Natick Redhawks
Your Weekly Update from Natick High School
Dear Natick High School Families,
I can hardly believe that this Thursday, October 31st, marks the end of term 1. Please check in with your Natick High School student to ask how the term has gone. Their teachers and I have been encouraging them to finish the term strong.
Term 2, will begin the following Monday, November 4th. Please note that there are two upcoming days wherein school is closed for students: this Friday, November 1st for Diwali, and next Tuesday, November 5th for staff professional development. (It is also the day of the presidential election.) If your family celebrates Diwali, I wanted to wish you a happy Diwali full of joy and light!
As we move into term 2, please note that most students' schedules will remain the same; one exception is that our 9th graders will begin Guidance Seminar once per cycle during their CDS block, and our seniors will end Guidance Seminar and get to sleep in once again!
Next week is also Halloween! At Natick High School, there is a long-standing tradition that our youngest students--our preschoolers--and our oldest students--our seniors--are the only ones permitted to dress up on Halloween. That tradition is accompanied by certain behavioral expectations for seniors, which have been relayed to them via email. I wanted to share that same information with you here, so that you might discuss those expectations with your senior(s) as they plan their costumes. If you have a student in grades 9 - 11, they should not dress up for Halloween while at school.
As we head into next week, we are also inching closer to the Presidential Election. Some of our social studies classes have discussed the election, as it applies directly to the government and civics curricula. Please know that when we have conversations about political topics, we always preface the conversations by reviewing the norms civil discourse and how to respectfully disagree. Our educators who engage in these topics are thoughtful, trained, and collaborate on choosing sources that are balanced; they also maintain neutrality when moderating conversations, not endorsing any one view. It is also important to note, that even as many adults have strong feelings about the election, as with anything, we anticipate that our students may or may not be impacted by the results. As November 5th approaches, if you have concerns about how to best support your student, we encourage you to reach out to their guidance counselor to problem-solve.
Kind Regards,
Josepha Blocker
Principal, Natick High School
10/26 - PSATs, 7:30 AM to approximately 11:30 AM
10/31 - Last day of Term 1
11/1 - No School - Diwali
11/1 - Deadline for Seniors to order caps and gowns
11/4 - Deadline to register for APs to avoid late fees
11/4 - ASVAB Testing for 11th and 12th graders who registered
11/5 - Election Day - No School for Students/Educator Professional Development
11/6 - ELA MCAS Retest, Day 1 (Selected 11th and 12th graders)
11/7 - ELA MCAS Retest, Day 2 (Selected 11th and 12th graders)
11/12 - Math MCAS Retest, Day 1 (Selected 11th and 12th graders)
11/13 - Math MCAS Retest, Day 2 (Selected 11th and 12th graders)
11/20 - National Honor Society Induction Ceremony @ 6pm
11/22 - Last Day to Register and Pay for Winter Athletics
11/27 - Early Dismissal for Thanksgiving @ 11 am
11/28 - Thanksgiving Football Game vs. Framingham @ NHS
11/28 - 11/29 - School Closed for Thanksgiving
The following message is for ALL juniors and for the 10th graders who registered for the PSAT.
Tomorrow is the big day!
Students should arrive by 7:15am. The test will start promptly at 7:30am. Students who arrive late may not be able to test.
Room assignments will posted in the lobby upon arrival.
Students should bring the following items with them on test day:
School-issued Chromebook, fully charged. Note: students cannot test on personal devices.
Chromebook Charger
Pencils
Calculator
Water Bottle
Snacks
Sweatshirt
Please reach out to PSAT Coordinator Sarah Erving with with any questions at serving@natickps.org.
As of today only 58.9% of our students' forms have been completed and submitted. If you have not yet completed your Required Yearly Form (RYF) please do so, so that we have the most accurate information regarding your student(s). These forms allow caregivers the opportunity to update their contact information and invite caregivers to share medical information pertinent to their NHS student. The forms also provide important notices and give caregivers a chance to consent to various school-related activities that may impact their student.
If you have not yet completed your student's yearly forms, here is the link to complete the forms and some important reminders: https://natickps.powerschool.com/public
- Go to https://natickps.powerschool.com/public and log in with your credentials.Your username is the email address that you used to complete your forms in the past. Use the password reset option if you have forgotten your login credentials. (Note: If you have not logged into Powerschool before, you will need to create a PowerSchool Parent portal account and link your student(s) to the guardian account.)
- Select your student in the blue header bar. Then, use the left side menus to click on "Required Yearly Forms." It is important to note that only one caregiver may start and submit the Required Yearly Form for a given student. The first caregiver to start the form MUST finish the form submission.
If you need assistance with creating an account, resetting your password or accessing the Required Yearly Forms, please email pssupport@natickps.org.
November marks the beginning of our annual Food Drive for a Place to Turn. Natick High's donation is usually one of the largest that A Place to Turn receives each year. The need this year is great, as nearly one third of all Massachusetts report facing food insecurity in the last year. So, please bring nonperishable food items to the school lobby. There will be incentives and prizes for those who donate.
The Senior Class Officers and Advisors would like to invite you to a special event: Bingo Night at The Natick Elks Club! The Elks have offered to host this event for caregivers of Natick High School seniors, and will be donating the proceeds to the Class of 2025!
Date: December 8th, 2024 @ 6 pm
Where: Natick Elks Club
Doors will open at 6:00 PM and the first game is at 6:45! Funds raised from ticket purchases will help the Senior Class continue to plan the Prom at the New England Aquarium and the Senior Picnic activities. This event is 21+ and has a maximum capacity of 250 guests so don’t wait to get your tickets! Please see the attached flyer for more information about the event.
Tickets can be purchased using this link or the QR code located on the flyer.
Thank you to the Natick Elks and to YOU for your support of our seniors!
Natick Public Schools are closed in honor of Diwali on November 1st. Diwali is a joyous five-day festival that is celebrated in the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain traditions. It is customary to eat sweet foods, light candles and celebrate with family and friends.
We wish all of our students, caregivers and staff who celebrate Diwali a holiday filled with light and joy. Happy Diwali!
The Guidance Department maintains a website full of useful information geared towards each grade. It changes regularly, and highlights some of the information that is shared with students during their guidance seminar. Parents and guardians are encouraged to bookmark the site and review it regularly.
Parents of Seniors, are you curious what your students are learning in Guidance Seminar? Visit the Guidance Department's site to find out!
Registration Deadline: November 22nd 2024 @ 12pm
Payment Deadline*: November 22nd 2024 @ 12pm
* Payment made after 11/22 at noon will incur a $25 late fee.
To register, each student athlete will need:
- A Completion of Course certificate from the two required online courses for student athletes
- A copy of the student athlete's up-to-date physical
- The athletics fee
First Day of the MIAA Winter Season: December 2, 2024
The MIAA allows winter athletics to begin as of this date. More information will be shared from the Athletics Department in the coming weeks on specific first-day details for each team, including sites and times.
All student athletes from MIAA schools, including NHS, MUST complete two free NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) courses before registering for a sport: one general course and one concussion course. These courses are available at the links below.
After completing a course, a student athlete will earn a Completion of Course certificate, which the athlete will need to upload as a part of the registration process.
A few details for multi-sport athletes:
- A multi-sport athlete must only complete the courses one time during the academic year.
- If an athlete has already completed the course after May 2024 the course completion certificate should already populate into the registration and/or the athlete should use their previous course completion certificate to proceed with the registration process.
Your student's physical must have taken place within 13 months to suffice for athletics registration. If you need a new physical, and cannot get an appointment with your child's physician, you may need to consider going to an Urgent Care or Minute Clinic OR have your doctor write a note stating the date of your child's upcoming physical and that your child is "healthy and able to participate in sports". A current physical or doctor's note is necessary to participate in sports. Please note that you must submit a physical, not the summary.
We continue to work with Natick Central School Administration, The Natick Health Department, and The Natick School Committee to ensure that we are up to date with Health Metrics and Guidance.
AP® (Advanced Placement ) Exam Registration Now Open
Register before November 4th to avoid late fees.
Here is the link to the 2024-2025 AP Exam Registration Site
Note: These exams are intended for students who are currently enrolled in an AP course at Natick High School or have prepared for exams independently.
- Student parking
- School buses
- Food services, including how to order lunch ahead of time
- Purchasing a Yearbook
- Annual notifications from our nurses
- How to find out about, and purchase tickets for, athletic events
- Junior and senior "priv"
- Our cell phone use practices
- How to call your student in absent
- CORI checks for parent volunteers
- Joining the PTSO
