March 24, 2023

SPS families,

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to celebrate sixty-two Salem High students who were awarded the John and Abigail Adams scholarship. This scholarship is granted to students whose combined score places them in the top 25% of students and who also meet the MCAS score requirements for the Class of 2023. This means students must earn “advanced” on either the ELA or math exam and “proficient” on the other exam.

The John and Abigail Adams Scholarship provides a 10% tuition credit for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education at a Massachusetts state college or university. This is an incredible recognition and financial incentive for these most deserving students. Congratulations to all the students and to the staff and families who played a significant role in the growth and development of the award winners.

This also serves as a reminder of the scholarly excellence that exists across the Salem Public Schools. We must continue to find ways to recognize and celebrate the academic accomplishments of our youth. It is important that we highlight these high achievers who consistently model the habits of successful learners.

As we head into the weekend, there are two more opportunities to check out the Collins Middle School production of Aida (tonight at 7pm, Saturday at 2). You will be dazzled by the extraordinary talents of our actors, musicians, artists and production crew!

Best,

Steve

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 is district-wide music and arts educator, Ben Chertok. Mr. Chertok is a tireless worker who has helped build an award-winning music program across the Salem Public Schools. Currently, he is co-directing the Collins School production of Aida. Under Mr. Chertok’s theatrical direction, our students have grown in their confidence, cultivated their passion for performing and, above all, established lasting memories and friendships. 

Help the After-Prom Committee plan a fun night. The After Prom Committee, led by SHS parents, is running a scratch ticket raffle to raise money for a fun and safe post-prom party at In The Game. Purchase a $20 ticket and you could win big! 1st Prize: $1,000 in scratch tickets, 2nd Prize: $300 in scratch tickets, 3rd prize: $200 in scratch tickets. Only 300 tickets will be sold and the drawing will be on April 1st. Venmo @MaryBeth-Costello to purchase tickets or email DonnaFritz44@gmail.com for other payment options. Want to help sell tickets? Email Donna for that too! Thank you for your support!

Thanks to SEF’s grant funding, twenty biomedical students in Brenda Perez Goodrum’s class at New Liberty Innovation School took part in a mock-up epidemiological study of infectious disease. In this photo, two students perform the ELISA test to determine who is positive and by how much, to study the spread of the simulated disease.

In the second photo, a student practices guitar in music class at New Liberty Innovation School. Teacher Pierce Woodward purchased ten guitars with funds from a Salem Education Foundation grant to begin the new, popular class.

While the MIAA does not have Strength and Conditioning listed as a full-Varsity level sport due to the lesser 1x/week commitment, the Special Olympics recognizes this as a state-level Club Sport due to the interscholastic competition between schools.

The scoring works by measuring progress in each of the key exercises for each athlete. We take a baseline in week 1, midseason in week 3, and final score in week 6. Points are assigned based on the progress from week 1 to week 3 and week 3 to week 6. These individual points are then added together for a final team score. The team with the highest total wins, and we came out on top!

Coach Angie Giancola and our SPS community are SO proud of our athletes for their hard work and humor throughout the season. We had 51 athletes involved this Winter and 17 were totally new to Unified Sports. Our coaching staff demonstrated a profound commitment to positivity, flexibility, and intentionality as they supported students throughout the season. And a special thank you to Michelle Flewelling and Brigitte Brennan for working collaboratively with Coach Tucker to ensure exercises were appropriately and uniquely adapted so ALL our athletes could participate in meaningful ways. We are so proud of this team!

Hello from Salem Food and Nutrition Services! Check out the menu for March 27th – April 7th: https://salemfoodservice.wixsite.com/spsk12menus. We are featuring a new menu item on Tuesday 3/28, a “Harlem Chopped Cheese.”  This sandwich is an adaptation of a legendary New York bodega sandwich. Make sure to check this menu item out on Tuesday! 

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Salem Food Services has put together a recipe page on our Food Services webpage! National Nutrition Month was created 50 years ago in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthy eating and physical activity habits. This page gives the Salem Public Schools community a chance to see what goes into the cooking of the meals throughout the district! Students and families can see how our food is prepared and try a recipe at home! These nutritious recipes make a great addition to any family lunch or dinner. The recipes used in all Salem cafeterias follow USDA nutrition guidelines including limits on sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, and calories. Check out this new page here: https://salemk12.org/district-departments/food-services/recipes.

It will be updated periodically with more recipes. Be sure to check back often for more recipes to try at home. We hope you enjoy them! Several of the recipes included were featured as a part of the Massachusetts Farm to School Harvest of the Month Program. The harvest of the month for April is potatoes. Be on the lookout for a new recipe including potatoes next week!

Do you know an exemplary teacher? Please nominate that individual for recognition.

What is the purpose of the award? Each year, The Margaret Voss Howard Teacher Recognition Award recognizes one Salem and one Marblehead teacher as representative of all the excellent, dedicated teachers in the community who make a difference to children every day.

Who is eligible? Teachers from the district schools in Marblehead and Salem, Massachusetts, are eligible.

What is the award? Each honoree receives an unrestricted cash award of $500.

Who may nominate? Anyone—educators, parents, students, community members

How do I nominate someone? Send a letter of nomination with your reasons for nominating the teacher. Please be as detailed and specific as possible. Please keep nominations confidential and do not inform individuals that they have been nominated. Nominations must be postmarked by April 21, 2023.

How are honorees selected? A committee of two administrators from each district and a representative of the Howard family reviews the nominations and selects the honorees based on the criteria below.

Criteria for selection: Candidates must have made substantial contributions to the profession, such as:

• Exceptional or creative contributions during restrictions due to Covid-19.
• A specific, creative project that inspired students to perform and achieve and/or contributed positively to school culture, climate, or community
• An inspirational influence on a particular child or group of children that made a difference in their progress and achievement
• An innovative practice that led to positive growth in a school or the district or beyond
• A long, distinctive, and influential career in which the teacher positively impacted many children
• Leadership among colleagues that solved problems or led to educational improvements
• Other outstanding contributions to the profession, described in the nomination letter.

Please send your letter of nomination, along with the nomination form (English/Spanish), to howardteacheraward@yahoo.com (preferred) or mail to:

Teacher Recognition Award

190 Bridge Street, #2301

Salem, MA 01970

Nominations must be postmarked by April 21, 2023. For more information, email howardteacheraward@yahoo.com or call (978) 609-0813. The award is a fund of the Essex County Community Organization.

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY WITH A DONATION

• New and Unopened Diaper Packages Only
• All Sizes Needed: Newborn to Size 6
• Baby Wipes Welcome, too!

Collection Dates: Now – April 30, 2023

Drop-Off Locations: Salem City Hall, Salem City Hall Annex, Salem Public Library

Drop-Off Times: Regular business hours at each building

The Salem High School Athletics Department is looking for YOU! Our Athletics department is looking for people to join a Hall of Fame committee to help recognize our athletes, past and present.

The Salem High School Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes:

• Individuals who have demonstrated exceptional skills and talents in a particular sport
• Coaches, teachers and other community members who have made outstanding contributions to individual sports or overall sport programs of Salem High School. 

The Salem High Hall of Fame Committee consists of 11 members that establish an ongoing and fair process for the nomination and selection of former Salem High School athletes, coaches, and other Salem School and community members who have made exceptional contributions to the Salem High School athletic program.

To establish a diverse and consistently balanced committee, terms will be staggered as follows: three (3) members will be selected for one-year terms; three members will be selected for two-year terms; and four (4) members will be selected for three-year terms. Terms will expire on June 30th of each year.

Please complete this form if you are interested in serving as a member of the Hall of Fame Committee. If you have any questions, please contact Reilly Christie at 978-265-4044 or rchristie@salemk12.org.

Welcome to the Virtual Backpack. This is a space where we will place items that in the past may have been a flyer in your student’s backpack from friends and partners to SPS.

Challenger League (Adaptive) Baseball / Liga de beisbol adaptado

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 how our school and teachers communicate with families districtwide. Please be sure you are receiving messages from ParentSquare. If need support downloading the app or receiving messages, please contact your school’s front office. You can visit www.parentsquare.com for more information.