SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo features the Stoughton High spring sports captains. Schedules for the SHS spring teams can be found here. Follow the Stoughton High School Athletics Facebook page for updates and photos from this spring season. Let's go Black Knights!

A total solar eclipse will be visible from many parts of the country this coming Monday, April 8. Parts of northern New England will be in the path of totality and will see a 100% total solar eclipse. Here in Stoughton, there will be about 91.7% coverage of the sun.

The solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun from view, will begin shortly after 2pm on Monday and will last until about 4:30pm. Even though Stoughton isn't in the path of totality, it is still important not to look directly at the eclipse without proper eye protection.

This is a pretty rare occurrence. The last solar eclipse visible from the US was in 2017 and the sun was far less obscured in Stoughton seven years ago than it will be on Monday (provided the weather cooperates). The next solar eclipse visible in the US will be in 2044.

DESE posted some information about the eclipse which you can take a look at here. NASA also has some information about the eclipse.

Sporting events at Stoughton High have been pushed back to 5pm on Monday out of caution. The Stoughton Public Library and Stoughton Recreation Department are hosting a solar eclipse viewing party at Halloran Park (next to the Jones Early Childhood Center/District Office) from 2:30-4pm.

So, enjoy this event and just remember for the sake of your bright eyes, don't look directly at this (near) total eclipse of the sun without proper eye protection.

I also want to provide an update on the new elementary school building project. Please watch this short video embedded below to learn more about the scope of this important project. The video provides information about the vision for the project, educational plan for a new building, site and building design, project cost, tax impact, and key upcoming dates. The video also includes renderings of what the new building and site will look like. It is less than six minutes long and is well worth your time. Next week I'll share another short video in this newsletter that goes into more detail about the elementary school consolidation plan.

There is also an abutters meeting for this project at the existing South Elementary School, 171 Ash St., on Wednesday, April 10 at 7pm. Abutters within a calculated zone of interest to the project are being invited. The meeting will include a brief project update and a Q&A session to address as many neighborhood concerns as possible. While this will be a public meeting, the primary focus will be geared toward the concerns of the neighbors of the site.

Finally, save the date for the next public forum about the building project - Monday, April 29 at 6:30pm at the South Elementary School. More details will be provided closer to the 29th.

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

Speaking of the solar eclipse, third graders in Mrs. Bohn’s class at the Wilkins School made special viewing boxes to use on Monday so they can safely view it. Students had some help from SPS PK-5 STEM Director Mrs. McDonough.

Tuesday, April 2 was Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month. Students in Mrs. Benitez's TLC class at the O'Donnell Middle School sold Autism awareness bracelets to fundraise for class field trips. Some of the students are pictured above holding signs they placed around the school to help advertise the bracelets and also promote Autism Awareness. The bulletin board near the main entrance of the OMS has also been decorated for Autism awareness.

The first visit in this year's SPS Spring Author Series took place on April 1 with author/illustrator Jannie Ho coming to the Dawe School. Students and families enjoyed an engaging and fun presentation and then got to have a book signed by Jannie! Some pictures from this visit are posted below.

Take a look at more pictures by clicking here.

The second visit in our Spring Author Series takes place this coming Monday, April 8 from 5-6pm when Mia Wenjen comes to the Hansen School (1800 Central St.). For more information and to see a complete schedule for the Spring Author Series, click here. And, to learn more about Mia Wenjen, click here.

On Tuesday, more than 80 Stoughton High students took the Seal of Biliteracy Exam. The rigorous exam tests students' language proficiency across reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Exams were given in French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, Ukrainian, Korean, Polish, Yoruba, and Vietnamese. Some students take this exam as first language or heritage speakers, while others take it in a language that they learned. If students achieve a passing score on this exam, as well as a passing score in English Language Arts on MCAS, they will be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on their high school diploma!

This guest column, by Stephanie Patton, Prevention Coordinator for the town of Stoughton, is about the results of the 2024 Stoughton Youth Health Survey at Stoughton High.

Have you been wondering about the results of the Youth Health Survey at Stoughton High? Here is a chance to see for yourself! Take a look at the following video presentation for some of the big findings from the survey:

Spoiler alert! MOST SHS students are making healthy choices when it comes to avoiding drugs and alcohol or other risky behaviors. Get the details for yourself and share them with your student. The survey results make a great conversation starter. What has their experience been? Does the data reflect that? Why or why not? Is the data hard to believe? Most students (and adults) hold misperceptions about the behaviors of their peers. We all tend to overestimate risky behavior (like underage drinking) and underestimate healthy behavior (like wearing seatbelts). This is a great way to get curious about the data. If you have additional questions about the findings please reach out to Stephanie Patton, Prevention Coordinator at spatton@stoughton-ma.gov.

Next week, we will be sharing more info about the results of the Youth Health Survey at the O'Donnell Middle School. Click here to visit the OASIS website for more data from the Youth Health Survey.

Attention families with students entering preschool or kindergarten in September, or with a student entering grades 1-12 who did not attend the Stoughton Public Schools this school year: The Stoughton Public Schools online pre-registration portal for next school year (2024-2025 school year) is now open.

The pre-registration process begins online and no longer takes place at the individual schools. Please visit our Central Registration Office website for more information about the pre-registration process.

(Please note that for the 2024-2025 school year, preschool students must be 3 or 4 years of age by August 31, 2024 and be toilet trained. For kindergarten, children must be 5 years old by August 31, 2024. Students only need to register for grades 1-12 if they do not currently attend the Stoughton Public Schools.​)

The Stoughton School Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 in the conference room at the SPS District Office, 31 Pierce St. The public portion of the meeting starts at 7pm. An agenda for the meeting can be found 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: