Natick Redhawks

Hello Natick High School Caregivers,

Happy Thanksgiving!

At Natick High School, there is so much to be thankful for - from the amazing students who bring such heart and dedication to our community, to our staff who are so invested in your teens' progress, to you, our larger community that supports our efforts. This past week, it was amazing to see so many of you, at the Multilingual Learner Family Thanksgiving, at the National Honor Society Induction and then at the back-to-back State Championships for Girls and Boys Soccer, where both teams won the state championship! At each event, I was reminded about what it really means to be a Natick Redhawk: to take care of each other, to cheer each other on and to fully invest in whatever we try. These are just some of the reasons why I love this community!

And now for some important announcements:

• Below, please take a look at some important notices for seniors about ordering caps and gowns, and finalizing photo Yearbook submissions for seniors.
• You will also note that there are some upcoming performances listed in our "important Dates" section, including a choral concert, band concert and the fall play, Beetlejuice, Jr., which goes up the weekend we return.
• Teacher-caregiver conferences will take place on December 10th. We have an early release that day for students and you will have a chance to sign up for 10-minute virtual conferences with your teen's teachers. A message on how to register will come out right when we return from the Thanksgiving break.
• There is NO SCHOOL for students on MONDAY, DECEMBER 1st, so faculty can engage in professional development. However, the winter athletics season starts for certain teams on Monday. Please see more information below. Payment opens the following week once teams are established.
• Lastly, below you will find a number of additional opportunities and information on various other initiatives and opportunities for community engagement.

As always, we are grateful for your partnership and wish you and your teen the best during the Thanksgiving holiday!

Warmly,

Josepha Blocker

Principal, Natick High School

11/27 - 11/28 - Thanksgiving Break - No School

11/27 - Annual Thanksgiving Football Game, 10 am @ Bowditch Field in Framingham

12/1 - NILS - No School

12/4 - ELPAC/SEPAC joint virtual meeting about Competency Determination, 6 pm

12/5 - NHS Theatre presents Beetlejuice, Jr., @ 7:30 pm

12/6 - NHS Theatre presents Beetlejuice, Jr.,@ 2 pm and 7:30 pm

12/6 - Senior Yearbook photos and forms due

12/8 - Winter athletics payment portal opens @ noon

12/8 - 12/19 - Mood Check screening for 9th graders

12/10 - Early release for students @ 11 am

12/10 - Caregiver Conferences

12/11 - NHS Chorus Concert: Sounds of the Season, @ 7:00 pm

12/15 - Winter Athletics payment portal closes @ noon

12/16 - NHS Band Winter Candlelight Concert @ 6:30 pm

12/19 - Deadline for Seniors to Order Caps and Gowns

Thanksgiving is a time for loved ones, great food and celebration! I hope that you and your teens get a chance to take some space together and to celebrate the season. Happy Thanksgiving!

You are invited to attend our annual Thanksgiving Day Football Game vs. Framingham High School. This year we are playing at Bowditch Field in Framingham. Kick-off is at 10 am.

Pre-purchase your ticket here: https://gofan.co/event/1622746?schoolId=MA14657

Gobble, gobble!

If you plan on walking in the graduation ceremony, you need to order a cap and gown. Seniors who are planning to borrow a cap and gown from a past graduate, you should still order a tassel.

To order, visit www.jostens.com.

Deadline: December 19th

Also available: Natick Class of 2026 swag!

Earlier this month, I sent a separate message about the new Competency Determination requirements required by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. These requirements will impact students's graduation requirements moving forward. I encourage you to read through them, and contact us with any questions that you may have. There is a list in the message of who can assist you and how you can contact them. We are also holding a ELPAC & SEPAC Joint Virtual meeting with Director of Student Services Erin Miller, Assistant Director of Multilingual Learners Joseph Santiago-Silvestri and Principal Josepha Blocker

• When: Thursday, December 4th at 6 pm
• Link: To be sent directly to ELPAC and SEPAC members

This event is designed especially for METCO students ages 14–18 and their families to explore a wide range of job, internship, and postsecondary opportunities. Students will meet directly with employers, organizations, and programs that are eager to connect with Boston youth.

At the fair, students and families will be able to:

• Learn about after-school and summer jobs available to Boston high school students.

• Explore internships that build experience and skills.

• Discover postsecondary pathways, including workforce development, trade schools, gap year programs, study abroad, community colleges, and four-year universities.

• Connect directly with organizations, complete sign-ups, and collect applications.

• Take advantage of potential on-site interviews (where available).

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2025

Time: 5:00–8:00 PM

Location: Vine Street Community Center – 339 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119

This is a wonderful opportunity for students and families to explore future possibilities, ask questions, and begin building meaningful connections.

Help support the Class of 2028 and get into the holiday spirit! Their wreath fundraiser is in full swing, and provides a perfect opportunity to decorate your home or give a holiday gift to a loved one.

Order your wreath from Worcester Wreath and Co. today to save 10%. In return, the Class of 2028 will receive 25% of all proceeds.

Let’s make this season merry, bright, and full of support for our students! Be sure to include the code "NATICK28" in the coupon code box at checkout.

Support the annual Student Council 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. Now more than ever, A Place to Turn is relying on us to help thousands of local families, as one in three households in Massachusetts experiences food insecurity. Our goal is to exceed 5000 items! To support the effort, students can bring non-perishable items to the front lobby.

The Seal of Biliteracy, which is an additional honor placed on students' transcripts, rewards students who have demonstrated proficiency in English and any other language, whether they speak or sign the language other than English at home or learned it at school in the community.

This letter containing more information on the Seal of Biliteracy, was recently sent home to senior families. It includes information on the STAMP test, an important component of the Seal of Biliteracy process. Interested students and families should be on the look out for a sign up form for the STAMP test, which will go out before December break.

We look forward to honoring the language expertise and diversity in our district through this initiative. If you have any further questions, please contact World Language Department Chair Denise Trubiano at dtrubiano@natickps.org.

You can now purchase your 2025-2026 yearbook HERE.

Any questions related to yearbook orders should be directed to Yearbook Advisor, Jonathan Fleming, at jfleming@natickps.org.

Please visit the Natick High School Yearbook's website for further information about:

• Senior photos
• Senior quotes
• Senior surveys

• Purchasing an ad in this year's yearbook

Please read this memo on the opening practice and tryout details for each winter sport. This is just "First Day" info. The coaches will provide long term calendars and information. Student athletes should reach out directly to their coaches for sport-specific questions.

All student athletes should confirm that they are registered and prepared for Monday (or the first day) for their opening practices and tryouts.

** Please note that even though there is no school on Monday, December 1st, some winter athletics teams will begin that day. **

Thank you in advance for carefully reading the athletic registration information below. We look forward to working with your student athlete this season!

NEW INFORMATION REGARDING PAYMENT

Payment is not needed until teams are made.

Payment Deadline*: Complete payment / Financial Assistance is due on December 15, 2025 @ 12pm

* Payment made after 12/15 at noon will incur a $25 late fee.

* If payment has not been made by 12/22 at 12pm, your student will NOT be permitted to participate until payment is made.

First Day of the MIAA Winter Season: December 1, 2025

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.

Registration is a two step process:

• Signing your student up through Arbiter Sports

• Submitting payment through UniPay by credit card or eCheck.

Detailed instructions on these processes are here: Online Registration Instruction Sheet

The athletic fees are as follows:

• Ice Hockey: $500 per student athlete
• Alpine Ski: $500 per student athlete
• Boys Swim & Dive: $325 per student athlete

• All Other Winter Sports: $275.00 per student athlete

There is a "family cap" of $1500.

Join us for a fun run around the neighborhood to support our NHS Cross Country and Track & Field athletes. Run, walk, stroll – all are welcome. We will use a USATF Certified 5K course, entirely run by volunteers.

• Dress in your favorite costume.
• Raffles, great prizes, Music, hot chocolate, local vendors will be available.
• NHS’s own a cappella group Seven’s Not Enough will also perform!

This is a really a fun community event and a great opportunity to get outdoors with family and friends.

Sign up: https://natickxcandtrack.org/frosty-5k/

When: Sunday, December 7th at 9am

Where: Start and finish at the High School

It is amazing when one team takes home a state championship! It is quite another thing entirely when TWO teams do it in back-to-back games, but that is what happened on Saturday in Leominster! The girls took home the trophy with a 4-2 win over Franklin High School, followed by the boys who went on to win the State Championship against St. John’s Prep. Both teams played with heart, determination and great sportsmanship. The fans were also undeterred by the hour commite to Leominster or the rainy start to the day. A full "Redhawk's Nest" was on hand to cheer both teams on. This was one of those moments where the strong community that exists in Natick was really on display.

Earlier this month, the NHS Science Team joined 48 schools from all over the country at the MIT Science Bowl. The NHS students did a super job competing against 250 other students in five intense round robin contests, and three wild card rounds.

Congratulations to the Science Bowl Team for a strong showing!

Earlier this month, led by Senior Grace Zhang, the NHS Math Team participated in the Annual HMMT (Harvard-MIT-Math-Meet). HMMT is an international level math tournament for high schools, with teams traveling from as far as South Korea, and China.

Our team placed close to the top third of the 130 teams competing, making this our top performance in the past 18 years of Natck competition!.

Last Wednesday night, led by student leaders Ava Liepins, Kenny Chiu, Eva Baars and Kate Cho, along with Faculty Advisors Mrs St. Jean and Mrs. Chakraborty, the Natick High Natinoal Honor Society inducted 178 seniors!

To be inducted to NHS a student has to meet a pretty high bar. Students need to have demonstrated scholarship (an unweighted GPA of 3.4, which is higher than the national requirement of 3.0), service (50 hours of community service completed by the time of application), character (no major discipline) and leadership (two submitted examples.) The fact that we have 178 seniors who meet that high threshold is AMAZING!

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