READ | 2025-26 Back to School Letter from Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike

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:

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/

Please be on the lookout for our back to school forms which will be sent via ParentSquare earlier next week.  We are asking families to complete these documents as soon as possible.  

We can’t wait for the opportunity to work with your family!  See you soon!

Sincerely,

Stephen Zrike