Week 27 - Pocahontas Middle School Updates/Reminders

Dates to Note

Monday, March 9th - Wednesday, March 25th - HCPS Student, Staff, and Family Climate Survey Window

Thursday, March 12th - Pocahontas Spirit Night at Mellow Mushroom

Monday, March 16th - Spring Sports Tryouts Begin

Tuesday, March 17th - Middle School Matters - Mental Health Panel

Thursday, March 19th - End of Quarter 3 - Half Day for Students

Thursday, March 19th - FCCLA sponsored Huskie/Hawk Egg Hunt

Friday, March 20th - Eid - Schools Closed for students and staff

HCPS Survey - Please complete!

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 opens Monday! 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!

Avoiding March Madness - Watch Dog Volunteers Needed

Unlike basketball fans, we want to stay away from March Madness.

In March, we are having the grade levels compete to see who can earn the most positive points in Kickboard. The more positive behaviors, students demonstrate, the more points they earn.

While working to increase positive behaviors, we are looking for our WatchDog dads to volunteer. Checkout this Sign-up Genius to participate! The more the merrier!

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN THE BUILDING WITH US! We appreciate you!

Join Us - Middle School Matters Panel

Middle school is its own important, distinct territory, and yet it's either written off as an uncomfortable rite of passage or lumped in with other developmental phases (Flagell, 2019). At Pocahontas, we are committed to working with families to support our middle schoolers' development in healthy and important ways.

We welcome families to a panel discussion with mental health professionals who will share insights about how parents/guardians, caretakers, and community members can support healthy habits for their middle schooler's mind, body, and spirit. Our Middle School Matters panel will take place at Pocahontas Middle School from 5:30 - 6:30 PM on Tuesday, March 17th. For our planning purposes, RSVP for the event using the Middle School Matters RSVP Form linked here.

The first 20 attendees to register with our RSVP will receive a copy of Phyllis Fagell's book Middle School Matters.

Panel members include a licensed clinical social worker and a physician assistant from the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, a member of the Henrico Police Department Crisis Intervention Team, and other mental health professionals.

We hope you join us for this important discussion! Our goal is for attendees to leave with new ideas about how to best support their middle schooler's academic, social, and emotional development.

8th Grade Important Dates

Save the Dates-

* The PTA will be hosting the 8th Grade Celebration on Friday, May 15th from 7-9 PM.

* The 8th Grade Soar Ceremony will be Thursday, May 28th at Godwin High School.

More details about both events will be shared as they become available.

Online Economics & Personal Finance (EPF) through Longwood University

Who: Rising 9-12th grade students (Rising freshmen and sophomore students are required to have at least a 3.0 GPA and must have successfully completed Algebra I. Rising seniors and juniors do not have a minimum GPA requirement.)

Summer Session June 22 - July 25, 2026. Registration will open in mid-March and close on June 6, 2025. Tuition: $50. If you're new to LU, click "Sign Up"—if you already have a profile, just sign in. * Students have the option to take their W!SE exam on Longwood.

Additional information about the course, cost, and enrollment requirements can be found at http://www.longwood.edu/personalfinance/.

Economics and Personal Finance is a 4-week rigorous, mathematically intensive course covering economics and personal finance that may require students to spend up to 6 hours daily to succeed. The course satisfies the state’s economics and personal finance requirements as well as the online experience and certification requirements for high school graduation. The W!SE Financial Literacy Certification exam is administered in the course. Students will receive 3 hours of college credit for successfully completing this class.

Required course text: Personal Finance, Turning Money Into Wealth, 7th edition (an earlier edition can be purchased for cost savings)

Required course calculator: Any graphing or financial calculator (Texas Instruments BAII+ is recommended).

Grade Level Behavior Meetings

This week, during Advisory, each grade level will meet in our auditorium to address behavior expectations. The administrator, counselor, and our support staff will review expectations regarding the following areas:

1) General Behavior Reminders

Be respectful of self and others
Keep hands, feet, and objects to self at ALL times

2) Lunchroom and Huddle Expectations

Clean up after yourself
Students should remain in their seat in the cafeteria until they have permission to move
Do not touch trees, branches, etc.

3) Technology reminders:

No spamming students and/or staff
No use of AI without teacher allowance
Social media interactions should be respectful and kind. If a post causes a disruption at school, the code of conduct can be enacted
Acceptable Use Policy – not damaging the computer. Do not use unauthorized websites.

4) Grade reminders

End of quarter 3 coming - completing assignments and doing well on assessments is key.
Use Advisory appropriately

5) Dress Code and ID Reminders

IDs must be worn everyday
As temperatures rise, students are reminded that the HCPS Dress Code requires shirts to have full backs, undergarments not to be shown, and shorts to come to the thumb.

6) Passes

When using a pass, students must go to their assigned location
Should NOT be hanging out in bathrooms, hallways, or stairwells.

Thank you for reviewing these expectations with your student!

Gymnastics Schedule

Great job to our gymnastics team on their first meet and first victory for the season! The team has one last meet this week! Come cheer on our team at the following meets:

Monday, March 9th vs Tuckahoe and Holman @ Holman (5:00 PM)

Go Hawks!

Spring Sports Tryout Information

Spring Sports tryouts will start Monday, March 16th after school. Tryouts run from 3:15 - 5:30 PM. Tryouts are closed. Parents/guardians should pick up their students in the main parking lot at 5:30 PM.

The spring sports are softball, baseball, boys tennis, girls soccer, and boys and girls track.

Please make sure you have completed the 5 forms before tryouts. Information and forms can be found on the Pocahontas Athletics website.