Salem Public Schools Update

February 11, 2022

SPS families,

On Tuesday, Governor Baker and Department of Education Commissioner Riley, announced that the statewide mask mandate in schools would be lifted on February 28th (except for on school buses and in health offices). They shared that masking policies moving forward are the purview of local municipalities - cities and school districts. In the next two weeks, the Salem School Committee will discuss whether we should continue to have a mask mandate in Salem and, if so, for how long. It is expected that they will review data on COVID-19 case counts, wastewater surveillance data, vaccine rates and testing participation. They will also consider the perspectives of local health officials, child psychologists and local and statewide department of health guidance.

Today, we also sent a very brief anonymous survey to families, staff, and students (ages 13 and up) to solicit the perspective of the SPS community. As we have aimed to do throughout the pandemic, we want to make a thoughtful and informed decision about how we proceed as a school system. The SPS School Committee will convene Tuesday evening, February 15th from 6-7 pm in a Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss our plan moving forward. There will be an opportunity for public comment, further discussion, and a potential vote at the next regularly scheduled School Committee meeting on Monday, February 28th at 7 pm.

A few additional COVID updates.

• Please know that our weekly pooled testing and the COVID-19 home testing will continue at least through April vacation regardless of the masking decision.
• The City of Salem’s Board of Health voted earlier this week to rescind the indoor mask mandate (excludes schools) and the proof of vaccination requirement. Proof of vaccination will no longer be required for our extracurricular events - music concerts, sporting events and drama performances.

Finally, we hope that you can join us for important forums for our Educational Facilities Master Plan (see schedule below). At these forums, we are excited to share an extensive array of operational scenarios and facility options currently under consideration as part of the planning process. Some of the options to be discussed include renovation, new construction, building consolidation, grade reconfiguration, and school choice and assignment policies. Your input is vital to our planning efforts. We look forward to seeing you and please spread the word or bring friends and neighbors along with you!

Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday,

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 construction cone that displays the words: “Awesome,” “Well Done,” or “Great Job.”

In honor of National School Counseling week, the Cone of Excellence goes to the counseling team at the Saltonstall School. School Adjustment Counselors Julie Tapper and Jaleesa Tentindo, and CIty Connects Coordinator, Joy Richmond-Smith, have competently and compassionately worked to support the students, families and staff throughout the pandemic. This year, Julie, Jaleesa and Joy have championed the Youth Voice Equity project, collaboratively taught middle school health, and piloted SOS, a suicide prevention program for middle schools. In addition, the trio is working collaboratively with several community partners to provide targeted interventions for complex needs. Thank you, Saltonstall counseling team, for sharing your expertise in the counseling field and being such an integral part of the Saltonstall community.

Salem Public Schools is hosting a February Vacation Academy. The program will run from 9:00am-12:pm on February 22-25, and transportation is available. Students will enjoy breakfast and a grab-and-go lunch and participate in math and literacy tutoring, in addition to playing team-building games and interacting with their peers.

We have just learned that we are able to open 40 Vacation Academy seats on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you are interested in your child participating, please complete this form, and we will reach out to you to discuss next steps.

As you might have heard, Governor Baker, along with DESE has announced that masking will no longer be required by the state in schools after February 28, 2022. However, each school district is charged with making its own decisions regarding this timeline. While the ultimate decision is that of our School Committee, we are gathering input from our staff, students, and families as well as speaking with medical and mental health advisors to help inform a recommendation. Your voice is a key component in the decision-making process.

Please check your email for an important poll that asks:

If you needed to make a decision right now, how comfortable would you feel if Salem Public Schools were to remove the mask mandate in line with the state’s changes on March 1st?

We ask that you please take this important one-question anonymous poll so we can get a sense of the comfort levels of our school community.

Salem Public Schools continues to be as proactive as possible in mitigating the risk of COVID-19 in our schools. As a result, we will be sending home at-home test kits with every student and staff member for use over February break. Students will have one test to use at their discretion and one test to use on Sunday, February 27th before returning to school.

If you do not want your child to receive an at-home test kit, please complete this form by Tuesday, February 15th at 5pm.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Bentley Academy Innovation School

25 Memorial Drive, Salem, MA

1pm-5pm

Cataldo Ambulance will be offering child (ages 5-11), adult (ages 12+), and booster doses for all eligible. YOU MUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT using the link (same as below). If you are registering for a second or booster dose, please bring your vaccination card with you. When registering a child to receive the vaccine during school hours, fill out the consent form included in the link. Parents/guardians of students are welcome to attend with their child, but do NOT need to be present as long as the consent form is filled out.

The clinic will be in the Bentley School library. You may enter the school through the doors by the small parking lot on the Memorial Drive side of the building. There is accessible parking on that side of the building. School dismissal is at 3:00 p.m., so please be respectful of the school day activities if you arrive before that time. Please do NOT enter the building for your appointment more than 10 minutes ahead of time.

Cataldo Ambulance requires everyone to register prior to being vaccinated. You can register using this link:

https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/cataldo?calendar=791a4818-13c1-4144-9a5b-aca021c5e170

If you need assistance registering please call 978-740-1193 ext. 60556.

This coming Tuesday, our beginner musicians will have a concert of their own. Please join us to see our young musicians from each school perform in the All-City Beginner Concert.

Tuesday, February 15th

7:00pm

Salem High School

Did you know that February is CTE month? The Career and Technical Education (CTE) PATHWAYS at SHS provides rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and the relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare students for further education and careers.
Our CTE pathway includes:

• Automotive Technology
• Building Property & Maintenance
• Carpentry
• Culinary Arts
• Early Education & Care
• Electrical
• Medical Assisting
• Programming & Web Design

Visit our webpage to learn more about these programs.

Families and individuals with low or no incomes across Massachusetts could get thousands of dollars in federal payments this year due to recent policy changes, even if the family has never filed taxes before. This money could include missed stimulus payments, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the expanded Child Tax Credit.

To receive this money, families need to file a tax return. Families can learn more at findyourfunds.org.

Don't miss your chance to shape the future of our facilities. Register here to participate in an upcoming forum.

All Salem students, parents, and community members are invited to attend our second round of public forums with repeated opportunities to participate. At these in-person and virtual meetings, you will 1) learn about specific options that are being considered by District leadership, 2) participate in small group discussions with fellow school stakeholders, and 3) take surveys to share your perspectives and preferences.

Community Forum Series 2: School Options

Feb 14, 6pm Virtual (English/Spanish)

Feb 16, 2pm Horace Mann (in person, English/Spanish)

Feb 16, 6pm Saltonstall auditorium (in person, English/Spanish)

Feb 17, 745am, Bentley (in person, English/Spanish)

Feb 17, 6pm Collins Library/IMC (in person, English)

We hope to see you there!

With our two snow days and our one wellness day, the last day of school is currently Friday, June 17th (June 15th for our Pre-K and Kindergarten students). For Carlton Innovation School the last day will be June 23rd (June 17th for Kindergarten families) given that June 20th is a holiday for Juneteenth). Please know that this is subject to change depending on the weather over the coming months.

As winter approaches, we want to remind staff and families to be sure we have current contact information to reach you in the event that we have a cancellation or delay. Notifications will go out through ParentSquare via automated phone call, text, and email. We do not have the option of remote instruction in the event of a closure.

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.

2022 Salem Little League Registration

Dr. Zrike would love the opportunity to meet with any SPS staff or SPS family who would like to do so. It could be in a park, a coffee shop, your home, or anywhere else.

If you would like to schedule some time with Dr. Zrike, please email Mindy Marino to set up a time and place.

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 how the schools will communicate with families districtwide going forward. Please be sure you are receiving messages from ParentSquare. If you are having trouble, contact your school's front office. You can visit www.parentsquare.com for more information.

Email: publicrelations@salemk12.org
Website: https://www.salemk12.org
Location: 29 Highland Avenue, Salem, MA, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalemPublicSchools
Twitter: @SalemSchoolsk12