SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo features first graders in Mrs. Lockhart's class at the Hansen School celebrating the 100th day of the school year by making 100th day crowns and $100 bills with their own faces on them! The 100th day of the 2024-2025 school year was on Monday, February 10. Visit the Stoughton Public Schools Facebook page to see how elementary classes around the district marked the occasion.

As we close today for the start of February vacation, I am wishing all Stoughton Public Schools families, students, staff, and community members a restful and relaxing week spent with family and friends. I am looking forward to seeing you when we return to school on February 24. There will be many updates to share about the new elementary school building project, redistricting, and next school year's budget, so stay tuned.

Have a great weekend and a great vacation.

Sincerely,

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Baeta recently announced his intent to retire on June 30, 2026, making this announcement almost a year and a half from his retirement date to provide the district an opportunity to have a succession plan.

Succession planning was one of the topics on the agenda at the School Committee’s meeting on Tuesday. After voting to formally accept Dr. Baeta’s letter of resignation with intent to retire at the end of his contract, the School Committee discussed what it was looking for in the next Superintendent. Agreeing that an internal candidate would be the best fit based on criteria the School Committee determined to evaluate potential candidates, the School Committee voted to invite current Stoughton High Principal Juliette Miller to interview for the position of Superintendent.

Ms. Miller, SHS Principal since 2012, and a 1994 SHS graduate, has been invited to be interviewed by members of the School Committee on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. During this interview, Ms. Miller will be asked to discuss her vision of student excellence, her understanding of current challenges facing Stoughton Public Schools and potential solutions, and her approach to building strong community partnerships.

Dr. Baeta will remain Superintendent through June 2026.

Message from the Technology Department:

The Stoughton Public Schools Technology Department provided contact information via a secure upload of the staff and students affected by the PowerSchool data breach.

PowerSchool will be reaching out to all parties affected via a third party (Experian) regarding signing up for credit monitoring. You may also refer to this link to PowerSchool for more information:

The O’Donnell Middle School’s Project 351 ambassador and nominees were honored at Tuesday night’s School Committee meeting.

Each year 8th grade students are nominated for consideration to be the OMS ambassador for Project 351. Project 351 provides a year of service and leadership opportunities for 8th grade ambassadors from each of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

Tori Chaisson was chosen as the O'Donnell Middle School's Project 351 Ambassador for this school year. The other nominees from OMS were Christa Mikhael, Oluwademilade Joel Omidiji, Kayden Pham, Angel Phan, Sophia Singer, and Ava Thibodeaux.

Tori addressed the School Committee and shared her experiences representing Stoughton and participating in Project 351's "launch day" in Boston in January.

Tori and the other OMS Project 351 nominees also received certificates from School Committee Chair Katherine Weiss, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Baeta, and OMS Principal Katrina Crowley.

The students are pictured above with members of the School Committee, Dr. Baeta, and Mrs. Crowley.

Congratulations!

Click here for more photos.

Stoughton Public Schools and Curry College are partnering to offer an exciting three-day immersive experience over April Vacation (April 22-24, 2025) where 5th graders will explore math, science, humanities, and social-emotional learning in a college setting! Led by Curry College faculty and students, this program offers hands-on activities, engaging experiments, and a unique glimpse into college life. Stoughton Public Schools will also have staff members present as group leaders.

Key Program Details:

• When: April 22, 2025 - April 24, 2025 (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)
• Location: Curry College, Milton, MA
• Transportation: Provided by SPS (drop-off/pick-up at Dawe Elementary)
• Lunch: Students bring their own lunch/snacks
• Capacity: 40 students
• Registration Deadline: March 3, 2025 (students notified by March 7)
• Selection Criteria: Student interest, commitment to attendance, school behavior, teacher recommendations, and ensuring diverse representation.

Click on the buttons below to learn more about the 5th Grade Explorers Academy at Curry College and to submit your application:

The pre-registration process for preschool is now open. Preschool students must be 3 or 4 years of age by August 31, 2025 and be toilet trained. Please be advised that pre-registration does not guarantee a spot in the preschool program as there are limited spots available. More information and the link to the pre-registration form can be found by clicking here.

The pre-registration process for grades K-12 will start in March. For kindergarten, children must be 5 years old by August 31, 2025. Students only need to register for grades 1-12 if they do not currently attend the Stoughton Public Schools. Stay tuned for more information closer to March.

Registration for the 2025 spring sports season at Stoughton High is now open. Don't wait...sign up today and be ready for the first day of tryouts/practices! Click here to register.

The MIAA Division 2 South Sectional Wrestling Tournament is taking place at Stoughton High this Saturday, February 15 at 9am. See the flyer below for more details. Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here.

Save the date! The Stoughton High School Theatre Program will be presenting Anon(ymous) on Friday, February 28, 2025 at 6pm in the SHS Auditorium. This is a preview of Stoughton High's entry to the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild's High School Drama Festival.

Stoughton High is a preliminary round host site for the METG's Drama Festival. Eight high schools, including Stoughton, will be performing at SHS on Saturday, March 1, 2025. For more information about the festival, click here and see the flyers below.

Save the date for the annual Evening of Jazz on Wednesday, March 19 at 5:30pm at Stoughton High. The event will feature performances by the SHS jazz bands, Oliver Ames jazz band, and O'Donnell Middle School jazz band. Special guest Bijon Watson, a Grammy Award-winning trumpet player, will also perform with SHS students!

Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door and can be purchased by clicking here.

The Jones Early Childhood Center PTO invites families from across the district to its next meeting on Tuesday, February 25 at 6pm at the Jones (137 Walnut St.). Dr. Baeta and TJ Recupero from the elementary school building committee will be on hand to discuss the new elementary school building project as well as redistricting. Childcare will be provided. See the flyer below for more details:

Attention Parents/Guardians/Community Members: Recruiting any professionals in the trades, healthcare, STEM, business, information technology, law/government, transportation, and marketing (not limited to these) industries willing to discuss their careers and answer questions for the event above please contact SHS College and Career Counselor, Ashley Guba: a_guba@stoughtonschools.org.

We will be one of the school districts at the MPDE Educator Diversity Career Fair on Saturday, March 1, 2025. The fair takes place from 10am-2pm at Brookline High School. If you are looking for a career in education, or know someone who is, check out the flyer for more information. Click here for the registration form.

Click on the image below to check out the winter edition of the SPS RN Team Newsletter:

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: