The Catoctin Elementary School PTA also supports these programs:

Activities Integrating Math and Science (AIMS)
  • Parent volunteers work with students to implement hands-on math and science lessons once a month for first and second graders. Topics include habitats, seasons, magnets, states of matter, plants, weather and water cycles, the life cycle and more. Students love this program!  Some of the activities that volunteers are able to do with small groups of students would not be possible in a large group setting.  It gives the students the opportunity to take part in hands-on lessons to reinforce and build upon the math and science curriculum.  Volunteers can help with the creation of lessons, or simply teach the lesson created for the day. For more info on the National AIMS program please visit, www.aimsedu.org.
After School Enrichment Programs (ASEP)
  • One of the ways that the PTA offers enrichment activities for students at Catoctin is through the After School Enrichment Program (ASEP).  Twice a year, in the fall and the spring, the PTA sponsors a series of fun after school activities for students.  The offerings vary each session but have included yoga, STEAM, slime making, painting, chess, coding and physical education classes.
Battle of the Books
  • Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program for 3rd-5th graders at Catoctin. Students read books and come together in teams to test their knowledge of the books they have read. Teams are formed of a combination of 3rd-5th graders and the competition is Family Feud style.  Even if your child did not participate, all students watch the Battles and get to see how exciting it is!
Field Day
  • The always anticipated Field Day is held at the end of the school year.  Catoctin's fabulous PE teachers plan and run the event but they need parent volunteers to make it happen!  Field Day is a day dedicated to games, sports, and outdoor fun! There are a number of activities set up both at the gym and outside the school, and parents help run each of the stations.
Odyssey of the Mind
  • Catoctin Elementary is excited to offer the Odyssey of the Mind program again this year! Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program that engages students in their learning by allowing their knowledge and ideas to come to life in an exciting, productive environment. Participants build self-confidence, develop life skills, create new friendships, and can recognize and explore their true potential. OotM proves that students can have fun while they learn. This is a wonderful program for students willing to commit time and effort to their team. Here are the basics of what to expect:
    • There are 5 to 7 students per team. Team members may be from the same grade or mixed grades (but should not span more than two grades). The commitment is similar to being on a sports team . . . your O.M. team relies on you to be there!
    • Teams meet from October through early March. Meetings are usually two hours once a week (two meetings per week as you get closer to the March competition). At each meeting, team members will solve a “spontaneous” problem and work toward completing the long-term problem their team has chosen.
    • The cost is $50 per child for Problems 1-5 or $35 per child for the Primary Problem. Scholarships are available for eligible families.
PEP (Parents as Educational Partners)
  • The PEP Curriculum addresses the need to provide limited English proficient (LEP) parents support to feel comfortable participating in their children’s education. Based on a needs assessment of parents and teachers, the Parents as Educational Partners Curriculum provides adult ESL instruction, information about the U.S. school system, and strategies for school involvement. The curriculum also assists LEP parents in overcoming the language and cultural barriers that make them particularly vulnerable to being left out of their children’s educational experiences.
Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students)

  • Watch D.O.G.S. is a wonderful ongoing program for any Dad/Father figure who would like to spend part of the day at their child(ren)'s school. The goals of the program are to provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important and to provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying. For more information please visit: https://www.lcps.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=196598