Student Services

Please visit this page for more information.

Please visit this page for more information.

The Director of Student Services for Holliston Public Schools serves as both the District’s Homeless Education Liaison and the Foster Care Point of Contact. 

Below is a short summary defining both Homeless and Foster Care students. Holliston Public Schools encourages community members to contact the Director of Student Services, Jessica Beattie at 508-429-0654 ext. 1132 or beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us if you become aware of a potential homeless student or a potential student in foster care so that the school district can provide appropriate educational services. Holliston Public Schools appreciates the support in ensuring educational access for all students in our community.

Homelessness as defined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act:

• Anyone who lacks fixed regular and adequate nighttime residence; including children: sharing the housing of other due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar reason
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters or abandoned in hospitals
• Living in cars, parks, public spaces… and migratory children living in any of the above.

Foster Care is defined by US Department of Education as a 24 hour substitute care for which the state’s child welfare agency (DCF in Massachusetts) is responsible.

Title I is a federally funded education program. It’s goal is to provide supplemental instruction to qualifying students in specific academic areas. At Sam Placentino Elementary School, our Title I program focuses on helping our students improve their literacy skills as they grow into proficient readers and writers. 

There are two models for Title I schools: School-Wide and Targeted Assistance. In Holliston, we facilitate a Targeted Assistance Title I program in which students are identified to receive Title I services based upon their level of academic need. Screeners (short assessments that target specific skills) and other assessments are used frequently throughout the school year to monitor student progress. These assessments may be administered by a Title I literacy tutor, the literacy specialist, or a classroom teacher. 

Students in Title I participate in small group supplemental instruction with a qualified literacy tutor or interventionist to target specific literacy learning needs. The literacy instruction that occurs in a small group setting is intended to supplement targeted instruction provided by the classroom teacher in the classroom setting. As a result, classroom teachers, literacy tutors, and the literacy specialist regularly collaborate to ensure a unified approach to literacy instruction.

School administrators and Title I program coordinators involve families of Title I students in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of our Title I Targeted Assistance literacy program to ensure children receive the support needed at home and at school. Students in the Title I program may bring home books they have read in school. Families are encouraged to read these take-home texts with their children as a means for celebrating small successes.

"Like" us on Facebook at "Holliston SEPAC" and get details of upcoming events!

Email us at hollistonsepac@gmail.com for questions or information. 

NEW to any of our schools? Get your Welcome Kit Get yours here!!! or ask your Student Services Administrator

CARE program

Have you heard of the program that we have at HPD? It's called the C.A.R.E program. CARE stands for Children And Residents Encounter. This program is aimed at helping police gather information about special needs individuals and develop a relationship with residents in our community.  To enroll in the program or to inquire further about how it works, please visit www.hollistonpolice.com  Scroll down on the website for more information.

Look here for Neighboring Events

• Wayside Youth and Family Parent Support Groups click here
• Laurie Center for Autism click here for programs
• Therapy, Skills Groups, Mindfulness and More! Social Compass Counseling
• Social Skills Groups at Northeastern University Saturday Social Skills
• Federation for Children with Special Needs Schedule of Workshops
• Aspergers/Autism Network has a list of events on their website
• Advocates website has a list of events
• Therapro website  has free Saturday Seminars
• Sudbury Park and Recreation have adaptive programs here
• Understood.org  A printable planner for tweens with executive functioning issues by  available here!

What is the Mood Check program?

Mood Check is a depression prevention initiative supported by the Holliston Public Schools and directed by Tracy Gladstone, a licensed clinical psychologist from the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College. Holliston schools have been collaborating with clinicians at Wellesley College for three years to increase conversations about depression and to promote teens’ mental health. The Mood Check program is a comprehensive depression screening program that serves Holliston students in grades 7, 9, and 11 and their families by: (1) providing education about the problem of youth depression; (2) identifying and referring adolescents in need of mental health services; and (3) providing follow-up with students’ parents/guardians. As part of this initiative, teens in the identified grade will complete a brief, self-report depression form. If there are any concerns about a teen based on their responses to this form, staff from Wellesley Centers for Women will call the parent/guardian directly to discuss these concerns. If a parent/guardian does not hear from staff, a parent/guardian will know that, based on a child’s responses to the form, staff do not believe a child is experiencing concerning depressive symptoms at the present time.

Why participate in the Mood Check program?

Holliston Public Schools believes the Mood Check initiative is important because depression is a significant concern among adolescents. Approximately one in every four to five children suffers from a mental health disorder that will result in severe impairment, and about 10.8% of adolescents experience significant depressive symptoms at any given time. The National Institute of Mental Health defines depression as a common but serious mood disorder that influences the way a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities. Some of the symptoms of depression include persistent sadness or irritability, loss of interest in activities, fatigue/low energy, changes in appetite/sleep, difficulty concentrating, and thoughts of death or suicide. While all of us sometimes experience these and other depressive symptoms, we worry when several symptoms occur at the same time and persist over a period of at least two weeks.

What else should I know to support my adolescent student?

Because youth depression is so common, Wellesley Centers for Women has shared some general information, including links for additional information about depression below. Additionally, Wellesley Centers for Women provided phone numbers including the Interface Referral Network.
 

Resources:

• Contact the Interface Referral Network (888-244-6843, Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm) for assistance in connecting with mental health resources in the community.
• For immediate concerns about your child’s health and/or safety, contact the Advocates Emergency Service crisis line (800-640-5432), which is available 24-hours a day, or call 911 and go to your nearest emergency room.
• Signs of Suicide (SOS) parent portal: https://sossignsofsuicide.org/parent
• Parent Talk: an informational resource for parents. https://fampod.org/. You will have to create an account. Once you’ve done so, you can explore the website. Click on Parent Talk Resource, under Quick Launch. On the left side is a Navigation dialogue box. Within that, click on Courses, and then Parent Talk.
• https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
• http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Depression_Resource_Center/Home.aspx
• www.familyaware.org

Who should I contact if I have questions regarding Mood Check?

Please feel free to reach out to:

Dr. Tracy R. G. Gladstone
Associate Director & Senior Research Scientist, Wellesley Centers for Women
Director, The Robert S. and Grace W. Stone Primary Prevention Initiatives
http://www.wcwonline.org
tgladsto@wellesley.edu Phone: 781-283-2558 Fax: 781-283-3646
Wellesley College 106 Central Street Wellesley, MA 02481-8203

Jessica Beattie
Director of Student Services
Holliston Public Schools
beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us
508-429-0654   ext. 1132

References:

• Aalto-Setala, T., Marttunen, M., Tuulio-Henriksson, A., Poikolainen, K. ,& Lonnqvist, J. (2001). One-month prevalence of depression and other DSM-IV disorders among young adults. Psychological Medicine, 31(05), 791-801.
• Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., ... & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in US adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980-989.
• Perou, R., Bitsko, R. H., Blumberg, S. J., Pastor, P., Ghandour, R. M., Gfroerer, J. C., ... & Parks, S. E. (2013). 
• Mental health surveillance among children—United States, 2005–2011. MMWR Surveill Summ, 62(Suppl 2), 1-35.

• Special Education Child Find Notice
• Parents' Notice of Procedural Safeguards
• HPS Continuum of Services
• Special Education Parent Handbook: Early Intervention and Preschool Transition
• Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC)

Bullying Prevention & Intervention