 Glasgow Community:
Greeting from Gallarate, Italy (via flight from Dulles, London, Paris and finally Milan), where I am with my mom, dad and sister attending my cousin Trevor’s wedding. Trevor is a Marine Corp veteran and spent almost a year living with my wife and I here in DC before relocating to Dubai where he lives with his soon to be wife, Federica. His Marine reserve unit suffered some of the heaviest casualties during the Iraq War. Here is an article from the New York Times about his unit: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/us/death-visits-a-marine-unit-once-called-lucky.html?mcubz=0
It was great to see so many of you at Back to School Night (BTSN) this past Wednesday. Our staff members enjoyed meeting all of our students’ families and welcoming you all into the building. I strongly encourage you to continue to communicate with your student’s teachers throughout the year. The parent-school partnership is vital to the success of our students.
On that same note, our first PTA meeting on September 27 is quickly approaching. Aaron Cannon, Glasgow’s After School Specialist will spotlight the After School Program which begins on October 2. If you have not done so already, please consider joining the PTA by visiting their website: http://www.glasgowpta.org/.
As I stated at BTSN, Glasgow is truly a remarkable school. Our 1730 students and their families come from 65 different countries and speak 57 different languages. We have an incredible staff that is tirelessly dedicated to the learning of each and every student. We believe that quality instruction means:
- Students spend the majority of class time meaningfully reading, writing, discussing, thinking.
- Students know what they are doing, why they are doing it and how they’ll know when they’ve got it.
- Each lesson teaches a skill. Not just content.
- Our role as educators is to show students how to learn, not just tell them what to know.
I will be back on Wednesday. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the main office or email Katie Madigan, assistant principal, at kemadigan@fcps.edu.
Shawn DeRose
Principal
Contact Information
Twitter: @ShawnDeRose
Email: spderose@fcps.edu
Website: http://www.fcps.edu/GlasgowMS/
|
Calendar at-a-Glance
Late Buses Begin - September 25
Panther Store (all lunches) - September 29
TJHSST Applications Due - September 29
After School Program Begins - October 2
FIT Begins (Tues/Wed/Thurs) - October 3
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications Due - October 11
Picture Day - October 17 and 18
PTA Sponsored DC United Soccer Game - October 22
PTA Meeting/Parent Grading Workshop - October 25
Late Buses and After School Program - September 25 and October 2
Late buses are scheduled to begin Monday, September 25. Late busses will be available for students every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after this point. Please note that the After School Program does not begin until October 2, so any student staying after before then will need to stay in a classroom with a teacher until 4:45PM.
Panther Store Volunteers Needed - September 29 and October 20
Glasgow’s Panther Stores will be held on September 29 and October 20. We are very excited to get the store up and running this year and have some new ideas that we will be rolling out to the students shortly. At the panther store we will now be offering two new options for what students can do with their cards:
- They can drop their cards into a bin to be entered for a raffle for gift cards to some local favorite spots.
- They can drop their cards into a bin to get to join in the Panther of the Month Pizza Party.
We will be creating bins for these two things and we will be sharing this info with the kids in the upcoming weeks. Please sign up to help! No experience necessary - we'll train you!
Link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084aa4a92da0fc1-pbis2
Save the Date: First PTA Meeting of the Year - September 27, 7-8pm
Join us at the first fall PTA meeting and listen to special guest speaker Aaron Cannon, After School Specialist: We will also present the PTA budget and annual audit results, and share other school and PTA news. Light refreshments will be served.
TJHSST Applications due September 29
The application process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology began on September 4, 2017 and will run until September 29, 2017 at 4:00pm. Any questions can be addressed by contacting the TJ Admissions office by e-mail at tjadmissions@fcps.edu; by phone at 571-423-3770; or the website at www.TJAdmissions.org. The TJHSST Information is also posted on Glasgow’s website as a “featured” announcement front and center on our main page.
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications due October 11
If your family qualifies for Free and Reduced meals, please remember to fill out a new application. Even if you filled one out in a previous year, you must fill it out again if your family still qualifies. A student's application from last year is only valid until October 11th. As of October 12th, lunches will begin to be charged to the student's account at the regular amount.
Free and reduced meals are available to students whose households qualify under federal standards. Please visit the FCPS Food and Nutrition Services website, https://www.fcps.edu/node/31049, to access the form online. If you wish to complete a traditional paper application, you can obtain a copy from our school office. After you apply, you will be notified in writing of your child's status.
If you qualify for Free and Reduced meals this year, you can also choose to fill out the Consent to Share Information for Benefits of Other Programs. You may be eligible to participate in other FCPS fee-based programs without paying a fee or by paying a reduced fee.
Picture Day - October 17 and 18
Picture Day has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 17th and Wednesday, October 18th. More information will be shared soon. Stay tuned.
PTA Fundraiser Event - DC United Game on October 22
The PTA has scored a block of tickets to the last DC United game to be played in RFK – on Sunday, Oct 22 at 4pm. Tickets are just $20 each (at the gate would be more… if you could even get them!), so get them before they’re gone! Buy them online via Paypal at http://www.glasgowpta.org/dc-united-tickets-oct-22/.
 Meet the Glasgow Staff
Sarah Beck - Acting Assistant Principal
I
have exciting news to share! Sarah Beck has been offered and accepted the
position of Acting Assistant Principal at Glasgow for the 2017-2018 school
year. Sarah was the 2017 FCPS Outstanding School-Based Leader Award winner and recently received her administrator
endorsement. We are thrilled she has accepted this development opportunity
at Glasgow.
In
this role, Sarah will continue in her capacity as Academic Dean, including
supervising the Individuals and Societies department and handling the
discipline related to the 7th grade interdisciplinary team.
|
Article of the Week
This week's article features a few tips for parents about monitoring technology with their student. Huffington Post article: "How to Leverage on Technology in Parenting a Teenager."
 Choose image Check out photos from visiting 6th grade math classroom on Friday morning. Great stuff!
Important Information
Accreditation Status
Glasgow Middle school was recently listed as a Partially
Accredited school by the Virginia Department of Education. Accreditation
ratings are based on the achievement of students on statewide tests taken
during the previous academic year, or on achievement during the three most
recent academic years. Glasgow narrowly missed the benchmark in one area,
English. The benchmark adjusted pass rates for a school to be rated as
Fully Accredited is 75%. Glasgow’s 3 year average is 74%. The
accreditation is a measurement of the entire school and does not effect the
academic standing of any individual student. If you have any questions,
email Shawn DeRose at spderose@fcps.edu.
Form Collection through Panther Time
Please return the following forms to your student’s Panther Time teacher as soon as possible:
- Emergency Care Card
- Health Information Form
- After-School Form
- SOL Retake Form
September Fire Drills
Safety is one of our three Panther Principals and will we continue to conduct Fire drills weekly throughout the month of September. In addition, we will be conducting a Lockdown Drill on Monday, September 18 and a Bus Evacuation Drill on Wednesday, October 20. Teachers and admin will help teach students our expectations and procedures to support schoolwide safety.
Locker Request Forms - Available October 2
If you would like to request a locker for your student, locker request forms will be available in Student Services beginning Monday, October 2. In addition, if you have concerns specific to your student, we will work with you to ensure your student has what they need to be successful at Glasgow this year. Please email Carmon Golden at clgolden@fcps.edu.
Yearbook Sales Have Begun!
The yearbook store is officially open! If you are planning on ordering a yearbook this year, please consider doing so as soon as possible. The yearbook is only $25 from now through February 3rd. However, on March 4th the price of the yearbook jumps to $30! These include Name Stamping ($5), Autograph Pages ($2), Bling Accessory Pack (stickers and jewels for $6), Clear Dust Cover ($3), Sparkle Dust Cover ($5), Yearbook Stickies ($6), Pen Signing Set ($4.99). Families can also donate a yearbook to a Glasgow student by choosing “Friends of the Yearbook” or “Custom Donation” when ordering on the Smart-Pay web site.To pay with a credit card, visit: https://shop.smart-pay.com/index.cfm?p=order-start&sid=17803&no=1
Please contact Mr. Perella at maperella@fcps.edu if you have any questions.
TJHSST After School Prep Program
Glasgow will be offering an after school TJ prep program for interested 8th grade students. This program is designed to help your child get ready for the upcoming TJ test that will be held in mid-November. More detailed information about when & where these sessions will take place is coming soon!
Credit for World Language Exam - November 9
Is your student a 7th or 8th grader who is proficient in reading and writing in their first language? If so, then make sure your student signs up to take the Credit for World Language Exam on November 9th, here at Glasgow Middle School!
The exam is designed to assess students’ first language proficiency and enable them to earn credits toward fulfilling the world language requirement for the Advanced Studies Diploma in high school. Passing this exam will also award students with the Biliteracy Seal upon graduation. Students who have the ability to read and write in one of the following 26 languages may take the exam to receive high school credit*:
- American Sign Language, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali/ Bangla, Chinese/Mandarin, Farsi/Persian, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit/Samskritam, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog/Pilipino, Tamil, Telugu, Tigrinia, Twi, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
If you would like your child to take the Credit for World Language Exam, please have them sign-up in Student Services and sign a parent permission form from NOW until Friday, October 6th.
Please contact counselor, Jennifer Blackwell at jblackwell@fcps.edu, for questions or more information. Please note that fluent oral speaking skills are not sufficient for this exam.
REMINDERS AND REFERENCE
PTA’s Panther Press
Look for PTA-specific information in the new PTA's Panther Press, which will be distributed every Tuesday. Connect with the PTA through glasgowms.pta@gmail.com or glasgowpta.org.
Gift Card Donations Wanted
When I first started at Glasgow in the spring of 2015, I requested parent support by donating $5 gift cards that we could use as incentives and thank you's for our staff. Your response was overwhelming and I have finally used the generous stash that you all provided.
I would love to request your help again since we are not permitted to use any kind of FCPS funds, local or otherwise, for this purpose. It is amazing how much a $5 gift card is appreciated. If you are so inclined, please feel free to drop them off at the main office or drop them in the mail to my attention. I will share the love with staff throughout the school year. Thank you so much! (It can be for any business you want to support, in any amount. Nothing is too small!)
Glasgow on Twitter and #GMSbelieves
One of our goals this year is to share more of the amazing things happening in our classrooms and Twitter is a great way to do this. Our staff and community members are highlighting events and lessons at Glasgow this year using the hashtag #GMSbelieves, so check it out! Be sure to follow @glasgowms and @shawnderose for important updates and highlights as well.
 Be Informed, Stay Involved!
|
|
