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Higher Horizons 2026
Fifth Graders Share the Love of Reading at Higher Horizons
Last Thursday, Ms. McClain's and Ms. Baumann's Grade 5 classes visited Potomac community partner Higher Horizons, a Head Start program in Bailey's Crossroads. During November's Book Fair, each fifth grader selected a book to donate to a classroom at Higher Horizons. After learning about the importance of early literacy, our students shared their love of reading with preschoolers by reading picture books in the classroom and community spaces. They also had time to dance, build, and play with their new friends while they were there, bringing plenty of smiles and joy! Mr. Spinosi's and Ms. Krug's classes are preparing for their visits in May.

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Owl Pellet Dissection
Owl Pellet Dissection in Fourth Grade Science

The fourth grade students have been studying bones in science with Mr. Wolfe and Ms. Abuhoff! As a culminating activity, the fourth graders worked in pairs to dissect owl pellets and identify the bones found within. The teams recovered skulls, jaws, pelvic bones, scapulas, and more. Using a chart to help them categorize each bone, the students were able to identify whether the bones they recovered were from a rodent, shrew, or mole.

Higher Horizons 2026
Fifth Graders Share the Love of Reading at Higher Horizons

Last Thursday, Ms. McClain's and Ms. Baumann's Grade 5 classes visited Potomac community partner Higher Horizons, a Head Start program in Bailey's Crossroads. During November's Book Fair, each fifth grader selected a book to donate to a classroom at Higher Horizons. After learning about the importance of early literacy, our students shared their love of reading with preschoolers by reading picture books in the classroom and community spaces. They also had time to dance, build, and play with their new friends while they were there, bringing plenty of smiles and joy! Mr. Spinosi's and Ms. Krug's classes are preparing for their visits in May.

Grade 5 Innovators Pitch Guests at Invention Convention 
Grade 5 Innovators Pitch Guests at Invention Convention 

Guests enjoyed visiting our annual Invention Convention last Friday, where they learned about the unique creations dreamed up by our grade 5 students, including “The Bun Fun Enrichment Pit,” “Hot Hand,” “The Pac-Man Pop It,” and many more. While displaying their inventions, students described the process of developing their prototypes and shared their cost analysis and marketing ideas. Congratulations to all of our young inventors. Check out the photos!

Sixth Graders Share Their "Moon-seum" With Many Guests
Sixth Graders Share Their "Moon-seum" With Many Guests

Sixth graders recently dove deeper into their studies on the moon phases. During science, the students completed 12 observations and chose how to present the data for their moon projects. This week, Middle and Intermediate School students visited the grade 6 "Moon-seum" and heard presentations from the sixth graders. It was a great opportunity to showcase their confidence in their moon knowledge and flex their public speaking skills. Next up, students will finish their study of the solar system and build Galileo’s telescope. View the photo gallery.

Collaboration Between US Chinese Classes and MS Music Classes
Collaboration Between US Chinese Classes and MS Music Classes

In a wonderful example of cross-divisional collaboration and cultural exchange, students from Carol Jia’s US Chinese classes recently visited Mr. Nadel’s MS music classes to help fifth graders practice Chinese pronunciation and tones while they are practicing a Chinese song. Through fun activities and interactive speaking exercises, the younger students learned how to pronounce key words accurately and recognize different tones in Mandarin. The Upper Schoolers served as language mentors, demonstrating proper pronunciation and encouraging confident speaking. 

Learning About Historical Events in Grade 4
Learning About Historical Events in Grade 4

In grade 4 social studies, students used a jigsaw collaboration strategy to learn about historical events and their impacts. Students worked with a partner to read about an event and completed a graphic organizer that included a summary, causes, and short and long term effects. They then presented their findings to the class, who took notes about the key ideas to learn about more events.