Back to School: Portsmouth Schools Off to Fast Start

Portsmouth, RI-- Portsmouth students have a week's head start over much of the rest of the state and things are humming along after students first arrived for the first day of classes on Aug. 25.

According to Superintendent Ana Riley, things are off to a strong start.

"We have a full week under our belt," she said. And so far, it's been all "great."

Part of the excitement this year, she said, has come over the laptops for the sixth-graders. The school district purchased 150 brand new Chromebooks, the Google device which has been gaining popularity among educators.

Last year, the district tried out other models during a pilot program, but then made the decision to go with the Chromebooks for a variety of reasons.

The tech department did a fantastic job at the presentation, she said. They gave parents a crash course in the devices and in Internet safety, explaining acceptable uses per the schools' policy. Then the kids collected their new Chromebooks, and that boosted everyone's morale about going back to school.

The schools plan to expand the program next year by outfitting next year's sixth-graders with similar gear.

For the younger students, the schools have created two new Maker Space areas and purchased lots of materials so the youngsters can build models. It's all connected to problem-solving, she said. For example, one project might ask students to consider if solar energy could be used to heat a dog house, she said. The children could build a small model, attach some solar panels and measure the effect.

Ideally, the projects would start simple for the youngest children and gradually increase in complexity to challenge the older students, she said.

Also new this year, Joe Amaral moves up from middle school principal to high school principal. Joao Arruda returns to the Portsmouth schools to take over as the new middle school principal. He was at Little Compton.