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- December 9th - 3hr Early Release
- December 23rd- January 3rd - Winter Break
Powell families,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and weekend! While the long weekend was appreciated, we loved being able to welcome back all of the students this past Monday.
This coming Monday, December 9th, is our next 3-hour early dismissal at 1:00 pm. As of now we are unable to accept any additional changes to dismissal plans for this early release. I thank you in advance for your cooperation as we work to ensure that all of our students dismiss safely during the Early Release Monday. Additional information can be found on the FCPS Early Release Mondays webpage.
The Book Fair goes live next week and we look forward to welcoming parents and students for Family Night on Tuesday from 5:30-7:30PM. That is always a wonderful evening for our Pumas to dig into their love of reading and seeing friends and classmates outside of the school day.
Have a great weekend,
Ms. Luerssen
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To ensure transparency and celebrate our progress, we will be sharing weekly attendance data in our newsletter. By highlighting this important information, we aim to keep our families informed and energized about our collective efforts to reduce absenteeism and prevent students from becoming chronically absent.
Chronic absenteeism is when a student has missed 10% or more of the school days in the school year. This includes all absences, regardless of whether they are excused and unexcused. Research shows that students who are chronically absent are at higher risk of falling behind and dropping out of school.
We care deeply about all of our students and aim for success for each student. Our partnership to support regular school attendance is critical to that success. Please follow the health policy and send your children to school every day.
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- Number of students present EVERY DAY: 259 – That’s 30%
- Number of students present all but 1 day: 155 – That’s 18%
- Number of students NOT currently chronically absent: 777 – That’s 90%
- Number of students currently chronically absent (missed 10% of the school days so far this year): 79
- Number of unexcused & travel related absences: 656
Spread the love! Show your appreciation for our fantastic staff by submitting a recognition on FCPS Cares. Every kind word counts!
Back in October we asked staff and the community for input as we developed a list of ten points of Puma pride for our school website and we are proud to share that our website has been updated to now include this list. Thanks to the input of our staff and community we published an outstanding list on our website celebrating what makes our school unique!
https://powelles.fcps.edu/10-points-puma-pride
Help Needed for the Upcoming Book Fair!
The Book Fair is just around the corner, and we could use your help! We’re looking for volunteers to assist with a variety of tasks, including:
- Setting up and packing up the fair
- Book preview and sales support
- Extra help during our author visit with Hena Khan on Wednesday, 12/11
If you’re available to help, please consider signing up for a time slot. Your support will make this event a success and help bring wonderful books to our community!
Thank you for your time and support!
Bookfair Sign Up Genius
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The book fair is here! Students in grades 3 and under will visit the fair tomorrow and create their wish list. Students in grades 4-6 will preview the fair through a walk-through video. The fair will be open for shopping Monday through Friday. We will close at 11:30 on Friday. Teachers will only send students to the fair if they have money or an ewallet. Family night is Tuesday, December 10th 5:30-7:30pm. Author Hena Khan will be visiting on Wednesday, December 11th and will be signing books during the day. A selection of her books are available for purchase at the fair. |
Webinar - Protecting Kids Against Digital Exploitation: Keeping Kids Safe Online December 13, 2024, from 10-11:30 a.m. Register Here
Join us for this important webinar presented jointly by Fairfax County Schools, the Fairfax County Police Department, the Department of Justice, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Webinar Highlights:
- What is Sextortion?
- What are FCPS and FCPD seeing in relation to sextortion?
- How can families help prevent their kids from becoming victims?
- How should families respond if their child was victimized?
Our full-time AAP screening window is open. If you are a parent of a current 2nd-6th grader and feel your child consistently needs more challenging instruction and learning in all four core content areas, please submit a full-time referral file. The deadline to submit all materials is December 15, 2024.
Referral files include:
- Completed Full-Time AAP Referral Form (required)
- Completed Parent/Guardian Questionnaire (optional but encouraged)
- 2 pages total showcasing student work and academic potential (optional but encouraged)
- 8 ½ x 11, single-sided
- Nothing stapled, no 3-D examples, no video or audio files.
- No more than 2 samples per page
Referral materials should be turned in altogether and may be delivered digitally in PDF or JPG format to kmbach@fcps.edu or hard copy to the front office. This screening cycle is for possible eligibility for the 2025-2026 schoolyear. Please note that all referrals are due by December 15th, no exceptions.
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of October, providing information on their SEL skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results are now available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to our school staff with any questions.
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