Salem Public Schools
Dear SPS Community,
As I finish my first October in the Witch City, I know now that few places celebrate Halloween quite like Salem! As our city’s most spirited month comes to a close, I hope our students and families enjoy a weekend filled with creative costumes, time with friends and neighbors, and plenty of treats. Please celebrate safely and look out for one another. Beyond the festivities, there is another kind of Salem spirit worth celebrating this week: the generosity of neighbors who make a difference for our students and schools.
Each year, the Salem Education Foundation, founded by Salem parents in 1994 and run entirely by volunteers, hosts the Food for Thought Raffle, also known as “Dinner for Two Anywhere in the World.” The winner receives two round-trip airline tickets to a destination anywhere in the world, two paid hotel nights, and $250 toward dinner. The raffle generates an average of $31,000 annually, helping the Foundation fund teacher grants that bring creative, engaging learning opportunities into our classrooms.
This year, Beth Crowley, owner of Witch City Walking Tours, took that generosity to an extraordinary level: she purchased a raffle ticket for every currently employed Salem Public Schools teacher, paraprofessional, custodian, and cafeteria worker! More than 700 tickets bearing our employees’ names have been entered into the drawing. This is a wonderful way to recognize the people who support our students every day!
The winner will be announced on Salem Common on Halloween at 4 p.m. Please join us in thanking Beth and Witch City Walking Tours for this thoughtful gift, and the Salem Education Foundation for its longstanding investment in our educators and students. Their support enriches our classrooms and reminds our school staff how deeply our community appreciates them.
We are a stronger school district because of neighbors like Beth and the dedicated volunteers of the Salem Education Foundation.
That same spirit of support guides the work of our Family Welcome Center, which hosted the first of four virtual Family Learning and Resource sessions this past Tuesday. Families received guidance on using ParentSquare, Aspen, and JumpRope, along with information about school forms, language access, community resources, and report cards.
The next session will take place Tuesday, November 10, from 3:30–4:30 p.m., and will focus on attendance, report cards, JumpRope, and community assistance programs. I encourage families to take advantage of these opportunities to ask questions, find support, and stay connected to their children’s learning.
Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween weekend! We look forward to welcoming our students back on Monday, ready for a new week of learning.
Dr. Tommy Welch
Superintendent
The Salem News | Driscoll visits Witchcraft Heights to launch expanded effort on school breakfasts
SALEM — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll visited Witchcraft Heights Elementary School Friday morning to announce a new initiative to help more Massachusetts students start their school day with a healthy breakfast.
Driscoll and other officials were joined by Mayor Dominick Pangallo, Project Bread president and CEO Erin McAleer, Salem Superintendent Tommy Welch and Witchcraft Heights students to celebrate the launch of the Strengthening School Breakfast Challenge, encouraging schools across the state to expand access to nutritious breakfast options, increase student participation and incorporate more locally grown foods into school meals.
Salem High School Receives $15,000 to Strengthen Existing Career Pathways
NORWOOD — As part of Massachusetts STEM Week, Governor Maura Healey today announced more than $5 million in grants to expand and strengthen Innovation Career Pathways programs that provide high school students with hands-on learning experiences and opportunities to explore careers in high-demand STEM fields and other growing industries.
The Salem 400+ Committee is seeking original artwork to be on display during the Salem 400+ Closing Ceremony Saturday, Dec. 5, at Salem High School.
As Salem looks ahead to its next 400 years, we invite students of all ages to imagine the future of our city. Artists are encouraged to create an original artwork that features one or a series of windows, frames, portals, or viewpoints, with each one revealing a different vision of Salem's future.
- What might Salem look like generations from now?
- What innovations, traditions, people, and places will shape our community?
Some artwork pieces may be scanned for promotional materials and mementoes for the public and to put into the Salem 400+ 2026 Time Capsule. All artists will get their art back.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026.
Your artwork might include:
- Green Salem: Parks, gardens, urban forests, and sustainable living
- Creative Salem: Public art, music, theater, and creative expression everywhere
- Innovative Salem: Technology, science and robotics improving daily life
- Learning Salem: Future schools, libraries, and opportunities for lifelong learning
- Community Salem: Welcoming, affordable neighborhoods where everyone belongs
- Maritime Salem: A harbor that continues to connect and define our city
There is no right answer. Your windows can show realistic possibilities, bold dreams, or imaginative ideas. Artists can include people, buildings, nature, inventions, or anything else that helps tell the story of Salem's future; and are encouraged to ask themselves, 'If someone looked through these windows 100 years from now, what would you hope they would see?'
Mediums welcome: Drawing, painting, collage, digital art, mixed media, or other visual art formats.
For more information, visit Salem400.org or contact salem400@salem.com.
The Salem Public Schools Family Welcome Center will host it next Learning and Resource Virtual Session Tuesday, Nov. 10 and will focus on attendance, report cards, JumpRope, and community assistance programs. The sessions are geared to help families navigate Salem Public Schools systems, access important information, and explore valuable community resources and services available to support families.
All sessions will be recorded and available:
October 27, 2026 | 3:30–4:30 p.m. (ParentSquare, Aspen, school forms, language access, and community resources) | (Watch Link TBA)
November 10, 2026 | 3:30–4:30 p.m. (Attendance, report cards, JumpRope, and community assistance programs) | JOIN THE SESSION
January 26, 2027 | 3:30–4:30 p.m. (ParentSquare, Aspen, school forms, language access, and community resources) | JOIN THE SESSION
March 9, 2027 | 3:30–4:30 p.m. (Attendance, parent-teacher conferences, JumpRope, summer programs, and local resources) | JOIN THE SESSION
For more information, contact the Family Welcome Center at welcomecenter@salemk12.org.
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.