Do you have a passion for reading? Are you looking for a way to ignite children's love for books? Are you looking for an opportunity to volunteer your talents? Powhatan Education Foundation would love to meet you! The PEF mission is to enhance the learning experience for Powhatan County Public Schools’ learning community. To that end, the group participates in fundraising that provides innovation grants, student enrichment activities, and post-secondary scholarships. The group is looking for a talented, passionate community member to join them with an eye toward PEF’s collaborative efforts with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Good afternoon PCPS community. 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 wish you a safe and happy Spring Break. See you on April 8.
All fifth-grade students at @powhatanelementary_pcps participated in a narrative project where they wrote a book in English class with Mrs. Lewis. When the school division had a half day, the fifth graders had the opportunity to showcase their stories to all classes from pre-kindergarten to fourth grade. The younger students rotated between several of the young authors, who read aloud to them. What a wonderful way to showcase the fifth graders' creativity and storytelling skills. #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 taking time over several weeks to highlight how those projects are going. Next up is a grant that purchased iPads for the PHS Library to use for classroom collaborations. The iPads have been used with projects such as students making original short films, creating stop motion shorts, and more. In Ms. Spotts’ drivers education class, (shown here) the students made videos about safety features that were assigned to them. They had to research the safety features, write a script for a news report or documentary, and film them. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
In advance of Earth Day, almost 2,000 tree seedlings have been distributed to all pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students since last week as part of the Growing Kids & Trees program. @forestryva and Virginia Cooperative Extension - Powhatan provided free Virginia native hardwood seedlings to the schools that students could take home and plant. Students had a chance to take home either a dogwood, common apple, pin oak, river birch, or white oak tree. STEM Coach Barbara Adcock said she loves the long-term impression this project can make on children. “They can see a tree that was just a stick basically when they are planting it, but by the time they get up in high school, it’s taller than they are in many cases. So, they see the impact of planting something even very small,” she said. The PCPS STEM program will once again have a table at the Powhatan County Earth Day celebration, which will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 19 on the Powhatan Courthouse Village Green. Be sure to stop by and say hello at this free, family-friendly event. #wearepcps #teampowhatan #earthday @visitpowhatanva
Earlier this month, about 100 seventh grade Integrated History II students at Powhatan Middle School participated in an arts-integrated, in-school field trip. In an effort to help students make connections between the past and present, the school collaborated with Partners in the Arts at the University of Richmond to plan a two-day "Harlem Renaissance to Hip-Hop" experience. After meeting in the gym for a brief introduction and overview to the history of hip hop and hip-hop dancing, which date back to the Bronx in 1973, the students split into their respective groups to learn about the fields of dance, music, visual arts, and poetry with local Richmond artists. Students took what they learned on Day 1 and used it to complete their own creative piece of work and share it with their fellow students the next day. The respective groups created original dances, their own music, graffiti art pieces, and affirmation-themed pieces of artwork. Many thanks to the group of artistic entrepreneurs who came together for this program to help our students explore this rich cultural history: Deandra Clarke, dance and hip-hop history; Zenobia Bey, storytelling and hip hop; Tommy 2600, coding beats workshop; and SillyGenius, graffiti workshop. #wearepcps #teampowhatan #harlemrenaissance @partnersinthearts @danceceo @community_5050 @heritage.n.motion @tommy2600_ @sillygenius
Ms. Allen’s second graders at Powhatan Elementary had fun rotating between reading and writing stations, including personal narratives, writing, and biographies. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Mrs. Smith used a recipe for a two-layer cake to work on adding and subtracting mixed numbers with her fifth graders at Pocahontas Elementary School. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Ms. Daniel’s first graders at Powhatan Elementary brought a STEM spin to a St. Patrick’s Day activity last week when they used materials to design and build a leprechaun trap. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
During a recent lab in Ms. Vallent’s AP Biology class at Powhatan High School, the students conducted a Bacterial Transformation Lab. The class grew E Coli Bacteria and introduced plasmid DNA into the bacteria. The plasmid carries a gene for producing a glowing protein (derived from a glowing jellyfish). As you can see from the pictures, the class had success getting the bacteria to transform and glow! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
On April 8, there will be a solar eclipse! On April 8, 2024, parts of North America will be treated to a total solar eclipse! Although Powhatan won't be in the path of totality, we'll still get to enjoy around 86% coverage. PCPS will be celebrating the day with age-appropriate activities to help students understand the phenomenon. Rest assured, safety is our top priority, and we'll be providing proper eye protection and guidance on safe viewing practices for everyone involved. Peak coverage will be at 3:19 p.m. We ask for your patiences as buses may be running slightly behind schedule. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Tick, tock, tick, tock! Ms. Richter’s first graders at Pocahontas Elementary recently focused on learning how to read a clock to tell time by the hour and half hour. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
St. Patrick’s Day-themed shenanigans were had by all last week when Miss Katie’s preschool class at Flat Rock Elementary learned how to draw pots of gold, followed by a little fun with light and rainbows. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Powhatan Elementary students put on a fantastic show last night when they proved Powhatan’s Got Talent. The talent show allowed students to show off their skills with performances of gymnastics, dancing, singing, comedy, cup stacking, cheerleading, and even playing the kazoo. What an all-star lineup! A special thanks also goes out to the event coordinators who put in so many extra hours to help make this show a reality and a success: Joy Daniel, Gina Dickerson, Amy Hintz, Brittany Kellaway, Erin Woodson, and April Mount. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
One day of musical celebration down and two more to go! You still have two days to come and enjoy some amazing chorus groups in the Powhatan Diamond Classic, a musical competition at Powhatan High School featuring almost 50 groups from around the state. The competition continues today with Day 2 featuring 16 Treble Show Choirs. Come back again on Saturday for Day 3 featuring 17 Mixed Show Choirs. The Powhatan choirs will also perform their competition shows this year. Come cheer on these multi-award-winning choirs!! Get your tickets at the door: $15/Friday | $20/Saturday | $30/3-Day VIP Pass. Click on the link in the first comment to access this year's digital program, which includes daily performance schedules, cafe and coffee bar menus, and so much more! #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. Next up is “Let’s Explore CoDrone EDU: Drones Made for Learning,” a project spearheaded by Katy Osborne, Kelly Terry, and Kristen Bentzen at Flat Rock Elementary. CoDrone EDU is the latest in coding drones made specifically for classroom learning featuring the safety, flexibility, and durability needed for student learning. In these photos, Mrs. Osborne and Ms. Terry work with Mrs. Beemer’s fifth graders to first code the drones using Blockly and then test their coding by having the drones fly an obstacle course. #wearepcps #teampowhatan @RobolinkInc
Miss Southward’s second grade class at Flat Rock Elementary School did a research project on famous Americans. The kids created poster boards and gave an oral presentation in the first person. Having the cut out to put their faces through during the presentation allowed them to put more expression into their presentations. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Powhatan High School’s FFA and Horticulture program are back with their annual Spring Plant Sale. Come out and support our students by purchasing the plants they have grown from April 15-20 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-12 p.m.in the PHS Greenhouse. Take Judes Ferry Road to Old Church Road. Turn by the tennis courts and follow the road to the greenhouse behind the school. Plants for sale include: tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, marigolds, coleus, geraniums, petunias, impatiens, thunbergia, pentas, verbena, sweet potato vine, and assorted herbs. Payment is by cash or check only. Contact emilee.meinhard@powhatan.k12.va.us with any questions. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
February was so much fun for @powhatanelementary_pcps as the school participated in the Kids Heart Challenge. The school focused on the importance of taking care of their hearts by being physically active every day, eating fruits and vegetables, sleeping at least 10 hours at night, and staying away from smoke. They also learned the warning signs of a stroke, practiced how to do hands-only CPR, and completed a bunch of cardiovascular activities like jump roping. The month culminated with an Awards Ceremony that saw the students from each grade level with the highest fundraising totals honored, followed by the opportunity to throw a pie in Mrs. Deal’s, Mrs. Gobble’s, Mr. Daniels’, and Mrs. Woodson’s faces. In all, 100 students registered for the challenge, which raised a total of $16,704.32 for the American Heart Association. In addition, 39 families learned hands-only CPR, and all students K-5 learned hands-only CPR in class. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Mr. Roberts’ Energy and the Environment class at @powhatanmiddle_pcps completed a wind turbine project where they learned how to convert energy from wind into electrical energy. The class discussed how energy, electricity specifically, is generated and how to continue to produce electricity in a sustainable and responsible manner. When the wind blows, it pushes against the blades causing them to spin. As the blades spin, they cause the generator to turn. The turning of the generator generates electricity (moving electrons), which can be used to turn on lights, play music, as well as power many other devices. For this project, students designed “rotor blades” for the pre-assembled wind turbine. They tested their designs, recorded data, and modified their rotor blades in an attempt to achieve the greatest generation of electricity possible. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
