June 9, 2023

SPS families,

On Wednesday evening we had our final meeting of the Parent Advisory Council. This team of diverse parents representing our schools has been meeting since December with me and members of the School Committee to provide valuable input on different aspects of our work in the Salem Public Schools. They have shared critical feedback about how to improve the learning experience for our students and how to better inform families/parents about their children’s academic progress. 

As a result of their feedback, we have committed to the following steps during the upcoming school year:

• Each school will have a customized training plan for teachers, students and staff so that all involved have a stronger understanding of standards-based grading and reporting.
• Schools will ensure that students have access to grades in ASPEN at minimum every two weeks. 
• We will provide STAR ELA/math assessment reports to all families following the administration of the test (3 times a year). 
• A work group will be formed to focus on strengthening the parent/teacher conference experience for staff and families. 
• Double the number of the Cartwheel (tele-mental health) slots.
• Provide more funding to deter transportation costs for field trips. 

Finally, we have developed guidance for homework across the system for the upcoming school year. We think it is important that there is clarity about expectations so that students have extension of content and skills that have already been introduced in class. Providing students with multiple opportunities to apply what they have learned is a recommended standards-based practice. We hope that this guidance helps to prepare you and your child for their academic experience in the upcoming school year.

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.

This week’s rockstar award goes to Zissis Alepakis, our Director of Buildings and Grounds. With the prospect of rain for the Salem High School graduation last Friday, Mr. Alepakis led a monumental effort of our custodial crews to shift the ceremony from Salem Common to the SHS field house. Without hesitation, his team seamlessly prepared the field house for what proved to be such a joyful and festive event. We are grateful for Mr. Alepakis’ leadership, which is always in service of the needs of our students and staff!

Summer brings opportunities to spend time with friends and family and enjoy the outdoors. We hope that you and your student will also continue to read to develop a love of books and learning new things. 

Here are summer reading suggestions created by the American Library Association for students in Grades PreK-8 that will help you and your student select books together. As always, we suggest that you follow your child’s lead and choose books and topics that interest them.

For grades 9-12, we’ve elected to use the MA Teen Choice Book nominees, which is a list of 21 books curated by public and school librarians. The titles are available in limited quantity in the SHS library, copies will be available at the Salem Public Library, and starting on July 1st, Sora will have the ebook and audiobook versions available with no wait times for all members of the MLS ebook collection. More information about these reading selections can be found here.

Here are the dates for the upcoming last days of school!

Carlton
K – Monday, June 12 (full day)
1-5 – Wednesday, June 14 (early release)

All other schools
PK/K – Tuesday, June 20 (full day)
1-11 – Wednesday, June 21 (early release)

As we near the end of the school year, we wanted to let you know that we are now accepting applications for waitlist spots in a few of our SPS summer programs. If you are interested in registering your student in one of our programs, please contact your school’s City Connects Coordinator.

Grade 9 students begin on August 28th

Grades 1-8 and grades 10-12 begin on August 29th. 

Pre-K and K begin on September 5th

CARLTON P2+ begin on August 28th and P1 begins on August 31st.

School calendars can be found here. Scroll down the page until you see the calendar icons similar to the one shown here.

Stay tuned for information about our big back-to-school picnic on August 26th, which will take place at Saltonstall this year. 

All photos by Dana J. Quigley | DJQ Media

Transportation applications for the 2023-2024 school year opened on Monday, May 1, 2023, in the Aspen family portal. The Transportation Department sent information to families with instructions on how to apply, so please check your email, text messages, and ParentSquare notifications.

All students who wish to ride the bus for the 2023-2024 school year must submit an application, even if the student currently rides the bus or is considered a mandatory rider. A completed application must be submitted by Saturday, July 1, 2023. Applications received after July 1, 2023, will not be accepted except in extenuating circumstances to allow proper time for processing and routing.

If you have any questions, please call the Salem Public Schools Transportation Office at 

(978) 740-1240.

We are excited to announce that Angela’s Preschool and Daycare is now open at Salem High School! Our preschool and daycare facility is dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment for your child’s growth and development. Enroll your child now by contacting 978-335-1413

We understand the importance of quality care and education for your child, which is why our experienced staff is committed to providing personalized attention to each child in our care. Our curriculum focuses on social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development to ensure your child a well-rounded and ready for their next educational journey.

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.

Marc E. Lemieux Scholarship Fund

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 our school and teachers communicate with families districtwide. Please be sure you are receiving messages from ParentSquare. If need support downloading the app or receiving messages, please contact your school’s front office. You can visit www.parentsquare.com for more information.