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Fairfax County Public Schools 2025-2026 Standard School Year Calendar
Dear Powell Families,
Thank you to all the families who joined us for today’s session! We are so grateful for your continued partnership and engagement. Your presence and participation make such a difference as we work together to support every child’s growth and success.
As we approach Veterans Day, we want to take a moment to honor and express our deepest gratitude to the brave men and women who have served—and continue to serve—our country. Their courage, sacrifice, and commitment to protecting our freedoms inspire us every day. We are especially proud to celebrate and recognize the veterans within our very own Powell community—thank you for your service!
Please note that Tuesday, November 11th is a holiday, and schools will be closed in observance of Veterans Day.
We are excited to share that Wednesday, November 12th will be our official Veterans Day Program, including a special parade to honor our veterans. We look forward to coming together as a school community to celebrate and show our appreciation for those who have served.
Wishing all our families a restful weekend!
With appreciation,
Catherine Han
Principal, Colin Powell Elementary School
All families need to complete a Federal Impact Aid Survey as soon as possible. The form is available in ParentVUE under Online Packets (in the upper right corner after logging in). Only the enrolling parent can complete the form online.
We have sent home paper copies to all families who have not completed the form in ParentVUE.
As of today, 286 CPES families have completed the online survey. Thank you to all families who have responded.
We recommend using Google Chrome on your computer or mobile device.
Step 1: Go to sisparent.fcps.edu or type it into your Chrome browser. Click Here
Step 2: Log into your ParentVUE account. If you don’t have one, please contact the school.
Step 3: Click the “Online Packets” link at the top of the page, then select “Federal Impact Aid Survey” at the bottom. This will take you to the Impact Aid Survey for you to complete.
✅ If you have multiple children in FCPS, complete a form for each child. You’ll know you’re done when you see a green check next to each child’s name.
📝 Paper Forms - A paper copy of the form will be sent home with your student starting November 12. If you do not wish to complete online.
Information from this survey resulted in more than $4 million in funding last year from the U.S. Department of Education. The funds support all Fairfax County public schools and centers. Visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page to learn more.
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 were sent home this week.. 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.
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.
Full-Time AAP
Full-Time AAP is an academic program that offers a high degree of frequency and intensity of differentiation through acceleration, depth, and complexity of content and skills in all four core content areas. If you have a current 2nd-6th grader and feel your child requires full-time AAP, please submit your referral materials by December 15th. Please read below to learn more about what to submit. **Please note that ability test scores may or may not be released by December 15th. Do not wait until scores are received to submit your referral package.**
Parent Responsibility for the Referral File:
You can also find information from our November 5th Parent Night posted on our Parent Schoology page in the AAP folder.
Sending/Delivering the Referral File
If you are submitting your materials digitally, please email your attachments to Mrs. Bach, kmbach@fcps.edu. Only PDF and JPG formats are allowed.
If you are submitting your materials by hard copy, please drop them off to the front office. All copies and forms should be completed prior to drop off. Items will not be returned.
Confirmation of the Referral File
Upon submission, Mrs. Bach will send an email to confirm receipt of the file and the materials, within 24-48 hours of submission during workdays. If there is any issue with the readability or if the file does not follow the guidelines, the email will specifically communicate what needs to be fixed for the file to proceed. Please note, Mrs. Bach is on leave December 9th-12th and will be unavailable. She will follow up with email messages upon return on Monday, December 15th.
Please submit your referral materials BY DECEMBER 15th. This is the deadline and there are no exceptions.
Due to the overwhelming response from our community, FCPS is temporarily pausing fingerprint requirements for most Level 3 volunteers.
If you are scheduled for an upcoming fingerprinting appointment, please cancel your appointment unless you are a mentor, host parent, or non-parent volunteer having frequent, direct, and unsupervised contact with students, which will still require fingerprinting. FCPS will be charged if individuals miss a fingerprinting appointment without canceling in advance.
Those who have already been fingerprinted will be processed to be eligible for all Level 3 opportunities.
Field trip chaperone opportunities will now be classified as Level 2 (not requiring a background check).
To ensure continuous safety, all new volunteers are required to sign a Volunteer Certification Statement. This statement is a legal attestation confirming you have no history of violent felonies, physical/sexual crimes against children, or crimes of moral turpitude.
Want to volunteer? Visit Volunteer FCPS to find and sign up for volunteer opportunities. Contact Volunteers@fcps.edu with any questions.
Some families may be looking for additional resources to help support their child’s academic success. The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of FCPS employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to hire as tutors. This list is a resource offered by the FRC, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with the tutors. This list is not approved by FCPS and is only meant to be a resource to families.
FCPS also partners with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors' services, at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.
Family Engagement Month is a time to remember that parents and caregivers are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers.
The FCPS Family Academy supports the continued success and well-being of each and every student within the FCPS community. The Academy offers a variety of positive and engaging learning opportunities and meaningful connections to transform the FCPS experience into a welcoming environment for all families.
FCPS Family Café Series: Support Your Child’s Growth and LearningThe FCPS Family Academy announces the launch of a monthly series called the FCPS Family Café. These fun and helpful sessions are designed to keep families informed and involved in their child’s education. At Family Café, parents are key partners in helping children succeed. Click on a topic below to register to attend.
✨ FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Pillar B: Vibrant Home, School, and Community Partnerships, reminds us to empower families through trusting partnerships that sustain a safe, inclusive culture for learning.
Centreville Theatre presents Annie- The Musical.
You are invited to come see Centreville's Fall musical Annie! Performances are November 13-15! Tickets can be purchased by clicking here!
Families are encouraged to apply for free and reduced-price meals at any time during the school year.
If your income changes — for example, due to a furlough, layoff, or job loss — you may become newly eligible. Once approved, your benefits stay active for the rest of the school year and for the first 30 days of the next school year.
Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals or attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school receive free breakfast and lunch every school day. It’s a great way to make your food budget go further and save time from packing meals. Learn more about FCPS Food and Nutrition.
Impact of Federal Shutdown on Local Community
Fairfax County is home to around 80,000 federal employees and thousands of federal contractors. Its Federal Workforce Resource Hub is intended to help navigate current and future issues for residents, government employees, active military/veterans, contractors, nonprofits, and businesses who may be affected by actions, changes, or disruptions to federal services or employment.
Find more community resources for families.
Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child later in life. It’s a good habit to build now that will help them graduate on time and help them with time management. Parents and families can play a big role in helping kick-start good attendance habits.
Please take a look at the FCPS Calendar. Try to schedule any trips or family events on weekends and school holidays. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered “chronically absent.”
When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or appointment, you must report the absence to our school.
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- State Standards of Learning (SOL) Changes
- PSAT/SAT School Day Scores Available
- Resources for Families
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