Salem Public Schools
SPS families,
Once again, we are looking forward to hosting the 2024-25 Back to School Fair and Block Party on Wednesday, Aug. 28 (4-8 p.m.) at the Saltonstall School playground. This event, which is at a new location, has become an important tradition as we celebrate the beginning of the school year.
This will be our third annual Back to School Fair and each year the festivities grow with increased participation. Our family engagement team along with our partners in the Salem Teachers Union, Salem Police, Salem Fire and Salem City Hall work together to throw a party that our students and families deserve. As part of the event, we are proud to offer:
Free backpacks to students
Hot dogs and hamburgers
Ice cream truck
Raffles, games, face painting, live music and so much more!
While the Back to School Fair offers plenty of activities for our young students, it is also a terrific opportunity for our families to learn more about the wealth of resources that the schools, the city and community agencies can provide our students during the upcoming school year. If an organization is interested in volunteering, hosting a table, donating, sponsoring please use this link or the QR code on the flyer (English, Spanish and Portuguese) to register and let us know how you would like to participate no later than Friday August 23rd, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
Finally, we want to make families aware that we can provide transportation to and from the event. To sign-up for transportation, we ask families to contact our Parent Information Center (pic@salemk12.org or 978-740-1225) or Laura Assade (lassade@salemk12.org or 781-771-8148).
We hope to see you on the 28th so that we can welcome your family to our 2024-25 school year kickoff!
Enjoy the weekend,
Steve
- Salem Public Schools Receives $169,175 MLSC STEM Equipment and Professional Development Grant | July 24, 2024
- WATCH: Salem High School Class of 2024 Commencement | July 22, 2024
- Salem High School CTE Department Receives $480,000 Career Technical Initiative Grant | July 19, 2024
- VIEW GALLERY: SPS Farm-to-School Vendor Tour and Program Partner Lunch | July 18, 2024
- Empowering Educators: Eleven SPS Staffers Earn Bilingual Educators Certification | July 15, 2024
Our first Panorama Family/Caregiver Survey is still available and we encourage your input. We value your opinion as you are an important part in the life of your scholar and many others and a valued member of the SPS community. We would be honored if you would take a moment of your time to share your feedback with us.
Take the Survey (15 minutes)
The survey will be open from June 14-Aug. 9, 2024 and should take no more than 15 minutes. We encourage you to take one survey per student you care for, if you would like to. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Haitian Creole.
Should you have any questions or need support please reach out to us at 978-740-1225 or email lassade@salemk12.org
Salem Public Schools is excited to announce the successful launch of its free summer meals program, which began Monday, July 8. Running through Friday, August 16, this initiative ensures that kids and teens 18 and under can enjoy nutritious meals for free all summer. No sign-up is required, and no questions are asked. The only requirement is that kids and teens must be present to receive their meal and enjoy it on-site.
As we enter mid-July, hot and humid weather seems to be in abundance, especially the coming week. We understand that the indoor temperature of our school buildings can significantly impact the health of our students and the performance of our teachers and staff during summer school.
Our facilities team is dedicated to ensuring that the climate in each building is safe and comfortable. If the temperature in any classroom becomes uncomfortable, we will take steps to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. These measures may include:
Relocating students to cooler rooms within the building;
Limiting or canceling outdoor activities;
Allowing frequent breaks for rest and hydration;
Encouraging everyone to drink plenty of water and wear lightweight clothing;
Canceling the program or aspects of the program for the day if necessary.
We advise caregivers to provide their children with refillable water bottles and dress them in loose, lightweight clothing for the day.
Our school nurses will monitor students for any signs of heat-related illness during the summer program and will inform caregivers if their child needs to go home.
With the chart below, we encourage families to familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness so they can seek help if someone at home becomes ill.
Additionally, for families looking to stay cool, many of the city's public buildings have air conditioning and are open throughout the day. Additionally, the city's pool at Forest River Park is open from 1-6 p.m. (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday), 2-6 p.m. (Wednesday) and 1-5 p.m. on (Saturday-Sunday).
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.