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.

The final two qualities/habits of a successful Patriot appear below.

We encourage you to continue the conversation at home with your children about daily habits to be successful.

9: Make good decisions & take ownership for your actions.

10: Be curious and ask questions.

Data as of 1/29/2025

Portsmouth Middle School

607 students enrolled

94 Students Chronically Absent (Missed 10%+ this school year)

513 Non-chronically absent students (Missed less than 10% this school year)

We care if your children are here!

Patriot Pride is a system to recognize students who are meeting our school-wide expectations. Students are eligible to be Patriot Pride winners by entering Patriot Pillars they earn in their grade level collection container. A winner from each grade level is selected daily and recognized on our school-wide morning announcements.

Students receive Patriot Pillars when they demonstrate our school core values: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Ready to Learn.

We are proud of our Portsmouth Patriots!

Ask your students if they have earned any Patriot Pillars!

On Thursday of last week, 7th and 8th grade had the pleasure of welcoming in Ms. Jessica Villella from the Attorney General's office to present on the topics of internet crime, cybersecurity and proper digital citizenship.

Thank you to the families who were able to come out to the PHS Open House. If you were not able to make it, here is the presentation that was made by the school leadership team. PHS will be coming to PMS for an electives assembly on Friday afternoon for current 8th grade students. 8th grade parents are welcome to attend the presentation in the Little Theater at 1pm.

Another great year for Portsmouth Middle School's Got Talent!

CALENDAR RAFFLE

• Sell February 1 - 28..

• ALL proceeds will be used to assist the Music and Art Departments for our Arts for Life Day, band instruments, music, art supplies, displays and more

• Tickets are $10 each for a chance to win every day. Even if you win, your name will be re-entered to be eligible to win again! Cash or check (payable to PMS-FAB).

Prizes for our top sellers:

• Top seller each grade, $25.00

• Top overall seller, $50.00

Winners announced via PMS - Middle School Matters

*For additional calendars see Mrs. Philips (phillipsd@portsmouthschoolsri.org) or Mrs. Heffernan (heffernank@portsmouthschoolsri.org).

The PMS Anchored 4 Life club is hosting a fidget drive to celebrate kindness week. New or gently used fidgets are accepted. Items collected will be added to the Anchored 4 Life “Kits” distributed to students facing hardships.

The National Library Week theme for 2025 is “Drawn to the Library!” and you can use your artistic skills to help celebrate! Junior Library Guild Bookmark Contest

Please see the linked flier for a Sneaker Drive headed up by Student Council of PHS.

Please see the linked flier here for the Kids 4 Action meeting taking place tomorrow after school.

Please see the linked flier for information regarding Portsmouth Kindergarten Registration.

Please see the linked fliers here for more information regarding programs to be able to connect to community services . Flier 1 Flier 2

Please see the linked flier here from New England Youth Cycling.

During advisory this week and next, all students will be watching the film Screenagers: Growing Up In The Digital Age. Students will then be led in a discussion about the film and encouraged to reflect upon their own digital well-being. More information can be found at thescreenagersproject.com

Please see the link here for unified basketball sign ups. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms. McCarthy.

Please see the link here for an opportunity to sign up for the Mary Poppins Musical Tech Crew. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Couto.

February Meeting

Our next meeting is Wednesday February 5th at 6pm in the library. All are welcome!

Qdoba Fundraiser

Mark your calendars for Wednesday February 12th from 4p-8pm and TAKE THE NIGHT OFF FROM COOKING!! We are hosting a Qdoba Mexican Eats fundraiser. Flyers will be coming home. More info and QR code here PMS PTO Qdoba Fundraiser.

School Store News - Book Donations Requested

We are starting a free “take one, leave one” library in our school store. If you have any gently used grade 5-8 level books to donate to this venture, please send them in to the school and label “PTO”. Thank you!

Glow Party

Stay tuned for more information about our PMS Glow Party taking place on Friday March 7th from 6:30-8pm! Tickets will be on sale Wednesday February 26th and Thursday February 27th and will be $5 cash or check ONLY.

Clements Receipts

We are collecting Clements receipts - any amount, from any time! Please send them in with your student or drop them off in the front office. Write “PMS PTO” on the envelope or bag. Thanks for your support!

Please see the linked flier for the 3rd Annual Someone Special Sweetheart Dance for Valentine’s Day for children and their families.

Please see the link here for a babysitter class in the community.

The attached flier for the 2025 PYL Lacrosse Registration.

Please see a flier here for a February break basketball camp.

Please see the link here for a flier concerning Girls Golf through the Newport YMCA.

Please see the link here to open coaching positions for our spring athletics programs. If you know anyone interested in applying, feel free to forward this link.

We just wanted to send a reminder that we should practice careful driving when entering and leaving the school parking lot during morning drop off and afternoon pick up. The current procedure is working, but we have noticed that families may be rushing to get out of the parking. When pulling out of line, please pull completely to the other side of the double yellow line and proceed slowly paying attention to your surroundings.

The district calendar is allowing for one day of school cancelation for inclement weather (snow) this school year. In the event that we have a second school day cancelation, we will move to a virtual learning day. The middle school virtual learning plan is linked here for students and families.

Please see below, Influenza is on the rise and we have a few cases here at PMS.

Flu (Influenza)

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses. Seasonal flu viruses make people sick every year. Flu can range from mild to severe and can lead to hospitalization or even death. Common symptoms include:

• Fever

• Cough or sore throat

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Body aches

• Headache

• Chills

• Fatigue

• Vomiting or diarrhea

Is it the Flu or a Cold?

It can be hard to tell the difference between the flu and a cold. If you have flu-like symptoms, it’s important to take care of yourself.

For parents who need additional support with using the Securly Home app at home to monitor and control their child’s chromebook usage outside of school hours, please see this PDF for guidance and visit https://www.securly.com/parent-login to access the parent portal.

Portsmouth Middle School uses IXL, an online learning platform designed to help students master essential skills in Math and ELA, to provide individualized learning opportunities that are adapted to each child's learning level. This program provides immediate feedback and detailed explanations to support student learning both inside and outside the classroom setting. IXL can be used as an optional support at home to help parents stay informed about their child's academic growth and areas that may need attention. Please see this helpful guide to supporting your child’s learning with IXL at home.

Anchored 4 Life is hosting a hygiene product drive between now and winter break. Students are encouraged to donate new and unused toiletries and hygiene products including: shampoo, conditioner, soap, oral hygiene products, feminine products, deodorant, etc. Products will be donated to Rachel’s closet at PMS and the Martin Luther King Center.

Portsmouth Middle School only allows bus changes for individual students who have a note from a parent that requires child care (limited to 5th and 6th grade students) only. Students should not be requesting to ride a different bus to go to a friend's house. Bus routes are designed based on the ridership of that in catchment area.

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. Students 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 stand and spread around 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.

Our students and staff enjoyed celebrating the 90th day at PMS!

Talent Show Success!

The view outside of the auditorium during after school activities! By the looks of it, many children are enjoying our clubs!

What Day is It? PMS Letter Day Calendar

District Calendar

Portsmouth Middle School Handbook

Absence Notification Form