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.

Melville students celebrated their artwork from the Aquidneck Landtrust Art Contest this week. All art pieces were displayed and honored at the Newport Art Museum. Melville artwork took up an entire wall and students were awarded First Place, Third Place, and an Honorable Mention! It was great to see everyone, thank you to all who attended and way to go grade 3!

Today our Grade 3 students performed for our school community with the Newport Contemporary Ballet for our second year of Multicultural Movement. Each of our 3rd grade classrooms has focused on a different country to gain a better understanding of culture, history and families around the world.

We are always looking to improve our communications with our families. To help us with that, your feedback is appreciated. Please take a moment to complete this brief Melville Communications Survey.

January 16, 2025

Hello Melville Parents,

We are writing to you on behalf of the Melville Parent Teacher Group's upcoming

“Whale of an Evening” fundraiser. This annual event will be held on Friday, March 28th

at Green Valley Country Club. The goal of “Whale of an Evening” is to bring together

the Melville community for a fun parents’ night out while also raising funds for the

school.

A big part of this event is a silent auction; each class prepares a special project to

contribute and we also rely on donations from the community. To that end, we are

asking for the support of our Melville families. We are asking that any family with a

connection to a local business or service please ask that organization to provide

a donation of a gift certificate or goods to the auction. The “Whale of an Evening”

would also provide great community exposure for all local businesses participating. All

funds raised will go directly toward providing resources such as supplies, teacher

grants, and classroom necessities for the Melville School.

If you are able to make or obtain a donation, there are many ways to get it to the MPTG.

You may bring or mail it to the school address: Melville Elementary School, 1351 West

Main Rd., Portsmouth, RI, 02871, Attn: “Whale of an Evening”/MPTG. You may also

email Bridget Wilkinson at Bridget.puma@gmail.com if you would like your donation to

be picked up.

The Melville Elementary School EIN # is 74-3217310 for tax donation purposes.

We do ask that all donations be in by Friday, March 14th, so that we can ensure all

participating organizations are credited.

We are so appreciative of any and all support and resources the Melville community can

assist us with. Thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity. We hope to

see you at “Whale of an Evening” event on March 28th, and please feel free to contact

us with any questions.

In Gratitude,

Nicole Kowalsick

President

Melville Parent Teacher Group

mptgpres@gmail.com

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 #16 in the state for attendance on the State’s Attendance Leaderboard.

If you would like to order a yearbook then please do so by following this link and use the SCHOOL ID.

Yearbook Order: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/
School ID: 12072425

If you do not pre order a yearbook, then we may not have enough available to purchase at the end of the school year when it comes out. We order some extra, but the only guarantee is to pre order, so I highly recommend ordering one ahead of time.

If you have a child in grade 4 and need financial assistance to purchase a yearbook, then please email me directly at lauried@portsmouthschoolsri.org and we will make sure your child gets a yearbook.

February💕

Parent Teacher Conferences-You will hear from your child's teacher.

11th--100th Day of School

***School Committee 7PM-Special Recognition for Melville!!!

12th- MPTG Meeting 6PM-7PM, Melville Cafeteria-Special Guest: Dr. Masterson

17th-21st: President's Day and Winter Recess (No School)

27 & 28: Grade 3 Save the Bay Seal Watch

🍀March

12th- MPTG Meeting 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

13th-STEAM Night 5:30-7:00

28th- Whale of an Evening

April ☔

9th- MPTG Meeting 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

14th– 18th : Spring Recess (No School)

22nd- School Bus Driver Appreciation

🌸May

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

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

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

11th- MPTG Meeting & Volunteer Appreciation, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

11th- Field Day (Rain Date 12th)

11th- MPTG Meeting & Volunteer Appreciation, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

16th- Grade 4 Stepping Up Celebration

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