Natick Redhawks

Hello Natick High School Caregivers,

This upcoming week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and May 8th is Nurses Appreciation Day, so it is only appropriate that I take a moment to acknowledge the amazing nurses and educators at NHS. From our teachers, to counselors, to paraprofessionals, all of our educators are invested, experts in their content areas and well-versed in how to reach adolescent learners. I am grateful to work alongside them to support our students to learn and grow.. If you share this sentiment, and you are so moved, I invite you to send a quick note to an educator in your student's life. I know it would mean a lot.

As you read this newsletter, you will also note that May is a busy month at NHS! Below are announcements of a number of upcoming opportunities for students. Many students will feel energized by everything going on, including the culminating academic, artistic and athletic experiences that accompany this time of year. It is also notable that May is Mental Health Awareness month. Below you will also find information about mental health resources available in the community. In times of high activity, practicing self-care can be important. Please take advantage of the resources enclosed if they can be helpful to your family as you navigate this busy time of year.

Below are also a number of important announcements for caregivers of seniors, who are entering their final weeks of high school! Amongst those announcements is a message from the PTSO After Prom Party (APP) planning committee. The APP is a huge community effort that helps keep our young adults safe on prom night by providing them an all night party at NHS, from 12 am - 5 am, directly following the prom. The event is the result of months of work on behalf of dedicated parents. However, the APP can't happen without help from caregivers of 9th, 10th and 11th graders. Please see the information below about how you can "pay it forward" by volunteering for the APP before you have a senior.

I hope that you and your Redhawk have a great weekend!

Warmly,

Josepha Blocker

Principal, Natick High School

Over the next two weeks we will be administering over 1200 AP exams - a new record!

AP Testing begins on Monday 5/6 and continues through Friday 5/17, with specific exams scheduled each day, as prescribed by the College Board.

• There are two exam sessions each day: one session beginning at 7:30 AM and one session beginning at 11:30 AM. Students taking an 11:30 exam will take first lunch.
• Students are expected to attend all classes that do not conflict with exams.
• Students and caregivers will be emailed exam schedules with room locations.
• In specific situations, late testing may occur on May 22 through May 24th, as prescribed here.

We wish all of our students taking AP exams the best of luck. We are so proud of your hard work! You got this!

Seniors! Please see this newsletter with all the information that you need on senior events, including graduation speeches, APs, senior final exams, prom, the after prom party, graduation rehearsals, the senior picnic and more!.

A printable version is available here.

The NHS After-Prom Party (APP) is Natick at its finest. Caregivers and community members come together to put on a spectacular after-hours event on prom night. We do this to keep students off the roads and in a safe space while they can continue to make lasting high school memories. After the prom, seniors and their guests are welcomed back to NHS from 12 midnight until 5:00am. Entertainment includes inflatables, laser tag, skee ball, a photo booth, airbrush t-shirts, temporary tattoos, psychics, a hypnotist at 2:30 am, DJ music, over $4,000 in free raffle prizes, food (so much food!). The vast majority of the seniors attend and many have said that the APP is more fun than the prom itself!

The APP is run entirely by caregiver and community volunteers and and we need about 45 more volunteers to make it happen. Please help out by taking a three-hour shift on May 17th. The jobs are easy --- you'll help keep the lines moving, hand out food, or just make sure students stay safe and in the designated areas of NHS.

Caregivers of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors - please consider taking a shift this year. By supporting the APP now, you can rest easy knowing that others will be there for your students in years ahead.

Please sign up here to provide a safe and memorable prom night for our students: NHS PTSO: NHS After Prom Party 2024

To donate food: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0544ACA922A5F58-49011256-after

THANK YOU for all you help,

The After Prom Party Committee

Students will enjoy week-long courses for enrichment, exploration, and fun–right here in Natick! The Summer Enrichment and Summer Scholars programs will allow your children to explore their interests and help prevent summer slide. Pre-approved students are welcomed into the Extended School Year (ESY) program and the High School Credit Recovery Program. Our Strength and Conditioning Program provides dynamic exercises and drills from some of the best coaches in the area.

Registration through Active.com is open now. Our popular Summer Enrichment program courses include Cooking, Arts and Crafts, Pondology, Chemistry, Sports, and much more. Students from rising Kindergarteners up through rising 8th graders are grouped by grade level.

NEW THIS YEAR: All participants in Summer Enrichment and Summer Scholars will receive a complete schedule of classes (subject to availability) running from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. every day. Join us this summer! Access our dedicated website for more information.

Looking for financial assistance this summer? Please complete this form prior to registering to get the process started: 2024 Summer Programs Assistance. Thank you!

Is your NHS student interested in fulfilling their Community Service Hours this summer and helping make a difference in a child's life? If so, please encourage them to apply to volunteer with the Natick Summer Program! Please check out the Natick Summer website for more information.

This summer we are offering 5 weeks of classes. Volunteers are expected to be present each day of the week for the session they sign up for. You can earn up to 18 hours of community service per week.

• Week 1: July 8-11

• Week 2: July 15-18

• Week 3: July 22-25

• Week 4: July 29-Aug 1

• Week 5: August 5-8

Think you might be a good fit? Read the Volunteer Guidelines to get a sense of the guidelines and expectations to make sure that volunteering at the Natick Summer Learning Program will work for you. We would love to have you join our team!

Ready to apply? Complete the Volunteer Application to be considered for this summer’s program. Volunteers must commit to an entire week(s) to be selected and earn community service hours!

NEW this year! All students who apply to volunteer must submit a Teacher Recommendation Form.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 24.

If you have any questions please reach out to the Summer Learning Principal: kcasey@natickps.org

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.

https://sites.google.com/natickps.org/nhsguidancedepartment/guidance-newsletter?authuser=0

Prior to graduating, Seniors need to return all outstanding items and/or pay any outstanding balances. Seniors can begin addressing these obligations by returning any of the items on this list to the appropriate school staff members.

• Laptops, chargers and any outstanding technology-related fees (See more information below.)
• Textbooks (Prior to 5/17, return directly to teachers. On or after 5/17, return to Main Office.)
• Library books (Return to the Library.)
• Calculators (Return to issuing math teacher.)
• Uniforms (Return to Athletics Department).
• Paperwork documenting completed community service hours (Submit to Guidance.)
• Elevator passes (Return to Main Office.)
• Outstanding cafeteria balances (Pay on MySchoolBucks.)

Seniors must fulfill all their obligations by the second graduation rehearsal on Tuesday May 28th in order to receive their caps and gowns.

All seniors who have been given a school-owned laptop and charger are required to turn them in to the Technology Department before picking up your cap and gowns or participating in senior events.

Prior to returning a Chromebook, students should:

1. Check that the Asset Tag (white barcode sticker with a 6 digit number on it) is still on and readable. If it is no longer readable, is missing, or is covered up, the senior should go to the Technology Help Desk located in the NHS Library to get issued a new asset tag to quicken the collection process.
2. Make sure that the student has the charger, in addition to the Chromebook.

Senior laptop and charger return will take place at the following dates/times:

• Thursday, May 23rd, 10:30 am to 11:15 am, just prior to Graduation Rehearsal #1 Collection will take place in the area outside the auditorium.

• Friday, May 24th, start of school until 12 pm; Collection will take place at the Technology Help Desk in the NHS Library.
  
• Tuesday, May 28th, during Graduation Rehearsal #2, from 9 am to 12 noon. Collection will take place outside, against the wall of the gym, or in the event of inclement weather, in the back of the gym. Please note that May 28th is the FINAL opportunity for seniors to address any technology related obligations.

Questions or Concerns?

Please reach out to the Technology Department

Email: helpdesk@natickps.org

Phone at 508-647-6400; ext. 5555

• Please note that failure to return a device during the designated times listed above could result in a charge for the full value of the laptop, plus a fine.
• If you received a letter about a damaged or lost laptop, or have outstanding device fees in your four years at NHS and the fees have not been paid, you are required to pay those fees before receiving your cap and gown or participating in the senior events. If you have question about any fees that you may owe, please check in with the Front Office.

If seniors have any emails or documents that they would like to keep after graduation, we suggest using Google Takeout to retrieve your documents as soon as possible. Seniors can visit the Technology Office in the Library with any questions regarding this process. Seniors' email accounts and Google Drives will be available through August 1, 2024, when they will be disabled. Here is a link with instructions on how to use Google Takeout:

• CAREGIVERS PLEASE FILL OUT THIS APP EARLY DISMISSAL PERMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/4FNWv1HBdGftWX2X9

• Caregivers, If you check the NO box on the APP EARLY DISMISSAL PERMISSION FORM which must be completed by a caregiver/parent, then you WILL receive a call if your student chooses to leave before 5am and a message will be left if there is no answer.

APP Letter to Seniors and Caregivers/Parents with Rules 2024

For the second time in three years, Natick Public Schools has been named a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation, (National Assosication of Music Merchants). They commented that Natick's "collective efforts-teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders-have been instrumental in making music part of a well-rounded education for every child. We applaud your community's unwavering commitment to creating an environment where each child can learn and grow with music."

Thanks to all of our music educators and students who made this possible.

We are so proud of students Talia Bradley, Sarah Carvalho, Bella Tibagwa, Erin White, Seniyah Hood, and Sandra Kintu for their amazing performance in the Tenacity Challenge, an annual academic scholarship competition for teams of Latinx and African-American students from urban and suburban high schools across Massachusetts. This NHS team placed third out of 25 teams across Massachusetts, also taking home first place in the English competition, and very competitive scores in art, history and math.

Many thanks to Ms. Rogers, Ms. Gates and Mr. Connors for their continuous support of this incredible team during their months of competition!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! To raise awareness, the Town of Natick is sponsoring various events, resources, and collaborations around Natick. All events are FREE & open to the public (some require registration). Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/mentalhealth_natick for more event information. Follow @NatickSupportsMentalHealth on Facebook to stay updated on mental health resources and events all year round!

If your student needs to leave school early for a doctor's appointment or other reason, please send them into school with a note that morning. Students should come to the Main Office with the note, and exchange it for a pass, which they can show their teacher to be released from class at the correct time.

We are happy to accept phone calls, but they often take longer to get off the machine when the office is busy; so if it is possible, we would prefer you send students with a note.

We have a number of resources at the high school for students who are struggling with early vape use, including the iDecide program and a partnership with the Natick Service Council. If you or your NHS student would like to know more about these resources, please contact your students' guidance counselor, dean or vice-principal. Those who are trying to stop using on their own may also find that practicing the 6 D's can help.

There are also a number of community resources that support young people trying to stop using vapes and other substances.

• Text VapeFreeMass to 88709 to use a free, confidential texting program called This is Quitting.
• Call or text Start My Quit to 855-891-9989 to access trained coaches at My Life, My Quit (www.mylifemyquit.com) who can help.
• Visit teen.smokefree.gov

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 to 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.

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 Healey's Office decided to institute free breakfast and lunch for all public 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!

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 (driver's 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