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.

Dear Melville Families,

At Melville we believe that strong partnerships between home and school make all the difference, and we are committed to building positive relationships with every family. Communication is the key to fostering this connection, and we are always here to support you.

Students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 school follow a trimester structure. Trimester 1 ends on December 4th, Trimester 2 on March 18th, and Trimester 3 on June 18th. At these times, your child’s Report Card will be available in ASPEN. As those dates get closer we will send reminders and access information.

Report Cards come out at the end of a Trimester and reflect your child’s current progress toward mastering grade-level standards, which are designed for students to meet at the end of the school year. Here’s a quick guide to understanding report card grades:

• S (Secure): Your child has mastered the end-of-year benchmark.

• D (Developing): Your child is showing growth toward the standard but still needs some support.

• B (Beginning): Your child is continuing to need more teacher support to develop in this area.

• N/A: This standard has not yet been taught.

• NP: Your child did not participate in learning activities related to this standard.

It’s important to remember that during the first trimester, many students will not yet be "Secure" in meeting the end-of-year benchmarks, and that’s completely normal.

Here are a few important points to keep in mind:

• Growth Mindset: We encourage you to focus on your child’s growth, not just the grades. Learning is a journey, and each child develops at their own pace. Praise their efforts and help them set goals for the next grading period.

• Attendance: Regular attendance is crucial to academic success. If you notice a pattern of absences or tardies affecting performance, let’s work together to improve attendance.

• Communication: If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress, feel free to reach out to their teacher. We are committed to supporting your child’s learning and development.

• Support at Home: Continue to encourage reading, problem-solving, and creative activities at home. A positive learning environment both at school and home makes a big difference.

In addition to report cards, we also provide mid-trimester Progress Reports to keep you updated on your child’s growth. You’ll have the chance to review these reports during Parent-Teacher Conferences. During these conferences, your child’s teacher will also go over benchmarking assessment data and, if applicable, discuss any Response to Intervention (RtI) plans.

For families with children in grades K-3: Progress reports will be reviewed at Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you cannot attend, please reach out to your child’s teacher to make alternative arrangements.

For families with children in grade 4: Progress reports will be sent home at the end of October to be reviewed during conferences.

This information will remain in our Melville Community Update for the next couple of weeks as a reference. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.

Thank you for being such wonderful partners in your child’s education. We look forward to working together to help your child succeed!

All of Melville students K-4 will be showcasing their artwork in Newport Art Museum's upcoming show, "The Joy of Being". The show will run for the month of November at the Newport Art Museum School. There will be an opening celebration on Nov. 2, 11-3 and a closing celebration on Dec. 6., 11-3. We look forward to seeing you on opening day, Saturday, November 2nd!

Homecoming Parade- Led by Parade Marshall Ms. Pat Wentzel will lead our Patriot community down East Main Rd, Turnpike Ave, and back up Memorial Drive en route to kicking off the next event.. Parade departs from the PHS parking lot at 12:30pm.

Homecoming Football Game- Watch our Varsity Football Team show what it means to have Patriot Pride as we face off against the West Warwick Wizards. Kickoff is schedule for 1:30pm.

Unity Day was started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in October 2011. It’s the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a day when we can come together in one giant, ORANGE message of hope and support.

Please wear your orange on Unity Day, October 16th!

Our school community will sign the pledge to stand

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

Picture Day is coming on Wednesday, October 23!
You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVTD6PHNG. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping!

Your child can also bring their completed flyer(that was sent home at the end of September) with cash or check on Picture Day.

October 🎃

14th-Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (No School)

16th-Unity Day-Wear Orange to make a Stand Against Bullying

16th- Melville Community Clinic

16th- Fall Festival Planning Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

23rd- School Picture Day

24th- After School Family-Teacher Conferences

26th-Fall Festival, 10AM-2PM

29th-Kindergarten Monster Mash 5PM-6PM (more information to follow)

🦃November

5th- Election Day (No School for Students)

5th- Staff Professional Development Day

7th- After School Family-Teacher Conferences

11th- Veterans’ Day Observance (No School)

13th- MPTG Meeting 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

27th – 29th: Thanksgiving Recess (No School)

December 🎄

5th- Picture Retake Day

10th- Holiday Craft & Ornament. 4:30PM-6:30PM, Melville Cafeteria and Library

23rd– 31st- Holiday Recess (No School)

⛄January.

8th- MPTG Meeting 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

17th-Staff PD Day (No School for Students)

1/27 – 1/31: Scholastic Book Fair Week & Reading Spirit Week

February💕

6th-Parent Teacher Conferences, 3:30-6:30

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

🍀March

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

April ☔

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

14 – 18: Spring Recess (No School)

🌸May

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

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

30th-Grade 4 Field Trip to the State House

June 🌞

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

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Has everyone in your family had their flu vaccine?

There will be a FREE flu vaccine clinic at Melville Elementary School (in the cafeteria) on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 from 4 pm - 7 pm. Ages 3 and up are welcome. The COVID-19 vaccine will also be available.

Here’s some important information about the FREE flu vaccine clinic:

• Register online at schoolflu.com to schedule an appointment.
• Online registration is required to ensure the availability of the vaccine, walk-ins will be limited.
• Insurance information will be collected, but the vaccine is FREE whether you have insurance or not.

The flu is a serious, highly contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. Catching the flu means missing days of work and school. You might even have to spend time in the hospital. Don’t take the risk — the flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu.

For more information, visit health.ri.gov/flu/, or call the Department of Health’s information line at 401-222-5960.

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. Mrs. McEvoy in our office is a notary and can be of any assistance, so please do not hesitate to reach out!

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.

All families will be invited to parent teacher conferences the week of October 15th. At the conference teachers will review beginning of year data and benchmarking assessments. 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 a school community that students and staff should not leave the classroom and should gather in one area of the room until provided with further direction.

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