Holyoke High Dean Campus

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!

Is your child planning to attend Holyoke Community College next year? The HCC Foundation uses one application for their many scholarships. Some of the scholarships cover the full cost of HCC. This scholarship application is due March 10th. Apply here http://bit.ly/3XzM7JO!

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!

Welcome to Scholarship & Financial Aid Week! This week you can expect daily messages about scholarships and financial aid to help keep you and your students informed! Today, we highlight the Red Pine Scholarship (https://bit.ly/3HWzRgB). This prestigious local scholarship is worth up to $20,000 per year! HHS students who have won this award in the past attend college for FREE. The deadline is February 15th. If your senior meets the eligibility, have them apply! | ¡Bienvenido a la Semana de Becas y Apoyo Económico! Esta semana puedes esperar mensajes diarios sobre becas y apoyo económico para ayudarles a usted y a su estudiante a mantenerse informado. Hoy destacamos la beca Red Pine (https://bit.ly/3HWzRgB). ¡Esta beca local y prestigiosa vale hasta $20,000 al año! Estudiantes de HHS que han recibido esta beca en años pasados han asistido a la universidad gratis. La fecha límite es el 15 de febrero. Si su hijo es elegible, ¡animelo a que la solicite!

Next week is Scholarship & Financial Aid Week at all HHS campuses! Did you know that the Community Foundation of Western Mass is one scholarship application for over 140 local scholarships? This VERY important scholarship application is due on February 28. Apply now http://bit.ly/3Ioz0XD !

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.

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

All athletic activities are canceled for this afternoon, Friday December 16. All other after-school activities are operating as usual.

Great article from MassLive about HHS Dean's co-op program where students can match with potential employers to intern, learn new skills, and even earn money! 😎 https://www.masslive.com/business/2022/12/holyoke-dean-techs-co-op-fair-matches-students-with-future-employers.html