May 26, 2023

SPS Families,

I hope that you and your family enjoy a restful holiday weekend. I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice and dedication of those who have served and currently serve our country. We are grateful for the contributions they have made to the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy today.

Next week is high school graduation week in the Salem Public Schools as New Liberty (Wednesday 5/31 @ 5 pm at the PEM), Salem Prep (Thursday 6/1 @ 5 pm at the PEM) and Salem High (Friday, 6/2 @ 6 pm on the Salem Common) seniors will cross the stage to receive their diplomas. We are so proud of our graduates who have persevered through a COVD influenced high school experience. Our students did more than simply making it through, they excelled despite the obstacles. Our students performed and competed in the classroom, as part of our community, in the workplace, on stages and on fields/courts at rates higher than many of our pre-pandemic cohorts. They have made this city proud and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our outstanding class of 2023 all week long!

Have a terrific 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 Justin Rubiera-Genao paraprofessional at Bentley Academy Innovation School. He is known by students and staff as Mr. Justin, and he has grown so much in his role this year after graduating from Salem Public Schools last year. Bentley students and staff are so lucky that he shares his warmth, commitment, smile, and dedication with our school community every day. Mr. Justin embodies a warm demanding attitude — connecting with students and holding them to high behavioral and academic expectations. On top of all that, he recently passed the test to become an American citizen!

Thank you to everyone who supported the SEE ME Exhibition this weekend. We are so proud of our incredible students who exhibited incredible strength and bravery during the presentations and performances. This event accomplished exactly what we intended, to elevate our student voices and to show our community that student voice matters and they have a lot of important things to say.

What an incredible day yesterday with our unified sports team competing against the top Unified athletes in the state! Our Witches gave it their all, earning EIGHT medals on the day! Including Julie Edmunds who placed first in the state for D1-2 Javelin 

Congrats to all of our athletes who worked so hard to bring our unified sports team to the state championships!

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.

The Massachusetts Marine Trade Association (MMTA) has donated over $10,000 to support and expand the Marine Services Technology Program at Salem High School. This significant contribution will enable the organization to enhance its marine services, broaden its outreach, and advance its mission of promoting the growth and sustainability of the marine industry in the region.

We have received inquiries and questions about summer school programming in the Salem Public Schools and in collaboration with our community partners. We are pleased to share that we will have approximately the same number of summer programming seats that we did last summer when we offered a record number of seats for SPS students. Our school-based teams are currently working to register students that would benefit most from the summer offerings. Historically, this happens before we open up the programming more widely. That being said, if you are interested in learning more about our Salem Public Schools or community offerings, please reach out to the City Connects coordinators at each K-8 school and the guidance departments at our three high school campuses. We want as many of our students to be connected to citywide programs as possible!

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.

Register NOW for the 31st Annual Walk for HAWC! Sunday June 4th, 2023

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.