Salem Public Schools
SPS families,
Happy Memorial Day weekend! Please enjoy the unofficial start of summer and the opportunity to spend extended time with the family. I also encourage families to attend the city's Memorial Day celebration this weekend. See here.
I want to take a moment to invite all families to our second annual See Me Festival scheduled for next week. The Salem Public Schools returns to the Peabody Essex Museum to celebrate our students’ creativity and elevate their unique talents and identities. The See Me Festival, on display from Thursday, May 30 through Monday, June 3, showcases all forms of art and expression – traditional, music, poetry, video and photography – from our students K through 12.
We are equally excited for the 2024 Student Voice Summit on Saturday June 1 at 10:30 am at the East India Marine Hall, where students from each of the Salem Public Schools will present their student voice projects. These projects offer important recommendations for improvement and change across our system. Students have examined problems of practice and will offer thoughtful solutions to addressing these inequities. All events are free and open to the public. We hope you come out and support the genius of our students!
Best,
Steve
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.
The Rockstar Award this week goes to Collins Middle School engagement specialist Mr. Nick Brandi-Miller. He never stops working to support and connect with students throughout the day. Through a calm, encouraging and student-centered approach, he builds strong and lasting relationships with students. He is the first to welcome students as they arrive each morning and the last to say goodbye at the end of the day. Thank you Mr. Brandi-Miller for being a trusted, valued and caring adult in the lives of our children!
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- Salem High School Honors 26 Outstanding Seniors at CTE Senior Awards Banquet | May 23, 2024
- VIEW GALLERY: Bates Elementary Students Present Mural at Mayor Jean A. Levesque Community Life Center | May 23, 2024
- The Salem News: Salem to pilot school bus camera program, track passing violations | May 22, 2024
- Student Voice Summit, See Me Festival Slated for June 1 at the Peabody Essex Museum | May 22, 2024
- American Educator Magazine: Empowering Futures: How Salem’s Comprehensive CTE Programs are Shaping Students’ Lives | May 21, 2024
- VIEW GALLERY: More Than 70 SHS Seniors Attend Future Educators Celebration and Senior Signing | May 20, 2024
Salem families and residents are invited to a series of important community conversations about the future design of schools in Salem. Specifically, we are interested in your perspective regarding our elementary, middle and high school configuration as well as Salem’s intra-district school choice policy that allows families to select from five elementary schools and two middle schools when enrolling in the Salem Public Schools.
During the 2021-22 school year, we hosted a series of meetings to develop a School Facility Master Plan. As part of these dialogues, we discussed facility improvements, grade configuration and our enrollment policy. This information helped shape the final SFMP, which was an instrumental part of our successful application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a new facility at Salem High School.
Today, now two years later, it is critical that we revisit these topics to inform decision points more imminently on the horizon for the Salem Public Schools. We request your presence to attend the third and final community forum so that you can share your ideas, questions, and thoughts. Please see the schedule of sessions scheduled over the next few weeks.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024: at Saltonstall School, 6:30-8 p.m.
The input collected from each forum will be shared with the School Committee for its review, discussion and future decision-making. Please note that childcare and Spanish language interpretation will be provided. We look forward to hearing from you at these upcoming sessions.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released consolidated, evidence-based guidance for preventing the spread of infections in K-12 schools. The guidance includes everyday actions that schools can take to prevent and control the spread of respiratory and stomach viruses and illnesses, such as influenza and norovirus, and bacterial illnesses, such as strep throat. The guidance is designed to maximize school attendance and its benefits for all students while also preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
The guidance for preventing the spread of infections in K-12 schools is consistent with current Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidance and DESE implementation. The two state agencies will continue to work together to keep students, staff, and family members safe and healthy.
Transportation Applications for the 2024-25 school year are now OPEN in the Aspen Family Portal.
All students who wish to ride the bus for the 2024-25 school year must submit an application, even if the student currently rides the bus or is considered a mandatory rider.
A completed application must be submitted by Monday, July 1, 2024. Applications received after July 1, 2024, will not be accepted except in extenuating circumstances to allow proper time for processing and routing.
Note: If you have a student that attends Salem Academy Charter School, you will not be able to submit an application for your student in Aspen. Salem Academy will send a separate application form to families. Please click below for information about Salem Academy Bus Applications:
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.
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.