More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.
When someone suffers a heart attack, seconds count.
If you or your organization want to learn CPR, let the Natick Fire Department CPR team teach you.
Please contact the team coordinator: Firefighter Alan Gentile at agentile@natickma.org
The location is TBA and will be emailed out approximately one week ahead of the scheduled class time.
The Natick Public Schools (NPS), in collaboration with the Natick Board of Health, in response to community members’ questions about when schools will reopen for full-time in-person learning has issued an update about likely next steps, along with an update of COVID cases in the schools.
The NPS currently are running on a hybrid learning model.
Natick High SchoolAlthough COVID cases continue to climb across the state, schools have been getting the message from Gov. Charlie Baker that they should move toward reopening full-time for in-person instruction.
In a letter to the community, Superintendent Anna Nolin said, “Certainly, bringing all students back would improve instruction, but that was not feasible in June and it is still not feasible at this point. Positive COVID cases in Massachusetts have risen to well over 1,000 daily. To return the students would mean to relax the standard of six feet of social distancing.”
Nolan says to undo safety protocols at a time when the Center for Disease Control continues to recommend six feet of social distancing would be premature.
Additional challenges the district faces are staffing classrooms when teachers are out as they await everything from COVID-19 testing results, to taking care of more garden-variety illnesses such as the common cold, to caring for their own children when they get sick. And finding substitute teachers? Forget about it. We saw one Facebook post for an out-of-state district in which the superintendent explained that the high school would be closed for the day because there would not be enough adults in the building to staff the place.
Meanwhile, everything from testing to hand sanitizer going forward will be on the school district as the last of the CARES money is allocated.
“Please know that we recognize the immeasurable value in having all students in our schools, and it is truly our goal to see their return as soon as it is feasible and safe,” Nolan continues. “However, given the challenges that we are presently facing, I hope this letter helps to explain the reasons that are preventing a full and immediate return to school at this time. I know that this perhaps renders disappointment for those who want a full-time return, and perhaps brings relief for those who wish to carry on with remote instruction.”
You can see Supt. Nolan’s letter in its entirety here.
Note: the State and the Governor have made changes to the leveling and metrics system for the state and to that end, the complete data that for NPS is not yet complete.
The COVID dashboard is updated weekly in conjunction with the Natick Board of Health.
The next School Committee meeting is Nov. 30. You can email the School Committee with any questions, concerns, or comments: schoolcommittee@natickps.org
Our roundup of the latest Natick, Mass., business news:
The Natick Select Board mulled, as it does annually, whether to vote for different tax rates for businesses vs. residents during its meeting this week, and unanimously decided to stick with a single tax rate. “The idea of frankly punching our commercial and retail partners in the gut at this point is something that I can’t really get comfortable with,” board member Michael Hickey said. The tax rate ($13.61 per $1,000 of assessed property value) remains the same for FY2021 as for FY2020, said Eric Henderson, director of assessing, in a presentation to the board. With assessed property values steadily rising, this will mean higher taxes for most residents (about a $288 increase), though still a smaller average tax bill ($8,700) than in many surrounding communities such as Needham and Sherborn. 
Your top FY21 Natick taxpayer? General Growth Properties/Brookfield, the owner of Natick Mall, with $4.6 million.
Check out the Newton-Needham MetroWest 50 Most Influential Business People of Color list to find familiar faces and meet new ones. Among those representing Natick either as people operating businesses here, working here, or living here are:
Congrats to The Bagel Table for opening. We paid an early visit to snap a few pics and eat a couple of muffins, but will be back for a more thorough review. 
A new depression treatment center called Achieve TMS East held its virtual grand opening this week at 209 West Central St. The facility offers Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which sort of translates into the acronym TMS, and provides an alternative treatment to those finding medication ineffective. TMS sends magnetic signals to mood centers of the brain. It is a drug-free treatment. On staff is Dr. Kiran Lulla, who is board-certified in adult, child, and adolescent psychiatry.
Got business news to share? Email us the details: natickreport@gmail.com
The word emergency has pretty much been wiped off the face of Leonard Morse Hospital, both at the actual Union Street location in Natick and on the facility’s new-look website. The exception is a few sandwich boards.
No more ER at Leonard Morse, as the MetroWest Medical Center operation has switched its focus to behavioral health. Those seeking other sorts of emergency treatment will need to make their way to a nearby hospital in Framingham, Wellesley, or elsewhere.
Tenet Healthcare, the multibillion dollar for-profit owner of MetroWest Medical Center, was to have closed Leonard Morse in May, but the pandemic delayed that until this Saturday night.
Some nearby hospitals, including Newton-Wellesley Hospital, are readying for an increase in patient traffic, though don’t expect to be overwhelmed. They’d be ready to put overflow areas into use if there is a surge, according to discussion on the topic at the Wellesley Board of Health meeting this past week (around 55-minute mark).
An ambulance at least for now will be stationed at Leonard Morse for those who haven’t received word about the ER being closed. That ambulance would take people in need to a nearby ER.
An ambulance stands by just in case someone comes looking for the ER
Leonard Morse Hospital’s history in Natick dates back to the very end of the 19th century.
The Town of Natick wants to hear from all residents and business owners during the second of two “Come Together Natick!” community forums.
Community input is needed as the town navigates the coronavirus pandemic and the financial crisis that has resulted. The goal of the forums will be to design options for the future.
DATE: Mon., Nov. 2
TIME: 6pm – 7:30pm
Zoom information and further specifics to be announced before the first forum.