Potomac Stories

Over the last two weeks, all fifth grade students 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 preschooler to build their home library. After spending time learning about the importance of early literacy, our students shared their love of reading with the preschool students by reading picture books in the classroom and community spaces. They also had time to dance, build, and play with their new friends during their time there, bringing plenty of smiles and joy. 

With a dry and sunny start, our temperatures climbed steadily upwards of 55 degrees as meteorologist Bob Ryan delighted grades 1-6 at a special assembly yesterday morning. Mr. Ryan, a local legend and Potomac grandfather, shared wonderful memories and notable occurrences from over 30 years of reporting on weather in our nation's capital. 

Our fifth graders have shown great mastery of fractions and are now diving into the next unit, which focuses on understanding decimals. They'll explore how to compute with decimals while building a strong conceptual foundation. Recently, each class participated in an engaging “Unusual Baker” activity led by our math specialist, Ms. Westermann. The highlight? Everyone got to enjoy a slice of cake afterward! 

Last Friday, Lower and Middle School students shot hoops, jumped rope, juggled, and enjoyed many other heart-pumping activities at the annual Kids Heart Challenge. Donations, benefitting the American Heart Association (AHA), will be taken through Friday, February 7. Enjoy these energetic photos!

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 Toss Boss,” “The Clean Sweep,” “The Lego Lifter,” and many more. While displaying their inventions, students described the process of developing their prototypes and shared their cost analysis and marketing ideas. They also enjoyed engaging with US students from the Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, & Business Concentration (EFEB) concentration. Congratulations to all of our young inventors! Check out the photos! 

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. Before the Thanksgiving Break, Lower and Middle 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.