Melville Message Community Update
November 21st, 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.
Dear Melville Families,
As we approach the season of gratitude, I find myself reflecting on our incredible school family. There is not a day that passes when I am not grateful for the opportunity to serve you and your children.
What sets our community apart is our ability to navigate challenges with resilience, to infuse humor into our daily lives, and above all, to Choose Love as we encourage and celebrate a growth mindset. It goes without saying that the true magic of Melville lies in the unwavering dedication of our teachers and staff, who are committed to our students and families.
To our families and caregivers, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for entrusting us with your bright, inquisitive, and loving children. As many of us gather with our families at home, my school family is always in my heart.
With gratitude,
Principal Laurie
Turkey Greetings from Mrs. Hart on Tuesday!
A Great Week at Melville
Conscious Discipline in KA
Communication Board
Harvest Feast
School Committee Members Ms. Kelly, Ms. Blank, and Superintendent Dr. Kenworthy joined students and staff at teh Chartwells' Harvest Feast!
Harvest Feast
PHS Band Performs for Melville
A special photo of our Melville Alumni ❤️
PHS Band Performs for Melville
Bwana Iguana Presents to Pre K-2
Miss Cannata makes a friend!
Bwana Iguana Presents to Pre K-2
POW Enrichment K-1
POW Enrichment 2-4
THANKFUL for GAGA Ball Grades 1-2 Family Event
Pre K Turkey Parade
Grade 3 Balloon Parade
Grade 3 Balloon Parade
Community Gathering and Recognitions
On Wednesday afternoon our school family came together to recognize classes who are role models in being RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, SAFE and READY TO LEARN.
- PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Miss Heffernan's Class
- ART: Mrs. Vieira and Miss Cannata's Class
- MUSIC: Mrs. Ruggieri and Ms. Amos' Class
- LIBRARY: Mr. Ellison & Mrs. Baccari's Class
- RECESS RECOGNITION: Ms. Jardine's Class
- CLASS WHALEDONE: Mrs. Doran's Class
Coffee Hour December 5th
Kindergarten Holiday Obstacle Course Night
On Tuesday December 19th, Mr. Soares will be hosting a Holiday Obstacle Course Night for Kindergarten Families in the Melville Gym from 4:00 - 6:00pm:
ATTACHED IS THE FLYER FOR THE EVENT.
If you plan to attend please sign up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084DAAA72DAAFEC16-46243516-holiday#/
- IMPORTANT: This is not a drop off event, and you must be in attendance with your student(s).
- You will be ENTERING and EXITING Door 10, which is connected to the GYM.
- You WILL NOT be able to enter through the main doors.
There will be a sign in sheet- after you have signed in: knock on door and I will let you and your student into the gym.
DIRECTIONS:
1. If you are looking at Melville you will enter the parking lot on the LEFT not the main entrance with the bus loop.
2. You will park and walk all the way to the fence straight ahead at the end of the parking lot.
3. Once you have walked to the fence take a RIGHT as if you were walking to the back of the school.
4. There will be a long hall-way like cement path and at the end of that will be DOOR 10.
If you have any questions please feel free to send Mr. Soares an email: soaresr@portsmouthschoolsri.org
Looking forward to seeing you!
This week in Unified Arts
PE
Traverse like a turkey in PE this week.
Library
This week in library, students in all grades participated in Non-Fiction November. Students learned about the differences between the non-fiction and fiction genres and listened to non-fiction read-alouds. Kindergarteners read the book Ice Cycle.
Art
The Kindergarteners are practicing using scissors as they cut out shapes to create a person. Students are exploring the art of crayon rubbing to reveal their person! We talk about community members and the helpers found in our community. We are honoring our community members as we turn our people into community members! Pictured here we have a teacher, firefighter, and police officer.
Music
4th graders are practicing for their first recorder performance at our Community Gathering.
Health with Mrs. Powell
Feeling grateful helps us manage those big emotions. Try gratitude journaling or create a gratitude jar. These prompts will help you get started: Write a list of things you are grateful for, My favorite thing about myself is, What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?, Describe where you like to visit the most, Describe something that makes you laugh, Describe a time someone was kind to you, Write about a time you showed kindness to someone, What are you most thankful for?
Attendance Matters
Fund Raise While You Shop!
Please send in your Clement's Receipts. Our MPTG collets them and over the year Clements gives Melville back a percentage of what was spent. This year Clements gave our MPTG approximately $600!
Dressing for Recess in the Winter
We go outside as much as possible and we want our students to be warm and ready to play! Please help your children select weather appropriate clothing as we enter the colder months.
Cold and Flu Season Letter
Dear Families/Guardians,
We are approaching that time of the year where colds and flu symptoms are on the rise. Although at times these illnesses are unavoidable, there are several things you can do at home to help prevent sickness and keep everyone feeling healthy. Here are some tips to remember:
WASH, WASH, WASH YOUR HANDS! This is still the best defense against illness. Encourage your children to wash, especially before meals, using soap and warm water. To ensure they are taking enough time to adequately kill germs, have them sing the ABC song while scrubbing.
Get plenty of rest! School age children should get 9-12 hours of sleep each night. Grownups should try to get 8 hours.
Drink lots of fluids and eat a balanced diet - especially breakfast! Even a lighter breakfast of toast and fruit can help settle stomach aches during the morning hours of the school day.
Dress appropriately for cold weather. Please help your child choose warm, comfortable clothing for school each day, including socks. Please make sure they are wearing a coat and as the months get colder, you should consider a hat and gloves as well. Even in cool weather, our students need exercise and fresh air during recess. A student can always take off layers he/she does not end up needing.
Unfortunately, even with the best care, a virus can make us sick. Cold symptoms are best relieved with rest and fluids and may last for several days. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s physician if you have any concerns about the health and wellness of your child.
Please call if you have any questions or would like to discuss your child's illness. If you have a change in address or phone number, remember to contact the school office. It is very important to be able to reach you in the event your child becomes ill at school. Have a safe and HEALTHY fall and winter!
Warmly,
Alexia Trainor, RN, BSN
Melville Elementary School
(401) 683-1650, Option 2
PSD is Hiring!
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
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
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!
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
Important Dates
November
22nd-25th–Thanksgiving Recess (No School)
30th–End of Trimester 1
December
7th-School Picture Day Make Up Photos
9th-Trimester 1 Report Cards are open in the Family ASPEN Portal
12th-IEP Progress Reports are open in the Family ASPEN Portal
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
14th & 15th- Grade 3 Seal Watch Field Trip (date to attend per class TBD)
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 (rain date 5/23)
27th-Memorial Day (No School)
29th-Grade 2 Family & Caregiver Celebration
30th-Kindergarten Family & Caregiver Celebration
31st-Grade 3 Wax Museum and Family & Caregiver End of Year Event
June
3rd-Field Day (rain date 6/4)
5th-Grade 1 Family & Caregiver Celebration
6th-Pre Kindergarten Graduation
7th–PHS Graduation (Tentative Date)
12th-FINAL MPTG Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library
13th-Grade 4 Stepping Up Ceremony with Family & Caregivers
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