The celebration of Veterans Day is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate those who have served our country. It is unlike Memorial Day, which is a day of respect for those who served and lost their lives, but both days require our attention.
Participation as community members is important and I hope that this Veterans Day you take the time to be active and present. Consider the following:
Thank a Veteran for their service.
Write a letter to a Veteran.
Attend the local parade (It starts at 10am on Saturday, November 11, going through Stoughton center, with ceremonies at Town Hall and Faxon Park.).
Participate in the local parade.
In the end, I am able to write this because a Veteran has kept me safe by serving our great nation.
Have a great Veterans Day!
The O'Donnell Middle School had its annual 8th Grade Veterans Day Assembly on Thursday. A group of 8th grade students interviewed local veterans and then presented their veteran to their classmates during the assembly. The OMS 8th grade band and chorus also performed. This is such a great tradition and is an event the OMS looks forward to hosting each year.
Special thanks to the local veterans who participated - Glen Camire, Joe Fustolo, Matthew Gada, Mark Hausammann, John Marchant, Katherine McFadden, Michael Pazyra, Bill Snyder, Jacob Tapper, Teresa Tapper, and Doug Wall. Mike Child, Joseph DeVito, and Pamela Starkie also participated virtually.
The OMS 8th grade students who presented during the assembly did a great job - Tana Bernard, Izzy Bukhenik, Olivia Felton, Logan Fontaine, Anderson Gomez Romero, Ezra La Motte, Sydney Leahy, Angel Mauras, Eva Musatov, Joey Toupin, and Andrea Udeh.
The students and veterans are pictured together above.
During the assembly, Mark Hausammann, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, received the O'Donnell Middle School Veteran of the Year Award. Mr. Hausammann, a 1966 graduate of Stoughton High, served in the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army, and remains active supporting veterans today. Congratulations!
Hansen School students made cards for veterans this week, decorating the front of the card and writing a message inside expressing gratitude for their service. These cards will be given to the Stoughton Redevelopment Authority to display for the Veterans Day parade on Saturday.
The Redevelopment Authority is located across from the Town Hall, which is on the parade route, and will be open for veterans to enjoy coffee, water, cupcakes, and cookies during the parade. First grade students are pictured below with some of the cards that were made.
November 8th was National Signing Day, when high school student athletes from across the country sign their National Letter of Intent to play Division 1 or 2 collegiate sports. Congratulations to Stoughton High senior Morgan Groppi for signing her letter of intent to play lacrosse at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire! Morgan served as a captain of the SHS girls lacrosse team last spring, earning team MVP and Hockomock League honorable mention recognition. She is also an accomplished field hockey player at SHS, serving as a captain of the team this fall season. There was a signing ceremony for Morgan Wednesday afternoon in the SHS gymnasium where she was joined by her parents, sister, grandparents, members of the SHS administration and athletics department, as well as a group of her teammates and friends. Click here to read more about this great accomplishment and to see more photos from the signing ceremony.
While there were no elections in Stoughton this week, voters in many communities around the country went to their polling locations on Tuesday, November 7. In honor of Election Day, Dawe School first graders learned about the voting process on Monday and took part in a mock election by setting up a polling location with voting booths in school. They even received "I voted" stickers!
Students learned why it is important to voice their opinion by voting and how they can help their community by getting out and voting. Students also learned about when people vote and how they have to go to a polling location and cast a ballot.
All of the first grade classes at the Dawe earned a compliment party and were voting on a movie to watch for the compliment party. "Monsters, Inc.", "A Bug's Life", and "101 Dalmatians" were on the ballot, and in a landslide victory, "Monsters, Inc." won! "Monsters, Inc." teaches about friendship and being open to new ideas and having a growth mindset (all part of our SEL curriculum)!
While this Tuesday was a day off for students, Stoughton Public Schools faculty were taking part in a day of professional development. SPS educators gathered at Stoughton High for a number of presentations, including hearing about the "Vision of a Graduate", a project which seeks to define the career, academic, social, and civic skills/competencies all of our graduates will need to be successful. Other presentations focused on creating a culture of belonging in the classroom, teaching newcomers, engaging families, and learning about the new rubric for teachers being piloted across the state.
The Stoughton Public Schools will be holding the Annual Title 1 Family Orientation Meeting on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 3:15pm at the Wilkins School (1322 Central St.). Please click here for more information. This meeting is open to all members of the Stoughton Public Schools community and Stoughton residents.
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.
