

SPS Weekly Newsletter
October 13, 2023
In This Edition of the SPS Weekly Newsletter...
We are excited to share the latest edition of the SPS Weekly Newsletter with our families, students, staff, and community members! A new edition will be sent each Friday when school is in session, sharing updates, previewing upcoming events, and showcasing the amazing work being done in our schools. This week we feature Dr. Baeta's weekly message, Fire Prevention Week, SHS sports teams thinking pink, OMS athletics, highlights from the art studio, and more!
From the Desk of the Superintendent
This week I presented my goals in three areas for the district to prioritize for the next two years:
- Goal 1 - Student Learning
- By June 2025, we will have completed a full review and revision process focused on the elementary ELA program to include updating the district-wide core values, vision statement for literacy, and expectations for instruction. The goal is to address a detailed plan to get 90% of students achieving reading proficiency by the end of grade 3.
- Goal 2 - Professional Practice
- By June 2025, we will have fully implemented a much more deliberate and focused process for analyzing data through collaborative inquiry to ensure school-based teams maximize their data inquiry meetings with an explicit focus on improving student learning.
- Goal 3 - District Improvement
- By June 2025, the District will have completed a comprehensive review and evaluation of its six core areas and developed 3-5 District SMART Goals to target improvements in priority areas. This includes:
- Leadership and Governance
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Assessment
- Human Resources and Professional Development
- Student Support; and
- Financial and Asset Management
I will update the entire district, including families, on a regular basis in public meetings and via communication such as email and social media.
Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Stoughton Public Schools
Fire Prevention Week
This week was Fire Prevention Week. Gibbons School kindergarten students learned about dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency and also made firefighter hats. Dawe School students are also pictured at a fire safety assembly with the Stoughton Fire Department. As part of Fire Prevention Week, the Stoughton Fire Department will be holding an open house this Saturday, October 14 from 11am-2pm at Station 1, located at 30 Freeman St.
Thinking Pink
The Stoughton High varsity, JV, and freshman volleyball teams are pictured here dressed in pink for their recent "dig pink" matches. The SHS volleyball program looked to raise awareness for breast cancer and also raise funds for the Side-Out Foundation, which supports research for patients with metastatic breast cancer.
The Stoughton High field hockey program recently had its pink game as well to raise awareness for breast cancer and also fundraise for breast cancer research at Dana Farber. The JV team is pictured here.
The Stoughton High Unified Basketball team wore pink wristbands at their game on Thursday to show support for breast cancer awareness. If you haven't been to a Unified Basketball game, it is great experience! The next home game is Wednesday, October 18 at 3:45pm against Sharon in the Stoughton High gymnasium.
OMS Athletics
The O'Donnell Middle School boys and girls soccer teams got to play under the lights on the turf field at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Stoughton High on Wednesday!
The O'Donnell Middle School cross country team, pictured here at their home meet on October 4, will be hosting another home meet this coming Wednesday, October 18. Great to see these future Black Knights competing!
Highlights from the Art Studio
Kindergarten artists at the South School have been developing their cutting and gluing skills and used their imaginations to make puppets! In the first picture, two students are having a lot of fun at the end of class as their puppets "meet"!
Here is a look at some Dawe School artists hard at work!
And now to feature some work from our older artists...students in the Advanced Drawing 3 class at Stoughton High created the illusion of something being revealed behind a piece of notebook paper as part of a unit on lines and how they can imply movement and form.
Local Veterans - Take Part in the OMS Veterans Day Assembly
The O'Donnell Middle School's annual Veterans Day Assembly is one of the most anticipated events of the school year. 8th grade students interview local veterans and then honor them by presenting their service story with the 8th grade class at the assembly. This year's assembly takes place Thursday, November 9, 2023 (brunch at 8am, followed by the assembly at 9:30am). The OMS is currently looking for local veterans to participate in this tradition. If you are interested in participating, please contact Caitlin Valair, OMS Social Studies Teacher, by November 1 at c_valair@stoughtonschools.org or 781-344-7002.
Understanding the IEP - Join SEPAC for a Virtual Workshop
Join the Stoughton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SPEAC) for a virtual event on Monday, October 16, 2023. The presentation, titled "Basic Rights - Understanding the IEP", starts at 7pm. Click here for the Zoom registration link and see the flyer below for more details.
Early Release Day on October 19
Thursday, October 19, 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.
Marching Band Festival Coming to Stoughton High!
Join us for the first ever USBands Marching Band Festival at Stoughton High School on Saturday, October 21, 2023! The festival features our own award-winning Marching Black Knights and many other bands from all over the state. Click here for more information.
South School Pumpkin Patch on October 22
The South School PTO will be holding their annual Pumpkin Patch on Sunday, October 22, 2023 from 12-4pm at the South Elementary School (171 Ash St.).
Higher Education Fair at SHS on October 25
Stoughton High families - save the date! The Stoughton High School College and Career Center invites all students grades 9-12 and their parents/guardians to a Higher Education/College Fair on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 from 6:30-8:00pm.
Forty public/private colleges and universities representing 4-year colleges, community colleges, technical institutes and the trades will be present.
Seniors, come speak to your admissions counselors before they review your applications next month. Underclassmen, begin learning about all your options after high school now!
See the flyer below for more information...
Make Sure Your Student's Emergency Contact Info & Health Info is Up to Date
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.
Follow Us on Social Media!
For updates throughout the week, be sure to follow Stoughton Public Schools on social media: