Salem Public Schools

Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed the winter break and that your week was filled with special traditions, laughter and memory-making. We were thrilled to welcome everyone back to school yesterday. Our schools are boring places without our students!

We enter the new year filled with positivity and the promise that our youth will continue to grow as learners, developing the academic, social and emotional skills to thrive. On Monday, many of our students and families celebrate Three Kings Day or Dia de los Reyes. We want to wish a happy holiday to anyone who celebrates what is also known as the Epiphany.

I want to be sure to invite families to attend the Collins Middle School Information Session for incoming 6th graders (current grade 5 students) which is scheduled for this Wednesday, January 8th from 6-8 p.m. at Collins Middle School. Please find informational flyers here: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

We urge you to come check out all the transformative learning happening at our dynamic middle school. Collins is without a doubt a school on the move and it is important for students and families to see it for themselves. There are countless programs and pathways available to students to find and cultivate their passions during the critical developmental years of middle school.

Additionally, I want to make you aware that we now have a way to transparently share our strategic plan progress on our website. A public dashboard can be found here. Please visit the site and let us know if you have any questions about how we are doing relative to our goals. Please note, we plan to translate the site into Spanish and Portuguese over the coming weeks.

Enjoy the upcoming weekend. Stay warm!

Steve

The rockstar award this week goes to Collins Middle School grade 6 math teacher Sandra Castillo. Ms. Castillo has worked incredibly hard over the last few years to develop her skills as a math practitioner. She has shifted her instruction to be increasingly more learner-centered, such that students are doing a higher percentage of the thinking during class than ever before.

Ms. Castillo builds meaningful relationships with her students and has created a culture where students are empowered and excited to be mathematicians.

Medtronic, the healthcare technology giant, needs the help of Collins Middle School students to design surgical 3D glasses to fit surgeons comfortably for long robotic surgical procedures. | Continue Reading

William Towne, a junior in the Salem High School band, was named to the NAfME Eastern Division All-Eastern Honor Ensemble, NAfME Eastern Division Ensemble Chair Hannah Cole announced on Dec. 15. | Continue Reading

Public schools in Salem and Peabody were recently awarded with grant funding from a state program with $25,000 going towards school-based creative projects for K-12 students. | Continue Reading

Thirty years ago in 1994, in the heart of Salem, a small but mighty group of visionaries planted the seeds for what has become one of our city’s most impactful nonprofit organizations — the Salem Education Foundation (SEF). | Continue Reading

The Collins Middle School Showcase is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 8 from 6-8 p.m. at 29 Highland Avenue in Salem.

We welcome all grade 5 students, families and friends interested in our grades 6-8 project-based, immersion learning experience which includes:

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing (STEM) learning
• Career Technical Education (CTE)
• Immersive learning and field trips
• After-school activities and care
• Athletics and Recreation

Our faculty and staff will be on hand to answer any and all questions.

O*N*S*T*A*G*E at Salem High School proudly presents CHICAGO: Teen Edition, adapted from Kander and Ebbs legendary and award winning musical about fame, fortune, and acquittal. Packed with catchy tunes and Fosse inspired choreography, come see what ‘All That Jazz’ is all about.

Performances are Friday and Saturday, Jan. 17-18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. at the SHS M. Ruth Norton Auditorium (77 Willson Street, Salem, MA 01790). The run time of this show is 1 hour 30 minutes, and includes a brief intermission. $15 General Admission (at the door)/$12 Presale at SHSonstage.ludus.com. $10 Students, Seniors, and Active Military. $5 student rush tickets will be available to SHS students during lunch the week of the show.

CHICAGO Teen Edition will feature performances by a cast of 26 SHS singers, actors, and dancers, and a pit band with a mix of professional and student musicians. Over 35 students have contributed to the designing, creating, and operation of technical elements (costumes, props, set, lights, and sound), both after school and as part of projects in Technical Theater and CTE classes.

CHICAGO Teen Edition is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

The Salem Public Schools Early Childhood Expo, which showcases kindergarten, pre-kindergarten and preschool programs, will take place Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, and Thursday, Feb. 6, in two capacities.

• The Virtual Town Hall is slated for Wednesday, Jan. 22 from 6:30-8 p.m. | Submit your questions now | Meeting Link

• The Meet and Greet Session is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6 (5:30-7 p.m.) at the Collins Middle School.

Additionally, SPS families can schedule in-person tours of each school that offers kindergarten, pre-kindergarten and preschool programming – Bates Elementary School, Bentley Innovation Academy, Carlton Innovation School, Horace Mann Laboratory School, Saltonstall School, Witchcraft Heights Elementary School and the Salem Early Childhood Center – from Mar. 3-14.

Eligibility for kindergarten, pre-kindergarten and preschool programs is as follows:

• Kindergarten: Children residing in Salem who will turn FIVE years old on or before Aug. 31 are eligible to start kindergarten in the fall of 2025.
• Pre-Kindergarten: Children residing in Salem who turn FOUR years old on or before Aug. 31 are eligible to enter the lottery for the SPS pre-K program in the fall of 2025.
• Preschool: Children residing in Salem who turn THREE years old on or before Aug. 31 are eligible to enter the lottery for the preschool program at the Salem Early Childhood Center in the fall of 2025.

For more information, contact the SPS Parent Information Center at pic@salemk12.org or telephone (978) 740-1225, or visit salemk12.org/families.

Greeny?

The Earth Saver?

The Hunka Junka Truck?

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo invites the Salem community to participate in the naming of the Department of Public Services’ brand-new garbage truck. This special vehicle, designed to help keep Salem clean, is ready to hit the streets, and the City needs your input to help decide its name.

Voting is open until Friday, Jan. 31 at 12 p.m. The winning name will be revealed at a ribbon cutting for the truck, where the newly-named garbage truck, displaying its new moniker, will be unveiled.

Happy New Year from Salem Food & Nutrition Services!

As we step into 2025, Salem Food & Nutrition Services is excited to bring you a year of delicious meals, recipe sharing, taste tests, and more. We will be expanding our Farm-to-School work as well as our composting program. As always, we’ll celebrate food holidays, beginning in January with National Soup Month. We can’t wait to kick off the year with a variety of special events and tasty treats.

• Stop Kitchen Showcase
• National Soup Month
• New Spice Bar at Salem High School

Find out about more January events

Fresh off the graduation of its fourth class, the Salem Technical Institute is offering FREE 12-week coursework and certifications in:

• Sustainable Building & Technology
• Automotive Technology

Classes begin Monday, Jan. 20 and run Monday-Thursday (5-9 p.m.) until Thursday, May 1. Certifications such as OSHA 10/30, First Aid, HotWorks fire safety are included along with career development.

Contact jstonge@salemk12.org or visit tinyurl.com/SalemTech

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.

• BRYT Family Learning Sessions & Parents-Supporting-Parents Conversations
• Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship (Early deadline Apr. 3, 2025; Regular deadline May 1, 2025)
• Mass DPH Launches Immunizations Dashboard
• Massachusetts Partnership for Youth Offers Parenting Resource
• Registration Open for Automotive, Sustainable Building & Technology January-May Coursework
  
• Attention SHS Seniors: College Affordability Resources
• Covid-19 Tests Available at Main Offices, Nurses Offices

ParentSquare is the communication platform for Salem Public Schools. Families receive communication from the district, school, and their student's classroom all in one space. Families can communicate 1-to-1 with teachers, register for parent-teacher conferences, and more.

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.