december 2013 a message from the principal…...23, 2013. we will resume classes on wednesday,...

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December 2013

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. Gina Nartey, head custodian for Potowmack Elementary for the past eight years. Mrs. Nartey 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. Nartey, we want to wish her all the best in her move to Oregon. We are currently interviewing candidates to fill her position.

Thank you to all the friendsand families that visited duringAmerican Education Week. We had576 visitors during all the specialevents that occurred over the week.The Scholastic Book Fair, StoriesUnder the Stars and Donuts withDads was a huge success. Themoney that was earned from thebook fair helps in purchasing booksas well as paying for our AcceleratedReader program.

This is the time of year when parents and family members send in treats for the class. Sometimes they will do this without informing the teacher. Please understand that we have many students with allergies and we simply have to let the parent

A Message from the Principal… Mrs. Jennifer Rule

Up Coming events for December 2013:

4 - PTA meeting 7:30 am 7 - Skate Night 10 – California Tortilla 11 – Interims Home 13-15 Five Below Fund Raiser 19 - 5th Grade Winter Chorus Concert at 1:30 pm 23 – Winter Break Begins 25 – Christmas Day January 2, 2014 – Classes resume

and family members know that we are sorry but we cannot pass out the treats. There are many items that are not edible if you want to bring in a special holiday treat for students.

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 2013.

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, December23, 2013. We will resume classes on Wednesday, January 2, 2014.

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!


Pursuit of Excellence— Known for their strength in flight, bald eagles soar above the rest as one of the most majestic creatures in the sky. With power and balance they fly miles above the earth, catching warm air currents to lift them thousands of feet into the air. Keen vision gives the eagles the ability to see far-off challenges, soaring through each pursuit with great success. With you we soar to new heights.

Carole O’Sullivan and Carol

Wood, Secretaries

Office 571-434-3270

Absence Line 571-434-3271

Potowmack’s Gift Card Drive!

Another winter holiday is fast approaching. At Potowmack Elementary we feel fortunate that many of our families will be able to enjoy this festive season. This year we are sponsoring a gift card drive to help families less fortunate.

Please donate a gift card from Target, Wal‐Mart or Toys R Us and return it to one of our secretaries in the front office. If you would like to contribute in another way, you may make a monetary donation in which the proceeds will go towards purchasing new toys.

If you choose to participate, please turn in your gift card by Wednesday, December 18th. Any questions can be directed to the school counselors, Jeanne Peterson or Joy Jackson.

We greatly appreciate your generosity.

The Loudoun Education Foundation has approved five grants for Potowmack Elementary, “Scribble Stories: An Ipad Writing Activity” for the amount of $500, “Reading Road Trip” for $500, “We Do with LEGO Wedo” for $500, “Super Circle Time” for $492, and “Seeing Susan B. Anthony”, for $500. 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.


Library News – Dr. Copeland Thanks to everyone who participated in our Scholastic Book Fair. We had many amazing volunteers who worked very hard to make this event a big success. We also had many generous parents who shopped at our book fair and helped raise money for our school library program. For those of you who wonder about the financial success of our event, here is a summary: We sold $12,675.41 worth of books We raised $250 for our All For Books program. We had 55 Potowmack students who took part in the program and received a free book fair book. Our library purchased $1463.40 in

books from the book fair to be used in our school library. The event raised $2300 in cash which will be used to purchase new library books and pay for our Accelerated Reader program. Watch for details about our next book fair which will be at the end of February.

The 5th Grade chorus concert is on Thursday, December 19th at 1:30 PM! All are invited to attend. 5th Graders in chorus should be memorizing their music. They should also start thinking about what they will wear for the concert. Girls should wear a white dress shirt and black pants or long black skirt with dress shoes. Boys should wear a white collared shirt with black pants and dress shoes. Reminder: 5th Grade musical practices for the after school cast begin on Tuesday, December 10th. Not all cast members attend every rehearsal! Please look at the calendar you were given to know if you need to be there.

Soaring Ahead….

January 2014 1-Happy New Year! 2 – Classes Resume 6- 6 Flags Reading Incentive Begins 8 – PTA Meeting 10 – 5th Grade Meet the Band 14 – Chik-fil-A 24 – Grading Period Ends / Bingo #2 20 – Holiday – Martin Luther King Jr. 27 – Moveable Student Holiday The testing Calendar for SOLs and 2nd grade CogAT will be posted on our website by the end of the month.


Congratulations To the following students who were recognized for outstanding

citizenship for Respect, Responsibility or Effort!

Mrs. Shires Aidan Ham Chi Chi Johnson Mrs. Mays Daniel Sexton Elijah Cumberbatch Naomi Adegbenro Ms. Gaudens Owen Cook Katy Guardado Harrison Tyler Mrs. Galván Nawwaf Hannan Aakruthi Chillariga Parker Allman Mrs. Smith Katie Gross Aidan Huchler Ms. Haidari Makenna Dadlani Nick Weber Sophie Hawley Ms. Stanford Mia Escalante Austin Monahan Chaitanya Pillai

Ms. Perrault Megan Cumes James Butler Zsofia Page Ms. Chrisman Cristian Hang Jack McNaughton Madison Kaplan George Khella Fayez Erin Smith Maddy Polanco Mr. Charlish Neha Chundru Tabita Gastiaburu Vivian Nguyen Mrs. Donovan Ariel Huertas Zamzam Mohammed Grant Gonzalez Mrs. Snow Annie Rose Greenman Omar Guardado Anaiya Davis Mrs. Thunstrom Luis Ruano-Campos Emily Eck Maryore Reyes-Ochoa

Mrs. Leibach Juan Alvarez Nick Pochet Ms. Shultz Aryan Agarwal Emma Buytenhuys Matthew Si Mrs. Nodell Sasha Wang Emma Greenman Matthew Groscup Mrs. Hazlett Omid Sayyadli Zain Siddiqui Bailey Thunstrom Mrs. King-Woerner Matthew Weber Jonna Villanueva Mariajose Gomez-Salazar Ms. Staples Nate Alves Mattie Schwendeman Nasneen Abd’Alim


In PE, we finished our Wellness testing and activities this month are basketball lead up games, basketball ball rhythms, and bowling. The PMK fit club is finishing up with many of the students

qualifying for a PMK Fit Eagle shirt. We are still collecting Coca Cola labels/codes for the purchase of recess equipment so please drink up those Coca Cola products

http://www.mycokerewards.com/home.do (including the Dasni water) over the Holidays :)...

Keep active and safe this Holiday Season, PMK PE, Mrs. Thompson & Mr. Caruso

Is winter break really coming up in a couple of weeks?? Didn’t we just finish eating all the leftover turkey? This year seems to have sped by but our Potowmack school community still generously took the time to help others. Last month’s food and warm clothing drive brought in much needed food to help stock our local area food banks as well as our backpack program. The warm clothing helped to ensure that not only students in our own school, but in our neighborhood schools as well, had proper clothing to enjoy the upcoming winter break. Thank you! We hope that you will consider giving to the gift card drive. The joy on the faces of young children receiving gifts should be experienced by everyone. We’ve always been a very generous community – please consider helping our neighbors. Best wishes for a happy holiday season. See you in the New Year!!


PBIS: Students earned 500 tickets in the month of November to earn a student vs. teacher football game assembly. Congrats to the teacher team purple for winning the football game! Students also earned a chance to win a no homework pass by throwing a football at a target during. Classes that did well in the cafeteria for the month of November were able to participate in this cafeteria incentive. Ms. Carolla’s class was cafeteria class of the month. Second grade has been perfect in the cafeteria the entire year. Way to go 2nd grade!


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.


The first graders have finished up their secondary color collaged pumpkins. We are

now working on some winter snowmen. Students learned how to create a realistic background by using crayons to create hills. We talked about using value to create the illusion of overlapping hills. Students then learned about shadows and how to make our round circles look like spheres by adding a shadow to one side. Once our snowmen have been put together we will be decorating them to finish them up. Up next, we will be working on our first clay project!

Second grade is now finishing up our leaf bowls by glazing them. We are adding a special paint to the bowls called a glaze which needs to be fired a second time. These glazes give our bowls a pop of color! Up next we are going to be talking about landscapes and how to create one using oil pastels.

Third graders are now working on their winter landscapes. We took a look at some realistic landscapes and a piece by Claude Monet. Students examined the details of the painting and what helped to make it look realistic. We started with our horizon line and then added a fence in perspective. Then we worked on the sky by using watercolors and painting with a technique called wet on wet. Up next we will be adding our trees and some shadows. Be sure to check out our website in a few weeks for pictures of our finished works!

The fourth graders are now finishing up their gargoyles by adding a dark wash to them with watercolors to make them appear as though they are made of stone. Once the wash is done we will seal them with modge podge to keep the color from rubbing off. After the gargoyles are complete we will be creating a monochromatic color painting using our still life sketches of a pumpkin!

Fifth graders are working on their optical illusions. We began this project by looking at some of the first optical illusions and how they were created. Students then learned how to create the background to their piece. We used a ruler to create some tube like shapes and we added a checkerboard pattern to them to emphasize their shape and to begin the illusion. Then we talked about how to use colored pencils to help create the illusion of the tubes by adding value to them. We are finishing up the tubes and the next step is to work on turning circles into spheres. Check out our website in a few weeks for finished pieces!


Superintendent Assesses Initial Budget Scenarios

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III has offered his assessment of preliminary funding projections for the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget calculated by Loudoun County staff at the direction of the Board of Supervisors.

Hatrick told the School Board that, based on preliminary projections, either scenario being considered by the Board of Supervisors will result in fiscal challenges not previously seen by LCPS.

In the most favorable preliminary scenario (an equalized tax rate) plus estimated additional state revenue and a reduced carryover in unspent school funds from Fiscal Year 2014, LCPS would see $6.6 million in additional revenue against a projected $75.8 million increase in expenditures. This would result in a funding gap of $69.2 million.

In the other preliminary scenario (an equalized tax rate reduced by 2 cents) plus estimated additional state revenue and reduced carryover funds, LCPS would see $4.6 million less than current funding against a $75.8 million increase in expenditures. This results in a gap of $80.4 million.

Hatrick based the amount of increased expenditures on the following factors:

Enrollment projections for the 2014-15 school year, which would be covered by the FY15 budget, show an increase of 2,375 students or 3.4 percent. At the current cost per pupil (CPP) $11,638, adjusted for economies of scale, LCPS will need $20.1 million in additional funds to maintain current service levels. This does not include salary increases—only the cost of enrollment growth.

Virginia’s Standards of Quality (SOQ) requires a variety of support positions for new schools. SOQ support positions include principals, guidance counselors, secretaries, librarians and assistant principals. Custodians and other support staff also are required by new schools. In addition, there are costs of utilities and insurance. For the 2014-15 school year, LCPS is slated to open Cardinal Ridge Elementary, Trailside Middle School and Rock Ridge High School at a total additional cost of $6.7 million.

Virginia Retirement System (VRS) rates, governed by statute, were released last week and calculate to a non-negotiable increase of $11 million.

Healthcare costs and other employee benefit programs also are expected to increase 6.5 percent for a total of $8.1 million.

LCPS teachers and other staff have not had a merit/step increase in five years. Additionally, there are inequities between the LCPS teaching and administrative salary schedules and those of surrounding districts, such as Fairfax. This makes it difficult for Loudoun to compete for new teachers and staff and retain experienced employees. A study last year by the Evergreen Group stated $54 million would be needed to address these disparities. A more modest revamping of the salary schedules to address the inequities is expected to cost $29.9 million.

Either scenario considered by the Board of Supervisors will result in severe fiscal challenges. A summary of the projected revenue and expenditures are provided below:


Summary Equalized Tax Rate Equalized Tax Rate less 2 centsRevenue Increase/Decrease $6.6 million -$4.6 million Expenditure Increase $75.8 million $75.8 million GAP $69.2 million $80.4 million

The projected expenditure increase totals $75.8 million and is summarized in the table below:

Expenditure Increases AmountNew Enrollment $20.1 million New Schools $6.7 million Teacher/Employee Compensation $29.9 million Virginia Retirement System $11.0 million Healthcare $8.1 million Total $75.8 million

It is important to note that LCPS has done considerable belt-tightening during the past few years so that it is now one of the most efficient schools divisions in the Metropolitan Washington Area despite its rapid growth.

The LCPS cost per pupil (CPP) at $11,638 is next to lowest when compared to its Virginia neighbors. (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Prince William).

The LCPS percentage of school-based employees is the highest at 93.1 percent compared to those same Virginia school divisions.

During the past five years, LCPS enrollment has increased by 13,850 students or almost 25 percent.

During the past five years, the School Operating Budget has increased only 11.6 percent.


The Loudoun County School Board adopted the calendar for the 2014-2015 school year at its Tuesday, November 12th, meeting. It should be noted that Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) cannot open before Labor Day in 2014 under state law.

Following is the adopted 2014-2015 school calendar:

September 1: Holiday (Labor Day)

September 2: First Day of School

October 13: Holiday (Columbus Day)

October 31: End of the Grading Period

November 3-4: Student Holidays (Planning/Records/Conference Days)

November 26-28: Holiday (Thanksgiving Break)

December 22-January 2: Winter Break (Classes Resume January 5)

January 19: Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

January 23: End of Grading Period

January 26: Moveable Student Holiday *(Planning/Records/Conference Day)

February 16: Holiday (Presidents’ Day)

March 27: End of Grading Period

March 30-April 3: Holiday (Spring Break)

April 6: Student Holiday (Planning/Records/Conference Day)

May 25: Holiday (Memorial Day)

June 16: Last Day of School/End of Grading Period

*NOTE: Parents with childcare or other weekday scheduling concerns – The date of the Moveable Planning/Records/Conference Day between first and second semesters may change if the school calendar must be changed due to school closings for inclement weather or other emergencies.


12/2 PTA Exec Mtg (3:45pm) 12/4 PTA General Mtg #4 (7:00pm) 12/7 Skate Night 12/10 Restaurant Night/California Tortilla 12/11 Teacher Luncheon/Soups and Elf Size Desserts 12-23-1/1 No School/Winter Break

Our next PTA General Meeting will be in the evening on Wednesday, December 4th at 7:00 PM in the Library. Remember, we are alternating morning and night meetings.

Don’t forget when you are shopping for your holiday gifts to log on to the Potowmack website and click on the Amazon link. Ordering through the Amazon link on our school’s website sends money back to our school. What an easy way to earn money for Potowmack……Happy Shopping!

Our Winter Carnival will be here before we know it and we will need to start planning soon! This great event is scheduled for February 21st. We are looking for volunteers. If you would like to help with the planning or if you can help the night of the event, please contact Peggy Groscup at [email protected]


M S A A C G E N E R A L B O D Y M E E T I N G S U M M A R Y - 1 1 - 2 0 - 2 0 1 3 This month MSAAC addressed the search for the new Superintendent, MSAAC's survey to provide input into the search, best practices for student learning and advocacy, and an update on the Annual Measurement Objectives (AMOs) by Dr. Tyler. There will be no MSAAC meeting in December instead please attend the CAMPUS meeting on making college affordable on December 11th.

Upcoming Events

CAMPUS- 12/11- Making College Affordable; please attend at Harper Park instead of a December MSAAC meeting

November 21, 2013 Remaining Public Meetings o Round Hill Elementary Library. 17115 Evening Star Drive, Round Hill; 4p.m.: Loudoun County

Public Schools (LCPS) teachers and staff o LCPS Administrative Offices, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn. 7 p.m. Room 100 A: Loudoun

PTA’s and PTO’s o “Making College Affordable”, Joint Meeting with CAMPUS Org. Harper Park Middle School –

December 11, 2013 @ 7pm. o Conversation with Dr. Edgar B. Hatrick, III @ 7pm, January 15, 2013 o Academic Achievement Fair, February 1, 2013, Tuscarora HS.

Best Practices Presentation

Attorney, Teacher, Parent Allison Alison

Parents, Teachers, Community/Community Resources are all components of a great support system

Instill a love of learning; reading (bath, book, bed); read the books with them; help your child communicate; teach them to be their own advocate; routines and structure make your child feel safe; get to school on time; homework place and time; kids don’t know what it means to study (outlines, note cards, quizlet web site), expectations and reasonable goal setting, motivation to learn; consequences and choices; get involved as parents when you need to get involved (be their advocate); bullying (these are teachable moments); dinner time is check-in time; and love them and have fun

Learning modality tests- to determine how your child learns like: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

AMOs Presentation

Dr. Tyler, Director of Research LCPS

Year-end review

College and Career Ready, now about rigor and application of those higher expectations

trying to prepare of students to be ready for the change around them

changing the rigor of our assessment to make sure that our children are ready to meet the skills necessary to compete


It will take about 3 years to adjust to the rigor around us and see results

7 schools are accredited with warning in math and English, because the changes made in the standards process

We must continue to monitor the growth and the outcomes we are getting with these students

As the assessment became more rigorous the gaps grew

Still a high performing district, but we still have gaps

If a sub-group has met the standard, they must not drop below their current benchmark

Did not meet the graduation mark for English language learners and children with disabilities

What is the LCPS Plan for Improvement: Indistar- Indicators of Effective Practice; your school has a plan or has one in progress; as a parent you will be able to review the plan

Please get involved in the School Community Council which is a team that is part of the Indistar program

Resources

Learning modality tests- to determine how your child learns like: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

Quizlet web site: http://quizlet.com/

This Saturday is Skate Night, December 7th at Ashburn Ice House. Arrive at 5:50pm to put on your skates and the fun begins at 6:10pm and you can skate for one hour. Skate Night admission is $10 per ticket. Don’t miss out on this great event. The weekend of December 13th – 15th is our fundraiser at Five Below. This is the perfect time to go shopping for some holiday gifts. Just make sure to bring the flier that was sent home via Connect Ed for Potowmack to receive a percentage of the sales that weekend. The Fall session of the After School Program is coming to an end. Don’t fear…..it will be back in January. New classes will be added to the list. Look for further details to come.


Potowmack Elementary is having the first of three challenges for Word Masters. The challenge is scheduled for this Friday, December 6. Students who have parental permission will report to the cafeteria at 8:00 am. 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. If you have not signed up for the challenge, it's not too late. Word lists and permission forms can be found at http://lcps.org/domain/8640 or in the school office. The next challenge will be January 21, 2014. 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].

Potowmack Elementary PTA has partnered with Potomac Falls PTSO and will be selling Panther Discount cards this year for $10. These cards are good until September 30, 2014. There are a variety of discounts to restaurants, nail salons, ice cream and smoothie locations, and other businesses in the Cascades, Countryside, and Ashburn area including O’Faolain’s, Jersey Mike, Subway, Domino’s, Velocity Five, Ledo Pizza, Robeks, CountySide Cleaners, Dulles Golf, Dee Dee hair and nail, Cold Stone Creamery, Dunkin Donuts, Alpine Ski Shop, and more. Discount cards can be purchased from the PTA and cash or checks made out to Potowmack Elementary PTA can be sent in to your student’s teacher to the attention of PTA Cristina McGeehan. Flyers will be sent home with your student with more information. 1/2 Classes Resume

1/6 PTA Exec Mtg (7:30am) 1/8 PTA General Mtg #5 (7:30am) 1/14 Restaurant Night/Chik-Fil-A 1/15 Teacher Luncheon - Superbowl 1/20 No School/MLK Day 1/24 Bingo #2

december 2013 a message from the principal…...23, 2013. we will resume classes on wednesday,...

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