February 21, 2018
Stoughton High School senior Tommy McClain helps a Fox Prairie student prepare treats for other students last week. McClain regularly forgoes his study hall period at SHS to visit Fox Prairie and work with students.
SHS students continue outreach to young learners
Many mornings, you can find Stoughton High School students like Tommy McClain working with  elementary students at Fox Prairie.
Sandhill students pile up 'Acts of Kindness'
Sandhill principal Jeff Fimreite had more than 800 ounces of slime dumped on him Monday (Feb. 19) in an all-school assembly, but it was for a good cause.

That is because Sandhill students showed more than 800 acts of kindness as part a school-wide activity. Throughout last week,  students were challenged to show an "ounce" of kindness by filling out a paper heart with their name and a  brief explanation of a kind act someone did for them. Those hearts were then placed in a bucket outside the school's Library Media Center.

For every heart that was filled out, an ounce of slime was dumped on Fimreite on Monday. Check out the video below!


Student Council organizes 'Kegonsa Cares' month
Over the course of this month, Kegonsa has focused on what students and staff care about in their lives, school and community. 

The Student Council has organized different activities that center on showing students' kindness and caring hearts. The school gratitude notes, called Marigold Mail, have been red for the month along with the school Gillies (slips awarded to students showing respectful, responsible and safe behavior) that are being handed out by the students of Kegonsa. 

Kegonsa kids also have been writing notes about what they care about and have made "kindness bags" for local businesses. All classrooms celebrated Valentine's Day by participating in activities and projects that highlighted sharing kind and caring appreciations with each other. The "Kegonsa Cares" month will conclude with a student-led Gilly award assembly on Thursday, Feb. 22.




Fox Prairie kindergarten, first grade celebrate 100 days
Fox Prairie kindergarten and first grade classes on Feb. 8 celebrated 100 days of school by dressing up! 

 


SASD accepted into computer science program
The Stoughton Area School District has been accepted into TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools), a program that connects high schools with industry professionals to learn about computer science.

"TEALS... [pairs] experienced and trained software engineer professionals with classroom teachers," according to the program website. "Teachers from various content backgrounds work in partnership with TEALS volunteers and learn the CS (computer science) curriculum by team-teaching in their own classrooms."

Over the course of two years, the classroom teacher gradually assumes the responsibilities of teaching the course without volunteer support, the website says.  TEALS was founded in 2009 by former high school CS teacher and Microsoft engineer Kevin Wang and is supported by Microsoft Philanthropies, according to the website.

Stay tuned for more details!
Partnership helps SHS senior learn more about veterinary medicine
Stoughton High School senior Olivia Bakken has been riding horses since she was six years old.

So it was at a young age that she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian.

"Seventh grade. I knew pretty early, I guess," Bakken said in an interview last month.

Bakken currently leases two horses, but over the last couple of years, she has had opportunities to handle other animals, too, through Stoughton Veterinary Service.

Student recognized by Prudential for volunteer work
Stoughton High School senior Ian Bormett recently was named a Distinguished Finalist for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.

"[Bormett] worked for two months to  design and build a 3D-printed prosthetic arm, benefiting a young boy in his community who was born without a  hand and won't be fitted for a long-term prosthetic until he's done growing," Prudential said. "Ian worked with the boy to custom  design the arm; he also interned at a research institute over the summer where he helped with a program that  prints prosthetic arms for other children and adults."

As a finalist, Bormett will receive an engraved bronze medallion from Prudential.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism, according to the program press release. It is in its 23rd year and is organized by  Prudential Financial  in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Rover Engineering Challenge caps eighth grade space unit

Eighth-graders recently ended their space unit with a Rover Engineering Challenge. 

Students designed and built their rovers to travel the farthest in the class. Rovers were powered with the use of rubber bands!


Wahlin Foundation supports SHS welding program
Stoughton High School now has three new welders up and running thanks to a grant from the Wahlin Foundation.

The additions  enable our students to be trained on relevant equipment that mirrors the industry. It also provides a better ratio of welders to the class sizes, allowing more arc time and a better chance of our students completing the dual credit requirement and earning college credit. 

Our District appreciates the Wahlin Foundation's contribution and support toward improving the student experience in Tech Ed and welding.


Stoughton alumna lands aerospace internship 
Katrina "Rena" Sletten (SHS Class of 2014), a senior at Drake University who is majoring 
Image via http://www.brookeowensfellowship.org/katrina-sletten/
in  physics, astronomy and public relations, has been awarded a Brooke Owens Fellowship.

Named for the late Dawn Brooke Owens, the program offers paid internship experiences to female undergraduates who have an interest in a career in aerospace. Sletten, as  a Brooke Owens Fellow, this summer will work at the Museum of Flight in Seattle with their Digital Learning Department, according to the program website. Sletten, the website said, has studied the morphology of Seyfert galaxies and participated in "a student-led project developing a feasible radiation shield for interplanetary travel" while at Drake.

The Brooke Owens Fellowship program annually matches 36 women with  paid internships "at leading aviation and space companies and organizations and with senior and executive level mentors," according to the program website.

River Bluff Valhalla Singers deliver Singing Valentines
On Feb. 14, the Valhalla Singers, led by Mr. Walden, delivered Singing Valentines throughout the day. Students could pick one of six songs, pay $1 and then send a singing Valentine to friends throughout the day.

Sandhill launches monthly STEAM challenges
Sandhill's Innovation Committee this month rolled out the first of monthly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) challenges. February's challenge was called, "Clouds and Color Mixing," where students learned how rain forms by using water, food coloring and shaving cream.
First Quarter Honor Roll now available online
The Stoughton High School first quarter Honor Roll is now on our website. Check it out!
Give a shout out
Several of our schools have a "shout out" program to recognize our staff. This year, we are taking that program district-wide.

Follow the link below to give a shout out to a Stoughton Area School District staff member . The form is very brief and should take only a couple of minutes to complete. We shared the first round of shout outs in our recent Staff Newsletter and are now seeking submissions for the March newsletter. 

Make flip lights, chess/checker boards in our Fab Lab
F amilies and residents of the Stoughton Area School District can now sign up for the March 2018 Fab Lab Workshops, which include using the machines to make flip lights and chess/checker boards.

There is no cost for these workshops, but slots are limited. Two kinds of workshops are available: Adult-Child and Adults Only. The next workshops are as follows:

Adult-Child

March 7, 14 and 21  - Flip Light Workshop

This workshop is for students in fourth through eighth grade, although each student must be accompanied by an adult (18 years old or older). Each workshop goes from 6 to 8 p.m.




Adults Only

March 10  - Chess/Checker Board

This workshop is for adults (18 years old or older) who live in the Stoughton Area School District. It goes from 9 a.m. to noon.



You can sign up for these and other upcoming Fab Lab workshops here.  You can also advance the calendar to sign up for workshops in April.
Congratulations to our National Merit Scholarship Finalists
Stoughton High School seniors Isabelle Genter and Gabrielle Skerpan are National Merit Scholar Finalists.

"The  National  Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955," according to the program website.

Students first enter the  National  Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/ National  Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Of the 1.6 million entrants, about 16,000 students nationwide reach the semifinalist stage, and ultimately about 7,500 will be chosen for  National  Merit Scholarships, according to the website.

Congratulations to our students!

Highlights in SHS Athletics
The Stoughton High School Dance Team recently took 7th in Division 2 Poms at the State competition. Check out their program in the YouTube video on the left.

The Wrestling Team has advanced to the WIAA Division 1 State Team Tournament. Good luck wrestlers!

The SHS Boys Swim Team last week also qualified for and competed in State. The SHS swim relay team of Chase Millam, Ian Bormett, Hayden Hammond and Conner Clark set a school record in the 400 Free Relay.
You can find out the latest activities and programs organized by local organizations and nonprofit groups by visiting our  Community Flyers page . You can also download some of the most recent flyers bundled into a single PDF file.

Fox Prairie students to stage 'Jungle Book Kids'

Fox Prairie fifth-graders are hard at work preparing this year's musical, "Jungle Book Kids."

Performances have been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, and Wednesday, March 7, at the historic Stoughton Opera House. 

Admission is free, although optional donations are gladly accepted and go directly to support next year's musical!

Little Free Library, Pantry coming to Kegonsa

A Little Free Library has arrived at Kegonsa Elementary School thanks to the support of the Stoughton Kiwanis Club.  The library will be installed outside of the school in the spring.

Kegonsa will also receive a Little Free Pantry through the Stoughton Rotary Club later this year. The Pantry, which will contain healthy foods and snacks, is planned to be located by the Little Free Library.
Sandhill, Milestone partner for 'Random Acts of Art' show

Sandhill fifth-graders and residents of Milestone Senior Living have teamed up to produce a "Random Acts of Art" show.

Both students and residents made mandalas for display in the Milestone facility. Mandalas are colorful, circular forms of art used to signify the circle of life. Sandhill students and Milestone residents used this idea to explore radial symmetry and printmaking. An opening reception for the exhibit took place last week.

SHS penny drive raises over $408 for Humane Society

Stoughton High School Student Senate organized a penny drive that raised $408.68 for the Dane County Humane Society.

Senators raised money at basketball games and through a school-wide penny drive in the classrooms.

Mrs. Adam's 2nd hour class took first place in the drive with  $140.34.
Families: Don't forget to sign up for District text alerts

Families in the Stoughton Area School District can still sign up to receive  text notifications about important District events, snow/cold weather cancellations and more.

This is a new communication tool that our District has made available. Families do need to opt into this platform through their Infinite Campus account. 

Thank you for supporting Threads of Hope 

Thank you to all who supported SHS Key Club's Threads of Hope campaign. The effort raised $975 dollars in three weeks. 

Half of the bracelet sales will go to families in the Philippines, and the other half raised will help 10 members attend the Key Club district convention in Green Bay this March.