Salem Public Schools Weekly Update

March 10, 2023

SPS families,

This week was National School Breakfast Week. We celebrated in Salem with a series of raffles, free giveaways, debuting a new breakfast item (pull apart pastry) and a districtwide participation contest. Today, I had the opportunity to serve breakfast at Salem High School with Mayor McCarthy and State Senator Lovely. I was impressed by the student enthusiasm for daily breakfast (even at 7:30 am in the morning!) and the high number of students who accessed a variety of food options. We served over 388 breakfasts this morning - a record for the year. Students raved about the weekly breakfast sandwiches, smoothies, fresh fruit and cereal options.

It was obvious that our students depend on this breakfast to sustain them for the day. This speaks to how important a nutritious and balanced breakfast is for our young people in order to have a productive day of learning. Simply put, it is difficult to engage in meaningful instruction when students are hungry.

We are proud that we offer free breakfast and lunch to all of our students, regardless of their socio-economic level. We know how vitally important quality food options are to our students and their academic, social and emotional well-being and success. If you have any feedback, thoughts or ideas about our food service program, menus and/or meals, please don't hesitate to reach out to Micheala Short at mshort@salemk12.org. Have a great weekend!

Best,

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 is Abby Sherwood, English teacher at SHS for more than a decade. Ms. Sherwood ensures that all her students are engaged through creative lessons and strong classroom presence with real-world connection and application. Ms. Sherwood holds students to high expectations and supports them to achieve academic success. Ms. Sherwood is dedicated to continued education and a love of learning. She is also a model for lifelong learning through her commitment to, and participation in, her own professional development.

Public forums have been scheduled for the finalists.

Tuesday, March 14th

5:00 p.m. - Michael Lister, current Principal at Saltonstall School (Salem)

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87257549313?pwd=VDBSOGhLYVdrQzlPMTZOSzRsSzhmQT09

6:00 p.m. - Jennifer Doucette-Ly, current Director of Elementary Special Education (Salem)

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83893531340?pwd=c0tpRUhjZkxPcnZCdjhvRUNpSzdRdz09

The third candidate has reconsidered and will move forward in the process. Because of scheduling concerns, that forum will be held:

Tuesday, March 21st

4:30 p.m. - Pamela MacDonald, current Asst. Supt. of Student Services (Malden P.S.)

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89376271780?pwd=MitlNWpMM0s0R3FjTmwwMmVoWHpMdz09

We hope you will join us to learn more about the finalists for this position. If you are unable to attend but have questions you’d like to ask, please fill out this form.

Congratulations to the SHS jazz ensemble for earning a silver medal at the Massachusetts Jazz Educator’s Association Festival this past week! Max Beauregard, Jackson Wessel , and William Napierkowski earned outstanding musicianship recognition awards and Max was also selected as the festival MVP!

Thank you to Chief Miller and the Salem Police Department for coming by this week to give a Good Citizen Award to Gabriella Cysne. Gabi brought a small child to safety this past February on her way to school and we are happy to see her recognized by so many.

Salem Public Schools will be running an after-school Grade 6 Math Success Academy beginning on March 13. This 6-week session will meet at Collins Middle School on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:15-5:15. The program is designed to promote long-term academic success by further developing students' math skills & boosting MCAS scores. Students will engage in small group lessons and tutoring provided by certified math teachers. The Success Academy is open to all SPS sixth-graders. Transportation for Saltonstall students is available.

Students will also get free transportation, after-school snacks, team-building activities, connections with peers, and prizes for attendance. Space is limited! Register now!

SHS seeks to engage with local businesses and industries to provide opportunities to place high school seniors in positions that allow for real-world experiences that are complementary to their classroom education.

You can help create opportunities for our students to grow their careers and leadership capabilities within the community via work-based experience. We are seeking your partnership in placing at least one or more qualified students in your organization. You will have the opportunity to interview our qualified students as well as review their resumes and other pertinent information.

If you are unable to employ students, we would still like to partner for potential job shadowing opportunities, site visits, and classroom presentations. To learn more about work-based experiences, please contact Mario Sousa at msousa@salemk12.org

SEPAC invites you to join a virtual town hall presented by Massachusetts Family Voices on the topic of intersection of equity, race and disability for children and youth with

special health care needs across sectors such as health care and education.

This town hall will take place on Wednesday, March 15th from 1:00-2:30pm. Please click here to register for this town hall.

Do you know an exemplary teacher?

Please nominate that individual for recognition.

What is the purpose of the award? Each year, The Margaret Voss Howard Teacher Recognition Award recognizes one Salem teacher as representative of all the excellent, dedicated teachers in the community who make a difference to children every day.

Who is eligible? Teachers from the district schools in Marblehead and Salem, Massachusetts, are eligible.

What is the award? Each honoree receives an unrestricted cash award of $500.

Who may nominate? Anyone—educators, parents, students, community members

How do I nominate someone? Send a letter of nomination with your reasons for nominating the teacher. Please be as detailed and specific as possible. Please keep nominations confidential and do not inform individuals that they have been nominated. Nominations must be postmarked by April 21, 2023.

How are honorees selected? A committee of two administrators from each district and a representative of the Howard family reviews the nominations and selects the honorees based on the criteria below.

Criteria for selection: Candidates must have made substantial contributions to the profession, such as:

• Exceptional or creative contributions during restrictions due to Covid-19.
• A specific, creative project that inspired students to perform and achieve and/or contributed positively to school culture, climate, or community
• An inspirational influence on a particular child or group of children that made a difference in their progress and achievement
• An innovative practice that led to positive growth in a school or the district or beyond
• A long, distinctive, and influential career in which the teacher positively impacted many children
• Leadership among colleagues that solved problems or led to educational improvements
• Other outstanding contributions to the profession, described in the nomination letter.

Please send your LETTER OF NOMINATION, along with the nomination form, to howardteacheraward@yahoo.com (preferred) or mail to:

Teacher Recognition Award

190 Bridge Street, #2301

Salem, MA 01970

Nominations must be postmarked by April 21, 2023. Nomination letter and more information can be found here.

For further information, email howardteacheraward@yahoo.com or call (978) 609-0813.

The award is a fund of the Essex County Community Organization.

Margaret Voss Howard Teacher Recognition Award

“The Margaret Voss Howard award is given each year to two teachers, one from Salem and one from Marblehead. Award winners are recognized as “representative of all the excellent, dedicated teachers in the community who make a difference to children every day.”

Salem 10th-12th graders are invited to apply for KidWind Academy, a week-long summer program (July 23-28) to learn about offshore wind and the career opportunities it offers. The program is free, and students earn $100/day for their participation (total: $500). The program takes place at Mass Maritime Institute; students live in the dorms while taking classes, engaging in hands-on activities, hearing from guest speakers, and taking field trips to wind facilities. Housing, food, transportation all included at no cost to participants. Learn more: www.kidwindacademy.org.

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY WITH A DONATION

• New and Unopened Diaper Packages Only
• All Sizes Needed: Newborn to Size 6
• Baby Wipes Welcome, too!

Collection Dates: Now - April 30, 2023

Drop-Off Locations: Salem City Hall, Salem City Hall Annex, Salem Public Library

Drop-Off Times: Regular business hours at each building

The After Prom Committee, led by SHS parents, is running a scratch ticket raffle to raise money for a fun and safe post-prom party at In The Game.

Purchase a $20 ticket and you could win big! 1st Prize: $1,000 in scratch tickets, 2nd Prize: $300 in scratch tickets, 3rd prize: $200 in scratch tickets. Venmo @MaryBeth-Costello to purchase tickets or email DonnaFritz44@gmail.com for other payment options. Want to help sell tickets? Email Donna for that too! Thank you for your support!

The Salem High School Athletics Department is looking for YOU! Our Athletics department is looking for people to join a Hall of Fame committee to help recognize our athletes, past and present.

The Salem High School Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes:

• Individuals who have demonstrated exceptional skills and talents in a particular sport
• Coaches, teachers and other community members who have made outstanding contributions to individual sports or overall sport programs of Salem High School.

The Salem High Hall of Fame Committee consists of 11 members that establish an ongoing and fair process for the nomination and selection of former Salem High School athletes, coaches, and other Salem School and community members who have made exceptional contributions to the Salem High School athletic program.

To establish a diverse and consistently balanced committee, terms will be staggered as follows: three (3) members will be selected for one-year terms; three members will be selected for two-year terms; and four (4) members will be selected for three-year terms. Terms will expire on June 30th of each year.

Please complete this form if you are interested in serving as a member of the Hall of Fame Committee. If you have any questions, please contact Reilly Christie at 978-265-4044 or rchristie@salemk12.org.

As winter approaches, we want to remind staff and families to be sure we have current contact information to reach you in the event that we have a cancellation or delay. Notifications will go out through ParentSquare via automated phone call, text, and email. It will also be posted on our website as well as social media and local TV channels. We do not have the option of remote instruction in the event of a closure.

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.

XKickball Spring Registration / XKickball Inscripción de primavera

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.