
Salem Public Schools

Salem Public Schools - Weekly Update
February 16, 2024
Superintendent's Message
Next week is February vacation break across SPS (February 19th-February 23rd). While we are running vacation academies for select students, there is no school next week. Regular hours and programming resume on Monday, February 26th. Unfortunately, we lost a day of instruction this week with an unnecessary snow cancellation. This was clearly a miss on my part as the weather report shifted significantly later into that evening. Thank you for your understanding and support as we try to navigate New England's unpredictable weather!
I want to take a moment to share an op-ed that philanthropist, Dr. Chan and I, published in the Boston Globe on January 30, about Salem's work to reimagine middle school. The op-ed, titled “Learning to Love School: A Blueprint for Student Engagement” details how Salem Public Schools, together with our program partner, the WPS Institute, have launched our pilot program to redesign middle school by working closely with students in our 7th & 8th grade pilot program. Students, families, and educators have helped us to build our vision for redesigning middle school with SPS students at the center. As our strategic plan clearly states, we are committed to "learning from and developing the middle school pilot to identify, document and scale the most successful elements across all middle grades and/or district wide."
Within the pilot, starting on a smaller scale enabled us to empower student voice and agency in shaping the middle school experience so that students are regularly engaged by the relevancy and rigor of the content presented to them. As we look to next year, we are invested in growing these efforts by intentionally scaling what we have observed to work and fostering continued innovation and deeper learning at the middle school grades. We believe that there is still so much more to learn and do!
To this end, we are committed to expanding access to the strong foundation and the new experiences offered in the pilot. It is our plan to scale the learning strategies of the pilot across the 8th grade next year at both Collins and Saltonstall. In doing so, there will be no lottery and no waitlist. We will continue to partner with 6th and 7th grade to help students build strong foundations and have exposure to examples of this type of learning, scaffolded and focused on their needs.
We appreciate the enthusiasm, interest and support of families and educators as we rethink the middle school space. As the Op-ed states, "We believe it’s time to question basic assumptions of where, how, and with whom learning happens. Flexibility with schedules and curriculum pacing has allowed students to undertake deeper learning that has real-world relevance." Thank you for your continued partnership as we redefine what success looks like for our middle grade learners!
Enjoy President's Day weekend!
Steve
And the rockstar award winner is.....
At Salem Public Schools, we are recognizing one staff member a week who exemplifies our core values of celebrating differences, facilitating collaboration, fostering innovation, creating equity and access, growing all students, and upholding high standards for all. We are surprising a deserving SPS team member with a rock star trophy.
This week's rockstar award goes to Ms. Taylor MacDonald, the Director of Extended Academics and Enrichment Services. Ms. MacDonald has proven to be a grant writing machine as we have been awarded countless resources - internship, vacation academies and afterschool partnerships/programming. Ms. MacDonald has done a fabulous job of organizing and coordinating our expansion of offerings in the out of school time space so that we can include as many students as possible in these enriching experiences.
Lauded for its commitment to student support, community and shared vision among leadership, Salem High School earned continued accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the District announced on Wednesday.
The High School met each of the standards set by NEASC, which include:
Freshman Ethan Roses and eighth-grader Jocelyn Murphy received the highest scores in their categories and led eight Salem Public Schools student-musicians who were accepted to the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Northeastern Junior District Festival, CMS music educator Ben Chertok announced recently.
With a special thanks to all of the participating students and teachers, Old Town Hall is pleased host to a unique installation featuring ‘idea boards’ and other projects from a variety of Salem Public School classrooms on the theme of Charlotte Forten’s life and legacy. Along with this display will be a brief history of Charlotte Forten and her connections to Salem, an overview timeline of her life, a small family tree, images of what the finished sculpture will look like, and project updates. Open the Monday, Feb. 19 through Thursday, Feb. 29, this event is free and open to the public at Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square. Exhibit hours are:
- Monday-Wednesday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Friday: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The New Liberty Innovation School will host its second annual Basketball Tournament Fundraiser Saturday, Mar. 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Salem High School.
The Tournament will consist of 10 teams and will be played in a single elimination format. All proceeds from the Tournament will benefit NLIS student activities including helping fund senior dues, the senior family dinner, learning opportunities and internships as well as community building initiatives.
SPS NURSING NEWS
MGH/Harvard Medical School partnership.
American Heart Month.
New recipe.
Physical activities for you.
We're thrilled to announce the release of the February issue of the SPS Nursing News! Our nurses have included important health information and suggestions for regional activities to help you enjoy the snowy winter season. Enjoy!
The U.S. Education Department (USED) recently announced that data from college-bound students’ Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will not be delivered to colleges until March. While news of this delay is disconcerting, here is some guidance and information for students and families:
- Students should still complete the FAFSA. If they are experiencing technical errors, they should be patient and keep trying, especially when it comes to reaching Federal Student Aid (FSA) by phone. Students can also contact their prospective colleges and let them know that they are having problems with their submission. Federal Student Aid continues to correct errors.
- Anyone who has submitted their FAFSA but needs to make corrections will be able to do so once the FAFSA data is processed in March.
- National college access organizations are urging colleges and universities to extend financial aid and admissions deadlines in light of the delayed data. Colleges that depend on the FAFSA to make aid offers will most likely be delayed in sending offers to students. However, there is widespread understanding that students need these aid offers to make a college decision.
High schools and school districts that are accustomed to receiving data on how many of their students have completed the FAFSA should keep in mind that the data will be delayed in DESE’s tool until the data begins flowing from USED.
To help counselors and families with the new FAFSA, which went live on December 30, the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority (MEFA) is holding several online events, including one on “Navigating the Challenges and Delays of the New FAFSA” for students and families from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21.
SPS Holding Public Onsite Enrollment Opportunities
SPS Family Engagement and Parent Information Center will hold public onsite enrollment opportunities at several locations to help families enroll their children for the 2024-25. The sessions are open to families of students entering pre-K or kindergarten.
Attention Grade 6-7-8 Families: CTE Open House Scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 2
Registration for Salem's Adult Career Technical Initiative Program is open. Our hands-on, 12-week program is offered at no cost. Building Property Maintenance and Automotive Technology trainings begin Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Classes are scheduled Monday-Thursday from 5-9 p.m. To enroll, individuals must meet the specified requirements through MassHire. For more information, contact: jstonge@salemk12.org
COVID Test Kits Available
Salem Public Schools is pleased to announce the availability of COVID test kits at all our schools' main offices and health offices. If you require a test kit, kindly contact your school nurse or main office to coordinate pickup. It is important to note that we do not have an in-school testing program. In the event of illness, students will be sent home, and families have the option to conduct COVID testing at home. Please refer to our sick-day guidelines on the district website or consult your school nurse before deciding whether to send your child to school. Your cooperation in maintaining a safe environment for all is greatly appreciated.
Virtual Backpack
Welcome to the Virtual Backpack. This is a space where we will place items that in the past may have been a flyer in your student's backpack from friends and partners to SPS.
- Pre-K spaces still available for remainder of 2023-24
- Salem Little League Baseball and Softball (Closes Feb. 28)
- Witch City Soccer Spring 2024 Season (Closes Mar. 31)
Dowload the ParentSquare App
A reminder that ParentSquare is the district platform for communication. You will receive communication from the district, your school, and your student's classroom all in one space. You can communicate 1-to-1 with teachers, sign up for parent-teacher conferences, and more.
This is the primary communication platform for all Salem Public Schools. All messages and alerts come through ParentSquare and the app makes 1-to-1 communication with your student's teachers and signing up for guardian/student conferences a breeze. If you are not receiving messages from ParentSquare or if you are having trouble, contact your school's front office. You can visit www.parentsquare.com for more information.