Dates to Note |
Thursday, September 10th and Monday, September 14th - PTA Sponsored 6th Grade Hawk Hangout (sign-up coming soon)
Saturday, September 12th - HCPS Specialty Center Information Session at Highland Springs High School (11 AM - 2 PM)
Monday, Sept 14th - Friday, Sept 18th - Marcos Spirit Event for Pocahontas PTA (see flyer above)
Tuesday, September 15th - Fall Fundraiser Kick Off
Wednesday, September 16th (6-8 PM) - Pocahontas Back-to-School Night
Saturday, September 19th - Henrico Foundation Alumni Run at Deep Run Park
Saturday, September 19th - HCPS Resource Fair at Tuckahoe YMCA (see flyer above)
Monday, September 21st - Student/Teacher Holiday for Yom Kippur
Tuesday, September 22nd - 8th Grade Specialty Center Presentation at Pocahontas (7th block)
Thursday, September 24th - HCPS Specialty Center Information Session at Tucker High School (6-8:30 PM)
Upcoming Feedback Opportunity: 2026-27 Staggered Start Implementation |
HCPS will soon be seeking input on the staggered start model used for the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.
A survey will be sent out the week of September 7 to gather feedback from students in grades 6 and 9, families, and staff to help us learn what went well and where we can improve as we plan for future years. Students in grades 6 and 9 will have the chance to share their thoughts through the survey during advisory classes. If you would prefer for your child not to participate, please contact your school directly.
Thank you for helping us improve! We look forward to hearing your feedback.
Pocahontas Schoolwide Fundraiser is COMING! |
Our Fall FundGive Fundraiser is starting soon, and we need your help!
We are excited to announce that our Fall Fundraiser starts next Tuesday, September 15th! We will be sending home all the information with your student. The morning of September 15th, students will learn all about the fundraiser, incentives, and how they can help our school! We will be raising money for student & staff incentives, programming for students/families, and field trips.
Last year, our school community came together and raised thousands of dollars! We have been able to purchase 2 new school murals, several pieces of flexible seating for spaces around our building, make a large donation to the 8th grade celebration, add an outside amphitheater, and so much more because of the fundraising money! We want this year to provide the same opportunities!
More info will come soon to sign-up and get your student excited for adding to the fun we have at Pocahontas!
PowerSchool Activation - Accessing Grades and Attendance |
As of Wednesday, Sept. 2nd, grades and attendance are live in PowerSchool. Parents/Guardians and students are encouraged to check PowerSchool regularly to monitor students' progress. If you have questions about an assignment and/or grade, please reach out to the teacher.
If you don't have an account, the PowerSchool information site has a tutorial and directions
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.
VALLSS Information |
As part of the requirements outlined in the Virginia Literacy Act, students in grades 6-8 who did not pass their Reading SOL at the end of the 2025-2026 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.
VALLSS consists of six required components.
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.
Students will complete a spelling test which contains 20 words.
Students will demonstrate their knowledge of word reading by reading words in isolation on a word list.
Students will demonstrate their ability to apply phonics skills by reading a list of nonsense words.
Students will demonstrate their understanding of prefixes, suffixes, and base words by completing the 12 item morphology component.
Students will demonstrate their comprehension at the sentence level by completing the 16 item sentence comprehension component.
As part of the Literacy Act, students that take VALLSS will have a Student Reading Plan for the 2026-27 school year. VALLSS data will be shared with families and used to set reading goals for each student’s Reading Plan. We look forward to partnering with you to increase reading outcomes for your child.
8th graders: HCPS Specialty Centers
Henrico County Public Schools offers specialty centers at each high school. These centers give students the chance to focus their learning around specific subjects, skills or career goals.
In addition to the strong academic programs already available at every HCPS school, specialty centers provide advanced courses and unique opportunities. By joining a center, students can dive into an area their passionate about while also challenging themselves with engaging, hands-on learning experiences.
As students think about their future, an HCPS specialty center can help them strengthen their skills, discover new interests, and prepare for the opportunities ahead.
All of our Pocahontas 8th graders will attend a session about specialty centers on Tuesday, September 22nd during 7th Block.
Click here to explore the HCPS Specialty Center website.
Save the Dates: HCPS Specialty Center Information Sessions
8th grade students and families are encouraged to attend one of the two HCPS Information Sessions for the high school Specialty Centers. Specialty center information sessions provide a brief overview of the application process and the opportunity to hear from representatives of specialty centers of interest to your student. The information sessions are identical.
The first session will be Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Highland Springs High School from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM.
The second will be on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at J.R. Tucker High School from 6:00 - 8:30 PM.
Securly Home
As we continue the discussion of Digital Wellness, Henrico County Public Schools is using Securly to keep students safe on their school-issued devices. As part of our commitment to your child’s safety, we are giving all HCPS parents access to the free Securly Home app.
Securly Home is a family engagement app that extends digital safety beyond the school day by giving families greater visibility into and control over their child’s online activity on their school-issued device.
Looking for more information? Check out the resources below! Thank you in advance for your partnership!
Securly Home in HCPS: Overview and Access Directions - A one-page overview of Securly Home and ways for parents to access the Securly Home parent portal.
Securly Home Directions for Parents - Directions to sign in to the Securly Home app
Parent Welcome Letter - PDF - A sample welcome email that parents receive from Securly. Please note: Parents do not need the welcome email to access Securly Home.
PTA President Update
A HUGE SQUAWK for our Sponsorship Partner MARCO’S PIZZA! We will kick off our Partnership with MARCO’S during Back-to-School Week, September 14th-18th! Use the code HAWKS at checkout to give 20% of your purchase back to our PTA and take dinner OFF your to-do list!
Thank you to everyone who has joined the PTA! We’ve already reached 63% of our goal; keep up the HAWKsome work! If you didn’t get a chance to join yet, we’d love to have you join us HERE! PTA Volunteer sign-up sheets are still live HERE, and we are going to need co-chairs for this year’s 8th Grade Party! Our first PTA meeting is Tuesday, September 15th in the Pocahontas Library at 6pm!
CALLING ALL 6TH GRADE HAWKS! We have our 6th Grade Hawk Hang-Outs on Thursday, September 10 and Monday, September 14th! Student sign-ups are live HERE, and we can’t wait to meet your Hawk, eat a snack, and play kickball!
Our PTA wants to recognize Henrico Tutor for Sponsoring Snacks for our Teachers for Back-to-School Night! Whether your Hawk needs help on an individual writing assignment or specific writing skills, Henrico Tutor wants to give your HAWK the confidence to SOAR click HERE.
Our HAWKspitality team needs donations for our September Popcorn Bar! Here’s the Link to sign up! Please drop off or have your student bring your items by Monday, September 14th.
Our Spirit Wear is FLYing off the shelves! Our Vintage Hawk Shop still has a few bargains available here! Our brand-new Hawk Shop items are featured HERE through a locally owned and produced company!Hawk Gear ordered by Thursday, September 10th will be delivered the week of September 28th. Hawk Gear ordered by Wednesday, September 23rd will come home the week of October 12th, just in time for cooler Autumn temperatures!
Our Hawk Fund donations are live! Our Hawk Fund supports our Faculty and Staff with HAWKspitality Breakfasts, Snacks, Lunches, and direct classroom and club support, our 6th Grade Hawk Hang-out, Silent Disco for Seventh, and the 8th Grade Party! Click HERE to donate to our HAWK FUND!
$50 Donation = 1 Car Magnet
$75 Donation = 2 Car Magnets
$100 Donation = 2 Car Magnets + A Raffle Ticket for Preferred Parking or Seating at a Pocahontas Band, Chorus, Strings, or Theater Performance!
***Winners will be notified the 2nd week of October***
Birthday (and half-birthday) shoutouts are open! Celebrate your Hawk with a Shoutout on the Pocahontas Entrance Sign! Sign-ups are open HERE through September 27th at Midnight! Nothing says HAPPY BIRTHDAY like a giant neon sign…and maybe Hallmark.
Feel free to reach out to the PTA if we can support you or your Hawks!
Stay HAWKsome!
Gracie Herbert
Henrico Alumni and Friends Inaugural 5K Fun Run/Walk!
On September 19th at 9:00 a.m. at Deep Run Park, join us for the inaugural 5K Fun Run/Walk. To launch its new program – Henrico Alumni and Friends – the Henrico Education Foundation invites you to participate in a battle of the high schools!
Wear your school colors and get as many friends and family members as you can to participate. You can win bragging rights AND a super cool trophy for your high school to display all year. If you are not in a high school yet, that is OK – pick one to support or one you may feed into.
The goal is participation and FUN. ALL are welcome – past, current, future, and prospective students, their families, and everyone in between. This event is stroller- and pet-friendly, too!
Since so many of our Pocahontas students are zoned for Godwin, we encourage students and families to join the event and wear your red for Godwin! Let's get our feeder pattern to have the highest participation!
Participants will experience:
·Food Trucks
·Music
·Mascot Mayhem
·Kids Zone Activities
·A Bit of Exercise
·Special Participation Awards!
·And a Whole Lot of FUN!
How do I sign up?
HCPS Fall Resource Fair
The Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) Division of Empowerment, Development, & Opportunity
(EDO), the HCPS Division of Family & Community Engagement (FACE), and the Tuckahoe YMCA are
excited to announce the upcoming Fall Resource Fair, a community resource fair designed to welcome
and support all families in Henrico County with a particular emphasis on those who are new to
HCPS–including, but not limited to recent immigrant, military, or newly relocated students. This event
provides HCPS families with the opportunity to connect with key resources, organizations, and support
networks, both within HCPS and in the broader community, to support their child’s academic, social, and
emotional success and ease their transition into our community.
Event Information:
● Date: Saturday, September 19th, 2026
● Time: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
● Location: Tuckahoe Family YMCA - 9211 Patterson Ave, Richmond, VA 23229