Potomac Middle School 2017...Potomac Middle School "Staff, Students, and Parents Working Together as...

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February 2017 Newsletter

Potomac Middle

School "Staff, Students, and Parents Working Together as One"

3130 Panther Pride Drive, Dumfries, VA 22026

703.221.4996 Fax: 703.221.4998

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Well, we are into the second semester. Time flies when you are learning. February is

Black History month and each day during the morning announcements, our students will

hear about an accomplishment made by an African American and their contributions. It

is great to be a member of the Potomac Middle School community because we have such

diversity and are able to celebrate that diversity throughout the school year. We recently

celebrated several of our students with our Panther of the Month Breakfast on February

3.

Our teachers have worked extremely hard over the first semester challenging the

children to do their very best. Please continue to support the teachers, staff and

especially your children in our quest for excellence. It is truly a pleasure to work in the

best middle school in Prince William County because we have the best teachers, staff,

parents and especially students.

The middle school years are a critical time in the life of a child. It is during this time that

students begin to develop the habits of mind and character that will define them for

many years to come. It is my hope that we can continue to work together to ensure our

students develop the attributes that will bring them success in middle school and beyond.

Sincerely,

Mr. Kevin J. Smith

Principal

Upcoming Events

February 20

Presidents Day – No School

Important

Announcement

February 8

2nd Quarter Report Cards Go

Home

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PTMS “Jewel of the East “Administrative

Team

Kevin J. Smith, Principal

Brian Coleman, Assistant Principal

Latanya Haskins, Assitant Principal

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This February the Bobcats are "loving" the learning! We are beginning to work on the New Nation unit where we will learn all about the great ways the constitution was designed. Also, we will learn about the first five men who became Presidents during this time of growth for our nation. In Math, we are learning about division of fractions and moving on to one step and two step equations. We are working hard at making sure that word problem solving is always a priority. In Language Arts, we have begun to move on from Problem solution writing and reading to beginning our Carbon Footprint project. Lastly, in Science, Mrs. Williams has concluded her matter unit with some really COOL experiments and is moving on to the Energy unit to explore how energy affects our lives.

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Pick Up Procedure Reminder

For your child’s safety please utilize the pick up space

in the car loop directly across from the school to pick

up your child. Please remember there should not be

any parking in the yellow marked areas as those are

designated as fire lanes and it is a violation of Virginia

State Law. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly

appreciated.

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Strengthening Our Communities by Educating and Empowering Women”

Are you looking for a way to empower, Inspire, Motivate and

Educate your Daughter?

Then Real Women Moving Forward is here for you!

Stop by Mrs. Boggan’s office to receive

an application.

Real Women Moving Forward is a nonprofit organization that has served our communities since 2009. We

provide state of the art classes, seminars, and workshops all designed with the women in mind! We will be

providing workshops in your local community beginning Spring 2017.

For more details, please email me:

[email protected]

Or call 240.351.2015 for location, dates and times.

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Panther of the Month

Potomac Middle School’s Panthers of the Month! This award honors children who deserve special

recognition for outstanding abilities, achievements and efforts.

Panther of the Month/Year Criteria

1. Student must have the cumulative, non-rounded GPA of 3.0 or higher for the month receiving

award. * For a student to be eligible for Panther of the Year Award they must have earned the

Panther of the Month Award.

2. Leadership:

A. Student exemplifies positive attitude.

B. Demonstrates reliability and dependability.

C. Is a leader in the classroom and in school activities.

3. Service:

A. Works well with others and is willing to take on various responsibilities.

B. Volunteers and provides dependable and well-organized assistance and is gladly

available to offer assistance to others.

C. Shows courtesy in and out of classroom by assisting visitors, teachers, and students.

4. Character:

A. Consistently exemplifies desirable qualities of behavior (cheerfulness, friendliness, poise,

composure).

B. Cooperates by complying with school regulations concerning property, programs, office,

and hallways.

C. Demonstrates the highest standards of honesty and reliability.

D. Regularly shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others.

E. Engaged during instruction, observes rules, and is punctual.

F. Actively helps promote Potomac Middle School in a positive manner!

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Congratulations to January Panthers of the Month!

Jessica Wyatt Mali Peters

Natalia Nogales Anthony Rodriguez

Nana Provencal Kayla Pili

Melanie Figueroa Luis Ayala Cabrera

Kayla Le Reilly Kopaniasz

Jhayda Santiesteban Cordova Tonae Bolds

Lordina Agyekum La’Niah Bullock

David Thayer James Hollifield

Anaya Massey Jarren Swope

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This year we are excited to be partnering with a fun, free, and truly easy fundraiser called

Shoparoo! Schools nationwide are already earning hundreds and even thousands every year

through Shoparoo and it’s a great opportunity for us to really make a difference this year!

Shoparoo is school fundraising made easy: the free app turns pictures of your everyday shopping

receipts into cash donations and sweepstakes entries for our school! Yep, it’s that simple. No more

cutting labels, selling door to door, or time-consuming coordinating. All you have to do is shop as

you normally do, snap pictures of your receipts with the app, and voila Just shop, snap, earn!

Get started today:

1. Download the free Shoparoo app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store

2. Select our school from the list and start taking pictures of your receipts - shop anywhere, buy

anything!

There’s no limit to how much money we can raise with Shoparoo - the more supporters, the more

we will raise for our school. Schools with just 40 supporters are earning an average of $1,000 every

year. That’s free, easy money that we could be fundraising too. Check out shoparoo.com to learn

more about this awesome app!

Thank you for your support!

This is our second year using Shoparro. Last year we earned over $85, let’s see if we can earn even

more this year!

http://www.shoparoo.com/

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** Please send in your completed form and dues with your student. **

Dear Parents,

We invite you to help make a difference in your child’s Middle School

Experience by joining the PTSO. The PTSO has partnered with Potomac

Middle School to help expand several great programs that include:

1. Make PTMS a place where parents want to help out and be involved.

2. Create opportunities for parents to be involved and have a place where

they can share their concerns and ideas.

3. Help raise money to help teachers with additional learning tools for our

children. Our goal this year is to donate new laptops for teachers and

students.

4. Have more fun family events throughout the school year.

We have a page on the Potomac Middle School website. We will update

with all our latest information of upcoming events, program updates and

ways you can help our students, school, and community.

You can also “Join” our Facebook Page “Potomac Middle School PTSO”. If

you have any questions or would like more information on the PTSO, and

volunteer opportunities please contact us at

[email protected]

Please fill out this form and return along with payment with your student.

Checks can be made out payable to Potomac Middle School PTSO.

Returned checks will be subject to a $36 service charge.

Sincerely,

Potomac PTSO

mailto:[email protected]

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** Please send in your completed form and dues with your student**

Student Name (s) _______________________________________

Grade 6th 7th 8th Homeroom Teacher ____________________

Parent/Guardian ______________________________________

Address ______________________________________________

City __________________ State_______________ Zip ___________________

Email (Please print clearly) __________________________________

Telephone _________________________ Cell Phone _____________________

I prefer to be contacted by ____Email ____Phone _____Text

PTSO FEES

______ $ 15 per family

______ $ 5 per facility member (Must be part of PTSO to request funding and

supply donations)

______ $ 150 Business donation and membership. This will insure your

advertising of business on the bulletin board at school throughout the school

year. As well as advertising on the PTSO web page and the PTSO newsletter.

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Right to Special Programs/Services The Prince William County Public Schools Division is required to inform the community of a

student’s right to a free, appropriate public education and the availability of programs and

services, including a special education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education

Improvement Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) are federal

laws that give the School Division certain responsibilities with respect to providing such

educational programs to students with disabilities. Under the IDEA and Section 504, the School

Division has the responsibility to actively and continuously identify, locate, and evaluate those

children, infant to age 21, living in Prince William County who may be in need of special

education and/or related services, or adaptations or accommodations to regular education

services.

These laws also require the School Division to:

• Refer for possible evaluation any student of school age living in the School Division who a

school staff member suspects may be disabled.

• Provide appropriate educational and school‐related opportunities to students with disabilities

in an inclusive setting to the maximum extent appropriate.

• Provide notice of the availability of services and types and location of services to nearby

private schools, pediatricians, and the Health Department.

• Provide parents/guardians of students with disabilities with notice of their rights annually,

and prior to their student’s evaluation and placement, or any significant change in their

student’s placement.

• Develop and implement procedural safeguards with respect to actions regarding the

identification, evaluation, and placement of students with disabilities.

• Provide written notice of the School Division’s procedural safeguards to parents or guardians.

If you suspect that your student may have a disability affecting your student’s development or

academic performance, or may have a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a

major life activity, please contact the Director of Special Education at 703.791.7287 for further

information.

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