

Salem Public Schools' Weekly Update
A Message from the Superintendent
October 6, 2023
SPS families,
It is Hispanic Heritage Month, and over the last week, I have been so pleased to be able to celebrate a group of Latina women across the Salem Public Schools! Last Saturday, I attended the unveiling of the El Punto community mural on Harbor Street in The Point neighborhood. It features three Salem Public Schools' alumni: our Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Laura Assade; our Collins Middle School Director of Athletics, Evelyn Oquendo; and Yamily Byas, Support Specialist at Salem Prep High School. These three powerful Latina women are not only pillars of our school system, they are revered members of the community who have made a lasting impact on our city. The mural is a spectacular sight, and we are thrilled to see them featured. It is well worth the walk or the drive to Harbor Street.
On Wednesday evening, I had the privilege of attending the State of Latino Education Awards Ceremony at the UMass Club in Boston. I was fortunate to watch two of our dedicated staff members receive citations for their efforts - Janet Garcia (SHS class of 2011), a dual language kindergarten teacher at the Bentley Academy Innovation School, and Odilia Smith, who has taught Spanish for 27 years at Collins Middle School. Ms. Garcia helped launch our dual language program at Bentley and Ms. Smith began teaching in Salem Public Schools in 1996, shortly after immigrating from Colombia. They are both deserving recipients and we are grateful for their dedication to the children of Salem.
Finally, a shout out to Collins Assistant Principal, Ms. Johanny Canada-Hlastshwayo who is part of the 2023 cohort of the Aspiring Latino Leaders Fellowship (ALLF) with Latinos for Education and Collins literacy coach, Yamily Cruz who is a Latinx Teacher Fellow with Latinos for Education. They are most deserving of participating in these programs where they will hone their leadership skills and advocate for the Latino community in our educational institutions. Salem Public Schools is so proud of these seven women who are strong and dedicated educators and amazing role models for our students.
Enjoy the long weekend as we celebrate Indigenous People's Day on Monday.
Best,
Steve
And the Rockstar Award Winner is.....
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 Bates' educators, Emily Shannon and Haley Acconcia. They were invited by DESE's Office of Student and Family Support to present, in partnership with Matthew Rodriguez from the Equity Imperative, on student voice. Ms. Shannon, Ms. Acconcia and their students will be sharing their youth participatory research (YPR) with other districts around the state. We applaud the Bates' team for incorporating student voice into their school improvement work with a focus on equity and anti-racist practices. Thank you to Ms. Shannon and Ms. Haley for valuing the voices, ideas and input of our students!
Attendance Matters!
Good attendance habits pay off and now is the time to build them! Attending more school days increases a student's academic success, improves their chances to earn a high school diploma and a college degree, and cultivates good work habits, so they can earn higher pay in their careers. Additionally, regular attendance fosters a classroom community between teachers and children. 80% of success is showing up!
As a district, we are looking to engage the community in our mission to promote positive school attendance. You may receive a phone call from an SPS staff member on October 17, 2023 between 5:30-7:30pm. We hope to reach as many families as possible and look forward to your input on identifying barriers to school attendance.
A Message from Food and Nutrition Services
Happy October - an exciting and busy month with a lot to celebrate in the department including National School Lunch Week from October 10th - 13th! The goal is to promote the importance of a healthy school lunch and the impact it has inside and outside of the classroom. This year’s theme, Level up with School Lunch!, is designed to remind students that school lunch helps them get to the next level of learning (just like in video games, when a character is low on energy or health, they power up by finding food items.) Students and staff should be on the lookout for video game-themed decorations, bulletin boards, and activities in the cafeteria. On 10/12, there will be a celebration held in the Salem High School first-floor cafeteria with music, games, and prizes!
During the week, each cafeteria will have a table set up for students with fun freebies, coloring pages, and activity pages. Students who participate in school lunch can also enter a raffle to win a variety of fun prizes ranging from squish-mallows to school merchandise. Students can enter the raffle once per day after exiting the lunch line (the more days they have lunch, the greater the chances of winning!) Two winners per school will be selected on Friday, October 13.
This week-long celebration will incorporate Hispanic Heritage Month on 10/12 when lunch will be Caribbean chicken with Spanish rice and beans. This popular meal uses a seasoning blend drawn from traditional Caribbean cooking. We will be handing out recipe cards that include menu items that were influenced by Hispanic culture, including Salem's own Margarita’s Sazon de Abuela and more.
Last but not least, as part of the district’s Farm to School efforts, we will be recognizing Farm to School Month by launching the Harvest of the Month taste-testing program in all elementary schools! Salem Public Schools is a member of the Massachusetts Farm to Schools Harvest of the Month program and has taken a pledge to serve and promote each month’s locally sourced harvest item by incorporating it into menu items and educating students about it. The program celebrates local abundance, increases student exposure to seasonal foods, and supports local farmers.
All of the fruits and vegetables acquired for Salem’s Harvest of the Month Program are locally sourced from New Entry Sustainable Farms. The October Harvest of the month from New Entry is pears! For the first taste-test of the year, we will be taste-testing baked pears at Horace Mann on Tuesday 10/10 and at Witchcraft Heights on Thursday 10/12. This is just the beginning of our Harvest of the Month taste-testing: each month, Food and Nutrition Services will host two monthly taste-tests, and will rotate across the elementary schools.
Our staff looks forward to serving delicious, healthy, and local foods, along with hosting all of the fun activities planned for the upcoming month. We hope students will join us for breakfast and lunch, and families will try out some of our recipes at home!
Your Input Is Needed!
Community voting for the Charlotte Forten Memorial design is open until 11:59pm on Monday, October 9, 2023.
All community members living or working in Salem are eligible to vote regardless of age!
Explore the proposals and cast an online vote for your favorite design: https://publicinput.com/CHARLOTTEFORTENVOTING or visit one of our in-person voting locations at City Hall, City Hall Annex, Charlotte Forten Park, or Peabody Street Park.
Counselors’ Corner
OCTOBER - NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH!
The first bullying laws were passed in 1999 as important protection against bullying in schools. As with any good policy, unintended consequences can arise. Sometimes the label of “bullying” is applied to situations where there is some other type of relational challenge. Salem Public School cares about supporting young people so they may “grow through what they go through”. In October (and beyond) we teach how to spot bullying, intervene and access support for these often nuanced situations.
What bullying is:
Unwanted, aggressive behavior with the intention to harm (physically or emotionally)
A perceived power imbalance
Repetition of actions
One-sided (meaning there is no back and forth, which is considered a conflict)
What bullying is not:
Single episodes of social rejection or dislike
Single episodes of nastiness or spite
Random acts of aggression or intimidation
Mutual arguments, disagreements or fights
Wondering how to talk to your child about social conflict and potential bullying? Here are some family talking points:
- “I am so glad you brought this up and I am here for you. We will figure it out together. Tell me more.” (Provide unconditional positive regard without panicking; present a calming response.)
- “If that person were here with us discussing this, what do you think they might add?” (Keep in mind that there can be parts of situations that get left out in one person’s telling of events; help your child deepen perspective taking.)
- “Was this a one time thing and, if not, when did this begin? Have you done anything to make it stop?” (Check for repetition of events, one-sidedness, and efforts to make it stop.)
- “Who are trusted adults you know at your school that could help?” (Teach how to identify resources and empower your child to access support.)
- “Have you tried using an I-statement?” (Teach self-advocacy and communicating boundaries.)
- I-Statements Include: I feel ___________(emotion) when you___________(label the specific behavior) because ___________________ (give context). Could you please ___________? (make a request)
- Example: “I feel frustrated when you keep talking when I am trying to talk because I want you to know what we are doing next. Could you please let me finish and then you can have a chance to jump in?”
- Example: “I feel angry when you call me an idiot every day because I am not giving you any disrespect, so could you please stop disrespecting me?”
See below for additional resources or talk to your school counselor for support:
Bullying Info for Massachusetts
Salem Public Schools educators Janet Garcia and Odilia Smith received the Education Diversity Champions Award while Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike was named the recipient of the La Lucha Award at the Latinos For Education 2023 State of Latino Education conference Wednesday night at the UMass Club in Boston.
VIEW GALLERY: El Punto Community Mural
Three members of the SPS family were selected to be featured on the El Punto Community Mural last Saturday. Kudos to Laura Assade, our Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Engagement, Collins Middle School director of athletics/physical education teacher, Evelyn Oquendo, and Salem Prep support specialist, Yamily Byas, each prominently displayed in the unveiling of the mural in The Point neighborhood.
Congratulations to these powerful Latina leaders who have had such a profound impact on the Salem community.
Parent Information Center CLOSED 10/30 & 10/31
The Parent Information Center will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, October 30th and 31st for staff professional development training. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Virtual Backpack
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.
Download the ParentSquare app
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.