Salem Public Schools
Dear Families & Staff --
Schools are looking forward to hosting student led conferences on the following dates:
- Carlton Innovation School March 19th and 20th
- District March 16th and 17th
Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) are meetings held between a student and their family to reflect on progress and growth at school. Unlike traditional parent-teacher conferences, students take the lead in guiding the conversation with their family. We see this as an authentic opportunity to empower students within their own learning and to engage their voices as they talk about where they have hit their goals and where they still have room for growth.
This is our first year of rolling out student-led conferences across the district while some of our schools, like Carlton and New Liberty, have been using this format for many years. As part of our parent advisory group, it was recommended that we explore this model of student-centered conferences during the Spring conference period. We also worked with our teaching staff who has been open about piloting a new approach to discussing progress with students and families. Earlier in the year, we provided guidance and tools for school principals to leverage with their teams and School Site Councils in mapping out a customized plan for how their school will approach student-led conferences in March.
We take pride in the uniqueness of our schools and, given the variety of school models in the district, student-led conferences will look different depending on the school. We encouraged principals to think creatively and to engage stakeholders in the process. Each school has a plan for how they will gather feedback from families and staff following the student-led conferences which will be synthesized across the district and used to iterate and improve on the practice next year. As a new practice for many of the schools in Salem, we are excited to learn from what works and what doesn’t in order to bring these student-led conferences to life for families.
Schools are communicating their plans for student-led conferences directly to families through their established messaging channels. Please contact your school principal in advance if you have any questions.
Additionally, please know that parents may reach out at any time to schedule a meeting with a teacher to discuss their child’s progress. We are committed to regularly engaging with families and maintaining open communication about student learning and growth.
We look forward to empowering our students through this pilot and to receiving and reviewing your feedback.
I hope to see many of you at the big playoff game between the Salem High boys basketball team and Cathedral this evening at 7 pm at Salem High: Buy Tickets | Watch Live. Go Witch!
Enjoy the weekend,
Steve
Salem High Schools Post Highest Graduation Rate Since 2014-15
The combined graduation rate of all three high schools at Salem Public Schools – New Liberty Innovation School, Salem Prep High School and Salem High School – increased by more than 4.7% from one year ago based on the statewide school graduation rates released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on Thursday, March 5th.
The Salem News | Zrike reflects on work as superintendent as he prepares for education secretary
As Steve Zrike prepares to step down later this month as superintendent of Salem Public Schools to become the next state education secretary, he plans to bring the same transformative work he’s shepherded along in Salem to the state level.
2026 Seal of Biliteracy Exam Draws 87 Salem High School Students
This week, 87 students registered for Seal of Biliteracy testing in at least one language, with several choosing to demonstrate proficiency in multiple languages. The range of languages represented is remarkable: Albanian, Filipino, French, Fulani, German, Haitian Creole, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
SHS Drama Club Advances to METG Drama Festival Semifinal with Awards Abound
Seniors August Hunter and Charlie Feldmann Conners both won Excellence in Acting Awards as the Salem High School Drama Club advanced to the semifinal round of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild (METG) High School Drama Festival Saturday at St. John’s Preparatory School.
New Liberty Sophomores to Present at the Massachusetts Region IV Science and Engineering Fair Mar. 14
Jailyn Serrano, J.J. Kemp and Thomas Kind Dos Santos, each sophomores at the New Liberty Innovation School, will showcase their research projects at the Massachusetts Region IV High School Science and Engineering Fair Saturday, Mar. 14, at Tufts University.
The Salem News | Salem’s Dwyer, Swampscott’s Smolski earn NEC Swimmer of the Year accolades
Salem High junior Grant Dwyer and Swampscott senior Claire Slomski have been chosen as the Male and Female Swimmers of the Year in the Northeastern Conference, as the league announced its annual All-Conference teams and other awards.
VIEW GALLERY | ‘Her Time to Play’: Play Ball Foundation, Dick’s Sporting Goods Give CMS Students a Night to Remember
Despite the Boston Celtics 118-89 loss to the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday, it was a night 35 budding female student-athletes and 14 chaperones from Collins Middle School will not soon forget.
Nominations are currently being accepted for the Margaret Voss Howard Teacher Recognition Award, a fund of the Essex County Community Foundation.
The yearly award honors the contributions of one teacher from Salem Public Schools and one from the Marblehead school district, with each receiving $1,000. Teachers, other school employees, parents, students and citizens may nominate a teacher by submitting a detailed letter explaining why the teacher should be honored and sending it to: howardteacheraward@yahoo.com.
Deadline: April 10, 2026
Nominators should include the teacher’s name, school, and assignment, along with their own contact information (name, email, phone, relationship to teacher) or a nomination form. Honorees are selected by a committee of local educators.
For more information and a nomination form, contact howardteacheraward@yahoo.com.
Salem Public Schools is committed to ensuring our families have a clear, up-to-date picture of your child's academic progress, which is why we introduced the JumpRope grading platform this year. As we work to make this a truly useful tool for our community, we would love to hear your thoughts.
Please share your perspective in this very brief, three-question survey. Your feedback will help us learn, grow, and improve how we share information with you.
Longboard's Restaurant and Bar, located at Pickering Wharf, will generously donate 20 percent of all food orders -- dine-in and take-out -- to the Salem Children's Charity this Monday, Mar. 9 from 4-8 p.m. (mention the Salem Children's Charity).
Additionally, a 50/50 raffle will be drawn at 7:30 p.m. (no need to be present to win -- leave your mobile phone number).
All proceeds will go directly to Salem's neediest children and their families.
In December, the Charity raised more than $56,000 which:
- Helped a child who was being bullied move back to his home and previous school in Salem.
- Helped three child victims of a pedestrian traffic accident have a better Christmas.
- Provided dozens of children Market Basket food assistance and Target and Walmart gift cards.
- Signed up multiple students in need for youth sports program registration and other structured extracurricular activities.
- Paid for kids to register and join structured after school programs such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club.
- Donated thousands to our charitable community partners such as The Clothing Connection, Mamas Unidas, Timmy's Angels, etc.
Your generosity is greatly appreciated. For more information, visit the SCC website.
We are proud to celebrate nutrition this month with our National School Breakfast Week Celebration Mar. 2-6; Harvest of the Month Taste test Mar. 9-13; and CACFP week Mar. 17-20.
During National School Breakfast Week, our cafeterias transformed into a fairy tale–inspired celebration called ‘The Quest for School Breakfast.’ Throughout the week, students enjoyed themed menu items like “Potions of Power” smoothies, “Dragon Energy” acai bowls, and special Maine-made 100% locally sourced whole grain selections. Eating breakfast at school helps students stay focused, energized, and ready to learn — and this week was the perfect time to serve nutritious, energizing breakfast fit for knights, queens, and dragons alike to build excitement and participation across all grade levels.
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.