Glasgow Community Gazette - November 11

Glasgow Community:

On Friday, we hosted visitors from the Region and Office of School Support. During their visit, we highlighted our amazing elective courses that are offered here at Glasgow, including an amazing selection of the following courses: art, technology, design, band, chorus, orchestra, Spanish, French, Arabic, and theater arts. It was a great reminder of how electives help support students’ development as well-rounded learners.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending “Peter Pan and Wendy” at the Creative Cauldron in the City of Falls Church. Gabriela Simmon Robles, 6th grade student at Glasgow, was Peter Pan and did an amazing job. This week, I am excited to see former Glasgow students in Bye Bye Birdie at Justice High School. See below for more information about the show and how to purchase tickets. We have incredibly talented students at Glasgow and in the Justice Pyramid!

This week, we are excited for our first “Open Campus” of the year.  This is a quarterly event that fosters a caring community and inclusively celebrates successful behavior. It works in conjunction with our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Support) program and provides students with the opportunity to attend an activity of their choice for an afternoon, hosted by a teacher or community member. Kids love this event and many of our teachers and staff contribute to its success by planning and hosting fun activities.

Finally, report cards will be distributed tomorrow, November 12. If you do not receive your student’s report card, please email your student’s counselor or come to the school to request another copy. Parents can also view their student’s report card online through ParentVUE.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Shawn DeRose
Principal

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

FCPS Awards Program - Nominations Now Open

Each year, FCPS looks to honor several staff members for outstanding excellence in their roles, including:
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Outstanding Leader (School-Based)
- Outstanding Operational or Hourly Employee (School-Based)

Our goal is to choose Glasgow Middle School winners in each category to submit for consideration at the pyramid, region and division levels. We believe that our staff is truly unparalleled, and that the work we do for our students deserves celebration beyond our building.

Please consider nominating a Glasgow staff member(s) for the categories listed above (you may submit this form more than once, and you do not have to nominate for all categories). You will need to include a brief explanation for your nomination to be considered. Thank you for celebrating the amazing work done everyday at Glasgow by highlighting some of our amazing staff members!

To nominate a Glasgow staff member, click the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/q5wAm5WSlwgM3zxZ2

If you are interested in learning more about the overall FCPS awards process, you may visit: https://goo.gl/oo18SF

Important Dates

November 12 - After School Academic Program Begins

November 13 - PTA Meeting, 7:00pm

November 14 - Music Department Pie Pick-up

November 15 - Thanksgiving Lunch

November 15-17 - Justice HS Presents Bye Bye Birdie

November 21-23 - Thanksgiving Holiday

December 11 - PTA Meeting, 7:00pm

After School Academic Program (ASAP), Begins November 12 - Glasgow offers an extended learning opportunity to selected students through our after school program. The After School Academic Support (ASAP) program will provide these students an opportunity to receive dedicated support from their teacher(s) on a specific day or days during the academic portion of our after school program. Parents of students selected for this program received a letter last week.  If you have any questions regarding our ASAP Program, please contact Steven McFarlane at swmcfarlane@fcps.edu.  

Upcoming PTA Meetings, November 13 and December 11 - Glasgow PTA is offering a two-part series designed to provide support and resource information for our Glasgow community.  

On Tuesday, November 13, the FCPS Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement will focus on growth mindset and self-motivation.

* Middle schoolers can need more family support than either they or you realize. They still depend on you for guidance navigating the world around them and dealing with the many competing demands on their time and attention. As we encourage our children’s continued independence and development by helping them prepare for the future, we want to cultivate their self-motivation skills and a growth mindset.

* Come explore the components of motivation, what it looks like, and how motivation is related to school success. We will examine the importance of goal setting, the relationship between motivation and self-esteem, as well as positive steps to motivation and negative factors that affect it. We will also consider the common problems middle schoolers face when dealing with motivation and strategies to help build their motivation.  

On December 11, we'll learn about specific resources for mental health support.  Both meetings are 7-8 p.m. PTA membership is not required for attendance. Spanish and Arabic interpreters will be present.

Music Department Pie Sale, Pick up November 14 - The Music Department would like to thank the Glasgow community for its tremendous support of our recent Great American Pie fundraiser. The pies will be delivered to the Glasgow cafeteria on Wednesday, November 14 and can be picked up any time between 4 and 7 PM. Keep in mind that the pies cannot thaw, so they need to be either delivered to the customer, or stored in your own freezer. If you are unavailable to pick up that day, please make arrangements with someone else, Glasgow cannot store the pies.

Thanksgiving Lunch, November 15 - Glasgow will be serving our annual Thanksgiving Lunch on Thursday, November 15.  Parents, if you would like to volunteer during our “Thanksgiving Dinner” Lunch at any or all lunches on November 16, please email Steve D’Adamo at svdadamo@fcps.edu.

Volunteer Opportunities

Open Campus Donations Needed - Open Campus is this week and we have noticed we are in need of a few items people may have around their homes! If you or your family has any lightly used nail polish that you are willing to donate, we would love to add it to our collection. We are also in need of gently used pots! If you have any old pots that you’d be willing to donate, we could use a few extra. Email Lauren Oliver at lroliver@fcps.edu if you have any questions or wish to donate.

Get Involved, Volunteer Today! - The Glasgow PTA needs YOU! See volunteer opportunities at Glasgow Middle School, supporting our teachers and staff, throughout the year: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084aa4a92da0fc1-glasgow12

Important Information

Understanding Glasgow’s Grading Process - Report cards will be distributed this week. If you do not receive your student’s report card, please email your student’s counselor or come to the school to request another copy. Parents can also view their student’s report card online through ParentVUE. Curious about how your students’ grades are determined? Read about the components of Glasgow’s grading process: http://bit.ly/2CVot5y

Calling ALL Families: Help us Share/Create Career Selfies - November is National Career Development Month, and Glasgow Student Services needs your help ASAP! We are looking to highlight careers through our morning news show on Tuesdays & Fridays throughout the month of November. We need parents/ guardians to participate by sending us a 2-3 minute “selfie style” smartphone video of you at work, explaining your career, and the educational pathway for your career. A template and sample will be provided. If you are interested, please contact counselor Cynthia Pareja (cspareja@fcps.edu) or counselor Greg Frantz (gdfrantz@fcps.edu) for more information.

After School Program Update - The after-school program has been off to a wonderful start thus far!  Students are enjoying the different clubs and activities that are being offered. As we get closer to the Thanksgiving break, the after-school program would like to provide you with the upcoming schedule of programming for Thanksgiving week.

All after-school activities will be canceled on Monday, November 19th and Tuesday, November 20th.  There will be NO late buses provided for Monday (11/19). Students are expected to report to their normal (2:15pm) bus for dismissal or kiss & ride for parent pick-up. If you have any questions please contact, After-School Specialist, Aaron Cannon at acannon@fcps.edu

REMINDERS & REFERENCE

Justice HS Presents 'Bye Bye Birdie', November 15-17 - Justice High School Wolfpack Theatre presents... Bye Bye Birdie on November 15-17! Tickets are on sale now.  All Glasgow students will receive a Bye Bye Birdie wristband on November 12 during Panther Time that will be good for one free treat at the performance.  

Shows details: Thursday, Nov 15 at 7:00pm, Friday, Nov 16 at 7:00pm and Saturday, Nov 17 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm.

Tickets: General Admission $15, Students / Seniors $10.  Online ticketing is available at www.wolfpacktheatre.org, and tickets are available at the door for cash, check and credit card. (Online ticketing is strongly encouraged and is available WITHOUT A FEE)

TJHSST Invitational Science Fair 2019 - The TJ Mythvestigations Club would like to cordially invite any interested students at your school to participate in our sixth annual Invitational Science Fair. Participants will complete a research project and prepare a presentation for our science fair on March 16, 2019. Now is the time to register for the event and start work on projects! The final pool of approximately 40 entrants will be chosen first come, first serve from all registrants on January 10, 2019. Students may register at http://bit.ly/isf2019. If you have any questions, email the TJ Mythvestigations Team at tjhsstsciencefair@gmail.com.

Yearbook On-line Store is Now Available - Families who still have not paid for their 2018-2019 yearbook can now pre-order on-line. The website is: https://www.balfour.com/virginia/alexandria/glasgow-middle-school. Students may continue to bring in money and turn in to the front office. The price of the yearbook is only $25, but will increase to $30 in early February. Extra items will be available until March: name stamping ($5), clear plastic cover ($3), autograph sheets ($2), arrow stickies ($6), jewel pack ($6) and pen signing set ($4.99).

Glasgow Goodies

Congrats Ava Michelman! As I mentioned above, we have incredibly talented students and teachers at Glasgow. Check out Ava Michelman's, 7th grade student, recent post on the PBS NewsHour Extra Student Voice Blog. Great job Ava! Link: https://to.pbs.org/2AYVawx

Glasgow Receives EPA Energy Star! Congratulations to our students and staff. Glasgow has once again received the EPA's ENERGY STAR. The school will receive the 2018 ENERGY STAR Certification of Achievement and the decal will be displayed in the front of our building.

Glasgow Welcomes Nathaniel Chol Nyok - The ProjectLit Club hosted a guest speaker this week, Nathaniel Chol Nyok, who one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan”.

Recently, the club read and discussed the book A Long Walk to Water, which describes the heroic story of a young man named Salva who led over 100 boys across hundreds of miles in the desert in Sudan to a refugee camp to escape civil war violence in their villages. These boys, along with thousands of others, were later deemed the “Lost Boys of Sudan”. These boys were displaced and orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War in which about 2 million were killed.  

Nathaniel spoke of his own experiences in Sudan, shared his story, and is currently working to grow his own non-profit to build a high school in his village in South Sudan.

Be Informed, Stay Involved!

• Sign up for News You Choose.
• Visit the Glasgow Middle School website.
• Follow Glasgow on Twitter.
• Visit Glasgow Middle School on Facebook.
• 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.