| November 10, 2025 Dear Members of the Holliston School Community: This fall, I began my sixth and final year of my journey as your Superintendent of Holliston Public Schools (HPS). I am easing towards retirement, ready or not, with both enthusiasm and trepidation, having been an educator for over thirty years of my life. It is at times like these when I reflect on my ‘why’ for becoming an educator in the first place. I left college after my freshman year to marry my high school sweetheart and have my first child at the age of nineteen. After a little over a year of being home with my daughter during the day and working part-time at night, I received my calling. My love for children and time to reflect led me to return to college full-time to become a teacher, because I truly wanted to make a difference in the lives of the children with whom I would later interact. Although my journey led me to be a middle school special educator and an elementary educator for a total of 15 years, the second half of my career led me to wear various hats as an administrator. Still, I have remained steadfast in wanting to make a difference in the lives of the children whom I serve today in the Holliston Community. While the journey may not always have been easy, reflecting on my ‘why’ has helped to ground me on even the most challenging of days.Each year, we have been connecting all of the work that we do as educators and leaders to our 2022-2027 HPS Strategic Plan, now in its fourth year, with our theme of “Building Bridges Together.” All of the work we have done and continue to do is aligned to the four arches of this plan, with the vision for our students to “Embark on Your Journey: Personal. Local. Global.” I am both inspired by and proud of the progress and the work we have accomplished together as a school community.In October, we presented on Data & Assessment at HPS, and we also presented District and RAMS/ HHS School goals as well as Miller and Placentino Goals, with all of our goals again tied directly to the strategic plan and arches. As we continue our collective journey, the leadership team is strategically leveraging data to drive decision-making. This process informs our shared goals at the district and school levels, and directly shapes the individual targets for both administrators and educators. It is my sincere hope that every individual in the Holliston Public Schools Community has a successful and rewarding year. Regardless of your specific role in or outside of the schools, your contribution is valued. I look forward with great enthusiasm to continuing my work and engagement with all of you throughout the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year. Warmly, Dr. Susan E. Kustka Superintendent, Holliston Public Schools |
  Fall Professional Development |
 Happy Retirement Tina Scott! Happy Retirement Wendy Krauss! |
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| AI Steering Committee Application & Meeting Dates ReminderWe wanted to make sure you didn’t miss the invitation to join the AI Steering Committee that was shared in the AI Updates for Families newsletter last week. Your perspective is valuable as we guide the use of AI in our district. You can apply and view the proposed meeting schedule using this link: [Link to application form] Save the Dates (Proposed Meetings):Tuesday, November 18, 2025Thursday, December 4, 2025Wednesday, January 7, 2026Thursday, January 29, 2026 |
 BIG NEWS: Boosting Learning with Next-Gen Chromebooks for Grades 5 & 8!We are thrilled to report on the investment secured at the Fall Town Meeting! This winter, we are upgrading the devices for students in Grades 5 and 8, moving them from 4 GB to 8 GB of RAM and adding WiFi 7 capabilities. This device upgrade aligns with the Town’s support for infrastructure funding in Spring 2025, ensuring our student technology matches the speed of the new network. The attached picture summarizes the performance of these powerful new devices. Deployment Timeline Students in Grades 5 and 8 can look forward to receiving their new Chromebooks starting in January 2026! Thank you again for partnering with us to provide the best tools for our students’ education. Dan MacLeodDirector of Technology & Digital Learning |
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| With only four months in, I want to thank everyone for welcoming me to the role of Interim Director of Student Services. Beginning July 1st, I came into the district and learned about the many wonderful opportunities that are available for the students. The Holliston Public Schools should be proud of the work they have done, and it bodes well for the future lending itself to the opportunities available for our students. In the fall I had the honor of presenting a workshop on Executive Function skills to our Paraprofessionals. This hands-on presentation was to support our Paraprofessionals extend their skill base in supporting our students both in the inclusive setting as well as when students work outside of the class. We had a day of laughs and learning as the staff was provided with multiple strategies to return to the classroom. At our recent Professional Development Day an array of activities was presented from Pre K through the High School. While many activities took place, I will highlight two presentations. Staff focused on increasing our capacity in goal writing for our IEPs, understanding the connection between goal design, benchmark measuring and data collection. Other faculty experienced curriculum by increasing their knowledge about UbD, Understanding by Design. UbD approach to learning helps teachers to design the desired outcome of an activity and then back into the steps needed to achieve the goal. Teachers learned about how to utilize this approach to learning to increase learning opportunities for students on IEPs. During the year, faculty continue to increase their tool chest around goal writing and UbD. Additionally, we will examine our implementation of 504 Plans, refine our service delivery of multisensory reading, and comply with timeline requirements. I would be remiss in not sharing out the busy schedule of SEPAC (Special education Parents advisory Committee). With monthly meetings and a calendar of events, the SEPAC is an excellent resource for parents seeking answers to questions. I am grateful for their contributions to the district and support for our families. I will continue to visit schools, speak with both teachers and students, assist with the Professional development Days and participate in IEP meetings. Until the next time…… Dr. Barbara Cataldo |
