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.

We wanted to thank our families for attending the first Parent Coffee Hour with Dr. Kenworthy last week. The conversation was great with a future focused discussion totaling about an hour and a half. There will be additional opportunities for this Coffee Hour this school year.

Parent/teacher conferences will begin next week. We will have two nights, Tuesday's October 22nd and October 29th from 3:00-6:00 P.M. There will be a separate email with the ability for families to sign up utilizing Sign Up Genius. That is expected to go out within the next 12 hours.

What a success! The beginning conversations about trusted adults during last week's advisory were amazing!

Continuing this week in advisory, we will be discussing trusted adults. Research indicates, when adolescents feel connected to at least one trusted adult in school, they are more resilient and have a stronger sense of well being.

We began our discussions last week during advisory and will continue discussing the qualities and role of trusted adults. By the end of this week, our goal is for all students to have two trusted adults they can identify in our school.

We care about your child's attendance. Here is the district's Attendance Policy for your reference.

If your child is absent due to medical reasons and has seen a doctor, please request a note from the physician's office. We ask that you send this note to school so that our staff can properly record your child's absence as excused.

From our School Nurse, Mrs. Joncas:

If your child has a fever of over 100.2, your child should stay home until they have been fever free for 24 hours without the help of fever reducing medications.

If your child is vomiting or has diarrhea they should also stay home until they have gone 24 hours without the vomiting or diarrhea.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the School Nurse.

Unity Day was started by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center in October 2011. It's the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a day when we can come together in one giant, ORANGE message of hope and support. Please wear your orange on Unity Day, October 16th.

The PMS Anchored for Life club is sponsoring two events this month:

Breast Cancer Awareness- We will be recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month by encouraging students to wear pink on Friday, October 25th. We will also be sharing inspirational quotes from survivors throughout the month.

Supporting Holly and Officer Wes- Between October 18th and 25th, students will have the opportunity to vote for a costume for Holly to wear to school this month. Votes will cost $1 each and will take place during lunches. The costume with the most votes will be worn the following week. All funds raised will go toward supporting Holly’s care.

Please see the linked letter for information regarding Holiday Help. There is a notification date of October 25th if you would like to access this support.

RIDOH mandated Vision Screening with Lion's Club, Vision Works and the school nurse will begin soon.

Grade 7: October 23rd

Grade 5: October 24th

Please reach out to Mrs. Joncas, school nurse with any questions.

Picture Retake Day (Wednesday, October 16)

Book Fair Information (October 11 - October 17)

Scoop Up a Good Book

Scholastic Book Fair Family Night

October 17 5:00 - 6:30 PM

Purchase a book during Family Night, get a free scoop of Grays Ice Cream

Paint Night (October 17 6:00 - 7:30 PM)

Yearbook Orders 2024-2025 (place orders before December 31, 2024)

Fall Fundraiser Update

Our fundraising total as of 10/15 is $13,386.80. Grades 6, 7 and 8 are all close to unlocking their fall field day, here are the current fundraising totals by grade:

Grade 5 $6,301.79

Grade 6 $2,770.00

Grade 7 $2,015.01

Grade 8 $2,300.00

There is still time to raise funds! Keep sharing with friends, family, neighbors and coworkers to help each grade reach their $4,000 goal. The fundraiser closes THIS Thursday 10/17.

The top 3 students will be announced throughout the week and students in the top 3 will go home with prizes.

Spiritwear Store

• Our fall spirit wear online store is live. Orders will be accepted until October 20th at midnight.

• Items can be delivered to your home (for a fee) or to school (for free)

• Purchase your spirit wear at https://portsmouthmsri.itemorder.com/

Halloween Rec Night

• Will take place on Friday October 25th from 5:30pm-8:00pm. See attached flyer.

• Students will be able to buy tickets for $5 cash during lunches on 10/21, 10/22, 10/23 and 10/24 (unless we sell out beforehand)

• If you are VIS approved and able to volunteer at this event, please sign up at Halloween Rec Night Sign-Up

School Store Coordinator Position Available

Our school store needs YOU! If you have a flair for designing a fun space where our students can practice independence and financial skills, our school store coordinator position is for you! We are looking for someone to manage the volunteers and update the store a bit. Please reach out to portsmouthripto@gmail.com if you are interested.

Craft Night

Please see the link here regarding the upcoming Craft Night on November 7th. Here is the sign up form.

Hello 7th Grade Parents,

There have been a few cases of Impetigo in your child's grade.

Impetigo is a contagious skin infection that causes a rash that appears as red bumps or small blisters. The blisters are often filled with pus or water and can burst easily, oozing fluid that contains infectious bacteria. After the fluid dries, the blisters form a yellow or gray crust that can look like cornflakes stuck to the skin. The blistered area is usually surrounded by redness and can be itchy or painful. The crusts eventually fall off without scarring, leaving behind red marks.

Impetigo can occur anywhere on the body, but it's most likely to appear on exposed areas like the face, arms, and legs.

Impetigo is caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (staph) or Streptococcus pyogenes (group A strep). It's highly contagious and can spread through skin-to-skin contact. Antibiotics can help shorten the infection and prevent it from spreading to others.

Please consult your Pediatrician if Impetigo is suspected and let the School Nurse know, as well.

Thank you,

Tara Joncas, MEd, BSN, RN, CSNT

School Nurse

(401) 849-3700 Extension 2

fax: (401) 841-8420

Help us make a difference in our community! The Rachel's Challenge Club is collecting gently used clothing, shoes, and non-perishable food items to support those in need. Your generous donations can bring hope and nourishment to families facing hard times.

**When:** All school year

**Where:** Bins located in the main lobby or in each grade level hallway

Together, we can show our Patriot Pride through kindness! Let’s fill our collection boxes and show our community the power of compassion. Every item counts. For more information, contact the Friends of Rachel's Club Sponsor- Saralynn Bixby- bixbys@portsmouthschoolsri.org . Thank you for your support!

Hi 8th Grade Families.

Can you believe our kiddos are in the 8th grade and leaving PMS? Seems like yesterday we were worried about 5th grade, getting their new schedules, planners, and if they would they get lost walking around PMS.
We would like to start an 8th grade parent committee that would help with some fundraising ideas, parent/student get togethers, eighth grade dance, and other activities throughout the year.
If this is something you are interested in being a part of please email us, liljenn12@gmail.com, and we will add you to the list.
Thank you for your time.
Look forward to making this a special year for our kids.
Best.
8th Grade Parents

Please see the flier linked here regarding a community event.

Please see the link here for the Elks Hoop Shoot.

Open Fire House LEGO STEAM activity Tennis Lessons

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 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.

Portsmouth Youth Basketball (PYB), a non-profit organization, was formed in 2007 with the goal of teaching fundamental basketball skills to children in grades 2nd-8th in a positive environment of teamwork and sportsmanship.

Registration for the '24-'25 PYB season is now open. For those new to PYB, the recreation league practices one day a week, has games on Saturdays at the PHS field house, and will run from December to February. The divisions are broken down by school grade, Rookies are 2nd grade only and then it progresses to two-year groupings, NCAA 3rd-4th grade, Jr NBA 5th-6th grade, and NBA 7th - 8th grade. There are grade specific travel team opportunities as well. Please note that participation in the Recreation program is required to play travel. Travel is an additional program registration. For more details, please visit https://www.portsmouthyouthbasketball.com/ or contact info@portsmouthyouthbasketball.com. We hope to see you on the courts this winter!

Feel free to check out this flier with a sewing class opportunity.

Little Compton Community Center: Our 3rd Annual Veteran's Dinner is coming up on November 4th, and as part of this event, we are looking for ways to involve our local middle and high school communities. We are piloting the "Honoring Those Who Served" Youth Essay Project. I've attached a flier with more information.

What Day is It? PMS Letter Day Calendar

District Calendar

Portsmouth Middle School Handbook

Absence Notification Form