Dates to Note |
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)
Saturday, September 26th - HCPS PTA Reflections - Art in the Park @ The Oak
Monday, September 28th - Student Holiday/Professional Learning Day for Staff
Tuesday, September 29th - Last day of the Pocahontas Fundraiser
Tuesday, September 29th and Wednesday, September 30th - Optional Musical Review Sessions (sign-up linked above)
Monday, October 5th - Thursday, October 8th - Frozen Auditions (permission slip and sign-up required)
Thursday/Friday, October 15th/16th - Pocahontas Fall Picture Day
Fundraiser Incentive
Our advisory classes are competing to see which advisory can have the most students registered for the fundraiser by Wednesday, September 23rd. The winning advisory will receive a donut party! Register and add contacts here!
Students who raise approximately $100 or more will attend our Glow Party on November 5th! We hope to see your student there!
Interim |
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.
Focus Friday Lesson |
This year, we are excited to launch Friday Focus, a weekly advisory lesson designed to help students develop the study skills, organizational strategies, and success habits that lead to confidence and independence in school.
This week, students reviewed the Pocahontas Hawkboards as a way to track their assignments, update their planners, and plan for success.
How Families Can Support at Home
Your partnership plays an important role in helping students build strong organizational habits. Here are a few ways you can support your child:
✅ Review both HawkBoards and PowerSchool with your student to stay informed about assignments, grades, and upcoming deadlines.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together!
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 a $15 donation
2. During your student’s birthday month, they will choose a brand new book that will be added to our school library.
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.
Please send any questions or comments to Ms. Walker at mawalker3@henrico.k12.va.us. Thank you for supporting our library!
Fall Sports Informaiton |
Our fall sports programs are all off to a great start! Competition is underway!
This week, we have sporting events on several days. Come cheer on our Hawks!
Football:
*Tuesday, September 23rd vs. Quioccasin @ Quioccasin
Boys Soccer, Girls Basketball, and Girls Tennis:
*Wednesday, September 23rd vs. Quioccosin @ Pocahontas
*Games and matches are scheduled to begin at 5 PM. Start time depends on the visiting team and the officials' arrival time.
Come cheer on our Hawks!
Frozen Jr. Auditions
Frozen Jr. auditions are happening soon! Auditions are open to all Pocahontas students and will take place after school on October 5-8. To sign up, students must get a paper permission form from Ms. Justice AND complete a Google Form online. 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 10/5 or Tuesday 10/6 and their acting audition either Wednesday 10/7 or Thursday 10/8. There are optional dance auditions being held after the acting auditions on 10/7 and 10/8 for students who would like to be considered for a featured dance role. Invited callbacks will take place after school on Friday 10/9.
Dates to keep in mind when auditioning: Saturday 2/20 is a mandatory technical rehearsal for all cast and crew; the show runs February 26-28.
All audition information, materials, and sign-up links are located at tinyurl.com/pocadrama.
Please note: Being cast in a previous Pocahontas Players musical does not guarantee a role onstage in this production.
There are optional Frozen audition music review sessions being held next week. Girls' music choices will be reviewed on Tuesday 9/29, and boys' music choices will be reviewed on Wednesday 9/30. Each session will take place in the auditorium. Students should have a ride to pick them up at 4:30. Students attending the optional review sessions, must be signed up. To sign up for the review, students should complete the Google Form at tinyurl.com/auditionreview2627.
Please email Ms. Justice at mljustice@henrico.k12.va.us with questions.
Break a leg, and we will see you onstage!
HCPS PTA Reflections - Arts in the Park Festival |
To kick off the 2026 - 2027 Reflections Program, the Henrico County Council PTA is proud to present “A Reflections Arts In the Park Festival at the Oak”.
This event is open to all Henrico County students and their families to come together for a day of fun, new experiences and culture centered around the arts. There will be a stage for live music and dance performances, art and poetry workshops, story time and activities centered around this years theme, "What My Culture Means To Me." This event will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm at The Oak Avenue Complex.
We have a limited number of stage performance slots available and would like to invite students to perform during this fantastic event. More specifically, slots are available for student poets, singers, dancers, and musicians. Their performances do not have to be focused on our theme, but certainly can! The deadline to sign up is Wednesday September 23, 2026.
Interested students can send an email to reflections@hccpta.com.
If you have any questions, please feel from to contact me at reflections@hccpta.com. Thank you and have a fantastic day!!
Hispanic Heritage Month |
In celebration of Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month (September 15–October 15), we are excited to announce this year’s districtwide virtual Reflections Showcase, allowing HCPS students, families, and staff to celebrate the historic and cultural contributions made by the
Hispanic/Latine community that continue to shape and strengthen our county, our country, and our world. HCPS students from all grade levels are invited to share their voices and creativity around the theme of “Roots & Routes,” exploring where we come from and where we are going.
Students may submit a reflection in a creative medium of their choice, including but not limited to written expression (i.e., poetry, essay, short fiction), visual arts (i.e., drawing, painting,
photography, multimedia design/infographic), performing arts (i.e., music, dance, spoken word, film, etc.), or other related thematic expressions.
Showcase submissions will be accepted from September 15, 2026 through October 11, 2026. Click here to submit! Upon review, qualified submissions may be selected for the districtwide virtual showcase. The virtual showcase will be shared with schools by October 15, 2026.
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 last session will be on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at J.R. Tucker High School from 6:00 - 8:30 PM.
Specialty Center Open House Dates
Sept. 29 @ 6:00 - Center for Allied Health & Human Services @ The Forum, ACE Hermitage
Sept. 30 @ 6:30 - International Baccalaureate @ Auditorium, Tucker HS
Oct. 1 @ 6:00 - Advance College Academy, Business Administration @ Highland Springs HS
Oct. 6 @ 6:30 - Center for Communications & Media Relations and Center for Environmental Studies & Sustainability @ Auditorium, Varina HS
Oct. 7 @ 6:30 - Advance College Academy, Social Sciences @ Tucker HS
Oct. 8 @ 6:30 - Center for the Arts @ Henrico HS
Oct. 13 @ 6:00 - Center for Engineering @ Highland Springs HS
Oct. 13 @ 6:00 - CodeRVA - repeated on Dec. 8
Oct. 14 @ 6:30 - Center for Information Technology @ Deep Run HS
Oct. 15 @ 6:30 - Center for Spanish Language & Global Citizenship @ Auditorium, Tucker HS
Oct. 17 @ 1:00 - Maggie Walker Governor's School
Oct. 20 @ 6:30 - Center Leadership, Government & Global Economics @ Freeman HS
Oct. 21 @ 6:30 - Center for Education & Human Development @ Glen Allen HS
Oct. 22 @ 6:30 - International Baccalaureate @ Henrico HS
Oct. 27 @ 6:30 - Center for Cybersecurity @ Henrico HS
Oct. 29 @ 6:00 - Todd A. Phillips Center for Medical Sciences @ Godwin HS
Nov. 4 @ 6:00 - Center for the Humanities & Civic Engagement @ Hermitage HS
Nov. 5 between 6:30-8:00 - ACE Centers (all campuses) @ ACE Hermitage
Dec. 8 @ 6:00 - CodeRVA - same content as 10/13