Dear Salem Families,

 Many of our students have a cellphone, tablet, or even gaming systems with access to the Internet and social media. While advances in technology have many great benefits, there is also the potential for harm. 

In addition to cyberbullying, there are concerns about safety, mental health, and wellness. It seems that every day another social media app or social media challenge becomes popular. In some cases, these apps allow strangers to contact children, or make it easy to anonymously bully other children. Some of these social media challenges pose great dangers to students’ or bystanders’ physical safety.  In response to these risks, we have been looking for a resource that can help parents in our community learn the ins and outs of social media and online dangers, and cope with the challenges of parenting in the digital age.

We are excited to announce that the Salem School District has once again partnered with SmartSocial.com for its on-demand resources for parents and students. SmartSocial covers a wide range of digital and social media topics that we feel are relevant to our students. We have purchased parent memberships for every parent in our district to give you access to these resources and help you learn how to navigate the negative (and positive) parts of social media with your students. 

You can sign up here: https://smartsocial.com/salemsd

With more than 130 parent, educator, & student courses available on-demand, this resource promises to help bridge the gap between the ever-changing digital landscape and the very real need to actively guide our students.  

Some of the resources include:

• Smartphone and Social Media Agreement Templates (For students, parents, & educators)

• Navigating TikTok (A course for students,  parents, & educators)

• Navigating Instagram (A course for students, parents, & educators)

• Navigating YouTube (A course for students, parents, & educators)

• Navigating Snapchat (A course for students, parents, & educators)

• Navigating Fortnite, Overwatch, Call of Duty & Other Violent Video Games (A course for students & parents)

• Navigating Roblox, Minecraft, & Other Non-Violent Video Games (A course for students & parents)

• Navigating College Readiness on Social Media Networks (A course for students, parents, & educators)

• +And more!

As we all know, the digital footprint and the social media presence that young people create can have a lasting impact.  Parental guidance, as well as guidance from trusted adults at school, are desperately needed. For older students, SmartSocial.com can help begin the process of preparing for college and career  by offering parents tools to support their students, including timely advice to help students  put their best foot forward with social media and a digital portfolio.  

Normally membership to the SmartSocial resources is $60/year.  

Salem School parents/guardians can now access the SmartSocial library of resources for FREE. 

Our school’s partnership gives each family complimentary access to the SmartSocial library of resources. This is a unique opportunity to learn from experts in the social media space - from the comfort of your home or office.

 Please do not use this link if you are outside the Salem School community as this is exclusively for our families.