RAMS Read-A-Thon: March 4-22

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RAMS families, get ready for our second annual read-a-thon hosted by our RAMS Student Leadership Team with Mr. Vendetti! Beginning March 4 and running through March 22, students will be encouraged to read and then record their minutes via a Google doc that will be provided during English classes.  Donations towards the read-a-thon are gratefully appreciated. We have 3 easy ways to make a donation: 

Ski/Snowboard Club Update

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Holliston PTO Ski & Snowboard Club - It’s a wrap for the season and we offer our thanks to the volunteer coordinators, Justin Wing, Elissa Sanford, and Andy Ferland! This year there were close to 300 student participants, 4th through 12th grade and we especially also thank our chaperones who made sure everyone had a great and safe experience. “Well done!”  goes to our students who did their part as well - they respected one another, had fun and honored the rules of the hill and buses.

For planning purposes, the club days will remain in place; Tuesdays for RAMS, Fridays for Miller, and Sundays for the high school. A huge thanks to Justin and Andy who are returning next season and welcome Joanna Westland who has agreed to be the overall coordinator! Without their commitment and enthusiasm this club could not happen. We welcome all chaperones back next season and we are actively looking for a RAMS Coordinator. Thank you again and we will see you next season!

 

We LOVE to Read in February! Elementary Read-A-Thon

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Calling All Book Lovers!

We Love to Read: The Elementary Read-A-Thon is coming up in February! See our flyer for more details about the Read-A-Thon starting February 1st! Please help us make it successful! You can help by:

Preparing Read-A-Thon Materials

Join us at the Holliston Public Library on Wednesday, January 24 in the Gilman Room to papercut, staple, sort, and count materials!  We'll be there from 6-8pm, join us for any amount of time that you can spare!  Thank you to all the volunteers who helped out this past Wednesday--10 of us cut over a thousand bookmarks, stapled 700 to flyers, and have class piles ready for preschool, kindergarten, first, and Montessori!

Help Create Indoor Recess Prize Baskets

We need to create 7 Indoor Recess Prize Baskets (Preschool-Grade 5)!  We're looking for a couple people to take on this project--we're collecting new/gently used games/puzzles/legos/magnatiles/playdoh supplies/etc, and also have a budget to purchase more of these items, drawing materials, and whatever else may make for a fun indoor recess for a class of kids! If you're interested in helping out, email Beth Leach or Jess Scalzo to learn more! 

If you have any new/gently used board games, card games, puzzles (especially 100 pieces), legos, or magnatiles, or new drawing supplies, we're collecting!  We are especially in need of items for Miller aged students to round out our baskets! We also need big bins/baskets to contain our prizes, if you have any laying around! You can drop off to 10 Mill St or send us an email!

Any Questions?

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us! 

Beth Leach: beth.allen.leach@gmail.com

Jess Scalzo: scalzo.jessica@gmail.com

Thanks and Happy Reading!

Beth Leach and Jess Scalzo

Elementary Update: Meetings & Read-A-Thon

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New! Operational Elementary PTO Meetings

We will be holding Operational Elementary PTO meetings on the following dates: January 17th, March 27th and May 29th. These meetings will be from 7-8pm at Holliston Public Library, Gilman Room.

We expect the first meeting to be primarily focused on February's read-a-thon and any other general Elementary school topics that need to be worked through. We hope to see you there!

Elementary Read-A-Thon - February

Reading is FUNdamental, so in February 2024 we will bring back the FUN!

Sticking with our normal winter fundraiser, the PTO will host the Elementary Read-a-thon for the month of February but with a renewed focus on READING because we LOVE to READ!

Keep your eyes out for more information on Read-a-thon volunteer opportunities throughout the month of February.

Want to get involved? Email us hollistonpto@gmail.com.

Open Role: Professional Development Day Breakfast Coordinator

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New Position! Professional Development Day Breakfast Coordinator

The PTO is seeking a volunteer to handle the teacher and staff breakfast planning and execution at all schools on Professional Development days.

Time Commitment: 3 to 4 mornings per year

Responsibilities:

  1. Place order with Coffee Haven

  2. Coordinate with Treasurer for snacks from wishlist,

  3. Coordinate with admin assistants at each school to have tables available for coffee and snacks

  4. Set up as needed and coordinate with additional volunteers as need (keep red table cloths and PTO signs from breakfast to breakfast)

Email hollistonpto@gmail.com to inquire!

Open Role: Square One Art Coordinator

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PTO Open Role: Square One Art Coordinator

The PTO is seeking a new volunteer to take over the Square One Art Coordinator role. This person will shadow the current coordinator beginning in 2024, and will take over during the 2024-2025 school year.

Timeframe: March/April

  • Shadow existing coordinator to learn the process

  • Work with Art Teachers to have students create their art

  • Assist as needed with online ordering

Email hollistonpto@gmail.com to inquire!

Coming Soon: Basket Raffle Extravaganza for Holliston's 300th!

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The Holliston PTO is thrilled to host our annual Basket Raffle this year bigger than ever in conjunction with Holliston’s Tricentennial celebrations. Please save these important dates:

  • Friday, March 1, 2024: Online raffle sales and basket viewing will open

  • Wednesday, March 20, 2024:

    • 12-8PM: Live basket viewing in Holliston Upper Town Hall (703 Washington St.)

    • 8-9PM: Live drawing - we would prefer people to pick up baskets by 9PM, but we can deliver baskets on March 21, 2024 as well.

Unlike previous years, we are asking that families in ALL grades (PK-12) participate in creating a basket.

Stay tuned for an email in January with ALL the details!


Holliston Youth & Family Services Webinars: Executive Function Strategies for Creating Successful Students

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Holliston Youth & Family Services has partnered with Engaging Minds to offer 2 webinars on Executive Function Strategies for Creating Successful Students. The first webinar on January 24th will focus on students in grade K-5. The second webinar on January 31st will focus on grades 6-12. Click the image appropriate for student’s grade level below to register.

January 24th - 12pm - Grades K-5

Click the image to register

January 31 - 7pm - Grades 6-12

Click Image to register

Community Impact: What Your Donations Have Done So Far

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With Thanksgiving upon us, we'd like to take a moment to share how thankful we are for your generous support of the PTO and of the HPS Community. We're only 3 months into the school year and because of your donations and memberships, we've already been able to provide:

  • breakfast for students in need at all 4 schools

  • Puzzles and kinetic sand for a destressing zone in the RAMS library

  • Birdseed to attract birds for observation for Ms. DeLuca's 7th grade science class

  • Paper cutters and laminators for teachers to create reusable materials for their classrooms

  • Mosaic Puzzle Posters to build community at RAMS

  • Sketchbooks for art classes

  • Fidgets and stickers for classroom prize boxes

  • Timers and clocks to build student executive function skills

  • Wireless presentation remotes to enable teachers to move around classrooms during lessons, better utilizing proximity as a behavior management technique

  • Flexible seating, including yoga mats, pillows, wobble stools, and Montessori-aligned desks, for multiple classrooms

  •  Classroom scientific calculators, scissors, pencils, and other school supplies to increase equity across all 4 schools

  • Breakfast for faculty and staff on professional development days

  • Emergency clothing for students in need

  • Pumpkins for the elementary pumpkin stroll

This is not an exhaustive list, but provides a sense of what your donations can accomplish. Please join us for a PTO meeting if you’d like a better sense of the budget and program funding.

Community Impact: Operation Pumpkin Patch!

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As part of our Community Impact blog series, we highlight events where the community came together in support of our schools. Recently, Out Post Farm and 17 PTO volunteers worked together to accomplish Operation Pumpkin Patch! This was a coordinated effort to transport 260 pumpkins from Out Post Farm to Placentino for the PreK/K Pumpkin Stroll which was held on October 27th.

The Pumpkin Stroll is a favorite Placentino fall event where Pre-K and Kindergarten students decorate little pumpkins for their class pumpkin patch, parade outside the school in fall attire or costumes, and then sing adorable fall/pumpkin related songs for their families.

We’d like to extend a big THANK YOU to Out Post Farm for providing over 260 pumpkins and to the 17 volunteers who loaded, transported, unloaded, and created the Pumpkin Patch!

Volunteers:

  • Beth Leach

  • Brittany Ela

  • Elissa Simkins

  • Elizabeth Navarro

  • Emily Raffile

  • Jacqueline Hayes

  • James Archibald

  • Jennifer Schiavoni

  • Jess Scalzo

  • Liz Ahluwalia

  • Lucas Wisner

  • Marissa Marcoux

  • Marissa Santos

  • Mary Ann Sanchez

  • Mary Arnold

  • Michelle Nauss

  • Sarah Hill

PTO Hosts First Autumn Appreciation Gathering 10/26/2023

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On Thursday evening, October 26th, we had a fantastic time with parents, teachers, staff, SEPAC, and HYFS at our first Appreciation Gathering! We thank everyone who joined us to celebrate our wonderful volunteers and school community, as well as Anthony's on the Green who did a spectacular job with the catering and service.

An Update from the Outdoor Learning Alliance (OLA)

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Placentino Courtyard

The Outdoor Learning Alliance (OLA) is a PTO sub-committee dedicated to creating outdoor learning spaces where all children can learn, play, and rest. Since first breaking ground in November of 2022, they have been busy turning the Placentino Courtyard into a beautiful garden of learning and discovery. The project concluded this fall with the planting of new spring bulbs in the courtyard.

OLA is deeply appreciative of Barrios Landscaping for donating close to 100 hours of labor (wow!), Jim Stucchi and Ahronian Landscaping for the many plants and materials they generously donated.

Next, the OLA is bringing their magic to the outdoor spaces at RAMS. This fall, the OLA team spruced up the garden bed next to the RAMS entrance, and is now in a conceptual phase of working on the “learn and rest” garden space for RAMS. The OLA is also in talks with the administration about planting shade trees around the most sun exposed walls of RAMS as a means of passive cooling during heatwaves. 

To learn more about the OLA, click here to view their webpage or email outdoorlearningalliance@gmail.com.

 

Thank you to Jim Stucchi of Stucchi Landscape and Design for donating the plants for the RAMS entrance!

 

BEFORE

RAMS Entrance

Garden Plans

Placentino Courtyard

Flowers in bloom

Placentino Courtyard

Yoga Frog Circle

Placentino Courtyard

Tim’s Tree

Placentino Courtyard

Enjoying Nature

Placentino Courtyard

AFTER

RAMS Entrance

Work in progress

Placentino Courtyard

Landscaping Extraordinaires

Placentino Courtyard

Seating for outdoor learning

Placentino Courtyard

Grand opening!

Placentino Courtyard

Rock Garden

Placentino Courtyard

Flowers in bloom

Placentino Courtyard

 

Spirit Wear Fundraiser - Coming Soon!

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Already thinking about holiday gifts? We’ve got you covered!

The Holliston Spirit Wear store is planned to launch on October 20th through November 15th. A change for this year is that SEPAC branded items will also be available through the Spirit Wear store!

Sample images - actual designs will be available in the spirit wear store on october 20th - stay tuned!

We’ll send an email as soon as the store is open. The store is open to all - please feel free to send the link to family and friends to stock up on their Holliston gear!

Email pto.funds.holliston@gmail.com with any questions.

Holliston Ski Club is a 'GO' & Ski/Snowboard Chairperson is still needed!

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Skiers! Snowboarders! Chaperones!

Look for ski club details and sign-up information mid-October. This year’s Ski Club Coordinators are:

Ski Club Chair: OPEN

  • Miller Ski Club Coordinator: Justin Wing

  • RAMS Ski Club Coordinator: Elissa Sanford

  • HS Ski Club Coordinator: Andy Ferland

We are still in need of a Chairperson (overall coordinator). See the position description below & email hollistonpto@gmail.com to learn more if you are interested!

 

Townwide Ski/Snowboard Club Chairperson

  • Timeframe: Short-term commitment: November through January (5-10 hours total during November & December; 1 hour/week January – early February while program is active)

  • Responsibilities: The Townwide Ski/Snowboard Club Chairperson makes sure the (already set up) registration system is good to go, contracts with the mountain (Nashoba Valley), and contracts the bus company (Fox Bus Lines) that transports students to the mountain. Also promotes and communicates program details and registration info to parents and students, and plans the rental equipment fit night. The Chairperson oversees the school-level Ski/Snowboard Coordinators, providing lists and information to them as the coordinators run the program week-to-week at each school. Program runs once per week for 5 weeks in January and early February – Thursday nights for Adams and Friday nights for Miller. The Chairperson is not responsible for the weekly departures from the schools, and does not need to be there unless they want to or want to chaperone – or simply want to go along and ski. The Chairperson receives a free pass for the dates of the program if they would like.

  • ***Note: The previous Chairperson will be available to help with setup and questions. ***