Hello, Powell Families!

 

Hispanic Heritage Month: This special month, running from September 15 to October 15, was first established by President Lyndon B. Johnson and later expanded by President Ronald Reagan. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the rich contributions and diverse histories of people with Hispanic and Latino backgrounds.

 

Walk and Roll to School: Walk to School Day will be held on Wednesday, October 9th. Please meet in the Food Lion parking lot (1100 Raleigh Blvd.) at 8:00 am. The walk to school will start promptly at 8:40 am. Parents/Guardians must accompany their student(s) on the walk. Please fill out this waiver prior to the walk beginning: https://forms.gle/PyYBm5it4f3HNED89

 

Race for Education Kickoff: Our 13th annual Race for Education fundraiser has officially kicked off! Race day is Friday, November 8, 2025. More information to come! Please consider volunteering and/or contributing financially to the fundraising effort.  

 

2024-2025 Race for Education Student Shirt Sizes

We're collecting student shirt sizes for Race for Education Day. Please fill out one form per student; click here for the form. We also need sponsors—click here for available sponsorship opportunities!

 

Title 1 Information: Title I is a federally funded program that is one component of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. All Title I eligible schools in WCPSS operate under the schoolwide model. Title I funds may be used, along with other school funding sources, to provide resources and instructional support to help all children meet challenging academic standards. To learn more, please join my session during one of the rotations within our FALLing for SEL Night this Thursday. 

Please review the following documents on our school website:

• Powell Title 1 Home-School Compact 2024-2025
• Powell Title 1 Family Engagement Policy 2024-2025

After reviewing the two documents, please complete this short Title 1 Family Approval & Feedback 2024-2025 form. 

 

Kindergarten Dental Screenings: These screenings have been rescheduled for November 4th for Kindergarten students only. Annually, our School Health Dental Hygienist looks for healthy smiles by providing kindergarten dental screenings. Please refer to the WCPSS student/parent handbook. Good dental health is important to a student’s overall well-being and affects a child’s success and performance in the classroom.

School Dental Hygienists use a flashlight to provide a quick visual screening of the student’s teeth, unlike a dental exam by a dentist. During dental screening, the School Dental Hygienist follows all CDC guidelines. A letter with the screening results will be sent in the student's school folder only if your child has questionable or obvious dental needs. If needed, children with obvious dental needs may receive an additional follow-up screening by the School Health Dental Hygienist later in the school year.

Parents/guardians may contact Ms. Wooden, Principal, to opt out of dental screenings.

If you have any questions, please contact the school’s dental hygienist, Daniel Soki, BSDH, RDH, at 919-524-2361, or dsoki@wcpss.net

 

3rd Grade Explorers: The 3rd Grade Explorers program has begun!  This unique nurturing program is part of WCPSS Advanced Learning Services. Ms. Poisson will teach Explorers lessons to all 3rd graders on Fridays in October.  To learn more about Explorers, please read the Family Letter at https://bit.ly/4dp2tN9.  A paper copy of the Family Letter came home in last week's Tuesday folders.  You can also view a presentation and informational slides here: https://sites.google.com/wcpss.net/aigatpowellmagnetelementary/explorers

Please contact Ms. Poisson at apoisson@wcpss.net if you have any questions.

 

FALLing for SEL Night: This coming Thursday is our FALL-ing for SEL Event!
We will have a Fall photo booth where families can get their pictures taken. These photos will be added to a "Friends & Family" board that we’ll display at school, so come and get your picture on our wall!

4:30-5:00 pm: Visit our "Build-Your-Own Trail Mix" station, stop by the photo booth, and check out our "Anti-Bullying Pumpkins" station. Here, your child can add their fingerprint to their grade level's pumpkin to pledge against bullying at Powell.

5:00-6:40 pm: We will offer five informative sessions for parents to choose from. While we encourage you to attend at least three, you may attend up to four. The sessions include:

• Conscious Discipline: Learn about the "Adult-First" mindset, which helps you regulate your emotions to support your child's emotional regulation. Dive deeper into how assertiveness, encouragement, and offering choices can help your child manage social-emotional challenges.
• Second Step: Explore the scope and sequence of the unit and lesson topics, and discover ways to follow up with your student(s) at home.
• Zones of Regulation: Understand what triggers may send your student(s) into different emotional zones, and learn strategies like Flexible Thinking and "Size of the Problem" to help them respond appropriately.
• Helping Your Child with Stress/Anxiety: Learn about the different ways stress and anxiety may present in children, and how to respond to prevent negative outcomes.
• Title I Information: Discover what makes Powell a Title I funded school.

While parents are attending sessions, students will participate in Fall-themed SEL activities, including arts & crafts, games, and more!

Please RSVP using the following link: https://forms.gle/nFr1eb3DZdAfV7BJ7

Powell PTA Board Meeting

When   Oct 8, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Where  Online: https://meet.google.com/zhy-erij-fyc 

Join us virtually at our next PTA Board meeting on October 8th @ 7pm. All are welcome!

 

Have a great week!

Sierra Wooden, Principal

Hello, Powell Families!

 

Hispanic Heritage Month: This special month, running from September 15 to October 15, was first established by President Lyndon B. Johnson and later expanded by President Ronald Reagan. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the rich contributions and diverse histories of people with Hispanic and Latino backgrounds.

 

Homework Feedback: In the Wake County Public School System, we are committed to maintaining rigorous performance and achievement standards for all students and to providing a fair and consistent process for evaluating and reporting student progress that is understandable to students and their parents and relevant for instructional purposes. Each school year, schools in the Wake County Public Schools System reflect on and review their School Grading Plan, which includes homework practices. Please share your perspective on the following questions. Family input will help staff make informed decisions on plans for this school year. Click here to share your input.

 

FALLing for SEL Night: Our FALLing for SEL (Social/Emotional Learning) event is scheduled for October 10th from 4:30-6:45 pm. There will be fun fall-themed activities to accompany parent information/education about social-emotional learning at Powell. Ms. Wooden will also share information about our Title 1 programming this evening. More information to come! 

 

Race for Education Kickoff: Our 13th annual Race for Education fundraiser has officially kicked off! Race day is Friday, November 8, 2025. More information to come! Please consider volunteering and/or contributing financially to the fundraising effort.  

 

2024-2025 Race for Education Student Shirt Sizes

We're collecting student shirt sizes for Race for Education Day. Please fill out one form per student; click here for the form. We also need sponsors—click here for available sponsorship opportunities!

 

Backpack Buddies' Packers Events

St. Mark’s Backpack Buddies invites parents to volunteer at our packing events at 10:00 am on Thursday, October 17th and Wednesday, December 4th at St. Mark’s UMC. They’ll start with donuts and a packing lesson at 10:00 am and then parents are free to stay and pack as long as their schedule allows. Come meet other parents from our partner schools while your kids are in class!

We invite parents and children to volunteer at our Family Packing events on Thursday, October 3rd from 10am-12pm and Tuesday, November 5th (Election Day) from 1-3pm at St. Mark’s UMC. These are teacher workdays for WCPSS so, if you are looking for something fun to do, please come by.  They’ll have their food pantry open for packing – come during that time as your family’s schedule allows. No need to sign up for these events, just show up!  St. Mark’s UMC is located at 4801 Six Forks Road. The Backpack Buddies food pantry is located downstairs in room 6 of their main building. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the church at joann@stmarksraleigh.org.

Contact: School Social Worker, Alex Kansler, akansler@wcpss.net, or JoAnn Cabaniss, joann@stmarksraleigh.org

 

Behavior Intervention Monitoring Assessment System-2 or BIMAS-2: Information about the BIMAS-2 will be coming home this week for your review.

 

Kindergarten Dental Screenings: These screenings are scheduled for October 2nd for Kindergarten students only. Annually, our School Health Dental Hygienist looks for healthy smiles by providing kindergarten dental screenings. Please refer to the WCPSS student/parent handbook. Good dental health is important to a student’s overall well-being and affects a child’s success and performance in the classroom.

School Dental Hygienists use a flashlight to provide a quick visual screening of the student’s teeth, unlike a dental exam by a dentist. During dental screening, the School Dental Hygienist follows all CDC guidelines. A letter with the screening results will be sent in the student's school folder only if your child has questionable or obvious dental needs. If needed, children with obvious dental needs may receive an additional follow-up screening by the School Health Dental Hygienist later in the school year.

Parents/guardians may contact Ms. Wooden, Principal, to opt out of dental screenings.

If you have any questions, please contact the school’s dental hygienist, Daniel Soki, BSDH, RDH, at 919-524-2361, or dsoki@wcpss.net

 

Teacher Workday, Thursday, October 3rd: No School for Students

 

Powell Elementary Walk to School Day 2024:

· Date: Wednesday, October 9th

· Walk Time: 8:30 AM - 9:05 AM

· Start Location: Food Lion Parking Lot

· End Location: Powell Elementary School

Please wear bright colors and/or high visibility safety vests

 

Have a great week!

Sierra Wooden, Principal

Hello, Powell Families!

 

Hispanic Heritage Month

This special month, running from September 15th to October 15th, was first established by President Lyndon B. Johnson and later expanded by President Ronald Reagan. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the rich contributions and diverse histories of people with Hispanic and Latino backgrounds.

 

Interim Reports

Interim reports will be going home this week. This report will share insights about the academic progress your student has made so far this quarter.  Please contact your child’s teacher with any questions you may have.

 

FALLing for SEL

Thank you so much for your participation in Curriculum Night! We had a total of 355 people in attendance! Our FALLing for SEL (Social/Emotional Learning) event is scheduled for October 10th! There will be fun fall-themed activities to accompany parent information/education about social-emotional learning at Powell. To help us prepare our parent sessions, please fill out this survey about topics you are interested in. If you have any questions, please contact Gina Montague, School Counselor, gmontague@wcpss.net.

 

4th and 5th Grade AIG Nomination Window

The Fall AIG Nomination Window for 4th and 5th grade students is now open. 4th and 5th graders may be nominated for AIG consideration from September 16th to September 27th. All nominations must be submitted online by 5pm on September 27th. If you are interested, please visit this page to learn more and access the nomination form: https://bit.ly/AIGNomination  If you have any questions, please contact Ann Poisson, AIG teacher, apoisson@wcpss.net.

 

Activate Good/Wasserman Day of Service

A huge thank you to Activate Good for their support with the Wasserman Day of Service Project. This was another wonderful day of service to benefit our Powell Community - even with the rain! This past Tuesday, the team helped weed in and around garden beds, relocate the old chicken coop, remove debris, refresh mulch, mulch the back area by the playground, build and paint bird houses, build 8 new garden beds and much more!

 

BOG Letters, 3rd Grade Families

You will receive the score report and a letter explaining the BOG. It will come home in your child's backpack on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Outlined below is a summary of the purpose of the Beginning of Grade Test. If you have any questions regarding the BOG, please reach out to Mrs. Hart, our testing coordinator, at mhart@wcpss.net. 

As part of the Read to Achieve legislation (G.S. §115C-83.1A) passed by the General Assembly in 2012, your child was given a beginning-of-grade standardized test to establish a baseline measure of how he or she is reading. The goal of Read to Achieve is for every child to read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The test results will help you and your school address the learning needs of your child so that he or she will continue to progress in reading proficiency.

 

Carpool Dismissal

A minor adjustment will be made to our afternoon dismissal process for carpool riders. Families will follow the same routine as morning arrival where students are dropped off at the stairs; they will now pick up at the stairs in the afternoon beginning September 23rd. With this adjustment, our walkers who exit campus near the cafeteria will have more space to travel safely utilizing the sidewalk. We will use cones (near the dumpsters) to elongate the walker’s route to assist with the transition between the break in the sidewalk. With this being a high traffic area, please be mindful of our goal to be as safe and efficient as possible. We ask that everyone be considerate of our students and staff to help eliminate as much disruption to this process and procedure. 

 

Powell PTA Spirit Night: Kilwins

When: Sep 24, 2024 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Where: Kilwins Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop 200 Park at N Hills St Suite 110

Mark your calendars! We're hosting a spirit night at Kilwins! Kilwins Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is located in the North Hills part of Raleigh. There is a large grassy area for kids to be able to run around and play after eating ice cream.

 

Fall Pictures

Strawbridge Studios will be at Powell September 26th to photograph fall pictures. This link will allow you to sign up to receive updates via email regarding your child's portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/clients/powell-magnet-elementary-school/fall-pictures-9-26-2024-69/optIn 

 

2nd Grade, Ms. Benoit’s Class

Ms. Benoit will be hosting a special “Meet the Teacher” event for the families in her class on Thursday, September 26th from 4:00-5:15. Thank you for your support!

 

Have a great week!

Hello, Powell Families!

 

Friday, September 20, 2024

Friday is a Teacher Workday, no school for students.

 

2nd Grade, Ms. Benoit’s Class

Monday Ms. Benoit will officially join our school family! Mr. Roberson and Mrs. Boling will continue to support while she transitions in. They will slowly transition out of the classroom once Ms. Benoit has had a chance to acclimate to the school and classroom. Stay tuned for information about a special “Meet the Teacher” event for the families in this class!

 

3rd Grade Beginning of Grade (BOG) Reading Assessment

Our 3rd Graders took the Beginning of Grade Reading Test this past Friday, September 13, 2024. Make ups for students absent on September 13th will take place on Monday, September 16th.

 

Family Picnic and Curriculum Night, September 19, 2024

You’re invited! Please join us for our Powell Family Picnic, Walk Through PTA Meeting, and learn more about what is happening this quarter. Do not forget to bring your picnic blankets! RSVP here: https://forms.gle/xsBDhoZCs3r67qKNA 

(Please note: Protecting the privacy of our students and their families is a high priority. If you photograph or record images of students other than your own, please respect their privacy if posting to social media. Not all families wish to have images of their children online.)

 

Domains and Electives

1st Semester Domains and Quarter 1 Electives begin September 16th. Students will come home Monday with information regarding their domains and electives. If you have any questions, please contact Cris Laurens, Magnet Program Coordinator, claurens@wcpss.net.

 

Fall Pictures

Strawbridge Studios will be at Powell September 26th to photograph fall pictures. This link will allow you to sign up to receive updates via email regarding your child's portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/clients/powell-magnet-elementary-school/fall-pictures-9-26-2024-69/optIn 

 

Behavior Intervention Monitoring Assessment System (BIMAS-2™) 

In our continuing efforts to support the well-being of all our students, the district will once again be administering a universal screener of social, emotional & behavioral health. Additional information regarding this process and an Opt-Out Form will be sent home soon.

 

Powell PTA Spirit Night: Kilwins

When: Sep 24, 2024 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Where: Kilwins Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop 200 Park at N Hills St Suite 110

Mark your calendars! We're hosting a spirit night at Kilwins! Kilwins Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is located in the North Hills part of Raleigh. There is a large grassy area for kids to be able to run around and play after eating ice cream.

 

Carpool Dismissal

A minor adjustment will be made to our afternoon dismissal process for carpool riders. Families will follow the same routine as morning arrival where students are dropped off at the stairs; they will now pick up at the stairs in the afternoon beginning September 23rd. With this adjustment, our walkers who exit campus near the cafeteria will have more space to travel safely utilizing the sidewalk. We will use cones (near the dumpsters) to elongate the walker's route to assist with the transition between the break in the sidewalk. With this being a high traffic area, please be mindful of our goal to be as safe and efficient as possible. We ask that everyone be considerate of our students and staff to help eliminate as much disruption to this process and procedure.

Hello, Powell Families!

 

Meet the Teacher Feedback

Thank you for attending our Meet the Teacher events. Please consider sharing feedback regarding your experience by completing this survey: https://bit.ly/PMESfeedback 

 

3rd Grade Beginning of Grade (BOG) Reading Assessment, September 13, 2024

Our 3rd Graders will take the Beginning of Grade Reading Test on Friday, September 13, 2024. Make ups for students absent on September 13th will take place on Monday, September 16th.

 

Family Picnic and Curriculum Night, September 19, 2024

You’re invited! Please join us for our Powell Family Picnic, Walk Through PTA Meeting, and learn more about what is happening this quarter. Do not forget to bring your picnic blankets! RSVP here: https://forms.gle/xsBDhoZCs3r67qKNA 

(Please note: Protecting the privacy of our students and their families is a high priority. If you photograph or record images of students other than your own, please respect their privacy if posting to social media. Not all families wish to have images of their children online.)

 

Domains and Electives

1st Semester Domains and Quarter 1 Electives begin September 16th. If you have any questions, please contact Cris Laurens, Magnet Program Coordinator, claurens@wcpss.net.

 

Fall Pictures

Strawbridge Studios will be at Powell September 26th to photograph fall pictures. This link will allow you to sign up to receive updates via email regarding your child's portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/clients/powell-magnet-elementary-school/fall-pictures-9-26-2024-69/optIn 

 

Carpool Procedures for Driving to and from Campus

As we begin another school year, we want to remind everyone of the importance of following our carpool and parking procedures. These guidelines are designed with your children's safety in mind and to ensure a smooth and efficient pick-up and drop-off process. 

Carpool Line: All vehicles must follow the designated path of the carpool line and exit the campus by turning left onto the main road. Right turns are not permitted. This helps to maintain a steady flow of traffic and prevents backups that can create hazardous conditions.

Alternate Routes: If you need to head back to King Charles Road, please use the alternate path provided to avoid re-entering the carpool line and causing congestion.

Neighborhood Streets: Remember that the streets around our school are residential, with a speed limit of 25 MPH. Please drive cautiously and be mindful of our neighbors and other children who may be present.

Street Parking Guidelines:

No Parking Zones: Please be aware of the No Parking signs posted along Marlborough Road during pick-up and drop-off hours (8:45 - 9:30 AM and 3:30 - 4:15 PM). These areas are restricted to ensure clear visibility and access for all vehicles.

Street Parking Availability: If you must park on side streets, make sure to do so in designated areas only. Parking in no-parking zones, even briefly, can cause delays and potential safety issues for students and families.

Why These Procedures Are Important:

Safety First: Our top priority is the safety of all students, families, and staff. By adhering to these procedures, you help prevent accidents and ensure that our children can safely enter and exit the school grounds.

Efficiency: Following the designated routes and parking rules allows for a smoother and faster carpool process, reducing wait times and traffic congestion.

Respect for Our Community: We are part of a larger neighborhood community. Respecting parking rules and driving carefully on residential streets helps maintain a positive relationship with our neighbors and ensures that we are good stewards of the area around our school.

We appreciate your cooperation in following these guidelines. Working together, we can ensure that the drop-off and pick-up experience is safe, smooth, and efficient for everyone.

(Please note: As a reminder, we are currently reviewing our carpool structures as we are encountering challenges with our walker families not having adequate safe walking routes while departing from campus. As we identify a safer solution for our walker families, we anticipate that there could be minor adjustments made to PM carpool. This is currently a work in progress, so no changes have been made at this time.)