Natick Redhawks

Hello Natick High!

I am looking forward to seeing our staff and students back at school next week!

At Natick High School, we are preparing for their arrival, and looking forward to meeting with our 9th graders and new students later this week, on Thursday. There is more information on that below, as well as an invitation to Open House, where you will get to meet your student's teachers and the rest of our staff.

At the end of last year, we celebrated the retirements of some of our veteran school leaders and hired some new faces to support our students. There is some information welcoming them below.

You will find some important information on students' schedules, grade level meetings and other details needed to start the year.

I hope that you enjoy the last precious summer days with your teen. We can't wait to see them soon.

Kind Regards,

Josepha Blocker

Principal, Natick High School

8/18 - 12th Graders - Early purchasing of parking passes, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

8/19 - 12th Graders - Early purchasing of parking passes, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

8/20 - New Student & 9th Grade Orientation, 10:30 am - 2:35 pm

8/20 - Sign up to drop off medications at our nurses. (See below.)

8/21 - Student Schedules Available on Powerschool @ 3 pm

8/24 - 8/25 - Staff Opening Days

8/26 - 8/29 - Sign up to drop of medications at our nurses. (See below.)

8/26 - First Day of School!

8/26 - 7:30 am arrival for Grades 9, 10 & 12; Grade 9/10 CDS; Grade 12 Class Meeting

8/27 - 7:30 am arrival for Grades 9, 10 & 11; Grade 9/10 CDS; Grade 11 Class Meeting

9/7 - Labor Day - No School

9/8 - 9th and 12th Grade Picture Day

9/9 - 10th and 11th Grade Picture Day

9/10 - Picture Day Make-Ups

9/15 - Late Buses Start

9/16 - Early Release @ 11 am for Staff Professional Development

9/17 - Open House, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

9/21 - Yom Kippur - No School

Ms. Gaudet comes to us from the Lexington Public Schools where she most recently served as the Director of Secondary Education. Prior to that she served as the Assistant Superintendent of the Maynard Public Schools and a Curriculum Director in Uxbridge.

Ms. Zamarra-Dixon served as a math teacher at Natick High School for 8 years, where she also coached cross-country, and track and field for Natick. She is looking forward to taking on this new role following completion of her administrative internship with Principal Blocker last year.

Mr. Harrison served as a School Counselor at Natick High School and Milford High School. He has also been leader of our summer school program at Natick High School and served as the 9th grade and JV baseball coach.

Ms. Gilligan served most recently as the Executive Director of School Counseling for Boston Public Schools. Prior to that, she served as School Counseling Director at Lawrence High School. With over 24 years experience in public education, we look forward to working with Ms. Gilligan.

On the FIRST Day of School, Wednesday, August 26th, all SENIORS should report to the auditorium for a Senior Class Meeting at 7:30 am.

On the SECOND Day of School, Thursday, August 27th, all JUNIORS should report to the auditorium for a Junior Class Meeting at 7:30 am.

9th and 10th graders will have CDS at 7:30 am on Wednesday and Thursday as typically scheduled, and will have their Class Meetings during CDS on Friday, August 28th (10th grade) and Monday, August 31st (9th grade).

On Friday, August 21st at 3 pm, the student and parent PowerSchool portals will open for students to view their schedules.

Parents and caregivers, when you log into PowerSchool for the first time this year, you will be prompted to fill out the necessary annual forms for each of your students. It is essential that you attend to those forms.

Having trouble accessing your PowerSchool account? Email pssupport@natickps.org for help.

For the 2026-2027 school year, we are offering office hours for medication drop off and consultations on Thursday, August 20th and August 25th through August 28th. You may use the following link HERE which takes you to the SignUpGenius to schedule a time slot. If you would like to make an appointment for a different day and time please send an email to highschoolnurses@natickps.org.

Please remember to bring the medication in a pharmacy labeled container along with MD orders and parent permission forms. These forms are located on the NPS website under Departments:Health Services:Medication Administration. Please take a moment to review the medication policy.

Parents of Grade 9 and 10 students please read the following regarding State Mandated Health Screenings and Parent Opt Out information linked HERE

Parents of Grade 11 students need to be sure you have provided the health office with a recent copy of your student's physical. It should be dated after 1/1/25. This needs to be received no later than September 30th. This may be emailed to highschoolnurses@natickps.org or faxed to 508-651-7167.

Parents of Grade 11-12 students, if your student is age 16 or over, the health office must have proof of Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) vaccination on file per Massachusetts State requirements. If you have already provided documentation (included with Physical Exam) please disregard. This 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 Power School Annual Required Forms for your student(s). This needs to be completed each school year. We access important health information, contact numbers, as well as permission for Tylenol/Ibuprofen and other over the counter medications. These medications will not be given without a signature from a parent/guardian.

Thank you,

Your NHS Nurses,

Nicole Marcinkiewicz RN, Carrie Harding RN, Julianne Geremia RN, Nickie Nutting RN

At Natick High School, ALL students are required to complete the Summer Reading and Enrichment Assignment. Please check in with your NHS student to ensure that the assignment below is completed prior to the first day of school.

The full program is HERE, and we have listed the individual grades below for easy access. As an aside, as discussed at recent School Committee meetings, the high school will continue to engage in the Literacy Audit into the 2026-2027 school year. This will present an opportunity to continue to review all our literacy work, including future summer reading selections.

Rising 9th Graders

• Associated Department: Social Studies
• Course: Global Awareness

Rising Sophomores

• Associated Department: Science
• Course: Chemistry

Rising Juniors

• Associated Department: English
• Course: American Literature

Rising Seniors

• Associated Department: Guidance
• Topic: College and Career Readiness

Please read through the options with your Natick High student. There are options that will suit a variety of learners. All students are expected to complete one of the options listed prior to their return to school.

There are certain advanced courses that require students to get a jump start on content, or to review prior knowledge during the summer. For these select courses, the assignments listed are crucial for setting students up for success next year. These courses are listed below, and the summer assignments can be found here.

During high school, it is developmentally appropriate to engage in a gradual release of responsibilities, transferring responsibilities and rewards from adults to students. As such, we reward 11th and 12th grade students who have demonstrated consistent attendance, are in good academic standing and have a positive behavioral record with certain privileges. These privileges are referred to by our students as "priv."

The Deans and Vice Principals re-evaluate each student's "priv" status on a term-by-term basis. Students with "priv" are scheduled for an open block in lieu of a study hall. During that time, students with "priv" are allowed to be in the library, cafeteria or with a staff member, if arranged. With parent permission, students with "priv" are also allowed to check in and out to leave the building during unscheduled times.

For more details on the “priv” program, including how students earn and lose "priv", please read this memo.

** Parents or Guardians, please sign this form to give your 11th or 12th grader permission to leave the building during priv. **

** RSVP here **

For the school year 2026-2027, we are offering seniors, with a valid driver’s license, a parking pass. Passes will be sold on a first come, first served, basis. For more information on student parking for the 26-27 school year, please read this message sent out earlier this month.

Before School Starts:

Ms. Daigle will be selling parking passes outside of the entrance to NHS at the following dates and times:

• Tuesday, August 18, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
• Wednesday, August 19, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

On or After the First Day of School
Parking passes will be sold in the Main Office during the school day, until they sell out.

In order to purchase a parking pass, students must have the following items ready to submit:

The items below will be collected at the time of purchase. Please BRING PHOTOCOPIES FOR US TO KEEP. We will not be able to photocopy anything on the day of registration.

1. A copy of the student’s driver’s license
2. A copy of the car registration
3. This FORM filled out and signed by parent/guardian and student
4. $250 - Cash or check made out to to Natick Public Schools

Seniors must have a parking permit, affixed to their vehicle as shown, to park on campus.

Seniors are ONLY permitted to park on campus in the following locations:

• Seniors are permitted to park in the Memorial Football Lot or the Mahan Baseball Field Lot.
• No students are permitted to park in the Faculty or Visitor lots without individual approval from administration.

If you purchased your pass, you should receive it by Monday, August 17th. Please take careful note of your bus numbers, located on your bus passes for the upcoming year. If you have not received your bus pass after August 17th, please contact Robin Agostinelli-Solivan, the NPS Transportation and Facility Rental Supervisor, at ragostinellisolivan@natickps.org.

Helpful Reminders:

• Students must have a bus pass to use the bus.
  

• Students may only ride their assigned bus, as listed on their bus pass.
  

• Students’ bus passes also grant them access to the late buses.

Important Transportation Resources

• The NPS Transportation website - The latest transportation information.
  

• School Bus Manual: We recommend reviewing this with your students, as it includes safety procedures and the code of conduct.

• Natick High School Bus Routes

• The Natick METCO Bus Routes

• If you have not yet purchased a bus pass, you may do so here.

Late Buses

Students with bus passes pay also ride the late bus. Late buses run each week, Monday through Thursday. They leave NHS at 3:30 pm, and will begin on Tuesday, September 15th. All NHS bus routes, including Late Bus routes, are available here.

Registration has been reopened, and will be open until tonight, August 18TH @ 11:55 PM. There will be no exceptions!

Click here to register:

https://students.arbitersports.com/natick-public-school-athletics/fall-2026-high-school-

Please see the following important information on registration below:

• Do not register your child until they have completed the year's required courses and have an up to date physical (done in the last 12 months.) We have over 100 athletes with registration errors.
• The required courses are here:
• The required concussion course at https://nfhslearn.com/courses/concussion-for-students
• The required Arxed student course at https://studentathlete.arxed.com/enroll/3783334?price_id=4741502

• If you are unsure if you have already registered, please log back in to your Arbiter account to check. Do not call or email the Athletic office to check your registration.

Unified Basketball starts on September 22nd.

Only Unified athletes and 10th - 12th grade Unified Partners can register using this link:

https://students.arbitersports.com/natick-public-school-athletics/unified-basketball-2026-boys-girls-athletes-partners-grades-10-12-copy-1

Natick High School Athletics has a rich tradition of excellence. We are looking forward to welcoming our student athletes back for the fall season. The opening season practice schedule can be found HERE.

Pre-Season Details:

Please recall that all students need to have completed the following prior to attending practice or try-outs:

• The two required courses in ArxEd (completed after May 2026 with certificates uploaded)
• An up-to-date physical on file (within the last 13 months)

Want to Cheer On Your Student Athlete?

To view our game-day schedules, please see our website on Arbiter.

Most of our students do not take advantage of our lockers, so we do not routinely assign them. However, if your student would like a locker, they need to complete this form.

Once your locker is assigned, the number and combination will show up in your PowerSchool account under "Locker Information".

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!

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 and subscribing to their monthly newsletter at the top of their webpage. You can subscribe to their monthly newsletter at the top of their webpage!

Please reach out for more information about volunteering opportunities at natickhighptso@gmail.com.

• 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