Pocahontas Middle School

Thursday, October 2nd - Student Holiday - Yom Kippur

Friday, October 3rd @ 9 AM - Pocahontas 8th Grade Parent/Guardian Info Session - High School Options

Monday, October 13th - Student Holiday; Staff Professional Learning Day

Monday, October 20th - Student Holiday - Dinwali

Wednesday/Thursday, October 22rd/23rd - School Picture Day (students will take pictures during their Health/PE Block)

Friday, October 24th - End of the First Quarter; Student Half Day

Monday, October 27th - Friday, October 31st - Spirit Week

Thursday, November 6th - Fall Parent Teacher Conferenes

Tuesday, November 11th - Veterans Day Assembly and Veteran Reception

Interim - Half Way Through the First Quarter

As we enter week five of the school year, we are officially halfway through the first quarter. Now is a great time to check in with your student and discuss their grades. Parents are encouraged to use PowerSchool Parent Portal to review their student's grades. If you have questions about scores or comments in the gradebook, please reach out to the teacher.

Advisory is a great time for students to check their grades, complete assignments, and study for assessments. Please encourage your student to use Advisory time in a manner that increases their academic performance in their classes.

Family Picture Request - Form Reopened

Thank you to all our families who submitted family pictures for our display board. We would LOVE to add more family pictures to the display board.

What is an SSO?

SSOs are trained and certified by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and must seek recertification every two years. While they take their daily assignments from their school principal, they are part of the HCPS Office of Safety and Security. The SSOs are trained in search and seizure, emergency readiness and conflict management. They take classes in suicide prevention, bullying prevention, first aid, CPR, and child abuse and neglect. SSOs are encouraged to develop a positive rapport with the students. The SSOs are often the first school employees a student sees every day, and they are usually the first on the scene of an incident.

Pocahontas - 8th Grade Parent Information Session: Exploring High School Opportunities

Henrico County offers 8th grade students a variety of unique options for high school. While most of our students are zoned for Godwin High School, families should know that students may apply to attend other high schools—both within Henrico County and at regional programs. Check out this video for details about HCPS Specialty Centers.

Families and students looking for more information are encouraged to visit the HCPS Specialty Center page .

Did you know?

We invite you to join us for a 45-minute Parent Information Session on Friday, October 3rd at 9:00 AM in the library.

Ms. Milby, our 8th grade counselor, will provide an overview of these exciting opportunities, including:

Please note: all 8th grade students will also receive a similar presentation during school.

Specialty Center Open House Dates

The calendar below outlines the dates for individual Specialty Center Open Houses. Events are 6:30-8 p.m. unless noted in parentheses.

HCPS high school specialty centers, ACE centers, I.B. programs and regional high schools:

Hawk Huddle Reminders

After lunch, students are participating in Hawk Huddle. During this time, students are encouraged to socialize with peers, walk around the bus loop, and enjoy some fresh air.

As you talk with your student, please remind them that they should always keep their hands, feet, and objects to themselves. While outside, students should not be pulling on or picking up branches.

Also, please remind your student to always grab their lunchbox and water bottle before coming inside from huddle.

Mental Health E-Books

As part of our continued commitment to student and staff wellness through the Henrico CARES

initiative, HCPS is pleased to announce the procurement of three new digital mental health

resources for students, staff, and families: Cameron’s Camp for Wellness, Cameron’s Collection,

and Educator Wellness. These collections are now available through our partnership with GALE Cengage. They serve as another tool to support the emotional well-being of our school

communities.

All collections offer unlimited, anonymous access to developmentally appropriate ebooks on a wide range of mental health and wellness topics. These resources are designed to reduce stigma, promote awareness, and provide supportive information to students, families, and staff.

Access Details:

● Students and staff can access the collections directly through their Clever accounts.

● Parents and guardians can access the materials via the Student Support and

Wellness section of the HCPS website.

Medication Reminders

Parents/guardians - please note, students should not be bringing medications to the clinic. All medications need to be brought into the clinic by a parent/guardian. For our clinic staff to administer medication to a student, there are specific forms that must be completed and signed by a parent/guardian.

Additionally, students cannot carry any type of medication on them while at school (unless proper documentation is in the clinic). This includes. but is not limited to, allergy medicine, over-the-counter pain or cold medicine, or prescription medicine.

Preventing Illness

With back-to-school season comes lots of germs. Please remind your student to wash their hands regularly. Additionally, reminders about covering their mouths when they cough and sneeze are helpful

Legacy Book Club

The Pocahontas Legacy Book Club lets you honor the birthday of a Pocahontas student in a lasting way while helping expand the Pocahontas library collection. Here’s how it works:

 1. Visit the online payment system to pay your $15 donation

2. During your student’s birthday month, they will choose a brand new book that will be added to our school library. 

Please send any questions or comments to Ms. Walker at mawalker3@henrico.k12.va.us. Thank you for supporting our library!

Box Tops for Education

Are you looking for a quick and easy way to support Pocahontas Middle School? The Box Tops for Education app lets you earn cash for our school library by shopping for products you already buy at any store of your choice! Buy participating products, then use the Box Tops app to scan or upload your store receipt (or if you shop at Walmart, just connect your Walmart account directly to the Box Tops app). The app automatically identifies eligible products on your receipt and credits the earnings to Pocahontas. And yes, it works for online pickup & delivery orders, too!

Box Tops earnings really add up when more people participate, so thank you for supporting our school!

Wrestling Coach Needed

Pocahontas Middle School needs a wrestling coach for our team. The wrestling season runs from about November to January. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Felcia Schooley at faschooley@henrico.k12.va.us and/or Leah Wiedenhoft at ldwiedenhoft@henrico.k12.va.us.

Theatre Auditions - Once Upon a Mattress

Once Upon a Mattress: Youth Edition auditions are happening soon! Auditions are open to all Pocahontas students and will take place after school on October 6-9. To sign up, students must get a paper permission form from Ms. Justice AND complete a Google Form online. T

The Google Form lets students select the specific days they will stay after school to audition. Students should choose to do their singing audition either Monday 10/6 or Tuesday 10/7 and their acting audition either Wednesday 10/8 or Thursday 10/9. (We are not dividing auditions into a girls' call and a boys' call like in previous years.) Invited callbacks will take place after school on Friday 10/10.

Dates to keep in mind when auditioning: Saturday, February 28th, is a mandatory technical rehearsal for all cast and crew; the show runs March 6-8.

All audition information, materials, and sign-up links are located at tinyurl.com/pocadrama.

Optional audition review dates: Tuesday 9/30: girls' music review, Wednesday 10/1: boys' music review.

*Please note: this musical requires a smaller cast than last year. Being cast in a previous Pocahontas Players musical does not guarantee a role onstage in this production.

Please email Ms. Justice at mljustice@henrico.k12.va.us with questions.

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.

Applications for the 2026 House Page Program open August 1, and close Friday, October 17, at 5 PM. Each applicant must submit a recommendation letter from their Delegate.

Please see the FAQ provided by the House Clerk’s Office.

French Trip Summer of 2026

If your child or your family is interested in traveling to France with Madame Snyder in June 2026, there’s still time to enroll! This year’s trip is open to all Pocahontas students and their families.

support@forumbyprometour.com. Sign-ups for this trip will close on Tuesday, September 30th. Please email Madame Snyder if you are interested or have any questions hisnyder@henrico.k12.va.us. Vive la France!!!