Natick Redhawks

THE WEEK AHEAD

MONDAY, MARCH 6 - BLUE 1

TUESDAY, MARCH 7 - RED 2

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8 - BLUE 2

THURSDAY, MARCH 9 - RED 1

FRIDAY, MARCH 10 - BLUE 1

On Tuesday, March 1, at MAJE Central District festival at Nipmuc regional in Upton, the Natick High School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Craig Chisholm, scored a GOLD Medal.

Outstanding Musician awards were given to Senior trumpet player Sage Nguyen, Senior Pianist Isaac Hoffman, and Junior Saxophonist Michael Scorpa.

In addition, Michael Scorpa was named the Most Outstanding Musician/MVP for Division 1.

As a result of this success, the group has been invited to perform at State Finals on March 25th at the Coakley Middle School in Norwood.

STUDENT PARKING AND TRAFFIC

1) The amount of student drivers parking in unpermitted visitor and faculty parking lots has risen to the point where visitors that come to the building (like parents and guardians) have not been able to find parking spots. Students have also been parking in assigned staff spots that they also cannot find spots to park.

Seniors may park in the Memorial Field Lot, and if that is full, they should proceed to the Mahan Baseball Field lot, which is never full.

Juniors may park in the Mahan Field Baseball Field lot only.

Student Parking in the visitor and faculty lot is not permitted at any time, unless they have received a pass from the main office because of mobility needs.

The next step will be to ticket and/or tow vehicles that are not permitted to be in faculty or visitor parking. those ticket/tow fees are the responsibility of the student/family for whom the car is registered. This is going to put into effect as the next step.

2) There is now a bicycle lane on Campus Drive approaching Pond Street as drivers exit the NHS campus. Vehicles are not permitted to travel in the bicycle lane, which creates an unsafe environment for cyclists and the school buses. Student and parents drivers have impeded bus travel by doing this. Please remain in the driving lane only until the top of Campus Drive has been reached, where right and left turns are permitted.

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3)The bell schedules for our Daily Schedule, Early Release Day and 2 Hour Delay have been added to the NHS website, under School Info, Bell Schedules.

4) There is an early release day on Wednesday March 15. Students will be dismissed at 11:00.

Natick Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Anna Nolin has announced the hiring of Josepha Blocker as the Principal of Natick High School.

“Josepha’s deep instructional experience and her work in addressing achievement gaps by making instructional changes to drive equitable achievement and personalize learning will further strengthen Natick High School,” Nolin said. “In addition, her experience creating small, connected house/team environments within a large high school in her current high school leadership role will also support and refresh ongoing efforts to do the same work for our high schoolers."

The interview process for this position consisted of multiple parts, beginning with Dr. Nolin and Human Resources meeting with parents/caregivers for feedback on what they are looking for in their next principal. The Central Office committee reviewed resumes and decided who to call in for virtual introduction interviews. Out of these virtual interviews, the Central Office committee selected candidates to meet with our Formal Committee. This committee included Central Officers, a School Committee member, staff members, parents, and students. As a result of this process, Josepha Blocker was promoted to a finalist. Following this, we hosted our NHS Principal Forum which allowed parents/guardians, staff members, and community members a chance to provide feedback on the finalists.

Josepha Blocker began her career in education as a math and computer science teacher at Newton North High School in 2002. She taught a wide variety of courses ranging from AP Calculus to MCAS Skills for struggling seniors. Outside the classroom, she served as a class advisor, an assistant housemaster, and also ran professional development for the math department on using technology to support math pedagogy.

In 2007, Ms. Blocker accepted a position as Dean of Students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where her work focused on student engagement, discipline, student well-being and community-building. She also taught graduate students in Secondary Math Methods of Education at Simmons College. Ms. Blocker then returned to the Newton Public Schools in 2008 as the Cutler House Dean at Newton South High School.

For the past fifteen years, she has enjoyed engaging with a diverse range of educators, students, and families in support of student achievement and social-emotional growth. Most recently, Ms. Blocker was appointed the Acting Principal of Newton South High School during her principal’s maternity leave.

In addition to her direct work with students, Ms. Blocker’s work at Newton South focused on school safety, building student communities, facilitating data-driven decision-making, and providing teacher professional development on a myriad of topics.

Ms. Blocker holds a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Engineering from Tufts University, Summa Cum Laude and a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership from Simmons College. Her leadership style is welcoming, transparent and collaborative, and she is thrilled to be joining the Natick community as the next Principal of Natick High School.

Ms. Blocker will work closely with Interim Principal Jason Hoye, and the NHS Leadership team this Spring and Summer to promote a smooth transition in leadership of Natick High School for the 2023-2024 school year.

Support the Class of 2024 by getting your car washed at Scrub-A-Dub in Natick. To make your dollars count, click this link to purchase a voucher which will be sent to your email after buying.

You can stock multiple up (they last for 6 months), buy a few as a gift for your family members, friends, or just for yourself! For just $10 you can keep your car sparkling and help the grade vitally in making our class successful. Half of all proceeds will go to 2024 fundraising efforts for prom, boat cruise catering, senior picnic, and important class events.

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.

The winter sports season has started. HERE is a link to the athletic teams schedules.

SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION

Registration for spring sports is now open, please click here for more information.

Social Justice Parenting: Raising Compassionate, Anti-Racist, and Socially Conscious Children

Tuesday, March 7 at 7pm via Zoom -- For parents, caregivers, and community members of all ages

This program will address how to raise children who work to promote justice, compassion, and belonging for themselves and others. Dr. Traci Baxley will discuss the principles of Social Justice Parenting and offer strategies for implementing these values into your daily life. Simultaneous ASL and Portuguese Language Interpretation will be provided at this event. Register and learn more about this FREE online program and all our upcoming events at www.SPARKKindness.org

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

Please read Grade 11 parents/guardians. Very Important!

Grade 11 Screening/Vaccine Requirement

Mr. Fleming has put together a comprehensive website for NHS Yearbook resources. It includes Senior photo requirement guidelines, how to purchase a yearbook, as well as how to advertise. Please see the NHS Yearbook Website here.

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