Melville Message Community Update

In partnership with families and community, the mission of Melville Elementary School is to provide all students with a strong academic foundation through diverse and challenging instruction in a safe and nurturing environment enabling them to achieve their greatest potential while developing self-confidence, respect, responsibility, compassion and a love of learning.

👟The Melville Fun Run is May 21st. Please read The Melville Message Fun Run Edition to learn about about this fun event.

If your child will NOT be attending the Portsmouth Public School System in the Fall of 2025 - please fill out the GOOGLE form linked below below.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are reaching out to inform you of a deeply concerning and dangerous trend currently circulating on social media, particularly TikTok, known as the “Chromebook Challenge or Chromebook Durability Test.” This involves students inserting conductive materials such as pencil lead, paper clips, or metallic wrappers into the USB or charging ports of their school-issued Chromebooks. The intent is to cause electrical short circuits, leading to sparks.

Here is a link to a recent article about this occurring in the Cumberland School District: Cumberland police warn parents about dangerous ‘Chromebook Challenge’

This behavior is not only extremely dangerous but also constitutes intentional destruction of school property. It puts student and staff safety at risk and disrupts the learning environment.

Please speak with your child about the seriousness of this issue and make it clear that participation in this activity is unacceptable. Any student found engaging in this behavior, whether during school hours or outside of school, will face disciplinary action in accordance with our school policies. Additionally, parents and guardians will be held financially responsible for the full cost of any resulting damage to Chromebooks. We are committed to ensuring a safe and responsible learning environment for all students and staff. Your partnership in addressing this issue is essential. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s school.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Sincerely,
Portsmouth School Department IT and Administration

Steven M. Costa

Dear Melville School Community,

As many of you are aware, in accordance with Portsmouth School Department policy, Melville Elementary School has a new visitor system in our vestibule. This system is used to sign guests into our building by scanning a driver’s license and verifying your identity with a comparison photo.

Please note that any person that is entering our school building for a meeting or an event is REQUIRED to sign in.

In order to expedite the sign in process, we are strongly encouraging all families to download the app and create your profile today. You may do so by scanning the QR code below or by visiting the App Store or Google Play Store and searching for Raptor Safe.

For any questions or for assistance contact the main office. Thank you for your help in keeping our school safe.

On Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 we will participate in our exciting Melville School Field Day! We will be incorporating a Super Mario Theme!

As the event draws near, we’re reaching out to extend a warm invitation for you to join us in making this day unforgettable for our students.

We’re in need of enthusiastic volunteers like you to help us run various activities and stations throughout the day!

Whether you can spare an hour or the whole day, your contribution will make a significant difference in creating a memorable experience for our students.

In order to participate and volunteer you MUST be VIS APPROVED. Please try your best to complete this process sooner rather than later

If you’re interested in volunteering, please visit this link: Field Day Volunteer Sign Up

Mr. Soares

Minutes from 1/8/25

Minutes from 11/13/24

Minutes from 9/11/24

Minutes from 10/9/24

At Melville Elementary, we are committed to every student’s success, and regular attendance is key! Did you know that students who miss two or more days a month—about 10% of the school year—are considered chronically absent?

Attendance Matters

We know that attendance plays a huge role in student success, and your support is key to improving it. Melville is currently ranked #38 in the state for attendance on the State’s Attendance Leaderboard.

🌸May

14th- MPTG Meeting 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

16th-Grade 3 Wax Museum (invites sent to grade 3 families only)

21st- Melville Fun Run (during the school day, rain date 5/22)

23rd-Staff Professional Development Day (No School for students)

June 🌞

5th-Kindergarten Field Trip to Coggeshall

6th- Grade 4 Field Trip to the State House

9th

- Pre K Graduation (invites sent to Pre K families only)

-Grade 2 Field Trip to BIOMES

10th-Kindergarten Celebration, 3:30-5:00

10th- MPTG Meeting & Volunteer Appreciation, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

11th- Field Day (Rain Date 12th)

16th- Grade 4 Stepping Up Celebration (invites sent to grade 4 families only)

18th or 180th day: Last Day of School – All Students

19th: Juneteenth (No School)

20th, 23rd, 24th, 25th: Snow Makeup Days if needed

We take all reported incidents seriously. If you see something that could be constituted as bullying, cyber-bullying, or harassment, please say something.

Planet Aid is a nonprofit organization that collects used clothes to protect the environment and strengthen communities. Planet Aid’s non-binding school partnerships provide a passive fundraising stream and an opportunity to teach students about environmental sustainability. Melville School hosts a Planet Aid clothing donation bin and with this we raise funds for every pound donated.

The Planet Aid bin is in our parking lot again this year...please continue to fill it with clothes and shoes. Thank you!

Going forward please use meloffice@portsmouthschoolsri.org to notify the main office of changes to your child's dismissal routine or of your child's absence.

If you are interested in volunteering or chaperoning this school year, then you will need to complete the volunteer approval process. Please check in with our office if a notary if available to assist you.

We love to celebrate our students. If they have special news that you would like us to share, e.g. State Wrestling or Cheerleading Championship accomplishments, then please email me at lauried@portsmouthschoolsri.org and we will be sure to include their recognition in our morning announcements.

In keeping with the spirit of giving, our Feinstein Jr. Scholars are excited to start an in-school food pantry that our students and families can donate to and access when needed.

Please help us as we continue to support our community by sending in food items with your child from time to time. Please email

Mrs. Powell: powelld@portsmouthschoolsri.org or

Mrs. Pascoe: pascoen@portsmouthschoolsri.org

if you would like to access our food pantry during the school year.

Securly Home is an app that allows parents to monitor their child’s Chromebook activity at home and add rules for home use. Please take some time to review the slideshow from the informational parent meeting hosted for families.

We encourage you to sign up now for Securly Home!

Google Slideshow

At Melville School we provide continuous updates on student progress. Mid-Trimester Progress Reports and Report Cards help us to better communicate student progress with parents and caregivers.

Benchmarking assessments are assessments given to students three times a year to measure their progress towards achieving the end of year standard for their grade level. If your child qualifies for a Response to Intervention Plan, this will be discussed during the conference. Report Cards are published three times a year and will be available on the ASPEN Platform.

Report Cards reflect your child's current mastery of end-of-grade level standards. The grades earned by your child, as reflected on the Report Card, are their current mastery of end-of-grade level standards. For example, if your child is in second grade they are being assessed on the standard that is expected of a student exiting second grade. If your child receives an S (secure), this means that they are secure and have reached the end of the year benchmark. Earning a D (developing) means your child is demonstrating growth towards meeting the end of grade level with support. If your child is beginning to progress towards meeting the end of year standard, then they will receive a B (beginning). It is common for most students to receive B’s and D’s during the first trimester now that we are switching to reporting out on end-of-year standards. An N/A means that this standard has not yet been taught. NP means that your child did not participate in the learning/activities related to this standard.

Fire drills occur on a regular basis. State law requires each school to conduct eleven fire drills, two lockdown drills and two evacuation drills each year. Shelter in Place drills are conducted throughout the school year. Children are given instruction on all procedures. Children are expected to behave in a calm, orderly manner during these exercises. Please review the importance of such exercises with your child and emphasize the need for appropriate behavior.

A lockdown is an alert to the school community indicating that students and staff should remain in their classrooms, dispersing around the room and staying low, either standing or crouching, to avoid visibility. This positioning also prepares students and staff to move quickly if evacuation becomes necessary. Remain in this position until further direction is given

An evacuation requires all students and staff to exit the building and meet at a designated safe place.

A shelter in place is an alert to a school community that movement outside of classrooms is being restricted for a brief period of time. It is typically used when a student or staff member is requiring some sort of attention (sometimes medical) and the school is trying to keep that area clear and/or protect that person’s privacy. If there were a serious safety concern the school would not issue a shelter in place.

We will send notification of lockdowns, evacuations, and shelter in place drills and events via email.

Here is the presentation that was shared at a Parent Safety Forum that was hosted in conjunction with the Police and Fire Departments. The Run, Hide, Fight FBI philosophy guides our safety training.

The P3 Sandy Hook Promise Anonymous tip line is a resource that we encourage anyone to use if there is ever an immediate safety concern.

Email: lauried@portsmouthschoolsri.org
Website: https://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/Domain/11
Location: 1351 West Main Road, Portsmouth, RI, USA
Phone: 401-683-1650
Facebook: Melville Principal
Twitter: @MelvilleSchool