Salem Public Schools
SPS Community,
As we head into the weekend, I wanted to highlight a special and important process happening in our schools. Guided by our core values of belonging, equity and opportunity, the process of establishing the new Sarah Parker Remond School is well under way, spearheaded by our Transition and Innovation Teams. These two core groups are composed of families and staff from both the Carlton and Saltonstall Schools. It is exciting to see the progress firsthand and it will only continue to grow.
With a focus on community, the Transition Team has launched several activities to bring together students, families/caregivers, and staff including the creation of ‘Morale Pals,’ a random pairing of staff from each school who exchange small gifts and words of encouragement; ‘Student Pen Pals’ to build relationships across the two schools; a community pottery night Wednesday, Apr. 29; and a joint field day Friday, May 29.
With help from school stakeholders, our Innovation Team is moving steadily through the guided steps of the Innovation School planning process set by the state. The team is well under way on the Innovation Plan and recently published the Innovation Plan Prospectus which was approved unanimously by a Screening Committee in March. The prospectus is essentially a first version of the innovation plan. Currently, the Innovation Team is focused on further developing the details of the innovation plan and its implementation. To find some recent updates on the development of the Sarah Parker Remond School innovation plan, please see this 2-page summary in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole.
Next steps in the process are:
A presentation of the new innovation plan to the School Committee (May 26)
A public hearing (June–date TBD)
School Committee vote (a regular meeting in June)
We are grateful for the partnership of staff and families from both schools. As always, we welcome your continued input at merger@salemk12.org.
Have a great weekend!
M. Kate Carbone
Interim Superintendent
The Salem News | Tucker ’76 encourages student-athletes to chase wins both big and small
Heroism. Leadership. Courage.
The intersection of sports and life is often found in those three words — and they were the trio Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker (Salem High School Class of 1976, Athletic Hall of Fame ’25) chose to use as his message to the finalists for the 64th Salem News Student-Athlete Award on Wednesday night.
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Going back to become the head football coach at his alma mater, Salem High School (Class of '96), was always Matt Bouchard’s self-confessed “dream job”. But if he could no longer give 100 percent of himself to his players, his assistants, the school and the community itself, Bouchard knew it was time to step away and let someone else do so.
The Salem News | 2026 Salem News Student-Athlete Award nominee: Annie Thornett, Salem
Annie Thornett has shared a lot of high fives with her Salem High School teammates on the softball diamond and the volleyball court. One of those, however, stands out to head volleyball coach Angie Giancola as a moment that shows why Thornett is among the best and the brightest.
The Salem Building Committee will host two public online webinars on Monday, Apr. 20 (5:30-7 p.m.) and Sunday, Apr. 26 (5:30-7 p.m.) to discuss the latest developments and answer any questions in regard to the construction of a new Salem High School.
- Monday, Apr. 20 (5:30-7 p.m.) | JOIN THE WEBINAR (Passcode: 565508)
- Sunday, Apr. 26 (5:30-7 p.m.) | JOIN THE WEBINAR (Passcode: 549194)
The citywide special election for Salem residents to vote on the new Salem High School building project is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5.
Scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 15 at 12 p.m., child clinical psychologist and ADHD specialist Dr. Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez explores how the unique wiring of the ADHD brain shapes children’s responses to parenting. She introduces five key strategies parents can use to foster independence, build emotional resilience, and set their children up to thrive. Dr. Gonzalez also highlights how everyday habits—like exercise, sleep, and healthy screen use—can be powerful tools in an ADHD treatment plan, boosting focus and strengthening family relationships.
The Salem Public Schools English Learner Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC) will host Multilingual Learner (ML) Family Night Monday, Apr. 13 at the Saltonstall School Auditorium from 6-7:30 p.m.
Unlike previous ML family nights which focus on awards and celebrations, this night will focus on a specific need requested by ML families: How to understand their child's report card on JumpRope. Kristin Condon, member of the SPS IT department, as well as the Multilingual Learner Coaches, Rachel Ottaviano, Dori Gilbert, and Laura Towey, will present to families to help them understand the report cards, and also help families at individual tables in a workshop-style model.
Any and all questions about the Apr. 13 ML Family Night can be directed to Andre Fonseca, ML Director, who will also be on site and presenting: afonseca@salemk12.org.
Throughout this month, we are diving into our hands-on school garden curricular connections through our Harvest of the Month Taste test during the week of Apr. 13-17, Farmer visits to classrooms, and hosting a district-wide PD for any educator to strengthen their skills in teaching a less connected to or in their school garden space.
This PD will take place on April 28th from 3:30-5:30 at Bentley Academy Innovation School, at which you’ll discover how to turn your garden into a powerful, engaging learning space for your students. We’ll explore practical strategies for planning successful visits and managing student behavior outdoors, you will get time to meet and work with your schools garden coordinator, and you will learn ( and do) a fun interactive cooking activity (no heat required) that you can do with your students using the school garden space!
Are you an SPS educator who would like to sign up for this stipend PD opportunity?
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.