Tips for Helping Young Children Transition to School
For young children who have spent most of their lives at home with a parent or caretaker, the first few days of a new school, or even a new school year, can be an anxious and stressful time. To help your child make an easier transition, use the time over the summer and just before school starts to prepare for this big step.
Brief: Back-to-School Means Bus Awareness
Now that Montgomery County Public Schools are back in session, the Police Department reminds residents that on Jan. 2 the county began using an automated school bus camera enforcement program. Every driver should know that when approaching a stopped school bus with activated stop sign and flashing red lights, Maryland law requires that all traffic from both directions must stop and remain stopped until the stop sign and lights are de-activated.
Churchill Sports
Golf team finished state runner-up.
School: Winston Churchill High School Mascot: Bulldogs.
Holy Child Appoints New Head of School
Shannon M. Gomez, Ed.D., was unanimously selected.
When students at Potomac’s Connelly School of the Holy Child returned to school this week, there was a new leader at the helm to oversee the new year. School officials announced that Shannon M. Gomez, Ed.D., is the 10th head of the all-girls Catholic school.
A New Era at Local School
Matthew Gould tapped as head of Norwood School.
When the 2014-2015 school year opens in a few weeks, Norwood School will have a new leader at the helm. The Board of Trustees for the Bethesda school named Matthew A. Gould, Ph.D., as the new head of school earlier this month. Gould replaces Richard T. Ewing Jr., who retired from Norwood after 35 years. “Having grown up in the D.C. area and worked in various schools for the past 25 years, I was well aware of Norwood’s reputation as one of the largest and finest kindergarten-through-eighth grade schools in the country,” said Gould. “I was impressed with Norwood’s deep commitment and passion for educating the whole child in a joyful, nurturing and challenging learning environment. It was important for me to be in a school community that puts children at the center of everything.”
Surfer Bethany Hamilton Shares Her Story
Fourth Presbyterian School welcomed professional surfer Bethany Hamilton to campus in April. Hamilton became well known after she lost her left arm to a shark attack while surfing at the age of 13. Just one month later, she was back in the water pursuing her passion of surfing, and just over a year later won her first national title. In 2007 she turned pro and has since competed in a number of Association of Surfing Professionals and World Tour Events. In March, she won the Surf N Sea Pipeline Women’s Pro held in Oahu, Hawaii.
School Note: Potomac Elementary Student Competes Nationally
Shirin Ghorbani, a second grader at Potomac Elementary School, won the state of Maryland's PTA Reflections art contest in the literature division with her story "Hoppy's Big Dream," and will now compete for the second time in two years at the national competition this summer. Fourteen of Potomac Elementary’ s students placed at the Montgomery County level of the PTA Reflections Art Contest, and three of those students made state rankings. This year’s national Reflections theme is “Believe, Dream, Inspire.”
Albright Addresses McLean School Graduates
Go forth and make a difference.
Most graduation speakers are faced with the problem of emitting wisdom and life-lessons for the graduates who are leaving one phase in life and venturing on into their next act. Instead of speaking to the graduates about success and fortitude, McLean School Commencement Speaker Madeline Albright, Secretary of State under President Clinton, had students complete a survey, and she used the results and their views to formulate her speech.
Montgomery County Board of Education
Primary for Board of Education - At Large
Because members of the Montgomery County Board of Education are nonpartisan, not identified by political party, there is only a primary if there are more than two candidates for a particular seat. This year, there are four candidates for the one at-large seat that will be on the ballot in November. Voters of any party can vote for Board of Education, and choose one in the primary. The top two vote-getters will appear on the ballot in November.
Two Scouts Earn Eagle Rank
Two scouts — Brian A. Huang and Aaron M. Hwang — from Troop 773, which meets at the Potomac United Methodist Church, recently obtained the rank of Eagle Scout and were honored at a ceremonial Court of Honor. They are Troop 773's 156 and 157th Eagle Scouts, respectively.
4-Year-Olds Learn About Entrepreneurship
“Camila’s Lemonade Stand” author visits Potomac Nursery School.
“If you could start your own business — any business you wanted, what would you choose?” asked teacher Barbara Haas to her class of 4-year-olds at Potomac Nursery School. The question prompted answers from the children of “I would have a business where I could take care of animals” to “I would want to make delicious food for people.” Some wanted to become home builders, doctors or fire-fighters; others wanted to become lawyers to help other people.
Winter’s Avian Bounty at Seneca Creek
Cold winter brings more unusual birds to the Potomac River.
The 2014 “Winter of our Discontent,” has been difficult for North American waterfowl as well. Ducks, geese, swans, and grebes gather in large groups/flocks on lakes, rivers, ponds, and such to pass the winter before the spring breeding season.
Fifth Graders Create Animated Movie
While many movie lovers will be watching to see who wins the Oscars in Hollywood this weekend; a world premiere movie debuted here in Potomac. Ninety-eight Beverly Farms Elementary School fifth graders and their parents sat down to watch an animated film on Monday, Feb. 24. Their eyes were glued to the screen with good reason: they created the film themselves. The film is titled “The Extraordinary Fifth-Grade Field Trip," a 14-minute film composed of 6,438 drawings. Each second of the movie equals 10 drawings. Inspired by their reading of adventure stories and tall tales, the students gave free rein to their imagination as each came up with his or her own animated field trip adventure. Working with artist-in-residence Leila Cabib, each student designed a storyboard illustrating the key scenes of their animated segment and then created and filmed numerous sequential drawings to bring the story to life.