Students, faculty, and staff were excited to kick off the 2022-23 school year yesterday. Members of SAC (the Senior Athletic Committee) greeted each arriving bus with cheers, music, and high-fives, filling the morning with enthusiasm and Panther spirit. Welcome – and welcome back! View the Opening Day gallery. 

The previous day had its own share of excitement, bringing new-to-Potomac students to campus for their orientations. These students participated in activities designed to familiarize them with the campus, classrooms, and faculty. Thanks to the current Panthers who were on hand to help give tours and make our new community members feel welcome! 

We look forward to the Opening Assembly this Friday, September 9, 9:00 am, in the Upper School Quad. Parents of kindergartners and seniors are invited to attend the Opening Assembly in person; other parents and family members can watch it via livestream. Friday’s Welcome Back Cookout, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, will be a great opportunity for our entire community to celebrate the start of the new school year. Please come out and be part of the fun!

Start your weekend off right at the Welcome Back Cookout. Hosted by the Fathers Association of The Potomac School (FAPS), the cookout is an opportunity to visit with old friends, make new ones, and enjoy tasty food grilled by FAPS members. We'll also cheer for our Potomac Panthers in a couple of exciting varsity games. We look forward to seeing you outside the Chester Gym on the grassy area above the Turf Field! 

Schedule of events:

• 4:00 pm - varsity football vs. Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School (Turf Field)
• 4:30 pm - boys varsity soccer vs. GDS (Gum Tree Field I)

The Panther Pit is back and open for the 2022-23 school year! Located near the Chester Gym, the Panther Pit is a great place for Upper School students to grab a snack or drink and meet up with friends before athletics and after-school activities start. The Pit is open from 3:00-4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, when school is in session.

Please note that the Panther Pit will be cashless this year. For the time being, all transactions will be put on the student’s school account. Cash, credit cards, and Apple Pay will not be accepted. Parents, please discuss this change with your students and remind them to spend responsibly. 

We can’t operate the Pit without the help of our amazing parent volunteers. If you want a chance to see the Panthers in their element, this is the perfect place to be. All parents, grades K-12, are invited to help out in the Panther Pit. Signing up is simple and volunteers typically sign up for one shift a month on a recurring basis – but feel free to sign up for more. The online scheduling system allows you to sign up, check your schedule, and easily find a substitute when you can’t make it. Once you set up an account here, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to create your password. Then, you will be able to select your volunteer times and dates. We can’t wait to see you at the Pit!

If you have any questions please reach out to one of our Panther Pride chairs, Erin Wolff or Katy Moser. 

We have had a busy start to the year in Lower School. Our students are building new friendships, learning classroom routines, and engaging in meaningful work and play. The LS playground has come to life again with the hum of young voices. We are excited to begin a new year!

Lower School faculty and staff members are looking forward to our Parent Night next Thursday, September 15, 6:30-8:30 pm. We will assemble in the EPAC’s Langstaff Auditorium for introductions, highlights from special subject teachers, and remarks from Lower School Head Dr. Donnette Echols and Lower School Dean Michelle O'Hara. Parents will then head to their child's homeroom class, where homeroom teachers and parent reps will present. Don’t forget to bring a bag of individually wrapped candy for the Fall Frolics Candy Counter game! Please be aware that children do not attend Parent Night.

If your child will be participating in this Friday's LS Soccer Clinic, remember to submit a SchoolPass transportation change and list "carpool" with details specifying that your child will attend the clinic. At dismissal, participating students will meet in Ramsey and be brought out to Gum Tree II; parents must accompany their child(ren) at this event and should meet us at the field. We recommend that participants wear a sturdy pair of sneakers or cleats and athletic wear.

Save the date! Our Kindergarten and Grade 1 Parent Coffee will take place on Tuesday, September 20, 8:30 am, in Ramsey Assembly. 

D

Diana MacKenzie, our Lower School art teacher, is seeking parent volunteers for occasional support for the 2023-24 school year. The volunteers will help with special art projects, prepare student art for display in the Lower School, and provide valuable assistance when we have messy hands-on projects during art class! Ms. MacKenzie will reach out to volunteers as needed throughout the year.

If you are interested in being on the Art Studio volunteer list, please complete this form.

Parents are welcome to visit the newly named, Panther Post, our gently used uniform clothing store. As school doors are often locked, it is best to connect with Kim Mackay in the MS office, so that she can help you into the building.

Please mark your calendars for our annual Welcome and Friendship Assembly, which will be held in the Langstaff Auditorium on Friday, September 23, at 9:30 am. Middle School parents are invited to attend. This MS tradition, which includes class performances, presentations, and songs, will kick off our year with a tone of friendship and caring.

The Middle School will host a volleyball clinic, run by Coach Jasmine Jackson and her coaching team, this Friday, September 9, 3:30-4:15 pm, in the Spangler Center. The clinic, which is open to all Middle School boys and girls, will focus on fun, skill development, and match play. Space is limited, but there are a few more spots, so please sign up by today, September 8, via this form. 

If your child will be participating, remember to submit a SchoolPass transportation change and list "carpool" with details specifying that your child will attend the clinic. Participating students will meet by the llamas at the end of school and be brought to the Spangler Center. Parents are welcome to come watch and must pick up their children at the conclusion of the clinic. We recommend that participants wear a sturdy pair of sneakers and comfortable athletic clothing (the school PE uniform is fine).

With smiles and fist bumps, Middle School students bounded off their buses yesterday morning, eager to start the new school year. The day began with our traditional morning meetings, then everyone dove into the nitty gritty of daily classroom routines and procedures. When the students went to recess, they found a brand new Ga-ga ball pit on the MS Blacktop. Their enthusiasm was obvious, and our year is off to an energetic start!

Please remember to use the SchoolPass app to make changes to your child's attendance – absence, late arrival, and early dismissal. Be as detailed as possible and note all pertinent information in the "notes" section. As stated in the Transportation Office's recent letter to parents, students are expected to ride Potomac buses to and from school. Off-campus after-school activities and appointments should be arranged for a time that allows students to ride one of our many shuttle buses and be picked up from the shuttle stop.

For this special event only, IS students are permitted to stay on campus and take the late bus home. This afternoon, the students will receive special instructions about the Welcome Back Cookout, including this permission slip that needs to be returned tomorrow morning. The event is tomorrow, September 9, 4:30-6:30 pm.

On the first day of school, the IS welcomed 186 excited and energized seventh and eighth graders. The students spent time getting acquainted with their teachers, becoming familiar with their schedules, enjoying break time, and meeting new friends.

The day before school started was equally exciting in its own way, as 23 new-to-Potomac students spent the morning making connections with peers and having fun. They played games, discussed their concerns about the transition to a new school, and enjoyed a pizza lunch with IS faculty. All new and returning seventh graders then participated in an orientation session, so that everyone would be well prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the new school year.

We hope that you will join us for one of our upcoming parent coffees, which will be held in the IS Choral Room. Parents of eighth graders will meet on Tuesday, September 13, 8:30-9:45 am, and parents of seventh graders will meet on Friday, September 16, 8:30-9:45 am. 

While your child’s advisor will continue to be your main point of contact at Potomac, below are a few important members of the IS team that you should know: 

Greg Mueller, grade 7 dean 
Sara Matey, grade 8 dean 
Mary Cahill, IS academic coordinator 
Alex Helwink, IS learning specialist 
Weezie Parry, counselor, grades 4 through 8
Paul Singleton, counselor, grades 7 through 12
Joleen Hyde, IS administrative assistant

For safety and accountability, IS students who arrive late must sign in with Mrs. Hyde. Parents picking a student up early must come into Mrs. Hyde's office to sign out, update the SchoolPass app, and notify coaches or teachers by email before leaving with their child. If students return, they must stop by the office and sign back in. For your convenience, there is short-term parking by the Flag Circle Building. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

The Upper School community returned to the Crossroads to kick off the first day of school on Wednesday. Upper School Head Doug McLane took a few moments to welcome the newest students to the division and introduce new faculty. Afterwards, he spoke to the importance of relationships in our community and challenged the students to think about being the best version of themselves this year. We also took our sixth annual Upper School selfie! View the Opening Day gallery.

We hope to see our US community at a variety of events this fall.

Grade 9 Dean Katherine Proctor and Grade 12 Dean Robert von Glahn will host virtual information sessions for the upcoming class trips tonight, September 8, 6:30 pm. The Zoom meetings are meant for parents of ninth and twelfth graders and will provide a chance for you to learn about the itineraries for Camp Tockwogh (grade 9) and Chincoteague (grade 12). Parents may join the meeting here and will be placed into grade level breakout rooms. Recordings will be posted on CampusNET for those who are unable to attend.

Our College Counseling team began the school year by hosting a meeting with our seniors on Tuesday morning. This year's class already has a great head start on the college application process, given the several opportunities they had this summer to engage in essay workshops and application preparation. At Tuesday’s meeting, the students learned about new processes and had an opportunity to speak with their individual college counselors. The team looks forward to continuing this exciting journey with our seniors.