HPS Winter Newsletter 2024
January 30, 2024
Superintendent's Corner
January 30, 2024
Dear Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, Staff, and Community Members:
We hope this newsletter finds you keeping warm and in good spirits as we navigate the challenging winter weather. Despite the chilly temperatures and often gray skies, our school community is still busy with activity and excitement. Read below to learn more details from members of our central office leadership team.
With cold and icy weather occurring throughout the winter, families and staff members are encouraged to stay informed about any potential school delays or closures due to inclement weather. Be sure to update your contact information to receive timely notifications from Bright Arrow. Typically, if school is canceled, or delayed, or there is to be an early release, those messages will be sent via email, text, and by phone as well to provide timely communication to all involved.
Recently the administrative team presented the FY 25-27 District Budget Priority Needs at the school committee meeting on January 18, 2024, as we attempt to forecast and plan for future budgetary needs for Holliston Public Schools. Later that evening, Principal List presented the Report of the NEASC Visiting Team for Holliston High School. More conversations will continue related to both the budget and the NEASC recommendations at upcoming school committee meetings with the next meeting occurring on February 8, 2024.
Today, some of the principals and I hosted our first districtwide, PreK-12+ Parent Coffee Hour at Holliston High School. Thank you to the number of parents who were able to attend this informal meeting. We were pleased to have this opportunity to meet with all of you, and there seems to be interest in having another coffee hour of this type. We will plan on hosting again together at the Miller-Placentino Campus next time. Stay tuned for further details.
I also wanted to share with you some work taking place with students at the Robert Adams Middle School. Several middle school students took part today in a Celtics Playbook Training Initiative led by high school students Calla Gum and Jay Patel and supported by high school educator Sarah Kuhne. This is Holliston Public School’s second year taking part in this Playbook Initiative, and we are grateful to have been accepted for this opportunity again this year as we grow our amazing high school trainers and middle school peer leaders in our efforts to help decrease incidents of hate & bias in our schools and create more equitable opportunities for all learners at HPS.
Thank you for being an essential part of the Holliston Public Schools Community. Tomorrow our teachers will be attending a professional development day and there will be no school for students. In addition, before we know it, our much-welcome February Vacation break will be on the horizon to provide everyone an opportunity to rest, regroup, and hopefully relax with friends and family. In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful winter season filled with learning, growth, opportunity, and joy.
Warm regards,
Susan E. Kustka, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Student Services Update
We are excited to share with you the wonderful things taking place as we are almost ½ way through the year, but just weeks into 2024! Thank you for supporting Student Services here in the Holliston Public Schools.
New Starfish Award Initiative for Staff
As a way to celebrate and acknowledge the wonderful staff we have, this year we have launched our very own “Starfish Award”, which derives from the wonderful Startfish Story (see image). As a way to recognize the importance of making a difference, each month we want to shine light on a few "starfish moments". It is important for us all to share in the joy we make across the district in things that are happening and differences we are making…one starfish at a time!
Our recipients thus far are the following…please take a moment to applaud their hardwork.
Placentino: Amanda Lefevbre, Marilou Radcliffe
Miller: Kara Shipkin, Ashley DeRoy, Alicia Gelmini
RAMS: Angela Gavan, Marie Reggio
HHS: Leslie Diamandis, Diana Beckvold
District: Victoria Briggs, Laura Ryan
Literacy & Learning
We want to thank everyone who attended or tuned into our most recent HPS FamilyEd: Demystifying Dyslexia, held on January 11th. I couldn’t be more proud of the team who presented alongside of me; Jaime Slaney, Lisa Robinson, Jenny Mann, Nicole Marchant, and Kathleen Pastore. If you were unable to attend please use the link below to access our slides/resources, as well as the HCAT recording.
We will be hosting Part II: Interventions & Supports on February 28th at 6:30 and hope to see you there!
New IEP Updates
DESE is mandating all districts implement the “new” IEP document by the Fall of 2024. As a district, we have trained a team of staff who have attended the DESE trainings, and have been working diligently to create a training series to be competed by all Special Educators and Specialists from January to June during department meetings and professional development.
In addition, we will be working with Mr. Allan Blume who will assist in training around data collection and goal writing, and co-lead a family training which provide families an overview of the document and what to expect in team meetings. Dates for this FamilyEd Event will be forthcoming.
HPS is Fostering INCLUSION
We are excited to share our growing efforts and excitement to celebrate and teach ALL students and our community the beauty of differences. As a district in collaboration with SEPAC, we are working to expand our knowledge and celebration of others.
Unified/Varsity Basketball Event: March 13th at 7pm HHS Field House
We are inviting all staff, students, and families to our first SEPAC Fundraising Basketball Game, where both our Varsity Boys & Girls will be partnering with our Unified Athletes to put on an amazing show. All ticket proceeds will go directly to SEPAC. More information to follow closer to the event.
Awareness Calendar
As a district we recognize the importance of not only celebrating differences, but teaching what makes us all unique. We are currently in the process of creating an “HPS Awareness Calendar” which we will launch for the start of the 24-25 school year. This calendar outlines specific days, weeks, and months dedicated to bringing awareness to specific events, health issues, and disabilities. We will make EVERY effort to acknowledge and raise awareness and understanding to as many groups, disablities, and days as possible. As always we welcome your feedback adn suggestions as we grow in this work together.
Introducing: Community Bridge
The goal of Community Bridges is to bring the mission of HPS; to collaboratively create a safe and inclusive environment that empowers all learners through innovative teaching and learning to be lifelong, active, global citizens, to life through the provision of real life, community based multi-tiered inclusive, social and vocational experiences for the students of Holliston Public Schools through mutually meaningful experiences. The vocational experiences, in partnership with Holliston businesses, will be centered around the individual student’s strengths and interests with the goal of gainful employment once the student reaches adulthood. Further community ties will be fostered through robust social experiences for students of all ages in partnership with Holliston’s cultural and social programs. The vision of Community Bridges is to bring community inclusivity and increased quality of life for each and every citizen of Holliston. Please look forward to hearing lots of movement with this initiative, and stay tuned for a "Community Bridge Breakfast" presentation this Spring.
As always, please reach out to the Student Services Office if you have questions or feedback that best serves the students of Holliston at beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us
Jess Beattie, Director of Student Services
SEL & Equity Updates (Arch 2: Social & Emotional Well-Being)
As we embrace the winter season, I am thrilled to share some exciting updates with Arch 2 Social Emotional Wellbeing, regarding an upcoming community event, scheduled for March 13th, as an opportunity for families, students, and staff to learn and reflect together under the topic of “Confronting Hate in Our Community”.
In our school spotlight, we'll be highlighting the exceptional work through the Safe & Supportive framework happening at the Miller Elementary School. This recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students and educators.
On the front of Trauma Sensitive Schools, we've made significant strides in creating a nurturing environment that supports the emotional well-being of our students. Our commitment to fostering resilience and empathy remains unwavering and continually sets the stage for building spaces of inclusion and belonging.
Lastly, I'm pleased to provide an update on the Equity Steering Committee's launch and the upcoming Focus Groups. We continue to work collaboratively to promote inclusivity and diversity within our schools. Your input and engagement are invaluable as we strive to create an environment where every member of our community feels heard and valued.
Jariel Vergne
Director of Social Emotional Learning & Equity
Upcoming Community Event
Community Event:
I would like to share an upcoming community event “Confronting Hate in Our Communities Series, sponsored by Diverse Holliston Temple Beth Torah, Holliston Youth and Family Services, the Holliston Drug and Alcohol Awareness Coalition, the Metrowest Interfaith Community, and in collaboration with the Holliston Public Schools.
We are having our “SECOND EVENT IN OUR SERIES - Confronting Hate in Our Community: Anti-Semitism, Racism, and White Nationalism, Understanding the Connections.”
This event will continue the conversation started in our 1st session 11/28/23, “Understanding Antisemitism and the Jewish Experience”. This 2nd event will take place on Wednesday, March 13th from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at the Holliston Town Hall Auditorium and on Zoom.
This program will involve learning about how antisemitism is a main tenet of white nationalist ideology and plays a key role in fueling other forms of racism in the United States. It will explore how antisemitism and racism cannot be fought successfully in isolation from each other and how we might begin to work on community building around these issues. The program will include several opportunities for small group discussion and reflection.
You can RSVP for the program here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F48AAAD2DABF49-47182158-confronting
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me here or at my Temple Beth Torah email address, jane.kohuth@bethtorah.org
HPS School Spotlight
Miller School’s Student Advisory Council:
It's great to hear about the initiatives and efforts taken by the Miller School in involving students through the creation of a Student Advisory Council. The establishment of such a council reflects a commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive school environment. This year the Miller School created a student advisory council composed of our students from across our grades and programs.
The Student Advisory Council meets once a month with administration and the school counseling team to provide student voice and feedback and participate in activities to help support the culture and climate of Miller School.
In their recent December meeting the advisory council members participated in the first-ever student “data team” at the Miller School. The students reviewed the school-wide student responses to our belonging survey administered to students across the school.
The student advisory council members are committed to helping to create a culture of belonging at Miller School (like we all are!) and they will use the responses from this survey to suggest ways to expand the sense of belonging for all.
A few members of our advisory created the video below to summarize what they did at our last meeting and what they learned from the student responses to their survey.
Over the next few weeks Miller students will be watching this video in their classrooms and discussing responses to the following questions:
What wonderings do you have after listening to the summary of this school climate data?
How can we continue to grow a culture of belonging at Miller School?
Overall, the Student Advisory Council's involvement and commitment to fostering a sense of belonging are positive steps towards the growth and sustaining of a Safe and Supportive Miller school.
Equity Audit Steering Committee:
We recently convened our inaugural meeting of the Equity Audit Steering Committee, uniting a diverse group of individuals representing Educators, Students, Parents, and Administrators. This committee comprises voices with distinctive perspectives across various identities, including race, gender, ethnicity, language, learning style, experience, and age. Each member contributes a unique perspective and draws upon their individual experiences to reflect on the recommendations stemming from the equity audit.
Over the next two weeks, I will leverage our district's existing communication channels to disseminate information inviting students, staff, and parents to engage in our stakeholder focus groups over the next couple months. This participation is crucial as it provides valuable feedback to our cross-sector steering committee. Stay tuned for messages tailored to our school community, encouraging active involvement in shaping the future of our educational initiatives.
Below is a presentation regarding the overview of the steering committee process and the approach that will be taken towards providing meaningful feedback and action regarding the audit’s recommendations.
Professional Development:
Professional Development:
You may have heard me mention it in a past newsletter or at a school meeting but we have continued to partner with Lesley university and have been able to facilitate and run Trauma Sensitive Schools graduate level courses for our educators since the Fall of 2022. Educators can take up to 5 graduate courses which culminates with a final course doing in-depth look at Racism, Equity, and Trauma, and they can receive a certificate from Lesley University in Trauma Sensitive Schools.
We have had over 68 staff members share interest in taking courses this Spring, which represents ~25% of our eligible educators district-wide and has been increasing since launching these PD opportunities setting the stage for Social Emotional Wellbeing and Belonging in the Holliston Public Schools.
Technology Update
AI Steering Committee
A steering committee met over the course of four (4) weeks in November and December 2023 to develop recommendations for policy, teaching, learning, and professional development. The committee is comprised of twenty-one (21) stakeholders representing the following groups:
10 parents/guardians/caregivers
3 staff who are also parents/guardians/caregivers
4 staff
4 students
The recommendations from the committee will be shared with senior leadership and the School Committee in the coming days to determine next steps. The participants and recommendations from the AI Steering Committee are available here.
I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the committee members for volunteering their time to help contribute to this important initiative!
Digital Safety for Students
We are committed to keeping students safe online in school and at home. As part of this commitment, we have created a brief video and slide deck highlighting some of the resources that Holliston Public Schools uses. In addition, we provide recommendations for additional tools that further protect students.
All the best!
Dan MacLeod
Director of Technology & Digital Learning
Curriculum & Instruction Update
All of Holliston's Curriculum & Instruction work is part of our Stategic Plan's Arch 3: Teaching & Learning. We are excited to share some of the important work that is being done is this area.
Warmly,
Joanne Menard, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
HPS Update on DESE's Health & Physical Education Curriculum Frameworks Newsletter
If you have not had the chance to check out our newsletter on DESE's Health & Physical Education Curriculum Frameworks, below is the link to access the information:
Math Forum
Our district math curriculum review team has been hard at work conducting our district math review. We thank them for using their expertise and content knowledge to help the district choose what curricular resources to pilot. Please check out their presentation for more information.
Holliston's Teaching & Learning Updates
Many exciting learning opportunities have, and continue, to be offered here in Holliston Public School district! In this newsletter, we are pleased to share a glimpse into our teaching and learning at all levels. Please take some time to discover the wonderful academic experiences and remember to click to see all of the newsletter: