Glasgow Community Gazette - End of the 2017-18 School Year

Glasgow Community,

THANK YOU so much for your support this year on behalf of our students! This year has been a tremendous success. Based upon our recent SOL scores, we are fully accredited by all measures and in all subject areas. In fact, our pass rates improved in ALL content areas and in ALL subgroups, which includes: Asian, Black, Economically Disadvantaged, English Learner, Students with Disabilities, and White. Below are our pass rates in the content areas:

English = 80% pass (72% in 2017)
Math = 81% pass (78% in 2017)
Science = 77% pass (75% in 2017)
Civics = 84% pass (82% in 2017)

This week, we held our Glasgow Leadership Retreat with all Collaborative Team (CT) Leads, Subject Area Leads, Instructional Coaches and Admin. We spent the day reflecting on the past school year and planning for the 2018-19 school year. I was so impressed by the depth of conversation we had as a group and I know this time will be valuable as we continue to grow and improve as a school.

In our retreat, we spent time reflecting on some of our successes as a school, including our incredible growth on the SOLs. These scores are one way for us to measure our progress towards becoming a school where all students are successful. Even more important than our pass rates, however, is the way we have grown as professional learning community this year. More than any other topic, walkthroughs and personalized PD were mentioned as celebrations on the end of year staff survey. Reading through teacher reflections, it is clear why our students achieved more success this year: our staff was dedicated to improving instruction through evidence, feedback and reflection.

Below you will find some examples of the thoughtful reflections our teachers shared on their personalized PD plans this year. I hope you find them as inspiring as I do.

Take time this summer to relax and rejuvenate with loved ones. I will keep you updated periodically throughout the summer via the Gazette, and we will see you on August 23 at 6th Grade Orientation or Open House for 7th and 8th graders.

Thank you,

Shawn DeRose
Principal

Contact Information
Twitter: @ShawnDeRose
Email: spderose@fcps.edu
Website: https://glasgowms.fcps.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlasgowMS.FCPS/

Calendar at-a-Glance

July 25 and August 14 - New Student Parent Coffee
August 6,7 and 8,9 - Jump Start for Rising 6th Graders
August 16 and 17 - Rising 9th Grade Transition at Justice High School
August 23 - 6th Grade Orientation (12:45PM) and Open House (3:30PM)
August 28 - First Day of Classes 2018
October 4 - Back to School Night 2018 (6:00-8:00PM)

New Student Parent Coffee - July 25 and August 14
Join Principal Shawn DeRose and Director of Student Services Carmon Golden for coffee on July 25 or August 14 from 8:00-9:30PM. We will be available to answer questions and to give you a tour of the school. No formal presentation, just drop in to say hello and ask any questions you may have. Email Carmon Golden at CLGolden@fcps.edu for additional information.

Jump Start Program for Rising 6th Grade Students – August 6-7 & 8-9
Glasgow Middle School is planning to host a FREE Jump Start program for rising 6th graders to prepare them for their transition to middle school. The transition program is designed to both welcome and support sixth graders by assigning them an 8th grade leader as a mentor during this first year. This 8th grade leader is a responsible older student who was hand selected from a large pool of applicants and has met the qualifications of being a good role model and a positive leader on our campus. Students will get acclimated to their new school through a variety of activities. 8th grade leaders will guide students through a series of team-building activities that give students a chance to meet and interact with their new peers.

In addition, students will be led on a guided tour of the building and classrooms, as well as ask other important questions they may have before school begins. Jump Start is designed to alleviate any anxiety and concerns students may have about attending a new school and get them excited about the opportunities that await them at Glasgow Middle School. Students can attend one of the two sessions offered this summer. Session one runs August 6th & 7th, and session two runs August 8th & 9th, both sessions will be from 8am–12pm. 

To register for this program, visit the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/PLodxqgNe3rCSLvn1. If you have any questions, please contact Steve McFarlane at swmcfarlane@fcps.edu.

Rising 9th Grade Summer Transition Program at Justice High School – August 15 and 16
Justice High School will be offering a Rising 9th Grade Transition Program on August 15 and 16 from 8:00-12:00PM.  Students can select one of the two dates to attend. The program is free and all attendees will receive a new Justice Wolves t-shirt. To register fill out and submit the Google Form: https://goo.gl/forms/yezsysnQBXJc9Ksx1. 

 
6th Grade Orientation –  August 23, beginning at 12:45pm 
Rising 6th grader students and parents are invited to our 6th grade orientation on August 23 at 12:45pm. Transportation will be provided to students. In addition to picking up packets, students and families will have a chance to walk through an odd and even day schedule and meet briefly with their teachers. We look forward to welcoming our newest students and their families to our building!

Open House - August 23, 3:30-6:00pm
7th and 8th grade students and parents are invited to pick up packets and tour the building beginning at 3:30PM. Rising 6th grader students and parents are also invited if they are unable to attend 6th grade orientation early in the day. Note: Teachers are not expected to be available in their rooms.

Glasgow Back to School Night – October 4
On Thursday, October 4, we will be hosting our annual Back to School Night (BTSN). The Back to School Night program officially begins at 6:00pm, and we encourage you to arrive early as we anticipate a well-attended event. Please bring a copy (or take a photo) of your student’s schedule prior to coming to next week’s event. Students are welcome to attend BTSN as interpreters for their parents if necessary.

In addition, please keep in mind that parking will be limited. We have arranged for the buses that normally park outside door #3 to park at Justice High School that evening. We also hope to provide overflow parking on the soccer fields.

Back to School Night at the secondary level is an opportunity for you to meet your student’s teachers, see their classrooms, and hear about what each class will look like for your student. You will spend 10 minutes in each classroom, hearing from the teacher(s) of that class. Given the time constraints of the evening, we invite you to email teachers directly with any specific questions or information you would like them to know about your student. Our teachers love to hear from you, and are always available for scheduled conferences throughout the school year.

Glasgow Goodies

Rotary Essay Contest Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the Bailey’s Crossroad 4-Way Test Essay Contest.  Honorable mentions: Jeffrey Hernandez Ramirez, Mercedes Argueta, Yesenia Navarrete Mazariegos and Jeremy Castro.  Third Place: Elizabeth Soliz Garcia, Second Place: Naydeli Hernandez Morales, First Place: Nour Alashlem.
Special thanks to the Baileys Crossroads Rotary Club for their continued support of Glasgow Middle School!

Virginia State Cup Tournament Champs
Congratulations to Evan Burita and Jared Weber on winning the Virginia State Cup tournament in Richmond on Sunday June 3rd. Evan and Jared play on the 2005 team for Annandale United Football Club. With this win the team heads to the National Championships in Aurora, Colorado in July.

FBI Special Agent Visits Glasgow
FBI Special Agent Karen Corbett and Parklawn resident visited Glasgow on Friday to talk to two lucky 7th grade classes about what it takes to become an FBI agent. Agent Corbett told the kids to become an agent they need to do well in school, stay out of trouble, and be physically fit. Corbett also explained her work in the FBI’s white collar crime unit and told students about her latest case, which involved a $114 million judgment against three individuals for paying kickbacks for laboratory referrals and which resulted in unnecessary medical tests. Agent Corbett told the students the FBI is looking for bilingual agents and that they are trying to raise the number of female agents. She encouraged students to consider law enforcement and the FBI as a potential career.

I Can Bike at Glasgow Middle School
Glasgow hosted their I Can Bike program sponsored by the I Can Shine Program. The program is designed to train typically developing students to work with students with mental and physical disabilities proper cycling techniques and improvements with cycling. In addition, the program helps to improve communication and understanding of the challenges of their peers with disabilities and awareness. 

This year the program was able to provide a service learning opportunity to twelve of our Glasgow students who provided excellent leadership skills to the students in need. The program culminated with each volunteer and rider participant receiving certificates of completion of their outstanding commitment to the program.

The program was a great way for all the students to be in a safe, supportive, inclusive and fun environment to accomplish their goals. I want to thank After School Specialist, Aaron Cannon for providing this program after school. If you have any further questions please contact Aaron Cannon at acannon@fcps.edu.

Student Services Advisory Council – EOY Meeting
The Student Services hosted their end of the year Advisory Council meeting. The purpose of the advisory council is to advise, assist and make recommendations about our school counseling program. Advisory council members consist of counselors, teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members. All members are part of collaborative efforts to ensure that the school counseling programs are meeting the needs of the Glasgow community. Student Services reviewed data and information on the comprehensive school counseling program implemented during the 2017-2018 school year and gathered feedback. 

They plan to use this valuable feedback in conjunction with data that has been collected during this school year to align our 2018-2019 program with the needs of Glasgow and the School Improvement Plan. Check out the presentation here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18_-2kKW3_mQZeW3gGAieyFodI11FhZBQ/view?usp=sharing 

Teacher Reflections

“My next steps are to ask students to explain their thinking. Instead of just feeding me the correct answer I want the student to activate their higher level thinking skills. It also makes it easier for student to catch themselves and notice when they make mistakes.” - Teacher, Individuals & Society

“At first it was difficult to relinquish a bit of ‘control’ to let the students do more of the talking. However, over time as the students have become more comfortable, it has been rewarding to see students use the vocabulary and strategies they have learned with their peers. I know they truly understand the concept when I hear them explain their thinking to their partner.” - Teacher, Math

“I am mindful of how I am speaking to my students and centering their learning of expectations (i.e. learning targets). Making sure students are aware of what the learning target is and can answer the essential questions while explaining their thinking.” - Teacher, Individuals & Society

“My teaching has developed at an exponential rate since the beginning of the year.  At the moment, I would say the biggest change is the frequency with which I use data to inform my small groups.  Previously, I had mostly relied on whole-CT data dialogues to help me determine the focus and membership of small groups.  However, over the past month and a half or so, I have begun to do my own strategy ladders and write my own small group lessons based just on the data from my classes.  As a result, I have continued to grow more comfortable with small groups--where I was once struggling to pull a group or two per unit, I am now pulling one or two groups every single class.” - Teacher, Language Arts/English

“My teaching has become more targeted as a result of the walkthroughs and observations.  Rather than ‘providing better teaching’, I can pinpoint exactly what better teaching means.  Whether it means providing more opportunities for student talk, providing more scaffolds, using guided groups, increasing rigor through higher order thinking, or increasing opportunities to collaborate.” - Teacher, Special Education

Be Informed, Stay Involved!

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• Monitor your students academics with a SIS Parent Account.
• Join the Glasgow Middle School PTA and attend meetings.
• Keep your contact information up-to-date.