PHS teacher Penny Robertson receives regional leadership award
POWHATAN, VA – Powhatan High School English teacher Penny Robertson was recently honored with a leadership award at a ceremony recognizing educators from across the region who received or renewed National Board Certification (NBCT).
Robertson, who has worked for PCPS since 1999, was surprised to be named the third annual recipient of the Terry Dozier Teacher Leadership Award at the Feb. 28 NBCT pinning ceremony, hosted by the Metropolitan Educational Training Alliance VCU School of Education. The award, which was created to recognize an educator who exemplifies teacher leadership and the characteristics of the NBCT process, was presented by Dozier, who was the former Director for the Center of Teacher Leadership at VCU.
At the same ceremony, Powhatan High School Fine Arts teacher Stephanie Wirt and Flat Rock Elementary Library Media Specialist Kelly Terry received their NBCT pins as the culmination of two years of hard work. Wirt received certification in Art: Early Adolescence through Young Childhood, and Terry received certification in Library Media: Early Childhood through Young Adulthood. Both credited Robertson with being integral to helping them through the rigorous process.
Over the course of her career, Robertson has attended many professional development seminars and workshops and earned a Master's Degree in 2003. While all of those experiences were valuable to her and her craft, she said none of them came close to what she gained by completing the NBCT process from 2019 to 2021.
A National Board Certificate attests that a teacher has met the highest standards established for the profession. Teachers complete a four-component process that includes three classroom-based portfolio entries and one assessment center exercise. The process taught her not only about instruction and the impact it can have, but made her analyze how and why she implements instruction the way she does.
“I know there are other teachers like me, regardless of the season of their career, and I encourage colleagues to consider NBCT,” said Robertson, who was PHS Teacher of the Year in 2004. “I pursued becoming an NBCT late in my career, and it helped to renew my spirit in the profession that I love so much. To be a teacher is to be a lifelong learner, especially regarding the teaching profession.”
Inspired by her own experience, Robertson added to an already heavy workload, which includes being the high school’s English department chair and gifted resource teacher, by deciding to help other teachers complete the NBCT process. Last spring, when the division decided to form its own cohort for NBCT, Dr. Samantha Martin, Coordinator of Innovative Learning and Professional Development, invited Robertson to co-coordinate the program. Together the pair coordinates work sessions and meetings, coaches, and backreads for the current NBCT candidates.
“The writing for the NBCT portfolios is intense in that all questions must be fully answered with sufficient evidence in a clear, concise, and convincing way. Dr. Martin and I, along with other Powhatan NBCT coaches, direct new candidates through the process,” she said.
Being honored for that work with the Terry Dozier Teacher Leadership was even more special because the award’s namesake announced it, Robertson said. She went through the NBCT process as part of the VCU cohort when Dozier was still the Director of the Center of Teacher Leadership at VCU.
“She was there every session with us as the director and one of the facilitators. I gained so much respect for her knowledge of the NBCT process and her passion for the teaching profession during that time. So, back in 2019 when I started the NBCT process, I was already saying, ‘I want to be like her’ in regard to Dr. Dozier. I truly admire her,” Robertson said.
In announcing the leadership award, Dozier commended Robertson for being committed to her students, colleagues, and school division in the various roles she has assumed, especially co-coordinating the first internal NBCT cohort in Powhatan County.
“The goal for the initial cohort was five candidates, and this professional learning community has now doubled in size. And the increase in interest and the strong start for this professional learning community is directly related to (Robertson’s) relationships with and leadership among colleagues,” Dozier said during the ceremony. “The growth of National Board Certification in the district would not be possible without this lifelong teacher leader.”
From sea to shining sea! In the last few weeks, Powhatan Elementary School’s library has been collecting Valentines and postcards from across the nation. A last-minute push to get a card from 12 unrepresented states paid off, and the map is complete! Thank you to everyone who liked and shared the post to support our children in this fun activity that also increased their knowledge of other states. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
A larger-than-expected number of community members attended the Powhatan County School Board meeting last night, Tuesday, March 12, ready to share their views with the Board members. The meeting was adjourned early at the direction of the fire marshal. The rescheduled meeting will be held on Monday, March 18th at 6:00 p.m. It will be held in the Powhatan High School auditorium to accommodate the turnout. Members of the community are invited and encouraged to attend this meeting.
The auditorium can accommodate 950 seated participants. Spillover seating will be available in the cafeteria/commons area, if needed. A live feed will be provided for viewers seated in this area.
According to School Board policies KD and BDDH, Powhatan residents or PCPS employees wishing to provide public comment to the School Board must sign up upon arrival. Individuals are allotted 3 minutes to speak. Those representing a pre-approved group are allotted 5 minutes; however, groups must be registered with the School Board clerk prior to the day of the meeting. Groups wishing to be registered should contact the clerk at sheila.eggleston@powhatan.k12.va.us.
For more information, including the modified agenda, please visit https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/powhatan/Board.nsf/Public.
During art class with Mrs. Webster, Mrs. Beach’s fourth graders at Powhatan Elementary glazed ceramic animal bowls they made. In a previous class, the students started with wet clay they shaped into an animal bowl that was later fired in a kiln once. When they finished with this glazing, the figurines headed back to the kiln to be finished. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Each year, the Powhatan Education Foundation (PEF) awards Innovative Classroom Grants that present ideas for achieving the county’s curricular goals, enhancing students’ personal development, and/or encouraging links with the community. This year, PEF fully or partially funded six grants for a total investment of $16,146.28, and we are going to take time over the next few weeks to highlight how those projects are going. First up is Cheri Ashman’s project, “Clay in the Classroom: Shaping a New Future for High School Anatomy Education.” ANATOMY IN CLAY® reimagines how Powhatan High School students learn human anatomy by using tactile clay models, allowing access to the subject matter in a way that flat, 2D diagrams simply can't achieve. Ms. Ashman pooled resources from the PEF grant and her Curtis funds to provide enough materials to thoroughly pilot the program. The materials were also a big hit at the recent PCPS STEM Expo, where they were used to introduce children to the human anatomy. #wearepcps #teampowhatan @anatomyinclay
Bright Star Theatre visited @powhatanelementary_pcps last week and staged an informative production of “George Washington Carver & Friends” for Black History Month. All children from prekindergarten to fifth grade attended one of two shows, learning about African Americans who laid the groundwork for some of the most amazing discoveries of the modern era, especially when it comes to science, technology, engineering, and math. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
While participating in the American Heart Challenge, Mrs. Woodson and Mr. Daniels had second graders in Mrs. Severson and Mrs. Simon’s classes rotate between seven Kids Heart Challenge stations. Students got their hearts pumping with the long rope, short rope, hands only CPR, ninja belt challenge, jump rope, target throwing, and The Impossible Shot. Powhatan Elementary School also showed kindness by raising money for the American Heart Association. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
In November 2023, the PCPS School Health Advisory Committee sponsored a panel discussion called “Unmasking the Hidden Threats of Vaping.” The school division continues to hear from parents asking about vaping, so we thought it would be good to reshare the Youtube link to the recording of that panel discussion again as an additional source of information. The link is in the first comment.
Virginia Preschool Initiative and Head Start Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are available on the PCPS homepage as of March 4, 2024. When considering applying for these programs, children must be 3 or 4 years of age by September 30, 2024. See the division website for additional information. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Prince at 804-598-5700. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Today is National Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day. We are so very grateful for all of our facilities staff here at Powhatan County Public Schools. PCPS is fortunate to have such a dedicated team working to keep our buildings running and ready for students, staff, and community members. Not pictured is Director of Facilities Bob Benway, who leads this amazing crew. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Monday, March 4 kicks off Kindergarten Registration in Powhatan and around the region. Registration forms and parent sign-up for appointments and screening go live on this date. Appointments will begin April 11 and 12. We are asking for your help in reminding anyone with a child that will be age 5 by September 30, 2024, to begin enrolling now. This is a special time for schools to welcome their newest students. It is also important to get students screened and on the rosters as soon as possible to be better prepared for the start of the new school year.
In addition, the preschool (VPI/ Head Start) application process for children turning age 3 and 4 by September 30, 2024, is also now available online.
Check the Powhatan County Public Schools website for information or contact your local school with Kindergarten Registration or Preschool Application questions. We are so excited and cannot wait to get these students on the PCPS team! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
For its fourth year, PCPS’s biggest pop culture event, the PCPS Comicon, was a huge success. In addition to being the largest event yet, the Comicon held on Feb. 24 at Powhatan High School also had the highest turnout of patrons and cosplay contestants. The exciting costume contest drew a wide variety of entrants recreating their favorite characters in pop culture. A total of $400 earned for PCPS’s five school libraries came from attendees and donations. It was a great day for literacy! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Youth Art Month kicks off today, and to celebrate, PCPS is holding a Youth Art Month Art Exhibit opening from 2 to 4 p.m. this Sunday, March 3 at the Pocahontas Landmark Center. Come see beautiful artwork created by students from all five schools and curated for this year’s show, Experience PCPS. This exhibit, which shows the new generation of artists and creatives, will be on display through April 30 and is open to the public during PLC hours. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Students in Mrs. Simon’s second grade class at Powhatan Elementary presented posters about famous Black Americans to their class. The students researched and created posters for the project. Many of the students even dressed like the person they researched and reported on for their presentation. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Young minds are always soaking up knowledge. This preschool student in Mrs. Rakes’ class at Powhatan Elementary was fascinated by the "habitats" the third graders made. The preschool class walked by the habitats in the hall every day going to and from the bus loop and talked about the word habitat when they read a story about a penguin in the Arctic. This student was so inspired by the older kids’ projects that he went home and asked his mom if he could make his own habitat and bring it in to show his class. He was so proud of it (as well he should be!), and asked to put it in the hallway like the third graders did. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
We are back again with another installment of the Powhatan County School Board Recap. 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 first comment.
We are back again with another installment of the Powhatan County School Board Recap. 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 can be found at https://www.smore.com/13sxz.
Goochland Powhatan Community services is hiring open positions for School-based clinicians. CSB, a partner of Powhatan County Public School, has openings for several school-based mental health clinicians. To apply, click the link in the first comment.
Throughout January and February, second graders from all three PCPS elementary schools traveled to the Elizabeth Randolph Lewis Powhatan YMCA to participate in the Learn to Swim program. The seven free swimming lessons per second-grade class are supported by fundraising efforts of YMCA donors with the goal of saving lives through water safety education and swimming instruction. At the end of the program, students receive a certification of achievement and a Learn to Swim T-shirt. Throughout those seven lessons, the kids learned critical water safety skills such as asking permission to enter the water, swim-float-swim, dog paddling, and how to save someone who is drowning without putting themselves in danger. PCPS thanks the YMCA and the amazing instructors who make this important skill so fun and engaging for our second graders. Check out some of these fun Learn to Swim moments with Pocahontas Elementary students. #wearepcps #teampowhatan #swimmingtime
It’s time to gear up for PCPS’s biggest Pop Culture event. PCPS Comicon is only two days away! This awesome family event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 24 in the Commons area at Powhatan High School, 1800 Judes Ferry Road. This is a NEW LOCATION. Admission is only $1! All ages welcome. The Costume Contest begins at 2 p.m.
