SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo features the Stoughton High winter percussion team (center), flanked by the SHS winter guard teams Amber (right) and Onyx (left). The winter percussion team and both winter guard teams had a friends and family performance in the O'Donnell Middle School gymnasium on Wednesday. This weekend is the final competition for the winter guard teams and next weekend is the final competition for winter percussion.

Our students, grades preschool through grade 12, have different learning styles, different abilities, and different needs. As Superintendent of Schools it is a priority of mine that we are able to provide a high quality education for EVERY child. I want to take some time this week to discuss Special Education. As of today we have 882 students receiving special education services, almost a quarter of our student population. These services range from in-class support all the way to residential programming.

Special Education services here in Stoughton and in school districts across the state are guided by both Federal (IDEA) and State (Chapter 766) laws insisting that all children receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for the entirety of the public school career. In addition, these laws specify that FAPE must be delivered in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The LRE is the environment where a student can access and obtain meaningful instruction throughout the school day. With the complexity of student need and differing diagnoses and learning challenges, the LRE can be different for every student.

Knowing the varying levels of support that some of our students require, LRE can be supported in the general classroom, through targeted instruction in areas of weakness, a different classroom setting, and, if the student's needs require it, a separate school setting. LRE is always meeting the student where they can be successful! Providing the appropriate level of support for ALL of our students to succeed is our goal each and every day and that will not change.

We currently have just over 50 students in out of district placements. It is extremely costly to send a student out of district, and while that is a necessity if we don’t have a program that suits the educational needs of a student, we are always looking to improve upon our ability to educate all students right here in district. The district currently has 25 substantially separate programs PK-12 to provide students with LRE in their home district and we consistently look for ways to improve our practice.

These high-quality services could not be provided so successfully without the dedication and tireless work of all of our special educators, therapists, paraprofessionals, and service providers. These professionals truly go above and beyond for the students of Stoughton every single day!

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

We are incredibly proud to share that Mr. Rob Cancellieri, Principal of the Dawe Elementary School in Stoughton, has been named the 2025 Massachusetts School Administrators' Association (MSAA) Elementary School Principal of the Year! Mr. Cancellieri has been the Dawe School Principal for eight years.

"I have been a Superintendent of Schools for 16 years and Rob Cancellieri is one of the best principals I have come across. From instructional leadership and management to family, community, and school culture, the Dawe Elementary School is a great place to learn and grow," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Baeta said.

"Rob is innovative, collaborative, adaptive, and understands how to create a school culture and climate," Dr. Baeta continued. "By empowering educators and students, Rob has created a sense of pride within the school and the Dawe community. This comes from the three V’s of leadership - visibility with students, visibility with staff, and visibility with his school community. It is here where Rob makes a true difference for all involved. By being visible, Rob creates a culture of understanding even when there are difficult days."

"I'm still speechless. To be named Massachusetts Elementary Principal of the Year is an incredible honor, and it's all thanks to the amazing students, the dedicated staff, and the supportive families that make the Dawe such a special place," Mr. Cancellieri said. "Every day, I'm inspired by the hard work and resilience of our children, the passion of our teachers, and the unwavering support of our community. This award isn't just for me; it's a testament to the collective spirit of Stoughton. I'm so proud to represent our town, and I'm deeply grateful for this recognition. I truly believe that together, we're making a difference, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for our incredible school community.”

This is Mr. Cancellieri's 14th year working for SPS, teaching fifth grade at the Gibbons Elementary School before he became Principal at the Dawe. Mr. Cancellieri is also a product of the Stoughton Public Schools, having attended the Hansen Elementary School and O'Donnell Middle School before graduating from Stoughton High School in 2004.

Congratulations Mr. Cancellieri!

To read more about this honor, click here for a news release from the MSAA.

Stoughton Public Schools would like to inform the community about its “Seal of Biliteracy” program. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has adopted regulations that describe the criteria that school districts must use to award the State Seal of Biliteracy on the diplomas and transcripts of graduating seniors. While the program is targeted toward juniors and seniors in high school, we want to let all families know about the opportunity. An important goal of the Stoughton Public Schools’ World Language and English Language Education Departments is to promote proficiency in two or more languages. The purpose of the seal includes:

• Recognizing the value of language diversity.
• Providing employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills.
• Providing universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for the attainment of high level skills in languages.
• Preparing students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society.
• Strengthening intergroup communication and honoring the multiple cultures and languages in a community.

How does a student earn the Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation?

If your child is a native speaker or heritage speaker of a language other than English and has attained a high level of literacy in this native or heritage language, then they can apply to take a language proficiency test. If your child is a native English speaker, then they can earn the seal by starting a second language as early as 7th grade. On April 2nd and 3rd this year, Stoughton Public Schools will offer our World Language Learners and English Language Learners the opportunity to take the AVANT Stamp language exam. Juniors and seniors interested in taking the exam have already filled out an application. This exam in no way affects your child’s grade. The exams are scored externally by certified raters and are reported separately for each of the four domains of language (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) to your child and your child’s teacher.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Amy Quealy at a_quealy@stoughtonschools.org. We are very excited about this initiative and the many benefits it will provide and the doors it will open for our students.

The Seal of Biliteracy recipients from last year's graduating class at Stoughton High are pictured above.

Some exciting news from the Stoughton High Tuesday Jazz Band: Last weekend, the SHS Tuesday Jazz Band performed at the MAJE State Finals competition at Norwood High School. This festival is the culmination of the top high school jazz ensembles in the state. There were 12 ensembles in their division at the finals out of 80 participating schools around the state. In the first time in almost a decade, Stoughton received a Gold Medal and with a near perfect score! This means that they will be invited to play at the Gold Medal Showcase at the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston on May 4th!

In addition to the Gold Medal score for the whole band, outstanding musicianship awards went to:

• Jackson Gosule, trombone
• Nicolas Uchani, bass
• Travis Remy, piano
• Caleb Mendonca, tenor saxophone
• Andrew Carlson, guitar

The latest episode of the Around Town show on SMAC features a discussion about the education plan for the new elementary school building project. Host Dave Walsh interviews Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Baeta, School Committee Chair Katherine Weiss, South School Principal Jake Dore, and Wilkins School Principal Katie Monahan. You can watch the episode here:

If you would like to find out more about the new elementary school building project or have any questions ahead of the election on April 8, we are holding office hours at the following times:

In person at the district office (31 Pierce St.):

• Thursday, April 3, 1-2pm

Virtual:

• Monday, March 31, 12-1pm (click here to join)
• Monday, April 7, 4:30-5:30pm (click here to join)

You can also attend a virtual forum about the elementary school building project with Building Committee Chair T.J. Recupero on Tuesday, April 1 at 7:30pm via Zoom. Click here to join this virtual forum.

Finally, families with younger children are invited to a playground social to learn more about the elementary school building project. The playground social will be hosted by School Committee Chair Katherine Weiss at the Gibbons School an Dawe School playgrounds. There will be a read aloud of "If I Built a School" by Chris Van Dusen. Children will be able to use paper and crayons so they can design their own school, and parents/guardians (and children) can ask any questions they may have about the project.

April breakfast and lunch menus have been posted on the website. Click on the button below to view the menus.

Attention families looking to register for next school year:

The pre-registration portal for preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1-12 for the 2025-2026 school year is open. More information and the link to the pre-registration forms can be found by clicking here.

Please keep in mind:

• Preschool students must be 3 or 4 years of age by August 31, 2025 and be toilet trained. Pre-registration does not guarantee a spot in the preschool program as there are limited spots available.
  
  
• For kindergarten, children must be 5 years old by August 31, 2025. Any student currently attending the Jones Early Childhood Center for preschool that will be entering kindergarten in the fall must still register for kindergarten.
  
  
• Students only need to register for grades 1-12 if they do not currently attend the Stoughton Public Schools.

The Stoughton School Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 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 by clicking here.

If your business or place of employment has an internship program or would like to host an intern from Stoughton High School, please contact College and Career Counselor Ashley Guba at a_guba@stoughtonschools.org. See the flyer below for more details:

The Town Wide Beautification Day is coming up on Saturday, April 12! Volunteers are needed to help out! This is a great activity to get students involved in. Click here for more information and to register to help!

The Smart Recycling Guide can also be found in Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.

March is Women's History Month, a month to study, observe, and celebrate the vital role women play in American life and history. We will continue to encourage girls and young women to speak up, challenge expectations, and become trailblazers, pioneers, innovators, and leaders. And that includes encouraging them to advocate for their own mental health.

If your student needs additional help to reach their full potential, Care Solace can help connect them to mental health care. They will navigate the mental health care system, explain options, and quickly find available providers in our local community. Care Solace is a complementary and confidential care coordination service provided by Stoughton Public Schools.

• Call 888-515-0595. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365.
  
  
• Visit caresolace.com/stoughtonschools and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

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