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.

-NO SCHOOL Monday 9/4, in honor of Labor Day

During the school day, we are responsible for keeping all students safe as well as protecting their privacy. For this reason, we have limited guests in the building during school hours and we require anyone working directly with children to go through our Volunteers in School Process (see below). This year we have a new security system.

Visitors who are entering the building for a meeting, volunteering, or an event etc...

When you arrive:

• Enter the vestibule.
• Approach the platform and tap the button on the screen that aligns with the purpose for your visit.
• Follow the cues on the screen. All visitors must have their license with them to enter the building.
• Once complete, then ring the buzzer.
• Our office staff will verify that you are ready to enter the building and will unlock the door for your entry.

*There is also a QR code on the screen that you can scan with your cell phone's camera and it will bring you through this same process.

If you are dropping something off for the school, class, or a particular child, then you do not need to sign yourself in on this system.

• Ring the buzzer and the office staff will respond.
• Notify the office staff of the purpose for your visit,
• We will then ask you to leave the item in the vestibule and we will ensure it gets to where it needs to be.

Thank you for your support in keeping our community safe.

Starting off Kindergarten learning about percussion instruments

Starting the school year with team building activities in PE!

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FROM ONCE YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR CHILD'S CLASS PLACEMENT LETTER (LETTERS WILL BE MAILED NEXT WEEK).

We handle food in this manner because we have students in our school family who have serious food allergies and we are committed to keeping everyone safe.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year we wanted to give you an update on our school meals program. Breakfast, lunch, and milk are available to all students in grades K–4.

Meals:

Full Price

Breakfast $1.00

Lunch: $2.60

Reduced

Breakfast: $0.30

Lunch: $0.40

Milk: $.55

Applications for Free/Reduced Meals will be sent out the first day of school. However, you can also apply online by visiting this site: https://www.myschoolapps.com. We ask that all applications be returned. Please be sure to include your child’s name on the application and mark N/A if you are not applying.

Every child will have a school lunch account; you can either send money into school in an envelope marked with your child’s name, homeroom teacher, LASID Number (which can be found in the family portal in ASPEN), and amount included OR you can pay online at www.myschoolbucks.com. Keeping your balance paid in full is extremely important.

Meals are ordered through the classroom teacher each morning. Please communicate with your child if they are bringing a “home lunch” or buying a “school lunch”. If your child will be bringing lunch from home, then please write your child’s name inside their lunchbox in case it is lost.

For safety reasons, please do not send glass containers to school and make note that we are a peanut and nut free school.

If a student needs breakfast, then they can pick it up in our School Kitchen each morning.

Where to find your child's LASID Number

4:30-5:15 Families whose last names begin with A-L

5:15-6:00 Families whose last names begin with M-Z

Please park in the back parking lots and not in the front of the building. Once you arrived you can make your way to the Main Lobby.

Normal hearing is important for every child’s success at school. Melville Elementary School will have the Rhode Island School of the Deaf Audiology Center perform this hearing screening for students in Preschool through Grade 3 as well as any new Grade 4 student on September 13, 2023.

Hearing screenings are required by the Rhode Island Department of Health School Health Regulations. This is not a consent form.

If you do not want your child to participate in this screening, please email me at trainora@portsmouthschoolsri.org. You will need to provide me with documentation that a hearing screening test has been performed in accordance with Rhode Island General Hearing Screening Requirements as outlined in Rhode Island State Law 216-RICR-20-10-4. Documentation must be provided by September 12, 2023.

It is important we are aware of any factors that might affect your child’s performance on the screening. Please read the following questions:

• Has your child had ear pain at any time during the past month?

• Has your child had drainage from the ears during the past month?

• Has your child had tubes inserted during the past 6-8 weeks?

• Is your child currently under the care of an ENT?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please inform me via email or telephone call before the screening date.

I will notify you if your child has difficulty with the screening. If you have questions about the hearing screening, please contact Luz Adley at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf Audiology Center at (401) 243-1022.

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.

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

September

1st-No School

4th-Labor Day No School

13th- In School Hearing Screening (read more in the Nurse Section of this Newsletter)

21st- Melville's Open House Pre K-4 4:30PM-6:00PM

25th-Yom Kippur No School

October

9th-Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (No School)

10th–Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Students)

17th-FLU Vaccine Clinics

25th-School Picture Day

26th-Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30

November

2nd-Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30

13th–Veterans’ Day Observance (No School)

22nd-25th – Thanksgiving Recess (No School)

30th–End of Trimester 1

December

7th-School Picture Day Make Up Photos

January

1st–New Year’s Observance (No School)

12th-Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Students)

15th–Martin Luther King Day (No School)

February

8th-Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30

19th–Presidents’ Day

19th-23rd –Winter Recess (No School)

March

12th–End of Trimester 2

29th–Good Friday (No school)

April

15th-19th– Spring Recess (No School)

23rd–Staff Professional Development Day (No School for Students)

May

16th - TBD tentative date for Spring Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30

27th – Memorial Day (No School)

June

7th– PHS Graduation (Tentative Date)

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