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January

17 PD Day-District, No School for Students

20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day-No School

23 School Committee

28 RAMS & Miller Band Concert @ HHS 7 PM

29 - Feb 14 PTO Fundraiser "Raise Craze"

February

4 PTO Family Service Night

8 School Committee

10 Challenge Day - 7th Grade

11/12 HHS Moving Up 8th-9th-Tours

17 Presidents Day/No School

17-21 February Vacation

Family Service Night!

You’re invited to our PreK-12 Family Service Night on Tuesday, February 4, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at Holliston High School.

Join us for a districtwide Family Service Night, an evening dedicated to giving back, spreading kindness, and making a difference in our community! This event is open to all families to come together, participate in meaningful activities, and support causes that matter to our students and neighbors.

What to Expect:

• Hands-on table activities focused on acts of kindness and community service.
• Opportunities to create positive messages and crafts to brighten someone's day.
• Ways to support local charities and student-led initiatives.
• Time to connect, collaborate, and build each other up as a school community.
• If a snowstorm cancels school, the event will be rescheduled for Wednesday, February 5, at the same time and location.

Get Ready for Raise Craze!

Our largest fundraiser of the school year is about to start.

• The district-wide goal is to raise $30,000 from January 29 - February 14 to support the programs and financial assistance our teachers and students rely upon.
• The PTO will use the Raise Craze fundraising platform to enable families to set up secure, custom websites where they request donations via email, text, and/or social.
• During the fundraiser, students pay those donations forward by completing self-chosen Acts of Kindness or service to others—a great way to learn the value of gratitude and to spend time serving, not selling.
• The PTO is excited to bring the fun and give away prizes along the way, with a detailed lineup to be announced in late January. Watch for a PTO Raise Craze flier to be sent home with your student in late January for additional details. We also have a dedicated Raise Craze fundraiser page on our website under the fundraising menu that provides all the information you need to get started and stay connected.

Earlier this month, a notification was sent to families of 7th graders about Mood Check, a mental health screening and intervention program we've partnered with for the past seven years. This initiative is an important step in supporting the well-being of our students.

Please click the link below for important information regarding this program.

What is Challenge Day?

Challenge Day is an organization that helps young people connect through powerful, life-changing programs in their schools and communities. The day-long, interactive Challenge Day program provides teens and adults with tools to break down the walls of separation, inspiring participants to live, study, and work in an environment of acceptance, love, and respect.

Using highly interactive and energetic activities, Challenge Day leaders guide teens through a carefully designed exploration of the ways people separate from each other, while modeling tools for creating connection and building community.

Challenge Day programs increase self-esteem, shift dangerous peer pressure to positive peer support, and reduce the acceptability of teasing, oppression, and all forms of violence.

This is the second year that RAMS and Holliston High School are participating in this program. To join, students must complete the interest form linked below by next Friday, January 10th. As we are limited to 100 student participants, a lottery system will be used if more than 100 7th-grade students sign up. Challenge Day has also had a positive impact on adults who have participated, so we encourage parents to consider volunteering by signing up through the form below. Feel free to explore the linked resources and media clips to learn more!

Introduction from Mr. Seth Golder, our new Library/Media Specialist

I am thrilled to be joining the Holliston community as your new Library Media Specialist at RAMS and HHS! For the past seven years, I have taught 5th and 6th grade ELA and Social Studies in Foxborough, and prior to that, I taught 5th grade in Lexington and Worcester. I am eager to connect with students through literature, helping them discover stories that inspire, inform, and empower them. My goal is to create a welcoming space where students feel supported in their learning journeys, whether diving into a great book or exploring new research skills. I currently live in Franklin with my wife and two kids, and I look forward to becoming a part of this vibrant community.

A reminder: The doors to Robert Adams Middle School open at 7:50 AM each morning. Students must wait outside until that time, regardless of the weather, as no supervision is available beforehand. If buses drop students off before 7:50 AM, they are also expected to wait outside until the doors open. Please review these expectations with your child and plan accordingly.

Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation!

We’re excited to announce that yearbook ordering is open for the school year! Using this link on the school’s website you can order a 2024 - 2025 Robert Adams Middle School yearbook for your child. The price is 25.00 and you will need to enter Robert Adams Middle School on the Yearbook Forever site.

Yearbooks will be distributed in early June, and online ordering closes at the end of April. Please don’t wait to order - we’d love to secure a yearbook for your child now. We will have a few copies to sell in person in June, but last year we ran out! The only way to guarantee one for your child is by ordering online by April 30th.

Any questions? Email Ms. Malloy or Ms. Ditto Kustwan

This Year’s Theme is: COMMUNITY...  Together We Can Achieve Greatness!

Being an active member of your community means you care about others and helping one another. Unity means joining together to achieve great things. Together you can make a positive impact in your school, neighborhood and community. Together, we can achieve greatness!

The POSTER submission deadline is Friday, January 24, 2025. The PSA submission deadline is Friday, April 25, 2025. For additional information, please contact MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels, at margie@mpyinc.org or Wendy Leone at wendy@mpyinc.org.

Upload Poster and PSA Submissions on our Website.

Each participant must complete the student application form signed by a parent/guardian consenting to the student's involvement in the Poster/PSA Project. The form is available to download below and can also be found on MPY's website (linked above). School staff are responsible for collecting the permission slip and keeping them on file. When uploading a student’s project, please check the box acknowledging receipt of the signed permission slip.

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.

781-587-3409

margie@mpyinc.org

www.mpyinc.org

By now you have likely heard about our efforts to support students and families with student attendance. Each school has formed school-based attendance teams who meet weekly to review student attendance totals and to determine family outreach and interventions as needed. We are grateful for your support!

Weekly Monitoring:

Nurse will reach out in the event of 3 consecutive absences

Team reviews students with 5 absences and/or tardies within a 45 day period.

Monthly Letters:

ALL families receive a monthly attendance update for their student(s) notifying them of totals.

45 Day Letters:

Families of students with 10% or more absences or tardies will receive a letter detailing attendance totals and inviting collaboration to support improved attendance. These updates will be sent approximately every 45 days, or sooner if additional communication is needed.

As a reminder, RAMS doors open for students at 7:50AM and the first “bell” sounds at 8:03 AM to remind them to report to homeroom. The second “bell” sounds at 8:05 AM. Students are considered tardy when they arrive after 8:05 AM. We ask for your assistance in assuring that your child consistently attends school and is on time to begin the school day.

Robert Adams Middle School is seeking paraprofessionals. At RAMS, paraprofessionals will work with students, individually or in small groups, to provide instruction, supervise, and share positive energy. The impact paraprofessionals have on the educational system is immeasurable, and we at RAMS greatly value our paraprofessionals.

Interested applicants can apply using THIS LINK.

If you are curious, please connect with us. You may know a new retiree, a recent college graduate, or a caring and positive person who would love to work with students. Contact Karen Manning (manningk@holliston.k12.ma.us) or Ryan Holland (hollandr@holliston.k12.ma.us). Please share this plea far and wide as you see fit. Thank you in advance!

Reminder to Students

Please remember to bring wired headphones or earbuds to school for class activities. Wireless headphones are not permitted. Having the right equipment helps ensure everyone can participate fully. Thank you!

How To Report Absences and Tardies

If your child will not be in or late to school, you have several options for reporting your child's absence or tardiness. Please be aware that if you report your child's absence or tardiness by 9:15 a.m., you will not receive a notification from Bright Arrow indicating that your child has been reported absent.

• Call in your child's absence tardiness. Our RAMS Absentee mailbox is (508) 429-0657; press option 3. Please leave your child's name, grade, and reason for your child's absence.

• Email us your child's absence or tardiness. Send an email to ramsattendance@holliston.k12.ma.us. Again, please leave your child's name and grade and the reason for your child's absence.

• If you are dismissing your child early, please be sure to fill out the online dismissal form linked below!

RAMS Clubs & Late Buses

Dear RAMS Families,

Our after school clubs are underway! A list of our clubs can be found on the school website, so be sure to check it out in the "ACTIVITIES" section.

There are two late buses: A and B, and they arrive at 4:00 p.m. Clubs will run until 3:30, and after that, students can head to the lobby to wait or go outside for the buses. Walkers, bike riders, and parent pickups can leave at 3:30. If students are being picked up between 3:45 and 4:00 p.m., their ride must use the loop on the side of the building to allow buses to pull in and safely load students.

If you’re unsure about which bus your child should be on, they can visit the main office before 3:30, where Mrs. Ahronian will be happy to assist. Please remind students that after 3:30, they should either be in the lobby or outside, as wandering the building is not allowed.

There will be supervision from 3:30-4:00 while students are waiting for the late buses, so rest assured everyone is covered!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the front office, Ms. Manning, or Mr. Holland.