SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo (above) features the cast and crew of the Stoughton High School Theatre program's production of Hadestown. You can see Hadestown at SHS this weekend (Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday at 4pm)...more details can be found below in this newsletter!

On Thursday night we had the first meeting of the Elementary Redistricting Committee. Redistricting is the process of redrawing the boundary lines that determine where students attend elementary school. Over the next several months this Committee will be gathering information and exploring how best to redistrict our elementary neighborhoods as we deal with an increase in student population and overcrowding in our elementary buildings. Stoughton High Principal Juliette Miller is chairing this Committee. At Thursday’s meeting, South School Principal Jake Dore was voted vice chair and Amy Saraiva, Assistant Administrator of Special Education for PK-5, was voted recording secretary. Our redistricting efforts will be an open process - the Committee will have open meetings the public can attend and meetings will also be aired on SMAC. We will keep families updated throughout this process.

Redistricting at the elementary level is going to happen in some form, but the path we take will be determined by what happens with the new elementary school building project, which leads me to the next topic. A special fall Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday and Wednesday of next week. One of the items in the warrant is a petitioned article from a community member to request that the Select Board schedule a revote for funding the new consolidated elementary school building project. The MSBA has allowed us to pursue this opportunity after the vote this past June failed. Having a revote would give the Town another chance of receiving a $47 million grant from the MSBA towards the construction of a new elementary school.

As I have communicated previously, it remains a priority for the district to continue to pursue building a new consolidated elementary school as this is still the best option for our students’ education and the town’s finances. However, in the event the effort to have a revote on this project is not successful, an alternative, admittedly less desirable option to building a new school, is to close the South School and place modular classrooms at the Dawe, Gibbons, and Hansen elementary schools that could accommodate a total of 300+/- students. This is still very costly, is just a temporary band-aid, and we would not receive state funding to help pay for it.

The school district also has some capital items on the special Town Meeting warrant:

• Telephone system replacements in our buildings

• Complete HVAC services at the Dawe School

• Charging carts for Chromebooks for elementary schools

• Funding to conduct a Capital Needs Assessment relative to all school buildings

Speaking of capital items, at this week’s School Committee meeting, I mentioned that an accessible swing at the Gibbons School has been ordered and we anticipate having it installed this spring. And, the Hansen School playground upgrades are on track to be ready for the start of next school year. Drainage work will take place this spring, with installation of new playground equipment to follow. Please keep in mind that demand for playground equipment is high and there is a 26 week wait for delivery.

Finally, National Grid is awaiting supplies to fix the school zone flashing lights in front of the Gibbons. We anticipate these lights will be functioning in the coming weeks. We thank the Town for its support in helping us address this issue.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

Congratulations to Emma Bukhenik (1st place), Nya'Lia Lindsey (2nd place), and Claire Byrne (3rd place), all sophomores at Stoughton High School, for winning the VFW's Voice of Democracy audio essay contest at the local level this school year!

High school students across the country enter this contest. This year, students were asked to record a 3-5 minute audio essay answering "Is America today our forefathers’ vision?" At SHS, students in the Pre-AP US History class submitted entries.

Stoughton American Legion Commander Michael Pazyra, representing the Stoughton VFW on behalf of Commander James Kelly, presented certificates and prizes to the local winners at SHS earlier this week. The three winners from SHS are pictured here with Commander Pazyra and SHS Pre-AP US History teacher Melanie Ingrao.

Congratulations to O'Donnell Middle School 8th grade students Safiya Griffiths (1st place), Kaitlyn Mitchell (2nd place), and Isabella Carrara (3rd place) for winning the VFW's Patriot's Pen Essay Contest at the local level this school year!

All Team 8B Civics students participated in the annual Patriot's Pen Essay contest back in October. The contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief.

Discussing the importance of living in America and the sacrifices our Armed Forces make to protect our democracy, rights, and freedoms, students were inspired to write their essay on this year’s theme, “My Voice in America's Democracy".

Stoughton American Legion Commander Michael Pazyra, representing the Stoughton VFW on behalf of Commander James Kelly, presented certificates and prizes to the winners at the O’Donnell Middle School earlier this week. The three winners from OMS are pictured here with Commander Pazyra, OMS Principal Katrina Crowley, and team 8B social studies teacher Caitlin Valair.

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is held on November 14, coinciding with the anniversary of when she integrated an all white school in New Orleans in 1960 at the age of 6. This Walk to School Day honors her legacy and commemorates her historic steps. Gibbons School students, families, and staff took part in the walk Thursday morning. In honor of the occasion, many students and staff wore purple (Ruby's favorite color).

Stoughton Fire Department Chief Mike Carroll gave the SPS School Safety Team a tour of the new Stoughton Fire Station on Prospect St. on Monday. The SPS School Safety Team includes school leaders and command staff from Stoughton Police and Stoughton Fire. The safety of our students and staff members is a priority and this team meets monthly to review and improve the safety procedures we use in the Stoughton Public Schools.

On Wednesday, members of the SPS School Safety Team provided a training for Stoughton High and O'Donnell Middle School staff. There will be a training for elementary staff in December.

Pictured left to right in the photo above: Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Baeta, SPS Director of Health Services Danielle Gallan, SHS Principal Juliette Miller, SPS Director of Facilities and Grounds Dennis Rego, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources & Wellness Matt Colantonio, OMS Principal Katrina Crowley, Stoughton Police Deputy Chief Nate Derby, Gibbons Principal Dave Guglia, and Stoughton Fire Chief Mike Carroll.

Dr. Amy Quealy, SPS English Learner Education Director, and Dawn-Marie Fernandes, Assistant ELE Director, attended a training session with ELLevation on Friday in Boston. They were with ELE directors from around the state to learn about best practices and new technologies to serve our multilingual learners. ELLevation is a premiere tech company that is a one-stop shop to assist multilingual learners from DESE compliance to best practices and second language acquisition strategies. Stoughton was an early adopter of ELLevation and now they are in 49 states.

The Stoughton High School Theatre program is presenting Hadestown this weekend! Shows are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 15-17, in the Stoughton High Auditorium. Click here to buy your tickets in advance online. SHS Theatre always does a great job with its productions...can't wait for this show!

The Gibbons School is hosting a multicultural night on Friday, November 15 from 6-7:30pm at the Gibbons (235 Morton St.). This event is open to all SPS families!

Winter sports registration is open for both Stoughton High and the O'Donnell Middle School. There is no cost to participate in sports at SHS or OMS. Don't wait...sign up today! Click here to register.

The following winter sports are offered at the high school level: boys/girls basketball, boys/girls hockey, boys/girls swim, boys/girls indoor track and field, cheerleading, and wrestling.

The following winter sports are offered at the middle school level: boys/girls basketball and wrestling. There is also a winter OMS dance team.

We are also offering Unified Bocce this winter!

The Stoughton OASIS Coalition is offering a parenting workshop for families of preschool students at the Jones Early Childhood Center. There is a workshop on Tuesday, November 19 about managing challenging behaviors and one on Tuesday, December 10 about healthy bedtime routines. Both take place at the Jones from 5-7:30pm. Light dinner and childcare will be provided. Please note that registration is required (click here to register). See the flyer below for more information.

The Federation for Children with Special Needs will be presenting a "Basic Rights: Evaluation & Eligibility" workshop at the next SEPAC meeting on Thursday, November 21 at 6pm at Stoughton High (Room A216). Attendees must pre-register if they wish to attend virtually and/or receive the presentation handouts. Click here for the registration link.

Save the date for this great holiday shopping opportunity from POPS Stoughton!

Click on the links to view the flyer in the following languages: Portuguese, Haitian, 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: