Superintendent's Update

Dear South Kingstown Families and Caregivers,

I hope you all had a wonderful end to 2025 and a great start to 2026. I want to begin this month's update with an important message about school safety.

In light of recent events at Brown University, our district safety committee has met to review and strengthen our current safety operations and protocols. Accordingly, we will be introducing some enhanced best practices into our operations and emergency drills across all schools in the coming months. Should any of the changes be of notable significance to students and families, building principals will communicate with you before these updated drills take place.

Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping all students, families, and staff safe and supported in every school across the district.

OTHER SKSD JANUARY NEWS…

1. The Results are In: SY 26-27 Calendar Survey

Thank you to the 371 families who participated in our calendar survey for the 2026-27 school year. We received valuable feedback from students, families, faculty, and staff. We will use this information, along with feedback from the South Kingstown School Committee and State guidance, to develop next year's calendar.

The survey results from families are included at the end of this message. Stay tuned for updates as we finalize the calendar in the coming months.

2. Attendance- RIDE Attendance Matters

As most of you know, since the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic absenteeism has been an issue for most– if not all– schools. South Kingstown’s schools are certainly not an exception. While we were off to a great start across all schools in the District this school year, recently our rates of improvement are beginning to slow. In some cases this is understandable and is due to factors not under our locus of control- such as the high rates of flu currently in RI. In other cases, such as leaving early for vacation, staying up too late to watch a special event, or even staying home to “get caught up” on other school work, can have adverse effects on students’ achievement and school experiences.

As we move forward into the second half of the school year, please work with your children to encourage, recommit, and/or establish routines that reinforce the importance of daily school attendance. Sometimes it can be as simple as asking the question “what are you going to have to give up in order to get caught up from missing school today?” can help reframe the conversation when students assert that missing school today “is no big deal”. For other ideas and resources for families to promote positive school attendance, visit RIDE’s Attendance Matters Resource page at https://www.attendancemattersri.org/resources. You can also track your child’s school’s (or any public school or district in RI) current attendance rate via https://www3.ride.ri.gov/attendance/public

Please know that we understand and support families keeping children home when they're sick. Our focus is on reducing the discretionary absences– the 'it's just one day' decisions– that can add up and affect student learning.

My sincere thanks in advance for your assistance.

3. Building Strong Developmental Relationships with Students

As mentioned in previous updates, one of our district's core priorities this year is strengthening developmental relationships between educators and students. Developmental relationships are close connections through which young people discover who they are, cultivate abilities to shape their own lives, and learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them.

Research from the Search Institute identifies five key elements of developmental relationships: expressing care, challenging growth, providing support, sharing power, and expanding possibilities. When students experience these elements consistently, they are more likely to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

A recent study in the Journal of School Psychology reinforces this approach, finding that strong student-teacher relationships are associated with better outcomes for students and help reduce harsh discipline practices. The research emphasizes that "relationships can change but direct action is necessary to develop, maintain, and repair relationships during the academic year."

Our teachers and staff are committed to intentionally building and maintaining these positive connections with your children throughout the school year. You can support this work at home by asking your child about the adults they connect with at school and what makes those relationships meaningful.

If you ever have concerns about your child's relationships at school, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or principal. To learn more about developmental relationships and how they support student success, visit the Search Institute at www.search-institute.org.

4. Mark Your Calendars: January Events

• Tuesday, 13th- School Committee Meeting, 6 PM @ SKHS Cafeteria

• Monday, 19th- District Closed, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• Thursday, 22nd- Special Education Local Advisory Committee (SELAC), 5:00 PM @ Central Office Conference Room

• Thursday, 22nd- Building Committee, 5:30 PM @ Town Hall

• Tuesday, 27th- School Committee Meeting, TBD, @ SKHS Cafeteria

5. Fiscal Year 27 Budget Calendar

• Monday, January 26, 2026 at 7:30 PM Town Council – Regular Session, Adoption of Capital Improvement Program

• Friday, February 27, 2026 Town Manager's Budget Submission to Council

• Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM Town Council. Budget Work Session #1

• Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM Town Council, Budget Work Session #2

• Monday, March 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM Town Council & School Committee, Budget Work Session #3 Schools

• Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM Town Council, Preliminary Budget Adoption

• Monday, April 6, 2026 at 7:00 PM Town Council & School Committee, Public Hearing #1 Municipal and School Budgets

• Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 7:00 PM Town Council & School Committee, Public Hearing #2 Municipal and School Budgets

• On or before Tuesday, April 21, 2026 Petitions for revisions to Preliminary Budget 4:00 PM

• Monday, April 27, 2026 at 7:30 PM Town Council – Regular Session, Consideration of petitions for revisions or additions and Town Council’s adoption of final budget

• On or before Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Referendum petitions, 4:00 PM

• Monday, May 18, 2026 Verification of Petitions to go to Referendum

• Tuesday, June 9, 2026 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Potential Budget Referendum

REMEMBERING MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY

I want to take a moment to remember and honor two very important members of our South Kingstown school community who were taken from us far too soon at the close of 2025: Antimo "Andy" DiBiasio and Kathy Takata. Both made lasting contributions to our students and schools, and they will be deeply missed.

If your child or family needs support during this difficult time, please reach out to your school counselor or principal. We are here to help.

In closing, I thank you for your continued partnership and support. Together, we make South Kingstown a remarkable place for children to learn, grow, and ultimately THRIVE.

Wishing you and your families an amazing 2026.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Podraza

Superintendent

South Kingstown School District