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  • Summer Program Updates and Information

    Hello Salem Public School Families, We have heard from many of you regarding interest in summer programming for your Salem Public School student(s), and our staff have welcomed the opportunity to work with you to find a match to your child's interests and needs whether it be a district program or one sponsored by local community partners. This message is to share two updates with families about Salem Public School summer programming: First, 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 . 2. The second update is an announcement that the district will be offering a stand-alone math and literacy tutoring program for students entering Gr. 1-8 in the 2022-2023 school year.  Learn more here .  (NOTE: If your child is already enrolled in a Salem Public School summer program, many already include tutoring as part of that program.)   Any student who qualifies and would need transportation to and from one of our summer programs must be enrolled no later than  May 20, 2022 . The registration form will close when all the seats have been filled.  We look forward to connecting with you should you have questions or need assistance. Best, MKC M. Kate Carbone (She/Her/Hers) Deputy Superintendent  Salem Public Schools 29 Highland Avenue Salem, MA 01970 O: (978) 740-1214  C: (978) 265-4030 kcarbone@salemk12.org     Follow this link for PD Opportunities in SPS

    Tuesday, May 10 2022

  • Salem Public Schools Weekly Newsletter

    The Salem Public Schools newsletter is now available. This week learn how you can sign up for summer programming, what the kindergarten scavenger hunt is all about, and celebrate School Lunch Hero Day and National Nurses Day. https://www.smore.com/591dv

    Friday, May 06 2022

  • Workforce Diversity Family Focus Groups

    Join a Family Focus Group for Salem Public Schools Salem Public Schools has partnered with TNTP to focus on diversifying its workforce. The purpose of interviews and focus groups is to gather family perspectives, thoughts, and opinions, as it relates to the current experience within the talent process (recruitment, hiring, selection, and retention). Interviews and focus groups provide an opportunity to go in-depth with families about their experiences with staff in Salem Public Schools. This focus group will take place on Monday, May 2nd from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm in the Saltonstall auditorium. Food will be served and each participant will receive a $50 gift card. If you are interested, please sign up here . TNTP’s mission is to end the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom. We look forward to your participation in this important step ​toward greater workforce diversity.   [Saturday, Apr 23 at 5:11 PM] We are aware of the form permission issue to sign up for participation in these focus groups. The form owner has been notified and we will update here once they confirm the issue has been fixed. We appreciate your patience. [Sunday, Apr 24 at 10:10 PM] The forms have been corrected. Thank you for your patience. Please take a look and sign up for the focus group.

    Saturday, Apr 23 2022

  • Salem Public Schools Weekly Newsletter

    The Salem Public Schools newsletter is available. As we begin April break, see how you can participate in staff appreciation week and give your favorite staff member a shout-out, join us in welcoming Dr. Carmona back to SPS, and learn more about how you can express your thoughts about the proposed transportation policy. https://www.smore.com/2qxza

    Friday, Apr 15 2022

  • April Break At-home COVID Test Kit Distribution - Al...

    Hello SPS community, Today and tomorrow, SPS is distributing at-home COVID-19 rapid test kits to all students and staff for use over April break. This is an important layer of protection against the risk of spread of COVID. Students and staff will receive one box of tests with two tests: Test 1 - Use before a large gathering, travel, or Sunday, April 17th Test 2 - Use Sunday, April 24th before returning from break on Monday, April 25th  Full instructions for use can be found here in English & Spanish, with links to more languages.  Should there be a positive result, please be sure to follow the instructions ! Distribution:  K-8 Students will receive their tests by homeroom today or tomorrow (Wednesday). All students should receive a test (there are no lists)  - please help ensure they get into backpacks!  Two extra tests were put into each homeroom kit for staff. Staff should use those or may pick up their test in their schools' front offices (or SHS nurses' office) as we have in other weeks.  Please leave extra tests in the distribution bags & keep the bags (testers will circulate to collect them)! High school students can pick up a test outside the nurses' office from lunch until dismissal tomorrow (Wednesday, 4/13). High school students are responsible for stopping at the table to pick up a test.   Students and staff may decline the test, but are encouraged to bring them home. If you would like your child to participate in weekly testing and have not yet signed up, please sign up here: https://bit.ly/SPS-TestConsent   Thank you!  

    Tuesday, Apr 12 2022

  • Salem Public Schools Weekly Newsletter

    The Salem Public Schools newsletter is available.Take a look at our new logo, tagline, and updated core values, find out how to give input about the transportation policy, and see who we are celebrating! https://www.smore.com/g6nt2

    Friday, Apr 08 2022

  • Summer Programming in SPS and the Community

    Hello SPS Families, Hard to believe, but it is time to start planning for the summer, and we are here to help!  If you are interested in enrolling your K-8 child(ren) in summer programs, our City Connects Coordinators are ready to support you in finding a camp or program that best fits your child's interests and needs whether it be one of our programs or one of the many offerings that exist throughout our vibrant city and local area. If you would like assistance with summer program planning, please reach out to the City Connects Coordinator in your school.  Their contact information is below: Early Childhood Erika Griffin egriffin@salemk12.org Cell:978-587-4943 Bentley Academy Heather Perry hperry@salemk12.org 978-740-1260 Cell:978-778-5134 Bates Elementary Sari Rudolph srudolph@salemk12.org 978-740-1250 Cell: 978-778-8423 Carlton Innovation School Liz Yoder eyoder@salemk12.org Cell: 978-778-0069 Horace Mann Laboratory School Genevieve Nutt gnutt@salemk12.org Cell: 781-732-0154 Witchcraft Heights Elementary School  Marlene Lunt Aly Brennan mlunt@salemk12.org Cell: 978-288-9110 abrennan@salemk12.org 978-740-1271 Saltonstall School Joy Richmond-Smith Jrichmond-smith@salemk12.org Cell: 978-778-8004 Collins Middle School Brad Maloon Mia Riccio bmaloon@salemk12.org Cell: 978-265-4058 mriccio@salemk12.org Cell: 978-522-0124   -- MKC M. Kate Carbone (She/Her/Hers) Deputy Superintendent  Salem Public Schools 29 Highland Avenue Salem, MA 01970 O: (978) 740-1214  C: (978) 265-4030 kcarbone@salemk12.org     Follow this link for PD Opportunities in SPS

    Thursday, Apr 07 2022

  • Proposed Transportation Policy Changes

    The School Committee has a series of important proposed changes to the SPS transportation policy before them for consideration which would take effect at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year if approved. This new policy has been read into the meeting twice now and committee members are asking for feedback from families before any change is voted on and implemented.  The third reading of this policy and vote to implement will occur on Monday, April 25th. Contact information for School Committee members can be found here . And the current policy can be found here . Proposed Changes What are the state requirements regarding bus transportation? All children in grades kindergarten through six who reside more than two miles from the school they are entitled to attend and the nearest school bus stop is more than one mile from their residence and all children residing in regional school districts in grades kindergarten through twelve. Further, the school district is required to provide transportation for students with disabilities who have transportation included as part of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plans.* *The above students are designated “mandatory riders” by the state of Massachusetts. What is the current SPS Transportation Policy? The current policy states, “The School Committee, at its discretion and to the extent permitted by Massachusetts’ law, shall authorize transportation for a fee to students who are not entitled to District-provided transportation to and from school as stated above.” To date, this has been handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Who are mandatory riders in the proposed new policy? Grades K-2: Students who live 1 mile or more from school  Grades 3-5: Students who live 1.5 miles or more from school  Grades 6-12: Students who live 2 miles or more from school  *the above will be designated “mandatory riders” by SPS Can I petition to have my child ride the bus if they don’t meet those criteria? Yes, but only if seats remain after all mandatory riders have been accommodated. Additional seats will be assigned on a priority basis to non-mandatory students using the following criteria: Economic status Unsafe zones Younger sibling rider How will those criteria be weighted? After all mandatory riders have been assigned seats, if additional seats are available, the SPS Transportation Director will assess the above criteria for non-mandatory ridership requests using the following tiered assignment process: Tier One: applicants meet all three of the non-mandatory rider request criteria. Tier Two: applicants meet two of the three non-mandatory rider request criteria.  Tier Three: applicants meet one of the three non-mandatory rider request criteria. Consideration of the above will only be provided to: Grades 3-5: Students who live between 1 and 1.5 miles from school Grade 6-12: Students who live over 1.5 but less than 2 miles from school NOTE: Students in grades k-5 who live under 1 mile from school and students in grades 6-12 who live under 1.5 miles from school can seek a special exemption from the Superintendent if the walking area to school is designated an unsafe zone. In approved cases, the student   will be placed into tier three for ridership consideration.   We urge you to ask any questions, get clarification, and share your thoughts about these proposed changes with the School Committee members. Contact information for School Committee members can be found here . And the current policy can be found here .

    Tuesday, Apr 05 2022

  • Join SPS for our community budget forum

    Salem Public Schools is hosting 2 public forums for the community to learn more about our budget for the 2022-23 school year.  Come share your ideas about how to best use our resources for the upcoming school year!  Wednesday, March 30th - via Zoom from 6-7:30 p.m. You can join using this link: https://bit.ly/SPSbudgetforum22-23 OR Tuesday, April 5th - 6:30-8 pm. in person in the Saltonstall library

    Tuesday, Mar 22 2022

  • At-Home Rapid Test Distribution

    Good evening SPS community, Today and tomorrow, SPS is distributing another round of over 3,000 at-home COVID-19 rapid test kits to all those who have provided consent to test and have not had COVID recently. This is an important layer of protection against the risk of spread of COVID. While overall case rates remain much lower than in January, we are still seeing cases of COVID-19 in our community and want to ensure we are taking the steps we can to minimize spread. Students and staff will receive one box of tests with two tests. T he first test should be used this Sunday, March 20th and the second test on Sunday, March 27th. Full instructions can be found here in English & Spanish, with links to more languages. Distribution:  K-8 Students will receive their tests by homeroom either today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday, 3/18).  High school students can pick up a test outside the nurses' office at lunch or in the main lobby at dismissal. Staff may pick up their tests in their schools' front offices (or SHS nurses' office) as we have in other weeks.   Teachers - please keep the new bags for K-8 homerooms for reuse! The team will come pick them up next week. If you believe your K-8 child should have received a test kit and they do not on Friday, please email c19test1@learn.salemk12.org and we will do our best to send home a kit on Monday. High school students are responsible for stopping at the table to pick up a test. Thank you!

    Thursday, Mar 17 2022