SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's featured photo: Throughout the year, our schools will be giving presentations at School Committee meetings to keep the Committee and community informed about the wonderful programs and activities taking place at their school. Up first was the South Elementary School, with Principal Jake Dore speaking at the School Committee meeting on October 14, with help from some South students. A group of South students led the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting and then, under the direction of teacher Caitlin Wood, they delivered an evening edition of the student-led daily announcements. The student presenters, along with some of their siblings, are pictured here with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Baeta, School Committee members Chris Shannon, Jillian DiStefano, and Jennifer Sears, Mr. Dore, Mrs. Wood, and South teacher Jill Savoie.

As we get ready to build a new elementary school, it is also important to take stock of our other buildings in the district. What shape are they in structurally? When might exterior finishes, windows, doors, roofs, boilers, etc. need to be repaired or replaced?

One of my goals is for the district to have a capital plan that articulates and prioritizes short and long term capital needs for the district. We will do this through a capital needs assessment. Capital needs assessments evaluate the physical condition of a property and are useful in helping to identify current and future repair or replacement needs so we can plan ahead.

We have hired an independent contractor, Bureau Veritas, to conduct an assessment of our buildings, fields, grounds, and mechanical systems in the coming months, and will use this information for a capital plan report that we will be able to share soon with Town Hall.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

The Elementary School Building Committee formally introduced W.T. Rich as the Construction Manager for the new elementary school building project at its meeting last week.

We are excited to have W. T. Rich, a company with an established track record in constructing large-scale school projects, particularly at the elementary level, join us for this project. They will be working alongside Vertex (Owner’s Project Manager) and DRA - Drummey Rosane Anderson (Designer) on the project team.

The Building Committee's Construction Manager (CM) Selection Subcommittee met in August to conduct interviews with three finalists for Construction Manager and ranked W.T. Rich as its top choice, a decision that was supported by the full Building Committee.

“W.T. Rich had an impressive proposal. Their strong experience, particularly on elementary school building projects, and the enthusiasm they showed for what we have planned in Stoughton, made them an overwhelming choice,” T.J. Recupero, Chair of the Building Committee, said. “This project will be completed on time and under budget, and choosing W.T. Rich was the next step in accomplishing that.”

“W.T. Rich is excited to be partnering with the Town of Stoughton on this new elementary school project. The project already has a strong foundation built with an experienced community, Owner’s Project Manager in Vertex, and Designer in DRA Architects. We are looking forward to aligning our company values with the Stoughton community and showing them what our team can add to an already strong and capable group,” Alex Corbett, Project Manager for W.T. Rich, said.

As part of their introduction at the Building Committee meeting on October 8, W.T. Rich showed a CGI animation of the site logistics plan for the new elementary school, which can be viewed by clicking here (or watching below). This video previews what will be taking place on the property from the spring of 2026 until the building is ready to open for the start of the 2028-2029 school year. Please note that this video reflects Schematic Design Documents dated February 29, 2024 and may be subject to change.

Thanks to a generous donation from a Stoughton family, dozens of new books have been purchased for students in each of our elementary schools to enjoy.

The Mehta-Kothari Family donated $5,000 for the purchase of 75 high-interest, developmentally appropriate books for each of our five elementary schools—totaling 375 new books. These books are the foundation for dedicated “Home-School Libraries” in each building, providing students with access to engaging texts they can borrow and read at home.

The book collections are curated to support not only our academic goals but also our district's focus on social-emotional learning. Titles are aligned with themes from our Character Strong curriculum, promoting character development, empathy, inclusion, resilience, and responsible decision-making. These stories will serve as powerful conversation starters between children and families, helping to build emotional literacy and reinforce positive behaviors both at home and at school.

“I want to express our deep gratitude to the Mehta-Kothari Family for their continued commitment to the students and families of Stoughton. Their belief in the transformative power of literacy is an inspiration, and we are honored to partner with them on this important project,” Eileen Sprague, K-8 Director of Humanities, said. “This generous contribution directly supports our district’s priorities around early literacy, equitable access to books, social-emotional learning, and family engagement.”

Mukund and Dhira Mehta-Kothari recently visited the Dawe School to see the library set up there. They are pictured above with Mrs. Sprague, Dawe School Principal Rob Cancellieri, Assistant Principal/Academic Support Teacher Cassie Thibeault, School Counselor Annemarie Gilbert, as well as a group of Dawe School students.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for [the] generous donation of books,” the Dawe community wrote in a thank you letter to the Mehta-Kothari Family. “[This] thoughtful contribution will have a positive impact on all of our students for many years to come, promoting literacy, learning, and a love of reading.”

Sarah Mlynowski, author of Upside Down Magic series and Whatever After series, visited the Hansen School this past Friday. Students in grades 2-5 attended an assembly and were so excited to meet the author of the books they enjoyed as a classroom read aloud to start the school year! The Hansen School PTO sponsored this visit. Special thanks to Hansen literacy coaches Shawna Scafidi and Kelly Fleischman for their help with this event as well.

October is Fire Prevention Month. Preschool students at the Jones Early Childhood Center recently had a fire safety presentation from Stoughton firefighter Jack Hussey.

Last Friday, Stoughton High Student Council executive boards from all four grades had the exciting opportunity to attend the Southeastern Massachusetts Association of Student Councils (SEMASC) “Breaking into Leadership” Conference held at Nauset High School.

The keynote address was delivered by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, whose inspiring remarks challenged students to lead with integrity, purpose, and courage. After the keynote, participants broke into various interactive workshops covering topics such as public speaking, conflict resolution, project planning, and community engagement.

"Our students left energized and equipped with new tools to serve and lead more effectively in their grades and schoolwide," SHS Student Council advisor Kim Jeffery said.

Check out this clip of the Stoughton High Marching Black Knights performing at halftime during last week’s SHS football game. This year’s show is titled "Dreams Take Flight" and this clip features the marching band and color guard’s rendition of "Butterfly" by Jon Batiste. The Marching Black Knights placed first in their division last weekend at a USBands competition at King Philip. The band and color guard will be competing locally this weekend at the MICCA Marching Band Festival at Norwood High School on Sunday, October 19. Stoughton is scheduled to perform at 1:45pm.

The Stoughton High volleyball program is pictured here wearing their pink "Dig for a Cure" t-shirts on Tuesday for their match against Mansfield.

Winter sports registration is now open for both Stoughton High School and O'Donnell Middle School teams. Click here to register and for more information.

For more updates about the Black Knights this fall season, follow the Stoughton High School Athletics Facebook page.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct an Integrated Monitoring Review of The Stoughton Public Schools during the week of November 3rd, 2025. Each school district, charter school, vocational school, and virtual school undergoes an Integrated Monitoring Review every three years.

The Stoughton Public Schools will be undergoing a Group B monitoring review that addresses special education teacher and related service personnel licensure and professional development; parent, student, and community engagement, including compliance with Child Find requirements; facilities and classroom observations; implementation and oversight of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); time and learning; and equal access.

Edward Clarke, Director of Special Education, will host an orientation about the review process in collaboration with the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) on Tuesday, October 28th at Stoughton High School, Room A216 at 7 pm.

Click on the button below for more information about the Integrated Monitoring Review process:

With the school year underway, we want to make sure that the info we have on file for your student is accurate. Having accurate information on file ensures you can receive district/school updates, important alerts, and other public information, and makes it easier for your school to contact you in the case of an emergency.

There are two documents that contain contact/health information that we ask for you to review. These documents can be found in the Forms section of the PowerSchool Parent Portal:

• 2025.2026 Current Student Health Information

• 2025.2026 Student Information/Emergency Form
  
  

Further instructions for accessing and filling out these forms can be found by clicking here.

If you have not already opted in to receive text messages from the District and your school, text "YES" to 79041 at any time. By doing this, you can receive important District/school updates, emergency alerts, and other public information.

The Stoughton High School Student Council is excited to announce its annual Trunk or Treat event on Tuesday October 28 from 6-8pm in the SHS parking lot! Student clubs and sports teams will be decorating trunks and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters of all ages. There will also be a delicious bake sale hosted by the Student Council. Families and students are invited to come dressed in costume and enjoy a fun, safe, and festive night of Halloween spirit with our Stoughton High community!

The USBands Massachusetts & Rhode Island State Championship is once again being held at Stoughton High School! The competition takes place Saturday, November 1. The Stoughton High Marching Black Knights, as well as 20+ marching bands from MA and RI will perform. Stay tuned for more information!

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: