Salem Public Schools
Dear Salem families,
We hope you had a wonderful summer filled with sunshine, long evenings, and meaningful moments with your children. As we make our final preparations for the new school year, we are excited to welcome your children back next week. We cannot wait to see our students again and to fill our schools with laughter, curiosity, and joy! As a reminder, the first day of school for students is as follows:
- Carlton grades 1-5, Salem High School and Salem Prep grade 9: Wednesday, August 27
- All other schools grades 1-12, SHS and Salem Prep grades 10-12 : Thursday, August 28
- Kindergarten at Carlton: Wednesday, September 3
- Pre-K and Kindergarten at all other schools: Thursday, September 4
All of this information, as well as each school’s start and end times, can be found at https://salemk12.org/schools/. Please note that the length of school day has changed for many schools. We appreciate your partnership in ensuring that your child attends school consistently and on time every day, prepared to capitalize on the valuable learning time.
We enter this final year of our strategic plan committed to creating the conditions for powerful student learning to happen in every school, in every classroom and for every child. For this to happen, we will ensure that academic risk-taking is encouraged, student voice and ownership are nurtured, and success is accessible to every learner. We remain fully anchored by our core values of belonging, equity and opportunity. That is, we are dedicated to creating inclusive school environments where all students experience dynamic learning opportunities that ensure our students are well-prepared for both college and career.
As we approach the launch of the 2025-26 school year, we want to share many exciting programs, projects, and initiatives that your family can look forward to when they return to school in the coming days and weeks.
We are pleased to share that all school principals are returning to their school for the third consecutive year. We also have the fewest number of new educators joining SPS in the last decade.
We are expanding the Bentley dual language program through 5th grade.
We have developed a quarterly alumni newsletter to keep our former students informed on all things SPS.
We are implementing a new visitor management system to enhance safety across all schools.
We are introducing a new food service menu platform that provides families with more detailed information about ingredients, nutrient data and allergens.
We will open a new early childhood playground at Bates on September 2nd.
We are expanding our language-based disabilities program at Saltonstall, Collins and Salem High School.
We are implementing a student-to-paraprofessional, paraprofessional-to-teacher and teacher-to-leader pipeline.
We have repaired the track and installed a new sound system at Bertram Field.
We will be introducing ID badges at Salem High School for all students that will serve as bus passes, library cards, lunch passes, and safety IDs.
We are deepening our focus on early literacy through a state grant called the Partnership for Reading Success (PRISM) grant.
We are transforming our Parent Information Center into a Welcome Center that provides wraparound services and support to our families.
We are adding library digital media specialists at WHES and Saltonstall.
We are introducing a new report card platform that is more student and parent friendly in grades PreK-8 and at Salem Prep (launched last year at Salem High).
We will be piloting student-led conferences across the district in March.
We are focused on implementing explicit social emotional learning instruction at every school to support students’ social development, growth and ability to work collaboratively with peers.
We have been awarded a large-scale grant to expand and strengthen PreK programming across the Salem Public Schools and with five community-based early education partner programs.
We are developing deeper opportunities for individualized learning at Collins through literacy and math labs in grades 6 & 7 and personalized learning classes in grade 8.
We are relaunching the 1:1 Chromebook program at Collins Middle School offering students greater access to devices for learning.
We are installing a new, portable gym floor at Salem High School.
We also want to point you to a one-stop shop for important back-to-school information to prepare your family for the start of the school year. Essential links:
- Enrolling Your Child: https://salemk12.org/families/enrolling-in-our-schools/
- Start Dates/Times for School Year 25-26: https://salemk12.org/schools/
- Transportation Needs: https://salemk12.org/families/transportation/
- Breakfast and Lunch Menus/Info: https://salemk12.org/district-departments/food-services/
- Nursing and Health Services Info: https://shorturl.at/RsgwQ
- Calendars for SY25-26: https://salemk12.org/2025-26-calendars/
- School-specific Info: https://salemk12.org/schools/
We can’t wait for the opportunity to work with your family! See you soon!
Enjoy the weekend,
Steve
Salem High School AP Scores, Enrollment Vastly Improved Per College Board Report
Salem High School advanced placement (AP) students achieved a milestone success rate in the 2024-25 academic year as the College Board recently released statewide AP data. Among SHS’s 253 AP students, 168 scored higher than a 3 (out of 5), marking its highest percentage of students – 66.4 percent – to do so dating back to 2007, according to the DESE website.
LISTEN | WBUR’s All Things Considered: Salem superintendent shares how his schools went phone free
Massachusetts is moving closer to passing a statewide ban on personal phones in public schools. Salem public schools have had a ban since 2022. Superintendent Stephen Zrike joined WBUR’s All Things Considered to share what he’s learned.
The Salem News | 3 Scouts from Troop 24 in Salem earn Eagle Scout rank
Three members of Boy Scout Troop 24 in Salem recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout after they each completed significant community service projects. Gabe Bennett '25, Colin Bowker '24, and junior Henry Skolski received their Eagle, the highest honor in Scouting, at an Aug. 9 ceremony in Salem that was attended by family and friends as well as local leaders.
VIEW | Salem High School Alumni & Friends Newsletter: August 2025
Welcome to the first edition of the Salem Public Schools Alumni & Friends Newsletter. This newsletter has (too) long been an idea that has finally come to fruition. We created this newsletter for many reasons.
The Salem News | Salem youth complete summer work program
Local youth recently completed a five-week pilot employment program in which they gained hands-on experience working at a variety of city departments. The MassHire North Shore’s F1rstJobs program, now in its 20th year, is a pilot youth employment program in which local students ages 14-21 are provided with professional mentoring, hands-on job experience and foundational career skills.
The Salem News | High school football practices underway on the North Shore
High school football is officially back in the state of Massachusetts. This past Friday signaled the first day that teams from the North Shore and across the Commonwealth could hold two-hour conditioning practices. Starting Tuesday they can hold two ‘limited contact’ practices lasting up to 2 1/2 hours before the real thing — full contact practices — being on Thursday.
Salem Public Schools Announces Destination for Salem Days 2025
The Norman H. Read Trust has announced the New England Aquarium as the destination for 2025 September Salem Days. Salem Days, which provides free admission and transport for the students of Salem Public Schools and Salem Academy Charter School to some of Boston’s most sought-after and frequented destinations each year, is generously funded through the Norman H. Read Charitable Trust.
The Salem News | Baker’s Dozen: Salem High’s best teams of the 21st century to date
1. 2003-04 boys basketball
Basketball is as much a part of the DNA in Salem as Halloween, so it’s no wonder a hoop team tops the list of the Witch City’s best high school teams of the 21st century.
You may have noticed some changes to our grading and reporting system this school year. We've officially transitioned to a new platform called JumpRope, which is designed to help us better track and communicate your child's progress.
JumpRope focuses on a standards-based grading approach. This means that instead of a single letter grade, you'll see how your child is performing on specific learning goals, or standards, for each subject. This gives a much clearer picture of what your child has mastered and where they might need more support.
You can log in to your parent portal to see real-time updates on your child's progress, including grades and teacher feedback. Look out for an email invitation next week to gain access. We believe JumpRope will be a powerful tool to help us work together to support your child's learning journey.
As we approach the first day of school, we want to remind our families that all students need to have a bus pass in order to ride the bus to and from school.
- Bus routes will be sent Friday evening for big buses and on Monday for special education buses via email.
- Passes will be sent to schools and distributed to students during the first week.
- Students MUST tap their passes every time they get on and off the bus for safety purposes.
The Stopfinder app will be available for this year as well for parents to track their child’s bus. Invitation links will be emailed to primary contacts only.
Show your Witches spirit from the first day to the last with customizable, top-brand merchandise.
Through Sunday, Aug. 24, save 20% on polos, tees, hoodies and more with code GAMEON20 + $4.95 shipping for a limited time.
You will notice some new language in the Family Handbook this year requesting that families follow our wellness policy guidance regarding food sent in during the school day.
We ask that all families respect the health and safety of all of our students by refraining from sending food to share with classmates in the classroom or during the school day. We have many students with food restrictions due to allergies and intolerances. This guidance also applies to Field Day or PTO celebrations held during the school day.
If you are interested in celebrating your child’s special day with their classmates at school, please contact the main office for some great suggestions on how to do this without food.
Join us for a magical evening surrounded by lanterns and spooky vibes at the 13th annual Lanterns in the Village 2025, Friday, Oct. 3 (6:30-9:30) at Salem Pioneer Village.
- Free Parking
- Rain or shine
- Children 3 and under admitted FREE
All proceeds support the positive events at Collins Middle School. Advance tickets recommended.
Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo is seeking interested applicants to fill vacancies on a number of City boards and commissions. Those interested in consideration for a seat should complete the application and return it with an up-to-date resume to mayor@salem.com, or by mail to: Office of the Mayor, Salem City Hall, 93 Washington Street, Salem MA 01970.
Additional details about these and all City boards are available online.
The City of Salem, the North Shore Community Development Coalition, and the Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) are collaborating on a high heat project through 2026 to gain a deeper understanding of how extreme heat impacts our community and how to collaborate on developing effective solutions.
Thus, your participation in a 5-minute survey is requested.
This resident-led pilot project will be conducted in The Point neighborhood. City agencies are gathering data from residents in Salem to help design this project.
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.