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August 14 at 11:00 AM – Popsicle with the Principals (Kindergarten families only)
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August 21 from 1:15- 3:00 PM - Open House (information below)
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August 24 from 9:15-4:00 PM– First Day of School!
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September 4th- Holiday Labor Day Break
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September 7th- Holiday Labor Day Break
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September 15th- Back to School Night PAC- 2nd Grade 5:30 PM (more information to come)
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September 17th- Back to School Night 3rd-6th Grade 5:30 PM (more information to come)
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September 21st- Holiday Yom Kippur
Fairfax County Public Schools 2026-2027 Standard School Year Calendar
Dear Powell Families,
We hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer! It's hard to believe that August is already here, and we are getting closer to welcoming our Pumas back for another exciting school year.
As the first day of school approaches, now is a great time to begin easing your child back into a school routine. Gradually adjusting bedtimes and wake-up times, re-establishing morning routines, and spending a little time reading together each day can help make the transition back to school smoother and help students feel confident and ready for the first day.
Behind the scenes, our team has been eagerly preparing for the new school year, and we are excited to welcome our staff back soon as we finalize plans for another incredible year of learning, growth, and connection.
Thank you for your continued partnership and for all you do to support your child's success. Enjoy these final weeks of summer, and we'll see you very soon!
Warmly,
Catherine Han
Principal
This year’s annual Open House is scheduled for Friday, August 21st.
Please visit us at school during your child's designated timeframe to meet your child’s teacher(s), meet our specialists, as well as other staff members of the Colin Powell ES community. This is also a great time for you to drop your child’s school supplies off to their classroom.
Please refer to the schedule below for Open House:
Classroom placements for the 2026-27 school year will be available for families via eNotify Tuesday, August 18th as you will receive an automated email, and in ParentVUE on Thursday, August 20th. If you do not have a ParentVUE account, we strongly encourage you to register for one today.
Please visit the link below to find out information on the benefits of ParentVUE:
ParentVUE Information
Staff will also be available to let you know your child's classroom teacher at our annual Open House event.
We kindly ask that you do not call the main office and request this information. The main office staff will direct you to set-up a ParentVUE account and support you with this process, if needed.
We look forward to having our Puma family back together at Open House!
Simplify your back-to-school prep! Download the FCPS mobile app to check school calendars, breakfast/lunch menus, and school contacts all in one place with no login required. Plus, get quick access to ParentVUE, Schoology, and the bus app.Download the FCPS mobile app in the Apple App Store or Google Play, and make sure to subscribe to our school in the app settings.
We’re Eager to Welcome You Back to School!
As summer winds down, we are looking forward to welcoming students back to our classrooms. Use the following list to help make sure your child is ready!
☑️ Sign Up for SIS ParentVUE
Access your student’s attendance records, grades, and assignments at any time with SIS ParentVUE. Contact our registrar Regina Johnson at rljohnson2@fcps.edu 571-522-6000 if you need an activation code. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.
Update Your Contact Information
Be sure you receive important information! Update your phone number(s) and/or email address(es) by clicking “My Account” and reviewing the “Online Verification/Update.” On that form, you can also update immunization records, health information, and emergency contacts.
☑️ Update Immunizations and Records
Immunizations are required for all students to attend school in Virginia. This is an important part of protecting them from certain diseases and keeping them healthy.
When your child is immunized, remember to request a copy of their immunization record and bring that to our front office or submit the record via SIS ParentVUE as soon as possible. Find more information on FCPS’ website.
☑️ Learn About School Meals
Families need to provide their children with money to purchase meals at school or send them with a packed lunch. Alternatively, families may apply to receive free and reduced-price meal benefits, pending approval.
☑️ Bookmark the School Year Calendar
Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances:
- Days marked blue with an “H” are student holidays. Schools are closed on these days.
- Days marked orange with an “O” are religious and cultural observance days (or evenings, if only half marked). There is school on these days, but certain events that cannot be made up may not be scheduled on these days.
- Days marked as TW, SD, and SP and in pink are holidays for students but working days for teachers and staff.
Please note that some holidays and observances, such as Eid al Fitr, may shift, and the calendar may be adjusted.
As part of the ongoing commitment to strengthening layered safety and security programs, FCPS will implement a new student ID system for students who ride our school buses.
The implementation of the student IDs is designed as an additional safety measure for our 130,000 FCPS students who ride the bus each day, ensuring they are on the right bus and that they get on and off at the correct bus stop, as well as making sure only authorized students are on our buses.
The IDs will be provided to students who ride the bus. Those students will be expected to tap on and tap off the bus. The student IDs do not track student movement. The only information available is when a student taps on or off a bus. Much like our Here Comes the Bus app, our new app will allow parents/guardians to track the progress of the school bus.
It is possible that the ID program will expand in the future to include uses such as library cards and meal payment. Learn more about the new transportation system and student ID cards.
Experience an easier way to view your child’s school menus using MealViewer:
- View what is being served each day.
- View the nutritional information for each meal.
- See if any specific allergens are being served.
- Get notified when your student’s favorite meal is being served.
Printable menus are always available on the Food and Nutrition Services webpage.
To ensure a safe, smooth, and uninterrupted dismissal process for all students, please remember our protocol for early pick-ups:
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Notify Us Early: If you need to pick your student up before the end of the school day, please email their teacher and CC our attendance email (colinpowellelem.attendance@fcps.edu) by 10:00 AM on the day of the early dismissal.
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Final Cut-Off Time: The last early pick-up window of the day ends promptly at 3:30 PM. After 3:30 students will be dismiss their regular dismissal route.
Following these guidelines minimizes disruptions to valuable instructional time and helps our staff ensure that every child gets where they need to be safely. Thank you so much for your cooperation and your continued support in keeping our dismissal procedures safe and efficient!
We are introducing an updated protocol to Kiss and Ride to enhance safety, improve traffic flow, and ensure a more efficient experience for all families.
Beginning 2026-2027 school year, Kiss and Ride numbers will be limited to only out-of-boundary students. New Kiss and Ride numbers will be issued to eligible families, so current placards will need to be discarded. Once assigned, the numbers will remain with the student for the duration of their enrollment at the school.
As a reminder, during arrival and dismissal times:
- All drivers are expected to follow staff directions at all times.
- The Kiss & Ride line CLOSES at 9:15 AM. Parents arriving after 9:15 AM must park and escort students to the main office to sign them in.
- Vehicles should pull forward as far as possible before stopping to maximize lane capacity.
- Drivers must remain in their vehicles and may not leave them unattended.
- Students should enter and exit vehicles from the passenger side only.
- Families are encouraged to have students ready to exit the vehicle promptly upon arrival with their belongings prepared in advance.
- During pick-up, please ensure that the Kiss and Ride tags are clearly displayed on the dashboard.
- The use of mobile devices should be minimized while in the Kiss and Ride line to ensure full attention to traffic flow and student safety.
- Parking or passing within the Kiss and Ride lane is strictly prohibited. If additional time or assistance is needed, families are asked to park in a designated parking space.
We appreciate your cooperation and support as we implement these procedures to maintain a safe, orderly, and efficient environment for our school community.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) utilizes the Community Peer Program as part of its special education initiatives to promote social interaction and acceptance by integrating children with and without developmental delays in the same classroom.
Why is inclusion in early childhood education so important?
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Fosters a Sense of Belonging and Acceptance by helping children appreciate differences, build positive relationships, and develop strong social skills.
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Promotes Social-Emotional Development by encouraging empathy, respect, self-esteem, confidence, and resilience.
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Enhances Learning Outcomes by providing individualized learning opportunities that support academic growth and prepare children for success in a diverse and inclusive society.
Together, we are creating an inclusive learning community where every child is valued, supported, and given the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.
Requirements:
- Must be at least 3 ½ or 4 years old by September 30 of the school year they are entering.
- Must be completely potty trained.
- Must reside within Fairfax County.
- Must attend during the designated hours of the enrolled program.
- May attend up to 5 days a week.
- Are not considered typically developing models if they have an IEP or are found eligible after acceptance.
If interested in learning more about our Community Peer Program at Powell please reach out to Lori Murphy - PAC Lead Teacher lemurphy@fcps.edu
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) uses a variety of digital resources to support student learning while maintaining the security and privacy of student information in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Some FCPS-approved digital tools require parent/guardian permission. These tools have been carefully reviewed to ensure they align with the FCPS Learning Model and meet FCPS security and privacy standards. Not every tool will be used by every student.
Please complete and sign the permission form to allow your child to use approved instructional tools. For information about the specific tools your child will use, please contact your child's teacher. If additional tools requiring parent permission are introduced during the school year, families will be notified and given the opportunity to opt in.
You can find more information about FCPS’ commitment to student privacy at https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/digital-citizenship-internet-safety/digital-privacy-fcps and a list of all approved digital tools is viewable online in the FCPS Digital Ecosystem Library (https://del.fcps.edu/) which has links to the vendors’ privacy notices and other useful information.
This permission will expire at the end of this school year, and can be revoked at any time by contacting the school. If you have questions about any of the digital resources listed below, please contact Nichole Lansdowne nalansdowne@fcps.edu.
You can respond by completing the online Parent Digital Consent Application (https://digitalconsent.fcps.edu/ispb/is01/r/pdcp/).
You will be asked to log in with your ParentVUE username and password.
Directions are available on the FCPS webpage Digital Consent Parent Directions (https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/technology/digital-resources/consent/directions).
FCPS will continue to have monthly early release days for elementary schools. The purpose of these days is to allow additional time for staff to collaborate when planning instruction for students and to participate in professional development opportunities. Here are the early release Wednesdays for our school community:
October 21st
December 2nd
February 10th
May 5th
On these days, we will dismiss students at 1:00 PM. For more information, please visit the following website: Early Release Wednesday Information
Parents and caregivers may use the Online Verification/Update (OVU) packet in SIS ParentVUE to confirm whether or not child care on the four early release Wednesdays will be needed. If your plans change during the school year, please notify your child’s school directly.
Parents and caregivers also have the option to submit their child care selection for early release Wednesdays via a paper form. The form link will be available in late July.
Families are encouraged to review the updated FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) document, which explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses in order to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Updates for the 2026-27 school year include new Universal Grade Matrices (UGMs). UGMs are charts that show behavior expectations and school responses by grade level (K-3, 4-8, and 9-12). These at-a-glance resources (in Appendix D of the SR&R) are designed to make it easier for parents and caregivers to understand how schools respond to different types of behavior concerns.
Visit the SR&R webpage for more information and to review additional updates to the SR&R for the 2026-27 school year.
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- Back-to-School Checklist
- Stay Up to Date with the FCPS Mobile App
- New Menu Platform
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