+ SOL RETAKES: From now through Winter Break, students who are eligible for SOL retakes for previously enrolled courses will be contacted for testing. Although turnaround times will be tight, individual departments will communicate online and in-person practice/remediation opportunities for students to assist with preparation before they test. VDOE Released Tests linked HERE are also a good resource for independent review.
+ ACADEMICS UPDATE: With only 3 weeks until Winter Break, I am asking that parents be intentional about checking student grades via ParentVUE on Friday, December 6 in the place on previous “Interim Report Cards”. The grades reflected in teacher gradebooks on December 1 should serve as a good indicator of student mastery on specific standards and also provides enough time for adjustments to be made if your student is struggling. Between busy holiday responsibilities and breaks throughout the quarter, please be sure to work with your student and our Potomac staff to stay current on student progress. A few common culprits of student underachievement include:
- Not consistently attending all classes
- Not completing formative practice opportunities, such as homework or classwork
- Not taking advantage of retake opportunities on summative assessments, such as tests
- Not making use of afterschool Office Hours or Tuesday/Thursday buses for additional assistance
Please be sure to reach out to your student’s counselor, teacher, or administrator with questions.
+ POTOMAC PAPAS: Attention Potomac Fathers and Father-Figures! Potomac HS Administration is partnering with our PTSO to be seek more opportunities for our “Potomac Papas” to make an impact at our school! For the 24 – 25 school year, we’re seeking to identify 12 – 15 Potomac Fathers and Father-Figures who can assist with mentoring male students, providing ongoing tech support for the PTSO website, scheduling weekly hallway presence opportunities during the school day, and coordinating halftime fundraisers at select athletic events.
If you’re interested in hearing more about becoming a Potomac Papa for the 24 – 25 school year, please complete THIS quick survey. We’ll seek to provide more information and plan a brief meet-up before the end of the school year to begin framing plans for next year. Please sign-up today!
+ ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE:
- VARSITY TUTOR: Potomac HS has partnered with VARSITY, a 24/7 academic support tutoring platform. Through VARSITY our students can safely and securely chat with an expert tutor anytime, in English or Spanish, and anywhere for free! Whether students need help clarifying homework questions or feedback on a written assignment, they can receive on-demand and unlimited help when they need it. Please take advantage of this awesome resource!
- AFTERSCHOOL BUS: Reminder! Each Tuesday and Thursday, students are provided with FREE bus transportation for afterschool assistance. Students riding Activity Buses will be picked-up from Potomac at ~4:45pm and may be dropped off at more general stops throughout the community instead of their normal AM/PM bus stops.
+ ELL FAMILY NIGHT: Early next month, PSHS will be hosting its 1st Principal’s Family Night for English Language Learner (ELL) families! Our ELL families will have the opportunity to receive information about school policies & expectations, ask questions, voice any concerns, and ultimately discuss ways Potomac can more closely partner with ELL families to promote student success. Our first meeting will take place on December 5th, @ 6:00 pm in the Potomac HS Library. Families that are unable to attend in person can join virtually and will be emailed a Zoom link. See the attached flyer for the QR code to register. We look forward to welcoming our ELL families for Principal’s ELL Family Night on December 5th!
Please contact our Parent Liaison, Mrs. Eva Castro, at CastroE1@pwcs.edu with questions.
+ NEW CAMBRIDGE COORDINATOR: Parents and families are welcome to come to Potomac and meet our new Cambridge Program coordinator, Mr. Nathan Hoback, on Thursday, December 5th between 8am and 12pm in the Principal's Conference Room. Join us to meet Mr. Hoback and ask questions about our Cambridge Program. We'd love to see you!
+ POTOMAC ANGEL TREE: Every year, our Potomac Student Activities Leadership Class (SALC) students coordinate our participation in the Angel Tree program to help provide Christmas gifts for Panthers in need in our community and we’re proud to participate again this year! For anyone interested in contributing, our SALC classes are encouraging the purchase of $25 gift cards to major stores like Walmart, Target, and Amazon and submitting them to our SALC teachers, Mr. Cooper (Room 2509) or Ms. Catlett (Room 7002), by December 16th. Thanks again to our Potomac SALC students and teachers for making the holidays brighter for families in our community!
If your family would like to request additional support during the holidays, please send an email to our School Social Worker, Ms. Morgan Pippens at PippenMN@pwcs.edu.
All Things POTOMAC!
Email: PotomacPanthers@pwcs.edu
Website: www.potomachs.pwcs.edu
Location: 3401 Panther Pride Drive, Dumfries, VA, USA
Phone: 703.441.4200
Twitter: @PotomacPanther