September Newsletter

The 2024-2025 school year is about to begin. We hope you have had a wonderful summer. We are excited to welcome back our returning students and meet our new students on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 7:35 am. There is excitement and a positive energy permeating the building as we prepare for the opening.

Student schedules are available through the Parent/Student PowerSchool portal.

We have implemented a new schedule for this school year, so we will all be learning and getting used to this new schedule. The new schedule is a 4-day schedule; A, B, C, and D days. A and C days are nearly identical for students, while B and D days are nearly identical for students. Students take four classes a day. A special awesome opportunity for extra help, make up, time to complete homework, time to meet with a counselor (without missing a class), and time for a brain break has been built into the schedule. This awesome opportunity is called FlexBlock. All students will have FlexBlock after the second period of the day. Students are assigned to a specific FlexBlock but may request an appointment pass from one of their teachers, at least one day ahead of time, to visit their teacher during FlexBlock to recieve extra help, work on assignments, and/or make up tests and quizzes. Students will recieve more information about FlexBlock during the first couple days of school.

We will be running a slightly different schedule on the first two days of school, September 4 and September 5. Students will report to FlexBlock to start the day on these two days of school. The first two days' schedule is here for you to view.

SHS Back to School Knight for parents/guardians is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18, 2024 beginning at 6:00 pm and ends at 8:00 pm. The presentation begins in the Auditorium where SHS Administration shares some key information and updates for the school year and provides a copy of your student's schedule (if needed). Parents/Guardians then follow their student's schedule and meet each of their student's teachers, receive a copy of the course syllabus and grading expectations, and hear information about the course their student is enrolled in. The schedule for the evening's program can be found here.

Would your student like to have a locker assigned to them for their use during the school day? Students must supply their own combination lock. Once they have their combination lock, they can complete the Locker Google Form to request a locker. Dean, Mr. Hiltz, is in charge of lockers and will assign the next available locker to your student.

September 4, 2024 - First Day of School for Students Grades 9-12

September 18, 2024 - Back to School Knight @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

September 30, 2024 - School Picture Day

Save the Date:

October 16, 2024 - Parent/Guardian Teacher Conferences @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Since our return to typical schooling following COVID, we have seen a rise in student absenteeism across the country and at SHS. SHS took a hard look at our attendance rates at the end of the 2022-2023 school year and created a plan for improving our overall student attendance. On average, students at SHS missed 7.1 days of school in the 2023-2024 school year (down from 8.1 day in 2022-2023) and 21% of our students missed 10 or more days of school (down from 25.6% in 2022-2023). We have made some progress in the year, but will continue to focus on our attendance rates in the 2024-2025 school year. We know how important attendance is for the success of our students. When students are chronically absent, defined as missing 2 or more absences a month, they are more likely to be retained in school and are at risk of dropping out of school. At SHS, students who miss more than 10 days of school in a full year class lose credit for the class, meaning the student will get the grade they earned but will lose the credit for the class. Loss of credits leads to retention in their grade and can lead to the student not graduating on time with their class.

Student attendance is a priority area again this year for SHS. We are working to increase student participation in school attendance and have implemented several strategies to help us identify those students at risk sooner and implement supports.

This year you can expect:

• To receive a phone call in the morning notifying you early in the school day if your student is absent in the first class period of the day. If you know your student will be absent, please call the high school office attendance line at (781) 344-7001 and press 1.

• Notification if your student has been absent for part or the whole day at the end of the school day.
• Letters of attendance when a student reaches 5 absences in a class with a meeting request with administration in order to work together to address any obstacles or issues in attending school regularly. With another follow up letter and meeting if the student reaches 10 absences.
• The high school student support team will work with families of students who may be at risk.
• Educational programming for students and families on the attendance policy at SHS and the resources available for students. Please make note of the highlighted portion.
• Our school counselors and adjustment counselors are available to meet with students to discuss any issues that may be negatively impacting them and their attendance.

We are looking forward to partnering with you for the success of your student.

Ms. Hilary Filkins, Assitant Principal M-Z

Ms. Hilary Filkins dedicated over 15 years to teaching English at Brockton High School before transitioning to a leadership role in November 2020. She then served as the Humanities Department Chair at Edmond P. Talbot Middle School in Fall River for nearly two years, during which she earned a fellowship through Boston College's Lynch Leadership Academy to obtain her administrative license. As part of this fellowship, Ms. Filkins served in the charter school landscape, where she further honed her leadership skills before transitioning to her current role. Now in her second year as one of two Assistant Principals at Stoughton High School, Ms. Filkins continues to demonstrate her commitment as a student-centered educator, passionate about driving sustainable change through culturally responsive practices. In the 2024-2025 school year, she aims to further develop equitable discipline practices that ensure every student receives fair treatment and support, fostering an inclusive and just school environment. Ms. Filkins holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing from The University of Arizona and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Mr. Michael O'Neil, Assistant Principal A-L

Mr. O'Neil first started at the Childrens’ Hospital Adolescent Psychiatric Unit and taught at the CHARMS educational collaborative. Both places provided him with invaluable experience working with young people. Mr. O'Neil taught history and coached high school basketball at Hull and Norton High School for over a decade. In 2011, he joined the high school administrative team as an assistant principal. In his spare time over the years, Mr. O'Neil could be found coaching many different youth sports from age 5 to Legion baseball. Mr. O'Neil takes tremendous enjoyment from watching each class graduate every June and move on to the next phase of their lives. He looks forward to watching the Class of 2025 begin their next steps towards their futures.

Mr. David Hiltz, Dean Grades 9 & 11

Mr. David Hiltz is entering his third year as one of two Deans at Stoughton High School. The Deans split the student body by graduation year/grade and he is responsible for the Classes of 2026 (Juniors) and 2028 (Freshman). Previous to this role, he spent ten years as a Social Studies teacher in a neighboring district. During his time in the classroom, he earned a Masters Degree in History from the University of Massachusetts Boston as well as a Masters in Educational Leadership from Endicott College through the LLP Program. The program, run by the Massachusetts School Administrators Association, gave Mr. Hiltz direct instruction from practicing administrators-Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Directors, and Principals, preparing him for a building level leadership role. Mr. Hiltz collaborates with the administrative staff as well as the larger SHS faculty to support students through accountability and equitable discipline practices. In the upcoming year, Mr. Hiltz seeks to work with all stakeholders to continue to develop a safe, supportive, and inclusive school environment.

Ms. Rachelle Russo, Dean Grades 10 & 12

Ms. Rachelle Russo is beginning her second year at Stoughton High School as one of the Dean's. She has 9 years experience as a middle school teacher in New Bedford, MA. where she taught 6th grade math/science for three years and 8th grade English for six years. She left teaching in New Bedford to take a position as the English Department Head at Fonseca Elementary school where she remained for two years before going back to New Bedford as an Assistant Principal of one of the middle schools. After serving as Assistant Principal in New Bedford for eight years, Ms. Russo sought to broaden her experience at the high school level and is pleased with her decision to join Stoughton. Now in her second year as one of two Deans at Stoughton High School, Ms. Russo remains dedicated to fostering strong connections with all stakeholders and is deeply committed to implementing sustainable change through culturally responsive approaches. In the 2024-2025 school year, she plans to enhance equitable discipline practices to guarantee that every student is treated fairly and supported, promoting a more inclusive and just school community. Ms. Russo holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Rhode Island, A Master's of Art in Teaching from Rhode Island College, and a Master's in Administration from the University of Phoenix.

• The process begins online at https://www.stoughtonschools.org/page/central-registration-office

Need a work permit?

• Students may drop off their work permit applications in the main office at the start of school. The SHS Main Office then issues the work permit Monday - Friday at 2:15 pm.

Questions about Athletics?

• Our Athletic Director, Mr. Robin Ireland, can be reached at r_ireland@stoughtonschools.org