Dates to Note
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)
Thursday, October 23rd - Spirit Night at Panera and Strings Concert
Friday, October 24th - End of the First Quarter; Student Half Day
Friday, October 24th - Boo Bash (see ticket information above)
Monday, October 27th - Friday, October 31st - Spirit Week
October 29th and 30th - Fall Growth Assessment Testing
Thursday, November 6th - Fall Parent Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, November 11th - Veterans Day Assembly and Veteran Reception
Half-Day Permission To Walk Form - Fri, October 24th
As a reminder, if students will be walking home, we need to know ahead of time, so we can identify those students. If your student will be walking home next Friday, please either write a note and have your student turn it into the main office by the end of Advisory on Thursday, October 23rd, OR complete this electronic permission form. Only students given parental/guardian permission will be allowed to walk home on Friday, October 24th.
Safety Reminders:
If your student walks home from school, we ask you to discuss safe walking reminders with them. Safety reminders include:
Stop at all major intersections and follow all traffic signals.
Only cross the road at designated intersections and/or within the pedestrian crosswalks
Before crossing roads and/or parking lot entrances/exits, stop and look both ways to ensure there is no traffic.
Please also remind students of safe and respectful behaviors to exhibit while visiting local stores/restaurants after the early release. We want our students to be excellent stewards in our community. Your help in communicating expectations is very helpful!
Thank you for discussing these points with your student.
End of Quarter 1 Reminders
The first nine weeks ends on Friday October 24th. Between now and then, students will demonstrate their knowledge of content material through a variety of class projects and/or assessments. Check out the Hawk Boards for details about what is occurring in each class.
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.
Support to Succeed
Included in the syllabi is the revised HCPS Support to Succeed. Teachers will be in communication with families of students who qualify for remediation/retesting.
Support to Succeed Policy
The School Board of Henrico County is committed to ensuring the success of all students in grades PK-12. The Board recognizes circumstances may arise that prohibit students from functioning at their highest level. Therefore, Support to Succeed has been created to help students understand the impact of failure and how to correct mistakes.
1. Retest for Success
Any student in grades 2-12 who earns a D or an F on a test can remediate with the teacher and opt to be reassessed one time per test. The reassessment can be done in a multitude of developmentally appropriate ways as determined by the teacher. Reassessment methods may include, but are not limited to, taking a different test, submitting a project/alternative assignment or a writing sample, conducting a formalized test correction procedure, etc. This re-test procedure does not apply to diagnostic assessments (which are not counted as part of a student grade), semester and/or final exams.
2. Marking Period Success: Middle and High School
In an effort to keep students from becoming discouraged and succumbing to failure, students who approach the end of the marking period with an overall grade of less than 65% will have the option to raise their marking period grade based on the remediation plan that is established by the teacher. Students transferring within and into HCPS schools and programs mid-course are eligible for this opportunity.
There are limits on how many marking periods students may avail themselves of this option, which are as follows:
a. In high school credit-bearing courses in middle or high schools, students successfully completing remediation requirements may raise their course grade to 65% in one marking period per course.
b. In non-high school credit-bearing courses in middle school, students successfully completing remediation requirements may raise their course grade to 65% in up to two marking periods per course.
PTA Panera Spirit Night
Our Next Spirit Night is Thursday, October 23rd at Panera Bread! Visit the 11703 W Broad St location from 4:00-8:00 and use the code FUND4U when placing your order at panerabread.com, on the app, or at the in-store kiosk. Panera will donate 25% of the proceeds back to Pocahontas.
The proceeds from this event will all go to our Strings Department at Pocahontas to offset costs for Instrument Stands and other needs so go warm up your soul and the music room with soup from Panera :)
School Picture Day - October 22nd and 23rd
Students will take their school picture during their HPE class on October 22nd or 23rd. Ordering information will be sent prior to the event.
*8th graders who are on the Mission Tomorrow Field Trip on October 22nd during their HPE block will take their picture upon return.
Boo Bash - October 24th - Join the Fun!
Students, mark your calendars and join us for a night of costumes, dancing, and fun! The Halloween Boo Bash is Friday, October 24th from 6:00-8:00 PM.
Beware of our Haunted House too! Costume attire is highly recommended for this festive school dance! Students must follow the school dress code.
Tickets are $10 - on sale 10/21-10/24 in the cafeteria during advisory. Ticket includes admission to the Boo Bash & Haunted House. Light concession will be available at the dance for $1 each (cash only).
8th Grade Mission Tomorrow Reminder
Permission slips for Mission Tomorrow are due on Tuesday, October 14th.
Please be sure to sign the form and have your students return it to their advisory teacher. Mission tomorrow is an awesome opportunity for students to explore a wide variety of career fields, and we want all of our 8th graders to be able to participate.
Veterans Day Assembly
Pocahontas will honor veterans on Tuesday, November 11th during a school-wide ceremony beginning at approximately 2:00 PM. We will have a guest speaker, performances from all three of our music programs, and an opportunity to recognize veterans in our community.
To make the event as meaningful as possible, please take a moment to complete this form. We would love to include the names and pictures of veterans who are family members of our school's students and staff.
Thank you in advance for adding to our collection of names and pictures! We hope this personalization brings meaning and honor for all those who are participating in the program.
Save the Date - Fall Growth Assessment Testing
All students will participate in Fall Growth Assessment Testing on October 29-30 from 9:00-12:00 (please try to avoid early dismissals and late arrivals during this time). Details coming soon!
Fundraiser Incentives
Thank you again to everyone who registered, shared, and donated to our fundraiser. Students will receive their prizes and the incentive events throughout October/November
Kona Ice Truck - October 30th
Glow Party - November 13th
WATCH DOGS Interest Survey
We would LOVE to reinstitute a Watch Dogs program at Pocahontas. Take a look at the information below to learn more about how and why WATCH DOGS is beneficial to schools. If you are interested in serving our school community as a WATCH DOG, please complete this interest form.
From WATCH DOGS:
The Dads of Great Students, WATCH D.O.G.S.®, program is one of the nation’s largest and most respected school-based, family, and community engagement organizations designed and developed by educators, experts, and parent & guardian volunteers over more than two decades.
Our programs for Elementary and Secondary School campuses help provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important. Meanwhile, we provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security, reduce bullying and provide a greater sense of campus safety allowing students and teachers to focus on learning and instruction.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, HCPS will join others across the nation in Unity Day by encouraging all HCPS staff, students, and families to wear and share the color orange to send a visible message of building unity through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying.
We also celebrated Mix-It-Up day in the cafeteria last Friday. Students sat with different students than they normally do, and they engaged in Q&A sessions to build connections! Some of the pictures in the scenes from Pocahontas are from Friday's Mix-It-Up Day!
Did you know that you or your child can submit an anonymous alert about bullying? The link can be found on the Pocahontas Website.
Information about bullying for families can be found at this link. Bullying Prevention 101: A quick guide for adults
Winter Sports Information
As fall sports draw to a close, it is time to start thinking about our Winter sports season. Winter sports include boys basketball and wrestling. Gymnastics is also a winter sport, but their season does not begin until the new year.
There will be a winter sports interest meeting in the auditorium at 6:30 on Oct 21st. Please try to attend if you would like to try out for boys basketball or wrestling this year.
Winter sports tryouts start Thursday, November 6th. The boys' basketball and wrestling season run until Jan 21st. Students MUST have a current physical and all athletic forms signed to tryout. If you have questions, please reach out to our Athletic Director, Ms. Felicia Schooley. at faschooley@henrico.k12.va.us.
Clothing for Cash
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.
HCPS High School Applications
Applications for HCPS High School programs/specialty centers are OPEN!
Specialty Centers – Online application opens Mon., 9/29
ACE Center Programs – Online application (Google link) opens Mon., 9/29
Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School – Online application opens Wed., 10/1
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:
2025 DATE | CENTER |
Sept. 30 | Maggie L. Walker Governor's School: virtual introduction (5:30-6:30 p.m.) |
Oct. 1 | Advance College Academy for Business Administration at Highland Springs H.S. |
Oct. 1 | Center for Education and Human Development at Glen Allen H.S. |
Oct. 7 | Center for Engineering at Highland Springs H.S. |
Oct. 8 | Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainability at Varina H.S. |
Oct. 9 | Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics at Douglas S. Freeman H.S. |
Oct. 9 | Center for Cybersecurity at Henrico H.S. |
Oct. 14 | CodeRVA open house (6-8 p.m.) repeated on Dec. 9 |
Oct. 14 | Center for Information Technology at Deep Run H.S. |
Oct. 15 | Advance College Academy Social Sciences at J.R. Tucker H.S. |
Oct. 22 | Center for Communications and Media Relations at Varina H.S. |
Oct. 23 | International Baccalaureate at J.R. Tucker H.S. |
Oct. 25 | Maggie L. Walker Governor's School open house at 10 a.m. |
Oct. 27 | Center for Spanish Language and Global Citizenship at J.R. Tucker H.S. |
Oct. 28 | ACE Centers (all campuses) open house at ACE Center @ Hermitage |
Oct. 28 | Center for Allied Health and Human Services at Hermitage H.S. |
Oct. 29 | Todd A. Phillips Center for Medical Science at Mills E. Godwin H.S. |
Oct. 30 | International Baccalaureate at Henrico H.S. |
Nov. 5 | Center for the Humanities and Civic Engagement at Hermitage H.S. |
Nov, 6 | Center for the Arts at Henrico H.S. |
Dec. 9 | CodeRVA open house (6-8 p.m.) same content from Oct. 14 |
Acceptable Use Policy
Please continue to talk with your student about the appropriate use of their HCPS laptop and charger. Intentionally damaging the devices can result in school consequences.
Additionally, students should not be using proxies to bypass any portion of the security networks functioning on the HCPS network and/or device.
Any and all communication through an HCPS device is monitored. Kindness matters, and students should be respectful in their electronic communications with their peers and teachers.
Lastly, all students should use be sure they have updated their passwords by the end of the day, Tuesday, October 14th. Password changes MUST be done on the HCPS network. Advisory teachers have been working with their classes to ensure the password changes are made. Please discuss this with your student to avoid problems with them logging in later in the week.
ID Reminders
Most of our students are doing a wonderful job of meeting our expectation of having their IDs visible daily. The IDs are being used as the students enter and exit buses, as they pay for their lunch, and as they checkout library resources.
Important information about IDs:
Each student will wear their ID on their HCPS lanyard for the entirety of every school day.
Students should have their IDs visible throughout the school day. IDs/lanyards are removed for PE, science labs, and at the teacher's discretion during other activities.
If a student needs a new lanyard, they should visit our main office to request a new lanyard.
If a student needs a new ID, the first replacement is free. Any ID replacements beyond the first one are assigned a five-dollar, non-refundable charge.
ID replacements will be requested during Advisory in the library. Any student needing a new ID will be directed to the library. The replacement ID will be given to the student on the nearest Wednesday or Friday to when it was requested.
When a new ID is printed for a student, their old ID is no longer active. If the old ID is found, it should be confiscated.
If a student does not have their ID for four consecutive days, they will be sent to the library to order a replacement.
Half-Day Permission To Walk Form - Fri, October 24th
As a reminder, if students will be walking home, we need to know ahead of time, so we can identify those students. If your student will be walking home next Friday, please either write a note and have your student turn it into the main office by the end of Advisory on Thursday, October 23rd, OR complete this electronic permission form. Only students given parental/guardian permission will be allowed to walk home on Friday, October 24th.
Safety Reminders:
If your student walks home from school, we ask you to discuss safe walking reminders with them. Safety reminders include:
Stop at all major intersections and follow all traffic signals.
Only cross the road at designated intersections and/or within the pedestrian crosswalks
Before crossing roads and/or parking lot entrances/exits, stop and look both ways to ensure there is no traffic.
Please also remind students of safe and respectful behaviors to exhibit while visiting local stores/restaurants after the early release. We want our students to be excellent stewards in our community. Your help in communicating expectations is very helpful!
Thank you for discussing these points with your student.
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.student.
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
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.