Melville Message Community Update
November 3rd, 2023
Melville Mission
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.
Whaledone
Character Development Quote
A Great Week at Melville
Save the Bay with Grade 3
Choose Love
Student Progress Information
Dear Melville Families,
Last year as we navigated a new curriculum and as the year progressed we recognized a need to revise our grading process. Through the work of our grade level teams, teacher leaders, administrators, and coaches we revised the Report Card and developed Mid-Trimester Progress Reports to better communicate with parents and caregivers their child’s progress. This information was presented to our Parent Teacher Group in the Spring of 2023, where we sought feedback and continued to make revisions.
In early November you will be invited to attend a parent teacher conference with your child's teacher.
At that time, our teams will review the MID TRIMESTER PROGRESS REPORTS. These reports include data from the 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. In addition, you will receive a parent STAR Assessment Report. If your child qualifies for a Response to Intervention (RtI) Plan, this will also be discussed during the conference.
Families with Children in Grades K-3: For the first trimester, teachers in grades K-3 will review the progress reports at the November Parent Teacher Conferences. If you are unable to attend the conference, then you can make arrangements with the teacher to receive this report at another time.
Families with Children in Grades 4: The Grade 4 team will send progress reports home to families at the end of October and will review the progress reports at the November conference.
Report Cards are published three times a year and will be available on the ASPEN Platform. You will be able to access your child Trimester 1 Report on the ASPEN Family Portal on December 8th, 2023. We will send out reminders as we near that date.
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. If your child receives an S (secure), this means that they are secure and have reached that end of year benchmark. Earning a D (developing), indicates that your child is demonstrating growth towards meeting the end of grade level standard, but needs support in that area at times. If your child receives a B (beginning), this means that your child continues to need teacher support in this area. This is the first Trimester and therefore most students will not be Secure in the end of grade level standards at this time of the year. 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.
This letter will be in our Melville Community Update for the next couple of weeks for your reference. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress, then please connect with the classroom teacher.
Sincerely,
Danielle Laurie
Principal of Melville Elementary School
Multi Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Response to Intervention (RtI)
Parent Resources:
Coffee Hour December 5th
This week in Unified Arts
Art
We are so incredibly proud of all of our fourth graders for participating and being a part of the Newport Art Museum art show, "I Am a Well Being: A Youth Art Exhibition". This meaningful artwork will be on display at the Newport Art Museum School until November 30!
Library
This week in Library, third and fourth grade students reviewed the "upstairs and downstairs" call numbers on the spines of our library books. These labels help them find the books they're looking for in the library. For practice, students created Halloween-themed picture book covers with their own call numbers on the spine.
Health with Mrs. Powell
Music
Students learning to play songs using tonal percussion instruments
Physical Education
Health with Nurse Tranor
PSD is Hiring!
Food Drive
YEARBOOKS READY TO ORDER!
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: 12072424
If you do not 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.
Feinstein Cards
You can learn more by visiting this site:https://feinsteinfoundation.org/jr-scholar-card.html
Melville Family Engagement Survey
Drill Information
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.
Volunteers
MAIN OFFICE EMAIL ACCOUNT!
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.
Help us to Celebrate our Students!
Planet Aid
Our Food Pantry is Always Open!
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
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!
Community Resources
Flu Clinics – for ages 3 & up
- 11/2 @ 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Hathaway Elementary
- 11/9 @ 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Portsmouth Middle School
Click here to register to for your flu shot.
Important Dates
November
9th-Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30 (teachers will send out scheduling information)
13th–Veterans’ Day Observance (No School)
14th-MPTG Monthly Meeting, 5:30PM-6:30PM, Melville Cafeteria
22nd-25th–Thanksgiving Recess (No School)
30th–End of Trimester 1
December
7th-School Picture Day Make Up Photos
13th-Holiday Crafts and Ornament Party 5pm-7PM, Melville Cafeteria
23rd-31st-Holiday Break-No School
January
1st–New Year’s Observance (No School)
10th-MPTG Monthly Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library
12th-Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Students)
15th–Martin Luther King Day (No School)
29th-2nd-Scholastic Book Fair
February
7th--MPTG Monthly Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library
8th-Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30
19th–Presidents’ Day
19th-23rd –Winter Recess (No School)
March
12th–End of Trimester 2
13th--MPTG Monthly Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library
29th–Good Friday (No school)
April
10th-MPTG Monthly Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library
15th-19th– Spring Recess (No School)
23rd–Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Students)
May
6th-10th-Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week
8th--MPTG Monthly Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library
16th - TBD tentative date for Spring Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30
21st-Fun Run (raind date 5/23)
27th – Memorial Day (No School)
June
7th– PHS Graduation (Tentative Date)
12th-FINAL MPTG Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library
14th- or 180th day – Last Day of School – All Students
17th,18th, 20th, 21st– Snow Makeup Days
19th – Juneteenth (No School)
Melville Elementary School
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