Parents of Potowmack Elementary students enjoy being a part of school activities – especially those that include use of the school’s 18-hole miniature golf course. On putt-putt night, enthusiastic parents often will bring their own putters to use, Principal Janet Radcliffe said.

“We try and schedule two or three evening events each month,” she said. In addition to miniature golf, Bingo nights and a variety of festivals bring parents into the school.

The PTA has organized a mystery night in which students have to follow clues to solve a mystery about a missing cookie, similar to the board game Clue.

In 2007, Potowmack received an $8,000 award from the Virginia Department of Education and was named a “Distinguished School” for closing the achievement gap. According to the school improvement plan, 95 percent of all students passed the English portion of the SOL tests during the 2005-2006 school year. The school’s improvement plan is available here.

During the school day, teachers make use of the school’s videoconferencing technology to complement their lessons. Students have virtually joined other classrooms from around the country to learn from such experts as zoologists at the Cleveland Zoo or scientists at NASA -- just to name a few. Potowmack is one of the first elementary schools in the county to use videoconferencing with students, Radcliffe said.

Potowmack participates in the Steps to Literacy program to teach students skills for reading and writing.

“The county is training classroom teachers to have the same training as a reading specialist,” Radcliffe said. More information about the Steps to Literacy program is available here.