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Fairfax County Public Schools 2025-2026 Standard School Year Calendar
Dear Powell Families,
We’re looking forward to an exciting week ahead as we wrap up October with our Character Day Parade on Thursday, October 31! Students are invited to come dressed as their favorite storybook characters and join in the fun. Kindergarten Families are welcome to attend outside and cheer on our Kindergarten Pumas as they parade around the school in celebration of creativity, imagination, and the joy of reading! Only kindergarten students will be in the parade and outside for families to watch. If your child is a kindergarten student we welcome you to come view the parade outside.
Please note that Friday, October 31, will also be a two-hour early release day for students. Dismissal will be at 2:00PM. Please plan accordingly for pick-up and after-school arrangements.
You may also notice excitement building around Halloween, which falls on the same day. Halloween began as a centuries-old fall festival marking the end of the harvest season. Today, it’s a community celebration where children dress up in costumes, go “trick-or-treating,” and enjoy fun traditions like pumpkin carving and neighborhood gatherings.
For families who will be celebrating, we encourage everyone to have a fun and safe evening! Here are a few reminders to help ensure a happy Halloween night: 🎃 Stay on well-lit sidewalks and visit familiar homes. 🎃 Travel in groups and keep an adult nearby. 🎃 Make sure costumes are easy to see in the dark—add reflective tape or carry a flashlight. 🎃 Check all treats before eating them.
Finally, a reminder that there will be no school for students on Monday, November 3, and Tuesday, November 4, due to Teacher Workdays. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Wednesday, November 5.
Thank you for your continued support in helping our students stay Kind, Inclusive, Diligent, and Safe—K.I.D.S. First!
Warmly,
Catherine Han Principal
Friday, October 31, is the last day of the first quarter, and a two-hour early release for students with dismissal at 2:00PM. Schools are closed for students on Monday, November 3, for a school planning day, and Tuesday, November 4, for a teacher workday. See the complete school year calendar.
The Federal Impact Aid Survey is now available to complete online.
The Federal Impact Aid program provides money to districts that enroll federally connected students. Help FCPS secure funding from the Impact Aid Program by helping us identify:
- Military families.
- Federally connected families.
- Families living on a military base.
Your support will ensure that we receive the resources for which we are eligible. Please complete one form for each child in your household. Only the enrolling parent can fill out the Impact Aid Survey form.
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Step 1: Log in to your SIS ParentVUE account. If you don’t have a SIS ParentVUE account, contact me ( Mrs. Regina Johnson) for an activation letter to set up account.
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Step 2: After you’ve logged into your ParentVue Account, look for the ‘Online Packets’ link at the top of the page. Click ‘Online Packets.’
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Step 3: Next, click the ‘Federal Impact Aid Survey’ button on the bottom of the page. This will take you to the Impact Aid Survey for you to complete.
If you have multiple children in Fairfax County Public Schools, please fill out a form for each child. You will know you have completed all of the forms when you get to the final page, and see a green check next to each of their names.
Please note your information is kept strictly confidential. Your support will ensure that we receive the resources for which we are eligible.
Please join us for our Family Thanksgiving Luncheon and enjoy lunch with your child.
Your child's schedule will be found on the flyer being sent home on Tuesday. Powell students must follow their usual lunch schedule. All family members and students attending must purchase a lunch ticket no later than Friday, November 7th at $5.00 per adult & student $3.25 (pre-school siblings eat free).
Please pay with exact change attached to your RSVP form for adults attending. Forms will be sent in 10/28/2025 Tuesday folders. If you plan to attend please prepay for the entirety of your family to support with line management. We are limiting two family members per student due to limited space.
Once paid, you will receive tickets in your child’s backpack- please ensure you bring your tickets on November 20th which confirms your payment.
Please RSVP & pay by returning this form by Friday, November 7th.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Volunteers are needed in 30-minute shifts to assist the cafeteria hosts with table clean-up. Sign-up will be available on the sheet coming home next week. When you arrive for your volunteer shift, please check in with the Volunteer Coordinator at the Ticket Table.
It is with great pride and excitement that we share some incredible news:The Virginia Council on the Educational Opportunity for Military Children has officially recognized Colin Powell Elementary School as a recipient of the SY 2025–2026 Purple Star 3rd Award! 🎉
Earning the Purple Star designation for the third time is an extraordinary accomplishment — one that reflects our school’s deeply embedded culture of belonging, connection, and support for all students, especially our military-connected families. The Council noted the strong role our students play in building this inclusive community through our active peer-to-peer programs and welcoming practices.
Each of you contributes to this culture every day — through your empathy, consistency, and commitment to helping every child feel seen and supported. This recognition is truly a whole-school achievement, and one we can all take pride in!
You’ll soon see the new Purple Star logo displayed around our school to celebrate this honor. In addition, we will be receiving the official 3rd Award Purple Star coin — a nod to the military tradition of bestowing challenge coins to those who contribute to the mission.
For assistance with meeting basic needs, please contact Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at: 703-222-0880 or visit their website at: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services/coordinated-services-planning CSP provides information, referral, linkage, and advocacy to public and private human services available to Fairfax County residents. Through partnerships with community-based organizations and other Fairfax County agencies, CSP assists callers with the following services: basic needs, financial assistance, health care services, and referrals to services and resources.
Please explore the following links to resources in the community for food:
 Please reach out to Juliet Johnson, Powell ES Social Worker, if you have any questions or concerns: jejohnson1@fcps.edu
Do you have families of students at your school who want to learn more about Lexia? Invite them to join Lexia® Learning for a family information night to learn how FCPS is using Lexia® Core5 and Lexia® PowerUp in lettersclassrooms across the district in the 25-26SY to support students' Literacy growth.
Topics to be covered during this session include:
- What is Lexia Core5 and PowerUp and how do the programs support your students' individual learning needs?
- How does Lexia support teacher planning and instruction?
- How is Lexia data being used for progress monitoring and goal setting by educators
- Tips for supporting your student at home.
Sessions will take place on Thursday, November 6 2025, Tuesday, February 3 2026 and Wednesday, May 6 2026 @ 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Families can register for an FCPS/Lexia Parent Information Night via this link: bit.ly/familyinfo2526. Please share The Lexia Parent Night 25-26 SY with families. The link includes the Arabic, Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese translations that can be printed or shared as a pdf file.
What to expect on picture day
- Any student wishing to have a retake should bring their original picture package to exchange for the retake image.
- When an order is placed online, the parent/guardian will receive a camera pass via email. This can either be printed or texted to the student and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the printed camera pass along with the student.
- If a student is not able to print their camera pass, that is not a problem. We will match up the student to their order manually in the production process.
- A parent may order from the flyer up until 24 hours after picture day. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. This will allow our imaging team to "Pull" all orders submitted and match them with the students photographed.
- When pictures are returned to school, all students that purchased pictures will receive their prepaid package. Any student that was photographed but did not order a package, will receive a "Proof" (PX) of their picture that was taken on picture day.
All proof packages offer parents a second opportunity to order prints. All orders are subject to shipping and handling costs of up to $8.50 and will be shipped directly to home.
Access School Picture Day Flyer and Web Banner
Access our secure site by clicking here: www.pictureportal.org or copy and paste this into your Chrome browser. Google Chrome is the required browser to run this site.
If you do not have your login information, on the login screen you can click Forgot Password to have your password reset and emailed to you.
- Click on Photo Events on the left menu
- Find the event for your upcoming picture day (school pictures, class groups, etc.)
- Click the View (first icon) to download the Flyer or to resend the email for your web banner link.
- Feel free to contact your Sales Representative with any questions that you may have about picture day.
Thank you to Aran Bayaziddi and his family for the display on Kurdistan! Check out the traditional clothing, soccer jersey, map, books, and accessories provided by the family. Thank you for sharing your rich culture with us. Fun fact: The Kurdish culture celebrates Newroz (New Year) on March 21.
On November 7th, we will have another “Coffee with the Principals”. This session will take place at 9:30am, and it will be about understanding your child’s progress. The principals hope you will be able to join them that day!
Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Colin Powell Elementary Outstanding Employee in one of the categories, please complete the nomination through this Google Form link. You may nominate one employee at our school or multiple employees.
All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The Google Form link has more information and requirements regarding the criteria for each of these awards. Please keep in mind, if the person you nominate gets chosen to represent our school, you must be willing to complete a detailed nomination packet and recommendation.
The deadline to submit a nomination is Wednesday, October 22, at 4:30PM.
If you have any questions, please contact our award liaison, Caryn Baptiste.
Families we hope you can join us for our annual Kindergarten Character Day Parade, Friday Oct 31st. The parade will start promptly at 9:30AM. We will walk around the outside of the school building, bring your camera and we hope to see you there.
Elementary School Fall Newsletter
Colin Powell Elementary School offers students a continuum of services to meet their needs. Please look at our Fall Newsletter to learn more about AAP services. The link will take you to our Parent Schoology site which is a great resource for information.
Mark Your Calendars!
Wednesday, November 5th @ 6PM: AAP Parent Meeting in the Colin Powell ES Library
This meeting is focused on the full-time AAP screening process for the upcoming winter/spring screening window. If you have a current 2nd-6th grader and want to learn more, please consider attending.
The Gradebook in SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be closed for the end of the first quarter from Friday, October 31, 4 p.m. to Monday, November 10, 6 a.m. Activate your ParentVUE account to easily access grade reports.
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- ⏰ School Start Times Update
- 🎖️ 75% of FCPS Schools Recognized for Supporting Military Families
- Return Your Impact Aid Survey
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