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January 28: Last Day of the Quarter- Two Hour Early Release Dismissal 2:00 PM
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January 29 & 30: Student Holiday- No School
Fairfax County Public Schools 2025-2026 Standard School Year Calendar
Good afternoon Powell Puma Families:
As we wrap up another wonderful week of learning, I want to share a few updates, extend a note of gratitude, and provide important information as we head into the weekend.
Thank You for Joining Us at Parent Coffee Thank you to the families who joined us this morning for our parent coffee. We appreciated the opportunity to share our Social Emotional Learning screener data and to engage in meaningful conversation about ways to support our students at home. Your partnership, questions, and collaboration are an important part of this work, and we are grateful for your involvement.
Winter Weather Information and Safety Reminders
With winter weather predicted this weekend, I want to share a few important updates and reminders.
FCPS has a winter weather resources page that includes enrichment activities students can engage in on a snow day linked here. These activities are designed to support continued learning in a flexible and family friendly way. Throughout the weekend, the division’s weather team will be closely monitoring conditions to provide families with the best possible guidance regarding delays or closures. A separate family letter will be sent today with reminders about FCPS weather protocols.
As a reminder:
- Any updates regarding delays or closures will be communicated through official FCPS channels.
- We encourage families to allow extra time when traveling and to review safe winter weather practices.
Student Materials for Potential Weather Days To ensure students are prepared:
- Students in grades K–2 will be bringing home reading books, instructional materials, and or work packets.
- Students in grades 3–6 will be bringing home their iPads so they can access FCPS winter enrichment activities.
If any families of students in grades K–2 would like their child to bring home their iPad, please reach out directly to your child’s teacher.
Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership. Our priority remains the safety, well being, and growth of our students.
Wishing you a warm, safe, and restful weekend.
With gratitude,
Mrs.Han
Principal
Good afternoon Powell Puma Families:
As we wrap up another wonderful week of learning, I want to share a few updates, extend a note of gratitude, and provide important information as we head into the weekend.
Thank You for Joining Us at Parent Coffee Thank you to the families who joined us this morning for our parent coffee. We appreciated the opportunity to share our Social Emotional Learning screener data and to engage in meaningful conversation about ways to support our students at home. Your partnership, questions, and collaboration are an important part of this work, and we are grateful for your involvement.
Winter Weather Information and Safety Reminders
With winter weather predicted this weekend, I want to share a few important updates and reminders.
FCPS has a winter weather resources page that includes enrichment activities students can engage in on a snow day linked here. These activities are designed to support continued learning in a flexible and family friendly way. Throughout the weekend, the division’s weather team will be closely monitoring conditions to provide families with the best possible guidance regarding delays or closures. A separate family letter will be sent today with reminders about FCPS weather protocols.
As a reminder:
- Any updates regarding delays or closures will be communicated through official FCPS channels.
- We encourage families to allow extra time when traveling and to review safe winter weather practices.
Student Materials for Potential Weather Days To ensure students are prepared:
- Students in grades K–2 will be bringing home reading books, instructional materials, and or work packets.
- Students in grades 3–6 will be bringing home their iPads so they can access FCPS winter enrichment activities.
If any families of students in grades K–2 would like their child to bring home their iPad, please reach out directly to your child’s teacher.
Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership. Our priority remains the safety, well being, and growth of our students.
Wishing you a warm, safe, and restful weekend.
With gratitude,
Mrs.Han
Principal
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather closing decisions are made at FCPS.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, the new FCPS mobile app, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange emergency child care if needed.
⛄ Keep Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities
We will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories that may prevent children from being outside. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. View the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather.
If you need assistance getting cold-weather clothing for your family, please call Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. Their multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and health.
Our Kiss & Ride procedures must operate efficiently and safely as we welcome over 100 vehicles each day. The following expectations will be strictly enforced to prevent delays and ensure student safety.
At 8:55 a.m., students must exit vehicles immediately and line up at the entrance. Students may not remain in cars past this time.
School staff will begin directing students to exit vehicles promptly at 8:55 a.m. We have observed students remaining in cars until as late as 9:05 am., which causes the line to stop moving and creates unsafe traffic conditions. This cannot continue.
If your child has large equipment or materials, needs support exiting the vehicle, or has not finished eating breakfast, you must park and walk your child into the school. Kiss & Ride is for quick, independent unloading only. These steps are necessary to ensure the line continues moving and does not back up.
Safety patrols will hold clear signage indicating the unloading zone, and families are expected to unload students when directed. Drivers must pull forward fully, unload promptly, and exit the lot without delay.
Additional traffic signs will be posted to support smoother flow. All drivers are expected to follow staff directions at all times. Speeding, stopping outside the unloading zone, or waiting in the line after 8:55 a.m. will not be permitted.
After 9:15 AM, Kiss and Ride is closed. Families arriving after this time must park and walk their child into the building to sign in, as instruction is already underway.
These procedures are in place to keep students safe and learning on time. We appreciate your full cooperation and expect all families to follow these expectations moving forward.
Thank you for your partnership in ensuring a safe and efficient arrival for all.
A list of resources has been compiled for students and families in case they or someone they know needs assistance while schools are closed for winter weather. Please visit FCPS’ winter resources page for information on academic support, mental health support, and county resources related to food, clothing, housing, and other needs.
Even If School Is Closed, Learning Can Continue!
We encourage students to take advantage of fun learning opportunities during snow or inclement weather days. Consider these winter activities to blend education and play at home.
Wednesday, January 28, is the last day of the quarter and an early release for students. Colin Powell Students will be dismissed at 2:00 PM on a two hour early release. Schools are closed for students on Thursday, January 29, for a staff development day, and Friday, January 30, for a teacher workday.
Bring the whole family out to the Colin Powell Cafeteria for a night of singing, community and family fun for a great cause! Our annual Student Council Association sponsored Karaoke Night will take place on Friday, February 6 from 5:30 to 8 pm. Admission is $5 per person for anyone 3 and older. Food, drinks, and snacks—including cheese pizza and Rita’s Ice—will all be available for purchase at the event. Come early to make sure you can sing your favorite songs on the CPES Main Stage. Please note, this event is cash only. All proceeds will benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand, which works to support children who are battling cancer and also work on research to fund treatments and possible cures for childhood cancer. If you have any middle of high school aged children who need community service hours, please have them reach out to Laura Senturia at lesenturia@fcps.edu to sign up to volunteer at the event.
It is so hard to believe that we are approaching the end of the 2nd quarter! We will be helping the social committee prepare a cereal bar for teachers to enjoy on Thursday, 1/29. If you would like to donate an item, please use the link below to sign up. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Teacher Workday Cereal Bar Donations
Schoology is the learning management system used in FCPS. Parents and students can use Schoology to view assignments and messages from teachers. Learn more about how to access and navigate Schoology.
Visit the Schoology Snippets YouTube playlist to watch short tutorials that walk you through how to use Schoology.
Need help logging in or accessing Tech Support? Visit the Schoology for Parents page.
Gone are the days of digging through emails or hunting for bookmarks. The FCPS app provides a custom experience that is both powerful and easy to use. Here’s how it makes life easier:
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Customized for Your Family: Do you have students at two (or more!) schools? You can "follow" multiple schools to get a feed of news, notices, and events.
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No Sign-In Required: Access essential content like district-wide announcements, live updates, and school calendars instantly. There’s no password to remember, and no login is required.
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Real-Time Notifications: Get push notifications for urgent updates including weather announcements.
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Everything in One Place: From bell schedules and staff directories to athletic event locations and school menus, the app is a central hub for all things FCPS.
To ensure every family stays informed, the app supports automatic translation for more than 100 languages. Learn more about the app or download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
There’s an easy five-step process for parents wanting to register their child for kindergarten:
- Determine eligibility.
- Identify your local school.
- Gather documents.
- Fill out forms.
- Schedule an appointment.
After the appointment at the school (the student and one caregiver must be present), the student will be ready for orientation or any other introductory events our school may host. Read more about the registration process. For more information, please call our Regina Johnson at 571-522-6000.
Try Online Registration
Parents may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process. When registering, parents will create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- The FCPS Budget Process
- Course Selection
- Language Immersion Lottery
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