The Kids Are Home This Week: But When Are They Home For Summer?

Snow days have delayed the end of the Natick school year.

With February school vacation following so closely on the heels of being snowed in, some parents may be getting a bit stir crazy with the kids. Or: all the extra time together could be making parents look that much more forward to when the kids will be out for the summer! Either way, we thought it was worth an update on how the district's four snow days so far this school year have affected the last scheduled day of school. We checked in with Superintendent Peter Sanchioni, who told us that the last day of school is Friday, June 21. Any additional snow days would move the last day further into the month.  For seniors, the last day is May 24, although they have exams from May 28-31.

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Natick Ranks 69th in Lowest Percentage of Overweight Students

Data from the Department of Public Health shows that Natick is the 69th least overweight school district.

WCVB is reporting that data gathered from 254 school districts and organizations by the Department of Public Health shows that Natick has the 69th least overweight students in the state. The results are from information that was gathered from Body Mass Screening on students in grades 1, 4, 7 and 10 from 2009-2011. What do you think of Natick's ranking? Tell us in the comments.

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Did You Read About Some of the Concerns that Some Parents Have About Bullying?

Earlier this week parents had an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns to school administrators about many issues related to bullying.

Parents Express Bullying Concerns to School Administrators

Parents who attended last night's discussion on bullying with Superintendent of Natick Public Schools Peter Sanchioni expressed concerns with portions of the status quo.

Many of the parents who attended last night's meeting to discuss bullying with Natick school principals at Town Hall did so because they've found flaws in the current system that they would like to see addressed. "Something needs to be done earlier to the bullies," one parent said during the meeting. "You can't just let [the bullying] keep happening and let those kids get away with it." There was some discussion brought forth by some parents who felt that some kids seem to be getting too many chances when they've been caught bullying other kids. One question that was asked aloud was "at what point do you have to do more than just simply try to figure out why that child is bullying other kids at school? At what point do you need to go …

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Robert Rosen

3:39 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Thank you for your comments. In case you missed it, let me also refer you to the story posted earlier this morning on last night's meeting: http://natick.patch.com/articles/natick-principals-talk-bullying. Because so many issues related to bullying were discussed, I made a decision to break it up into two separate articles. This article focuses on concerns that were expressed by parents last …   more ›

Natick Public Schools to be Open Tuesday

Superintendent Peter Sanchioni wants parents and students to be careful with the large amount of snow that fell in Natick.

In a newsletter emailed to parents of students, Superintendent of the Natick Public Schools Peter Sanchioni wrote that there will be school on Tuesday. Sanchioni commended the Natick DPW for the work they did on the sidewalks near the schools, as well as the parking lots, but he noted that the large amount of snow makes it difficult for drivers to see at some intersections. Because of this, Sanchioni has recommended that if parents are able to drive their children to school instead of letting them walk that they do so. He also asked that parents of students who ride the bus to school remind their children to wait at the bus stop and be aware of nearby cars. "Safety is our greatest concern and we ask your help in that endeavor," Sanchioni …

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No School in Natick on Friday

The Natick Public Schools will be closed on Friday.

After much discussion among parents in the community about when school would be cancelled, Superintendent of the Natick Public Schools Peter Sanchioni made the announcement with a couple of clicks when he Tweeted it out at 6:44 p.m. With the Natick area expected to get as much as 24 inches of snow, the announcement wasn't a surprise. Natickites will now brace for what may be the largest snow storm since the Blizzard of '78. Stay tuned to the Natick Patch Storm Center, where we will provide updates throughout the storm and its aftermath.

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Natick Schools to Lock, Staff Front Doors Following CT Tragedy

The front door at all eight Natick Public Schools will be locked and staffed beginning Monday after a mass shooting took place at a Connecticut elementary school Friday.

NATICK, MA -- Dr. Peter Sanchioni, superintendent of the Natick Public Schools, sent out an email to all parents at about 2:45 p.m. Friday notifying them that, beginning Monday the front door of all schools will be locked and staffed throughout the day. This decision came after a school shooting in Newtown, CT, that left 26 dead this morning. "We are deeply saddened by the events that have taken place today in Newtown, CT.," Sanchioni wrote in his email. "Know that we have in place strong security systems in all eight of our schools. Our administration is well versed in handling lock down and crisis situations." In addition to adding the extra security of a locked and staffed front door and letting parents know that administrators do have …

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Dennis Karoleski

6:40 pm on Saturday, December 15, 2012

Making schools into forts is not the answer. Banning guns is not the answer. Restricting magazine capacity is another ridicules attempt at a solution. Stop for a moment and imagine what a run of the mill shotgun loaded with buckshot would have done. I understand he was a gamer so I suppose it’s a good thing he wasn’t into sward and sorcery games and attacked with a sword. Maybe some of the …   more ›

Tours of New High School Scheduled for Aug. 28

Are you looking for a glimpse of the new Natick High School?

Residents hoping to get a first glimpse of the interior of the new Natick High School can stop by on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. for a tour.  The $61 million dollar, 254,000 square foot facility promises to offer interactive projectors, wireless Internet, a rain water reuse system and a rooftop solar installation.  Demolition of the old Natick High still continues next door, which will be replaced with parking spaces as the school year progresses.  "Within the next three weeks the building will receive the final cleaning and the teachers will be in to setup their new rooms. In the meantime the contractor is working feverishly to complete outfitting the Gym and installing exterior facade of the building," the Natick Public Schools Department posted …

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Town Meeting Approves $46.2 Million Schools Budget

The Fiscal Year 2013 schools budget has increased 3.5 percent from the previous year, making room for new teacher hires.

  Town Meeting voted Tuesday night to approve the $46,200,514 public schools budget for fiscal year 2013, an increase of 3.5 percent from the previous year. A portion of that money will go toward hiring nine new teachers throughout the district including two elementary teachers, two teachers at Kennedy Middle School to help reduce the seventh grade class sizes, two special education teachers to meet state requirements and art, language, engineering and physical education teachers at the new high school, which is on track to be completed in late June, according to Superintendent of Schools Peter Sanchioni. Since 2006, the number of students enrolled in Natick Public Schools has risen by 486. Since 2009, only two classroom positions have …

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