Glasgow Community Gazette - April 28


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Glasgow Community:

We had a great week returning from Spring Break! We celebrated the end of the 3rd quarter with our final Open Campus of the year. This event is a great tradition at Glasgow as it builds community as a school, allows students and staff to find fun ways interact outside our normal routines, and is a way to celebrate all the good behaviors happening around the school.

On Friday Night, Glasgow staff, friends and family attended the Nationals game. Special thanks to Michael Pulver for arranging and distributing the tickets.

Our spring performing arts performances are in full swing as well! After coaching my daughter’s 10U softball game, mowing the lawn and umpiring my other daughter’s 12U softball game on Saturday, I attended the closing performance of The Wizard of Oz. Congrats to Ms. Smits-Beasley, Ms. Lansberry and the Glasgow Theater Group for their wonderful performances this past weekend. Special shout out Jane Cheek, Jennifer Hitchcock, Ulyana Cubeta and the many other parents who made his event possible. As I watched the play on Saturday, I was struck by the amazing growth of our students through the performing arts department. They enter as elementary students and leave as high school students. This week, we will host our orchestra, band and chorus concerts. If you get a chance, I encourage you to attend one (or all) of these events!

This week is also Finish Stronger Week! We have some exciting plans to help students stay focused through the end of the year. See below for a description of the events happening each day. This time of year is an exciting opportunity to remind students of how far they have come since the beginning of the year, academically and beyond.

Finally, 3rd quarter report cards were distributed in Period 7 on Monday, April 22. You may also view students’ grades using SIS Parent VUE.

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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Important Dates

April 29, May 3 - All A Honor Roll Celebration

April 30 - Orchestra Spring Concert, 7PM

May 1 - Band Spring Concert, 7PM

May 2 - Chorus Spring Concert, 7PM

May 3 - All A Honor Roll: 8th Grade during PT

May 4 - Spring Music Trip to Hershey Park

May 6 - 3rd Quarter A/B Honor Roll Certificates

May 6-10 - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7 - SOL Testing: English 7

May 8 - SOL Testing: English 6

May 9 - SOL Testing: English 8

May 10 SOL Testing: Make-ups

May 11 - Run With the Wolves Race/5k

May 14 - PTA Meeting

 

3rd Quarter All A Honor Roll Celebration: April 29 and May 3 - Congratulations to those students that have made all A’s 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 for their outstanding commitment with a ceremony during FIT and Panther Time. On Monday, April 29th (PT), we will recognize 6th and 7th Grade students. On Friday, May 3rd (PT), we will recognize 8th Grade students. Please note the event is for students only. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Akon Otoyo at ajotoyo@fcps.edu.

 

3rd Quarter A/B Honor Roll Certificates: Distributed Monday, May 6 - 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, May 6th.  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.

 

Finish Stronger Week: April 29 thru May 3 - Finish Stronger Week is here! As shared in the Panther Time lesson on Friday, we have some exciting plans to help students refocus, celebrate and FINISH STRONGER than they started this year.

Monday: Students will complete a reflection activity in Panther Time. Turning it in by Friday will earn students points towards their grade level!

Tuesday: Kindness panther cards will be in every teacher’s mailbox. As teachers see students demonstrating kindness throughout the day, they will hand out as many as possible!

Wednesday: Commitment panther cards will be in every teacher’s mailbox. As teachers see students demonstrating commitment throughout the day, they will hand out as many as possible!

Thursday: Safety panther cards will be in every teacher’s mailbox. As teachers see students demonstrating safety throughout the day, they will hand out as many as possible!

Friday: We will have a Panther Time lesson celebrating our students’ hard work and success so far this school year! We will tally points from the week and look ahead to the start of SOL testing on May 7.


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Opportunities

Wolves Race on May 12 - Hope everyone is gearing up for spring and getting ready for Justice High School's Inaugural Run with the Wolves Race on May 11 at 9:00 am. The course will be similar to last year's with the exception that we will start and finish in the Justice stadium. The race will be timed again this year. The cost per child/teacher is $15. The cost for other adult runners will be $25 for pre-registration and $30 onsite. Register today!

 

PTA Meeting: May 14 - Join us for a very important PTA meeting on May 14 from 7-8 p.m. The Fairfax County Youth Survey has consistently shown that when youth have more protective factors in their lives, they are less likely to engage in risk taking behaviors or experience negative mental health outcomes, including suicide. Learn from the FCPS Office of Intervention and Prevention Services about the resources in FCPS regarding mental wellness and suicide prevention and how every adult can foster protective factors and resilience in youth at home, school, and in the community.  All are welcome. PTA membership not required for attendance. Spanish and Arabic interpreters will be present.

 

Get Involved, Volunteer Today! - Teacher appreciation week is coming May 6-10 and there are a number of upcoming events that need parent volunteers. Check it out and sign up today! Link: https://bit.ly/2VA0orc

 

PTA End of the Year Celebration: June 4 - Join us for an end of the year celebration on June 4. After a brief PTA meeting to elect new officers for next year, the PTA will provide a free dinner to members of the Glasgow community, including pizza, side salad and beverage.  We invite community members to sign up here to bring a sweet/dessert item, preferably from another country or culture that is special to you!  

 

Join the PTA Executive Board! - Interested in serving on next year's PTA Executive Board? Position descriptions and timeline/process are posted on the PTA website.

 

Join the Glasgow PTA Listserve - If you would like to join the PTA listserv to receive current announcements, send a request to glasgowms.pta@gmail.com. If you would like to join the PTA or make a donation, go to www.glasgowpta.org. Thank you for your continued support.


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Glasgow Goodies

Glasgow Students Earn “I” Rating - Congrats to the following Glasgow Orchestra students who performed last Friday at the District 10 Solo and Ensemble Assessment. All of them earned a “I” rating – Superior. If you get a chance, please congratulate these students, who worked up their music to such a high level, mostly on their own.

Misha Speede; Shalini Vlcan; Madison Okada; Amel Benhamouda; Lily Travis; Rewan Farag; Ruth Abebe; Alison Coria-Tarazona; Sadiksha Gurung; Christina Abouzeki; Nora Kenzi; Hank Cornette. Also thanks to Ashley Nissen, Suzy Scollon and orchestra student Karen Tran,  for providing piano accompaniment for some of the students.

 

Ella Galway and Ahmed Al-Aud Design New Agenda Cover! - Congrats to Ella Galway (6th grade) and Ahmed Al-Aud (7th grade) who created the cover for the 2019-2020 agenda. Special thanks to our Art teachers, Amy Schenker and Dawn Gill for their support and leadership.


Important Information

SOL Scheduling Considerations for Ramadan - This spring, the SOL non-writing window will have significant overlap with Ramadan, the Muslim holy month marked by daily fasting from sunrise to sunset. There are only two expedited retake days at the end of the window that fall completely outside this religious observance, all other test dates within this observance. 

* Ramadan 2019 begins the evening of Sunday, May 5 and ends with Eid-al-Fitr on Wednesday, June 5.

* The middle school SOL non-writing window begins Monday, May 6, with all retakes completed by Friday, June 7.

At Glasgow, all SOL sessions are scheduled in the morning for every student.  Parents may request that their student test earlier in the window before several days of fasting have passed.  All request for early testing should be submitted to our school testing coordinator, Sarah N’Guessan, by April 29. Also, if your student qualifies for an expedited retake and you would prefer your student tests on June 6 or June 7 rather than the scheduled date of the retake, please contact Sarah N’Guessan as soon as you are notified that your student qualified for a retake. Ms. N’Guessan can be contacted by email at senguessan@fcps.edu.

 

Registration is now open for Institute for the Arts (IFTA) - IFTA is an arts enrichment and academic program for students currently in grades 6–11. Students have 4 classes that they select from over 80 courses in dance, music, theatre, visual art, and fashion. Students entering grade 9 may take the Online Health & PE (HPE9) course and students entering grades 9-12 may take the Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance (EPF) course as one of their 4 classes.  It will run Monday, July 1 — Friday, July 26 (No classes July 4 and 5) from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday-Friday at Fairfax High School. Check out the website: http://bit.ly/2OTIaO7 and send questions to IFTA@fcps.edu.

 

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).


SOL Testing Schedule

Below is this year's SOL Testing Schedule. SOL testing will begin on May 7 and conclude on May 22. All testing sessions will be held in the morning. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Nguessan at senguessan@fcps.edu.

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Glasgow Middle School Panther Mascot, image

Be Informed, Stay Involved!