+ STUDENT PROGRESS UPDATE: Each year, mid-September serves as a good checkpoint for early student progress in classes. Please remember that student attendance and grades are available 24/7 in ParentVUE. I am asking that parents be intentional about checking student attendance and grades via ParentVUE on Friday, September 22nd in the place on previous “Interim Report Cards”. A few indicators of student success include:
- Consistently attending all classes
- Completing formative practice opportunities, such as homework or classwork
- Taking advantage of retake opportunities on summative assessments, such as tests
Please remember that student access to various school functions will depend on their consistent on-time attendance at school and be sure to reach out to your student’s counselor, teacher, or administrator with questions.
+ 24/7 ONLINE TUTORING: Prince William County Public Schools has partnered with PAPER, a 24/7 academic support tutoring platform. Through PAPER our students can safely and securely chat with an expert tutor anytime, anywhere, for free. Whether they 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!
+ HOMECOMING 2023: Heads-Up! Our 2023 Homecoming Dance will be held on Saturday, October 7th at 8pm at Potomac HS. A Spirit Week with several fun student events and the Homecoming game on October 6th will both precede the dance. More detailed information will be shared soon!
+ TOUCH BASE: On Monday, October 9th, we will hold our Fall Touch Base event from 7:30 – 9:30am at the school. The Touch Base event provides parents with the opportunity to briefly meet with teachers to discuss student progress and to plan strategies for continued student growth. Students do not report to school as the remainder of the day will serve as a teacher workday. Please plan to attend!
+ OTHER UPCOMING FALL DATES: Please see important dates below:
- PSAT: On Wednesday, October 18th, all 9th, 10th, and 11th Grade students will participate in Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying (PSAT) testing for the majority of the school day. 12th Grade student will be provided with asynchronous learning opportunities from home and are not expected to be in the building that day. The PSAT is a great primer for the SAT, and even the ACT. Please also remember that PSAT scores are used to identify National Merit Scholars and award merit scholarships, so we encourage students to focus and do their very best on the test.
Students can practice for the PSAT by visiting the College Board website HERE and trying a few sample questions or the Practice Test.
- SAT: On Thursday, October 26th, all 12th Grade student have the OPTION to take a free onsite SAT test. All Seniors will be scheduled to take the SAT that day unless families opt their student out. To ensure we have an accurate count of Seniors who plan to take the SAT that day, we’re asking for you to complete THIS opt out form by Monday, 9/18, if you have not done so already.
Seniors who opt out of SAT testing will be provided with Naviance tasks to complete from home instead.
- ACADEMIC AWARDS: Our Fall Academic Awards Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, October 25th at 9am in the Potomac High School Auditorium. The ceremony is based on student achievement from the 22 - 23 school year. Award recipients will be notified via individual letters distributed at school as well as a letter mailed home to families with additional details. Please contact your student’s School Counselor with questions. Please see award criteria below:
· A student shall be enrolled in at least six classes that carry a Carnegie unit of credit. All classes that carry a Carnegie unit of credit shall be used in computing the yearly average.
· A student shall earn a grade point average for the year of 3.5 (non-rounded) or higher.
· A student shall earn a grade equivalent to 3.0 or better for the year in each class. That is, no student is eligible for an academic letter if he or she earns a grade lower than a grade equivalent to 3.0 for the year.
+ GET INVOLVED: I encourage all of our parents to support continued success at Potomac by joining the Potomac Principals Advisory Council (PAC), or Parent, Teacher, Student Organization (PTSO). Please see meeting info below:
- Provide feedback and input about the school’s Continuous Improvement Plan and budget at our PAC meeting on Thursday, October 19th at 6pm in the Potomac Library.
- Assist with community partnerships and student support events at our PTSO meeting on Thursday, September 21st at 7pm in the Potomac Library.
