Pocahontas Middle School

Dates to Note

Monday, August 25th - First day of tryouts for Fall Sports

Building Hours

• Our school hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.

• Instructional hours for students are 8:35 AM - 3:15 PM.

• The building opens to students at 8:05 AM.

• Friday, August 29th is a holiday for students and staff

• Schools are closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 1st

Attendance Reminders

• Attending school on a daily basis is a critical piece of academic success. Missing even one day of learning can cause a setback. Please take a minute to review the HCPS attendance policy and these family resources from Attendance Works.

• If your student needs to stay home for the day, please report the absence to the school by calling 804-364-0830.

• Students who are car riders are reminded to arrive to school with enough time to enter the building and report to Advisory before the 8:35 AM bell. Students arriving after 8:35 AM are considered tardy and will need to report to the main office to sign-in and receive a pass to class.

• Early dismissals for students will end at 2:50 PM. If your student needs to leave school early, please arrive at the main office to sign them out before 2:50 PM.

Main Office Reminders

• No Outside Food Deliveries - Students cannot have outside food (ex: McDonalds, ChickFilA, etc) delivered during the school day. Please do not bring take-out items to the main office for students.

• Walker/Bike Rider Permission Form - If your student has permission to walk or bike to/from school, we need you to complete this form. For safety precautions, the main office keeps the information on file to ensure we have documented permission for students to walk or ride their bike to/from school.

Arrival Information

Car Riders Arrival

• The building opens to students 8:05 AM. Students must wait in the car until 8:05.

• Please follow the directions of staff who are directing traffic in the lot.

• NO cars should enter the front loop outside the main office.

• Bus riders should be at their assigned stops approximately 10 minutes before the assigned pick-up time.

• When arriving to Pocahontas, buses will deboard from the bus loop in the back of the building.

Dismissal Information

Car Riders/Walkers

• We will begin releasing 6th graders around 3:15 PM. All car riders and walkers exit the building through the main doors at the front of the building.

• If you are picking your student up, you should park in a parking spot in our main lot and wait for them to walk to you. Please do not walk to the doors of the building.

• Once your student arrives at your car, follow the circle around the lot to exit.

• Please do NOT park and wait for your student anywhere other than a lined parking space.

• No cars should enter the loop outside the main office.

• Patience and caution are critical to keeping our lot safe and secure.

• The time for dismissing bus riders depends on when buses arrive at the building.

• Once most buses have arrived, students will be released via an announcement. Additionally, teachers will display a PM bus board that indicates the order the buses are lined up.

• Bus riders must move swiftly to their assigned buses. Please review your student's bus information with them so they know exactly which bus to ride.

• Please work with your student so they have memorized their bus number.

• We anticipate delayed buses for the first few days of school. Please be patient as our buses will not arrive until after they have completed elementary school runs.

Meet our Admin Team

Our administrative team is ready to support you and your student as you move throughout the school year. Reach out with questions or concerns - we are happy to help!

VALLSS Information

As part of the requirements set forth in the Virginia Literacy Act, students in grades 6-8 that did not pass their Reading SOL at the end of the 2024-25 school year will participate in the Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System (VALLSS). VALLSS is designed to provide teachers and families with a better understanding of why students may be experiencing reading difficulties. The VALLSS assessment will help to identify relative strengths and weaknesses with code-based and language comprehension skills. The data from this assessment will be used to guide instruction for improved reading outcomes. 

1. Students will engage in an oral reading fluency task. They will read a short fiction text and a short nonfiction text out loud with their teacher. This will assess the student’s words read correctly per minute.

2. Students will complete a spelling test which contains 20 words. 

3. Students will demonstrate their understanding of prefixes, suffixes, and base words by completing the 12 item morphology component.

4. Students will demonstrate their comprehension at the sentence level by completing the 16 item sentence comprehension component.

Online Fees and Forms

• Henrico County will continue to utilize online systems to complete school division forms, including the Code of Conduct and Laptop/Charger Agreement. Forms are available now in PowerSchool. Please take a moment to log into the Parent Portal to complete the required forms.

• The form completion site, eCollect Forms, is free of charge and can be accessed using Parent Portal within Powerschool. Directions for accessing PowerSchool Parent Portal and/or creating an account are linked here.

• Looking to pay school fees? Head to our Online School Payment (OSP) website. When you log in, you can access both required fees (based on a student's schedule) and optional fees (yearbook, etc).

• If you don't have an account, the PowerSchool Information sight has a tutorial and directions.

• Families can access their student's lunch account through MySchoolBucks. If you need assistance with your account, please visit our HCPS School Nutrition Website.

Hawk Pride T-Shirts

• We encourage everyone to purchase a grade-level Hawk Pride Shirt for your student. Details are in the Online School Payment System.

• If you would like your student to receive a shirt in the first round of orders, please place the order by Thursday, August 29th.

• Thank you for your support!

Cell Phone Expectation

• For both instructional and safety purposes, as in years past, students may not have cell phones and electronic devices (headphones, games, etc) out during the school day. Students must store their devices in their backpacks or in a locked storage container that is available in each classroom. 

• If a student needs to leave class to visit the restroom, clinic, school counseling office, etc., their cell phone must remain in the classroom.

• If a student fails to follow these guidelines, the following steps will be taken in alignment with the 2025-2026 Code of Student Conduct.

Student ID Cards

• Most of our students have received their ID and lanyard for the school year. Newly enrolled students may not have an ID yet, but we will work to get them one ASAP.

• Each student should bring their card to school every day and wear their lanyard to keep their card clearly visible during activities on school grounds. 

• The cards bring together a handful of processes that students encounter every day and makes them all accessible with a quick scan or tap. Students will use their cards to: ride the bus to and from school, check out a book or other materials from the library, get lunch in the cafeteria, sign-in/out in the main office if arriving or leaving school early, and access specific technology services

• Students will be given instructions on the proper use and handling of their ID cards.

HCPS Acceptable Use Agreement

Students have received their HCPS computer and charger.

HCPS Code of Conduct

Safety Drill

This week, Pocahontas Middle School will be conducting a lock-and-hide drill. Families/Staff will receive notification just before the drill begins and when it has concluded.

• We will place a personalized nameplate inside the book to honor their legacy on our library shelves for years to come!

• The student will also receive a birthday goodie bag with a bookmark, waterproof sticker, eraser, and candy.

• If you are looking for specific information about any of our sports programs, please check-out our Pocahontas Athletics Website.

• On the site, each sport has a tab with information specific to that program

• It is imperative students interested in participating in sports complete the five required forms. All forms are linked on our Pocahontas Athletics Website. 

• Tryouts begin directly after dismissal. Students participating in athletics will stay in their last block class until an announcement is made. When called, athletic participants will report to the cafeteria and sit in their assigned area. Coaches will meet them in the designated area.

• Tryouts will run from 3:30-5:30 PM. 

• Students needing to change clothes before tryouts must wait until they are with their coach. Once coaches meet the participants, they will provide specific directions for locker room expectations.

• Each student participating in tryouts will need to check in, and staff will verify their forms are complete. We ask for everyone's patience as students move through the check-in process on the first day of tryouts.

• All tryouts will end at 5:30 PM. At 5:30, coaches will walk participants to the main parking lot for pick-up. Parents/guardians do not need to come to the field to pick-up students; please meet them in the main parking lot.

• Tryouts are closed to visitors/parents/guardians/guests.

• Coaches will communicate final team rosters, practice expectations, and sport-specific details once they know who is participating. 

• The HCPS Code of Conduct is in effect. 

• Good luck to all of our students who are trying out for a team! We applaud your effort and look forward to cheering you on! Go Hawks!

Annual Page Program

The Virginia House of Delegates administers an annual page program for youths aged 13-14, focusing on civics education, the legislative process, and leadership development.

• Store closes on Friday, August 29th at midnight

• Products will be delivered to school mid-September.

• Online store includes t-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies, hats, embroidered flannel pajama pants, embroidered 1/4 zip fleece pullovers, and more

• Youth XL/Adult XS sizes as available