Melville Message Community Update

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.

On Wednesday we had a Community Gathering and celebrated our wonderful students.

Our Class Whaledone this month was Miss Heffernan's class.

As part of our District's inclement weather plan, the first two snow days are traditional snow days. Now that we have had our first snow day we want to prepare for if we reach a third snow day. If we reach a third snow day, then we will move to our virtual learning plan.

Information for Families of Students in Grades K-2:

• A Snow Day Survey for at home device accessibility was sent out in December. Based on your response, letters were sent home this week with your child to indicate the plan that you should follow should we have a Third/Virtual Snow day. Please check your child's folder to confirm receipt and understanding. Please reach out to your child's teacher should you have any follow questions.

Information for Families of Students in Grades 3 & 4:

• Students in grades 3 and 4 are provided 1:1 District issued Chromebooks. As of our first snow day 2/13, we will now send home those Chromebooks every night until snow season has passed.
• This virtual snow day plan includes one required meet on Google Meet and may include a combination of online and in person work. This day will not have to be made up at the end of the year.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a federally assisted program providing free fresh fruits and vegetables to children at eligible elementary schools during the school day. The goal of the FFVP is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. The FFVP also encourages healthier school environments by promoting nutrition education. To learn more, visit the FFVP webpage: https://www.fns.usda.gov/ffvp/fresh-fruitand-vegetable-program.

When will the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program be offered? We will begin on Tuesday March 5th and the FFVP will be offered on both Tuesday & Wednesdays weekly in the classroom.
How will I know what my student will be served? A menu will be sent home monthly and posted on the school's website. If you have any questions or concerns,
please reach out to the contact below.

• If you DO NOT want your child to participate in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, then please complete this opt-out form by March 1, 2024.
• If you WANT your child to participate in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, then no further action is needed.

CLICK HERE to OPT OUT

This February break we’re doing a Tic-Tac-Toe Reading Challenge! Your students have been sent home with a game board to complete over vacation. Any time a student completes an activity on the board, they can mark it with an X or an O. Three-in-a-row means Tic-Tac-Toe! Students who bring their completed game board (with at least one Tic-Tac-Toe row completed) to Ms. Paknis in the library after break will receive a special reading-themed prize! However, please click here for a printable version.

We hope you enjoy your vacation. Keeping STEAM in mind as we break from school, we have attached a fund activity calendar for you and your family to enjoy. HERE

The Portsmouth Public Schools will begin conducting the registration process for Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year. During the month of February a parent/guardian for an eligible student should begin this process by visiting the Registration tab at the top of our district webpage: http://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/.

From there click the Registration link and provide all required registration documents.

This MUST be completed prior to the in-person registration.

To complete the Kindergarten registration process a parent/guardian must come in-person to Melville Elementary School 1351 West Main Rd on April 2nd.

For students with last names A-K registration time will be 9am - 12pm.

For students with last names L-Z registration time will be 1pm – 4pm.

Individual appointments are not necessary for the April 2nd registration.

If all pre-registration information has been completed on-line it should take about 10-15 minutes to complete the process during the above date and times. Please contact our Central Administration Office at 683-1039 with any questions.

Thank you!

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Family STEAM night on Tuesday, February 27th 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.

Attention 4th Grade Families!

Thank you to all who were able to join us at the MPTG and the HPTA March meetings as we discussed the 4th to 5th grade transition.

We invite parents/guardians of current 4th grade students to join us at PMS during the month of March. Please see the flyer from Portsmouth Middle School with information including a link to sign up for a tour.

We encourage you to visit the PMS website and the link entitled “Next Stop: Portsmouth Middle School/ Grade 4 to 5 Transition Information”. There you will find important information about the transition process, including our presentation from the MPTG and HPTA meetings.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you so much for the help! Wishing you a great vacation week!

Melville students made Valentine's in Art class for a local Seniors. The Valentine's were given out during the Senior Center's Valentine's celebration and were also delivered to seniors who are unable to leave their home.

We have many opportunities coming this SPRING for families to volunteer.

• Whale of an Evening 5/3-CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER. For this event you do not need to be VIS Approved as this is an out of school adult only fund raising event (see flyer below).
• Melville Fun Run 5/21 (rain date 5/23)- For this event you will need to be VIS approved. Sign up will be coming.

• Field Day 6/3 (rain date 6/4) - For this event you will need to be VIS approved. Sign up will be coming.

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!

We go outside as much as possible and we want our students to be safe, warm, and ready to play! Please help your children select weather appropriate clothing as we are in the coldest months of the year.

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.

You can learn more by visiting this site:https://feinsteinfoundation.org/jr-scholar-card.html

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.

If you are interested in volunteering or chaperoning this school year, then you will need to complete the volunteer approval process. Mrs. McEvoy in our office is a notary and can be of any assistance, so please do not hesitate to reach out!

Please use meloffice@portsmouthschoolsri.org to notify the main office of changes to your child's dismissal routine or of your child's absence.

We love to celebrate our students. If they have special news that you would like us to share, e.g. State Wrestling or Cheerleading Championship accomplishments, then please email me at lauried@portsmouthschoolsri.org and we will be sure to include their recognition in our morning announcements.

We will have our Planet Aid bin again this year...please continue to fill it with clothes and shoes.

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 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!

Google Slideshow

Portsmouth Youth Soccer Association has additional openings in their Spring competitive soccer programs. Go to www.pysa.com for information or contact Russ Costa at compcoord.pysa@gmail.com.

February

19th–Presidents’ Day

19th-23rd –Winter Recess (No School)

27th-Family STEAM Festival

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

2nd–Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Students)

10th-MPTG Monthly Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

15th-19th– Spring Recess (No School)

May

3rd -Whale of an Evening (more information to follow)

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)

24th-Grade 4 Field Trip

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-Grade 4 visits PMS

6th-Casey Farm Field Trip

7th–PHS Graduation (Tentative Date)

10th-Pre Kindergarten Graduation

12th-FINAL MPTG Meeting, 6PM-7PM, Melville Library

13th=Grade 2 Field Trip to BIOMES

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)

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