Salem Public Schools

SPS families,

This week, many of our families participated in conferences with our educators. I hope that you were able to take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about your child's progress in partnership with our staff. If you were unable to schedule an appointment, feel free to reach out to your child's teacher(s) to find a time to meet via Zoom or in person.

Report cards were shared last week and, predictably, there are always questions about how to read and understand the different aspects of the grading document. As a reminder, we use a standards-based system which is intended to provide a more comprehensive picture of how your child is performing relative to grade-level expectations. More specifically:

• In a standards-based system, the score represents what the student has learned by evaluating student work against a standard (or expectation).
• The old letter grade system indicated how many points a student accumulated through assignments, extra credit, tests, participation, homework completion, and classroom behavior. In that system, the student’s goal was to gather as many points as possible to get to an A.
• In a standards-based system, student work is measured in relation to a standard (performance expectation), rather than an accumulation of points.
• Comparing letter grades with standards-based grades is difficult because the marks stand for completely different things. End-of-year grades at the high school are converted to letter grades for transcript purposes.

You can learn even more about standards-based grading here. Please reach out to your child's principal if you have additional questions about standards-based grading. We know this is different from the way you were assessed during your schooling experience and we want to demystify the way we grade in Salem.

In closing, we want to wish all of our students, staff and families who celebrate the festival of lights a Happy Hanukkah!

Enjoy the weekend,

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 rock star trophy.

The rockstar award this week goes to Salem High School counselor, Ms. Rachael Kozlowski. She has exhibited extraordinary dedication to ensure the success of every graduating student. Ms. Kozlowski meticulously crafts graduation plans to ensure all seniors are prepared for graduation and diligently guides them through the intricacies of the college application process. Her commitment extends beyond paperwork as she actively engages with students and instills confidence and enthusiasm for their post-secondary journeys. Leveraging her technical skills, Ms. Kozlowski created a comprehensive Senior Google Classroom, serving as a centralized hub for students and their families. This digital platform is not just a repository of information; it is a dynamic space where she shares valuable insights, resources, and crucial next steps toward various post-secondary pathways. This ensures that every family and scholar is not only supported but also well-prepared for the exciting opportunities that lie ahead after high school.

Do you have an early learner or know an early learner who will be joining the Salem Public Schools for the 2024-2025 school year? We will be hosting our virtual Early Childhood Town Hall on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 6:30pm to provide an overview of the early learning experience, the registration process, and to answer any questions you have. Save the date, save the link, and submit your questions here.

As a reminder, children who turn 5 on or before August 31, 2024 are eligible for kindergarten. Children who turn 4 on or before August 31, 2024 are eligible to enter our Pre-Kindergarten lottery; and children who turn 3 on or by August 31, 2024 are eligible to enter our preschool lottery at the Early Childhood Center.

We'll also be hosting an in-person meet and greet event the evening of February 8th for families to meet with school and department leaders - more details will be shared soon. Mark your calendars and spread the word - we look forward to meeting our newest families and learners in the upcoming months!

Salem High School senior Nadia Lebron received the Voices Against Injustice Rising Leader Award at the 2023 Voices Against Injustice awards ceremony on Friday, Nov. 10 at the House of the Seven Gables. The VAI Rising Leader Award is presented annually to students committed to advancing the cause of human rights and social justice. Recipients receive a $500 scholarship and the gift of a book related to social justice.

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The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has partnered with the nonprofit uAspire to provide free support to students and school staff to help seniors complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

For Students: uAspire will offer a FAFSA webinar for students three times: 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 3; 5:00-6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30; and 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27. Registration is open online.

In addition, FAQs are available in English and Spanish, and more resources are posted on uAspire.org/resources, uaspire.org/Checklist, and uaspire.org/FSAID.

Senior trumpeter Will Napierkowski and sophomore pianist Lucas Fox received the top scores in the Northeastern District and led 11 student-musicians from Salem High School to qualify for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Northeast District Senior Music Festival.

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This month’s SEL focus is citizenship. Included in this is empathy, problem solving, and perspective taking. And it’s also National Volunteers Month! It is no coincidence that this aligns with the holidays and the closing out of the calendar year.

When day-to-day challenges feel too much (and let’s face it, they probably really do for many of us), it can seem overwhelming to add “giving to others” to the long list. And yet, research shows that we actually benefit ourselves from sharing our light with people.

Some simple ways to engage in this type of simple, yet powerful “citizenship” include:

• Sending a text message to someone to tell them you are thinking of them

• Email a teacher just to say “I appreciate all you do”

• Give a compliment to the person in front of you in line at the store

• Drop cookies or a treat off to a neighbor

• Make cards/pictures for: a retirement home, the police/fire, hospital etc.

A great resource throughout the year is Action for Happiness- a website dedicated to well-being and health. This month’s calendar focus is “Do Good December”, with action steps you and your family can take daily to spread kindness to yourself and others! The calendar can be found in many different languages! https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar

The latest edition of Nursing News is now available for your reading pleasure. Our team of nurses has curated a fantastic selection of community events to immerse you in the festive spirit, along with a delightful holiday recipe. Be sure to peruse the newsletter for helpful reminders on maintaining your well-being during the winter season and valuable tips on caring for your mental health.

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Salem High School's brand new dinner program begins Monday, December 11th! Salem High School students now have the opportunity to stay for dinner any day after school. Dinner willmbe served in the Salem High School first-floor cafeteria from 3:05 PM to 4:35 PM every day. These meals follow school meal protocol and are FREE for all students. The implementation of this program aims to offer numerous benefits, addressing both educational and broader community needs.

This program ensures that students have access to all 3 meals a day! All students now have the opportunity to be fed throughout the day at no cost to their families. We are hopeful that this program will address any food insecurity issues our students and their families are facing. This program aims to ensure that all Salem High School students, regardless of their economic background, have access to the same resources.

Eating three meals a day encourages consistent, adequate energy intake! Students who have access to proper meals are more likely to be engaged in their studies and participate actively in class. Meals served at dinner follow the same nutrition standards as our lunch and breakfast programs. Meals that are served include whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat cheeses. Vegetables and fruits are offered daily. Take a look at the first menu of the dinner program here.

As of July 1, 2023, the state’s Tuition Equity Law expanded access to in-state tuition rates and state financial aid programs for all students who have attended high school in the Commonwealth for at least three years, obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent in Massachusetts, and met certain other documentation requirements. While students across the Commonwealth will benefit from this expanded access to affordable higher education, the new law notably carves a new pathway to in-state tuition rates and state financial aid for certain non-U.S. citizen students, including undocumented students. This new way to be eligible for in-state tuition at Massachusetts public colleges and universities and to be eligible to be considered for Massachusetts financial aid will be in addition to the existing ways for a student to establish eligibility for in-state tuition rates.

Join the Salem Education Foundation for our fifth annual fundraiser concert at Studio FOLI! This

will be a fun-filled, family-friendly afternoon celebrating the holiday season with everyone's

favorite blockhead, Charlie Brown. Acclaimed local musician, Aidan Scrimgeour, and his trio will

perform the music of Vince Guaraldi from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Don't miss out on the

opportunity to experience the iconic story and beloved characters brought to life right in front

of you with live jazz music, scenes from the Charlie Brown Christmas movie, and sing-alongs.

Date: Sunday, December 10

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Location: 90 Lafayette St., Salem, MA 01970

General Admission $20

Tickets can be purchased via EventBrite

Salem Education Foundation gives grants to teachers in the Salem Public Schools: Supporting teachers who inspire students. We fund the joy!

Salem High School Unified Sports is thrilled to partner with Curly Girl Candy Shop to spread holiday joy this December! Over the next three Wednesdays (12/6, 12/13, 12/20), the team at Curly Girl Candy Shop has graciously offered to donate 15% of the proceeds from bulk candy sales to Unified Sports. All you have to do is let the associate know you're shopping to benefit Unified Sports BEFORE they ring you up!

Registration for the Salem Little League Baseball and Softball 2024 season is open until Wednesday, Feb. 28

Visit the Salem Little League Baseball and Softball Registration page to find December early-bird discounts and pricing (expires Jan. 10, 2024); one of the THREE in-person registration sessions (all players must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at time of the registration); age charts to find the proper level for your child; and family discounts.

For more information, contact Ed Colbert: eddiecolbertiii@gmail.com

Or visit the Salem Little League Baseball and Softball website.

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.

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.