Glasgow Community Gazette - December 2

Glasgow Community:

Happy December! ‘Tis the season to gather and celebrate. Students will have the opportunity to recognize staff members via Panther Cards for Staff beginning on Monday during 1st Period. These notes from students serve as an encouragement and reminder of the many ways our staff members are impacting lives of our students both inside and outside the classroom.

Last week, we celebrated students who made the 1st Quarter “All A Honor Roll”. On Monday, we will distribute certificates to our 1st Quarter “A/B Honor Roll” students during Panther Time. Celebrating the academic success of our students and the many smiles that accompany this recognition is a great way to see our vision in action: inspired by our success.

Finally, I want to continue to encourage you to play an active role at Glasgow this holiday season. There are a number of events that need parent volunteers such as the upcoming Book Fair, Panther Store and Grab-N-Go Breakfast. If you do not have the time to volunteer, please consider donating gift cards that we could use as incentives and thank you's for our staff. Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084aa4a92da0fc1-glasgow12.

Parent involvement and support is an essential element of all great schools. So, get involved and sign up today! 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

December 3 - A/B Honor Roll Certificates Distributed 

December 7 - Outstanding Employee Award Nominations Due

December 7 - Fall Play “Lucky Hudson”, 7pm

December 8 - Winterfest at Justice High School, 9am-12pm

December 8 - Fall Play “Lucky Hudson”, 6pm

December 11 - PTA Meeting, 7:00pm

December 12 & 13 - Modified After School Program 

December 12 - Band Concert, 7PM

December 13 - Chorus Concert, 7PM

December 14 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal For Students

December 18 - Grab-n-Go Breakfast sponsored by the PTA

December 18 - Orchestra Concert, 7PM

Scholastic Winter Book Fair - Now - December 7 - The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to the Glasgow Library from November 30 – December 7. Students will visit the book fair during one of their English classes, and may purchase books then or during any free time, if they wish. Families are welcome to visit the fair any time. All proceeds from the fair will be used to purchase more resources for the library.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to help during the fair (no experience necessary), so if you can help please sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084aa4a92da0fc1-spring6

A/B Honor Roll Certificates - Distributed December 3 - Congratulations to those students that have made A/B Honor Roll! Their hard work has paid off and we are so proud of each and every one of our students. We will recognize these students with certificates to be distributed through Panther Time on Monday, December 3. If your child is absent, they can obtain their Certificate from Student Services the following day. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Akon Otoyo at ajotoyo@fcps.edu.

Candy Cane Sale - Begins December 3 - National Junior Honor Society is selling candy canes Monday, December 3 through Wednesday, December 12 in the cafeteria. Candy canes are $1 each and students must know their friend’s Panther Time teacher! Candy canes will be distributed on December 17 during Panther Time. NEW! This year NJHS will be selling fruit flavored candy canes in addition to the traditional peppermint candy canes. If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Gray at scgray@fcps.edu.

PTA Meeting - December 11 - Topic: Adolescent Mental Health: Identifying Needs & Building Resiliency. How can parents support their child's emotional and social development?  Come meet the Glasgow mental health team and hear how they support students and families, how to spot the signs of mental health distress during the middle school years, and how to increase your child's health and well-being through protective factors.

You will also hear about the latest results from the FCPS Youth Survey, which provides data on behaviors related to stress, mental health, personal health, bullying, drug misuse and many more important issues facing our students. The meetings are 7-8 p.m. PTA membership is not required for attendance. Spanish and Arabic interpreters will be present.

Modified After School Program - December 12 & 13 - Parents on Wednesday, December 12 and Thursday December 13 all after-school activities will be cancelled due to our upcoming winter concerts for band and chorus except for our ASAP program.  If your student is in the ASAP program we will continue as normal. There will be no after-school sign-ups for either day, however, late buses and super snack will be provided for ASAP students.  If you have any questions please contact, After-School Specialist, Aaron Cannon at acannon@fcps.edu.

Three Hour Early Release Schedule - December 14 - On Friday, December 14, students will be released from school three hours early.

Pre-Winter Break Breakfast - December 20 - The PTA will provide a Pre-Winter Break breakfast for Glasgow teachers and staff on Thursday, December 20. Please consider volunteering at this event or contributing food and beverages:  https://bit.ly/2TYsQlL. Monetary donations also help to provide snacks and supplies and can be made here: https://bit.ly/2Q5lcHF

Opportunities

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

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 am requesting 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!)

Important Information

Family Life Education - December 10-14 - Grade eight students will be participating in Family Life Education lessons as part of their HPE curriculum from December 10-14. If you wish to opt your child out of all or some of the grade eight Family Life Education lessons, please complete the form below and return it to your child’s Health/PE teacher prior to FLE instruction. Additional information for lesson objectives and media descriptions is available at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/family-life-education-fle.  Lessons are available in FCPS 24/7 (Blackboard) Parent View at https://fcps.blackboard.com/. PLEASE NOTE: You do not need to return this form unless you are opting your child out of all or some of the grade eight Family Life Education lessons.

Opt Out Form English: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/8.pdf   

Opt Out Form Arabic: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/arabic_16.pdf    

Opt Out Form Spanish: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/spanish_20.pdf

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

Winterfest at Justice HS - December 8 from 9am-12pm - Join us for some holiday fun with your family! Justice High School presents “Winterfest” on December 8 from 9am-12pm. This event will be focused on the community and we will have food, crafts, games, and a movie. If you have any questions about the event, contact Justice HS SGA Sponsor, Emily McCloud at ecmccloud@fcps.edu.

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.