SPS Weekly Newsletter

I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving and had some time to relax and get ready for what will be a busy December in our schools with concerts, the start of winter sports, and plenty of activities planned.

This week the Stoughton School Committee and the Stoughton Teachers Association came to a tentative three year contract agreement. The next step is for both parties to ratify the tentative agreement. We will keep you posted.

Over the next few weeks parents/guardians, all staff, and students in Grades 6-12 will receive the opportunity to complete perception surveys about the district. Staff surveys will be forwarded directly via SPS News. Parent/Guardian surveys will be forwarded via the Weekly Newsletter. Lastly, student surveys will be forwarded via student school email addresses. These are fully anonymous and will be used as data points for my Transitional Entry Plan.

The School Committee has also authorized my office to collect data from parents/guardians, educators, and students on the topic of the current Homework Policy. This will include forums with high school students. The process will not begin until after the first of the year. The current policy and its guidance are the current norm.

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

Both the South School and Wilkins School have been recognized as two of the best elementary schools in the state by U.S. News & World Report!

U.S. News & World Report looked at schools across the country and ranked more than 950 elementary schools in Massachusetts for its 2024 list. Schools ranking in the top 40 percent of their state earned the distinction of being named one of the best schools by U.S. News & World Report. This included both the South and Wilkins, with the South School ranked in the top 12 percent of elementary schools in Massachusetts.

Schools are ranked based on student proficiency in statewide math and reading/language arts assessments, while also factoring in socioeconomic demographics. “The top-ranked schools are all high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students,” U.S. News & World Report explains.

“The South Elementary School is appreciative of the recognition from the U.S. News & World Report. We are excited to have been named alongside the Wilkins Elementary School on the list of the "Best Elementary Schools". The dedication of staff and students is evidenced in this achievement. We are thankful for such a dedicated community and the continued support of the Stoughton Public Schools and School Committee,” South School Principal Jake Dore said.

“We continue to be extremely proud of our student achievement and our hard-working, dedicated staff. It is rewarding to have all our efforts from the last few years validated by this recognition,” Wilkins School Principal Katie Monahan said. “We serve a very diverse population at the Wilkins School, and many great things happen in our school community every day! We are honored to be included in the U.S. News & World Report list of the state's top schools and are extremely happy to be included on the same list as the South School!”

The Stoughton Public Schools would like to congratulate the staff, students, and families at both the South School and at the Wilkins School for this impressive achievement!

The National Art Honor Society (NAHS) at Stoughton High is running a food drive until December 14 to help support the local community this winter season.

SHS students and faculty are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items and as a token of gratitude, those who donate will receive a spoon magnet. These small, colorful wooden spoon magnets are hand painted by NAHS members (see some examples below).

Please bring food items to A229 at SHS and see Mrs. Jarasitis.

Here are some recent examples of students at work in the Gibbons School Art Studio. Click here to see more examples.

Here is a look at what Dawe School Artists have been working on in art class! Click here to see more examples.

Kindergarteners in Room 129 at the Hansen School read Scissors and Needle, a story about a clever witch who gets creative with a pair of scissors and a magical needle and thread, using cut-out shapes to create everything she needs for a comfortable life. Inspired by the book, students made a class quilt, the patchwork design made up of individual panels each student created.

Monday, November 27 was the first day of tryouts and practices for the winter sports season at Stoughton High. Here is a look at the girls basketball, boys hockey, and boys and girls indoor track and field teams in action. Click here to see more photos.

This week also marked the start of the winter sports season at the O'Donnell Middle School, with tryouts being held. We are offering boys and girls basketball and coed wrestling at the middle school level this winter. Here is a look at the boys and girls basketball teams.

Thanksgiving week is always a memorable one at Stoughton High with the annual pep rally, powderpuff football game, and Thanksgiving Day football game. If you missed any of our photo galleries from Thanksgiving week at SHS, click on the links below.

The O’Donnell Middle School PTSO's annual Craft & Vendor Fair will take place this Saturday, December 2, 2023 from 10am-2pm at the OMS (211 Cushing St.). Entry is $1 per person or the donation of a canned/non-perishable good.

Thursday, December 7, 2023 is an early release day for the Stoughton Public Schools.

School hours for early release days:

• SHS & OMS - 7:35am - 11:32am
• Elementary Schools - 8:30am - 12:20pm
• Preschool - 8:30am - 11:00am (No afternoon preschool session)

Lunch will still be served.

Save the date! Dr. Baeta will be providing a virtual office hour for SPS families (all grades, preschool through grade 12):

• Thursday, December 21, 2023 from 9:30-10:30am

Use this link to join.

Are you or someone you know looking for part-time work? Our school bus transportation provider, First Student, is hiring school bus drivers for Stoughton. For more information and to apply, click here.

Another friendly reminder that with the school year underway, we want to make sure we have accurate and updated emergency contact information and health information for your child. Please log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal account, click on the forms link in the left navigation menu and update any information that is not accurate in the two forms - Current Student Information/Emergency Form and Current Student Health Information. When you have updated the information, please click on submit at the bottom of each of the forms. If your child's information is accurate, please click on submit at the bottom of each form to indicate that you have reviewed the data and it is accurate.

For updates throughout the week, be sure to follow Stoughton Public Schools on social media: