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.

Please join us for a day of Melville Family Fun

at our annual Fall Festival!

This is a great opportunity to lend a hand and be part of the action. You do not need to be VIS approved to volunteer at this event!

• Click here to Volunteer
• Click here to Pre Order your Fall Festival Tickets for games and raffles!

Here are the links for each grade's Fall Festival packet:

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Apple Crunch Day in Rhode Island is a statewide celebration that takes place on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, as part of National Farm to School Month. Organized by the Rhode Island Farm to School Network, the event encourages schools and community groups across the state to synchronize and "crunch" into locally grown apples at lunchtime or another chosen time. This initiative aims to promote healthy eating, support local agriculture, and raise awareness of Farm to School activities.

At Melville, we’re excited to join the celebration! Every student will receive an apple, and at noon, we will all take a big, crunchy bite together to celebrate Apple Crunch Day. If you would like to OPT your child out of participating, then please email Nurse Trainor at trainora@portsmouthschoolsri.org by Monday, October 20th.

Unity Day is a special day in October when schools all over the country come together to spread kindness and show that everyone belongs. We wear orange to show that we care about including others, being kind, and standing up against bullying.

We do require that guests please register for this event by clicking here!

Kindergarten families are invited to see their children march in our traditional K Character Day Parade!

Good attendance in elementary school helps children build a strong start in learning and growing. When students come to school regularly, they build important skills in reading, writing, and math and stay connected to their classmates and teachers. They also learn routines, gain confidence, and feel like part of the school community. When children miss a lot of school, it can be harder for them to catch up and feel comfortable in class.

We also know that families play a big role in helping children get to school each day. We see attendance as a partnership and are here to support parents and caregivers in any way we can. By working together, we can help every child build good habits and enjoy success in school. If you have any questions regarding our district’s attendance policy or would like to discuss your child and attendance, please reach out to Nicole Pascoe, School Social Worker at PascoeN@portsmouthschoolsri.org or (401) 683-1650 Ext. 5034

PSD Attendance Policy Reporting an absence: Melville Attendance Notification Form

Here is our school’s monthly attendance. For the month of September, we averaged 8 students absent each day, 35 each week. We averaged 3 children being tardy each day, 14 each week. Please remember that our school day starts promptly at 8:45am and ends at 3:15pm.

Earn money for Melville while you shop! All you have to do is send in your Clements Receipts.

October

13: Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (No School)

14:

School Picture Day

MPTG 6:00-7:00 - In the Melville Library

16: Family Teacher Conferences, 3:30-6:30

18: Fall Festival

21: Apple Crunch Day at Melville

22: Unity Day-Wear Orange to unite against Bullying

23:Family Teacher Conferences, 3:30-6:30

30: Kindergarten Monster Mash (must register)

31: Schoolwide Storybook Character Day, 2PM K Parade for Melville staff, students, and K families

November

11: Veterans’ Day Observance (No School)

12:

-Grade 1 Gratitude Jars with our Support Team, 4PM-5PM, Melville Library-Grade 1 students & Caregivers (must register)

-Pre K Family Fun Time, 4PM-5PM- Pre K Classrooms-Pre K Students & Caregivers (must register)

-School Committee 7PM- Town Hall

18: MPTG 6:00-7:00 -In the Melville Library

19:One-hour early release for students-Dismissal will be from 2:15-2:30

26 – 28: Thanksgiving Recess (No School)

December

4: Picture Retake Day

10:One-hour early release for students-Dismissal will be from 2:15-2:30

13: Merry Melville 9:00-12:00 (Chorus performs at 10:30)

15-19 Winter Spirit Week

22 – 31: Holiday Recess (No School)

January

1 - 2: New Year’s Day (No School)

5-9 Grade 3 works with NCB's Multicultural Program

13:MPTG 6:00-7:00 - In the Melville Library

14:One-hour early release for students-Dismissal will be from 2:15-2:30

19: Martin Luther King Day (No School)

26-30: Scholastic Book Fair and Reading Spirit Week

28th: Family Shopping Night and visit our Support Staff Table

February

Family Teacher Conferences (Flexible, each grade level will notify families and find door support)

10: MPTG 6:00-7:00 - Library

16 - 20: Winter Recess (No School)

March

Wellness Week-TBD

Arts for Life- TBD

Whale of an Evening-TBD

10: MPTG 6:00-7:00 - In the Melville Library

18: One-hour early release for students-Dismissal will be from 2:15-2:30

April

Month of the Military Child

3: Good Friday (No School)

7: RICAS grades 3 and 4 ELA Session 1

8: RICAS grades 3 and 4 ELA Session 2

14: MPTG 6:00-7:00 - In the Melville Library

15th Purple Up on the Playground-Military Families

20 - 24: Spring Recess (No School)

May

7:12: MIndfulness with our Support Staff, 4PM-5PM-Grade 3 students & caregivers (must register)

Family Teacher Conferences (Flexible, each grade level will notify families and find door support)

12:

RICAS grades 3 and 4 math Session 1

MPTG 6:00-7:00 - In the Melville Library

13: RICAS grades 3 and 4 math Session 2

20:One-hour early release for students-Dismissal will be from 2:15-2:30

21: Fun Run (Rain Date 22nd)

25: Memorial Day (No School)

June

5: PHS Graduation

8: Pre K Graduation

9: MPTG/Volunteer Appreciation 6:00-7:00 - In the Melville Library

10: Field Day (rain date 11th)

TBD -Grade 4 Stepping Up & Family Picnic

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

If your child is going to be absent, or it is absolutely necessary to make a dismissal change, then please complete the: Attendance Notification Form. Please bookmark this form or you can find it on our website. Dismissal changes must be made by 2:15

At Melville, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Throughout the school year, we practice a variety of safety drills so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency. These drills follow the I Love U Guys Standard Response Protocol.

• Shelter: Used during environmental threats (e.g., severe weather, hazardous materials nearby). Students stay inside a safe area of the building until the threat passes.

• Evacuate: Students and staff leave the building and gather at a predetermined safe location outside. This is used when it is safer to be away from the building, such as a fire or other environmental hazard.

• Hold: Students stay in their classrooms while the hallways are cleared. Instruction may continue as usual. This is used when movement in the hallways needs to be limited, such as during a medical response.

• Lockdown: Students and staff stay in classrooms because there is a potential threat inside the building. Procedures include:

  • Locking doors.

  • Turning off lights and moving out of sight.

  • Maintaining silence.

  • Dispersing students around the classroom while standing to allow for quick evacuation if necessary.

  • Doors remain locked until authorized personnel give the all-clear.

• Secure: Students and staff stay in place within the school building, but normal activities can continue. This is used when there is a potential concern outside the school, such as nearby police activity, and it is safer to remain inside.

Family Notifications: After all drills except fire drills, we will send a notification to families to keep you informed about the drill and its purpose. We encourage families to review these procedures with their children and remind them to follow directions calmly and carefully during drills. Thank you for your partnership in keeping Melville safe.

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.

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.

Email: lauried@portsmouthschoolsri.org
Website: https://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/Domain/11
Location: 1351 West Main Road, Portsmouth, RI, USA
Phone: 4016831650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009159177892
Twitter: @MelvilleSchool