SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo features the players in the "Buddies vs. Badges" basketball fundraiser at Stoughton High. Members of the Stoughton High Best Buddies Club went up against members of the Stoughton Police Department and Stoughton Fire Department. Click here to see a photo gallery from what was a feel-good afternoon in the SHS gymnasium!

We held a community forum at Town Hall earlier this week to provide the latest updates about the new elementary school building project, including going over the schematic design as well as the project's cost and tax impact. If you missed it, or would like to see it again, watch the video embedded below from SMAC:

You can also view the slideshow presentation here.

The Building Committee will be meeting with the Select Board on March 19 to give an overview of the project, including a cost analysis. We will also be requesting a special Town Meeting to be scheduled within the annual Town Meeting this spring so that Town Meeting members can vote on the project. We will also be working with the Select Board to set a date for a community vote on the project. Stay tuned for further updates.

In the meantime, for more information about the new elementary school project, including links to see virtual previews of what the new building would look like, please visit the project's website.

We also had the opportunity to discuss the FY2025 budget with the Finance Committee on Wednesday. We will continue to work on the budget for next school year and more information in regards to the budget will be discussed at the upcoming School Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 12. Full details about this meeting can be found further down in this newsletter.

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

The Stoughton Public Schools and the Stoughton Historical Society are pleased to announce that the Honorable David J. Breen, Stoughton High Class of 1982, and Erin K. Flaherty, Ph.D., SHS Class of 2008, will be inducted into the Stoughton High School Hall of Fame for Extraordinary Achievement. The induction ceremony will be held Friday, March 15, 2024 from 9-10:30am in the Stoughton High School Auditorium, 232 Pearl Street. The public is welcome to attend.

Judge Breen is the First Justice of the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court, and prior to that was an Associate Justice of the B.M.C. He is also a former law professor and prosecutor.

Dr. Flaherty has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and contributed to the understanding of neuronal circuits and established how genetic mutations disrupt neurodevelopment. She is also a member of the Stoughton High Athletic Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to both Judge Breen and Dr. Flaherty! We are looking forward to the induction ceremony!

Congratulations to the Stoughton High Tuesday Jazz Band for winning a gold medal at the MAJE Senior District Festival earlier this week! Nico Uchani earned MVP honors for the entire festival and also received an Outstanding Musicianship Award. Caleb Mendonca and Andy Carlson received Outstanding Musicianship Awards as well.

The Tuesday Jazz band will next compete at the MAJE State Finals in Norwood on March 16.

(Photo via Stoughton POPS)

Last Saturday, 15 Stoughton High HOSA (Future Health Professionals) members and their advisors, Mrs. Wiebe and Ms. Asselin, attended the Massachusetts State Conference at Worcester State University.

The following students were recognized in HOSA events and have qualified for Nationals:

• Arielle Rothman placed first in Clinical Lab Science
• Ruby Guglia placed second in Nursing Assisting
• Dhruvi Patel placed third in Pharmacy Science
• Sarah Riker placed second in Sports Medicine
• The team of Arielle Rothman, Sarah Riker, Sophia Woodward, Ruby Guglia, and Dhruvi Patel placed second in Health Education

Congratulations!

Stoughton High junior Emily Dupont represented SHS at the Region V Science Fair at Bridgewater State University this past weekend with her project "The Chemistry of Dyeing".

Congratulations to Stoughton High wrestling captain Angie Berry for winning the girls Division 2 state wrestling championship in the 120 pound weight class! Angie, a junior, is seen here with SHS wrestling coach Andrew Iverson following her win. She followed up winning the Division 2 championship with a second place finish in the all state meet and reached the quarterfinals of the New England championship meet.

Fourth grade students at the Hansen School had a hands-on lesson about how to determine the perimeter of objects. They are pictured here measuring the sides of different shapes and making equations to find out how many inches of tape was used.

Gibbons fifth grade students are pictured here working with Gibbons kindergarten students. The fifth graders are amazing role models!

"Get'cha Head in the Game" and get ready for the The O'Donnell Middle School Drama Club's performance of High School Musical Jr.! There are three performances, all taking place at the Stoughton High Auditorium:

• Thursday, March 14 at 7pm
• Friday, March 15 at 7pm
• Saturday, March 16 at 2pm

If you're thinking this is exactly "What I’ve Been Looking For" you can buy tickets in advance online, or you can buy tickets at the door (cash only). It's $10 for adults and $5 for students/seniors.

"We're All in This Together" and are looking forward to what is sure to be an amazing show!

(The poster above was designed by OMS student and cast member Logan Fitzgerald!)

Registration is open for our April Vacation STEM Camp. This camp is for Stoughton Public Schools students in grades 2-5 and will take place at the O'Donnell Middle School on April 16, 17, and 18 during the vacation week. It will provide elementary students with the options to participate in science, technology, engineering, and math project based learning programs that will enhance their educational experience. Click here for more information and to register.

Students attending the SPS February Vacation Humanities Camp are pictured above.

Registration for the spring sports season at Stoughton High and the O'Donnell Middle School is open!

Stoughton High School

• Click here for more information and to register to participate in spring sports at Stoughton High. The deadline to register for SHS spring sports is March 15, 2024.

O'Donnell Middle School

• Click here for more information and to register to participate in middle school track and field (open to only 7th and 8th grade students). The deadline to register for OMS spring sports is April 7, 2024.

The Gibbons (March 9), Hansen (March 16), and Dawe (March 23) fairs will be held over the next three weekends. The Gibbons School's Winterfest is up first, taking place this Saturday from 10am-2pm at the Gibbons, 235 Morton St.

Click on the links below to see how you can volunteer to help the PTOs/PTAs that organize these events for our families:

• Gibbons
• Hansen
• Dawe

The Stoughton School Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 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.

Daylight saving time starts at 2am on Sunday, March 10, so remember to set your clocks one hour ahead this weekend!

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: