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Portsmouth district reports awards, hires, testing updates and roof repairs; parent forum set for Nov. 5
Summary
Superintendent Viveiros delivered district updates that included two new hires, Melville School's state Blue Ribbon recognition, a Portsmouth High School student named a 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholar, PBIS recognition for Portsmouth Middle School, testing results and a planned parent forum about the district's five-year capital plan on Nov. 5.
Superintendent Viveiros provided a district update at the Oct. 14 Portsmouth School Committee meeting that covered personnel, school recognitions, testing data and facilities work.
Viveiros reported two recent hires and said the district is close to filling remaining vacancies, with final interviews scheduled in the coming weeks. She highlighted Melville School's recognition as one of three schools in Rhode Island honored as a state-level Blue Ribbon equivalent on Oct. 1, and announced that Portsmouth High School student Mark Aucalevila was named a 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholar. Aucalevila selected Portsmouth engineering teacher Tyler Angers as the teacher who most influenced his success, and the teacher will receive a letter of recognition from the U.S. secretary of education, Viveiros said.
Viveiros noted Portsmouth Middle School earned a PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) bronze level district-of-distinction recognition; the Rhode Island Department of Education commissioner will visit Oct. 30 to celebrate the achievement.
On facilities, the superintendent said emergency roof repairs this spring are nearly complete but that recent heavy rainfall caused a few leaks; architects told staff this can happen with new roofs for several months. Facilities director George Simmons was present and available for questions.
Viveiros said results of RICAS, NGSA, SAT and PSAT assessments were released earlier in October and that the district has seen "steady growth across our schools." The administration will present detailed data at the Nov. 12 school committee meeting; staff member Mister Rose has been assigned the November data presentation.
The superintendent announced a parent forum on Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Portsmouth Middle School to gather community input for the district's five-year capital plan; the district will provide child care as available and encouraged RSVPs.
Other highlights included a successful PHS band outreach to elementary schools, a PHS drum-club fall production in preparation, leadership-team team-building activities at URI ropes courses and a flu clinic for staff and students.
On grant funding, the superintendent described a DoDEA grant supporting CTE expansion; that topic was covered more extensively during a separate CTE presentation at the meeting.
