your student must be BOTH registered for the bus and payment on file, if applicable, in order to be fully registered. If both registration AND payment are not done prior to 06/30, you will have to pay the late fee as listed below.

A LATE FEE will apply to ALL REGISTRATIONS received after 6/30/2023:

2023-2024 LATE FEE SCHEDULE

Registered by 06/30/2023 NO LATE FEE

Registered from 07/01/2023-07/31/2023 LATE FEE IS $100 per family*

Registered after 07/31/2023 LATE FEE IS $125 per family*

*An assessed late fee and second bus pass fees will not be included when determining the family cap of $400. The $400 family cap is for transportation fees only*

As mandated by State Law, only students in grades K-6 who reside 2.01 miles or greater from their districted school are entitled to free transportation. All other students may register for transportation for a fee if they are in grades 7-12, (regardless of mileage to their assigned school), or are in grades K-6 and live 2 miles or less from their assigned school. For your reference, the Eligible Rider Street Listing is available on the transportation page. We do not offer one-way or partial year passes, or busing to students attending schools outside of their assigned school.

If your child was approved for Free/Reduced lunch for the 2022-2023 school year, the transportation fee of $200 will be waived at the time of registration, however, if your child no longer qualifies for the Free/Reduced lunch benefit after the 2023-2024 applications are processed, they will be required to pay the transportation fee of $200.

After the deadline date of June 30, 2023 bus route assignments will be processed on a first come first served basis until buses are full. There are no exceptions.

Payment is non-refundable and can be made by check or money order payable to the Natick Public School. A check or money order can be mailed to or dropped off at the Natick Public Schools, Transportation Office, 13 E. Central Street, Natick, MA 01760.

ONLINE PAYMENTS can be made at www.natickps.org by clicking on the link located on the transportation page. If you have registered your child online and are mailing their fee, please include their name, grade, and school on the check or money order.

Bus passes will be mailed mid-August to those who have registered by the 6/30/2023 deadline date with balances paid in full. Bus routes will be posted mid-August on the Natick Public Schools website, www.natickps.org. Late bus routes for the High School and Middle Schools will be posted at the beginning of September and will start mid-September"

To read the NHS Health & Wellness Departments Quarterly Newsletter, please click here.

CLICK HERE to view the February Newsletter from the Natick HS Band

To view our Guidance Departments current bulletin please click here.

Registration for the Fall Season is open. For more information please read Natick High Fall Athletics.

Parents of students who will be entering the 11th grade please read the Physical Exam and Required Immunizations letter for important information prior to the start of school.

Covid:

Just a reminder, if your child tests positive for Covid-19, they must stay home for 5 days. The day they started symptoms is Day 0, the next day is Day 1, then Day 2, etc. They may return to school on Day 6 and must wear a mask for an additional 5 days. A headache, scratchy throat, congestion/runny nose, cough, and/or fever are some of the more common symptoms of Covid-19.

Siblings and close contacts do not need to quarantine and can come to school as long as they are not having symptoms of illness. However, they must wear a mask for 10 days when around others following a Covid exposure.

Click for more information from the Massachusetts DPH: Covid-19 Isolation and Exposure Guidance

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