Dear Parent/Guardians of Current K-4 Students:

            As you are likely aware, the Holliston School Committee has voted to change the start and end times of the Miller Elementary School, beginning in August 2020.  Rather than start at 8:10AM and end at 2:33PM, the new times for the Miller School will be 7:30AM to 1:53PM.  The start and end times of the Placentino School will remain unchanged (8:50AM to 3:15PM).

            As this change was being considered, the School Committee reviewed the concerns from Miller parents, including the need for additional and more flexible after-school care for Miller students due to this change.  Recognizing this as a legitimate concern, the School Committee directed the administration to review the current offerings of the Holliston Extended Day Program in an effort to expand programming and address the anticipated increase in demand.  At the same time, recognizing that it was impossible to accurately estimate all families’ needs and the total demand for after-school care, the School Committee and administration contacted the local YMCA to inquire about a possible expansion of their after-school programming into the town of Holliston.

            I am pleased to report success on both fronts.

            The Holliston Extended Day Program has expanded their capacity to support the needs of up to 100 additional students above their current capacity.  In addition, for parents seeking more flexible options other than a full afternoon program, the Extended Day Program has designed an 80-minute Bridge Program that will run from the new end of the Miller school day (1:53PM) to the end of the Placentino school day (which remains at 3:15PM).  This program is designed to meet the needs of parents who have students attending both Miller and Placentino and would allow for more flexibility for families and easier coordination of end-of-day pickup.  We are also expecting to offer Bridge Program participants bus transportation home on the Placentino bus, subject to availability.  Information on the current and new Extended Day programs are available in the attached document.  Parents who currently utilize our Extended Day program or who are considering using it next year for the first time are strongly encouraged to access this information as it also includes information and procedures for current families who wish to continue in our Extended Day program.

            The program available through the MetroWest YMCA would be located at Christ the King Church here in Holliston and would provide after-school programming that meets the specific needs of those parents who choose this option.  The Holliston Public Schools is working in partnership with the Y and we expect we will be able to provide school bus transportation to this program for both Miller and Placentino students.  In order to confirm if there is interest and to complete the design of the program, the Y is asking parents who wish to explore or learn more about this option to fill out an on-line survey to indicate the type of programming you seek. The Y will review this survey data and plans to announce more details about their offering by the end of February.  Information about the program being developed by the MetroWest YMCA is also attached to this email.

            Recognizing that the change in start times offers both challenge and opportunity for our Miller students and their families, the Holliston School Committee and administration worked hard to provide new and exciting options for after-school care.  Both options provide additional capacity to meet the anticipated increase in demand that is expected to result from this change.  We encourage you to thoroughly review these options and respond in the next 10 days so that program design can be finalized, staffing models completed and transportation planning started.  With adequate interest, both the Holliston Extended Day program and the MetroWest YMCA are committed to having their new programs ready and available when school opens on August 31, 2020.

            If you have questions about either program, please contact the following:

Holliston Extended Day, Carol White, Director, whitec@holliston.k12.ma.us

YMCA School’s Out Holliston, Greg Dustin, School’s Out Director,  schoolsout@metrowestymca.org

 Respectfully,

 Bradford L. Jackson, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools