SPS Weekly Newsletter

We are excited to share the latest edition of the SPS Weekly Newsletter with our families, students, staff, and community members! Since there is no school on Thursday and Friday, we are publishing this week's newsletter ahead of the Thanksgiving break. Even though it is a short week, there is no shortage of updates and highlights from around the district!

Stoughton High students have been working hard this week preparing for the Thanksgiving festivities at SHS. The football team is pictured here practicing for the 97th Thanksgiving football game against rival Canton on Thursday. Additionally, the Powderpuff football players have been preparing for their game at Canton on Wednesday, the Powderpuff cheerleaders have been rehearsing for their much-anticipated Pep Rally performance on Wednesday, and students have been designing spirit walls to hang in the gymnasium during the Pep Rally. Our next newsletter will feature photos from these events.

O'Donnell Middle School students made the short walk up to SHS Tuesday afternoon and got to see the Stoughton High Marching Black Knights perform their award winning show. 7th and 8th grade students can participate in the band/color guard and the OMS members of the Marching Black Knights (pictured together in the first photo) were introduced before the performance began so their classmates could cheer them on. The Marching Black Knights will be performing at halftime of the Thanksgiving football game.

The OMS Student Council ran its annual Thanksgiving food drive to collect donations for the Stoughton food pantry. Student Council members are pictured here with some of the food items collected. Great job giving back to the community!

After reading "Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade", first grade students in Mrs. Russell’s class at the South School got together with their fourth grade buddies in Ms. Gabriel’s class to create their own balloon designs. The students then wrote about their creations. More photos can be found here.

On Tuesday Stoughton Public Schools students enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce! Students at the Hansen School are pictured here.

Here is a look at some of the Thanksgiving artwork on display at the Jones Early Childhood Center

The Dawe School held a book swap on Tuesday where students in each grade brought books in to donate and then could look for "new" books to take home from the ones that their classmates donated. The school's back hallway was turned into a bookstore with dozens and dozens of books spread out on the tables as students excitedly browsed and selected their next book(s) to read! Take a look at some pictures here...

Mrs. Catrambone’s class at the Gibbons School took a walking field trip to the Stoughton Post Office to purchase stamps and mail letters. Students learned vocabulary and social skills related to the unit by participating in a weekly community group lead by the teacher and therapists.

The Wilkins School PTO had a Sneaker Ball this past Friday in the school's gymnasium. Students came dressed in their best, paired with their favorite sneakers! Take a look at some pictures here...

Here is a reminder of our Thanksgiving break schedule:

Wednesday, November 22, 2023 - EARLY DISMISSAL

• School hours for Stoughton High & the O’Donnell Middle School will be 7:35am-11:32am on Wednesday. Elementary schools will be 8:30am-12:20pm. Preschool will be 8:30am-11am and there will be no afternoon preschool sessions. Lunch will be served in our schools on Wednesday.

Thursday, November 23, 2023 - THANKSGIVING DAY; NO SCHOOL

• Stoughton is hosting this year's Thanksgiving Day football game against Canton. The game starts at 10am at Veterans Memorial Stadium at SHS. Scroll below for more details.

Friday, November 24, 2023 - NO SCHOOL

• All schools and the district office reopen on Monday, November 27, 2023.

Looking forward to the Pep Rally at Stoughton High on Wednesday, and of course the Powderpuff football game at Canton following the Pep Rally and the Thanksgiving football game vs. Canton on Thursday!

More info about the Powderpuff game and Thanksgiving game is below:

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

• Tuesday, November 28, 2023 from 9:30-10:30am
  
  
• Thursday, December 21, 2023 from 9:30-10:30am

Use this link to take part in both sessions.

Save the date and join the Stoughton Special Education Parent Advisory Council for their November Meeting. It takes place on Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 6pm at Stoughton High School (Room A216) and includes a presentation called "Technology Troubles: Too Much Time Online."

This presentation, hosted by the Stoughton SEPAC and presented by Joana Silverman of the Pilgrim Area Collaborative will delve into how technology is impacting our children's health, mood, and social development. You will also learn strategies to help children interact with technology in a balanced way.

After the meeting, attendees will be invited for an adult social meetup at a local restaurant - details will be provided at the meeting.

Save the date! The O’Donnell Middle School PTSO's annual Craft & Vendor Fair will take place 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.

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: