Holyoke High School

Families from HPS experiencing food instability can seek assistance from their school's Family and Community Engagement member. By communicating their needs, students or families can receive a bag of essential grocery items every Friday at dismissal. This program is open all year long and is designed to provide support for the family over the weekend.

This fall, our district's Health Services and Facilities teams are collaborating with the Massachusetts Asthma Action Partnership (MAAP) and Health Resources in Action. Together with four other Massachusetts school districts, they'll participate in the HEAL: Building Capacity for Resilient Schools cohort, focusing on addressing environmental and heat-induced asthma triggers. --- This fall, our district's Health Services and Facilities teams are collaborating with the Massachusetts Asthma Action Partnership (MAAP) and Health Resources in Action. Together with four other Massachusetts school districts, they'll participate in the HEAL: Building Capacity for Resilient Schools cohort, focusing on addressing environmental and heat-induced asthma triggers. Learn more here https://bit.ly/3Pj1wfu.

Today marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Holyoke Public Schools and schools and communities across the nation will commemorate this occasion with various classroom activities and integrated learning across all schools. This annual celebration is observed nationwide from September 15 to October 15. It highlights the culture, history, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors hail from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. 80% of HPS students and 20% of HPS teachers identify as Hispanic/Latino, so this is an especially meaningful celebration in Holyoke.

In order to catch up on outstanding work items due to a busy enrollment season and ultimately best serve our families, the HPS Enrollment Center will be closed to the public from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, September 14. The office will reopen at 1 p.m. days for in-person visitors and phone calls. For the fastest response time, please email enrollment questions to enrollment@hps.holyoke.ma.us and transportation questions to transportation@hps.holyoke.ma.us.

Holyoke Health Center’s dental team is back in Holyoke Public Schools continuing to provide safe, quality preventive dental care and education to students through the free Oral Health Screenings Program. Families who would like their children to participate in the portable dental program at school should complete and sign the consent form sent home with children during the first week of school. Families may also contact their school nurse (list of school nurses https://bit.ly/3sWiB78) to request a consent packet.

Listen to Donahue student Joelimar Brito talk about what she does to get ready and be on time for school. 🌟Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!🌟

Have you filled out your child’s back-to-school packets? Your child should have been sent one home in their backpack. Families also have the option to fill it out online at www.enrollholyoke.com by clicking on their student name and then selecting “back-to-school packet”. Thanks in advance for ensuring that we have the important information contained in the packet, like emergency contact information, their media release, and more.

🗓️ 🏫 Mark your calendars! Schools across the district will begin hosting their open houses. : Thursday, September 14, Lawrence School Open House, 4-6 p.m. | Tuesday, September 19, HHS Dean Open House, 5-6 p.m. | Thursday, September 28, Morgan School Open House, 5-6:30 p.m. | Thursday, September 28, E.N. White School Open House, 5:30-6 p.m. | Tuesday, September 26, HHS North Open House, 5-6:30 p.m. | Tuesday, September 26, McMahon School Open House, 3:30-5 p.m. | Wednesday, September 27, Sullivan Middle School Open House, 5-7 p.m. | Thursday, September 28, Metcalf Middle School Open House, 4-5:30 p.m. | Thursday, September 28, Donahue School Open House, 5-6:30 p.m. | Tuesday, October 3, STEM Academy Open House, 5-6:30 p.m. | Tuesday, October 10, Kelly School Open House, 4:30-6 p.m.

We aim to keep you up to date through our twice-monthly e-newsletter, which has been renamed “Together for Holyoke” as a reflection of the essential partnerships between our schools, our families, and our community. Together for Holyoke - Stories and Inspiration From our Schools https://bit.ly/3Z5vVSR.

Design and planning work for the new middle school building is continuing on schedule, while abatement of the William R. Peck Middle School is expected to begin later this month and demolition soon thereafter. Construction documents were 60 percent completed in late August, said Margaret Minor Wood of Anser Advisory. She serves as Holyoke’s project manager for the new middle school construction project. “We are pleased that both estimates came in $2.5 to $3 million lower than projected,” she said, after reviewing the 60 percent completed construction documents. “While we are not expected to bid the project until winter, they are reflective of an industry-wide trend of construction inflation dampening. They are also promising for Holyoke to keep the overall project cost within budget.”

In order to catch up on outstanding work items due to a busy enrollment season and ultimately best serve our families, the HPS Enrollment Center will be closed to the public from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the following Thursdays: September 7 and September 14. The office will reopen at 1 p.m. on those days for in-person visitors and phone calls. For the fastest response time, please email enrollment questions to enrollment@hps.holyoke.ma.us and transportation questions to transportation@hps.holyoke.ma.us.”

📸 📸 📸 Some of our favorite pictures from students in grades 1-12 on their first day of school! https://bit.ly/3qVyaeY 🎒 🏫 🍎

The first day of school for grades 1-12 is tomorrow, Wednesday! Don’t forget to share your back to school pictures with us! Tag our Instagram or Facebook profiles or use the hashtag #HolyokePublicSchools.

Our facilities and custodial summer team of nearly 100 people moved 3,000+ boxes across schools and cleaned 1.1+ million square feet of learning spaces! They also completed many improvement projects, including enhancing security in the front entrances, improving outdoor place spaces, adding LED lights, adding signage, painting, replacing flooring, installing lockers, and more. For the full list of projects, visit https://bit.ly/3ONADQz.

We're Hiring! Holyoke Public Schools offers a wide range of employment opportunities for job candidates who believe school is a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging and want to work in an environment where students and staff hold high expectations for themselves and each other. For more information or to apply, please visit our TalentEd job portal here https://bit.ly/3KKOEuA. There are numerous teaching, paraprofessional, and substitute positions available. Sign-on bonuses and/or relocation assistance may be available.

In order to catch up on outstanding work items due to a busy enrollment season and ultimately best serve our families, the HPS Enrollment Center will be closed to the public from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the following Thursdays: August 24, September 7, and September 14. The office will reopen at 1 p.m. on those days for in-person visitors and phone calls.

Pictures from the annual back to school event held this past Saturday. More than 2,500 students received backpacks filled with school supplies to start the new school year! Families and community members enjoyed games, food, and fun! Thanks to South Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative, Sodexo, Holyoke City Hall, PeoplesBank, Cradles to Crayons Massachusetts, Enlace de Familias, Holyoke Gas & Electric, Holyoke Health Center, OneHolyoke CDC, and so many more for making this event possible. Thank you!

The annual Backpack Back-to-School Fair is this Saturday, August 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at McNally Field, behind Kelly School. All Holyoke families are encouraged to attend! 2,500 backpacks filled with school supplies will be given away. There will be lots of free food and a wide range of fun activities for children of all ages, including a chance to win one of 50 bicycles. The event is organized by Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative.

Join us at the Summer Eats BBQ kick-off event at Heritage State Park today from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. https://5il.co/1y9zn

Exciting news for HPS students in grades 6-12! Starting next school year, we'll be using Yondr pouches for cell phones. Following a successful pilot program, each student will receive a Yondr bag to store their phone during the day. Phones will be secured by staff, and students can carry them in their backpacks