Glasgow Community Gazette - December 9


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Glasgow Community:

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” I love this time of year because of the many ways we celebrate as a staff, school and community.

On Friday, we had our annual Staff Ugly Winter Sweater Contest. As always, it was a huge hit.  I think the game gets upped every year! We will be using the some of the gift cards that were recently donated to award prizes in the following categories: Most Ugliest, Most Spirited and Most Creative.

I brought my son, Jack, to see Lucky Hudson and the 12th Street Gang on Saturday night. We loved it! It was incredible to see our students’ confidence on the stage. They had us laughing and on the edge of our seats the entire show. Congratulations and a huge thank you to Ms. Smits-Beasley for her incredible support of our theatre students! I encourage you to come to the Chorus and Band concerts this upcoming week - it is wonderful to see our students shining in a different arena than the classroom.

I have also loved seeing the comments students have been writing on our Panther Cards for Staff throughout the past week. Some words and phrases I’m noticing over and over again reflect our values as a school: “helpful, kind, believe in me, committed, friendly, smile, never give up.” The little ways we communicate care and belonging matter, and our students notice.

I look forward to seeing you at our PTA meeting on Tuesday night. 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/


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Getting Ready For High School

Justice High School Rising 9th Grade Orientation & Curriculum Night - January 10

The Justice HS Rising 9th Grade Parent Orientation & Curriculum Night will be held on Thursday, January 10. Pre-orientation sessions for special populations will be held at 6:00pm for parents interested in hearing more about the following topics: ESOL, IB/MYP, and Special Education.

The full orientation will kick off at 6:30pm and is geared towards providing information for Rising 9th grade students and parents. At 7:15, students and parents will have the opportunity to talk with teachers, department chairs, school counselors and administrators about course offerings, course requirements, and scheduling choices.

In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held on Monday, January 14. The Justice HS counselors will be visiting Glasgow 8th grade students on Wednesday, January 9 and Thursday, January 10 to review course options and graduation requirements.

 

8th Grade Night at Neighboring High Schools:

Annandale High School - January 17 at 7PM

Falls Church High School - January 10 at 6:30PM

Edison High School - February 26 at 7PM


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Supporting Our Community

Orangetheory in Barcroft Shopping Center - Join Today! Like many of you, I am so excited to see the new businesses in the Barcroft Shopping Center. An Orangetheory Fitness Studio is opening in the shopping Center in early January.

I had the opportunity to speak with James Hannesschlager, studio owner, over the holiday weekend. They are offering a FREE WEEK TRIAL with options on Founder Discounts at $20-$30/month off of normal retail rates for the Glasgow community. This includes a free heart rate monitor. Just call or email Jim and mention the  "Glasgow OTF deal". Email: jhannesschlager@orangetheoryfitness.com, Phone: 574.210.2751.


Important Dates

December 11 - PTA Meeting, 7:00pm

December 12 & 13 - Modified After School Program 

December 12 - Band Concert, 6PM

December 13 - Chorus Concert, 7PM

December 14 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal For Students

December 14 - No After School Program

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

December 18 - Orchestra Concert, 7PM

December 21 - No After School Program

December 24 through January 4 - Winter Break

 

Candy Cane Sale - Now Though December 12 - 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

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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 Middle School Panther Mascot, image

Be Informed, Stay Involved!