Salem Public Schools Update
News for our families
Superintendent's Message
SPS families,
June is PRIDE month across the Salem Public Schools. Pride Month serves as a way to honor those who fought for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, to acknowledge there is still work to be done, and to celebrate the differences that make up our wonderfully diverse community. The “Pride” movement originated in the late 1960s as a celebration of the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City. For much of history, LGBTQ+ individuals were silenced and excluded from society because queerness was seen as a source of shame. To counter that idea, “Pride” emerged as a way to live without fear or guilt and to celebrate LGBTQ+ people and their identities.
In recognition of our LGBTQIA+ school community during this important month, we have raised the pride flag at all schools, encouraged our staff and students to to wear PRIDE affirming colors/clothing to school today, provided instructional resources to our staff about the history of the movement and organized a group to march in the annual NorthShore Pride parade on Saturday, June 25th. Visible displays and actions are vital to our LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families who need to feel safe, accepted and welcomed in our schools. These visibility efforts underscore our commitment to our core values of equity and belonging such that every member of the SPS family is accepted, engaged and empowered. We are grateful for your continued partnership, support and advocacy.
In closing, I want to congratulate our three Salem Prep graduates who earned their diplomas last night and our Salem High graduates who will walk across the stage this evening (weather permitting). Congratulations to all who played a role in their success.
Best,
Steve
You're A Rock Star!
This week's rock star is Salem High School's CTE Director, Mario Sousa. Mr. Sousa has been instrumental in helping to revitalize our CTE programs - securing funding, increasing student demand, establishing a strong advisory board, expanding workplace opportunities for students and enhancing the curriculum, equipment and facilities of each of our programs. He is the type of leader who is willing to take a hands-on approach to solving a problem, never afraid to model for students and staff how to best approach an aspect of their work. Finally, he is truly dedicated to our students and families, even going so far as recently delivering resources to assist a Salem High School family in need. We are proud to have Mario on the SPS team!
COVID Guidance Update
The Department of Public Health published updated quarantine and isolation guidance. SPS is adopting the following new guidance: "Quarantine for asymptomatic exposed children, regardless of where the exposure occurred, is no longer required for these settings. Children who are identified as close contacts may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until day 10. A test on days 2 and 5 is recommended, but not required."
If you have questions, please reach out to Dr. Charlene Moske-Weber at cmoske-weber@salemk12.org.
VACCINATION CLINICS ANNOUNCED
We are excited to announce the state has approved two additional COVID-19 vaccination clinics for Salem Public Schools!
- Friday, June 3rd from 1:30-5:30pm at the Collins Middle School Auditorium
- Saturday, June 4th from 9am-1pm at the Saltonstall Auditorium
Both clinics will offer all brands of vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna and J&J), and all doses will be available (first, second, booster for kids and booster for adults)! Please see below for additional location details.
Everyone is welcome to walk in and get their shots! If you have a vaccination card, it is very helpful for you to bring it with you. If we receive a pre-registration link, we will also share that but pre-registration is not required.
6/3 1:30-5:30pm - Collins Middle School - 29 Highland Ave: The clinic will be in the auditorium, which you will enter using the ramp on the Jackson Street side of the building. CMS dismisses at 3pm, so please be respectful of the school day activities if you arrive before that time. It is best to park on Jackson Street or on the ramp and walk up to the clinic. There are a few accessible parking spaces at that corner of the building if needed.
6/4 9am-1pm - Saltonstall Auditorium - 211 Lafayette St: The clinic will be in the auditorium, which you will enter using the ramp in the front of the building to the left of the front door. Parking is available on Lafayette Street or behind the school on Salem Street by Palmer Cove Park.
Please email cbanks@salemk12.org if you have questions.
2nd Annual SPS Special Olympics Unified Game Day
Kindergarten to post-graduate students with various abilities have been working hard during their physical therapy sessions and/or physical education classes to prepare for this event. We are proud of their hard work and dedication. These students have made progress with motor skills, social skills, and peer interactions and are looking forward to participating in various athletic events and celebrating their accomplishments.
Date: Tuesday, June 7th, 2022
Time: 9:30-12:00
Place: Captain John Bertram Athletic Field
Hope to see you in the stands to cheer them on! PLAY UNIFIED!!
A BIG thank you to Michelle Flewelling for championing this event every year. We are grateful for the Salem Education Foundation who awarded us a grant in 2019 and 2022 to help us continue to promote this inclusive event throughout the Salem Public Schools.
Food Service Staff Staying Sharp!
SUMMER PROGRAMMING
There are seats remaining in some of our district summer programs. If you are interested in exploring what is available and if there is a good fit with your student's needs and interests, please contact your school's City Connects Coordinator and, at the high school level, contact your child's guidance counselor. The list of City Connects Coordinators and their contact information can be found here.
summer literacy and math tutoring program
In addition to the summer programming above, we will also have a summer literacy and math tutoring program during Summer Vacation for Rising 1st-8th Grade Students
WHAT:
- 40 minutes of literacy tutoring and 40 minutes of math tutoring daily
- 30 minutes of social-emotional learning each day
- Outdoor fun and snacks throughout the program
WHEN:
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between July 5-July 28
- 9:00am-11:00am
WHERE:
- Bates Elementary School
Transportation Included *for those who registered BEFORE 5/23/22.
To enroll in the summer tutoring program, go to
School Choice
Salem Public School participates in the state’s Inter-District School Choice Program (see MGL Chapter 76, Section 12B). The program allows parents/guardians to enroll their child in a school district that is not the child’s home district. Local school districts determine, via an annual vote, which grade levels and how many seats will be available. On May 16, 2022, Superintendent Zrike made new School Choice recommendations to the School Committee. You can read that proposal here.
School choice applications are available and can be accessed in both English and Spanish.
Transportation Registration for the 2022-2023 school year is open
It is that time of year to apply for bus transportation for the next school year. Links for registration with step-by-step instructions can be found on our website. If you have more than one child in the Salem Public Schools, a separate application must be submitted for each student unless you received a notification stating that your student is a current mandatory rider and was automatically enrolled for transportation for the 2022-23 school year. That student does not have to reapply. Depending on the grades and schools of your children, one may be eligible for transportation while the other may not. Please note that applications for bus transportation must be received by July 1, 2022, to be considered for bus transportation. Applications received after that date will not be accepted.
If you have any questions, please call the Salem Public Schools Transportation Office at (978) 740-1240.
Salem Scholarship and Education Fund Logo Contest
The Salem Scholarship and Education Committee needs a new logo to use in future fundraising and publication materials. Since students and educators are often the beneficiaries of this fund, the committee thought it would be exciting to utilize the creativity we have within our schools to create a contest for Salem students to design the logo for the Fund.
The contest begins on May 10, 2022. Submissions will be accepted through June 10, 2022. The winner will be announced following the Committee's June 13th meeting.
Criteria:
- All entries must be submitted by email directly to Lynne Mullen at lmullen@salemk12.org, for consideration and review as an official entry of the contest.
- Entries must be submitted as a high-resolution scan of an original work of art or in a high-resolution digital format (.jpg, .pdf, .psd)
- The logo must include "Salem Scholarship and Education Fund" in the design
- There is no fee to enter the contest.
We look forward to seeing the great art that will be submitted by our talented students.
More information on the Fund can be found at https://www.salemma.gov/scholarship
Save the date! pride parade
We would love to show all of the North Shore and beyond that, we SUPPORT and CELEBRATE our community. In addition to marching, SPS will have a booth on the Common with giveaways and information. We could use your help in making all of this happen. If you'd like to volunteer to help out or simply want to march with us. Please fill out this form. Please note that it is not required to sign up to march, you can just show up prior to 11:45 am and join us as we set up at Shetland Park, we just want to get a sense of how many will join us.
Have questions? Send them to publicrelations@salemk12.org
For more information on the parade, please visit the North Shore Pride website.
Last day of school
The Virtual Backpack
Download the ParentSquare app today!
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.
important links
Salem Public Schools
Email: publicrelations@salemk12.org
Website: https://www.salemk12.org
Location: 29 Highland Avenue, Salem, MA, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalemPublicSchools
Twitter: @SalemSchoolsk12