HPS Winter Newsletter
January 28, 2025
Dear Parents, Guardians, Community Members & Staff:
The mission of the Holliston Public Schools is, “To collaboratively create a safe environment that empowers all learners, through innovative teaching and learning, to be lifelong, active, inclusive global citizens.” As we have entered the 2025 calendar year and continue the 2024-25 school year, we are committed to continuing the work we began with our 2022-2027 HPS Strategic Plan to provide a safe and supportive environment for all members of the HPS School Community. As educators and school leaders, we want to reassure you of one important truth: you are safe, valued, and cared for in our school.
Our staff is deeply committed to creating an environment where everyone feels secure and supported. From the moment you step onto our campuses or enter our buildings, our priority is your well-being—emotionally, physically, and academically. We work tirelessly to maintain a positive and inclusive atmosphere where every student can learn and thrive.
The Family Educational Rights and Practices Act (FERPA) still exists in our schools. We will continue to ensure that all HPS students have access to their educational programs and are welcome and safe at school each day. I am sharing some information received from the MA Office of the Attorney General providing Guidance Regarding K-12 Schools’ Obligations to Protect Students and their Information.
We recognize that challenges can arise, whether within or outside the classroom. Please remember that you are never alone. Our teachers, counselors, and administrators are here to listen, help, and guide you. Your voice matters, and we encourage you to share any concerns or ideas with us.
As we move forward together, let’s continue to build a community based on respect, kindness, and mutual understanding. By looking out for one another, we can make our school a place where everyone feels safe and empowered to reach their full potential.
Thank you for being an essential part of our school community. We are so proud of each of you and are here to support you every step of the way.
With care and encouragement,
Dr. Susan Kustka
Superintendent of Schools
P.S. I always enjoy any opportunity to further get to know and work with our amazing HPS students throughout the year!
AI News
We continue to learn more and are following closely the rapidly evolving field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impacts on education. To ensure responsible and ethical AI use within our district, we are developing comprehensive guidance for students and staff. This will include updates to student and family handbooks with detailed information on appropriate AI usage.
Currently, we are piloting various AI tools to identify those that best support teaching and learning while aligning with our Strategic Technology Plan.
One promising tool is Google's Gemini, which we are considering for wider implementation due to its enhanced privacy and security features for eligible students and staff.
We will continue to explore and evaluate AI tools, providing regular updates to our community as we learn more about how to best leverage these technologies to enhance education.
PowerSchool Data Breach
We are fully expecting that PowerSchool will be contacting families in the very near future regarding Identity Protection and Credit Monitoring services. Here is the latest from PowerSchool as of 1/27/25:
In the coming days, PowerSchool will begin providing formal legal notice of the cybersecurity incident to current and former students (or their parents / guardians as applicable) and educators whose information was determined to be involved.
- A direct email notification will be distributed by Experian on behalf of PowerSchool in the coming weeks to applicable current and former students (or their parents / guardians as applicable) and educators for whom we have sufficient contact information. PowerSchool will also launch a website and distribute a media release to ensure we reach as many involved individuals as possible and provide them with resources to protect their information. Importantly, these notices will include instructions for involved individuals on how to enroll in the credit monitoring and identity protection services that are being offered by PowerSchool.
Additional information regarding the breach can be found on our main website as well as PowerSchool’s dedicated cyber incident site listed below:
PowerSchool Info: https://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/
Specific Holliston PS Info: https://www.holliston.k12.ma.us/district-departments/technology/powerschool-data-breach-information
Further Strengthening Our Cybersecurity Efforts
Before the PowerSchool breach, we had already been enhancing our cybersecurity measures. On our most recent Professional Development Day, January 17, 2025, all attending staff participated in training led by a cybersecurity expert from Wolf & Company. In the weeks and months ahead, we will collaborate with Wolf & Company on incident response planning and tabletop exercises to strengthen our preparedness for potential future cyber incidents. This partnership is funded through a grant secured by Chris Meo, the IT Director for the Town of Holliston.
We have also seen an increase in phishing attempts which have become more sophisticated than ever before. To better manage these phishing attempts and minimize risk, we are upgrading our Google Suite for Education Workspace. In addition to new cybersecurity features, this new Google Workspace edition has many teaching and learning features which will be highlighted in the future!
Sincerely,
Dan MacLeod
Director of Technology & Digital Learning
From the Director of SEL & Equity and the Director of Student Services
From the Office of Student Services
We are excited to share the wonderful things we are doing from the Office of Student Services. This year we are putting forth tremendous effort into the following areas:
Student Literacy K-12+
Communication and Family Educational Alerts
Special Programs Updates
District alignment with student experience, services, and engagement
In each quarterly newsletter, we will aim to provide an update in each of these areas and provide resources and links that we feel will be helpful to you. We look forward to the work ahead this year, and our work that aims to provide you and your child with the journey you deserve!
Student Literacy K-12+
Holliston Public Schools was one of many in the state that was accepted into the DESE: Dyslexia Institute this year. The course is designed to support district-level teams as they embark on a planning process for developing, expanding, and/or revising their Dyslexia Action Plan. The institute provides Massachusetts educators with relevant research-based best practices on early literacy screening, instruction, identification, and specialized interventions and support for students with reading difficulties, learning disabilities, and dyslexia. The expectation is that all district teams will create and implement a Dyslexia Action Plan to ensure best practices are implemented, and the use of student and classroom data to improve students’ equitable access to high-quality, evidence-based early literacy instruction and interventions.
We couldn’t be more proud of our team: Dr. Jaime Slaney, Nicole Marchant, Jenny Mann, Lisa Robinson, and Ilse O’Brien. We look forward to sharing our culminating plan in the Spring!
Communication & Updates
HPS Student Service Transition Presentations (NEW)
As a Student Services Department, we are always aiming to improve and provide support for not only our students but to our families. Starting this school year, we are excited to introduce a new format for presentations aimed at helping families better prepare for their student’s transition to the next school building within the district. These presentations will aim to provide valuable information on differences from building to building, a dive into support services available at each grade level, and strategies to help ensure a smooth transition for your student. Families will also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the resources and programs that will be available to their student(s) as they progress through the district’s educational pathways.
The dates will be as follows with more information regarding locations soon to come.
- Placentino: PK to Kindergarten Families on February 25th at 6:30pm
- Grades 8th to 9th on February 25th at 6:30pm
- Grades 2nd to 3rd on March 3rd at 6:30pm
- Grades 5th to 6th on March 4th at 6:30pm
Special Programs
We are well underway and feel we are making wonderful strides in the delivery and efficiency of our maintenance of IEPs, 504s, and ELL documentation within Special Programs. A few helpful reminders:
All messages and documents sent from Special Programs will arrive in your email as a “donotreply@specialeducation.powerschool.com”. If you are expecting the arrival of a plan or consent and cannot locate it, please check your spam folder. If it was sent directly to spam be sure to mark it as “not spam” and from there all messages will fall directly into your “inbox”
With any Special Program related questions or concerns please reach out to Michelle LeMa at lemay@holliston.k12.ma.us or Jess Beattie at beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us
Extended School Year Program-ESY
“Save the date” reminder for those families whose student(s) receive Extended School Year Services, this year it will occur July 7th-August 7th at Miller Elementary campus. More information to come in April/May relative to student-specific schedules.
Starfish Awards
As a way to recognize our wonderful educators and the importance of making a difference, here are this month's "Starfish Award" recipients. We all may be familiar with the Starfish Story... it is about a child who was seen on the shoreline trying to save all of the starfish that washed ashore. A passerby told him they would never be able to save them all, and they replied "It starts with making a difference for one". Please take a moment to celebrate the following staff who are being recognized for their tremendous efforts with ALL STUDENTS!!
November & December Starfish
Placentino: Lianna Ramage & Dawn Creonte
Miller: Alicia Gelmini, Jen Ferrone, & Ilse O’Brien
RAMS: Amy Piselli, Elaine Tarutis, & Aimee Almeida
HHS: Carly Conrad & Ann King
Continued Partnership with Holliston Youth and Family Services
As and academic institution, we always aim high to best support you and your student with, but also recognize the need to support inclusive behavioral supports as well. Our long lasting partnership with Holliston Youth and Family Services is an important and powerful way to provide community based supports to you and your family. Please check out the links below to learn more about what types of supports can best help you and your family when in need. Please know that all supports provided by Holliston Youth and Family Services are free to Holliston Residents.
Sincerely,
Jess Beattie
Director of Student Services
Continued Updates on Arch 2: Social Emotional Well-Being
Arch 2: From the Office of Social Emotional Learning & Equity
As we enter the winter season, our commitment to fostering safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments remains steadfast. This mid-year period offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on progress, make necessary course corrections, and strengthen interventions to ensure every student’s success.
Professional Development and Mid-Year Adjustments
This winter, professional learning days for student support staff have focused on reinforcing integration efforts. Staff have engaged in sessions to deepen their understanding of SEL, and worked on expanding their resources including collaborating with Holliston Youth and Family Services for our 1st Provider resource fair specifically aimed at connecting resources within our community to our student support personnel (SSP) which includes: counselors, school adjustment counselors, school psychologist, and BCBA's. Collaborative planning meetings are refining interventions and aligning strategies to better support students during this critical time of the year.
Data Updates
We continue to emphasize the utilization of our newly purchased data dashboard, fostering a cohesive, data-driven culture across the district. Ongoing analysis of our data highlights areas of success and opportunities for growth, with a continued focus on:
Chronic Absenteeism: Early interventions have maintained reductions in absenteeism. Current data shows a continued decline, underscoring the effectiveness of our approaches.
MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey (MWAHS): Mid-year check-ins reveal students are accessing support more readily, though efforts continue to ensure resources meet diverse needs.
School Climate Data: Surveys show progress in fostering a sense of belonging. A key focus remains on bridging the gap between middle and high school engagement levels.
Belonging and Safe & Supportive Practices
Creating a sense of belonging and connection is at the heart of our efforts to ensure that all students and staff feel seen, valued, and supported. This work, rooted in recommendations from the Equity Steering Committee, naturally align with our Safe and Supportive Schools framework to build cohesive and inclusive practices across the district.
Key efforts include:
Developing tools and strategies that strengthen belonging and ensuring every student and staff member feels connected to their school community.
Enhancing recruitment and retention approaches to foster an inclusive, welcoming district culture.
Integrating equity and belonging into the District MTSS Safe and Supportive Leadership Team to unify these efforts and ensure sustainable progress.
By bringing these values together with our Safe and Supportive Schools framework, we are fostering a community where connections thrive, identities are honored, and every individual can succeed.
DATA Highlights
District MTSS Safe and Supportive Leadership Team
Our Leadership Team continues to meet quarterly, evaluating the impact of our efforts and guiding adjustments to better serve students. This collaborative approach ensures our initiatives are adaptable and rooted in the collective expertise of district leaders, educators, and support staff.
Key Initiatives and Focus Areas: Continued Integration and Impact
Our district-wide focus on SEL, mental health, and culturally responsive practices continues to drive meaningful change. By embedding these elements into a cohesive Safe and Supportive Schools framework, we’re sustaining a unified system that prioritizes student well-being. Mid-year efforts include:
SEL (RULER Curriculum): Expanding the implementation of emotional literacy tools across classrooms to promote empathy, self-regulation, and the development of the CASEL 5 core SEL competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. SEL practices are also being utilized at higher tiers within our MTSS framework to support students requiring elevated levels of intervention.
PBIS: Strengthening proactive behavioral supports and celebrating school-wide progress.
Chronic Absenteeism: Reviewing attendance trends to guide mid-year interventions and ensure continued progress.
Mental Health Practices and Resource Development: Enhancing mental health support by expanding partnerships with providers, increasing access to resources such as Care Solace and Cartwheel, and equipping staff with tools to address rising student anxiety, steady depression levels, and a need for improved belonging.
Jariel Vergne
Director of Social Emotional Learning & Equity
