Spring has finally arrived with lots of sunshine and warmer temperatures. With Spring comes the construction of our new addition of two Full Day Kindergarten Classrooms. See below for further details of the construction that will be on going throughout the summer.

As always the last two months of school are very busy, both curricularly and extra curricularly as teachers finish up this year’s expectations. Plans are underway for many special in school and out of school learning experiences for our students with their classes, divisions and the school as a whole.

On May 11th we will be having our annual Car Wash, Bake Sale and Clothing Drive. Please help support our Grade 6 and School Council fundraiser.

On May 23th from 5:30 - 6:30, we would like to invite all parents and community members who have or are volunteering at Salem Public School to join us for our Volunteer Appreciation Celebration. We hope to see you all for a delicious dinner. Anyone who has volunteered this year is invited. Please call the school to let us know we can expect you.

Enjoy the months of spring ahead. Please contact the school if you have any questions or concerns.
Saskia Marquis

[ View the May 2013 Newsletter ( PDF ) ]

Spring has arrived but it certainly doesn’t feel like it yet when you step outside. We are looking forward to the arrival of the warmer temperatures. Please continue to assist us by having your children dressed for the weather. There have been quite of few mornings this first week in April that were very chilly with snow.

The Character trait we are working on for the month of April is responsibility. Staff and students will help acknowledge students exhibiting this character trait.

We are ready for the final push to the end of the year. There is much to look forward to as the teachers provide many different activities for students to be engaged in a variety of opportunities such as spring musical, Boys Books and Ball Hockey, Jump Rope for Heart to name a few.

As always, please call the school should you have any concerns or questions.

Saskia Marquis
Principal

[ View the April 2013 Newsletter ( PDF ) ]

Wow, what a lot of snow we had in February. We have gone from no snow to mounds of it. The children have had fun this winter creating all kinds of wonderful forts and structures with the snow. Teachers have taken the students out on cross country skis, they have skated and of course the wonderful hill to crazy carpet on has been enjoyed. It makes the long cold winter much more enjoyable.

I would like to personally thank our Ice Rink volunteers for a gallant effort to keep the Salem rink alive. They were hoping their 3rd try was going to be the charm but the weather did not cooperate. Thank you to all the volunteers for all their hard work. The students and staff at Salem truly appreciate it.

The staff would like to thank Salem Parents and Community for supporting our school Read-A-Thon. We reached our goal and raised $3010. This money will be very helpful toward increasing the accessibility children will have to technology in the classroom. The children and staff had a wonderful time participating in the reading activities over the two week fundraiser.

Wednesday, February 27 was Anti-Bullying Day. It was great to see so many pink shirts in support of this day. In classrooms, students had opportunities to discuss why they were wearing pink and what they could do to support this cause.

Friday March 1st we took part in the Live Free from Hunger Campaign. This campaign supports the many breakfast and snack programs in UGDSB schools. The students were asked to make a promise to live free of something they really enjoyed for one day. It was wonderful to see our students make those promises and follow through. Our school was able to raise $156 for the cause. Thank you for supporting Live Free from Hunger Campaign.

Next week is March Break, from the 11th to 15th. We hope that all of our students enjoy their March Break whether they will be at home or off on some adventure.

Saskia Marquis
Principal

[ View the March 2013 Newsletter ( PDF ) ]

Since our return from the Christmas holidays, Salem has been a bustle of activity within our classrooms! Scientists in the classroom, volleyball tournament, dance workshop, developing skills in technology are some of the many activities underway. A special thank you to all staff members, who work hard to enrich the learning experiences for our students.

With days well below zero and days above 10 degrees celsius, it's hard to convince our kids to wear warm coats. Even the adults aren't sure whether to wear their boots or not! Since the weather changes daily, please help us by making sure students come prepared with boots, hats and mittens.

Our wonderful Ice Rink Volunteers, under the guidance of Gary and Tim, have successfully created the ice rink for the third time. A big thank you goes out to them from the Salem Students and Staff for ensuring the students have a place to skate.

Kindergarten registration will run from February 4th - 8th. If you know of any little ones who might be of age, please let them know to come to the school during that week.

February 11th will mark the start of our first Read-A-Thon. We hope that you will help support the event as we look forward to purchasing new technology for the children to access. Special Reading Events will be held throughout our Read-A-Thon weeks. More information and pledge sheets will be sent home after our kick-off assembly on Monday February 11th.

Saskia Marquis
Principal

[ View the February 2013 Newsletter ( PDF ) ]

Welcome back and Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and found time to spend with family and friends.

The Staff would like to thank all the families who supported our Food Drive, Mitten Tree, Books for School Library and Upper Grand Learning Foundation in lieu of gifts. We would also like to thank the parent community for providing another wonderful Christmas luncheon for the students, staff and community members. Additionally, a big thank you to all the staff members for putting together our Christmas Caroling, and Crafts day.

We have community members that have been hard at work over the holiday break starting up the ice rink at Salem. Thank you to Gary Acheson for organizing our volunteers and getting things started. If you have a few hours a week to volunteer to help with the maintenance of the rink please contact Gary (see contact information below). Many hands make for light work. This is a great way for high school students to get their community hours.

We are quickly coming up to the end of the first term, and hopefully students will be well rested and ready to work hard as Term 2 quickly approaches.

Here is to the start of a wonderful and exciting new year of 2013.

Saskia Marquis
Principal

[ View the January 2013 Newsletter (pdf) ]

Dear Parents and Guardians: 

Like others around the world, our school community is deeply saddened by the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown CT on Friday, December 14, 2012.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible event. 

It is important to keep in mind that an event like this is very rare.  Only by working together – staff, parents and guardians – can our students continue to see that our school is a safe, caring and supportive environment. 

In the ongoing aftermath of this unexpected and troubling situation, we have the following supports in place at our school: 

• professional staff including child and youth counselors, social workers and community agencies are available to help staff and students with their feelings 
• we have resources available to parents to help them talk to children about this type of event (check the Board and school websites) 
• schools have been provided with key messages to share with students if they ask questions on an individual basis 
• we regularly practice our emergency procedures including lock down drills 
• the local police and other first responders are always available to assist us 
• there are procedures for visitors to our school to sign in at the office 
• Board staff and Principals are trained in Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) to work closely with police and community agencies to help us identify individuals who may pose a risk of harm to others in our school 

The best message we can give you right now is that our school is safe.  School violence of this nature is rare, especially in Canada.  It is natural to feel worried and sad when a tragedy of this magnitude happens, even when it is far away.  We can help students, and parents to get through this.  Regular routines are very important right now. 

Please watch your children closely for signs that they are struggling and check with us if you are worried.   

You can always call me at the school for additional information and assistance. 

Sincerely, 

Saskia Marquis 

Principal 

On Friday December 14 all of our elementary schools will be closed to students. Teachers are participating in a one day walk out in protest over Bill 115. Please make alternative child care arrangements for your children. If your child rides a bus they will not be picked up.

Secondary Schools will be open for regular classes for students in grades 9 to 12. 

Schools will re-open to students on Monday December 17. We regret the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and support.