SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo features a “Walk at School” celebration with TLC students, families, and staff at the Dawe School on April 2 (Autism Acceptance and Awareness Day). This event helped to kick-off the Dawe’s observance and celebration of Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month, which is held each April.

A question asking voters to approve funding the new elementary school building project is on the ballot when voters head to the polls for Stoughton's Town Election on April 8.

WHAT A YES VOTE MEANS:

• Building a new elementary school off Park St. for approximately 600 students.
• Taking advantage of a $47 million grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) which significantly lowers the town’s share of the project cost.
• Stoughton will go from 5 elementary schools to 4 (the new building along with the Dawe, Gibbons, and Hansen). Redistricting will take place as elementary school neighborhood boundary lines are redrawn.
• Overcrowding in all of our elementary schools will be reduced thanks to there being more space available in the new building and through redistricting efforts.
• More students have access to 21st century educational spaces.
• The South School property is turned back over to the town, the Jones School property is turned back over to the town, and the Wilkins School becomes a preschool/district office for SPS.

WHAT A NO VOTE MEANS:

• South School building remains in disrepair and will have to close.
• Overcrowding issue at other elementary buildings not resolved.
• Temporary modular classrooms planned for remaining elementary buildings. Town cost of $30-35 million without funding from state to offset cost.
• Redistricting still takes place.
• Loss of a $47 million grant from the MSBA.

TOP 10 PRIORITIES FOR OUR NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The following list is summarized from the MSBA-approved New Elementary Building Project Feasibility Study: Preliminary Educational Program, 2023, written by South School Principal Jake Dore and Wilkins School Principal Katie Monahan.

1. Community Spaces - The gym and cafe have a dedicated entry separate from the rest of the school. The rest of the school can be locked with limited public access during non-school hours.
   
   
2. Learning Commons - Includes entryway, vestibule, library space, learning space, and community learning space.
   
   
3. Grade Level Communities - Floors dedicated to two specific grade levels, with each grade level community clustered together.
   
   
4. Collaboration Spaces for Student Learning - Located within each wing, collaboration spaces are places for small groups of students and teachers to work together.
   
   
5. STEAM Lab - an area dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics instruction.
   
   
6. Safety - Updated safety elements throughout the building to surround students and staff with 21st century support and protection.
   
   

7. Outdoor Learning Spaces - The plan includes spaces throughout the building and grounds that support learning opportunities.
   
   

8. Green Spaces (Using the Building as a Teacher) - Rooftop sustainable garden space, exposed and labeled piping, recycled water system, etc.
   
   

9. Differentiated Learning/Support Spaces - Appropriate spaces for specialized populations, including Special Education learning spaces, counseling/speech/Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy offices, and Multilingual learner class spaces.
   
   

10. Educator Spaces - This includes appropriate spaces for teachers to plan and prepare lesson material, classroom spaces, lunch/collaboration spaces, meeting spaces, and parking spaces!

Our other remaining elementary schools - the Dawe, Gibbons, and Hansen - will also benefit from this building project. Building a new elementary school will result in more available educational space at our other elementary schools. We will be able to restore library spaces at each school, add STEM spaces, and create more in-district programming for ALL schools.

As part of the plan for the new elementary school project, the Wilkins building will no longer be an elementary school and will instead be utilized as a preschool and district office. The Jones School, also in need of many repairs, would be closed. Having preschool at the Wilkins allows more students to be able to enroll in our preschool program.

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, this project is so much more than just addressing the needs of the South School. This project will allow for every elementary student in Stoughton to receive a high-quality education in a building that supports 21st century learning, regardless of what school they end up going to after the redistricting process.

I believe in the old saying, “it takes a village to raise our children.” It also takes a community willing to do what is right. It is now your call on April 8!

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

Have questions or want to learn more about the new elementary school building project ahead of the Tuesday, April 8 Town Election? There are recordings of two recent forums about the project embedded below:

April 1st Virtual Forum

Presentation at the Senior Center

Building Project Office Hours

There is a virtual office hours session on Monday, April 7 from 4:30-5:30pm. Click here to join.

Families with younger children are invited to a playground social this weekend to learn more about the elementary school building project! The playground social will be hosted by School Committee Chair Katherine Weiss at the Gibbons School playground (235 Morton St.) this Saturday, April 5 from 9:30-10:30am. There will be a read aloud of "If I Built a School" by Chris Van Dusen. Children will be able to use paper and crayons so they can design their own school, and parents/guardians (and children) can ask any questions they may have about the project.

Please note that due to the weather forecast, Sunday's event at the Dawe playground has been canceled.

At its meeting Tuesday night, the School Committee voted to approve a contract for Juliette Miller to serve as the next Superintendent of Schools. This contract is effective July 1, 2026, after current Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Baeta retires on June 30, 2026.

Ms. Miller has been the Principal at Stoughton High since 2012 and has previous experience as a math teacher and math department head at Stoughton High and assistant principal in two other school districts. She is a 1994 graduate of Stoughton High School.

The School Committee looks forward to inviting Ms. Miller to its next meeting on April 15 to formally introduce her as the Superintendent Elect. Ms. Miller will serve as Superintendent Elect next school year while continuing to carry out her duties as SHS Principal.

The Stoughton High Theatre Program's production of Anon(ymous) won the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild's High School Drama Festival! Stoughton was one of three schools to take home the top prize at the festival, along with Peabody and Milton.

The final round of the METG Festival was held over three nights, March 27-29, at the Back Bay Events Center/John Hancock Hall in Boston. Stoughton took the stage last Friday night with a powerful performance of Anon(ymous), a modern adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey”, which tells the journey of a young refugee from a faraway land and his efforts to reunite with his mother.

In addition to winning the overall competition, three Stoughton students also earned All-Star Company awards at the finals: Luis Daveiga (acting), Caci Jenkins (acting), and Nora Maguire (scenic artist).

There were more than 100 schools to enter the festival, with just 15 advancing to the finals. Stoughton had previously taken part in the preliminary round on March 1 (serving as one of the host sites) and the semi-final round on March 15.

SHS students to win All-Star awards in previous rounds of the festival include: Cameron Harris (acting); Luis Daveiga (acting); Julius McCann (acting); Caci Jenkins (acting); Deborah Lima (assistant directing); Nyle Drewes Miner (lighting); Cameron Schumacher (technical direction); Chloe Woodworth, Thayla Carvalho, Sydney Heller, Neza Amado, Vanessa Oliveira, Linh-Nhi Nguyen (all for ensemble acting), and Maxine Oggiano and Sivani Buddah (David Dooley Unsung Hero Award recipients).

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Anon(ymous) and to SHS Theatre Director Kevin Hallock!

The cast and crew of Stoughton High's production of Anon(ymous) is pictured above with their championship trophy at the awards ceremony last Saturday night. The cast and crew is pictured below following their performance last Friday.

Mrs. Benitez's class at the O'Donnell Middle School sold Autism Awareness bracelets in the cafetorium this week. April is Autism Acceptance & Awareness Month and Wednesday, April 2 was Autism Acceptance & Awareness Day.

On Wednesday, roughly 50 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, Korean, Latin, and Japanese. 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!

Last week, the College and Career Center at Stoughton High hosted "Post-Secondary Planning Knight" for 200 students and parents. They attended various workshops pertaining to writing college essays, the types of admissions, ACT vs. SAT, new careers in energy and AI, the many options in the trades, military benefits, free community college, financial aid, free training programs, and career services after high school. Attendees also heard from keynote speaker Erica Stocks (a 1997 SHS graduate) from Boston University Dental Student Affairs.

Attention families looking to register for next school year:

The pre-registration portal for preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1-12 for the 2025-2026 school year is open. More information and the link to the pre-registration forms can be found by clicking here.

Please keep in mind:

• Preschool students must be 3 or 4 years of age by August 31, 2025 and be toilet trained. Pre-registration does not guarantee a spot in the preschool program as there are limited spots available.
  
  
• For kindergarten, children must be 5 years old by August 31, 2025. Any student currently attending the Jones Early Childhood Center for preschool that will be entering kindergarten in the fall must still register for kindergarten.
  
  
• Students only need to register for grades 1-12 if they do not currently attend the Stoughton Public Schools.

If your business or place of employment has an internship program or would like to host an intern from Stoughton High School, please contact College and Career Counselor Ashley Guba at a_guba@stoughtonschools.org. See the flyer below for more details:

Looking for a fun activity for your child next early release day? Visit the Storybook Nature Trail, located at the Bradley Lessa Playground (1258 West St. in Stoughton) next Thursday, April 10 at 2pm and join the Stoughton Public Library for a guided read along of The Ship in the Window by Travis Jonker. Snacks will also be available.

Speaking of the Stoughton Public Library, they are holding another poetry contest as part of the Stoughton Reads Together Program. Students are being asked to write a poem to celebrate friendship and exploration, themes of Stoughton Reads Together! 2025 and its children's book companion The Ship in the Window by Travis Jonker. Children's poems will be displayed in the children's room of the library.

The Town Wide Beautification Day is coming up on Saturday, April 12! Volunteers are needed to help out! This is a great activity to get students involved in. Click here for more information and to register to help!

The Smart Recycling Guide can also be found in Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.

Did you know that Stoughton Public Schools has partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students, staff, and their family members? Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help you quickly find mental health, social services, or substance use treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of circumstance.

• Call: 888-515-0595 (available 24/7/365 with multilingual support)
• Visit: caresolace.com/stoughtonschools to search or click “Book Appointment”.

For updates throughout the week, be sure to follow Stoughton Public Schools on social media: