Salem Public Schools
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 is SHS English teacher, Kim Parker Warren, who was recognized with the Mass Insight Advanced Placement Teaching Excellence Award at a ceremony this week. In the words of one of her students "Ms. Parker has helped me really develop my essay writing skills in both AP Literature and other classes that I have applied the skills to. Because of her teaching, I am a better writer and a better self-editor, and I'll always appreciate that." Congratulations to Ms. Parker Warren!
Safety Guidance for Monday’s Total Eclipse: This coming Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse is coming to North America and will be visible in Salem. Between 2:15 PM and 4:40 PM, the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, casting a shadow that will block our view of the sun. View this simulation to see an animation and get an idea of what the eclipse will look like here in Salem.
Because total eclipses are so rare – the last time a total solar eclipse was visible in the Boston area was in 1959 and the next time this will occur is in 2079 – it is something special for our students to witness. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but viewing an eclipse without the proper preparation can be dangerous to your eyesight. We recommend that you consult this safe viewing guide put out by the Commonwealth, and follow our quick tips to SAFELY view this amazing cosmic event:
Do not look directly at the eclipse without protecting your eyes! Wear approved glasses with a special-purpose filter, keep them on while viewing the eclipse, and look away before removing them. Sunglasses, even very dark ones, do not provide protection when directly looking at the sun during an eclipse.
Do not look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device - even when wearing eclipse glasses.
Wear sunscreen with a high SPF and broad-spectrum protection.
Wear a hat that covers your head, face, ears, and neck. A wide-brimmed hat can also shield your eyes from the sun.
Wear protective clothing that covers your arms and legs.
Salem High School CTE Hosts ‘Explore, Connect, Pursue’ 2024 Career Fair Apr. 25 | Friday, Apr. 5
WBZ News Radio: Bentley Academy Students Create Mural Under Guidance of Artist Miguel Cruz ’09 | Thursday, Apr. 4
WATCH: Salem High School students lead an Autism Acceptance Round Table | Wednesday, Apr. 3
Salem News 2024 Student-Athlete Award nominee: Shane Field, Salem | Wednesday, Apr. 3
WATCH: Salem CTI’s Gabriel Yeager, John St. Onge Featured on ‘Engage!’ | Tuesday, Apr. 2
Puberty resources: A huge thank you to those parents and caregivers who attended our webinar on Wednesday evening to learn about the puberty and personal hygiene lessons in our elementary schools. We love to share our work with you and greatly appreciate your collaboration on this important topic.
Our nurses have created a resource for families with several books, websites, and videos to share with their children. In addition, we have linked educational resources such as the new Frameworks for Physical and Health Education from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Each school will send out the schedule for the lessons well in advance to give parents and caregivers ample time to have conversations at home about these topics. Parents and caregivers wishing to exempt their children from the lessons may send a written request to their school nurse.
We have received inquiries and questions about summer school programming in the Salem Public Schools. We are pleased to share that, in collaboration with our community partners, we will have approximately the same number of summer programs and seats as last summer. Our school-based teams are currently working to sign-up students who would benefit most from the summer offerings.
Historically, this happens before we open up the programming more widely. That being said, if you are interested in learning more about our Salem Public Schools or community offerings, please reach out to the City Connects coordinators at each K-8 school and the guidance departments at our three high school campuses. We want as many of our students to be connected to citywide programs as possible.
The Essex County Summer Day Program is announcing two weeks of workshops and team-building activities for Salem students entering fifth grade in August 2024.
Access Registration Forms and Waivers
Please complete the application and waiver and return each to Detective Charlene Sano of the Salem Police Department via:
E-Mail: csano@salempd.net
Mail: Salem Police Department, 95 Margin St., Salem, Mass., 01970, ATTN: Detective Charlene Sano
Drop off: Salem Police Department at the front window, ATTN: Detective Charlene Sano
Deadline for applications is April 26th (Space is limited). For any questions, please reach out to Detective Sano at 978-744-0171, ext. 50229
Reminder: The Salem School Committee meeting originally scheduled for Monday, Apr. 1 has been rescheduled to Monday, April 8 (7 p.m.). The meeting will include Superintendent Zrike's FY25 budget proposal to the Committee. As always, the meeting will also be streamed live via Zoom with translations in Spanish and Portuguese
Reminder: Salem High School now serves daily dinner for Salem High School students. This program will be in its fifth month of operation in April. The after-school dinner program strives to combat hunger in our community and promote student wellness.
The program has shown great success in its first few months of operation: 886 dinners were served in January, 582 dinners were served in February, and 515 dinners in March! With spring sports and extracurricular activities gearing up, we anticipate even greater participation. We are prepared to fuel students up so they can excel in their after school sports and other activities while maintaining their health.
The Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange (SOCE) Club annually hosts 28 students (14 boys,14 girls) from Ota City, Japan (near Tokyo); they are 12 and 13 years old. This is the 32nd year of this cultural
exchange. This year students will be here, July 21-30, 2024.
The Japanese students have their days filled with their own program but are looking to stay with a family with similar aged kids for the evenings/weekends. Hosts typically have youth in their own home, aged 10-16. Host families often get together for social outings during free time: games, beach/pool, shopping etc.
The students all have a working use of English and there is NO expectation that the US kids/families know any Japanese. The only requirement is that the Japanese students must have a bed of their own and hosts must be willing drop their student off in Salem in the morning (usually around 8:30 am) and pick them up in Salem in the evening (usually around 4 pm). (Families often share these pickups/drop-offs.) While this club is based out of Salem, we have typically had hosting families from surrounding towns as well: Beverly, Marblehead, Lynn, Swampscott, Danvers, Georgetown, etc.
To express interest in hosting, please contact Marlene Warner at 978.394.4722 or marlene.warner@gmail.com; also visit our website at: www.salemotace.org for more information.
The Great Salem Cleanup, scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 20, is seeking student volunteers from Salem High School, Collins Middle School and Saltonstall School.
The Cleanup, spearheaded by the Salem Beatification Committee, is an ideal way for National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society students to fulfill volunteer hour requirements.
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.