#Engage, Energize,& Educate
September 11th
Good Afternoon Families,
We were so excited to welcome our PVES families into the building for Open House! 🐼
A special thank you to the over 25 families who stopped in to see Mrs. Viera for volunteer training. We truly appreciate your willingness to get involved and support our school community.
Please read our newsletter very carefully this week. It’s packed with a lot of information!
BOOSTERTHON
We currently have 29% signed up and $6,200 in school profit. What a great start!
Early Dismissal
All same-day early dismissals or dismissal changes must go through the PVE office. Teachers are actively teaching throughout the day and may also have a substitute teacher, so please do not send dismissal changes directly to the classroom teacher.
Please email pvesecretary@smithfield-ps.org or call the office at 949-2058 with any same-day dismissal changes.
Thank you for helping us ensure that all dismissal changes are communicated safely and accurately! 💚
Attendance
Attendance Policy Reminder
Please take a moment to carefully review the updated Attendance Policy, as there are important changes and reminders regarding student attendance.
Students who arrive late without a medical note or are dismissed early without a medical note may be recorded as tardy/unexcused. Please be mindful that frequent tardies and early dismissals can significantly impact a student’s attendance record.
Under the updated policy, 10% of the school year is approximately 18 days. Students who accumulate 10% or more absences that are not considered excused absences may be placed in jeopardy of a recommendation for retention. This process does not happen automatically. It begins with documentation being sent to families and a team MTSS meeting with the student’s family to review attendance concerns, supports, and next steps.
We strongly encourage families to plan vacations and extended trips around the school calendar whenever possible. Please also be mindful of absences connected to long weekends, particularly Friday and Monday absences, as these days count toward your child’s overall attendance.
Please remember that vacations are not considered excused absences under the attendance policy.
Additionally, in accordance with the teacher contract, teachers are not required to provide make-up work for work missed due to vacations or other unexcused absences. Students are responsible for staying current with their learning and assignments upon returning to school.
Regular attendance is an important part of student success. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure your child is at school on time and ready to learn each day.
Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy Reminder
Please take a moment to review the SPS Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy. This policy applies to cell phones, smart watches, and other electronic devices brought onto school property.
All personal electronic devices must be powered off and remain in your child’s backpack throughout the school day. These devices are not permitted to be used during the school day or while students are on the school bus.
We appreciate your partnership in helping us maintain a safe, focused, and distraction-free learning environment for all students. Thank you for reviewing these expectations with your child.
Dress Code Policy
Please take a moment to review the SPS Dress Code Policy with your child. As a reminder, students may not wear hoods, hats, or baseball caps inside the school building.
Students should remove these items before entering the building and keep them off throughout the school day, unless an approved exception applies.
AI Policy
Please review the district’s new AI policy.
Lost & Found
Please be sure to label all of your child’s belongings with their first and last name. This includes lunch boxes, backpacks, sweatshirts, coats, water bottles, hats, and other personal items.
Our Lost & Found can fill up quickly, and labeling your child’s belongings makes it much easier for items to be returned to their owner.
Garden
🌱 A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Morrison, Mr. Stanley, and our amazing student helpers—Sawyer (Grade 5), Daniel (Grade 5), Liam (Grade 4), Maddie (Grade 3), Suzanna (Grade 4), and Trevor (Grade 1)—for all of their hard work harvesting vegetables from our garden and tackling some much-needed weeding! 🥕🍅🌿
We are looking forward to Mrs. Moio, SPS Unified, and the YMCA supporting us as we continue to care for and work in our garden.
Thank you for helping our garden—and our students—grow! 🌱💚
A Message From Nurse Mullins
Rhode Island State Law section 16-21-9(b) mandates that all students in elementary schools be examined by a dentist at least ONCE a year and once during Grades 6 thru 10.
Students who are seen yearly by their own dentist do not need to be screened at school.
Please complete the form below only if you would like your child to be screened by our school dentist this year.
Eureka Math Workbooks
We are looking for volunteers to tear out math workbook pages for teachers. If you are able to do this at home, please email Mrs. Viera at tviera@smithfield-ps.org and I’ll connect you with a classroom teacher. Thank you in advance.
Flyers
The Walking School Bus-Starts Wed. weather permitting
Shoe and Clothing Drive -RUNNING NOW!
Blue Door Art Club/Grades 3rd -5th-REGISTRATION open on Sept.7th at 8am
After School Program Raffle at BTSN
https://pvespandas.mycheddarup.com/
Important Dates:
Friday, September 11th-Boosterthon Event “Kick-Off Day”
Wednesday, September 16th-The Walking School Bus starts back up weather permitting!
Tuesday, September 22nd-Boosterthon Event
Friday, September 25th-Unified Day (assembly)/Wear GREEN!
Tuesday, September 29th-SSELAC Meeting/SHS Media Center at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, September 30th-Dental Screenings
Tuesday, October 6th-PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria
Wednesday, October 7th-Fall Lifetouch Pictures
Friday, October 9th-Today is Crazy Sock Day!
Monday, October 12th- No School/Columbus-Indigenous People’s Day
Wednesday, October 14th-School Improvement Team meeting at 8:00 a.m.
Saturday, October 17th- Tentative “Treat or Trunk”
Friday, October 30th-Pumpkin Palooza tentative date
Tuesday, November 3rd-No School Election Day/PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 12th-No School/Professional Development Day
Tuesday, November 19th-SSELAC Meeting/SHS Media Center at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 19th-Make-Up Lifetouch Picture Day
Tuesday, November 24th-The BRAIN SHOW comes to PVES!
Wednesday, November 25th-Friday, November 27th-No School/Thanksgiving Recess
Monday, November 30th-Second Trimester Begins
Saturday, December 5th-The All Lit Up Parade
Monday, December 7th-Report cards are live at noon in I.C.
Tuesday, December 8th-PTO Meeting in the cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 10th-No School/Parent Conferences from 1:00-7:45 p.m.
Friday, December 11th-Holiday Event-more information to follow
Wednesday, December 23rd-January 1st-No School/Holiday Recess-New Year’s Day
Tuesday, January 5th-PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, January 18th-No School/Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday, January 19th-SSELAC Meeting/SHS Media Center at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 9th-PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, February 15th-Friday, February 19th-No School/President’s Day/Winter Recess
Tuesday, March 9th-PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, March 15th-Second Trimester Ends
Tuesday, March 16th-SSELAC Meeting/SHS Media Center at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 24th-Teaching & Learning Night 5:00-7:00 p.m. & SPRING Lifetouch Pictures
Thursday, March 25th, 2027-Fifth grade field trip to Patriot Place
Friday, March 26th-No School/Good Friday
Monday, March 29th-Report cards go live at noon in I.C.
Tuesday, April 6th-PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, April 19th-Friday, April 23rd-No School/Spring Recess
Tuesday, May 4th-PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18th-SSELAC Meeting/SHS Media Center at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, May 31st-No School/Memorial Day
Tuesday, June 8th-PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, June 11th-TENTATIVE 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony at SHS 10:00 am.
Tuesday, June 15th-LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (or 180th day)-Report cards go live at noon in I.C.
We are off to a great start, and we are so grateful for your partnership! Together, we make PVES a wonderful place to learn and grow.
Warm regards,
Mrs. Dohoney & Mrs. Viera