On the evening of Monday, Dec. 4, PCPS will be conducting a community-wide test of our new notification system. Our new website vendor, Apptegy, provides a messaging platform that will enable us to more effectively reach parents with time-sensitive information. Not only will we be able to reach you by phone, text, and email as we do currently, but we'll also be able to simultaneously broadcast to all our social media platforms, including our new Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as directly to your phone if you have downloaded the PCPS website app.
Please be on the lookout for messaging beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday the 4th. If you have questions, you may reach us using alerts-help@powhatan.k12.va.us.
Susan Shepperson, president of Alliance of Wild Animal Rehabilitation and Education (AWARE), recently brought in a barred owl and talked with Pocahontas Elementary kindergarten students about nocturnal animals and their features and adaptations. Mrs. Shepperson lives in Powhatan and offers educational programs to the community. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Kindergartners is Mrs. Morris’ class at Pocahontas Elementary work on a story sequencing exercise after reading the book “Stellaluna.” #wearepcps #teampowhatan
From the PCPS family, wishing you a harvest of blessings, a season of thanks, and a day filled with warmth and joy. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Mrs. Fields’ VPI-4 class at Pocahontas Elementary enjoys Center Time, which allows them to choose and learn how they want to play and be social. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Powhatan County Public Schools will be closed: Wednesday, Nov. 22; Thursday, Nov. 23; and Friday, Nov. 24. We hope your day is full of happiness.
Mrs. Bates’ second grade class at Pocahontas Elementary took advantage of a beautiful day to have a picnic outside to help bid farewell to a classmate who was moving away. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
The following staff members were nominated and selected for Helping Hands Awards. They were first honored at their workplace and then invited to be honored again by the School Board on Nov. 14.
* PCPS Transportation employees Robin Hendel and Laura Livingston were nominated by Katie Wojcicki, Director of Student Services and Interventions, and Cheryl Thomas, Director of Elementary Instruction for Inspiring.
* Pocahontas Elementary teacher Gwynn Johnson was nominated by a parent for Inspiring.
* Powhatan Elementary employee Noah Inglish was nominated by a staff member for Inspiring.
Powhatan County Public Schools and County staff are joining forces to help spread a little cheer with a Holiday Silent Auction to benefit the Powhatan Christmas Mother program.
The Powhatan community is invited to attend a silent auction filled with gift baskets, baked goods, handmade gifts, and gift certificates from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1 at the Pocahontas Landmark Center.
Now in its second year, the event brings together school and county employees to give back to the Christmas Mother program, which supports the Powhatan community all year long.
Suzanne Cline, 2023 Powhatan Christmas Mother, said she appreciates the enormous show of support from community partners, including local government, businesses, civic groups, and individuals. The way the Powhatan community can join together in such fun and imaginative ways to spread joy and kindness to others in need only reinforces the genuineness of Cline’s theme for this year, “A Village of Blessings.”
“We are 100% funded by donations. Without community partnerships, we wouldn’t be able to provide the magic of Christmas to over 500 Powhatan children and seniors,” Cline said.
In 2021, 35 employees became members of our first cohort for LETRS Training. The Lexia LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) is a comprehensive professional learning opportunity designed to provide early childhood and elementary educators and administrators with deep knowledge to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading. This is an intensive training in which teachers had to complete extensive readings and online modules while also attending eight virtual trainings ranging from half days to whole days. Individuals who completed the 132 hours of training: Stephanie Adam, Katie Bates, Paula Bean, Melinda Brooks, Carla Crump, Jill Dewey, Julie Garner, Tiffany Green, Robyn Hall, Amy Hintz, Angela Innerbichler, Bailey Johnson, Gwynn Johnson, Jenny Johnson, Lisa McCue, Sarah Moore, Samantha Morton, Riley Mosher, Molly Moss, Traciann Paden, Tiffany Proffitt, Melissa Rama, Lisa Richter, Colleen Schwartz, Amy Senger, Laura Simon, Kate Southward, Julia Stech, Tia Stout, Mark Thompson, and Ellen Valcourt. These educators were recognized at the Powhatan County School Board meeting on Nov. 14. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
PCPS received a $30,000 grant from the VDOE RARS Grant Program, which will be distributed throughout the school year. The intent of the Recruitment and Retention Support (RARS) Grant is to provide public school divisions with a structured framework upon which they can systematically develop plans to support the recruitment and retention of employees through hiring incentives and continuing education funds. This is our first group of recipients: Colleen Chinnis, Flat Rock ES (SPED); Lauren Hockaday, Flat Rock ES (SPED); Amy Tucker, Flat Rock (SPED); Katie Humphrey, Powhatan ES (fourth Grade); and Bonnie Lambert, Powhatan HS (CTE – Health Sciences). Recipients were recognized at the Nov. 14 Powhatan County School Board meeting. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
SkillsUSA is an organization for technical, skilled, and service career students. During the State Fair of Virginia, three Cosmetology students and one Electricity student from Powhatan High School showcased their skills and performed well in their respective SkillsUSA categories. Mrs. Hazelwood’s Cosmetology 1 students Olivia Benton (model), Addison May, and Brielle Walters were competing for the first time and brought home fourth place in the Total Fantasy Look Competition. Mr. Payne’s Electricity 2 student, Bradley Wade, placed fifth out of 25 at the SkillsUSA State Fair Electricity Competition.The Powhatan County School Board recognized the students at the Nov. 14 meeting. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Barbara Adcock, PCPS STEM coach, has been selected as a recipient of the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEE) Grant from the Office of Environmental Education within the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The MWEE Grant, in the amount of $7,480, has been awarded to support our efforts to purchase Enviroscapes for each of our elementary schools for our students in fourth grade while conducting their MWEE. Mrs. Adcock was recognized by the Powhatan County School Board on Nov. 14. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
During its Nov. 14 meeting, the Powhatan County School Board recognized Betty McCracken for 17 years of exceptional service in the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District and for her invaluable contributions to PCPS. They commended her unwavering dedication to environmental education, conservation, and advocacy, which have enriched the lives of countless students and community members. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
The Powhatan County School Board had a full night of recognitions at its regular Nov. 14 meeting. To start, congratulations to our Powhatan Education Foundation winners!
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 received 21 grant requests. Six grants were fully or partially funded for a total investment of $16,146.28.
* Droning Across the Curriculum: ($3,000) Amanda Henley, Jordan Nutt, and Cara Alexander -Grant money will be used at Powhatan Elementary to purchase drones to give students a hands-on learning approach to concepts students struggle with for example, computational learning.
* From Seed to Fruit: ($2,544) Barbara Adcock - A grow tent indoors at Pocahontas Elementary will allow students to not only see the complete cycle of a variety of vegetables, but also allow them to experiment with different types of soils, lighting, and methods of pollination.
* Let’s Explore CoDrone EDU: Drones Made for Learning: ($2,999.99) Katy Osborne, Kelly Terry, and Kristen Bentzen - CoDrone EDU is the latest in coding drones made specifically for classroom learning featuring the safety, flexibility, and durability needed for student learning and classroom usage.
* Upgraded 3D Printer for the Engineering Classroom: ($2,106.90) Marcellus Beasley, Cody Seibel, and Elaina Buczkowski - Grant will upgrade 3D printer for engineering classroom at Powhatan High School and allow for transfer of existing 3D printer to the library.
* Clay in the Classroom: Shaping a New Future for High School Anatomy Education: ($2,891.69) Cheri Ashman - ANATOMY IN CLAY® is an innovative educational approach that reimagines how human anatomy is taught by using tactile clay models, allowing students to grasp the subject matter in a way that flat, 2D diagrams simply can't achieve. The system is expensive, so Ms. Ashman proposes to pool resources from the PEF and her Curtis funds to provide enough materials to thoroughly pilot the program.
* High School library iPads for classroom collaboration: ($2,603.70) Loren Jacobs and Paul Smartschan - Powhatan High School Library will purchase iPads for collaboration.
Powhatan County Public Schools is hiring homebound instructors and substitute teachers. Be the guiding star in our students' education journey. Join us now! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Ms. Richter’s first graders at Pocahontas Elementary use the four-square writing tool to organize their thoughts when describing people in their families. This is the prewriting stage before they write their sentences. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Powhatan County Public Schools wishes to say thank you to all of those men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and a special thank you to all of our employees who served. We honor your sacrifice. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Real Money. Real World. is a financial program that introduces a dose of real life to money management for our eighth graders. Virginia Cooperative Extension is seeking adults to assist students at each of the booths where they will "purchase" homes, vehicles, groceries and many other monthly needs. If you enjoy working with young people, please consider signing up to help us with this upcoming program at Powhatan Middle School on Monday, Nov 13. Register to volunteer at this link: https://forms.gle/cbkSr2YcpuDNUzHb8
National STEM/STEAM Day is celebrated every year on Nov. 8 to encourage kids to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, arts and math careers. On a recent third grade STEM Day at Pocahontas Elementary, students recently learned about the importance of soil by making observations of the soil components, testing the soil in the schoolyard to determine what it contained, and learning about vermiculture - composting with worms. They will use worms to compost their food scraps throughout the year. The day ended with them creating their own soil mixture to grow microgreens. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
