Students in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts program at Colgan High School sketching with pastels

Dear PWCS Families, Employees, and Community,

I am excited to begin with news from the Virginia Board of Education, which has named seven of our schools as recipients of the Exemplar Performance Awards. I invite you to read more about how our schools met the criteria for the Exemplar Performance Awards.
Congratulations to our outstanding schools:

  • 2024-25 Highest Achievement Awards:
    • Featherstone Elementary School
    • Kerrydale Elementary School
  • 2024-25 Continuous Improvement Awards:
    • Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School
    • Freedom High School
    • Gar-Field High School
    • Potomac High School
    • Woodbridge High School

The last day of the first marking period is Thursday, October 31. Middle and high school report cards will be mailed on November 13. Elementary school report cards will be posted to ParentVUE no later than November 13. Please be sure to check in on The Hub and with your student(s) and their teacher throughout the year.

As a reminder, please note the applications for our 35 specialty programs will open on Friday, November 1. PWCS has hosted two of our three Family Engagement Series webinars for students and families to learn more about PWCS specialty programs. I welcome you to review recordings of our prior events or register to learn more about our middle school specialty programs at an upcoming webinar scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on October 29.

Schools and offices will be closed on Friday, November 1, in observance of Diwali. Additionally, November 4 and 5 are non-attendance days for students. Please plan to make an appointment during our divisionwide parent conference day on November 4 as we welcome parents and guardians to connect with our teachers to review the first nine weeks and prepare for the rest of the year.

School Age Child Care (SACC) and AlphaBEST Education will offer a full-day program from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on November 4. PWCS Food and Nutrition will provide breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. I invite you to look for your host school in our list.

Be on the lookout for more information from your child’s school about upcoming calendar dates and sensible practices to combat chronic absenteeism during the holiday and winter months.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,
Dr. McDade signature
LaTanya D. McDade, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Prince William County Public Schools