New Teachers, New Loop at Potomac Elementary
0
Votes

New Teachers, New Loop at Potomac Elementary

Back to School

Linda Goldberg is beginning her second year as principal at Potomac Elementary.

Is there anything you wish parents would do more of?

“Academically, read to their kids every day. Make sure their kids are in on time. Make sure their kids come to school. They’re modeling for their children about these things. Have their children ride the bus.”

Is there anything you wish parents would do less of?

“Don’t worry about who their child’s teacher will be. It’s always great to get to know new faces.”

What will be the biggest challenges Potomac will face this year?

“Developing an arts integrated model school. But that’s not a difficult challenge, it’s more of an opportunity.”

What is your favorite thing about Potomac Elementary?

“I am fortunate to have such a terrific staff. Potomac is a great community. I really appreciate the new curriculum, it really meets the needs.”

What will be the biggest differences between this year and last year?

“They have created a new pedestrian safety area. There are new stop signs and special lanes for the buses. No longer will parents and buses be commingled in the bus lane.”

New Faces:

Kendra van der Gaag, 1st grade teacher

Abigail Birdsall, 3rd grade teacher

Melissa Kapescinski, 4th grade teacher

Aimee Spector, 5th grade teacher (Churchill ‘98)

Randi Smith, Speech Pathology

Potomac Elementary School

10311 River Road

Potomac, MD 20854

Phone: 301-469-1042

Grades: K-5

Principal: Linda Goldberg

PTA President: Julie Dodson

Special Programs:

The Partial Chinese Immersion Program at Potomac Elementary, continuing into Hoover Middle School, teaches students one half of their core subjects in English and the other half in Chinese. MCPS has found that these students demonstrate high levels of academic success in both languages.

Racial/Ethnic Composition

African American: 4.1%

Asian: 15.8%

Hispanic: 3.3%

White: 76.9%

% Receiving Spec. Ed.: 4.5

% ESOL: 1.6

% FARMS: 2.2

Student/Instructional Staff Ratio: 16.0

Average Class Size (Grades 1-2): 23.8

Average Class Size (Grades 3-5): 26.5

Average Class Size (Kindergarten): 18.7

Projected Enrollment/Capacity: 604/488*