SPS Weekly Newsletter

This week's header photo features preschool students at the Jones Early Childhood Center on their last day of school. Tuesday, June 10th was the last day of preschool. Take a look at more last day photos by clicking here. (For grades K-11, the last day of school is Tuesday, June 17 and it will be an early release day.)

As you read this, we have just completed the 178th day of the 2024-2025 school year. Just two more days to go for our students in grades K-11.

The past couple of weeks have been spent celebrating our preschool students, kindergarteners, fifth graders, and high school seniors as they embark on the next phase of their educational journeys. On Monday we conclude these end of the year ceremonies with the O’Donnell Middle School’s 8th grade Class Day.

This school year was full of many positives and gave us many reasons to celebrate. Just to name a few:

• In April, Stoughton voters approved a ballot question to fund a new elementary school building in town. We are looking forward to a new elementary school opening for the start of the 2028-2029 school year. Stay tuned for updates as this project progresses.

• Rob Cancellieri, Principal of the Dawe School, was named the 2025 Massachusetts School Administrators' Association (MSAA) Elementary School Principal of the Year.
  
  

• For the second consecutive year, both the Wilkins School and South School were recognized as two of the best elementary schools in the state by U.S. News & World Report.
  
  

• Stoughton High School was also recognized this year by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best high schools, finishing in the top 25% of the almost 18,000 high schools ranked across the country. SHS was also named a School of Recognition by DESE for its accountability results and reducing chronic absenteeism. And, SHS earned a bronze distinction on the Advanced Placement Program’s School Honor Roll.
  
  

• Our Fine Arts department continued to bring home many awards including the Stoughton High Theatre Program's production of Anon(ymous) winning the top prize at the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild's 2025 High School Drama Festival; The Stoughton High Marching Black Knights winning the USBands Massachusetts Group IV A state championship during a competition hosted right here at SHS; and the Stoughton High Tuesday Jazz Band winning a gold medal and getting to perform at the Hatch Shell at the Charles River Esplanade in Boston.

• Our SHS girls soccer, boys basketball, girls tennis, and softball teams all made the postseason tournament. For girls tennis it was the first time in more than 30 years. Both the SHS softball and boys outdoor track & field teams won Hockomock League Davenport Division titles this spring. For softball it was their first regular season league championship since 2005. We also are proud of our Unified Sports program at the high school and how it gives students of all abilities the chance to take part in the high school athletics experience. And, we are proud that our middle school students also get to take part in athletics. OMS sports teams include soccer, cross country, field hockey, basketball, wrestling, and track.

We also celebrated many student award winners and contest winners along the way, highlighted many students giving back to the community, and honored students for induction to various honor societies. Our Special Education Parent Advisory Council also had their first Bright Knight award presentation to show appreciation for our educators' dedication to students with unique learning needs. And, we saw the highest number of SHS graduates receive the “Seal of Biliteracy” for showing advanced proficiency in both English and another language.

Also of note this school year, the School Committee set the district up for future success and stability by appointing SHS Principal Julie Miller as Superintendent Elect. I will retire at the end of next school year, with Ms. Miller becoming Superintendent on July 1, 2026. Over the course of the 2025-2026 school year, Ms. Miller will work with me as we prepare for this transition, while she continues to carry out her duties as SHS Principal. We will begin the search for the next SHS principal early next school year.

Finally, as we get ready to end this school year, please note that the deadline to sign up for and pay for bus transportation for next school year is Tuesday, June 17 (more information on this is further down in the newsletter). For those that like to get a head start on back-to-school shopping, we will be sharing grade-level school supply lists on our websites soon.

I hope our students, families, and staff have a safe and relaxing summer. Thank you, especially to our families, for all of your support this school year.

Sincerely,

Joseph F. Baeta, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stoughton Public Schools

The last day of the 2024-2025 school year for students in grades K-11 is Tuesday, June 17 and it will be an early release day.

Meet the Top 10 graduates from the Stoughton High Class of 2025! The Top 10 is based on class rank, which is determined by grade point average.

Sofia Issa (Valedictorian)

Lauren Price (Salutatorian)

Elijah Fox-Shin

Leah McCarty

Megan McNamara

Lily Nourse

Keira Mandosa

Grace Weisenberger

Dhruvi Patel

Maxine Oggiano

Congratulations on this impressive accomplishment!

Click here to learn more about each member of the Top 10, or view the slideshow below (the slide changes every few seconds.)

Photos from end of the year celebrations/graduations for preschool, kindergarten, grade 5, grade 8, and the SHS Class of 2025 will be posted on the Stoughton Public Schools Facebook page. The photo above is from the Gibbons School's kindergarten celebration (photo credit: Britney Ricci of Britney Marie Photography).

On Monday, the Massachusetts Musical Theater Awards were held at Lawrence High School. Stoughton High Class of 2025 graduate Cameron Harris was recognized and performed as part of a Jimmy Awards Finalist medley. Stoughton High also took home the award for Best Ensemble in the state for its production of Hadestown: Teen Edition! Bravo!

Abington Bank recently presented the Stoughton Public Schools with a $2,870 check as part of its "Funding Their Futures" program. When Abington Bank customers open a "Get Real Checking" account, they can decide which participating school system, school, or educational foundation gets a $10 "Funding Their Futures" donation from Abington Bank. Thank you to Abington Bank for supporting the Stoughton Public Schools!

Pictured left to right - Trish Boyle, Branch Manager of Abington Bank's Cobb Corner location in Stoughton; Jonathan Ford, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Technology; Matt Colantonio, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources & Wellness; Heidi Perkins, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations; Joao Jatoba, Branch Officer of Abington Bank's Washington St./Route 138 location in Stoughton.

The Dawe School hosted an appreciation breakfast Monday morning to thank the Dawe PTO members and parent/guardian/family volunteers for all of their help and support this school year.

Matthew Colantonio, SPS Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources & Wellness, and Ashley Guba, SHS College and Career Counselor, represented Stoughton Public Schools at a conference organized by the MassHire Greater Brockton Workforce Board earlier this week. Stoughton is one of 14 area school partners working with the MassHire Greater Brockton Workforce Board to offer career connections, workforce experiences, and internships for high school students. Mr. Colantonio and Ms. Guba are pictured in this photo with members of MassHire (first two in the front row on the right side).

The summer edition of the SPS RN Newsletter is out. This issue includes summer safety tips and reminders about physical exams and picking up medication before the end of the school year. There is also a feature about a group of 16 Stoughton High students (pictured below) taking part in the "In Control Crash Prevention 101" program in Weymouth. This training was provided to our students through a grant with the Massachusetts State Police to increase the safety of the teen drivers in Stoughton. Check out the SPS RN Newsletter to learn more about this program and the experience students had participating in it.

The deadline to register for bus transportation for next school year is Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 11pm. The registration form is available on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Students entering grades K-12 are eligible to apply.

Please note that all payments are also due by June 17. If you have registered, but not submitted a payment by the June 17 deadline, your child's application will not be processed for a seat on the bus. The cost to ride the bus is $375 per student with a family cap of $750.

If your student will be entering grades K-6 and lives more than 2 miles from their assigned school, there is no fee to ride the bus. Additionally, the bus fee will be waived for families who are direct certified by the state or are approved for fee and/or reduced meals. Otherwise, there is a fee for your student to ride the bus. If you are uncertain of your official distance from your school or free/reduced meals status, please contact your school or contact the Transportation Department via email at Transportation@stoughtonschools.org.

For more information about bus transportation, click here.

The Wilkins School PTO is holding an End of Year Fun Fair on Saturday, June 14 at the Wilkins School (1322 Central St.) from 1-4pm. There will be craft vendors, food trucks, a petting zoo, bounce house, touch-a-truck, face painting, games, a sensory room, raffles, and more!

The Stoughton School Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 in the conference room at the SPS District Office, 31 Pierce St. The meeting starts at 6pm with an executive session. The public portion of the meeting is scheduled to start at 6:15pm. An agenda for the meeting can be found by clicking here.

Stoughton's Juneteenth celebration is next Thursday, June 19. In addition to the main program (details on the first flyer), there are also activities for children and teens to enjoy (details on the second flyer).

Click on the buttons below to learn more about the Stoughton Public Library's summer reading programs for children and teens:

If you are looking for ideas for some day trips this summer, the Stoughton Public Library offers passes to a number of different museums and parks in the area.

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: