Dear PMS Families,
This was the BEST first week, and your students were AWESOME! They dismissed from the cafeteria orderly and at a voice level 1, whisper. For the fire drill, the maintained a level 0, silent. They did a great job following our CHAMPS expectations. Students were walking on the right side of the hallway, had passes, and demonstrated RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY and SAFETY. Please thank them for us and tell them to continue the great work! We are off to a great start, and I couldn't be prouder!
There's a lot of information in this newsletter. If you have questions, please let me know!
Warm Regards,
Courtney Jarman (Swartz)
courtney.jarman@powhatan.k12.va.us
Principal
6th Grade Assistant Principal
Meet Mr. Socha! He's joining us with an extensive background in technology, assessment, remediation, and history! He will be working with our 6th grade students, families, and teachers! If you have any 6th grade questions or concerns, please feel free to email him at kevin.socha@powhatan.k12.va.us.
7th Grade Assistant Principal
Meet Dr. Storrie! Dr. Storrie is not new to PMS, but is moving into the Assistant Principal role! She has vast knowledge about special education and math! She will be working with our 7th grade students, families, and teachers! If you have any 7th grade questions or concerns, please feel free to email her at heather.storrie@powhatan.k12.va.us.
8th Grade Assistant Principal
Meet Mr. Ferguson! Mr. Ferguson is starting his second year at PMS and will be moving to 8th grade with his former 7th grade students! Mr. Ferguson loves PBIS, routines, and structure! He's ready to continuing working with our 8th grade students, families, and teachers! If you have any 8th grade questions or concerns, please feel free to email him at jon.ferguson@powhatan.k12.va.us.
6th Grade Counselor and Counseling Coordinator
7th Grade Counselor
8th Grade Counselor
Mrs. Humphrey, the GOAT!
Please congratulate Ms. Humphrey on being the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) this month! Ms. Humphrey is an advocate and lover of all students. She wants all students to learn, grow, and be successful. She exemplifies our theme of TEAM, and we couldn't be prouder of what she has done for her students! She put in countless hours over the summer for students to be successful this school year! Dedication, Hardworking, and Role Model are just a couple of words that describe Ms. Humphrey!
CHAMPS!
CHAMPS is an acronym that reflects the types of expectations used by staff to clarify the activity and transitions occurring in class and around the building. The acronym stands for Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, and Participation. Randy Sprick, co-author of CHAMPS, designed CHAMPS to help classroom teachers and administrators develop a proactive and positive classroom environment so that learning time can be maximized!
The process of communicating expectations will begin with the start of each class and prior to transitioning to different activities. Providing clear expectations for students eliminates the need for students to guess what is expected of them!
CHAMPS is posted in all classrooms at PMS! Ask your student about CHAMPS and how it was used this week!
Pep Parade!
What a great way to end the first week of school! Students lined up outside the hallway and cheered as admin, teachers, parents, and central office members paraded down the hallway cheering for the new year! Our PMS band paraded with us and did an amazing job playing and getting students excited for the school year! PMS PRIDE was strong on Friday!
Upcoming Schedule
September 1st and 4th are student and staff holidays! Enjoy!
Daily Schedule:
- Monday, August 28 (Odd)
- Tuesday, August 29 (Even)
- Wednesday, August 30 (Odd)
- Thursday, August 31 (Even)
- Tuesday, September 5 (Even)
- Wednesday, September 6 (Odd)
- Thursday, September 7 (Even)
- Friday, September 8 (Odd)
Schoology
Schoology parent account user emails were sent to parents this week. If you did not receive an email and need to request an account, use this link. Here is a link to parent user resources and more parent information will be available at school back-to-school night. If you are having trouble logging in, please email andrea.dorsey@powhatan.k12.va.us.
Student Growth Assessment August 30th and 31st!
Legislation passed in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly (HB2027 and SB1357) required the implementation of “through-year” or “growth” assessments for reading and mathematics in grades 3-8. The legislation requires that the grades 3-8 reading and mathematics growth assessments be administered to students once in the fall and once in the winter (mid-year) during the school year. In addition to the growth assessments, the SOL tests for grade 3-8 reading and mathematics will continue to be administered.
PTO! Parent Teacher Organization!
Want to be involved in ways to support our school, staff, and students? If so, join the PTO! We are a group of parents and teachers partnering to Create opportunities that bring our community & school together to make the best Powhatan! Just this week, we had a coffee and tea cart for teachers to thank you for the first week! It was a hit and teachers were so appreciative! Join us tomorrow, Monday, August 28th, for a fun meet up! Information is below!
Here are a couple links to resources and upcoming dates we want to make sure you are aware of:
FIRST PTO MEET UP THIS MONDAY (please RSVP)
POWHATAN MIDDLE PTO FACEBOOK PAGE
POWHATAN MIDDLE PTO INSTAGRAM PROFILE
Back To School Initiative – Tax Credit Awareness and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs
We would like to invite you to attend this year’s Back-to-School Symposium scheduled for September 6, 2023, at 1 pm EST. Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communications (SPEC) wants to help parents of young children and college students understand the tax credits and benefits they may be eligible for. We also want to raise awareness of free tax preparation available at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites. Please join our virtual Symposium!
Back To School Initiative – Tax Credit Awareness and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs
September 6, 2023
1 pm ET/12 pm CT/11 am MT/10 am PT
Event Link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1104/48983
Many parents may be eligible to claim tax credits when they file a tax return. Parents with low to moderate income may also be eligible to have their return prepared for free at a local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. Please share our Back-to-School flyers and stickers detailing important tax information for parents.
VA Department of Health Youth Advisory Council
The VDH is currently recruiting students for a new youth-led council as part of our state-wide public health initiative. They are hoping to have the first round of applications for this Youth Advisory Council circulated and collected by September 30th, at which point they will transition into a rolling admissions process for applications not submitted by the 30th. This would be a great opportunity for students at our schools who are interested in working with the state on matters of public health and community involvement. The council gives students aged 14-21 the chance to advocate for and collaborate on a variety of public health policies and/or nonprofit projects.
Attached you will find a flyer and the link to the application for your review and consideration if this opportunity is appropriate for your student. You can also find more information about the VDH and the Youth Advisory Council on their website at “About VDH Youth Advisors”.
Social Media!
Please follow us on social media to see all the great things T.E.A.M. PMS is doing!
- Instagram: powhatanmiddle_pcps: https://www.instagram.com/powhatanmiddle_pcps/
- Facebook: Coming soon!
Connect With Us!
To assure that you are receiving important information, please approve the phone number 804-362-2500. Also, be sure that you have approved text messages from our SchoolMessenger system. Simply text the words OPT IN to 67587. Also monitor your Spam/Junk/Promotional mailboxes in your email account.
Band Information
Please click below for an update from Mr. Richardson and band!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z6Fck0yiklXxzkoFaOUvhPzPy_iStdNTGhYCtSoZGts/edit
Happy Birthday!
Wish your favorite student a very Happy Birthday
on our Powhatan Middle School Marquee!!!
For $10, we will run a message for 1 week (24/7).
The message will read: Happy (age) Birthday, (student’s first name)!!
Complete this form and submit payment through School Cash Online.
Note: Please submit Requests & Payments by the dates listed below
End of August Birthdays due ASAP
September Birthdays due by August 28
October Birthdays due by September 16
November Birthdays due by October 21
December Birthdays due by November 18
January Birthdays due by December 16
February Birthdays due by January 20
March Birthdays due by February 17
April Birthdays due by March 16
May Birthdays due April 20
Fees
All fees are paid online through SchoolCash Online. All fees will be loaded in SchoolCash Online specifically based on your student's class schedule by the orientation date. You can access SchoolCash Online through our website as well as https://powhatan.schoolcashonline.com/. If you have any questions or need help, please reach out to our bookkeeper, Mrs. Hockaday at michelle.hockaday@powhatan.k12.va.us.
Parent Technology Information
Please access the link below to ensure you are prepared for communication: Traversa (transportation), Schoology (learning management system), PowerSchool (grades), etc. as well as important information and websites (myschoolbucks, schoolcash online, etc.) to be successful this year!
