Quick Updates

• 25-26 Parental Opt Out Booklet

• 2025-2026 Student Rights and Responsibilities

• Cardinal Care Coverage - Back to School!

• Solving Problems Together: Who to Contact?

• Updated PCPS Cell Phone Policy

• Welcome Back Newsletter from Resource Teachers

• Helpful Emails & Links for Parents

  • For any transportation changes, email pocespass@powhatan.k12.va.us and your child’s teacher.

  • To report absences, email pocesattendance@powhatan.k12.va.us and your child’s teacher.

  • Parent Volunteer Sign Up Link to assist teachers with prep and special projects

  • Parent Lunch Sign Up to come eat with your child. Please review the detailed information at the top of the sign up link. 

  • Parent Guide

  • Breakfast & Lunch Menus

  • MySchoolBucks for lunch accounts

  • SchoolCashOnline for field trip and other payment

Veterans Day: Muffins with Our Military & Show your Support

• If your Poca Student has a family member that is a Veteran or Service Member we would love to honor them at our Veterans Day Event on November 11th from 7:45 to 8:25. Please RSVP for Muffins with Our Military here. 

  We are also wearing Red, White, and Blue and/or support the troops/veterans attire on Tuesday to show our support for our Troops and Veterans.

Common Sense Media

• Pocahontas Elementary annually completes the Common Sense Media School Certification with a focus on teaching students digital literacy and well-being. Lessons are delivered to students in Technology Resource from Ms. Crump who is a Common Sense Media Certified Educator.  Here are some additional guidelines for parents as you develop digital literacy and well-being practices at home. Common Sense Media also offers some free resources to families. 

Powhatan Strong Family Connection Series

• Powhatan County Public Schools Student Services Department welcomes you to our monthly Virtual Coffee Chats titled Powhatan Strong Family Connection Series. Each month, Student Services will present a different topic with strategies to support your students from home, policies and procedures at the division and school levels, and opportunities to ask questions of our Student Services Department members and guest panelists.

• Our next session will be held on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 10 AM. During this session, we will explore the topic of parent burnout and stress. With the holiday season upon us, we know this is a busy time of year and want to provide you the resources to help manage a potentially stressful but fulfilling time. We will host Heather Morgan from Goochland-Powhatan Community Services Board as our guest speaker. To log in, scan the QR Code link below or visit bit.ly/PowhatanStrong25-26. If you are unable to make it to the Coffee Chat, we encourage you to submit your questions via the Coffee Chat Google Form. We look forward to seeing you on the 20th!

Pocahontas PTO

• The Holidays are right around the corner and the Elves are getting ready to bring the North Pole to Pocahontas for another year of our Holiday Shop! Students will shop for family and friends right after Thanksgiving break during their PE resource class. Information sheets and envelopes for spending money will come home soon, be on the lookout!

• Thank you to everyone that participated in the Charleston Wrap fundraiser! We were able to reach our fundraising goal! This will support so many of our future events!!
  

Announcements and Additional Information

• Water Sampling at Pocahontas Landmark Center Water System. The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water (ODW), requires routine testing of public water systems. Recently, the Pocahontas Landmark Center conducted lead and copper testing in accordance with the Virginia Waterworks Regulations (12VAC5-590-10). Samples were collected from multiple locations within both the Pocahontas Landmark Center and Pocahontas Elementary School. We are pleased to report that the lead and copper levels were below the established Action Levels—in other words, we PASSED. No corrective actions are required, and the next round of testing will not be needed until after November 2027. If staff or families have any questions, they are encouraged to contact Tom Sulzer, Director of Facilities, at thomas.sulzer@powhatan.k12.va.us.

• School Messenger: If you do not currently receive text messages from the school messenger program and you would like to OPT IN to receive TEXT messages. Text the words OPT IN to 67587.

• A reminder for all of our parents who pick up or drop off your student, please remember to pull forward as far as possible to the cone/person standing at the front of the drop off line and do not pass vehicles in the drop off area for any reason. Make sure you are following the directions of the adults in the drop off area for the safety of all of our students and staff. 

• We are collecting donations to support stockings for the Christmas Mother. Please see the list of items here. All donations can be brought to the front office. Christmas Mother Stocker Donations

  • Applications are available for families to get support from the Christmas Mother. Families can find more information and applications here: Christmas Mother Applications for Support

• The Fall 2025 Tab Contest is underway! Join us in collecting aluminum pull tabs to benefit our local Ronald McDonald House. The contest runs through December 15th. Students bring their tabs to turn into their classroom. This is a competition between schools and we are the reigning champions. Let’s work to keep the trophy while supporting the community.

• The Lunch Buddies Mentoring Program has been in place in Powhatan County Public Schools for over 10 years. The goal of the program is to help foster strong relationships among our students and the positive adult role models in the community. Whether at any of our 3 elementary schools or our middle school, you would meet with a student once a week and ultimately act as another advocate for them. It can be anything from academic support to conversation, playing games, making crafts, and so much more. The program is planned to begin the first week of October and will last until mid-May, when SOL testing begins in our upper grade levels. If you are interested in participating as a mentor for the Lunch Buddies Program, we would be happy to have you!

  Please reach out to lunchbuddies@powhatan.k12.va.us for any questions.If you are interested in applying, please visit this page to apply.  Feel free to share the flyer with others.  We appreciate your support with our schools. 

• Are you interested in participating in the Pocahontas ES WatchDOGS (Dads Of Great Students) program this year? WatchDOGS are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father-figures who volunteer for at least one day each year at an official WATCH D.O.G.S.® school. During the day, WatchDOGS may read and work on flash cards with students, play at recess, eat lunch with students, watch the school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow and any other assigned activities where they actively engage with not only their own students, but other students as well. Many school principals have reported that the mere presence of a WatchDOG dramatically reduces reports of bullying. On the day of their participation, WatchDOGS are given a brief review of their involvement and they wear a disposable ‘Dog Tag’ identifying them as WatchDOGS. For more information visit: https://dadsofgreatstudents.com/about/

  To sign up look for the WatchDOGS Information table at Back to School Night!