June 13, 2024

Dear Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, Staff, and Community Members:

As I look back upon the 2023-2024 school year, I am amazed by how much progress we have made towards aligning the school district and moving the initiatives of our 2022-2027 HPS Strategic Plan, as we end year two of this plan. While there is much work to continue, I am proud of the work our staff has already accomplished, as we seek to provide more equitable opportunities for HPS Students while we continue to, "Embark on Your Journey: Personal. Local. Global."

The principals and I are planning a Summer Coffee Hour where family members can drop in via Zoom to hear about the upcoming school year and what is to come in 2024-2025. We will be able to answer questions that new families may have as they enter HPS. This district coffee hour is something new we have tried this year, and it has been well-received. This is part of our strategic plan initiatives related to district-wide communication enhancements and alignment of our work as students embark on their journeys PreK-12+. Stay tuned for dates and times.

Recently I shared out some very exciting news that is worth mentioning again. On Wednesday, June 5th, Miller Elementary School welcomed the Consul General of France, Mustafa Soykurt, and other honored guests to celebrate the schools long standing French Immersion program. The distinction of Label FrancEducation was earned after an extensive evaluation process, and now joins its sister school in the district, Placentino Elementary. Holliston’s elementary schools are just two of only 66 schools across the United States who have been deemed to provide extremely high quality French bilingual education, joining 62 other countries. We are so proud of our school district’s dedication to multilingual education with a French Immersion program that has been in existence for four decades.

I am also excited to share some highlights of some summer facility projects that will benefit our HPS students. With the use of one-time capital, grant, and other funds, we are working on some projects we hope to complete this summer. These projects include:

• Repairing and refurbishing of all three playgrounds at Miller and Placentino. While none have been identified as immediate safety concerns, there are a number of items that require attention, and we have identified some funds for the three playgrounds.

• The high school auditorium exterior wall has been leaking for at least two decades, and we have not been able to prioritize funds through Holliston capital improvements until this year. The work on this wall should be completed shortly.

• The HHS track is in need of repairs and we hope this summer project will also be completed before the 2024-25 school year.

• Additional interior cameras to enhance school safety are scheduled to be installed at all four school buildings when school gets out.

We appreciate your ongoing support of our efforts to enhance our schools. We are grateful for the support of our teachers, staff, and students, in our efforts to improve student achievement and outcomes district-wide. We are confident that the work we are doing to align curriculum, purchase new curricular materials at all levels to enhance math and literacy instruction, and our use of data to drive our instructional practices will continue to improve the quality of students’ journeys at HPS. The additional time on learning our students will acquire with the new collective bargaining agreement between HSC and HFT will help improve the academic offerings for our students on their educational journeys as well. Please use the link to see more information about the Special Town Meeting and what it means for our schools on June 20, 2024.

Finally, we acknowledged our amazingly dedicated HPS Retireees at a breakfast on Tuesday. You will all be greatly missed. Thank you all for your dedication to the students of Holliston Public Schools!

Enjoy the Summer!

Warm regards,

Susan E. Kustka, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

We have so much to be thankful for and celebrate here in Holliston, thank you for always putting kids first. Here are a few exciting updates from the Student Service Office.

This year, the Student Services Department has made substantial strides in creating a more equitable, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students. Our focused efforts on rebuilding programs, reflecting on ways to find a balance of supporting stuents while providing opportunites to become indpendent learners, has been incredible. Through the launching of Special Programs, we are working to provide a comprejensive data base that is accessible to staff and families, allowing them to access important student information, while creating a more efficient and confidential process. Additionally, we have worked hard to train our staff and families to better undretand and be prpeared in the state level rollout of the New IEP model.

I implore you to review the links provided that provide a comprehensive summary of the our work this year, and the strides we are making to best support our students here in Holliston.

Additionally, we welcome your feedback in ways we can continue to grow in the area of Student Services, and areas that you may wish to better understand areas of education, student need, laws, and special education policies and procedures. Please take a minutes to complete the attached survey.

In closing, I wish you all a wonderful summer break. Use this time to connect with family and friends, decompress, and reset for an exciting year ahead. Some things to look forward to from a Student Services lens:

• Districtwide launch of DESE's New IEP
• Implementaiton of 2 Student Service Focus Groups to assist in our work ahead in examining the efficacy and strength of the services and supports we provide all students. Stay tuned for more information. We will be looking for volunteers for the following groups:
• Staff, Parents, SSD
• Students & SSD
• Continuing to strengthen our work in area of student literacy through our work with Landmark Outreach, Institute for Multi-Sensory Education, and internal professional development to best support both general education and special educaiton staff in Tiered levels of support in the areas of literacy and writing.

Thank you always for your continued support for our students here in the Holliston Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Jessica Beattie

Director of Student Services

As we bid farewell to another school year and embrace the sunny days of summer, I am thrilled to share exciting updates from Arch 2 Social Emotional Wellbeing. Our commitment to trauma-sensitive environments and fostering resilience and empathy remains strong. We celebrated over 15 educators who earned certificates in "Trauma & Learning" through Lesley University's "Institute for Trauma Sensitivity." Their dedication and hard work directly contribute to the well-being of our students. Our diligent work with the RULER SEL approach continues, preparing us for its implementation in the 24-25 school year as summer teams prepare to plan for the next school year. Additionally, the Equity Audit Steering Committee recently shared their Phase 1 (preliminary recommendations) with the school committee on June 6th, 2024.

We look forward to a refreshing summer and returning with renewed energy and dedication to our students' well-being. We strive to enrich our school communities with a safe and supportive experience that leads to a culture of high achievement, success, and belonging. The Holliston Public Schools is grateful for your continued support and interest in our initiatives, which is instrumental in our progress.

Warm regards,

Jariel Vergne

Director of Social-Emotional Learning & Equity

Holliston Public Schools will utilize RULER as part of our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) approach, and we want to share some of the benefits with you. In the future, we will provide tips, conversation ideas for home, and practical ways to integrate SEL into our greater community.

If you're interested in learning more about RULER and emotional intelligence, we encourage you to watch the RULER Overview video.

Lesley University's "Institute for Trauma Sensitivity" and Holliston Public Schools have forged a strong partnership since Fall 2022. This collaboration has allowed us to offer educators graduate-level courses, providing them with the necessary tools and knowledge to create trauma-sensitive schools. This program will enable educators to take up to five classes, concluding with an in-depth examination of Racism, Equity, and Trauma. Upon completion, educators receive a certificate from Lesley University in Trauma-Sensitive Schools, setting the stage for Social-Emotional Well-Being and Belonging in our schools.

We celebrated over 15 educators who earned certificates in "Trauma & Learning" through Lesley University's "Institute for Trauma Sensitivity." Their dedication and hard work directly contribute to the well-being of our students.

The District's Equity Audit Steering Committee, a diverse group representing educators, students, parents, and administrators, continues to meet regularly. Each member brings unique perspectives based on race, gender, ethnicity, language, learning style, experience, and age, enriching our discussions and decisions. Together, we reflected on the equity audit recommendations and developed actionable steps to promote equity and inclusivity in our schools. On June 6, 2024, the Equity Audit steering committee presented their progress, experiences, and our preliminary recommendations to the School Committee, marking another significant step in our journey toward a more equitable and inclusive school environment.

To learn more, watch the video and view the slides from the presentation below.

Safe and Supportive Schools

2023-2024 Celebrations & Next steps

As we conclude another successful school year, I presented our end-of-year updates to the School Committee in May 2024. During this presentation, I highlighted our ongoing efforts in creating safe and supportive school environments, emphasizing our progress in trauma-sensitive practices and social-emotional learning. We celebrated the achievements of our dedicated educators and shared the strides made in promoting inclusivity and diversity through the Equity Audit Steering Committee. To gain a deeper understanding of our work and accomplishments, you can watch the video of my presentation below.

Parent Survey 2024

On behalf of community partner: Holliston Youth & Family Services

Welcome to the Holliston Drug and Alcohol Awareness Coalition (HDAAC) Parent Survey 2024! As a community-focused organization, our mission is to enhance the overall wellness of our community, particularly for our youth. We aim to be a valuable resource for parents and caregivers, assisting them in navigating various aspects of youth development and wellness.

Your participation in this survey is vital as it will help shape our programs and initiatives to better address the needs of our community. The information collected will guide the allocation of DFC grant funds and opioid abatement money towards free community informational events and activities, ensuring we support you effectively. We assure you that all responses are confidential and anonymous.

We appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey and look forward to continuing our work together. For any questions or concerns, please contact Zoe Moreau, Coalition Coordinator, at moreauz@holliston.k12.ma.us or call 508-429-0620 ext. 185.

Survey

Summer Devices

Students in grades 5-11 who will be attending Robert Adams Middle or Holliston High in the fall may keep their Chromebooks/devices over the summer. We strongly encourage families to renew or purchase device insurance ($40) to cover accidental damage to the devices. Coverage extends from July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025.

We will accept insurance purchases for the 24-25 school year through September 30, 2024. Payment may be made on the Town of Holliston website by selecting the School Payments option from the menu.

Online Safety Tools

Some of the more robust Chromebook and monitoring tools that we use during the school year are not available during the summer. The Chromebooks and HPS issued student accounts (@students.holliston.k12.ma.us) are still filtered for appropriate content but other tools such as screen monitoring and inappropriate search alerts are disabled for the summer.

Therefore, you may wish to monitor Chromebook sessions more closely or place the device in summer. Internet service providers such as Verizon FIOS and Comcast offer parental controls which can be helpful when managing both school and personal devices at home.

Verizon and Comcast parental control options

We are planning to adopt a new filtering solution this summer called Deledao which has free off campus filtering options. More details on this optional resource for you will be shared in the coming weeks.

Elementary Digital Resources

Although we are not sending elementary devices home during the summer, elementary students can still access their Clever dashboard for most resources and apps that they accessed throughout the year. Clever Log-in from Home Instructions

Capital Request Thank You!

I would like to thank the Town of Holliston for supporting the capital request at the recent Town Meeting for the much needed upgrade of instructional devices for most of our teachers and administrators. We have already ordered the first batch of devices and are excited to provide them to our staff as soon as possible!

On behalf of the Holliston Public Schools and our students, I would like to thank the Holliston community for supporting the capital request for teaching and learning. All funds will be used to purchase curricular resources and professional develoopment for teachers on how to effectively use these new resources. The resources were recommended by Curriculum Review teams (from Math, Science, and World Language) which consists of content area teachers and district leaders administrators. All recommended resources are vetted by state teachers and are aligned to state standards. These resources were then brought forward to the Superintendent and then to the School Committee for final approval.

Once again, thank you for supporting Holliston Public School's students' learning!!

Warmly,

Joanne Menard, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

As a district, we are thrilled to be purchasing math curricular resources for students PreK through high school that will be utilized during the 2024-2025 school year.

For elementary students, the district has purchased Eureka Math Squared which is designed to advance equity in the math classroom by helping students build enduring math knowledge. The materials were purchased through capital requests. Elementary math teachers have already received their teaching manuals and manipulatives for this new resource. Professional development will be provided next year by All Learners Network, a training organization that will help disrict math teachers look at how effectively use our new curricular materials to impact teaching, provide deliberate inclusion and differentiation that leads to equitable access to quality math instruction for all students.

For secondary students, the district will be purchasing Reveal. Reveal believes that math learning thrives on exploration, conversation, and reflection. Math learning thrives on exploration, conversation, and reflection. The program is built on contemporary academic research and designed so all students can succeed in mathematics. Math teachers have received professional development this spring by Reveal themselves and will also be receiving professional development by All Learners Network next school year.

Please be on the look out for more information regarding your child's math program in the fall.

At the June 6, 2024 School Committee meeting, we presented both a Teaching & Learning Update and on Math Curricular Changes for the secondary schools. Please check out the attached presentations for more information.

A district Math Study Group will be formed at the beginning of next school year. Updates will be given both at School Committee meetings, in Teaching & Learning newsletters, and math study group community presentation(s). Contained within the above presentation are the following two slides on the group's timeline and focus areas. Please look for more information in the fall.