SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo (above) features Jones Early Childhood Center preschool students and staff out on the playground on Wednesday on what was bumblebee pride day (the Jones School mascot is the bumblebee). Be sure to check our next newsletter for more about the Jones Early Childhood Center.

My newsletter message this week centers on celebration and recognition. October is National Principals Month and we will be celebrating our amazing building leaders throughout the month. We are so fortunate at SPS to have such a dedicated and caring group of principals! October 2 was National Custodian Appreciation Day and it’s important to recognize our custodial staff, the unsung heroes of the district, who work so hard to keep our schools safe and clean.

We are also in the middle of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed each year in the United States from September 15 to October 15. This month celebrates the culture, history, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. Months like these are great opportunities for students to broaden their knowledge and learn more about the many groups of people who have made a difference in the history of our country.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began at sundown on Wednesday and ends at sundown on Friday. Shana Tova - may all those in our community celebrating have a good and sweet year.

Finally, this Sunday, October 6, we will be celebrating and recognizing Frederick Richard, Stoughton’s hometown Olympic medalist, during a ceremony at Stoughton High School. A 2022 graduate of Stoughton High, and a former O’Donnell Middle School and Dawe Elementary school student, Frederick was part of the US men’s gymnastics team that won a bronze medal in the team competition at the Paris Olympics.

We hope you can join us on Sunday, from 12-1pm in the SHS auditorium for a celebration honoring Frederick (doors open at 11am). Frederick will be receiving a “key to the town” among other honors. The event will also feature an interview with Frederick and his family where you can hear more about his journey to the Olympic games.

Those attending will also have the chance to win a number of prizes, including tickets to see Frederick and other USA Gymnastics stars at the Gold Over America Tour taking place at the TD Garden on Sunday evening. More information can be found on the flyer below. If you are free on Sunday, I highly encourage you (and our students) to attend this event and hear from Frederick, an inspiring young man who is a role model for Stoughton youth.

Sincerely,

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

The Stoughton High Unified basketball team had its first home game of the season on Thursday. Unified sports give students of all abilities the chance to take part in the high school athletics experience.

There was a great turnout for the game. Many fellow SHS athletes came to support the Unified basketball team take on Oliver Ames (photo above) and it was also teacher appreciation game (photo below).

Click here to see more photos from the game courtesy of Cheryl Murphy.

MassBioEd recently visited O'Donnell Middle School science classes to teach a nature of science lesson. 8th grade classes had an electrophoresis lab where students practiced using micropipettes to transfer precise amounts of liquids into their gel. After running the electrophoresis unit students were able to make claims about the particle size and particle charge of each liquid.

Kindergarten students at the Wilkins School are pictured here using the ABC Magnetic Alphabet app on iPads to practice spelling color words in Mrs. Falcione's Technology class. Click here for more photos.

Are you receiving text messages from the Stoughton Public Schools? We sent this newsletter via text and email to all SPS families and staff. If you did not receive this text and have not been receiving texts from SPS so far this school year but would like to be receiving them, you can text YES to 79041 to opt-in to text messaging.

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 Health Information
• Student Information/Emergency Form

While only one emergency contact is required, we recommend including at least three contacts who would be able to pick your child up in the event you are not available.

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.

Thank you for taking the time to do this important task.

There is a virtual FAFSA info night that MassEdCo will be hosting for SHS (seniors and families only) on Tuesday, October 8 at 6pm. See the flyer for more info:

The Stoughton OASIS Coalition is hosting two parent workshops in collaboration with the Stoughton Public Schools.

On Tuesday, October 8 from 5-7pm at the O'Donnell Middle School learning commons there is a "Power of Positive Parenting" workshop for parents and guardians of pre-school and elementary-school aged children:

And, on Tuesday, October 15 from 5-7pm in the O'Donnell Middle School learning commons there is a parent workshop about "managing emotions of tweens and teens." This workshop is for parents and guardians of middle school and high school students.

The Stoughton School Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, October 8, 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.

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