Superintendent's Message

Experiencing another graduation has reminded me about our strategic plan, Portrait Of A Graduate, and the progress we’ve made this year. We rolled out our new strategic plan in August 2024, and all through the school year we’ve been implementing key elements. We’ve put in place a rigorous new curriculum, we’ve provided high quality professional development for our teachers, we’ve spent hundreds of hours in our classrooms observing learning, and we’ve talked with students, teachers, parents, and community partners about our Portrait Of A Graduate vision-building future leaders, having our students take ownership of their learning and real world responsibility, and moving on to their future career plans through college, work experience and new employment opportunities or entering the armed services. A vision that Newport Public Schools students graduate with a CORE set of skills key to success in the classroom and life: Career and College Readiness; Ownership and Persistence; Real World Responsibility; and Emerging Leadership.

It has been powerful this year to see Emerging Leadership taking root in all of our schools. At Pell, our Food Rangers have been reducing waste and improving food recycling/composting- leading the state with their efforts. At Thompson the student council has been very engaged, managing the school store, planning school events, coordinating spirit weeks, and advocating for students throughout the school in all grades. And at Rogers several new student groups, including Women That Lead and Latinos Creciendo Juntos, have been launched to accompany the student government, and many other RHS committees and boards that are all wonderful ways to instill leadership skills and characteristics in our students!

Looking back on the 2024-2025 school year I am also very happy to report that our continued focus on Attendance Matters, Every Day is having a real impact. Attendance has improved and chronic absenteeism has been reduced at all of our schools! That’s a big win for our students who need to be in class every day learning from our teachers and from each other. Thank you to our families, students, teachers, administrators, and community partners for promoting the importance of school attendance!

We’ve had a great school year, and we’re going to keep that momentum going with the August 22nd ribbon cutting for our brand new, state-of-the-art Rogers High School, a new no cell phones policy in all of our schools, and a continued focus on implementing our strategic plan.

To keep up our momentum, we need our partners on the Newport City Council to continue to invest in our students and schools. Unfortunately, at last week’s public meeting, the Council voted to cut our budget by $500,000. We’ve already made a number of difficult cuts to our school budget for next year, and this additional $500,000 cut will hurt core instruction and services provided to our students and families. Fortunately, the city budget process is not yet over, and we urge our families to contact their Newport City Council members to ask that they restore this critical funding for Newport Public Schools!

This is the last Superintendent’s Update before summer break. I’ll be back in touch about the next school year in August.

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful 2024-2025 school year. Enjoy your summer, keep learning, and we’ll see you August 22nd for the ribbon cutting of our beautiful new Rogers High School!!

Colleen Burns Jermain, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• TONIGHT: RENEWport World Cafe, 5:00-7:00pm at Salve Regina University

• TOMORROW: June 19th, Juneteenth holiday, no school

• TOMORROW: Stories & Songs in Celebration of Freedom, 1:30pm at Rough Point

• June 20th, Last day of school

• June 30th, Old Rogers tag and take, 8:00-10:00am

• August 22nd, New Rogers High School Ribbon Cutting, 10:00am

School Committee Schedules:

• Newport School Committee Meeting Schedule

• Newport Public Schools Attendance Tracker

• Rhode Island Department of Education Assessment Portal for RICAS and SAT Results

• Rhode Island Department of Education Attendance Tracker Tool

• Newport Public Schools Portrait of a Graduate

• Newport Public Schools 2024-2025 School Year Strategic Plan

Pell Elementary School 2nd grade teacher Sybil Grayko has been named Newport Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year for the 2025-2026 school year. Ms. Grayko has been with the district for 21 years. She has a passion for teaching environmental sustainability through project-based learning. In 2018, she received an Ocean Stewardship Award from the New England Aquarium in Boston for her work with students to reduce the use of plastic straws and educate them about the dangers of one-time-use plastics.

Newport and our students are very lucky to have such a bright energetic caring teacher. Ms. Grayko lights up a room the moment she enters and makes learning and being in school an adventure and fun for all. Each and every student in her classroom is made to feel special and loved. It was a testament to see students who have graduated or are now in high school attended yesterday’s ceremony to celebrate this wonderful woman. We love our Sybil Grayko!!

Our Thompson Middle School Warriors, teachers, and Principal Browner were “looking good” on Friday night for the TMS Grade 8 semi-formal dance! Principal Browner even chipped in with tie tying assistance! It was a fun filled evening for everyone! Thank you to our teachers, staff, community partners, and our parents for making this a wonderful evening.

On Monday, Thompson 5th grade DARE students enjoyed a great field day at The Hut! Running, racing, jumping and more. Thank you to our NPD friends and our teachers for making this a great day for all.

Tomorrow at 1:30pm, visit the lawn at Rough Point for Stories & Songs in Celebration of Freedom, a FREE family-friendly storytelling program with Valerie Tutson of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday. Come celebrate with our TMS families and community members!

Do you have ideas that would improve our parks, waterways and other green spaces? Do you wish we had more trees, gardens, or places to relax in nature? Then we need you at the Community Creativity Lab! Build a dream park, contribute to community art and be introduced to upcoming environmental projects in the North End. Enjoy activities for all ages alongside some tasty free tacos from Scratch Kitchen! We want to hear from you and all voices on what we want for our community - So come speak up and hear others!

Drop by Pell Elementary on Wednesday, June 25th between 5-8pm for an evening filled with imagination and collaboration with various local organizations involved in shaping the environmental future of Newport’s North End. Pass through for a bite or stay a while. There is no fee to attend. Registration is appreciated but not required.

This summer, The Salvation Army invites children across Aquidneck Island to embark on a season of adventure, imagination, and discovery through A Summer of Stories and Snacks with The Salvation Army offered at Miantonomi Park on Tuesdays (July 1 - August 5) and Middletown Public Library on Thursdays (July 3-August 7). For each outing, a book is chosen for story time, where it is read aloud to the children as they enjoy a complimentary, well-balanced lunch. Parents and guardians are also invited to receive a free lunch to share in the experience. Additionally, each child will receive two new books at every outing. These books are diverse and hand-selected representing many cultures, languages, and perspectives, ensuring that every child can see themselves reflected in the stories they read.

Click here to learn more and register.

Bike Newport’s Summer Bike Camp 2025 is a fun-filled week where campers learn about:

• Bike handling and bike safety skills, basic bike maintenance

• Trail and road riding skills

• Scheduled ‘special sessions’ with community partners.

Bike Newport’s Summer Bike Camp 2025 is offered for FREE to campers 8-13 years old, and our LGBTQIA+ week is for campers 13-16 years old. We provide the bikes, helmets and the fun! Check out the link for more information: https://bikenewportri.org/bikecamp/

Students ages 14 and 15 are invited to participate in this hands-on program where they will work in teams over the course of 5 weeks to build two cedar strip planked canoes with woven seats. Students will learn workplace readiness skills for the marine industry including shop safety, project planning, leadership skills, teamwork, basic hand tool operation, resume writing, and the importance of being on time to a work site. Participants will launch and paddle their canoes in Newport Harbor at the conclusion of the program. Space is limited to 10 participants. Participants receive a stipend of $150 per week, based on attendance. CLICK to APPLY. This is a 5-week program and students are expected to attend each day. July 7, 2024 - August 7, 2024, Monday through Thursday, 9am to 2pm.

The Boys & Girls Club’s summer camp, Camp Grosvenor, is a state-licensed 8-week summer day camp located on 95 acres along the beautiful Pettaquamscutt River in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. Camp Grosvenor offers an exciting array of activities including a high/low ropes course, climbing wall, swimming, arts & crafts, archery, field games, water trampoline, dance, and more. Camp is open five days a week, Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch are served every day at no additional cost and transportation is provided from several pick-up and drop-off locations throughout Newport County and South Kingstown. Click here to learn more and register.

Click here to learn more about and register for the Newport County YMCA’s summer camp programs.

Join us for ten weeks of dynamic, process-driven art camps designed to spark imagination and nurture creativity in every young artist. With a variety of hands-on experiences, our camps provide the perfect environment for children and teens to explore the world of art. Each week features a fun-filled, creative adventure, including museum tours, exhibition-inspired projects, and an exciting end-of-week showcase. Explore, connect, and create with us all summer long! Click here to learn more and register.

For decades, Norman Bird Sanctuary has welcomed hundreds of campers to our award-winning Summer Camp each summer. Our age-appropriate and innovative camps offer a unique blend of hands-on learning, games, animal encounters and team building. Camp groups utilize our outdoor classrooms and are held in small groups with caring, enthusiastic, and professional Teacher Naturalists. Click here to learn more and register.

• Certificate Program in Sustainability Leadership

• Island Ecology

• Marine Ecology

• Aquaculture & Fisheries

Superintendent Updates

Technology Helpdesk - email: helpdesk@npsri.net

Technology Helpdesk - phone: 1-833-752-0725 (press 2 for Spanish)

Aspen Family Portal Help - email: parentportal@npsri.net

Email: cathynash@npsri.net
Website: npsri.net
Location: 15 Wickham Road, Newport, RI 02840
Phone: (401)619-5376