paw prints
The Potomac community packed 20,000 meals last weekend for families impacted by the crisis in Ukraine. Dozens of Potomac families joined the meal-packing effort organized by The Fathers Association of The Potomac School and the Parent Cultural Competence Committee. Students from the Upper School’s Global Perspectives and Citizenship (GPAC) program also were important partners in this great service event.
Limited space still available. Register today!
As a follow-up to An Evening with Lisa Damour, Potomac will host discussion sessions to allow parents in each division the opportunity to engage in conversation about Dr. Damour’s research and practical advice. Division heads and counselors will be present to facilitate the discussions. All are welcome, including parents who cannot attend the April 12 program with Dr. Damour. The sessions will take place in the Spangler Team Meeting Room, 8:30-9:30 am, on the dates noted below. We hope that you can join us!
Let's come together on Friday, April 14, to celebrate the diversity of our school community. The school day will be filled with excitement and enthusiasm as students across the four divisions will take turns visiting the booths. The day’s celebrations continue throughout the evening as we open the event to the Potomac community at 5:30 pm. Learn more!
Looking for Volunteers!
We are looking for volunteers to help with our cultural/country booths during the school day portion of Around the World. Each booth already has a designated host, we just need a few volunteers to stamp passports and assist at each booth. Volunteer here.
Potomac’s annual K-12 Food Drive to support neighbors in need served by SHARE of McLean runs through April 11. Our community partner requests donations of their most needed items, including canned fruit, fruit cups, tomato sauce (no glass), bars of soap, and toilet paper. Please drop donations off at the pantry shelves in each division through April 11. Thank you for donating!
The INOVA Bloodmobile will be on campus for Potomac's semi-annual Blood Drive on Thursday, April 13, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Parents, faculty and staff, and students 16 years and older are welcome to donate blood. Students must have written parental consent to participate. The registration and sign-in will be in the East Building lobby on the day of the drive. Please contact Ellen Grass for an appointment.
Spring has arrived, and with it comes Potomac’s annual Farmers Market on Friday, April 21! The Parents for Environmental Action (PEA) Committee is looking for volunteers to help prepare for the event; there are both day-of and pre-event opportunities. The Farmers Market is a wonderful chance for our community to purchase herbs, smoothies, and other tasty treats. Parents are welcome to stop by the market, which will be held outside the Upper School. Please contact Marie Hasan or Lauren Flanagan with any questions!
During Stewardship Day on April 15, you'll be able to build planting beds and clear invasive vines. Sign up here to join. PEA's final nature walk of the year will be held on Friday, April 28. Sign up here to explore Potomac's campus.
Honorary Snow DayApril 10 will be an honorary Snow Day with no classes for K-12 students.
The annual Fathers Association Campout returns on Saturday, April 29, at 5:00 pm. The overnight event will be held at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston and is a great community builder. Come “tent out” for the night with other families of students in grades 6 and below. We have novice campers every year, so don’t worry if you haven't camped before; we will have volunteers to help with tent setup.
Register here (please note that if you registered in the fall, you do not need to re-register)
All parents are invited to the monthly FAPS meeting this Tuesday, April 11, 8:30-9:30 am, in the FCB Dining Room. Director of College Counseling Stacy Richardson will be the guest speaker.
Basketball clinics are set to begin this Saturday, April 8 in the Middle School Preston Gym:
Spring Basketball Clinic (K- Grade 1), 10:00 -11:00 am
Spring Basketball Clinic (Grades 2-4), 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Registration is still open. Join us!
Please mark your calendars for our Lower School Family Math Event on Tuesday, May 2, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm, in Ramsey Assembly. Families will have the opportunity to do math problems together, learn to spot mathematics in various literature, and have some friendly competition! Please RSVP by 4:00 pm on Thursday, April 27.
There will be no Sharing Assembly tomorrow, Friday (April 7) or Friday, April 14. The latter date will be spent participating in Around the World activities throughout the day.
The third graders have been working hard, researching and writing their own fractured fairy tales in class. Please join us next Thursday, April 13, at 11:00 am in Ramsey Assembly, and watch their knowledge of fairy tale characters come to life in the grade 3 play, Ms. Smith's Incredible Storybook. Watch the magic unfold as a teacher reads fractured fairy tales to her students, and the stories pop out of the storybook! Enjoy the stories of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Dinorella, and Little Red & Professor Wolf. A cast party on the LS Science Deck will follow the performance for the students and their guests.
Lower School teachers look forward to meeting with parents to discuss student progress on Monday, April 24. Only the LS Division will not have school that day. Each teacher will have additional times offered on one specific day that week. Parents may log in to the Parent Portal of CampusNET beginning at noon on Wednesday, April 12, to choose one of the teacher's listed conference slots. Online conference sign-ups will close on Wednesday, April 19.
On Friday, April 14, sixth grade parents will be able to log into the Parent Portal on CampusNET to view their child’s third quarter letter grades in language arts, math, social studies, science, and Spanish. MS Head Mr. Mathews will send a letter with more information about these reports next week.
Ms. Morgan's sixth grade class will present Found in Translation tomorrow morning (April 7) at 9:30 am in the Langstaff Auditorium. Ms. Morgan wrote this hilarious script which is a play within a play about a famous theater production that is unrecognizable after several poorly done translations. The class is excited to bring it to life for our students and KM6 parents. Parents may also watch via livestream.
Thanks to a beautifully written, persuasive letter from fifth grade student Diya Iyer, Middle School students will have a special, themed dress day on Friday, April 14. Students are encouraged to come to school in attire that celebrates their family's heritage for the Around the World Event. Students may also choose to wear casual dress on this day.
MS students are super excited to snuggle up with some hot cocoa (or more likely, an icy lemonade) on Monday, April 10, as they enjoy a very special Not Snow Day!
In the spirit of April Fools’ Day, IS faculty were invited to dress in student uniforms on Monday. Participation was voluntary, but students certainly got a kick out of seeing their teachers in uniforms.
Last week, seventh and eighth grade Elected Representatives participated in the annual Student Council-Head of School Lunch. Mr. Jaeger, acting head of school, joined the students for pizza and salad. Discussion topics included Student Council’s achievements this academic year, how Mr. Jaeger has adapted to life as acting head of school, and leadership advice for the students.
On Tuesday, seventh graders participated in their first Community Action Day focused on the environment. This clean-up project at Piscataway Park in Maryland served new Potomac community partners, the Alice Ferguson Foundation and Accokeek Foundation. The project began with a land acknowledgment in honor of the cultural heritage of the park site, and students worked in advisory groups to pick up trash along the Potomac River. Additionally, each group recorded data from the clean-up, including the number of plastic straws, which will inform legislative initiatives. After lunch at the Alice Ferguson site, student groups participated in a trash timeline activity to reflect on the outcome of their service project. Thank you to our seventh grade students for their environmental service! Check out photos from the day.
On Tuesday, all eighth graders advisories engaged in their second Community Action Day of the school year, serving with six community partners addressing food insecurity across the DMV, including Red Wiggler Community Farm, Food for Others, and Capital Area Food Bank. Many advisory groups returned to the same community partner served in their fall CAD, providing an opportunity to deepen their connection with local organizations. In the afternoon, eighth graders participated in a reflection activity intended to inspire summer volunteering by creating an elevator pitch to volunteer with their CAD community partner that was presented to the entire grade. Thank you to our eighth graders for your service! Check out photos from the day.
As we sprint towards June, Potomac will be bustling with activity in the weeks ahead. This updated infographic is a "save-the-date" for our upcoming community and student-life events. We’re excited about these rally points and eager to spend time with students and their families, especially now that spring has arrived on our beautiful campus.
Despite the honorary Snow Day, juniors are encouraged to attend the Washington Area Independent Schools College Fair, which will be held on Monday, April 10, 7:00 - 8:30 pm, at Flint Hill School. The fair is sponsored by Potomac and other independent schools in the D.C. area, and more than 90 colleges will be represented. Because the fair is very popular, it is only open to current juniors and their parents. Though it is best for students and parents to attend together, parents can go on their own if their child has other obligations.
On Monday, the US community came together for their second round of Family Group activities, organized by the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) members. The first round focused on two Cultural Competence Cornerstones – Identity and Connection. The focus this week was on Justice and Action. Students were challenged to examine the many systems and institutions around them and whether or not these systems promote equity for all. From the Potomac School community to the justice system, students were asked to agree or disagree with statements such as "I think Potomac amplifies diverse voices" and "I support the death penalty." The second activity included a lesson on the "5 D's" of being an active bystander: Direct, Delegate, Distract, Delay, and Document. Students were then challenged to consider how they would take action in a given situation. Many great conversations were had in various Family Groups, and we look forward to continuing these discussions in the hallways, in classes, and future Family Group meetings.
The US Madrigal Singers were invited to perform at the VAIS Business Officers Institute Conference at the McLean Hilton Hotel on March 31. They sang Felix Mendelssohn's "The Nightingale" and Troy Robertson's "In Meeting We Are Blessed,” accompanied by senior percussionist Ben Schirmeier on the djembe drum. It was a great opportunity for those outside the Potomac community to enjoy hearing from our talented students.
Tomorrow, April 7, interim grades and comments will be shared with students during advisory and made available in the Parent Portal on CampusNET at 3:00 pm.
On Friday, April 7 at 4:30 pm, the Panthers take on Maret at the new Capital One Park, located just down Route 123 in Tysons. All families are invited to cheer on the team.
The Panthers are now 8-2 overall and 1-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference. On the strength of four home runs, one a grand slam, the team continued their strong start to the baseball season with a recent 9-3 victory over the Flint Hill Huskies.
Katharine Kanner-Bitetti '24 led the JV softball team to victory with a home run and a double as the team earned its first win of the season (16-7) over Sidwell Friends. Leyton Mayrhofer '27 and Juliet Burke '26 were the pitcher and catcher tandem that helped keep Sidwell in check.
The IS "A" softball team has begun the season 2-0, totaling 25 runs and yielding zero. Thursday, March 30, the team traveled to St. Stephens & St. Agnes, where Charlotte Parry ‘27 pitched one hit ball over three innings, and Leyton Mayrhofer ‘27 earned 6 RBIs with a grand slam and a bases-clearing single to end an inning. The home opener, on Monday, April 3, versus Holy Child, began with Nurse Ellen Grass throwing out the first pitch in honor of her selfless work during the previous two-plus years of the pandemic. Mayrhofer gave up two hits over four innings and contributed with another homerun. Most impressively has been the team’s collective patience at the plate and only swinging at good pitches while laying off the non-strikes.
![Ukraine Meal Packing]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1680728685/potomac/je8xbzjgeb6yjnotjwc2/MealPacking.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1680728685/potomac/je8xbzjgeb6yjnotjwc2/MealPacking.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1680728685/potomac/je8xbzjgeb6yjnotjwc2/MealPacking.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1680728685/potomac/je8xbzjgeb6yjnotjwc2/MealPacking.png","width":1034}])
![Lisa Damour]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1680790290/potomac/ha3hnwgmacgewmeqchmj/LisaDamour.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1680790290/potomac/ha3hnwgmacgewmeqchmj/LisaDamour.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1680790290/potomac/ha3hnwgmacgewmeqchmj/LisaDamour.jpg","width":600}])
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![Grade 7 CAD]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1680729804/potomac/f2t6bqvdjpn4djzsundk/Grade7CAD.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1680729804/potomac/f2t6bqvdjpn4djzsundk/Grade7CAD.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1680729804/potomac/f2t6bqvdjpn4djzsundk/Grade7CAD.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1680729804/potomac/f2t6bqvdjpn4djzsundk/Grade7CAD.png","width":1200}])
![Grade 8 CAD]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1680729685/potomac/rxk1bun254ucdlymbk7l/Grade8CAD.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1680729685/potomac/rxk1bun254ucdlymbk7l/Grade8CAD.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1680729685/potomac/rxk1bun254ucdlymbk7l/Grade8CAD.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1680729685/potomac/rxk1bun254ucdlymbk7l/Grade8CAD.png","width":1200}])
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![US Chorus]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1680731652/potomac/rcoqqxmzk6skctmfo7ra/Madrigals.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1680731652/potomac/rcoqqxmzk6skctmfo7ra/Madrigals.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1680731652/potomac/rcoqqxmzk6skctmfo7ra/Madrigals.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1680731652/potomac/rcoqqxmzk6skctmfo7ra/Madrigals.jpg","width":1200}])
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