Salem Public Schools
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 award goes to grade 5 Saltonstall educator Katherine Jahl, who a few weeks ago used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge a trapped strawberry from a student's throat. Ms. Jahl was cool, calm and collected as she helped her student through a scary situation. We always appreciate Ms. Jahl's steady leadership, calm demeanor and, of course, her unwavering dedication to her students.
The Salem High School Theater Department will stage its production of the musical comedy “The Addams Family” Friday, Jan. 12, through Sunday, Jan. 14 at the SHS Auditorium, announced SHS Theater Director Leah Hamilton-French this week.
Production dates are as follows:
Friday, Jan. 12 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 13 – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 14 – 2 p.m.
The Salem High School boys basketball team will face Marblehead H.S. in the Andrew James Lawson Foundation Invitational Sunday, Jan. 14 (2:30 p.m.) at the TD Garden. The Salem-Marblehead clash is one of 12 games scheduled for the day. Admission is $25 per person.
Happy new year! January's theme revolves around emotional awareness and self-regulation - fittingly timed as we reflect on the past year and embark on the journey into the new one.
We suggest embracing self-compassion wherever you may currently find yourself. Life, particularly in a post-pandemic world, can be challenging. It's crucial to acknowledge that, more often than not, we are doing our very best. Even if our "best" doesn't align with our ideal, let's grant ourselves the permission to accept that it's okay not to feel our best.
Accept our offering of this simple strategy to promote emotional awareness and self-regulation. Whenever you notice yourself engaging in negative self-talk or pushing yourself too hard, consider adding on to the end of the thought or statement - “.....and that’s OKAY.”
Some examples:
“I have been so busy I haven’t been able to do any of the reading I told myself I would do….and that’s okay.”
“I keep forgetting to follow up on that thing!....and that’s okay.”
“I am usually SO much more organized about these things …and that’s okay.”
“I was short-tempered this morning and it’s just not like me…and that’s okay.”
Remind yourself that practicing self-compassion creates room for acceptance without the immediate need for change. This opens the door to a valuable "pause." When we embrace this pause, we enhance our ability to care for ourselves, enabling us to pivot and move forward with greater intention. Remember, we're here for you! Let us know how we can help.
Salem Public Schools is pleased to announce the availability of COVID test kits at all our schools' main offices and health offices. If you require a test kit, kindly contact your school nurse or main office to coordinate pickup. It is important to note that we do not have an in-school testing program. In the event of illness, students will be sent home, and families have the option to conduct COVID testing at home. Please refer to our sick-day guidelines on the district website or consult your school nurse before deciding whether to send your child to school. Your cooperation in maintaining a safe environment for all is greatly appreciated.
MassFamilies is hosting a series of free special education workshops presented in English and in Spanish. In addition, The Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN) has several free workshops coming up including both parts of the Basic Rights workshop: Evaluation & Eligibility, and Understanding the IEP, as well as its Transition workshop. Some workshops are offered in Spanish and Haitian Creole as well.
Do you have an early learner or know an early learner who will be joining the Salem Public Schools for the 2024-25 school year? We will be hosting our virtual Early Childhood Town Hall on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. to provide an overview of the early learning experience, the registration process, and to answer any questions.
Join the Virtual Town Hall | Submit a Question
REMINDERS:
- Children who turn 5 on or before Aug. 31, 2024 are eligible for kindergarten
- Children who turn 4 on or before Aug. 31, 2024 are eligible to enter our Pre-Kindergarten lottery
- Children who turn 3 on or by Aug. 31, 2024 are eligible to enter our preschool lottery at the Early Childhood Center.
We'll also be hosting an in-person meet and greet event the evening of Thursday, Feb. 8th for families to meet with school and department leaders - more details will be shared soon. Mark your calendars and spread the word - we look forward to meeting our newest families and learners in the upcoming months!
It gives us great pleasure to offer you an invitation to go to Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan. As you may know, there is a wonderful sister-city relationship between Ota, Tokyo, in Japan and Salem, Massachusetts. In August 2024 we will be taking a group of high school students to travel to Ota. (Rising Freshmen and graduating Seniors are eligible.)
Middle school students from Ota have been coming to Salem every year in July for 30 years now.
Unfortunately, due to Covid, this successful exchange took a hiatus between 2020 and
2023 but this year, students from Ota were just here in Salem in November.
Now, we are ready to organize a student trip from Salem to Ota. The dates for travel will be
approximately between August 6th and the 17th.
Cost of the trip will be approximately $3,500 which includes airfare, transportation, and meals. You will be staying with a Japanese family in Ota and during the day will get to know Ota and Tokyo through the daily field trips to different sites. We will also be taking a two-night trip to Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Kyoto on the Shinkansen bullet train.
If you have questions please feel free to email StudentsToJapan@salemotace.org or
Midori Oka at midori.oka.home@gmail.com. We hope that you will be interested in joining the group. Please respond by January 15, 2024.
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 the primary communication platform for all Salem Public Schools. All messages and alerts come through ParentSquare and the app makes 1-to-1 communication with your student's teachers and signing up for guardian/student conferences a breeze. 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.