Middle School Matters

The Mission of Portsmouth Middle School is to create a strong and safe learning environment: promote social, emotional and physical well-being and to provide opportunities for each student, to the best of their ability, to meet high academic standards, develop responsibility, and achieve the positive social values and behaviors to become productive citizens.

Both the boys and girls basketball teams will be starting their playoff run today. The boys will be traveling to Martin Middle School for a 4:30 P.M. start. The girls team will be hosting Paul Cuffee School at 4:30 P.M. Good luck to both teams!

Quarter 2 report cards are available in Aspen.

Please join me in welcoming two new staff members to Portsmouth Middle School.

Tanya Banal joins us from Melville Elementary School where she was an RBT while she was finishing her Master’s Degree in Special Education. Ms. Banal will be a teacher in our Life Skills classroom. She comes to us with great experience as an elementary school teacher. Ms. Banal has been with us for a couple of weeks and has been a wonderful addition!

Mr. Hayden Giller started yesterday as a Grade 8 Science teacher. He comes to us highly recommended from Providence Schools. Mr. Giller was a meteorologist before becoming a teacher and his career path and passion for Science and learning will bring much excitement for our students. Mr. Giller also has interests in chess and the piano.

We are very pleased to have Ms. Banal and Mr. Giller join PMS!

We have two spring athletic openings: head coach and assistant coach for softball. If you are interested or know someone who would be interested, please have them reach out to Dr. Masterson directly.

We also have an opening for an RBT (registered behavior technician). The job ID is 4487130 for schoolspring.com.

With the increase in cold weather days, we have noticed more families driving their children to school.

• Once you drive up to the curb, have your children exit the car to the sidewalk.
• Have your child walk down the sidewalk in to the building.
• We will unload 12-15 cars at one time versus 2-3 at the door.
• We want to get our students in the building on time so they are ready to learn!

Thank you for your help with this.

The chess season is in full swing! The PMS Chess Team traveled to Wickford Middle School last week for the first matchup of the season, walking away with a 3-1 victory. The Patriots then hosted San Miguel for the second matchup of the season, achieving victory with a 3.5 - 0.5 score. Next week we travel to Providence to play against Blackstone Valley Prep. Good luck Chess Team!

Anchored4Life is a new initiative to our school that brings student leadership to a new level. This program is funded by the United States military and is inclusive to both military and civilian youth. This program is led at a student level by our school counselors, Ms. Naron and Mr. Iadevaia, as our Advisors with 5 students selected to be Team Leaders. Currently, the program incorporates only 5th grade Team Leaders. We will be rolling out additional grade levels and Team Leaders in the following years as we expand this program across the school. Mr. Spaltholz will be working with the Anchored4Life teams at the elementary schools to assist in bridging the gap between elementary and middle level clubs. The goal is to aid in facilitating the transition of all incoming students from 4th to 5th grade with support from the Anchored4Life students.

Our Team Leaders are planning to bring the Anchored4Life Club features to our school. These club features are Quotes, Tours, Service Projects, Anchored4Life Kits and REALTALK. Each of these features will be developed and implemented by the Team Leaders throughout the school year with the support of the Advisors. Our Team Leaders will also be recruiting additional students as Anchored4Life Representatives to further support the club features and bring together a strong network of support throughout the school.

Patriot Pillars is built on a framework of creating a positive social culture for our students.

Our goal at PMS is to build a positive learning environment where all students feel safe and connected because we know this is how children learn best. As a staff we are focusing on making connections with our students.

We are one month in to Patriot Pillars, a system of reinforcing expected and positive behaviors, aligning student expectations to our school core values: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Ready to Learn.

Ask your child if they have earned any Patriot Pillars this week.

Good Afternoon Portsmouth Community,

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to share our Winter 2024 Teaching and Learning Update with you. As always, please reach out with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Liz Viveiros

Deputy Superintendent

Here is an important memo from Mrs. Joncas about Strep Throat.

Hello PMS Families,

For those looking to get your children up to date on Vaccinations- the VBYG program is FREE and can be done here at school. We are planning to hold a clinic in the spring. Please read through all the details below and let me know if you are interested. There is a QR code on the consent form to register online or you can print and send it to me.

• The VBYG program is available to all students in middle and high school at no out of pocket cost.

• Clinics are convenient for families since all immunizations are administered during the school day.

• Immunizations are reported to KIDSNET (RI Immunization Registry) within 48 hours so physicians have documentation of all vaccines administered outside of their office.

• Students can catch up on 11 required or recommended vaccinations that they may need for school, college or work.

• The VBYG program began 16 years ago and it has gotten bigger and better every year. Last year, schools hosted 306 clinics and our nurses administered 4,715 vaccines.

VACCINES OFFERED:

Ø Chickenpox (Varicella)

Ø Hepatitis A

Ø Hepatitis B

Ø HPV

Ø Influenza: Injectable or FluMist (ages 3-18 only)

Ø Meningitis

Ø Meningitis B

Ø Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)

Ø Polio

Ø Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td)

Ø Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap)

Please see the linked memo from the RIDOH.

This week, we celebrate our school counselors during National School Counselors Week. We want to acknowledge Ms. Naron and Mr. Iadevaia for their contributions to Portsmouth Middle School. They are both new to the district and were both immediately responsible for learning a new counseling program. They have integrated into our school community and pride themselves on building relationships with students, families, and teachers.

Mr. Spaltholz, our Instructional Systems Coach, is interning at Melville in a School Counseling Masters program. We wish him luck as he graduates from the program this semester.

We would also like to recognize school social worker, Mrs. Morgan-Gullison and our school psychologist, Mrs. Palumbo, who also provide counseling to our students while working closely with our school counselors and teachers. They also provide tier three support to our students who require more intense counseling. We are thankful for our team at PMS and look forward to continuing to build our team and improve our systems of support.

The Portsmouth Middle School Talent show is Thursday, February 8th from 6:00-8:00 P.M. Please see the flier linked here for more information. Advanced ticket sales required.

The PTO meeting is canceled for this month. We will be sending out information regarding next month’s as soon as we have it.

Please see the flyer for upcoming events planned with administrators at PMS.

If you would like to volunteer in school or help on a field trip, please use this form going forward to become VIS approved.

Please see the letter linked here from the PTO regarding board openings for next school year.

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Family STEAM night on Thursday, March 7th from 5:30-7:00 pm. It will be a fun-filled evening with various STEAM challenges and demonstrations that both our students and their families can explore and engage in together.

We are also looking to add tables of professionals who are experts in the STEAM world and are interested in showcasing their STEAM profession. This is an excellent opportunity to expose students to a wide range of career possibilities. If you are working in a job that falls under STEAM and have something that you can either demonstrate or have small activities, and would like to participate in, please send an email to Margie Brennan at brennanm2@portsmouthschoolsri.org.

Please see the link here for a February vacation camp hosted by the town recreation program.

Please see the flier here for offerings from Aquidneck Athletic Advancement.

Please see the link for the January RI Student Assistance Services.

Please see the link here for a community Sweet Heart Dance.

Please see the flier here for more information on the job opportunities within the district for our food service company, Chartwell

Portsmouth Little League has opened registrations for the spring season. Please see the linked flier for more information.

How to be a Great Babysitter

February 22nd 9am-3:30 pm

Location: Portsmouth Middle School

This 6-hour course is fast paced, interactive and fun! Lots of “hands on” practice using adult and infant manikins. Games and role play are used throughout the program to enhance learning.

• Adult/child/infant/CPR Choking

• Use of an AED

• Changing and feeding a baby

• Babysitting safety and prevention of injury

• Elements of first aid for the young child

• Stages of child development/games and activities to play

• Getting your babysitting business started

Fee: $89 Includes certificate and tee shirt. Course is recommended for teens 11 years and older. For more information about activities and events, or to register, visit:

Civic Rec on The Portsmouth Parks and Recreation page at portsmouthri.gov.

When students arrive at 7:45, they are meeting our core value of "Be Ready to Learn". Thank you for helping your child be a responsible Portsmouth Patriot!

Ms. Medeiros greeting a student off the bus and connecting about a good book.