Upcoming Events - Save the Dates
Monday, February 17th - Wellness Day - No School
Tuesday, February 18th - Schools closed for students, Teacher/staff professional learning day
Thursday, February 20th - Spring Picture Day (order online using the information below)
Thursday, February 20th - Family Game Night at Pocahontas
Wednesday, February 26th - Rising 7th Grade Vaccine Clinic at Pocahontas - See below for Details
Wednesday, February 26th -HCPS Black History Month Poetry Slam
Friday, February 28th - Cookie Dough Delivery for music students
Friday, March 7th - Sunday, March 9th - Pocahontas Theatre Program presents Little Mermaid
Spring Picture Day - Thursday, February 20th
Strawbridge will be at Pocahontas on Thursday, February 20th. Preorders are required for Spring pictures; all orders must be placed before picture day.
To review order information and pay online, go to www.strawbridge.net. Click Order Pictures and enter code: FM459354.
HCPS Survey
Each year, Henrico County Public Schools surveys families, staff members and students about their experiences in their school and within the school division. Your input is important to help us identify what we are doing well and what we can do better.
The survey window is now open! We want each family to complete the survey so your voice can be heard. You can also complete the survey directly by going to the Surveys page on the HCPS website.
Students in grades 3-12 will have the opportunity to complete a student version of the survey during the school day.
If you don’t wish for your student in grades 3-12 to participate in the survey, please contact our main office.
When you complete the survey online, you can choose to enter a drawing for prizes! At the end of the survey, parents can enter their contact information to be entered in a prize drawing. At least one family from each magisterial district will be randomly selected for a prize bag from the HCPS Division of Family and Community Engagement.
Thank you in advance for completing the survey and for your continued support of our school!
Pocahontas Book Study
On Wednesday, we sent an interest survey for parents/guardians who would like to participate in a book study with our school-based mental health team.
Together, we will read Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation. We will gather as a book club for reflection and discussion at least twice during the spring. To plan, we need your input. If you are interested in participating in the book discussion, please complete this interest form by Friday, February 14th.
Career Day Volunteers Needed
Pocahontas Middle School’s Annual Career Day offers a unique opportunity for parents and community members to visit our school and talk to 7th grade students about their jobs. Parents, if you are willing to spend a couple of hours with us the morning of Thursday, May 15th (from 8:30 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.), we would love to hear from you.
Career Day speakers are asked to talk for approximately 20 minutes to three different groups of students. Topics to share may include: your journey & what led you to this career, the degree/schooling required, responsibilities of a typical day, your challenges, your favorite perks, and how information students are learning now relates to the world of work.
If interested or need more information, please contact Ms. Debra Milby, 7th grade School Counselor drmilby@henrico.k12.va.us
Lost and Found Pick-Up
Our lost and found bins are overflowing. Please encourage your student to pick up their lost items in the cafeteria on Monday. Items that are not retrieved, will be donated.
Reminder for PE Attire
Our PE Department is reminding all students and families that the HCPS dress code is followed during PE. Students are NOT permitted to wear any type of cutoff shirt that shows their midriff. Students who do not adhere to the dress code will be asked to change.
7th Grade Field Trip
We are excited to announce that the 7th grade field trip to the National Museum of the Marine Corps is coming up on Wednesday, March 12th, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM! This will be a fantastic opportunity for our students to explore Marine Corps history, interact with museum volunteers, and engage with hands-on exhibits.
Permission slips and payments should be returned before March 3rd.
Nominate a Teacher for an REB Award
Nominations are open through Feb. 18 for the 2025 REB Award for Teaching Excellence. The annual awards identify, recognize and support teaching excellence in the Richmond area.
The awards provide a tangible, public way to recognize outstanding HCPS instructors — and give them the means to continue growing. The grant-funded awards are presented by the Community Foundation. Honorees receive professional development grants, given to teachers who have distinguished themselves by their inspiring classroom performance. Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000. Through a nomination process, approximately 15 outstanding teachers are selected each year to receive cash grants to support professional development activities. Nominations are invited from parents, students, educators and the community at large. Individuals may nominate only one teacher. Teachers may not be nominated by their principal and may not nominate themselves. Nominations must be made online. A letter in support of the nomination must be written by another individual and submitted online with the nomination.
Who: The Community Foundation invites nominations from students, parents, colleagues, school staff and administrators (except for the school principal), and members of the community.
When: Nominations and letters of support must be submitted online by Feb. 18 at 5 p.m.
How: Go to henricoschools.us and look under "What’s Trending" for a link with full details, or visit www.cfengage.org/receive/scholars-educators/educators. For questions regarding nominations, email Tracie Weston, HCPS' director of professional learning and leadership, at taweston@henrico.k12.va.us
Support Our Library w/ Pizza Purchases
Pizza for you = Money for the Pocahontas Library with POCAPIZZA!
Treat yourself to Papa John’s pizza and enter the code POCAPIZZA. A portion of your purchase will benefit the Pocahontas Library.
Use the POCAPIZZA code when ordering online at any Papa John’s in Central VA, and don't worry – the code still works with all Papa John's coupon codes and discounts.
Thank you for supporting our library!
Clothing for Cash
As you are cleaning out closets this winter, we encourage you to bring donations to our Clothing for Cash Bin.
Do you have clothing items you are ready to donate? Please use the Clothing to Cash bin located in the Pocahontas Middle School parking lot. The Clothing to Cash School Program is designed to fundraise for our school by collecting new and gently used clothes, shoes and textiles. For each pound of materials donated to the program, the school earns money that is put towards student and staff recognition and incentives.
Dressing for the Weather
As we experience winter weather, we encourage students to dress for the weather. We never know when something might occur that requires us to be outside the building. Dressing with the weather in mind will help students be more comfortable if we are required to be outside.
HCPS Partnership with Care Solace
When you, your child, or a family member needs help, it’s hard to know where to turn. In an effort to ease the burden of finding the mental health care and/or substance use treatment services you need, HCPS has partnered with Care Solace, your new confidential mental health care coordination service.
With a network of over 560,000 providers and services, Care Solace will help you find the right help at the right time, 24/7/365, at no cost to you. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances, including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance.
You can access Care Solace services in three ways:
Call 888-515-0595 at any time. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365. A dedicated Care Companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
Search the Care Match website anonymously to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at https://caresolace.com/site/henricocps
Contact a school-based mental health professional at your school (school counselor, school psychologist, or school social worker), and they will submit a referral on your behalf.
No matter what you’re experiencing, there is hope and help. We are confident that our new partnership with Care Solace will help us build a healthier, more vibrant school community.
If you have a life-threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1 or the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8. Care Solace is not an emergency response service or mental health services provider.
Immunizations Clinic - Rising 7th Grade Students
As required by Virginia law for attendance at a public school, all students must have the Tdap vaccine and a dose of the meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccine before they are permitted to attend the first day of their 7th grade school year.
To support families in meeting this requirement, HCPS will hold a one-time school-based immunization clinic at Pocahontas Middle School on Wednesday, February 26th. Both vaccines will be available to any rising 7th-grade student who returns a signed consent form (regardless of insurance status). If students participate in the clinic, the vaccines are free of charge. If the consent form is signed, parents/guardians do NOT need to be present when the immunizations are administered to the student.
A consent form and related information are being sent home with your child on Tuesday, February 11th. Please review, sign, and return to the nurse at your child’s zoned school as soon as possible. To participate, consent forms must be returned to our clinic by Friday, February 21st.
Additional information can be located on the HCPS School Health website at Henricoschools.us/page/health. Or, click the links below for information about the vaccinations
The PTA encourages you to consider becoming a member of our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) today. Today kicks off our Spring membership drive. Please (click here) to join.
With a contribution of just $8.50 for one parent, or $15.50 for a family membership, you will be helping us deliver programs that enhance the cultural, social, artistic, and educational experiences for all children at Pocahontas Middle School!
You can also combine your PTA membership with a tax-deductible donation to our Hawk Fund. This is our whole-school fundraiser that helps fund classroom grants, educational technology, parent programs, and teacher appreciation events.
Suggested donations start at $50 per child per year, and this year all donors of $100 or above will be entered in a raffle to win prized parking for an event of your choice! Is your child in the band? Parking for the spring concert can be hard to find but with your donation, you will be entered to win front row parking! We will be raffling off parking spaces for the school play, spring music concerts, and sporting events! And for two lucky families, we will be raffling off two sets of 4 tickets for seats of your choice to a performance of this year's spring musical The LIttle Mermaid Jr!!
We hope you will consider a membership and a gift to the Hawk Fund. CLICK HERE TO MAKE DONATIONS!
Pocahontas Game Night
Get ready for a night of laughter, competition, and family fun! The Pocahontas PTA is hosting a FREE Family Game Night and we want YOU to be part of the excitement.
When: February 20th, 2025 | 5:30-7:00 PM
Where: Pocahontas Middle Cafeteria
We'll have popcorn, snacks, and drinks to keep everyone fueled, so all you need to bring is your competitive spirit and a game to share! Don’t forget—this event is all about family, so all siblings are welcome and encouraged. No drop-offs, please; come together and enjoy the evening as a team!
Ready to play? So we can plan accordingly, please sign-up using this Family Game Night Form. We hope to see you there!
Godwin Football Information
If your student is a rising freshman at Godwin High School and is interested in playing football, come to the parent informational meeting in the Godwin Library on February 18, 2025, at 6:30 pm. The meeting will cover how off-season training works, important dates, introductions, and Q&A.
If you are available, please be there as it takes an entire community with parent involvement to have a successful football program. Please reach out to Coach Bierlair rabierlair@henrico.k12.va.us if you have any questions or are unable to attend.
Supporting Pocahontas's PACK Club
There’s a new coffee shop in town and it wants to support Pocahontas and our humane education club, The PACK, and its mission of helping animals in our community. Starting on January 19th, Foxtail Coffee in West Broad Village will be raising funds for Richmond Animal Care and Control. To participate, just bring your pup into the shop, the staff will take their picture and put it up on our Pup Board, and for each picture, Foxtail will donate $5 until we reach $1,000. Simply share with us that your pup is part of the Pocahontas family. We need a lot of pups! There is absolutely no purchase necessary. Thanks for helping out! Contact Ms. Milby, PACK sponsor, with any questions. (drmilby@henrico.k12.va.us)
This is the link to their Instagram reel announcing it: Foxtail Coffee (West Broad Village) (@foxtailwestbroadvillage) • Instagram photos and videos