Flat Rock Elementary School

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.

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.

This is a Powhatan County School Board Notice of Special Meeting. Pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3707: Please take notice that the Powhatan County School Board will hold a special meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 6, 2026, at the Pocahontas Landmark Center, 4290 Anderson Hwy, Powhatan, VA. The board is meeting to vote on a decision on makeup days for weather-related closings. This notice is being provided in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and will be open to the public.

We recognize that not all secondary roads and neighborhoods have been fully cleared. For this reason, Powhatan County Public Schools will be closed for students on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with all after-school activities canceled.
PCPS is working on a transportation plan that may include alternate pickup and drop-off points to safely transport students. Families should monitor communications for updates regarding reopening on Wednesday with transportation adjustments.
PCPS remains committed to getting students back in school as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and support.

We are a little overdue in giving a shout out to the amazing business and industry partners who work with Powhatan High School to give students in its Building Trades 2 and Electricity 2 classes an opportunity to gain real-world experience through Youth Registered Apprenticeships (YRA).
As part of these partnerships, seniors work on the job two days a week, with some students beginning as early as June before their senior year and others starting later in the summer or fall. All participating students were registered with the Department of Labor, allowing their hours to count toward future state-registered apprenticeships if they choose to continue in their trade.
This year marks the first time Building Trades 2 students are participating in the YAR program, and it has highlighted the powerful connection between classroom learning and hands-on experience. We are incredibly grateful to our business and industry partners for investing their time, expertise, and trust in our students. These partnerships are essential to the success of our Career and Workforce Development programs as the combination of curriculum and on-the-job training helps students gain employability and occupation specific skills. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Persistent below-freezing temperatures have limited melting from last weekend’s snow and ice, making many secondary and neighborhood roads still unsafe. Despite continued work by our Facilities team and outside contractors, some PCPS parking lots also remain unsafe. There are also neighborhood roads that are not safe for school buses, vans, and other vehicles to navigate.
As a result, Powhatan County Public Schools will remain closed on Monday, February 2, 2026. All after-school activities are canceled.
Since schools are closed, Monday will be the perfect time for students to work on the practice/review packets their teachers provided the week before the snow.
We understand that prolonged closures place a burden on families, and we do not make this decision lightly. These steps are necessary to ensure the safety of everyone we serve, and we truly appreciate your patience and understanding.
Please take care and stay safe.

Mrs. Schwartz’s kindergarten class at Flat Rock Elementary recently worked on building strong number sense through hands-on learning. Students used math manipulatives to explore parts of the number 5, first working as a group and then partnering up to practice. One student showed part of the number 5 using manipulatives, while their partner figured out which number was behind their back to make a total of 5. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

This is a notice of Reschedule for the Powhatan County School Board Budget Work Session. Pursuant to Virginia Code 5 2.2-3707: Due to hazardous road conditions and school closures, the Budget Work Session scheduled for Friday, January 30, 2026, has been rescheduled to:
DATE: Monday, February 2, 2026
TIME: 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Pocahontas Landmark Center
4290 Anderson Hwy, Powhatan, VA
This notice is being provided in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
This meeting will be open to the public.

Behind the scenes, our Facilities team has been working tirelessly to clear snow and ice across our schools in challenging and frigid conditions. The photos shared here, taken earlier today at several of our buildings, show some of the clearing that has been done and just how much work remains. We’re grateful for their dedication and for the support of the Virginia Department of Transportation as we continue working to restore safe conditions for our school communities. Thank you for taking care of our schools and our people. 💙🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Last call for PCPS-Early Childhood Preschool Program-Role Model Student applications for the 2026-2027!
Families interested in enrolling their child in preschool must apply and receive acceptance into the preschool program before completing registration with Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS).
Please note: submitting a preschool application is a required first step and is separate from PCPS student registration.
Please use the link in the comments to apply.

Despite the vital efforts of our Facilities teams and the Virginia Department of Transportation, parking lot and road conditions have not improved sufficiently to return to school this week, requiring Powhatan County Public Schools to remain closed on Thursday, January 29, and Friday, January 30, 2026. All after-school activities are canceled.
Be safe and stay warm.

Throughout the year, Powhatan County Public Schools recognizes outstanding employees through our Helping Hands Awards. This program honors staff members who inspire, empower, and innovate for making a difference in our school division. Before the recent snow, we had the opportunity to recognize four incredible staff members who were nominated for making a difference:
* Joseph Hodges – Transportation
* Laura Huggins – Powhatan High School
* Sarah Robinson – Finance Department
* Lyndsay Stout – Pocahontas Elementary
We are grateful for their dedication and for everyone who takes the time to nominate a PCPS employee through the Helping Hands program. If you want to nominate a staff member for being inspiring, empowering or innovating, the link is in the comments.🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Extreme low temperatures overnight, with more expected tonight, have not allowed conditions to improve sufficiently following this weekend’s storm, requiring Powhatan County Public Schools to remain closed on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. All after-school activities are canceled.
Because of the closures caused by snow and ice this winter, our students have missed much more instructional time than was ever anticipated. While weather-related closures are sometimes unavoidable, they do have real impacts on learning. To help recover critical learning time for our students, the School Board will consider making an adjustment to the 2025-2026 School Calendar at its planned budget workshop at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 30.

Powhatan County Public Schools will remain closed on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. All after-school activities are canceled. While the winter storm has passed, lingering ice and snow combined with low temperatures have prevented conditions from improving.
Safety remains our top priority. We will continue to monitor conditions and communicate updates as they become available.
We also want to thank our facilities staff and partnering agencies, who are working diligently to clear parking lots and sidewalks under difficult conditions.
Please take care and stay safe.

Due to the accumulation of snow and dangerous icy conditions from the overnight event, Powhatan County Public Schools will be closed on Monday, January 26, 2026. All activities scheduled for January 26th in school facilities are canceled, including school and non-school activities.
The safety of our students, staff, and families remains our top priority. We will continue to communicate updates as conditions evolve this week.
Please take care and stay safe.

Good evening PCPS Families. As everyone is aware, a winter storm is moving into our area tonight and ice accumulation poses a significant risk of power outages. Your students should have come this week with snow day learning packs to help keep them engaged in review and learning in the event of extended school closures. Please know that families should not feel pressure regarding these educational materials. Safety and well-being must come first. As conditions evolve and we better understand the storm's impact, decisions on school closures will be communicated as quickly as possible. Please take care and stay safe. For more information, check your email.

Much like everyone across our region, Powhatan County Public Schools are closely monitoring the forecast for potential impacts to school operations. Our team is monitoring weather reports and road conditions, as well as reviewing guidance from local officials. No final decisions have been made at this time.
In the event of delayed openings or closures, we will share official closure announcements as soon as decisions are made via:
*SchoolMessenger Email/Text/Phone Alerts
*Powhatan.k12.va.us
*PCPS Official Facebook and Instagram accounts
*Local News stations (WRIC, WTVR, WWBT)
Please stay tuned for updates. Thank you for your understanding and for helping us keep everyone safe.