Natick Redhawks

Hello Natick High School!

I am writing to you from Finland and Estonia, where Superintendent Bella Wong, Deputy Superintendent Tim Luff, Bennett-Hemingway Principal Karen Ghilani and I have joined principals and superintendents from across Metrowest Boston to learn about the Finnish and Estonian school systems. These two countries have been heralded for their successful student outcomes as measured by international tests. Aside from visits with central education ministries, we have been able to visit schools at every level, and have also seen the university teacher training program here. There are so many invaluable takeaways from this trip that I will be bringing back to share with our school community in the near future, including strategies for implementing interdisciplinary project-based learning, and purposeful integration of executive functioning skills into classroom instruction. For now, the thing that most resonated with me is that, while our countries are different, children are very much the same everywhere; they need adults who care about them, peers who respect them, and a learning environment that supports them to learn deeply and experience success. We are doing so much to forward those aims at Natick High School, and I am looking forward to building on our past work with your partnership.

As we head into next week, I wanted to forecast a few communications that you will be getting from me. The first will be about some logistics for Open House (6:00 pm - 8:30 pm on 10/25), and the second will be about student expectations for a safe Halloween at NHS. Please be on the lookout for these important emails.

Until then, I hope you have a great weekend!

All My Best,

Josepha Blocker

Principal, Natick High School

Image Description: Fall Leaves Surrounding Text Open House October 25 6pm-8:30pm

We cordially invite you to the NHS Open House on 10/25/23 at 6 pm. Open House is an opportunity for families and guardians to learn more about their students' schedules, classes and teachers. It is also a time for us to celebrate the NHS community. Individual conversations about student progress are best suited to phone calls and/or connecting via email, as we will be unable to engage in those conversations at Open House.

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.

PSATs are being held this Saturday, October 14th at NHS for Juniors only. The doors open at 7:15am and the test will start at 7:30am. Students should bring: their school issued device (fully charged), charger, pencils, calculator, water, snacks and a sweatshirt to the test. Students must complete the exam setup on their school issued device before Saturday. No student will be able to test on a personal device.

• Natick High was named to the 2023 AP School Honor Roll! The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results and broadening access for students. Schools can earn the Honor Roll recognition annually based on their ability to increase their school’s college-going culture, to provide opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.

Fall Sports Schedule: https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=15622

2023-2024 Winter Sports Registration. Registration is now open!!

Deadline for Registration is November 13th, 2023. Payment deadline is November 14th, 2023. If payment is made after Nov. 14th a $25 late will be added.

Attendance at Natick HS Football Games

1. There are no bags or drinks allowed inside the gates. Please leave all bags and backpacks at school, at home, or in your car.

2. 2023-24 Digital Ticketing for specific home athletic contests:

The next home athletic contest that we will be charging admission for will be held on Friday October 13, 2023 when Football hosts Brookline at Memorial Field at 6pm. Tickets must be purchased at this link. There will be no cash options available at the game site. This includes our middle school students attending the game.

Natick Football v. Brookline - Friday October 13, 2023 at 6pm - Digital Ticket Link Here

3. There will be a special entrance for Natick HS Students. Please bring your phone with digital tickets directly to the NHS Student Section Entrance (located on the Natick side of the stadium at the far end of the home stands). Proceed to the side entrance by traveling down the outside of the stadium (behind the home stands) where you will be greeted by the Natick HS Administration, NHS Staff, and Natick Police and School Police Officers.

4. There will be no re entry into Memorial Field after you have been admitted. This is the policy for all spectators attending the game. Please plan ahead and have proper attire with you at the outset of the game (sweatshirt, jacket, etc...).

5. Middle school students attending the football game are there to watch the football game and should be accompanied by an adult to assist with supervision. Students will not be allowed to play football inside the stadium or roam around the visiting teams side.

Please see here for a complete look at the Natick's Memorial Field Attendance Guidelines.

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. Please reach out to your class advisor with any questions.

Image Description: METCO logo. Natick High School logo. Natick/Boston Parent Meet and Greet on Thursday, October 19 at the Hyde Park Public Library (35 Harvard Ave. Hyde Park, MA 02136)

Image Description: Natick HS Theatre Company is hosting its 1st Annual Mattress Fundraiser on 10/14 10am-4pm. Pictures included are of different size mattresses, pillows and mattress protector. All sizes available. 25+ styles on display. Brand new with full factory warranties. Delivery available. All forms of payment accepted. Financing available.

Image Description: Natick Public Schools Flu Clinic is being held on October 25th 12pm-3pm at the Natick High School Cafeteria.

Image Description: Picture of a young woman holding books. Text reads: There is a free seminar on college financial aid on November 1st at 6:30pm in the NHS Auditorium.

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.

The program is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships. It honors individual students for their exceptional scholastic potential. Each year, educators in about 21,000 high schools provide the opportunity for their students to participate in the scholarship program. Students start by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

There were over 1.3 million juniors that entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. In April, NMSC identified the 50,000 highest scorers. Some 16,000 of those high performers have been designated Semifinalists on a state representational basis. The other 34,000 high performers are named Commended Students. We are so proud to announce that this year, there were four semi finalists and seventeen commended students in our senior class.

The Natick High School students who received commendation on their scores as a part of the National Merit qualifying process are:

Ryan Ackerman, Lea Adelmann, Pranati Bala, Nash Chen, Teagan Cunningham, Max Curtis, Madeleine Diesl, Timothy Eckelkamp, Skylar Huber, Calla Kayser-Lee, Anna Keller, Vivian Massey, Adam Pochobut, Om Sharma, Jasmine Teng, and Ryan Weierman.

The Natick High School students who are National Merit semifinalists are:

Ryan Fernandes, Addison Scully, Rahul Tacke, and Patrick Zhao.

Building Bridges is partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country to host one of the largest HBCU events of the year. Ms. Clayton and Mr. Cardoso will be taking interested Natick High School students to this event in Boston on October 26th. Admissions representatives from numerous HBCUs will be holding information sessions, a college fair, and an on-site interviews. If your student is interested, please contact Mr. Cardoso at ccardoso@natickps.org.

Image Description: On October 25 - 27 come join one of the largest HBCU events in the country. Participating students will have access to information sessions, a college fair, and on-site interviews with HBCU admissions representatives.

Image Description: 19th Tilly & Salvy's Bacon Street Farm's 19th Annual Pumpkins For Our Schools Festival on Sunday, October 15th, 2-5pm, Rain or Shine.

Image Description: Spark Kindness Presents a Free Program at Natick High School on Wednesday Oct 18, 2023 at 7pm. Raising Connected, Capable & Compassionate Adolescents with Lisa Damour, PhD

SPARK Kindness:

I am thrilled to announce that our next program on October 18th at 7pm will be in-person at Natick High School! Details are below for this special event with world renowned author/expert (NYTimes, CBS This Morning) on teen mental health, Dr. Lisa Damour.

Dr. Damour will discuss her new book “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers” and offer the concrete, practical information parents/caregivers need to steady their teens through the journey into adulthood. The talk will be geared towards caregivers of adolescents 10-25, though everyone (no matter where you are on your caregiving journey and/or working with youth) is welcome to attend. Seats are filling up fast - and registration is strongly encouraged. This program is generously co-hosted by The Resilience Project, A Newton-Wellesley Hospital initiative to support youth mental health. ASL Interpretation will be provided at this event.

Image/Text Description: National Drug Take Back Initiative on 10/28 at the Natick Police Department (rear of the building) from 10am-2pm.

Event link: https://www.dea.gov/takebackday

Please bookmark this website for important information from the Guidance Department, including

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

Parents/Guardians of Grade 9 and Grade 10 Students: Please read the Mandated Screening Letter. This is important to read, as there is an opt out date to respond by if you don't want your student(s) to participate.

Parents/Guardians of Grade 11 Students: Please make sure to provide the health office with a recent copy of your student's physical. This needs to be received no later than September 29th. This may be emailed to highschoolnurses@natickps.org or faxed to 508-651-7167.

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.

SECTION 8025 OF THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT (ESSA), a federal law, permits parents to submit a written request to the school and/or school district prohibiting the disclosure of their child's information, including their child's name, address, and telephone number, to any United States military recruiter without prior written consent. A child's name can be removed from these lists by filling out the Military Exempt Form and returning it to the Guidance Department.

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