Superintendent's Message

Dear Newport Schools Parents, Families, and Staff:

We are just two days away from the start of our holiday vacation. As a reminder, holiday break will run Monday, December 23rd through Wednesday, January 1st, with students back in class on Thursday, January 2nd. Please help us have all our students present on Thursday, January 2nd so we can keep classroom instruction and student learning moving forward.

Speaking of our focus on classroom learning, this week RIDE released 2024 school and district accountability results and presented those results at the meeting of the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education yesterday. Newport, as the report cards show, has a lot of work to do. We face challenges involving academic growth and learning, improving attendance, and a very challenging budget year. In an effort to help support our teachers and classrooms our strategic plan’s work includes every administrator every week visiting classrooms and making it a priority-as it should be. So far, our school principals and I, along with our administrators, have logged over 300 classroom visits. Our focus on instruction, learning, and student achievement requires all of us to be present for our students, teachers, and staff to learn how to better support and grow our students. We will be continuing regular classroom visits in 2025 as we make progress implementing the key elements of our new strategic plan.

Another key element of our strategic plan is seeking parent and family input on working together regarding academic excellence and attendance. We urge all our parents and families to speak to their children about the importance of attending school and make certain that they attend school regularly to prepare for their futures. This is a team effort and we need everyone to be involved.

This will be the last Superintendent’s Update of 2024. Our next newsletter will be out on Wednesday, January 8th.

I hope everyone has a wonderful break filled with family, friends, and enjoying all the great things Newport has to offer during the holiday season. And when we return to school on January 2nd, we will be continuing where we left off with a strong focus on attendance, academics, and all of our students participating and engaged in classroom learning.

Have a wonderful holiday break and we’ll see everyone back in the classroom and ready to learn in the New Year!

Colleen Burns Jermain, Ed.D.

Upcoming Events

● Rogers FAFSA Completion Night, January 13th at 5:30 pm at the Rogers Library

● St. Michael’s Community Day School Community Education Series - Navigating Childhood Anxiety Together - January 14th at 6:00 pm. See flyer here.

● RENEWport Community Dinner - January 16th, 6:00-8:00 pm at Pell.

Athletics and School Committee Schedules

● Athletics Schedule

● Newport School Committee Meeting Schedule

• Rhode Island Department of Education Assessment Portal for RICAS and SAT Results

• Rhode Island Department of Education Attendance Tracker Tool

• Newport Public Schools Portrait of a Graduate

• Newport Public Schools 2024-2025 School Year Strategic Plan

Newport Public Schools is now eligible through the hard work of our HW subcommittee and Director Gonsalves to offer free meals to all students through a program called CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) as of November 1, 2024. (Newport was notified of this in December.) This federal program allows eligible schools to offer all meals it serves free to all students at no cost to families. We are so excited about this. It has been a few years of research and work to make it a reality for Newport Public Schools. If you have any questions regarding the program please email Director Gonsalves as noted in the letter. Click here to learn more.

A big shout out to our talented Pell chorus students who held their holiday performance last Thursday night! The chorus was amazing and the crowd loved the songs and fun as our young singers sang their hearts out. Thank you to Mr. Scott McEneaney and Mr. Larry Mauk from our wonderful Pell music program!

With a growing population of multilingual learners (MLL) in Newport Public Schools, our dedicated teachers need new tools to engage with and meet these students where they are. That’s why we have been working with Seidlitz Coaching who have been providing MLL training sessions for our MLL certified teachers. This past week they provided their second of four training sessions this school year.

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) is currently in the process of promulgating legislatively required statewide regulations pursuant to R.I. Gen. Law § 16-54-3, the Regulations Governing the Education of Multilingual Learners.

RIDE is holding a public comment hearing in Newport on January 9, 2025 where the public is invited to provide comment on the regulations. Click here for more information.

Attention to our Rogers and NACTC students and families who are looking to attend college or career training next year. Be sure to sign up for the Rogers FAFSA Completion Night on Monday, January 13th at the Rogers High School Library. We will be partnering with the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority to help you complete and submit your FAFSA forms to determine your eligibility for grants, scholarships, work study opportunities, and loans. Click here for the FAFSA Completion Night flyer and a list of things to bring with you to complete the FAFSA form.

Newport Sings is offering a free 6-week after-school chorus program to students in grades 1 - 6 called “Raise your voice!” Prep Chorus is offered to students in grades 1 through 3 while Pre-teen Chorus is offered to students in grades 4 through 6. The session will run from January 9 - February 13. Learn more and register here.

The Jamestown Arts Center is currently enrolling for Winter 2025 Classes, with offerings for high schoolers, middle schoolers and elementary school students. Click here for more information.

Superintendent Updates

Technology Helpdesk - email: helpdesk@npsri.net

Technology Helpdesk - phone: 1-833-752-0725 (press 2 for Spanish)

Aspen Family Portal Help - email: parentportal@npsri.net

Email: cathynash@npsri.net
Website: npsri.net
Location: 15 Wickham Road, Newport, RI 02840
Phone: (401)619-5376