Natick Redhawks

Hello Natick High School Caregivers,

Today, Natick High School was full of good cheer and holiday excitement. Our student musicians put on an excellent concert for their peers and the staff before taking the show on the road to Kennedy and Wilson. Our Speech and Debate team also performed for their peers in two separate block-long performances ushering in the break.

We wish you a Merry Christmas, if you celebrate, and a happy new year! We hope that the brea affords you the chance to connect with your teen, relax and rejuvenate. We look forward to seeing you in 2026!

Warmly,

Josepha Blocker

Principal, Natick High School

12/24 - 1/2 - No School - Winter break

1/7 - 2/13 - ACCESS testing for Multilingual Learners

1/14 - Staff Professional Development - Early Release at 11 am

1/14 - Launch of 8th Grade Parent Website

1/19 - No School - Martin Luther King Day

1/20 - 1/23 - Midterms - Early Release at 11 am

1/22 - 8th Grade Parent Coffee at 8 am

1/23 - End of Term 2; End of Semester 1

The Natick High School Guidance Department us excited to share with you our pre-recorded College Planning Program for the Class of 2027. This program includes a series of informative videos in which counselors provide important updates and guidance on the college planning process.

Students and families may choose to watch the full program or select individual videos by topic, depending on their interests and needs. Please see the link below:

College Planning Program

Please feel free to reach out to your student's guidance counselor with any questions or concerns.

When we return from Winter Break, we will be approaching the end of Semester 1. At that time, students typically have end-of-term projects or take midterm exams in many of their classes. Below you will find some information about the midterm period.

It is important to note that the summative assessment period at the end of the semester is a two-week period, as outlined below. The first week is dedicated to courses that offer assessments other than seated exams; the second week is dedicated to courses that offer seated exams.

It is important to note that midterm assessments:

• Count as 15% of students' semester 1 grade
• Can impact students' graduation status (more on this below)

• We have a typical schedule for all days.

• Class that are giving end-of-term projects, presentations or assessments other than traditional tests, will have those due this week.

• Assignments from classes that are giving traditional seated exams will be minimized.

• Classes with upcoming midterm exams will be preparing students for their upcoming assessments in class and may provide study resources for students to use outside of class.

• All days are early release for students at 11 am.

• Students are expected to attend all class blocks, whether they have an exam or not. This includes study halls, unless the student is excused from school by a parent or guardian.

• If a student will not be in a given class or in school for the day, the usual attendance procedures must be followed: a parent/guardian must call them out prior to their leaving or to confirm their absence or tardy. If students will be leaving early, a dismissal note from a parent/guardian is also acceptable.

• Skills and Workshops are considered classes and will meet during the midterm week.

• Students should make every effort to be present for their exams. If they miss an exam, makeups will be the following week. Students and their teachers will arrange these exams as necessary, either after school or during a mutually agreed upon study block or priv time.

In certain courses can impact students' graduation status due to the recent state requirements around Competency Determination. Those courses include English, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering and US History.

For more information on Competency Determination, please see this communication that was sent our last month or view our website at https://nhs.natickps.org/o/nhs/page/competency-determination.

If you have specific questions on the impact on your student, please contact their guidance counselor.

Exam week schedule: 11:00 AM pick up students. Buses & vans depart NHS by 11:10 AM

Tuesday 1/20: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Wednesday 1/21: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Thursday: 1/22: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Friday 1/23: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Late buses 11:35 AM pick up students. Buses & vans depart NHS by 11:45 AM

Tuesday 1/20: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Wednesday 1/21: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Thursday: 1/22: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Friday: 1/23: Buses and vans will pick up in the rear bus loop

Now that our December 5th deadline has come and gone, we will be reaching out to individual students who we did NOT receive a photo from. Please ask your seniors try to refrain from sending the Yearbook staff emails asking if we have their photos, as we will be reaching out to you if we did not. Our goal is to have a photo for every student.

All students missing a photo will receive a Google Form informing us where we can get a photo from them. This includes:

1. School ID photo
2. Late studio photo
3. Free Senior Photo Day happening at the high school early January 2026 (date TBD)
4. I do not want a photo in the yearbook

In late January/Early February, ALL seniors and their caregivers will receive a PDF proof of the page they are featured on, where you will be able to check that:

• Their photos are correct
• Their names are spelled correctly
• Their senior quotes are correct

Final page submission for seniors will be the week before February break, so any changes can be made up until that point.

If you have questions, please contact Yearbook Advisor Jonathan Fleming (jfleming@natickps.org) or a member of the Yearbook staff.

Do not forget that Parent and Business Ads are also still available and are due by Monday, January 19th, 2026.

FREE SENIOR PHOTO DAY event will be taking place on Thursday January 8th, 2026. This is the Thursday we return from Winter Break, so it is a short turn around and I wanted to give you the heads up now. This event is for any seniors who have either not had the opportunity yet to get a photo taken, or would prefer to get a different photo from one they had previously submitted.

Mr. Glass from Paradise Photo will be in the main lobby of the high school from 11 am to 1 pm. Please try to dress nice for the photo if you are planning on using this time.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns in regards to this in the meantime.

Thank you,

Mr. Fleming (jfleming@natickps.org) and the Yearbook Staff

Lori Cullen, NHS computer science teacher, has been working with the staff of Code.org for many years. This week, NHS students got to try out one of their newest lessons as a part of their annual "Hour of Code." NHS students will be featured on their website coding "Mix and Move with AI" wherein they designed dancers and music, and interfaced with AI to alter their code.

NHS alumni Bellis Min, Owen Sorber and Ben Gerrard returned to NHS to speak about their post-high school life in STEM fields. They visited chemistry, biology and computer science classrooms to discuss their careers and journeys from high school to college to the workforce. Bellis shared her work at the Claussnitzer Lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she researches the impact of various treatments on obesity and diabetes. Owen and Ben both shared their work in computer science. Owen told students about his work at the MIT Lincoln Lab where he works on robotics research and software engineering. Students were able to ask questions, both about life and career choices.

NHS vocal and instrumental groups welcomed in the holdiay spirit with their school-wide performances this morning. Then, they took the tour on the road to Wilson and Kennedy!

Regular attendance to school is vital to your student's education. If your NHS student needs to be absent, please email 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.

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.

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.

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