September 4, 2020
Visit our Translating Natick Public Schools Documents page for assistance.
DISTRICT NEWS
SCHOOL REOPENING: WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR STUDENTS!
When we open the school year, it comes with a ‘new normal’ that will require all of us to take tentative steps forward together.  Together, we will be experiencing completely different instructional models; these models will require us to focus as much on learning as physical and emotional safety.  To succeed we will all need to take care of one another and support the guidelines and instructional models that have been designed.  Everyone is going to need to have patience and recognize that the tremendous task of completely remaking the school experience requires that some of the typical timelines and school experiences will be different this year.  

Over the next several days families will begin receiving more information from your child’s school, and it will be more important than ever to read and complete needed paperwork.  Please contact your child’s school if you have questions.

We look forward to welcoming all of you back to the year ahead.  Your partnership and support will be more critical than ever before.  We remain deeply committed to serving both families and faculty to ensure a successful year.

What's New From Last Week?
Here are the key links to documents you will need to start school:
QUICKLINKS:
Parent Academy Sessions (new sessions for MS and HS added)
Reopening Handbook (now all school site specific plans included)
Learning Resources: Hybrid and Live Models (completely updated and voted)
Learning Resources: Natick Remote Learning Academy (new site for Remote Learning Academy Students and Parents--see school button below--Mascot Pending!)
Technology Loaner, Support, Help Desk Info (also see below for new technology updates)

Please read the above documents/links as they contain answers to many frequently asked questions.

BUS PASSES: Today, bus passes were mailed after no less than 1,000 change orders from parents; K-5 schedules will be available as of today 5pm emailed directly to families, and teachers will begin virtual reach outs to students.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION: Parent academy trainings have been ongoing. Training docs are now updated with parent and student orientations and links to past trainings for viewing at your leisure.

SCHEDULES: Tonight, you will receive an email from elementary principals including those in remote learning academy, with important teacher assignments, cohorts, supplies and all the nitty-gritty you need to get started! Middle and high school schedules with all the levels and course offerings expected by Natick families means that the process takes time and to do so and safety cohorting as we have done at NHS takes even longer. We expect them by mid-week next week. However, all of your principals put out cohort assignment guidance this week so you can plan childcare and coverage.
Reminder:
  • School for Cohort A starts on September 16th, and is a normal full school day.
  • School for Cohort B starts on September 14th and will be a two hour "dry run" for that cohort to be trained on safety protocols, gain information for log in for their remote week of study and will allow our staff to ease in to school routines with students.

AFTER SCHOOL CHILDCARE UPDATES (ASAP)
ASAP is not going to open at this time because for weeks we have been unable to find space to accommodate both teacher children in their hybrid weeks (if they do not have care, they can all take a 12 week CARES act leave at 2/3 pay AND we'd have to hire subs for them while we pay their leave) AND also accommodate the working parents in Natick we desperately want to serve. This week we have found small spaces and we are aggressively moving ahead.
As a working parent, of children in another town who will be totally remote learning, I understand the plight of working parents, as do all of our administrators who save two, have school aged children in public schools, too. We are working as fast as we can to provide the same level of excellence you expect from Natick Schools--and high quality care for working families.

ATHLETICS:
The school committee will hear the details on a phased approach to athletics on Monday, September 14th at our meeting (see link above).

FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOLS: We Need Your Support!
At our upcoming school committee meeting, we will continue to discuss the added expenses of opening schools (included here) under the new health conditions. Please become informed as we will have to petition for added financial support from the town for these adaptations.

BRING IN ALL DEVICES : GLOBAL CHROMEBOOK SHORTAGE MAY IMPACT US!
Please note, Natick has been well ahead of the curve regarding technology use and deployment. Our laptops ordered in spring still have not arrived due to a global chromebook shortage. They are slated for early October arrival, but I need parents to be patient while we obtain them and deploy them.

DEVICES: LOANED BY NPS AND THOSE YOU OWN... FALL 2020.
When your children return to school on the 16th (cohort A) and in the subsequent week on the 21st (cohort B) please have your children bring with them to school any technology you have been loaned from NPS. ALSO, if, by the start of school, you have not been given a laptop you asked for, but you have one you have been using with your child at home, the technology department will allow those devices to be used in school for this time period as we wait for our shipment of chromebooks and as we try to ensure all students have a device with which they are comfortable using from minute 1 of school.

Quarantine and Return to School/Labor Day Weekend Activities

As you may recall, we are asking you to quarantine two weeks prior to the start of school--that time is now. As you head into Labor Day weekend, while the data on local infection rates remains strong, a weekend of not doing the right thing--not social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and parties and not wearing masks or practicing hand hygiene will set us back in the coming weeks. Children need to get back to school and have the opportunity to say in schools--and as a community we have the power to continue safe practices to ensure this.


A NEW POSSIBILITY
Natick Public Schools is exploring a partnership with a testing company and other school systems in the Tri-County area in order to provide what is called "pool testing" for our system. Pool testing is a passive saliva (drool in a cup) test that would be administered to students the week prior to their attendance at school in the hybrid or live models of school. The sample would be combined with that of any other child in their cohort (class groups) and sent to a lab for 48 hour turn around to inform us if any one of our cohorts has COVID or may have COVID (there can be false positives). Any pool found possibly positive would then be quarantined (remote learning for staff and students) and would be asked to be tested. Current prices on this service are between $200 and $300 for testing every other week for the entire school year. We survey you now to see if you are interested and if you would be able and willing to pay for this service. We want to do everything we can to keep school open and keep our staff and students safe. This is not a done deal, but we want to know our community feelings on this matter.


Please read your principals' newsletters below; the team continues to work diligently to prepare for school reopening and we are exited to see your children in any manner in which they attend school.


INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC LESSON INFORMATION IS BELOW.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Anna Nolin
WEEKLY SCHOOL UPDATES
CLICK BELOW TO VIEW THE WEEKLY E-BLAST—LINK IS ALSO LOCATED ON YOUR SCHOOL WEBSITE!
NATICK HIGH WEEKLY UPDATE
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST ON WHAT'S HAPPENING AT NHS
Read the weekly Redhawk eblast by clicking on the button below!
FEATURED UPDATES
Want Advice On purchasing a Laptop? Email the Tech Help Desk.

Please know that personal laptops or other devices cannot be used at school on the school network, but you can certainly use them at home!

We are deploying additional devices for families that do not have access to devices at home but are happy to advise others on laptop types.

ACTION REQUIRED
Annual Laptop/Chromebook Fees and Damaged Device Collection
ATTN: 7th Grade Families
The Technology Department has been distributing 7th Grade Chromebooks to families for several weeks. After Friday, August 28, 2020 we will no longer be distributing 7th Grade Chromebooks at the High School. We will resume distribution at the Middle Schools during students on site meetings for Cohort A that will be September 16th and Cohort B September 14.

If you have any questions or concerns please let email parentsupport@natickps.org.


Technology Device Request or Repair Procedure

Effective immediately, all Technology Device Requests must be submitted to the Parent Support email: parentsupport@natickps.org.

Requests should no longer be submitted through Speak Up, Natick!

In addition, Parents/Guardians are discouraged from emailing Dr. Nolin, principals or school committee directly for technology device requests, as it severely delays submission time to the Technology Services Department. Thank you for your cooperation!
POWERSCHOOL UPDATE! URGENT!! NOT COMPLETE? NO STUDENT SCHEDULE WILL BE GIVEN!
For Guardians and Students:
Keep up the great work! To date we have received over 3300 Required Yearly Forms for incoming students from parents and guardians who have completed the 3-Step process to create their PowerSchool Unified Classroom account, link their student’s and fill out the student’s Required Yearly Form for FY21.

For those guardians who have reached out to pssupport@natickps.org with issues, understand that we are working to get all issues resolved for the start of school on September 16th. We are extremely short handed on the support email this summer. We thank you for your patience as we staff up for the start of school.

Classlink (http://classlink.natickps.org) Those of you who have been using Classlink this summer to access online applications (Ex: Brainpop, Myon, Freckle, and Edgenuity), These applications have been disable as of September 15th to begin the conversion to PowerSchool and the FY21 school year class rosters. We expect all applications to be back live for the start of school on September 16th. Each week we will notify parents, students and staff as applications become available prior to the start of school.
Instrumental Music Lessons










Now, more than ever, we need the fine arts! The Natick Public Schools is happy to announce that we have opened registration for instrumental music lessons for grades 4-12. For information and to register, Head over to 

Visit our Translating Natick Public Schools Documents page for assistance.