Powell Elementary School

08/31/2026

08/28/2026

Good Day Powerful Powell.

We are excited to have completed another wonderful day of school and look forward to welcoming our youngest learners tomorrow!

Today, we also held our first emergency fire drill of the school year. Students practiced how to safely exit the building and respond in the event of an emergency. We will continue to hold fire drills each month to help students become familiar and confident with our safety procedures. We encourage families to use this as an opportunity to talk with your student about what to do at home in the event of a fire.

As a reminder, our doors open at 8:15 AM. All families should enter and exit through our main doors. Students who are not enrolled in our after school program must be picked up by 3:30 PM.
Thank you for your continued partnership. See your bright and early tomorrow morning.

Principal Lyons

08/26/2026

After-school pick-up

Hi Powell families, we've reached our first day of after-school programming! For students in after-school programming, pick-up is from 4:30-6pm.

The person picking up must be on the list of adults authorized to pick-up and must also bring identification.

Kindergarten and Pre-K students are picked up in their after-school classes. All other students will be picked up at the front doors once they are signed out.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we get to know new cohorts of students. Reach out to Mr. Walters in the front office with any questions. Thanks for your partnership!

08/26/2026

👕Pantry Drive & Swag Sale!

Dear Powell Families,
There are two upcoming opportunities to donate goods to the Powell school pantry & to buy Powell Panther gear for your family! See flyer below for more info.

📅 FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
⏰ Time: 8:00–9:00 AM (morning drop-off)
📍 Location: Table in front of Powell’s main entrance

📅 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 at the Resource Fair
⏰ Time:3:15 — 4:00 PM
📍 Location: Powell Playground — Powell Padres Table
We hope to see you there!
Powell Padres

👕Campaña de recolección de despensa
y venta de mercancía de Powell
Queridas Familias de Powell,

¡Hay dos próximas oportunidades para donar a la despensa escolar de Powell y para comprar ropa y mercancia de Powell Panthers para su familia! Consulte el folleto a continuación para obtener más información.

📅 VIERNES, AUGUST 28
⏰ Hora: 8:00–9:00 AM (entrega por la mañana)
📍 Lugar: Mesa frente a la entrada principal de Powell
📅 MARTES, SEPTEMBER 1 durante la Feria de Recursos
⏰ Hora: 3:15 — 4:00 PM
📍 Lugar: Patio de recreo de Powell — Mesa para Powell Padres

¡Esperamos verlos allí!
Powell Padres

08/26/2026

Update: Dismissal Process

Dear Powell Families,

We did it! We completed our first day of school! It was wonderful to welcome our students back and see so many smiling faces. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we settle into our routines.

I want to share a quick clarification about self-dismissal. This year, the District introduced a new Self-Dismissal form. While the District policy aligns with our practice, the form does not include Powell’s school-based process for preparing students to walk home independently. This caused some confusion about which students would be walking home on their own. I appreciate the families who brought this to my attention.

In DCPS, self dismissal is an option for students in grades K through 5. At Powell, we honor a family’s decision for their student to self-dismiss and use our Flash Pass process to help students prepare. Students complete a brief interview to show that they:
Know their home address
Know the phone number of a trusted adult
Understand important traffic signs and signals
Can describe their route home, including the names of the streets they will walk
Students being picked up by an older sibling who does not attend Powell will wait at school for their sibling and are not considered self-dismissing. Students in grades K through 5 may also self-dismiss with an older sibling who attends Powell.

At Back to School Night (BTSN) on Tuesday, September 1st, families can confirm their self-dismissal preference. We will review our records and complete the Flash Pass process as needed. Before then, families can stop by the office and speak with Ms. Thornton to begin the process.

Thank you for your partnership as we make sure our process is clear and our students are prepared to travel home safely and independently.

Principal Lyons
OLL

08/26/2026

Breakfast locations starting tomorrow

Hi Powell families,
It has been such a treat to see students back in the building, learning the routines of their new grade, making new friends and greeting old friends. Thanks for your efforts to help students arrive on-time and in uniform! Tomorrow, Wednesday, 8/26, we transition to regular breakfast locations:
Kindergarten: classrooms
1st and 2nd grade: cafeteria
3rd and 4th grade: auditorium
5th grade: atrium
We ask families to leave the building by 8:35 to prepare to start the instructional day at 8:45. After-school programming begins tomorrow and we look forward to welcoming our Pre-K learners on Thursday, August 27. Pre-K students have breakfast in the classroom.

Please note that you can disregard the recent message about DCPS meal cost. Breakfast and lunch are free for all Powell students, plus supper for students enrolled in after-school program.

Thank you for your partnership!
Principal Lyons, Assistant Principal Cartagena and Assistant Principal Hall

08/22/2026

Waterpalooza - Northwest Community Church

Hi neighbors!

It’s that time of year again to have some free fun in the sun on our front lawn at NW Community Church at 16th & Taylor, NW.
rescheduled date for ”Waterpalooza 2026” on Sun, Aug 23 from 11-1:30pm.

¡Hola vecinos!

¡Ya es esa época del año otra vez para divertirnos gratis bajo el sol en nuestro césped delantero en NW Community Church en 16th & Taylor, NW! Fecha reprogramada para “Waterpalooza 2026” el domingo 23 de agosto de 11 am - 1:30 p.m.

08/20/2026

Hola familias de Powell,

¡Buenos días! Los maestros han estado ocupados esta semana, planificando un gran año escolar y preparando sus aulas para recibir a los estudiantes. Todos los estudiantes y sus familias están invitados a conocer a los maestros y ver las aulas mañana, viernes 21 de agosto, de 2 a 3 pm. Tengan en cuenta que algunas listas de clases han cambiado debido a inscripciones y bajas durante el verano. Pueden confirmar la asignación de clase de su estudiante en Aspen en aspen.dcps.dc.gov o en los impresos que estarán disponibles en la escuela mañana.

Por favor, vean algunos recordatorios a continuación:

¡De kindergarten a quinto grado comienza el lunes 24 de agosto! Las puertas se abren a las 8:15 am. El desayuno será en el aula el lunes y martes. Las familias siempre son bienvenidas a unirse a los estudiantes en el desayuno.

La recogida de todos los estudiantes es a las 3:15 los lunes y martes. Asegúrate de haber completado el formulario de recogida autorizado del correo de verano (o disponible en la vista previa de la clase o el lunes por la mañana) para cualquiera que esté autorizado a recoger a tu estudiante. Ten en cuenta que no permitimos la recogida anticipada entre las 2:45 y las 3:15 para preparar a los estudiantes para una salida segura. Las personas que recojan a los estudiantes deben llevar una identificación que coincida con el nombre en el formulario de recogida. Reserva la fecha para la Noche de Regreso a Clases el martes 1 de septiembre de 4 a 6 p.m. y para el primer Café con el Director el jueves 3 de septiembre a las 9 a.m. Compartiremos más sobre lo que puedes esperar este año, incluida la política de tecnología educativa de DCPS. Pronto recibirás un mensaje para darte la bienvenida a nuestra nueva plataforma de comunicación familiar, ParentSquare. ParentSquare reemplaza a Remind, que hemos usado en años anteriores.

Por favor, confirma tu información de contacto a través de ParentSquare para recibir actualizaciones importantes del maestro de tu estudiante. Gracias por tu paciencia mientras aprendemos un nuevo sistema.

¡Gracias por elegir Powell! Valoramos tu colaboración y esperamos trabajar juntos en 2026-27.

Director Lyons, Subdirectora Cartagena y Subdirector Hall

08/20/2026

Hi Powell families,

Good morning! Teachers have been busy this week, planning for a great school year and preparing their classrooms to welcome students. All students & families are invited to meet teachers and see classrooms tomorrow, Friday, August 21 from 2-3pm. Please note that some class rosters have changed due to enrollments and withdrawals over the course of the summer. You can confirm your student’s class assignment in Aspen at aspen.dcps.dc.gov or on print-outs that will be available at the school tomorrow.

Please see a few reminders below:

Kindergarten to 5th grade starts on Monday, August 24! Doors open at 8:15 am. Breakfast will be in the classroom on Monday and Tuesday. Families are always welcome to join students at breakfast.
Pre-K starts on Thursday, August 27.
After-school will begin on Wednesday, August 26 for K-5 and Thursday, August 27 for Pre-K.
Pick-up for all students is at 3:15 on Monday & Tuesday. Ensure you have completed the authorized pick-up form from the summer mailing (or available at the class preview or Monday morning) for anyone authorized to pick-up your student. Note that we do not allow early pick-up between 2:45 and 3:15 to prepare students for a safe dismissal. Those picking up students need to bring identification matching the name on the pick-up form.
Save-the-date for Back-to-School Night on Tuesday, September 1 from 4-6pm and the first Principal’s Coffee on Thursday, September 3 at 9am. We’ll share more about what to expect this year, including DCPS’ educational technology policy.
You’ll be receiving a message soon to welcome you to our new family communication platform, ParentSquare. ParentSquare takes the place of Remind that we have used in prior years. Please confirm your contact information via ParentSquare to receive important updates from your student’s teacher. Thanks for your patience as we learn a new system.

Thank you for choosing Powell! We value your partnership and are looking forward to collaboration in 2026-27.

Principal Lyons, Assistant Principal Cartagena & Assistant Principal Hall