december 2012 a message from the principal mrs. · pdf filefriends. during this time i ......

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December 2012

I hope that everyone had anenjoyable Thanksgiving holiday andhad time to visit with family andfriends. During this time I reflect onwhat I am most grateful for, which isworking in such a wonderfulcommunity with great staff, studentsand parents. Potowmack Elementaryis a wonderful place to be. I want to say a fond farewell to one of our most treasured staff members of Potowmack Elementary. Patricia Morris, one of our teaching assistants will be retiring at the end of December. Mrs. Morris is one of the most dedicated staff members and we will truly miss her, but we are also very excited for this next chapter in her life. While we are saying farewell to Mrs. Morris, we want to welcome Lynne Guy who will be replacing her. Mrs. Guy will begin when classes resume in January.

Congratulations to Dr. Copeland for finishing her doctorate program as well as leading our students in their outstanding achievement in our Read for the World Record this past summer. Potowmack Elementary came in 1st place in Virginia and 67th place worldwide for reading close to 300,000 minutes! That is fantastic and a great accomplishment for Dr. Copeland in supporting our students in school and at home.

Thank you to all the friendsand families that visited duringAmerican Education Week. We had512 visitors during all the specialevents that occurred over the week.The Scholastic Book Fair, Stories

A Message from the Principal… Mrs. Jennifer Rule

Up Coming events for December 2012:

5- PTA meeting 7:30 am 11 – Geography Bee First Day of Winter 12 – Interims Home 19 - 5th Grade Winter Chorus Concert 9 am & 1:30 pm 24 – Winter Break Begins 25 – Christmas Day January 2, 2013 – Classes resume

Under the Stars and Donuts with Dads was a huge success. The money that was earned from the book fair helps in purchasing books as well as paying for our Accelerated Reader program.

Now that we are almost halfway through the school year please stay informed of school events that are posted within the newsletter and as well as on our webpage. It is hard to believe that it is December already, and we are coming to the close of 2012.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very happy holiday. May you have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes in the New Year. Please note that the winter break will begin on Monday, December24, 2012. We will resume classes on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

Regards,

Jennifer Rule

Jennifer Rule, Principal Potowmack Elementary

46465 Esterbrook Cir. Sterling, VA 20165

Phone: (571)434-3270

Absentee Line: (571)434-3271

Fax: (703)444-7526

E-mail: [email protected]

Jenni fer Ru le, Pr inc ipa l

Br ian B lubaugh, Ass i s tant Pr inc ipa l

Soaring to New Heights!


First grade is currently finishing up theirpumpkin still lives. We learned what a stilllife is and how an artist can create one.Students then did sketches of real lifepumpkins. We took a look at the shape ofall the different pumpkins and how eachone has a different shape and stem. Thenwe learned how to create value on ourpumpkins by coloring with a crayon.Students learned to push harder andlighter with the crayon to create theappearance of a shadow. Up next studentswill be introduced to new medium, clay.We will be learning about how tomanipulate the clay with our hands tocreate a pinch pot frog. Be sure to checkout the website for our fantastic frogs! Second graders are currently finishing uptheir leaf bowls. We just fired all of theclay pieces in the kiln and are now gettingready to glaze them. Glaze is a specialpaint made specifically for clay. Once thebowls have been glazed we will then putthem back into the kiln for a second firing.They will be on display in the art showcasefor a week or two before they head home.Be sure to check out our website forphotos of our wonderful fall bowls. Upnext, students will be learning how tocreate tints and shades using oil pastels fora fall landscape scene. Third graders are currently working on ourfall landscapes. Students have justfinished creating a horizon line and afence. We are now working on paintingour sky to make it look more realistic. Upnext we will be creating some paper birchtrees to place into our landscape to helpcreate depth. We are going to talk aboutshadows and how they also help to makeour landscape look more realistic. Be sureto check out our website for our finishedproduct! Fourth graders are just finishing up ourfunctional gargoyles. They have all justbeen fired in the kiln and are getting readyto be painted. We are using a watercolorwash with black to make them appear tolook like stone. Up next we are going tobe learning about contour lines and howwe can use this type of line to create a

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drawing of a leaf. After we have sketchedout some contour lines of some leaves weare then going to fill the leaf lines in withvarious patterns and color our backgroundswith watercolors to create a beautiful fallimage. Be sure to check out our websitefor our finished pieces! Fifth graders are just finishing up their oilpastel pumpkins. Students learned aboutstill lives and we took a look at somebeautiful examples throughout history.We also talked about color schemes andlearned about complementary colors andanalogous colors. These two colorschemes were used when we blended oilpastels together to finish our drawings.Currently the fifth graders are working onsketches for their clay piece. Studentswere asked to choose between afunctional piece and a decorative piece.They were then asked to answer a seriesof questions about what they want tomake and they then were asked to createa sketch. Once the brainstorming iscomplete we can start building our ideas.Keep checking our website out to seeworks in progress, as well as the finishedclay pieces! Be sure to check out the art section of ourschool website for updated photos ofstudent work to see all of the fantasticpieces being made here in the art room orstop in at school and see our pieces inperson hanging in the hallways or in ourdisplay case!

Carole O’Sullivan and Carol

Wood, Secretaries

Office 571-434-3270

Absence Line 571-434-3271

Art News – Lauren Jackson


Library News – Dr. Copeland Thanks to everyone who

participated in our Scholastic book fairfund raiser. This year, we sold $14,035worth of products from Scholastic. Thisis a great increase over last year,where we did $13,052 in sales. Wealso collected $423 in money that wegave away as books to needy PMKstudents. Finally, we bought $800worth of new library books for PMK,and we still got a $3110 check on topof that to use for paying for otherlibrary books this year. We reallyappreciate all of the generousmembers of our community whohelped make this event a big success.

Watch for information to comehome later this month about the Six

Flags Reading Incentive. Students who complete a reading log documenting six hours of reading can return the reading log for a free child's ticket to Six Flags. Reading logs will be sent home right before winter break so students can work on their reading over winter break.

The 5th Grade chorus concert is on Wednesday, December 19th at 1:30PM! Family and friends are invited to attend this event in the multi-purpose room. Students in chorus are reminded to attend the rehearsal after school onTuesday, December 18th until 3:30 PM and to start thinking about what towear for the concert. Chorus members should wear a nice whiteshirt/blouse, black pants/skirt (knee length or longer) and black dressshoes. Information regarding the 5th Grade musical, The Aristocats, will be goinghome very soon. Audition permission slips are due by Friday, December21st. Letters will be sent home in Friday folders and posted on thePotowmack website under Programs -> Music -> Info and Forms.

Soaring Ahead….

January 2013 1-Happy New Year! 2 – Classes Resume 6 Flags Reading Incentive Begins 9 – PTA Meeting 10 – Magical Math Assembly 12 – Skate Night 17 – Grading Period Ends 18 – Moveable Student Holiday 21 – Holiday – Martin Luther King Jr. 30 – Report Cards Sent Home


We only had a few days off in November but the month seems to have gone by too quickly! With Turkey Day behind us, we turn our attention to the upcoming winter holidays. Please continue to support our local area food pantry with a donation of non-perishable food –the collection box will remain in the foyer until December 4th. Thank you to all who have so generously donated already! Wrapping season is just around the corner (unless you are very organized and have started to wrap all those presents already!) - please save your wrapping paper tubes to donate to the Parent Liaisons for use during our Multicultural Fair in March. We would also love to continue to receive donations of paper towel tubes and ½ or 1 gallon milk/juice jugs. Drop them off in the box in the front foyer. We are so fortunate to be in a school community with such big hearts and generous spirit. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Sterling will be having a used toy sale on Saturday December 15th to raise money to help one of our own students. Please consider donating gently used toys for this sale – a collection box will be placed in the front foyer until December 13th. If you are looking to find some great toys at prices ranging from $1 to $5, consider attending the sale on December 15th from 8 a.m. to noon. All donations will help Jessica Choe and her chemotherapy treatments. We hope you and your family have a wondering winter break. See you in 2013!!

Laptop Donation Thank you to those families that have donated laptops to Potowmack Elementary. We are planning to give the laptops to families that do not have computer access at home. This generous donation will provide families access to such resources as Clarity, Reading Eggs, Reflex, Study Island, teacher newsletters, ConnectEd. messages, and various other resources. If you have a laptop in good working condition with copies of original operating system CDs, please email [email protected] or [email protected]. Our hope is that we would be able to have laptops to families by the New Year.


Congratulations To the following students who were recognized for outstanding

citizenship for Respect, Responsibility or Effort!

Ms. Gaudens Katie Moore Maleah Alami Maddie Fauber Mrs. Galván Austin Monahan Aaliyah Robinson Sarvesh Joshi Mrs. Arthur Gavin Lim Omar Abushaban Dominique Tacayara Mrs. Smith Nicole Jorge Kylie Lewandowski Alex Lindsey Ms. Hardari Anthony Huertas Charlottee Ong Kyla Lee Mrs. Henkel Victoria Salinas Amerah Gamble Ben Gibson Ms. Carolla Gianni Leon Jackqueline Abonza Abigail Sheerer

Ms. Stanford Fredy Nieto Gonzalez Tyler Flynn Keegan Gregory Ms. Perrault Connor Engley Juan Alvarez Alana Brauns Mr. Charlish Mehdiya Dewji Joey Kitcoff Aidan McGill Mrs. Donovan Nadra Shabbeer Abby Cea Dillon Turner Ms. Chrisman William Acevedo Elinor Bunch Laurena Hytten Mrs. Snow Helen Flamenco Amy Viradia Carson Blake Jack Hargreaves Brenden Romero-Gonzalez Mrs. Leibach Clarke Donaldson Kimia Gerardi Phillip Grimes Sabrina Johnson

Mrs. Thunstrom Abigail Ianson Jacob Cox Catarino Hernandez Ms. Shultz Addison Carlson Kayla Perkins Erica Muradi Mrs. Nodell Jennifer Garofolo Jack Campbell Kaylin McConnell Mrs. Hazlett Aniya Newcomb Nikki Ghimire Larry Schwenk Ms. Staples Brandon Wilbert Spencer Soccio-Mallon Morgan Bonacic-Doric Ms. Turman Satine Svy Andy Reyes Eva Brennan Mrs. King-Woerner Matthew Angulo Lisa Chellman Catherine Vu


We have exciting goals for becoming an ever “greener” school this year. With assistance from GreenKids and the school community, the outdoor classroom will have an addition of a pond this spring. The pond will be used to teach about the pond ecosystem and the macroinvertebrates, the small organisms that live in the pond, further promoting nature exploration. The outdoor classroom will be buzzing with the sensory garden, and raised bed boxes with salad greens and butterfly gardens in the spring. With the scheduling of GreenKids lessons, it’s great to see the interest in the different themes for each of the grade levels. 1st grade will be taking on Salad Science, 2nd grade Habitat Restoration, 3rd grade Composting, 4th grade Investigating Water Quality and 5th grade Pollution Prevention. Some of the 5th grade classes have already had the lesson, Erosion in a Bottle, an experiment using a model to explore the concepts of watersheds, runoff and erosion. Other noteworthy activities planned for this year include participation in “Lights out America” and a “Waste Free February”, as well as a 3rd grade field trip in the Spring to Rust Sanctuary in Leesburg to explore and learn about adaptations. In November, 3rd graders learned about worms and composting. The students explored the anatomy of red wiggler worms, performed simple experiments to determine worm preferences and learned about the important roles worms play in the environment and as food recyclers. Each 3rd grade class put together a worm composting bin to keep in the classroom. Students will be bringing in veggie scraps from home to feed the worms. After several months in the classroom the rich compost will be added to the outdoor classroom gardens. A couple of third grade classes also explored watersheds and riparian buffers through the Enviroscape™ Model. They learned about different types of pollutants in a landscape and how riparian buffers help protect waterways by slowing the flow of runoff and filtering pollutants. Students were able to identify point source and non-point source pollution and its impact on local waterways and on the Chesapeake Bay. Stay tuned for monthly GreenKids updates.


Congratulations to Mr. Charlish for receiving a grant for $1,000.00 from Dominion Power. Here is a summary of the grant proposal: LET’S GO and DIP! is an outdoor, hands-on learning experience designed to help students achieve learning goals and standards in all academic areas. Because kids have a natural curiosity about the environment LET’S GO and DIP! makes the most of some of Potowmack’s students’ favorite things: being outside, scientific investigations, dipping in the pond, finding bugs, and exploring nature. We have designed an outdoor classroom that brings science to life, while blending in math, environmental education, reading, writing, and art. Completing our outside classroom will be the natural pond area paid for by this grant. Our outside classroom is a secure courtyard 90ft x 30ft that contains a deck with benches for the children and teachers to use as an outside classroom, a sensory garden growing plant life that appeals to children’s sense of sight, sound, touch, and smell and a raised growing bed for every class to plant and grow, and sometimes eat their own plants!

Having our own pond will allow every child in our school to grow as scientific investigators and increase their knowledge of scientific method and equipment, without the need for a field trip. Through this pond study children will be taught about the importance of clean water as a habitat. They will also learn how we pollute water and how we can prevent this environmental problem. Children will learn about fertilizer and run off and will gain a heightened awareness of the Chesapeake Bay and the man-made problems that it faces.

We thank Dominion a great deal for helping us with this project.

In the photo are: L-R: Carolyn Moss (Managing Director for State and Local Affairs), Steven Charlish, Jennifer Rule, Cindy Balderson (Manager for Corporate Philanthropy).


Mrs. Thompson wants to thank Ms. Chrisman for her help and thanks to the 3rd grade dance team for their awesome performance at the PBIS half time show. Fab 5 for 4th & 5th graders is in full swing taking place on December 3rd, 10th & 17th. Fab 5 for 1st, 2nd & 3rd graders will be Tuesdays, January 8 through January 29. PE classes will be working on basketball rhythms as well as basketball ball handling, and shooting skills. Be Active, Mrs. Thompson & Mr. Caruso

Students earned over 500 tickets in the month of November to earn a Turkey Bowl football game. Three teams fought for the Turkey bowl title, the Redskins, the Steelers and the 5th grade students. This was not your typical football game. It involved wearing a paper bag over your head and being rolled in a chair, all at the same time while you try to throw the football to your teammates. Check out the following pictures from the game.

The Loudoun Education Foundation has approved six grants for Potowmack Elementary; “Making Molecules” in the amount of $500.00, “PBIS Cafeteria Incentives” in the amount of $500.00, “A Butterflies Life” in the amount of $140.00, “Amazing AV Books” in the amount of $500.00, “Meeting Martha Washington” in the amount of $500.00 and “History Hikes” in the amount of $500.00. The Loudoun Education Foundation is a wonderful support for funding creative and innovative programs which enrich the curriculum for our students. We want to thank the Loudoun Education Foundation as the grant sponsors of these projects.


It is that time of year again when we need to watch out for inclement weather. Please stay tuned to local news channels in case of school closing or delays. Here is the schedule for school delay or early school closing.

1 Hour Delay Preschool 8:50-11:50 Kindergarten a.m. 8:50-10:50 Kindergarten p.m. 11:35-2:35 First – Fifth Grade 8:50-2:35

2 Hour Delay Preschool 9:50-12:50 Kindergarten a.m. 9:50-11:50 Kindergarten p.m. 12:35-2:35 First – Fifth Grade 9:50-2:35 1 Hour Early Closing Students are dismissed at 1:35 p.m., lunch is served and all after school activities are canceled. 2 Hour Early Closing Kindergarten a.m. class is dismissed at 10:50 a.m. Kindergarten p.m. class is canceled Grade 1 – 5 Dismissal is at 12:35 p.m., lunch is served early and all afternoon activities are canceled.


Join us for our 4th PTA General Meeting

Wednesday, December 5th at 7:30 am

In the Teachers’ Lounge

12/3 PTA Exec Mtg (7:30am) 12/5 PTA General Mtg #4 (7:30am) 12/6 Restaurant Night/Burger Joint (BGR) 12/12 Warm Up Soups Teacher Luncheon 12-24-1/1 No School/Winter Break

The PTA would like to thank everyone for your great support on our first Krispy Kreme Fundraiser. We raised just over $700 for our school!! And a special thanks to our new fundraising co‐chairs, Cristina McGeehan and Holly Montgomery.


The Backpack Buddies Program is a great way to help others in need. If you have any food items that you would like to donate, please bring them to the school and drop them in the box near the front lobby.


It's that time of year for holiday shopping so please don't forget to use the link from our PTA Website every time you shop on Amazon online. Doing so will channel donations back to our school. In the past year, we have received over $500 for our school by shopping this way. Try it today!

Potowmack PTA is proud to introduce our next PTA meeting will be December 5, 2012 at 7:30 AM. If you

are unable to attend but would like to participate, we will be streaming the meeting live via

www.anymeeting.com. You will be able to see and hear the meeting as well as send messages through the

“chat” feature.

Please click on link below and register:

http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E159DC84854B

Hope to see you on December 5th!

1/2 Classes Resume 1/7 PTA Exec Mtg (7:30am) 1/8 Market Day Pick Up (6:45pm) 1/9 PTA General Mtg #5 (7:30am) 1/10 Assembly 1/12 Skate Night 1/16 Superbowl Teacher Luncheon 1/18 No School/Moveable Student Holiday 1/21 No School/MLK Day


Potomac Falls High School DECA Holiday Open House

POTOMAC FALLS, VA NOVEMBER 24, 2012: Need some inspiration to spice up your same old holiday décor? Well you’re in luck! The Potomac Falls High School DECA chapter (an Association of Marketing Students) presents the Holiday Open House. You will definitely be in the holiday spirit after touring this beautiful home, in which every room is adorned in garland, various themed trees, villages, and unique one of kind handmade decorations. There are over 75 themed trees in the house! Live music will be performed by local musicians. All tours are free, but donations will be accepted to bring some cheer to the ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) Association. Personalized ornaments will also be available. It will be held at 234 Markwood Drive, Sterling, VA 20165 (off Triple Seven) on Sunday December 9th from 1pm to 6pm, Saturday December 15th from 12pm to 9pm, and Sunday December 16th from 12pm to 6pm. Questions should be directed to [email protected]. Come enjoy the excitement!

Parents and students don't forget the Soaring Eagles Bank of Cardinal Bank will be open for student deposits on Wednesdays starting at 7:30am at their location outside the multi-purpose room. Make your deposit and enter for your chance to win a $5 gift card each month! The more frequently you make deposits, the greater your chances of winning!


FAB 5 ! ! ! REGISTER TODAY! ! ! Tuesdays - January 8, 2013 through January 29, 2013

GRADES 1 - 3

Go to http://lcps.org/domain/13612 to register. Fab 5 is here again . . . YEA!! The students have fun getting and staying in shape in this active physical education setting. They will learn the five compositions of staying fit.

Max teaches Muscular Endurance B.C. teaches Body Composition

Flexy teaches Flexibility Maddy teaches Muscular Strength

Cardio Kid teaches Cardio Respiratory Endurance The 4-week Tuesday sessions for 1st - 3rd grade begins January 8 through January 29. The cost is just $10 for this action-packed activity, and parents are welcome to attend. Students, who have parental permission, will report to the gym on Fab 5 dates at 2:45. The class ends at 3:45, and students must be picked up promptly by parents. If you have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Thompson at [email protected] or Rennea Butler at [email protected] for information or registration.


Word Masters Challenge 2012-13

Go to http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/domain/8640 for the permission form

Potowmack Elementary has always been proud of the variety of enrichment opportunities we offer our students. We are once again pleased to offer students the opportunity to participate in the Word Masters Challenge Program this year. This is an OPTIONAL enrichment program that is appropriate for students in grades 3 – 5. Three times during the year, a list of words will be posted online for students to explore word meanings prior to the scheduled Word Master Challenge at school. Parents can assist their child by studying the word lists prior to the challenge. You can also practice analogies and discuss strategies to understand the relationship between the words. The Challenges are analogy-based and will include the current set of words as well as any previous posted set from this year.

The next list of study words will be posted: Study #2 on January 14, 2013 Study #3 on March 11, 2013

The dates of the Word Master Challenges will be as follows: Challenge 2 - February 19, 2013

Challenge 3 - April 16, 2013

Students, who have parental permission, will report to the cafeteria at 2:05 p.m. on the Challenge dates listed above. Students will be provided with a list of analogies that need to be completed independently, and then return to class. Scored sheets will be returned to students. Prizes will be given to participating students. A reminder will be announced for each of the Challenges.

If you have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to contact our Parent Liaisons at 571-434-3270 or email [email protected].

december 2012 a message from the principal mrs. · pdf filefriends. during this time i ......

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