Powhatan County Public Schools -

Good afternoon PCPS Community. The Powhatan County School Board Recap for Tuesday's regular meeting is ready to view. As always, the goal of this newsletter is to help people who don't have the time to come to or watch full School Board meetings still stay abreast of what is going on in our school division. The newsletter link is in the comments.

Notice about a Powhatan County School Board Budget Workshop.
Pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3707: Please take notice that the Powhatan County School Board will hold a budget workshop on: Thursday, February 19, 2026, at 2:00 PM. This notice is being provided in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. This meeting will be open to the public.

Students in Mrs. Ross’s fifth grade class at Pocahontas Elementary recently focused on strengthening their grammar skills by working on consistent verb tenses. During the lesson, students practiced making sure verbs like "be" and "have" stayed in the same tense throughout their writing. Paying close attention to consistency helps students become clearer, more confident writers.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Ms. Bell’s life science class at Powhatan Middle hit the ground running on the first day back from the snow break with an interactive lab focused on identifying invertebrates and vertebrates. Students examined a wide range of specimens, sorting them into groups and then identifying the different classes of vertebrates and invertebrates. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

This is a Powhatan County School Board Notice of Special Meeting Attendance. Pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3707, please take notice that members of the Powhatan County School Board may be present at the Strategic Plan Meeting to be held:
DATE: Tuesday, February 17, 2026
TIME: 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
LOCATION: Pocahontas Landmark Center, 4290 Anderson Hwy, Powhatan, VA
This notice is being provided in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act due to the possibility that a quorum of school board members may be in attendance.
No official business will be conducted, and no votes or decisions will be made by the School Board at this event.

We appreciate every opportunity our students have to learn directly from professionals and explore potential future career paths. Last week at Powhatan High School, Dr. Rona Walker, who is an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders at Longwood University and a speech-language pathologist, visited the Nurse Aide class before giving a presentation during SPEAR to HOSA members. She shared insight into the field of speech and language pathology and discussed why communication sciences and disorders can be a rewarding healthcare career focused on restoring function and helping others. Opportunities like this help students explore future careers, connect classroom learning to real-world professions, and see the many paths available after high school. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Don't forget that Monday, February 9 is a PCPS Student & Staff Holiday (Excludes 12-month employees). Have a great day!

Due to the conditions caused by today's additional snowfall, all PCPS activities are canceled for Saturday, February 7, 2026.

Due to snow accumulation and worsening road conditions, all PCPS school activities are canceled for tonight, February 6, 2026.

This afternoon, the Powhatan County School Board met to discuss adjustments to the school division’s calendar. As a result of prolonged closures due to winter weather, PCPS has missed 11 full days of school as of February 3rd. In an effort to recoup some of the instructional time that has been lost, the School Board convened a special meeting on February 6th to consider reclaiming upcoming dates as full school days.
During today’s meeting, the School Board voted unanimously to make the following changes to the 2025-2026 school calendar:
• February 16th, which was previously a Student & Staff Holiday, will now be a snow make-up day for students and staff.
• March 16th, which was previously a Student & Staff Holiday for all except 12-month employees, will now be a snow make-up day for students and staff.

The School Board has also discussed reinstating April 6th as a holiday. However, that decision will not be considered until the March 10th School Board meeting.
The purpose of these changes is to ensure that students remain academically prepared for the remainder of the school year.
We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we work to balance instructional time with the needs of our school community. Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Powhatan County Public Schools.

Mrs. DeHart’s AP Environmental Science students at Powhatan High School took a closer look at the Olympics, focusing on what happens beyond the medals. 🥇🥈🥉 Students researched past Olympic Games, learning about the host country, how venues were built, the environmental impacts on each location, and what became of the sites once the Games were over. 🌍♻️
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

As part of National School Counseling Week, we are thrilled to recognize our middle and high school counselors! 🧡🖤
* Powhatan Middle: Skyler Pecci, Austen Winkler, Terry Baldwin, and Amy Conrad
* Powhatan High School: Kelyn Captain, Doug Reimondo, Caryn Rehme, Sarah Baltimore, and Chrissie Holley
Our secondary counselors support students through some of their most important years – helping them navigate academics, social-emotional growth, and planning for life beyond graduation. From course planning and career pathways to personal support and encouragement, their guidance helps students see what’s possible and take confident next steps. Thank you to our middle and high school counselors for your commitment to our students and your impact across our schools.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

It’s National School Counseling Week, and we want to celebrate our school counselors! 🧡🖤 We’ll start with our elementary school counselors:
* Flat Rock Elementary: Elizabeth Davis-Crane and Annmarie Horne
* Pocahontas Elementary: Amy Kastelberg, Jennifer Lavimodiere, and Kelsey Pollitt
* Powhatan Elementary: Peggy Jenkins and Sydney-Ann Perry
These amazing staff members help our youngest learners with everything from building big feelings skills to supporting friendships, confidence, and problem-solving. Our elementary counselors play a vital role in helping students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. Thank you for all you do for our students, families, and school communities.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

REMINDER: Friday, February 6 is a Student Holiday and Staff Professional Development Day. If the School Board votes at its meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Friday to make any potential changes to the school division’s calendar, we will share the information as soon as possible.

It was awesome to welcome students back to school today after so many days out because of snow and ice. The photos here (as well as others posted on our Facebook page) capture a glimpse of students returning to two of our schools – Powhatan Middle and Powhatan High. What a treat to see classrooms full again, routines restarting, and familiar faces back where they belong. Days like today take many people working together, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped make the return possible. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Opening Powhatan County Public Schools on time this morning was a team effort, and we are so proud of all of the work that went into making today possible before the first bell even rang.
❄️ A huge thank-you to our Facilities staff, who have been working for more than a week alongside contractors to get school parking lots and sidewalks clear and safe for everyone to enter school grounds.
🚌 We are incredibly grateful to our bus and car drivers and their aides for their dedication, professionalism, and steady commitment to safe driving – especially when conditions require extra care and patience. Thank you for all you do!
🔧 We also extend a sincere thank-you to our mechanics, who helped get the transportation lot and vehicles clear to ensure they were ready to roll, and to our transportation department leaders, who monitored road conditions, coordinated logistics, adjusted routes and stops as needed, and communicated updates to families.
🤝 Last but certainly not least, we appreciate our families for their flexibility and partnership as we worked through some modified pickup and drop-off locations. Your cooperation helped make today a success.
We’re grateful for the teamwork and care that helped make today a safe and successful day for our students learning in person.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Two-thirds of our Human Resources team – Director Cyndee Blount and Assistant Director Amanda Johnson – spent the day at Virginia State University connecting with future educators and professionals at a job fair. It was a great opportunity to share what makes Powhatan County Public Schools a special place to work and to meet talented individuals interested in joining our team.
If you or someone you know is exploring career opportunities, current job openings are always available on the Careers page of the PCPS website. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Good afternoon PCPS Community. The Powhatan County School Board Recap for Monday's work session is ready to view. As always, the goal of this newsletter is to help people who don't have the time to come to or watch full School Board meetings still stay abreast of what is going on in our school division. The newsletter link is in the comments.

Before the snow break, students in Mrs. Arnold’s French 1 class at Powhatan Middle School used a vocabulary four squares activity to reinforce new terms related to the theme of school. Students selected vocabulary words, sorted them into categories, and completed each section by writing the word and adding an illustration to support meaning and retention.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Powhatan County Public Schools will open on-time on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
Families who use PCPS transportation will receive a separate notification by early this evening with details about alternate transportation routes. This plan is necessary because some secondary roads and neighborhoods remain unsafe for school buses to travel.
We appreciate your patience and partnership as we work to safely resume normal operations.