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SPS Weekly Newsletter
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In This Edition of the SPS Weekly Newsletter...
From the Desk of the Superintendent
We just wrapped up the first full week of February and have one more week to go until the start of February vacation. This past week we celebrated the 100th day of the 2023-2024 school year and also recognized our school counselors for National School Counseling Week. Our counselors provide much needed support to our students. February is also Black History Month and it has been great to see the projects our students have been working on that highlight Black history. Some examples of this work will be featured in next week’s newsletter.
A couple of weeks ago in my newsletter message, I shared a link to a virtual flythrough video showing what the new elementary school building in Stoughton would look like. DRA Architects followed this up by creating an interactive map that will give you a 360 degree view of spaces inside and outside the new elementary school building, including classrooms, hallways, collaboration spaces, the learning commons, STEM area, cafeteria, and gymnasium. This is definitely worth checking out. Click on the image below to access this new interactive map. The map is best viewed on a phone or tablet device and may take a few seconds to load. Once it has loaded, click on each circle to start exploring an area of the building.
If you would like to learn more about the new elementary school building project, you can visit the project’s website.
Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Stoughton Public Schools
100th Day of School!
Thursday, February 8 was the 100th day of the 2023-2024 school year (and Friday, February 9 for the South School). Many elementary classrooms did activities associated with the number 100 and some students even dressed like they were 100 years old, while others, like the Hansen School kindergarteners pictured in the header photo at the top of the newsletter, made 100th day crowns!
Watch this video montage below featuring 100 photos in 100 seconds highlighting the first 100 days of school! So many great moments and memories!
Each class at the Wilkins School had 100 minutes of reading over the course of the day on Thursday to celebrate the 100th day. Second graders are pictured here reading with their fifth grade buddies.
At the Dawe School, second grade students worked with their fourth grade buddies on the 100th day of school to finish a "100 high fives" project. Students identified a staff member they wanted to thank and give one hundred high fives to, wrote them a letter, and worked in a group to create a collage with one hundred handprints on it. A group of students are pictured here presenting their collage to Dawe Principal Mr. Cancellieri.
How far will 100 steps take you? First graders in Mrs. Raeke's class at the Hansen marked the 100th day by predicting where they would end up in the building if they left their classroom and took 100 steps. Then, the students mapped out 100 steps to see where they landed.
Kindergarten students and teachers at the Gibbons went all out dressing as 100 year olds to celebrate the 100th day of school!
First graders in Mrs. Russell's class at the South School are seen here wearing their 100th day crowns on Friday!
Check out the Stoughton Public Schools Facebook page for more pictures and video from the 100th day of school.
OMS & SHS Students Audition for SEMSBA Festivals
We had a large group of students from the O'Donnell Middle School and Stoughton High School audition to participate in the prestigious Junior and Senior SEMSBA (Southeastern Massachusetts School Bandmasters Association) festivals. The Senior Festival is open to students in grades 9-12 and the Junior Festival is open to students in grades 7-9. We want to recognize all of the students who auditioned (pictured above) as they put in many hours of practice to prepare!
After the audition process, the following Stoughton students were selected to perform at the SEMSBA Senior Festival at Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston on March 15 and 16:
SHS Choral Students
• Jax Belmore, Grade 9 (Chorus - Alto)
• Ayden DaCosta, Grade 10 (Chorus - Bass)
• Kevin Leao, Grade 9 (Chorus - Bass)
• Jacob Marques, Grade 11 - (Chorus - Bass)
• Julius McCann, Grade 10 - (Chorus - Bass)
• Kayden Stiles, Grade 9 - (Chorus - Alto)
• Jennifer Theriault, Grade 12 - (Chorus - Soprano)
SHS Instrumental Students
• Joseph Lyons, Grade 10 (Band - Tuba)
• Travis Remy, Grade 9 (Band - Mallets)
• Mario Romano, Grade 12 (Jazz Ensemble - Trumpet)
• Nicolas Uchani, Grade 9 (Jazz Ensemble - Bass)
The Senior Band will be conducted by SPS Fine Arts Director John Mange and managed by OMS/SPS elementary band teacher Ann Fiske.
And, after the audition process, the following Stoughton students were selected to perform at the SEMSBA Junior Festival at East Middle School in Braintree on May 3 and 4:
Choral Students
• Kuba Banburski, Grade 8 (Chorus - Soprano)
• Logan Fitzgerald, Grade 8 (Chorus - Baritone)
• Sydney Heller, Grade 8 (Chorus - Soprano)
• Lily Puliafico, Grade 8 (Chorus - Alto)
Instrumental Students
• Jayda Medeiros, Grade 9 (Band - Flute)
• Max Arroyo, Grade 9 (Orchestra - Bassoon)
• Chloe Hannaford, Grade 9 (Band - Bari Saxophone)
• Arializ Michel-Gaines, Grade 9 (Band - Bb Clarinet)
• Jackson Gosule, Grade 8 (Band - Trombone)
• Jason Ikonitskiy, Grade 8 (Orchestra - Snare Drum)
• Xaven Studer, Grade 8 (Band - Bb Clarinet)
• Jakob Tran, Grade 8 (Band - Trombone)
Congratulations to these talent student musicians!
SHS Students Earn certification in Digital Wellness & Safety
The Stoughton High 9th graders in the Digital Tools for the Cyber World class earned their certification in Digital Wellness and Safety. The online curriculum covered six key topics including online community dynamics, safety and privacy, balancing screentime, digital rights, and evaluating content. Through interactive activities, students learned to engage respectfully online, protect personal information, understand digital footprints, and recognize when to seek help from trusted adults. The curriculum also addressed digital rights, content evaluation, and the consequences of excessive online activity. In the cybersecurity realm, students acquired skills to protect digital data, identify phishing messages, and recognize signs of malware. This comprehensive program equipped students with essential digital skills and responsible online behavior, SHS business teacher Kim Jeffery said.
Super Bowl Fun
Super Bowl LVIII is this Sunday. The Buffalo Bills may not have made it to the real Super Bowl, but they won this year's Typing Fantasy Football Super Bowl at the Wilkins School! Third, fourth, and fifth grade students in Mrs. Falcione's technology class were grouped into football teams and competed against each other in typing activities. Scores were tallied for the 10 week event, with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs.
Sam, a fourth grade student at the Dawe School, created this replica Super Bowl football field in the maker space in the learning commons.
Stoughton Talent Showcase on February 16
Save the date! The Stoughton Talent Showcase takes place next Friday, February 16 at 7pm in the Stoughton High Auditorium. This annual show features Stoughton Public Schools students in grades 4-12 dancing, singing, playing instruments, and more! We are looking forward to seeing what talents will be on display this year! Click here to see the list of finalists performing next week. Ticket information will be available on the website and social media next week.
School Committee Meeting on February 13
The Stoughton School Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, February 13, 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.
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Focus Group
Here is a flyer from our friends at the Stoughton OASIS Coalition for a grandparents raising grandchildren focus group being held at the Stoughton YMCA on February 21 at 10am.
Important Links
Make Sure Your Student's Emergency Contact Info & Health Info is Up to Date
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.
Follow Us on Social Media!
For updates throughout the week, be sure to follow Stoughton Public Schools on social media: