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.

This week our students had the opportunity to engage in some incredible Hour of Code activities. In K-2 students worked with Lego Master Ms. Tacos while our students in grades 3-4 learned from educators at the Roger Williams Zoo about Biomimicry (the practice of learning from and imitating nature to solve human problems) and then got to build animal habitats. All classes were given the opportunity to work with educators from the University of RI Computer Science department using code.org to make music. It was a fun and engaging week for all!

You can view your child’s report card in the ASPEN family portal at 4:00 pm Friday, 12/13/24. You can locate ASPEN by visiting the PSD Website and clicking on the ASPEN tab.

If you have any questions or trouble connecting, then please email familyportal@portsmouthschoolsri.org. The video references calling a guidance counselor, however that does not apply to elementary families.

Please note, when you click on the name there will be a gray down arrow that appears to the right of the name. To see the report card, you need to click on this arrow. You will be forced to download a copy to your computer.

Video on how to access Report Card:

PSD Report Card Screencastify

Following last year’s screening of the film Screenagers, Portsmouth Middle School will be hosting a screening of the second film in the three part series: Screenagers: The Next Generation. The screening will take place on Wednesday, January 8th at 5:30pm in the Little Theater. All district families and students are encouraged to attend. More information can be found on the Screenagers website or in this flyer. Please reach out to Ms. Naron naronm@portsmouthschoolsri.org with any questions.

Minutes from 11/13/24

Minutes from 9/11/24

Minutes from 10/9/24

As part of Portsmouth’s ongoing initiative to improve student attendance, automated emails will be sent on Fridays to families of students who have missed 10% or more of the school year. Families may receive these emails weekly until their child’s absences drop below the 10% threshold. Please note that this process does not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. If you receive an email but have already submitted the required documentation for your child's absence, kindly disregard the message. If you have any questions on this process or on an email you received, please contact our school social worker, Nicole Pascoe, at PascoeN@PortmsouthSchoolsRI.org or 683-1650 ext. 5034

Our preschool program is seeking community peers for our morning sessions. Research shows preschool children with disabilities learn best when receiving instruction with same-age peers.

The Portsmouth School Department is now accepting applications for our morning preschool classrooms for the remainder of the school year! To enroll your child for January, please apply by clicking the below link:

Preschool Application

For more information, please visit our website - Portsmouth Preschool.

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.

December 🎄

23rd– 1st- 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

17: Presidents’ Day 18-21: Winter Recess (No School)

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 🌞

5th-Kindergarten Field Trip to Coggeshall

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.

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 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