Salem Public Schools
SPS community,
October is such a busy month, both at our schools and in our city.
Firstly, we wish a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year to our families who celebrate Rosh Hashanah (Oct. 2-4) and Yom Kippur (Oct. 11-12).
The Halloween festivities bring many visitors to town. As you know, by the end of the school day, there can be extensive traffic and congestion that can significantly impact our dismissal routines. Throughout the month of October, there will be road closures and detours that will result in delays for buses returning children home each day. Many of these closures are anticipated and scheduled as indicated on the city’s website. Other closures are dependent on the foot traffic and crowds on a given day. We urge our families to utilize their Stopfinder app and we will try to keep you as updated and informed as possible if there will be a delay to your child’s route home. We appreciate your flexibility and patience as we work to navigate the Halloween season and ensure the safety of all our students during these busy weeks.
For those interested, we will be sharing a comprehensive presentation to the School Committee on Monday evening (7 p.m.) detailing our recent MCAS and Accountability performance. We will review the data across the Salem Public Schools, highlighting our successes and areas for future improvement. We hope that you will tune in to learn more about our core work in the Salem Public Schools.
Finally, I urge our families to try lunch at the Black Cat Bistro, the restaurant located on the first floor (rear) of Salem High School, operated by our third-year culinary arts students. The Black Cat Bistro is open Wednesday through Friday from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., serving a full and diverse menu with appetizers, main courses and desserts.
Enjoy the weekend,
Steve
As high school seniors and others prepare to attend college next year, there are resources available to help them afford their degree:
- MassEducate provides free tuition and fees at the state’s community colleges for all eligible Massachusetts students.
- MASSGrant Plus provides free tuition and fees at the state’s four-year universities for students whose families make up to $85,000 a year before taxes. Tuition and fees are reduced by up to half for students whose families earn between $85,000 and $100,000 a year before taxes.
- Applying for financial aid at any college starts with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. While that application is not available yet, students and families can apply now for the Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) so that they will be ready when the application opens.
- Eligible, non-U.S. citizens can apply for state financial aid through the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA).
- Information about applying for financial aid, including links to information and one-on-one help, is available online.
For the 14th year, the Salem Education Foundation has launched its Dinner Anywhere in the World Raffle, which includes dinner, hotel, and two roundtrip airplane tickets to anywhere in the world. Tickets are sold through the school PTOs, SEF board members, volunteers, restaurants, parents, and students.
Students have incentives if they sell tickets:
- The student who sells the winning ticket earns $500 cash.
- The school that sells the most tickets will be the first positioned school in the next Haunted Happenings parade.
- PTO’s earn $1 for every ticket they sell after exceeding 100 tickets
An anonymous donor who bought a ticket for each and every school teacher, custodian, and cafeteria worker in SPS will be automatically entered.
Checks can be made payable to the Salem Education Foundation. For any questions regarding the raffle or ticket sales please contact Ben Arlander at BenArlander@gmail.com.
October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connections between schools, food, and local farmers happening all over the country. Farm-to-school programs enrich communities by linking them to fresh, nourishing food and local food producers through enhanced food purchasing and educational practices at schools and early care and education sites.
This October, we're honoring Farm-to-School Month through the efforts of our Harvest of the Month Program. As a proud member of the Massachusetts Farm-to-Schools Harvest of the Month program, Salem Public Schools pledges to serve and promote each month’s locally-sourced harvest item by incorporating it into our menu and educating students about it.
To emphasize the importance of attending school, DESE's "Power of Presence" initiative asks you to submit a creative piece of artwork, music, photography, videography, writing, etc. to express why you attend school. We hope to hear from everyone: pre-K to adult students, families, school staff, educators, and administrators.
ParentSquare is the communication platform for Salem Public Schools. Families receive communication from the district, school, and their student's classroom all in one space. Families can communicate 1-to-1 with teachers, register for parent-teacher conferences, and more.
If you are not receiving messages from ParentSquare or if you are having trouble, contact your school's front office. You can visit www.parentsquare.com for more information.