Quick Updates:

• Vision Screenings: Student Health Services will conduct vision and hearing screenings for 7th grade students and/or any transferred students during their Health/PE class on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept 29th and 30th. Please ensure your student wears or brings their glasses/contacts on their Health/PE day. You will be informed if further evaluation is necessary. If you do not wish for your child to participate, please fill out this opt out form. Thank you!

• High School Activity Bus: Students attending sports conditioning at the high school may not ride the sports shuttle bus; this bus is reserved for students who are in their current athletic season. Families must provide transportation.

• Fall Dance: Save the Date for our Fall Dances! We are well under way planning and our Student Leadership is graciously spearheading the dance! We will host two Fall Dances again, both on Friday, October 16th. Save the date for now and tickets will be on sale the week of October 5th.

  • The 6th grade Fall Dance will be from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

  • 7th & 8th grade Fall Dance will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. 

  • Volunteer Options: We are in need of several volunteers, including set up, concessions, dance supervision, carnival games, and clean up. We are also going to do a "cake walk" in the courtyard and are in need of donations. Visit our Powhatan Middle Fall Dance Volunteer Sign Up Genius if you are able to help! Any help is good help!

Backpacks of Love, Inc. is a local nonprofit organization that has been providing weekend food bags to school children who may not have enough to eat at home since 2011. These food bags are distributed discreetly by school staff on the last school day of each week.

If your child could benefit from this program, we invite you to participate by signing and returning the permission form to your child’s school counselor. Participation is completely voluntary and free of charge.

Reach out to our School Counseling Coordinator, Terry Baldwin (terry.baldwin@powhatan.k12.va.us) with any questions.

Backpacks of Love Permission Form (English Version) Backpacks of Love Permission Form (Spanish Version)

Quick Updates:

• Thank you to everyone who made our first Family Literacy Night possible! We had a great turnout and engaged families with literacy activities, sold books at the book fair, passed out information for Powhatan is for Kindness, and held two parent informational sessions. The feedback was great and we are already looking forward on how to build that momentum. 

• Grade Updates: Can you believe we are already halfway through the first nine weeks?!  This year, instead of sending home interim progress reports or letters, your child’s teacher will contact you if your child is currently earning a D or F in their class.  As always, please continue to check PowerSchool weekly to stay up to date on your child's grades and progress!  Students will be also creating their own Academic Check In sheets and setting personal goals. More information on that below.

• Vision Screenings: Student Health Services will conduct vision and hearing screenings for 7th grade students and/or any transferred students during their Health/PE class on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept 29th and 30th. Please ensure your student wears or brings their glasses/contacts on their Health/PE day. You will be informed if further evaluation is necessary. If you do not wish for your child to participate, please fill out this opt out form. Thank you!

• Fall Dance: Save the Date for our Fall Dances! We are well under way planning and our Student Leadership is graciously spearheading the dance! We will host two Fall Dances again, both on Friday, October 16th. The 6th grade Fall Dance will be from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., and our 7th & 8th grade Fall Dance will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Save the date for now and tickets will be on sale closer to the dance.

• Student Pick Up Reminders: When visiting or picking up your child during the school day, please bring a photo ID, ring the doorbell to the right, identify yourself, and state the reason for visiting the building. In preparation for dismissal, all early dismissal must be before 2:00 p.m. unless extenuating circumstances. Please allow additional time for your child to be called down for dismissal, as we are unable to call students down in advance until a photo ID has been checked and verified. Student safety is our top priority and these protocols help keep our students safe - thank you for your support!

  • We will be having a pep rally on Friday, September 25 at the end of the day, and we ask that all early dismissals occur by 1:25, if possible.

Academic Check-Ins

Part of middle school is teaching self-efficacy and showing students how to take responsibility for their learning. If we can reach this goal school-wide, students will thrive in high school!

This school year, our students will be working on an “Academic Check-In” during ACCT every other week. Students will be tasked with opening their Power School to check grades and any missing assignments, and then setting up a plan for the week and beyond. All this will happen with the guidance of their ACCT teacher, but we are attempting to build more student ownership in their learning. 

Students will then answer three questions:

• What teachers do I need to meet with this week and for what?

• One goal I have for the next week is…

• I will know I am successful if…

Academic check-ins will be done in (PINK) paper form and sent home with the student. Hopefully this can serve as a guide in conversation for you, as well.

Our first Academic Check-In is Monday, September 21 - be sure to ask your student for their check-in paper when they get home.

We’re excited to announce Powhatan Middle School is taking Homecoming to the BIG CITY!  Get ready for a week full of school spirit, friendly competition, and plenty of New York energy as we celebrate Homecoming Week: September 21–25!

Student Services: Diabetes Information Guide

Understanding the symptoms and daily care needs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes helps keep our school community safe and supported. Please review this Diabetes Information Guide to learn about key warning signs, care management, and resources for coordinating support with our school nurses. 

Quick Updates:

• Book Fair: The second annual Powhatan Middle School Book Fair will be from September 14-18. We are in need to parent volunteers to help the event run smoothly, help students search for books, and assist during the event. 

  • Interested in volunteering? Be sure to sign up on our Powhatan Middle School Book Fair Sign Up Genius.

  • Ready to shop any buy books?! Here is Powhatan Middle School's homepage for the book fair.  It provides all the important details about the fair, including information about ewallet, share the fair, and online shopping. 

    • There are several ways to pay: 

      •  Cash

      • All major credit cards / debit cards

      • Scholastic e-Wallet (directions on Scholastic Book Fair home page)

      • Most tap to pay cards

• Vision Screenings: Student Health Services will conduct vision and hearing screenings for 7th grade students and/or any transferred students during their Health/PE class on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept 29th and 30th. Please ensure your student wears or brings their glasses/contacts on their Health/PE day. You will be informed if further evaluation is necessary. Thank you!

• Front Office Roles: Just a reminder that our new Attendance Secretary is Sara Stratton and our new bookkeeper is Denise Overton. 

• Literacy Night: Instead of Back to School Night, we will be holding a Literacy Night on Tuesday, September 15. There will be activities for families to complete, informational parent sessions, and the Book Fair will be available to buy books. (Please note that not all teachers will be here, just those putting on the event.) Food trucks and prizes will be available as well! See the below flyer for more information.

Specialty High School Program Night

Powhatan Middle School will host an evening of “Specialty High School Programs” with representatives from the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology, Code RVA High School and Reynolds Community College for Advanced College Academy Program on September 22 beginning at 5 PM in the Powhatan Middle School Library.  

Although this presentation is designed to recruit 8th grade applicants, any 6th, 7th or 8th grade students and their parents interested in learning more about these four programs and their application process are encouraged to attend. 

Upcoming Lockdown Drill

In accordance with Virginia Code §22.1-137.2, Powhatan Middle School will be conducting a lockdown drill this week, as part of the mandatory safety drills for the 2026-27 school year. Our teachers will be talking with the students regarding the purpose and procedures of this drill. During the drill, you will receive practice lockdown e-mail and text messages via SchoolMessenger (see below). This is how both messages would appear if this were an actual lockdown event. The purpose of this messaging is for parents and guardians to be familiar with community expectations during an actual event. Another communication will be sent via SchoolMessenger to announce the conclusion of the drill. 

Lockdown e-mail message as it will appear: Powhatan Middle has been placed on lockdown because of a situation at or around our school site. All students and staff are secure. School staff is working with the Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office to resolve the situation. At this time, do not come to the school. We will not be allowing any students, staff members, or visitors to enter or exit the building. Parents and guardians are asked not to call the school during this time as staff are following safety procedures and are unable to answer phones. We will keep you informed and notify you when the lockdown has been lifted and if any action is needed on your part.

Lockdown text message as it will appear: Powhatan Middle is on lockdown. All students and staff are secure. We are working with the Sheriff's Office. Do not come to the school or call. Updates will be sent asap.

Quick Updates:

• Book Fair: The second annual Powhatan Middle School Book Fair will be from September 14-18. We are in need to parent volunteers to help the event run smoothly, help students search for books, and assist during the event. 

  • Interested in volunteering? Be sure to sign up on our Powhatan Middle School Book Fair Sign Up Genius.

  • Ready to shop any buy books?! Here is Powhatan Middle School's homepage for the book fair.  It provides all the important details about the fair, including information about ewallet, share the fair, and online shopping. 

• Dress Code: We encourage all our students to dress for success and to dress for the school environment. Please ensure your student is following all PCPS Dress Code expectations at all times.

• Front Office Roles: Just a reminder that our new Attendance Secretary is Sara Stratton and our new bookkeeper is Denise Overton. 

• Spirit Days:

  • Wednesday, September 9: NFL Kickoff Spirit Day (see below)

  • Friday, September 11: Patriot Day Remembrance (see below)

Weekly Schedule Reminders

• This week we will run our normal schedule:

  • Monday, September 7 - No School

  • Tuesday, September 8 - Even Day

    • Even Day means we go to 1st, 2nd, 4th, & 6th blocks

  • Wednesday, September 9 - Odd Day 

    • Odd Day means we go to 1st, 3rd, 5th & 7th blocks

  • Thursday, September 10 - All Class Day 

  • Friday, September 11 - All Class Day 

Specialty High School Program Night

Powhatan Middle School will host an evening of “Specialty High School Programs” with representatives from the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology, Code RVA High School and Reynolds Community College for Advanced College Academy Program on September 22 beginning at 5 PM in the Powhatan Middle School Library.  

Although this presentation is designed to recruit 8th grade applicants, any 6th, 7th or 8th grade students and their parents interested in learning more about these four programs and their application process are encouraged to attend. 

Powhatan Strong Coffee Chat

Join the PCPS Student Services Department for their monthly Powhatan Strong Coffee Chat series on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 9 AM. They will discuss PCPS attendance guidelines and how your family and our school support your student toward great attendance. To join, click the link at https://bit.ly/PowhatanStrong26-27

Quick Updates:

• Chromebooks: All 6th grade students and any new 7th/8th Grade students received their chromebook this week. If your student did not, please have them stop by the Help Desk on Monday morning. 

  • All students need to pay the chromebook fee and have a signed user agreement on file or their chromebook and account will be deactivated after Thursday, September 3. Log into School Cash Online to sign the agreement and pay the fee.

• Student Schedules: The add/drop deadline was this Friday, August 28 for students to request a course change. Any questions about courses can be sent to your student's counselor.

• Yearbooks: If you did not get your 25-26 yearbook at Open House, our new Yearbook Sponsor, Mrs. Papierniak and her Yearbook crew delivered Yearbooks this week during ACCT. Please reach out to her via email if you have any questions (michelle.papierniak@powhatan.k12.va.us)

• Book Fair: The second annual Powhatan Middle School Book Fair will be from September 14-18. We are in need to parent volunteers to help the event run smoothly, help students search for books, and assist during the event. Be sure to sign up on our Powhatan Middle School Book Fair Sign Up Genius.

First Day of School

• The first day of school is Monday, August 24. We are looking forward to meeting our newest tribe members!  As a reminder, the first day of school is just for 6th grade students. 7th and 8th grade students will begin school on Tuesday, August 25.

Weekly Schedule

• This week we will run our normal schedule:

  • Monday, August 31 - All Class Day

  • Tuesday, September 1 - Even Day

    • Even Day means we go to 1st, 2nd, 4th, & 6th blocks

  • Wednesday, September 2 - Odd Day 

    • Odd Day means we go to 1st, 3rd, 5th & 7th blocks

  • Thursday, September 3 - All Class Day 

Specialty High School Program Night

Powhatan Middle School will host an evening of “Specialty High School Programs” with representatives from the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology, Code RVA High School and Reynolds Community College for Advanced College Academy Program on September 22 beginning at 5 PM in the Powhatan Middle School Library.  

Although this presentation is designed to recruit 8th grade applicants, any 6th, 7th or 8th grade students and their parents interested in learning more about these four programs and their application process are encouraged to attend. 

Quick Updates:

• Student Schedules: Please note that student schedules become official on the first day of school. Our counseling staff has done a tremendous job matching up student course requests and aligning it to your feedback from Open House Night. All students will receive an additional copy of their schedule on day one in their first period class. 

  • Any students who have questions about their schedule can reach out to their school counselor via Schoology.

• Yearbooks: If you did not get your 25-26 yearbook at Open House, our new Yearbook Sponsor, Mrs. Papierniak and her Yearbook crew will be delivering those to your students during the first week of school.

• School Marquee - Our school marquee is still in need of repairs. We will send out more information to collect birthdays to post once we have it repaired.

• Back to School Night? - This year,  our Back to School Night will be transforming into a Family Literacy Night. We will have a wide variety of engaging sessions, parents and students will be able to visit the Book Fair,  and our Literacy Committee is hard at work planning the night. Stay tuned for more details. 

Fees

All fees are paid online through School Cash Online. All fees will be loaded in School Cash Online specifically based on your student’s class schedule by the Open House date. You can access School Cash Online through our website as well as. If you have any questions or need help, please reach out to our bookkeeper, Mrs. Overton at denise.overton@powhatan.k12.va.us.  

Chromebooks

At middle school, there are two required fees, a chromebook fee for $26.50 and a gym locker fee for $5.50. A signed chromebook agreement form are required for students to be issued a chromebook. 

Students should bring their charged chromebook to school each day, and charges should stay at home. Please note, personal laptops are not allowed to be used at school. Only the PCPS issued chromebook can be used. 

Any student who needs a chromebook will receive their chromebooks during the first week of school as long as we have a signed chromebook agreement and they have paid the chromebook fee.

Dress Code

We encourage our students to dress for success daily! Here is the PCPS Dress Code from our Student Rights' and Responsibilities

PCPS Dress Code

• Headgear, including hats, caps, head coverings, hoods, and bandanas may not be worn inside the building except for any religious head covering, or with prior administrative approval for reasonable, extenuating circumstances.

• Sunglasses shall not be worn inside the school building unless prescribed by a physician.

• No spaghetti straps may be worn in grades six and above. Clothing must adequately cover the stomach (midriff) and lower back. Minimal exposure of the upper back and upper chest is permitted, as long as the overall appearance remains appropriate for a school setting.

• No part of undergarments should be showing or worn as outer garments.

• Students may not wear shorts, skirts, dresses, or similar clothing that has an inseam shorter than 3 inches. Swimming trunks cuts-off may not be worn.

• Sleepwear is prohibited.

• Footwear must be worn at all times. Bedroom shoes, house slippers, and bare feet are not allowed. Shoe and boot laces must be tied or straps must be strapped at all times. Footwear should be appropriate for instructional activities.

• Clothing, jewelry, accessories, or body art with language or images that are discriminatory, obscene, relating to alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sex, profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, violence, that is demeaning any group or individual, or that promotes conduct contrary to the Powhatan County Public Schools guide to Student Rights and Responsibilities is prohibited. This includes written or graphic material which intimidates or threatens individuals based on their race, national origin, disability or religion, including language or images of Confederate flags, swastikas, KKK references, or any other images that might reasonably be considered intimidating to others (per policy JFHA). Any item of clothing, jewelry, or other accessory which is distracting or dangerous will not be allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, studded items, chains or other straps hanging from the waist, any sharp objects, and costumes that have not been approved by administration.

Our PTO has rebranded to PMS Connect! We are excited to launch this school year and thankful for the parent volunteers who have already stepped up to the plate! Be sure to check out their newsletter to learn more about the ways they plan on connecting this year and for ways that you can help! It takes a village!

Quick Updates:

• School Marquee - Our school marquee is in need of repairs. We will send out more information to collect birthdays to post once we have it repaired.

• Back to School Night? - This year,  our Back to School Night will be transforming into a Family Literacy Night. We will have a wide variety of engaging sessions, parents and students will be able to visit the Book Fair,  and our Literacy Committee is hard at work planning the night. Stay tuned for more details. Be sure to come on out during our Open House where you can visit the school, walk your students' schedule, and meet all teachers. Check out the details below!

Dress Code

We encourage our students to dress for success daily! Here is the PCPS Dress Code from our Student Rights' and Responsibilities

PCPS Dress Code

• Headgear, including hats, caps, head coverings, hoods, and bandanas may not be worn inside the building except for any religious head covering, or with prior administrative approval for reasonable, extenuating circumstances.

• Sunglasses shall not be worn inside the school building unless prescribed by a physician.

• No spaghetti straps may be worn in grades six and above. Clothing must adequately cover the stomach (midriff) and lower back. Minimal exposure of the upper back and upper chest is permitted, as long as the overall appearance remains appropriate for a school setting.

• No part of undergarments should be showing or worn as outer garments.

• Students may not wear shorts, skirts, dresses, or similar clothing that has an inseam shorter than 3 inches. Swimming trunks cuts-off may not be worn.

• Sleepwear is prohibited.

• Footwear must be worn at all times. Bedroom shoes, house slippers, and bare feet are not allowed. Shoe and boot laces must be tied or straps must be strapped at all times. Footwear should be appropriate for instructional activities.

• Clothing, jewelry, accessories, or body art with language or images that are discriminatory, obscene, relating to alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sex, profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, violence, that is demeaning any group or individual, or that promotes conduct contrary to the Powhatan County Public Schools guide to Student Rights and Responsibilities is prohibited. This includes written or graphic material which intimidates or threatens individuals based on their race, national origin, disability or religion, including language or images of Confederate flags, swastikas, KKK references, or any other images that might reasonably be considered intimidating to others (per policy JFHA). Any item of clothing, jewelry, or other accessory which is distracting or dangerous will not be allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, studded items, chains or other straps hanging from the waist, any sharp objects, and costumes that have not been approved by administration.

Field Hockey Tryout information:  Any rising 8th or 9th grade girl interested in trying out for field hockey, tryouts will be held the week of August 3rd-7th with the season starting August 10th. Please contact either Stephanie.Tyson@powhatan.k12.va.us or Caryn.Rehme@powhatan.k12,va.us.  No experience is necessary but it does require athleticism and hard work. Please make sure you have a current physical.