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.

We are excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 2025-2026 PSD Teacher of the Year and the 2025-2026 PSD Support Professional of the Year awards. These are wonderful opportunities to recognize the outstanding contributions of our colleagues who go above and beyond in supporting our students and our school community.

Teacher of the Year Nominee
The Teacher of the Year award is presented to an NEA member who demonstrates exceptional dedication, knowledge, and skill. This educator inspires students of all backgrounds and earns the respect of students, parents, colleagues, and administrators. The selected Teacher of the Year will have the opportunity to represent Portsmouth at the state level and participate in valuable professional development and leadership opportunities.

Nominate a Teacher of the Year Here

Support Professional of the Year Nominee
The Support Professional of the Year award recognizes an outstanding individual who works in the best interest of our students and district. This award honors a Council 94 member who exhibits exceptional competence, continually seeks to improve their skills, and consistently goes above and beyond their job responsibilities. Their dedication and commitment make a lasting impact on our school community.

Nominate a Support Professional of the Year Here

Please take a moment to consider nominating a colleague who exemplifies these qualities. Nominations are open until May 2, 2025. We encourage you to celebrate the amazing work happening in our community by submitting your nominations!

Please consider nominating someone for the Special Education Local Advisory Committee Awards.

SELAC Awards Nominations are open! The Portsmouth Local Advisory Committee is hosting our annual LAC Awards on May 14, 2025. Please consider nominating someone from our school community who has helped your child to succeed this year. Typical persons who are nominated are teachers/support professionals, bus staff, RBTs/Paraprofessionals, coaches, students, and administrators. The deadline for nominations is May 1, 2025.

Melville’s Arts for Life Day kicked off with a schoolwide performing arts display led by Henry the Juggler, setting the stage for a day of creativity and culture. In Physical Education, students explored karate fundamentals and self-discipline with Montella’s Karate Academy, while the Oja Modern African Dance Team from Brown University taught cultural dance moves and led a student performance. Ian Legge from Berklee College of Music engaged students with live cello music and song requests. In Art Education, Steve Brosnihan guided students in cartooning and connected their drawings to New England’s whaling history, while third graders worked with Miss Lathan to create pottery inspired by colorful Mexican designs. To add a global flavor to the celebration, Chartwells hosted a Global Eats experience, where students tasted foods from the Caribbean, making the day a true feast for the senses!

Melville students compost in our lunchroom everyday. Teaching kids to compost is a great way to instill environmental responsibility and sustainability from a young age. It helps them understand the natural cycle of decomposition, showing how food scraps and organic waste can be turned into nutrient-rich soil instead of ending up in landfills. Composting also fosters a sense of responsibility, encourages hands-on learning, and connects kids to nature by demonstrating how their actions can positively impact the planet. Plus, it’s a fun and engaging way to introduce science concepts like decomposition, ecosystems, and the importance of reducing waste!

Please take a moment to watch this short video, Melville Composting,

to see their hard work in progress.

Hello Melville families! I look forward to being of assistance, filling in this Spring for Mrs. Pascoe. I am a RIDE certified school social worker and enjoy working with children and families to support, connect with resources, and meet their goals of a successful school experience. My family and I live in Portsmouth as well, and I am excited to be here until the end of the year as part of your student services team. I look forward to meeting you!

I hope that is along the lines of what you were thinking!

Jr. Scholars are allowed two free visits for them and their adult guest to Mystic Aquarium per year with their 2024-2025 Jr. Scholar Card, but are requested to reserve a timed-ticket online prior to visiting!

For timed ticket reservations with a Feinstein Jr. Scholar Card, please share the following link with your school community: https://www.mysticaquarium.org/visit/tickets/discounts-and-promotions/feinstein-junior-scholar-discount/

Our Anchored4Life Team Leaders are excited to kick off our first Amenity Aid Shampoo and Conditioner schoolwide drive during the week of March 24th - 28th. Collection boxes will be in each classroom if you'd like to donate. Amenity Aid is Rhode Island’s only hygiene bank, providing products to those in need. They operate like a food bank, but for hygiene products that food banks typically don’t provide. Thank you for your support!

Please sign up at the following link to help out with the MPTG's Whale of an Evening fundraiser on Friday, March 28th - volunteers are needed for set up,clean up, ticket sales, and more.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/20F094CA5AB2CABF85-55621433-whale

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 #30 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.

🍀March

28th- Whale of an Evening

April ☔

8th & 9th-Students in Grades 3 and 4 will take RICAS

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

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

22nd- School Bus Driver Appreciation

🌸May

6th & 7th-Students in Grades 3 and 4 will take RICAS

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