2023 August Academics

Course Description: Budding writers will flex their creativity muscles to write longer, stronger, and with great details. Students will explore a variety of writing types, such as letter writing, poetry, and small moments. Students will review spelling, capitalization, and punctuation rules when editing their work. There will be opportunities to share their written works with their peers and practice public speaking.

Teacher: Nadia Pardesi, Lower School Math Specialist and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator
Time: 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Cost: $395.00

Course Description: Students will review grade-level foundational math skills while also deepening their number sense through number logic puzzles, strategy games and riddles, and a maker space project. Each day there will be opportunities to collaborate with their peers, stretch their thinking, and build their mathematical language!

Teacher: Nadia Pardesi, Lower School Math Specialist
Time: 9:00-11:00 am
Cost: $395.00

Course Description: Math comes alive in Math Adventure! From building blocks to the great outdoors, math is connected to everything. Using manipulatives, games, puzzles, technology, and design thinking projects, students strengthen their understanding and love of math. Students take risks, learn from mistakes, persevere, collaborate, and have FUN with math! Daily projects and unique, hands-on explorations connect to algebra, geometry, measurement, problem-solving, and critical thinking - a fun and relaxed warm-up to a new school year in math.

Course Description: During the school year, fourth graders will use Math in Focus (MIF), a program based on Singapore Math model. The program focuses on an in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts and problem solving, which may be unfamiliar to your student if they have not had previous exposure to Singapore Math or Math in Focus. This class aims at introducing basic problem-solving strategies that will help with the adjustment to the curriculum next school year.

Teacher: Douglas Mogle, Grade 4 Teacher and Upper School Coach
Time: 9:00 am-12:00 pm 
Cost: $525.00

Course Description: Through collaboration and interesting problems, Gearing Up for Math prepares students for the type of problem-solving they will see in the coming school year, while reviewing and reinforcing important concepts and mathematical skills. This class is perfect for students who are new to Potomac as well as students who would benefit from a refresher before the school year begins. Number theory, integers, fractions, decimals, proportions, and solving simple equations are all the different topics covered in this class.

Course Description: The Skills for Effective Writing class is designed for rising seventh and eighth graders who want to strengthen their writing skills in preparation for the coming school year. Through a combination of activities, mini-lessons, modeled examples, and sustained writing practice, students will work towards a stronger command of sentence structure and grammar, with additional emphasis on clarity of expression and organization of ideas. Students will receive individualized attention and feedback on their writing, and each student will be provided a writing reference guide and computer to use during the summer session.

Teachers: Jennifer Ashley, Grades 5-8 Academic Technologist and Teacher and Charlotte Berlin, Grades 7-12 Chair of History Department and Intermediate School History Teacher
Time: 9:00-11:00 am
Cost: $395.00

Course Description:  This skills-intensive course is designed for 9th graders who would like to work on their writing skills. We will focus on the basic processes involved in writing effective critical paragraphs: reading for meaning, formulating ideas through the brainstorming process, composing clear and structurally sound sentences, crafting strong assertions, supporting ideas with evidence and analysis, and editing for accuracy. Students should expect to write daily, and to receive daily feedback on their writing. This class does have homework each night.

Course Description: 

This interactive week-long course will lay the foundation for students to understand who they are as a learner and develop effective strategies to “learn how to learn”. This 10-hour course will guide students through developing strategies for note-taking, annotating, purposeful reading, memory strategies, and organizing both ideas and information.Topics will include:

• Who am I as a learner? Metacognition, cognitive flexibility, and executive functioning
• Note Taking and annotating
• Active reading
• Time management
• Memory strategies
• Organizing ideas and information (using technology)

Teachers: Jennifer Durham, Director of Learning Support (Grades 7-12)
Time: 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Cost: $395.00

Course Description: The College Counseling Office will offer a four-day workshop (August 3, 4, 7, and 8 from 8 am to noon each day) for students to complete their Common Application and essay and attend workshops with admission officers. During this intensive program, students will have the opportunity to have their essays reviewed by an admission officer and have several interviews. Students MUST attend all four days. Space is limited, and this program is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Teachers: Stacy Richardson, Director of College Counseling and Admission Officers
Time: 8:00 am-12:00 pm
Dates: August 3, 4, 7 and 8 (Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday)
Cost: $525.00