02/10/2026 HPS Community Newsletter

Superintendent’sCorner

Dear Holliston Schools Community:

As we navigate one of the coldest winters in many years in Massachusetts and head toward February vacation, many exciting things are happening in the Holliston School Community that will lead to opportunities in the 2026-27 school year.

First of all, HPS will be welcoming a new superintendent, Mr. Kimo Carter, as I ease towards retirement as your school superintendent for six years in the school district. Mr. Carter comes to HPS with many years of experience as a school and central administrator, and I look forward to working with him to support his transition to the school district.

Second, many of you are likely aware that HPS is fortunate to be able to welcome Ms. Jessica Beattie back to the school district in her new role and title as Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. With her many years of leadership experience and historical knowledge in Holliston Public Schools, this will benefit students, staff, families, and the entire school community.

Additionally, Holliston High School has been approved to enter the 270-Day Eligibility Period with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). While it took several applications/ Statements of Interest completed by the previous superintendent and me, this marks the beginning of the journey and the potential to build a state-of-the-art high school, once the town votes to support the feasibility study and the MSBA invites the town to participate in a Feasibility Study. What an amazing opportunity this would be for future Holliston High School students.

Also, after 27 years in Holliston Public Schools, Principal Keim will be retiring in June as our Fred Miller Elementary School Principal. We will wish him well as he writes the next chapter of his story, post-retirement, and we begin the search for his replacement with big shoes to fill. He has had an incredible journey in HPS for decades. Interviews will begin soon, and we will share dates for the community to meet and greet finalists for this important position once chosen.

Congratulations are also wished for Dr. Joanne Menard, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, who has been chosen as the new Superintendent of East Longmeadow Public Schools. She, too, will be missed, but what an amazing opportunity for her and their school community.

While it’s true that the schools are welcoming many changes right now, I truly believe these shifts will only make the Holliston family stronger. Change can feel a bit uncertain, but it’s the heart and resilience of our incredible staff and students that define HPS, far more than anything else. Every single day, across our four schools, I see our community coming together with such kindness and grit. It’s that shared spirit that makes Holliston special, and I am confident that as the school community moves forward together, it will be building an even brighter, more supportive environment for students to grow and learn in.

Warmly,

Dr. Susan Kustka

Superintendent

TechnologyUpdates:StrategicPlanArch1&3

AI Steering Committee Community Update

As we navigate the exciting and rapidly evolving world of technology together, our AI Steering Committee has been hard at work. Our goal is to ensure our district remains a supportive and forward-thinking place for both our students and our dedicated staff.

Progress Update

This collaborative team—which includes students, parents, staff, and administrators—has met three times so far. We are heading into our final working session on Thursday, January 29, 2026, to wrap up our initial recommendations.

Our work is guided by a vision focused on partnership and care: To serve as a consultative body that provides ethical guidance and strategic recommendations for AI use—ensuring students have access to developmentally appropriate learning, staff are supported by proper training, and the district adopts sustainable, environmentally-conscious tools for a thriving, AI-literate community.

Targeted Action Groups

To make sure we are looking at this from every angle, the committee is working in three specialized subgroups. These groups are currently updating our district guidance to provide clear, helpful recommendations for everyone:

Curriculum & Student Literacy: Looking at how we can naturally weave AI literacy into the classroom in ways that are age-appropriate and truly helpful for our students’ unique needs.
Staff Literacy & Professional Development: Focusing on how to best support our teachers and staff. We want to ensure everyone has the training, time, and resources they need to feel confident and ethical when exploring these new tools.
Guidance, Responsible Use, and Concerns: Working on clear, common-sense policies that protect data privacy and academic integrity while keeping an eye on sustainability and environmental impact.

Next Steps

We look forward to sharing our findings and a helpful road map with the School Committee on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

A huge thank you to all of our committee members for volunteering their time and heart to this work. This is a team effort, and we are committed to making sure AI serves as a helpful tool that makes our educational community even stronger.

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Cybersecurity Corner

We continue to invest in the professional growth of our team, particularly in the vital area of cybersecurity. On January 16, 2026, our paraprofessionals took part in a training session aimed at advancing our district-wide security protocols.

Highlights of the initiative:

Platform: We are proud to implement KnowBe4, a robust and widely recognized training tool.
Partnership: This was funded through a successful grant application in partnership with the Town of Holliston.
Recognition: Special thanks to Chris Meo, Town IT Director, for his vital assistance in managing this grant.

Dan MacLeod

Director of Technology & Digital Learning

StrategicPlanArch2:Social&EmotionalWell-Being

We are excited to share with you what is happening around the district as we are now half way through the year. Thank you for supporting Student Services here in the Holliston Public Schools.

The SEPAC has been very busy this year partnering with the Holliston Public Schools. On November 18th, SEPAC sponsored the Unified vs. Varsity Basketball Game at the high school. It was great fun for those who attended. The students had a fabulous time. Even the adults got involved. Mr. List, the High School Principal won the “Shoot-Out”.

During the month of January, SEPAC brought forward information about the two $500 scholarships they sponsor. This information has been moved to the High School and presented to the School Committee. The information below explains the scholarship:

The Holliston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) offers scholarships to students with physical, learning, social-emotional, and/or intellectual disabilities. SEPAC Gives Back supports students who have received accommodations, support, and/or services through an IEP or 504 Plan throughout most of their education. The student may be pursuing any one of the following post-secondary educational opportunities: a four-year undergraduate college or university, a two-year undergraduate college, a trade or technical school, a vocational school, a transition/cooperative life skills program, and/or a focus on a specific area of interest, such as a creative project, performance, and /or participation in classes, training activities or competitions.

Applicants DO NOT need to submit The HHS Universal Scholarship Application but do need to submit the following supplement.

Required Essay/Supplement:
Please submit a personal statement, video, or audio recording (no longer than 3 minutes) that describes your goals, interests, and /or skills and how you would use this scholarship award to pursue these.

Deadlines and submission process may be accessed through the high school.

Work on Extended School Year (ESY) is underway. We are looking at how we offer services, why we offer services, and when we offer services.

For instance, here are some of the criteria we consider when offering services in the summer.:

Based only on the individual student’s specific critical skills that are critical to the student’s overall educational progress as determined by the TEAM.
Designed to maintain knowledge of critical skills and objectives represented on the IEP and achieved during the regular school year.
Designed to maintain a reasonable readiness to begin the next year.
Services are used to maintain, not advance skills and therefore will not meet at the same level of service in the summer as during the school year.
Considered as a strategy for minimizing the regression of skill, thus shortening the time needed to gain back the same level of skill proficiency that existed at the end of the school year.

Families will work with their liaisons and TEAMs to determine if ESY is needed and what type of services should be included. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with the process.

Lastly, on January 16th all staff participated in a day of Professional Development. We put a lot of thought into how to build capacity in our Paraprofessionals who support our students. They worked with their individual buildings as well as a three-hour session with Dr. Peg Dawson, one of the foremost authorities in Executive Function Skills. She offers a series of books including one for families. It was an extremely productive day. The district will continue to build on the momentum begun by Dr. Dawson.

Dr. Barbara Cataldo

StrategicPlanArch2:Social&EmotionalWell-Being(Continued)

From Calibration to Lived Practice

Winter offers a natural moment to pause, reflect, and refine. As we move through the midpoint of the 2025–26 school year, our Arch 2 work continues to focus on strengthening how social-emotional well-being shows up in daily practice, not as a destination, but as a responsive, evolving system shaped by collaboration and care.

This year’s focus has been about calibration: listening closely, adjusting intentionally, and ensuring our SEL, mental health, equity, and MTSS efforts feel coherent and meaningful across classrooms, schools, and experiences.

From the Office of the Director of SEL & Equity,

Jariel Vergne

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Adult Wellness, Student Impact

One example of Arch 2 in action this winter is the launch of our Safe & Supportive Menu for district staff. Developed in partnership with the Safe & Supportive MTSS Leadership Team and grounded in educator voice, this initiative reflects a shared understanding that adult well-being is foundational to student success.

We’ve already launched our mindfulness and well-being series, with strong early staff participation, and have seen encouraging interest in movement and connection-based offerings as part of this first phase. These opportunities are not add-ons they are part of how we sustain ourselves, strengthen connections, and build the capacity needed to support students well.

Being a safe and supportive district is about people, and people do their best work when they feel grounded, supported, and connected.

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Completing the Circle: Elevating Student Voice

This winter also marked the launch of the Student Impact Council (SIC), a new district-wide initiative bringing together 15 Holliston High School students to share their lived experiences and perspectives as partners in our Safe & Supportive work.

The Student Impact Council sits in parallel with our Safe & Supportive MTSS Leadership Team, creating a full-circle feedback loop between students and adults. Together, these groups help us better understand what is working, where barriers remain, and how we can continue to refine our systems to be responsive and inclusive.

This is not about symbolic student voice; it’s about meaningful partnership, shared learning, and shaping a system that reflects the strengths and needs of our community.

Strengthening Executive Skills with Peg Dawson

In January, we were also grateful to welcome Peg Dawson, a nationally renowned expert in executive skills, to work with staff during our professional development day. Peg spent time with both high school and elementary educators, tailoring her focus to the developmental realities and needs at each level.

Her work helped ground conversations about executive functioning in practical strategies that support student independence, regulation, organization, and confidence, reinforcing the interconnectedness of SEL, instructional practice, and student success across grade levels, and how it directly supports academic instruction through its correlation with language in standards.

This learning continues to inform how we think about scaffolding, expectations, and support in ways that align with students’ developmental growth.

Our Recipe for Sustainable Success 🫵🤝

Integration isn’t a perfect science; it’s an everyday practice of blending our strongest ingredients: SEL, PBIS, inclusion, equity, and mental health. Together, we continue to refine the recipe so that every student and educator feels connected, capable, and supported.

Our momentum is a reflection of collective care and commitment. Each step forward is a shared success.

Thank you for being part of this journey toward a stronger, more connected Holliston.

Jariel Vergne
Director of SEL & Equity

Teaching&Learning

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Current District Curriculum Reviews

The Holliston Public Schools district is currently engaged in several comprehensive curriculum reviews throughout the 2025-2026 academic year. Dedicated district teams are evaluating the following areas:

Elementary English Language Arts (ELA)
PreK–8 Science
K–12 Multi-Language Learners (MLL)

Upon completion of these reviews, the teams will present formal recommendations to the Superintendent and the School Committee. Further updates and detailed information regarding the progress of these initiatives will be shared with the community in the coming months.

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January’s Professional Development Day

On Friday, January 16, the district conducted a comprehensive full-day Professional Development session. For an overview of the key themes and instructional strategies discussed, please refer to the presentation recently shared with the School Committee.

District Teaching & Learning Newsletter

The next edition of the District Teaching & Learning newsletter will be published in February. We encourage you to review the upcoming issue to stay informed about the innovative instructional practices and learning initiatives currently taking place across Holliston.

Holliston High School’s Service Learning Community Celebration

On January 21st, Holliston High School hosted its Service Learning Community Celebration. The event showcased eight featured projects, providing students with a platform to present their initiatives to the community. These presentations highlighted the students’ dedication to civic engagement and their ability to address real-world challenges through collaborative action.

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Wishing you each a wonderful winter season with family and friends!

Dr. Joanne Menard, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

Finance&Operations

Arch #1: Communication Practices

FY27 Budget Projections (Level Service)

Part I: Payroll
Part II: Curriculum, Technology, Teaching Supplies, and Facilities
Part III: Special Education and Related Services
Level Service Budget: What it costs to continue our FY26 services into FY27 adjusting due to inflation, contractual agreements, and mandated cost changes
Priority Needs: These are need-based requests beyond the level service budget brought forth by district and building administrators
Next Up: Superintendent’s Recommended Budget (3/12)

Arch #4: Talent & Resources

Building Projects

HPS Roof Projects- The Plancentino/Miller roof replacement project was accepted this Fall into the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) Accelerated Repair Program, allowing for a cost share between the state and town. In alignment with the MSBA’s timeline, this project should begin the summer of 2027. The Robert Adams Middle School roof was completed this past year.
Holliston High School- HHS was accepted into the MSBA CORE program for the replacement and/or restoration of Holliston High School. A typical CORE project takes 5-7 years, overseen by a Select Board created School Building Committee.
Doors- A capital project is underway to replace exterior school building doors that are in critical condition. The projected completion of this project is Spring 2026
Fire Alarm Panels (Woodland Campus) – in 2024-2025 a significant power surge compromised the fire alarm system on the Woodland Campus. In collaboration with the Holliston Fire Department and our insurance provider, we are in the final stages of the installation of new alarm systems at both buildings.
Flagg Project- Nearly $900k has been approved to envision the site of the former Flagg Building (field next to RAMS), which will include a walking track, outdoor classroom, and basketball courts, along with increased parking and road access for community use. This project will begin in the Summer of 2026.