Joseph Metcalf School

With feedback received from families, staff, and community residents, HPS leaders will continue their work refining the district’s strategic plan and focus areas for the coming year. To provide your feedback on the strategic plan and future priorities, please complete this brief survey by April 20 http://bit.ly/3G9fSLG.

Holyoke Public Schools is celebrating World Autism Awareness and Acceptance Day today, Monday April 3. Officially recognized on April 2 each year, this year’s recognition fell on a Sunday. Our students and staff are wearing solid or multi-colored rainbow shirts as part of our awareness efforts. Throughout April, our schools will be engaged in Autism Acceptance Spirit Week activities to highlight our students and programs. We can all play a role in making our schools and communities more accepting and inclusive for everyone. Check back soon for photos of our different celebrations.

Families can now use the Enroll Holyoke portal to enroll their children in kindergarten or submit lottery applications for preschool or dual language programs for the 2023-2024 school year. Enroll now at https://www.enrollholyoke.com.

Help HPS! There's still time to complete our Panorama survey by March 21. Please complete one survey for each school where you have a child attending. Survey in English https://bit.ly/3SFYF1q. Survey en español http://bit.ly/3m0Brqk.

Volunteers are needed to carry signs during Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 19. Organizers say it’s a fun way to be a part of a community-wide experience, and a chance to earn $20 you can donate to a good cause of your choice. Sign carriers must be at least 12 years old; adults are also welcome to participate. At the conclusion of the parade, sign carriers will be mailed checks for $20 that can be donated or kept for themselves. Organizers say this is a great opportunity for clubs and sports teams to raise funds and for students who are looking to fulfill volunteer hours. Interested participants should complete this form https://bit.ly/3SSrYO9.

Acceleration Academies at Donahue, Morgan, HHS North and Dean campuses have been canceled for tomorrow, Thursday, February 23, due to weather conditions. Offices will be open. Facilities staff should report at their regular time. Year-round staff have a two-hour delayed arrival. Staff may take a personal or vacation day with the approval of their supervisor.

February break is a great time for HPS staff, students, and their families to get a COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Some local vaccine sites are offering $75 gift cards next week—and you can even get a free meal from CRAVE Holyoke at one vaccine site. Here are the details: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is offering free, family-friendly “Get Boosted” clinics where anyone ages 6 months and up can get a COVID-19 vaccine or updated booster. As part of a special promotion, Massachusetts residents who get vaccinated (first dose, second dose, or booster) at participating Get Boosted clinics will receive a $75 gift card while supplies last. Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St. February 21—3:30-6:30 p.m. Outside in the CRAVE Food Truck! Pre-registration requested: http://bit.ly/3lLbafJ Everyone receiving a COVID-19 vaccine or booster during this clinic can also receive a free meal at the food truck. Additional meals can also be purchased. Vaccine clinics will also be held at Holyoke Health Center, 267 High Street, Call (413) 420-2200 for information or walk in during operating hours. No appointment is necessary. Handicap-accessible entry through the High Street main door. February 21—9 a.m.-12 noon, 1-4 p.m., and 4:45-6:30 p.m. February 22—9 a.m.-12 noon, 1-4 p.m., and 4:45-6:30 p.m. February 23—9 a.m.-12 noon and 1-4 p.m. February 24—9 a.m.-12 noon and 1-4 p.m. February 27—9 a.m.-12 noon, 1-4 p.m., and 4:45-6:30 p.m. February 28—9 a.m.-12 noon, 1-4 p.m., and 4:45-6:30 p.m.

Get vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive a $75 gift card in February! The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is offering free, family-friendly “Get Boosted” clinics during the February break. Anyone ages 6 months and up can get a COVID-19 vaccine or updated booster. Contact your school building nurse for more information or walk in to one of the clinics in Holyoke. Protect yourself and your loved ones while also getting a gift card!

Members of the Community Attendance Task Force held their first meeting at Enlace de Familias to begin deep-dive discussions around the challenges and obstacles to ensuring that students are in school on time every day. The Task Force is part of Holyoke Public School’s recently launched attendance campaign—Asiste Hoy, Triunfa Mañana/Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow. Task force members include HPS Family and Community Engagement (FACE) coordinators, school leaders, and community partners. They will meet monthly to design system solutions and tighten coordination of student and family support around student attendance.

HPS Special Education Parent Advisory Council invites you to their SEPAC Open Forum on Tuesday, February 28 via Zoom. Register here http://bit.ly/3kJqwRv to participate! | El Consejo Asesor de Padres de Educación Especial de HPS (SEPAC) lo invita a su Foro Abierto el martes 28 de febrero a través de Zoom. ¡Regístrate aquí http://bit.ly/3kJqwRv para participar!

Holyoke Public Schools has established the following timeline to prepare for the transition to separate elementary (PreK-5) and middle schools (grades 6-8) and to redraw school boundary lines for fall 2023: Late January: Letters were mailed to families with their child’s school placement and transportation eligibility February: Conduct family surveys for input February-May: Host school tours for new families March: Announce SY23-24 calendar, school start and end times, and uniform decisions March 1-31: Open Priority Zone Appeal application May 15: Host School PD day with new school teams Mid-to-Late August: Host Back-to-school celebrations, orientations, tours, etc. AND release student-teacher assignments and bus routes Ongoing: Upgrade facilities (especially Sullivan, Metcalf)

Holyoke students can develop their skills and have fun playing football and soccer thanks to community programs offered in partnership with Holyoke Public Schools. The programs are free, and no equipment is needed. No need to register; students can just show up to participate!

Don't let the flu and COVID-19 catch you off guard this winter, join us for a Flu & COVID Vaccination Clinic happening on Wednesday, February 15, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at The Care Center (247 Cabot Street). Vaccinations and boosters will be available for those six months and up, bring your insurance card for the flu shot and be prepared to stay for a 15-minute observation after getting vaccinated. Registration is encouraged but optional; you can register at https://bit.ly/3HfbXg6. And as a bonus, get a $75 gift card for COVID vaccines while supplies last! Take advantage of this opportunity to protect yourself and your loved ones from these serious illnesses.

HPS kicks off attendance campaign with celebration tomorrow, January 18! Holyoke Public Schools will celebrate students’ attendance achievements with festivities scheduled for 4:15-5:15 p.m. on January 18 at Holyoke High School North. During the event, Mayor Joshua Garcia and HPS Superintendent Anthony Soto will be joined by 50-70 students and their families from throughout the district to celebrate the students' excellent attendance and/or significant attendance improvements.

Metcalf Winter Concert is on Friday, January 20th at the Metcalf Gym. 10:15 - 11:00 a.m. - Grades PK,K,1,2 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Grades 3,4,5 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. - Grades 6,7,8

an. 6 marks Three Kings Day, a holiday celebrated in Spain, most Latin American and Caribbean countries. The holiday is associated with the traditional Christian feast day of Epiphany when the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus, according to the Biblical nativity story. Upon arriving, these three kings offered three gifts: gold, incense, and myrrh. For this reason, every year, when Christmas approaches, all the children begin to write letters to one of the kings (or to all three): Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar. Similar to stockings at Christmas, many children leave out their shoes the night before Three Kings Day. The shoes are filled with hay to feed the Three Wise Men's camels, and in exchange, the Three Wise Men leave candies and toys in the shoes of good children. In PR children place a shoe box filled with grass and a bowl of water under the beds. In the morning children marvel at the mess the camels made and at the presents left by the Kings. Another tradition is la Rosca de Reyes. "Rosca” means wreath and “reyes” means kings. The Rosca de Reyes has an oval shape to symbolize a crown and has a small doll inside, which represents baby Jesus. The doll figure symbolizes the hiding of the infant Jesus from King Herod's troops. On the Jan. 6 families gather to eat the Rosca de Reyes. Whoever gets the baby Jesus in their portion is crowned king of the house. In Spain, a bean is inserted too and whoever gets the bean, will buy the rosca the next year. Three Kings Day is celebrated with festive lights in the streets, Nativity scenes, and holiday songs. There is also a joyful parade called the “Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos,” to symbolize the arrival of the kings. The kings ride upon horses or elaborate floats and throw goodies down to the children lining the streets. While the celebrations vary from one country to another, the tradition has remained similar all across Latin America and Spain. The festivities start on January 5, also known as the Night of the Kings, and ends the following day with the gifts children receive from the Three Wise Men. The Three Kings of the East tradition is one of the oldest since the time of Spanish colonization and even today many families keep celebrating this special day where children are certainly the main protagonists. How are you celebrating the Three Kings Day? ✨️

Holyoke Public School’s “community-centric” approach to strategic planning was featured in a recent article published by consulting firm Education Resources Strategies (ERS), shining a bright light on both the process and the outcomes. The article can be found here: http://bit.ly/3G9tSUN “While many districts often struggle to execute a planning process that fosters widespread community buy-in, HPS leaders were able to design for equitable, long-lasting engagement,” ERS wrote in the article. “They embedded the community directly and authentically in the work to create full alignment and a bold plan that will guide them over the next few years.” The district’s Strategic Planning process began in September 2021 as Superintendent Anthony Soto launched his entry plan work and included an inclusive planning process throughout spring and summer 2022. Under the umbrella of the district’s existing turnaround plan, Holyoke Public Schools released a new multi-year strategic plan in August. The plan reflects all the work that had been done under the turnaround plan over the last almost seven years and articulates focus for the next few years. Throughout the process, more than 400 staff, family members, students, and community members provided input for the plan, in addition to the 1,150+ people who contributed to Superintendent Anthony Soto’s entry plan process that concluded earlier this year.

Viruses and bacterial infections are on the rise: Please take precautions. RSV, Flu, COVID-19, and Group A streptococcus infections also pose combined risks. Like schools and communities across the state and country, Holyoke has recently experienced overlapping surges of viral illnesses among our students and staff, including the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the flu, and COVID-19. Some parts of the country have also seen an increase in Group A streptococcus infections (such as scarlet fever and strep throat) in children. Massachusetts health officials are bracing for these bacterial infections to be on the rise locally, too. All of these illnesses are contagious, and spread can occur relatively quickly. It is particularly concerning that it is possible for individuals to have two or more of these viral conditions serially, simultaneously, or even paired with bacterial or other infections. And because the symptoms for these three viral illnesses share some similar symptoms, it can be hard to tell them apart. If your child is symptomatic, we recommend keeping your child at home and reaching out to your healthcare provider for guidance. Likewise, we recommend the same for staff members. You can read more about these illnesses on our website, along with important steps you can take to help keep yourself and your family healthy this winter. https://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/page/health-wellness-nursing

Need help understanding the Phase 2 rezoning decisions made by Holyoke Public Schools? To help provide answers, we've posted a Frequently Asked Questions section on our website https://bit.ly/3iGpxQK. If you have any other questions or issues, just email us at enrollment@hps.holyoke.ma.us with your address and your child's current grade level, and we'll be happy to help.

Spirit week at Metcalf began yesterday with Grinch day!