Please tell me about Potomac School

[Anonymous]

I am the parent of a current Potomac 1st grader. He entered in K, and our 1+ years have been fantastic. My son is truly excited every morning about going to school -- that's what I hoped for. I'll try to answer your specific questions.

1. The teachers in K and 1 do a great job of keeping all children engaged in reading. Reading/ writing is the main academic focus of these two years. The teachers use the Lucy Calkins method for writing -- I encourage you to read her book for parents (available on Amazon). It's fascinating. Most teachers have attended special seminars at Columbia Teachers College focused on these methods. What that means in K and 1 is that all children write in a daily journal -- the Ks who are not yet writing by themselves label their pictures with letters. I was amazed at the progress my son made -- writing pages by the end of the year. These actitivities are really what propelled him forward in reading. The teachers got the kids so excited about the writing process that my son often wrote all sorts of creative things at home. The teachers really work hard together to come up with very interesting and fun things to keep the children engaged and not feeling like they are having a "reading lesson." There are three reading specialists in addition to the classroom teachers -- one for K, one for K/1, and one for 2/3. In K, each child spent time with the reading specialists. I know that a small group of very advanced readers (fluently reading more complicated chapter books to themselves) were pulled out for a one a week special session. Likewise, a group of Ks who entered with lower abilities were pulled out to work with a reading specialist much more frequently. In 1st grade, the children have reading groups and spend time reading with another child/ children at their same ability level. I've been told these groups are very fluid and change as children make leaps forward. That being said, Potomac is also big on keeping the lower school a very happy learning environment and not having students be competitive with each other, so the teachers do a great job of making it seem like all the class is basically doing the same thing. I can honestly say that, while I know where my son falls comparatively in reading level (per discussions at parent/ teacher conference), he has no idea that some students are in a "higher" or "lower" group.

2. Potomac uses the Everday Math curriculum in Lower School. There's a lot of information both pro and con on the internet about this program. I think it all comes down to how good the teachers are who are using it. Sarah Coste, the Math Specialist, is amazing. She is passionate about teaching math to the kids and really loves what tshe does.

[Anonymous]

Our oldest DC is in K at Potomac and I will echo PP's comments. We've had a fantastic experience. In terms of curriculum, I've been highly impressed with the approach in the classroom and with the specialists. Learning is fun for the kids, yet I see steady improvement and development in DC's "academic" abilities, as well as in computers, art, music, etc.

I'll add that we've been very pleased by the warmth, efficiency, friendliness, and appropriateness of classroom life, student activities, parent involvement, community building, etc. The new LS head is just wonderful. School is engaging and DC looks forward to going every day. DC is happy socially and is very confident all-around. I really can't ask for a better fit.

The Friday and special assembly performances are pretty darn amazing. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, for example, the K class performed the Turkey Tango in front of the whole school (and parents/other relatives) and then "taught" the dance to the senior class. I was struck that I did not notice a single child who appeared to have fear/stage fright. I think the fact that they perform so regularly in front of others, it's not a big deal. I think that's going to be a tremendous gift throughout the kids' lives.

[Anonymous]

11/28 9:23

Potomac parent here.

1. Previous posts covered this. Some kids are reading chapter books; others are learning to read in K. The reading specialist groups them and works with their abilities. My kid wasn't reading and was accepted to K. Reading is a skill that every kid masters on their own timeline. Rest assured - they do a great job of matching the kid to exactly where they need to be.

2. Previous posts covered. Similar to reading, they have math groups which group kids based on abilities.

3. I have no personal experience as it hasn't been an issue. Teachers are in tune and involved.

4. Normal. No politics. I don’t have the impression that any overwhelming political majority is present. Parents talk about academics and kids.

5. Yes – play dates and bus system is great. Many kids have best friends geographically far away in the scheme of things.

6. Teachers and staff seem very happy. Vibe is great.

[Anonymous]

Another Potomac parent here: I agree with the above posters. Our oldest is in K at Potomac---not long enough for us to have been assimilated into whatever cult exists there---and we've been very pleased with the quality of the school, the teachers, and the general friendliness of the parents. My initial impression is that there are lots of really nice kids there. My sense of the parent body is that it is, on average, refreshingly apolitical and non-snooty, a bit warmer and less judgmental than our experience at some other schools have been. It doesn't have the feral, status-conscious vibe that some other private schools in the area have. Not to say that there isn't a lot of money there---some of the families there appear to be excruciatingly rich---but it doesn't seem to be a big deal to anyone. All this is just a preliminary impression based on a few months, though.

[Anonymous]

We really like it as well, and I agree with the apolitical point. We picked Potomac because we wanted a bit of an alternative to the schools in D.C.--a little more down-to-earth in style. Potomac has great traditions, and the kids seem very happy and secure. It's been a great fit. Go Panthers.

[Anonymous]

any comments about diversity at Potomac. The school claims 30% but we saw may be 10% on the tour. I believe count foreign nationals in teh diversity as well.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure you can "see"" the different types of diversity that schools include in their description of the term. Are you just looking for ethnic diversity?

[Anonymous]

What about foreign language? Most schools in the area start foreign language at K.... Potomac waits until 3rd grade. Are there plans of changing this soon? How do current families or prospective families feel about this?
And how have you felt about the science department? The lab seemed a bit chaotic? Although that might have just been a brief moment that I was passing through. Any experiences to share?

[Anonymous]

We also had concerns about the science curriculum. Yes, the lab looked shiny and new, but what exactly are they learning? Taking care of bunnies isn't science.

[Anonymous]

I wasn't all that worried about lack of foreign language because DD is in a Spanish course at LanguageStars. According to the AD, they don't want to offer language until they have enough time in the schedule to devote a certain number of hours per week. If they studied Spanish 1 hr a week, the kids probably wouldn't get a lot of out it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't all that worried about lack of foreign language because DD is in a Spanish course at LanguageStars. According to the AD, they don't want to offer language until they have enough time in the schedule to devote a certain number of hours per week. If they studied Spanish 1 hr a week, the kids probably wouldn't get a lot of out it.

Because they're too busy taking care of bunnies? Seriously, the early elementary ages are both when there's the most time in the day for foreign language and when kids get the most out of it -- even if it's mostly singing songs and playing games. You can't tell me there's really not an hour in each K-2 day for kids to sing/play/draw/whatever in Spanish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't all that worried about lack of foreign language because DD is in a Spanish course at LanguageStars. According to the AD, they don't want to offer language until they have enough time in the schedule to devote a certain number of hours per week. If they studied Spanish 1 hr a week, the kids probably wouldn't get a lot of out it.

Because they're too busy taking care of bunnies? Seriously, the early elementary ages are both when there's the most time in the day for foreign language and when kids get the most out of it -- even if it's mostly singing songs and playing games. You can't tell me there's really not an hour in each K-2 day for kids to sing/play/draw/whatever in Spanish.

I'm just the messenger... this is what the AD told me. And, in my case, we are ok with it because DD is getting language instruction elsewhere. I'm also the poster who commented on the weak science curriculum. There are definite weaknesses to the school. What about the idea of K kids getting on the school bus with 18 year olds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We also had concerns about the science curriculum. Yes, the lab looked shiny and new, but what exactly are they learning? Taking care of bunnies isn't science.

Is science really that important in K? Or is learning more about how to be responsible (i.e., "taking care of bunnies") and learning how to make friends and interact with peers more important?

Academic rigor is nice for older kids, but do we want it for K? Let them have fun for a couple of years.

DD is in K; she loves the Bus, she loves the school. We are happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We also had concerns about the science curriculum. Yes, the lab looked shiny and new, but what exactly are they learning? Taking care of bunnies isn't science.

Is science really that important in K? Or is learning more about how to be responsible (i.e., "taking care of bunnies") and learning how to make friends and interact with peers more important?

Academic rigor is nice for older kids, but do we want it for K? Let them have fun for a couple of years.

DD is in K; she loves the Bus, she loves the school. We are happy.

This is an important point to note about Potomac. In Lower School, there is a purposeful focus on getting kids to enjoy learning, to have fun at school, and to learn how to make friends. The idea is to ease kids into the academic rigor. As kids progress, the rigor increases - and in upper school it's as rigorous as any other of the top schools in the area. BUT, if your focus is on your K-3 child having a hard core, competitive, rigorous academic environment - Potomac is not the school for you. It's just not the philosophy.

The head of school - Geoff Jones - was the former head of Thomas Jefferson school for math and science - which has consistently been ranked the #1 public school in the nation (by US News). He built the place into what it is today, and he's brought that same focus on rigor and excellence to Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is an important point to note about Potomac. In Lower School, there is a purposeful focus on getting kids to enjoy learning, to have fun at school, and to learn how to make friends. The idea is to ease kids into the academic rigor. As kids progress, the rigor increases - and in upper school it's as rigorous as any other of the top schools in the area. BUT, if your focus is on your K-3 child having a hard core, competitive, rigorous academic environment - Potomac is not the school for you. It's just not the philosophy.

The head of school - Geoff Jones - was the former head of Thomas Jefferson school for math and science - which has consistently been ranked the #1 public school in the nation (by US News). He built the place into what it is today, and he's brought that same focus on rigor and excellence to Potomac.

Thanks so much- this is really helpful. We are not looking for a pressure cooker by any means but we had trouble getting a sense of the lower school curriculum from the AD.