Glasgow Community Gazette - End of the 2018-19 School Year

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 06/16/2019 09:44 AM EDT
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Glasgow Community:

Glasgow Middle school is “a perfect representation of a top notch public education.” That was the email I received after PBS Education selected Glasgow from schools across the country to film short video scenes and photographs of students this past week learning and engaging with their peers and their teachers in the classroom setting. The imagery will be used to promote PBS KIDS, its programming, mission and educational properties.

This year has been a tremendous success. Based upon our recent SOL scores, we continue to perform at the highest level and are fully accredited by all measures and in all subject areas. Even more important than our pass rates, however, is the way we continue to grow as a professional learning community.

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 at the highest levels: 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 and exciting as I do.

As our vision states, we are “inspired by our success” and we continue to reflect on ways we can improve. On Friday, we held our Glasgow Leadership Retreat with all Collaborative Team (CT) Leads, Subject Area Leads, Instructional Coaches and Administrators. We spent the day reflecting on the past school year and planning for the 2019-20 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.

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 22 at 6th Grade Orientation or Open House for 7th and 8th graders.

Thank you for your support all year long!

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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Teacher Reflections on the 2018-19 School Year

“As a result of the walkthroughs and observations, I feel I have grown in my ability to pinpoint students’ areas of need and then take purposeful action to fill those gaps in knowledge. I am more conscious of how precious our time is with our most needy students and am thinking of more ways to use our class time in the best possible way to meet the needs of our students. - English Teacher

“As a result of the walkthroughs and observations, I feel I have grown in my ability to pinpoint students’ areas of need and then take purposeful action to fill those gaps in knowledge.” - English Teacher

“It has made me continuously mindful of not only purposeful talk with partner work, but also holding students accountable for the work and pushing them to explain their thinking and reasoning.” - Math Teacher

“The walkthroughs have pushed me to reflect on the level of differentiation I use when I plan my lessons. I have become more comfortable creating and using scaffolds and more intentional in my small group lesson planning to meet the needs of each student.” - Math Teacher

“I’m starting to look for trends in my students answers more so that I can target my instruction more. I am also finding ways to structure my classroom such that I can pull small groups of students to work with them on individual areas of need. I think this aligns nicely to our school wide goal of knowing each and every student by need.” - Science Teacher

“I am more purposeful when I ask students to participate. I make sure students explain their thinking so they, and their peers, can benefit with a deeper level of thinking.” - Individuals and Society Teacher

“My teaching has definitely changed this year for the better.  I have incorporated so much of what students prefer within the scope of the lessons and projects that are assigned.  I have been giving them a voice in what they learn within the scope of my planning for the year and seen the benefits.” - Arts and Design Teacher

“I’m more actively finding ways to engage the students in their own learning and teaching and finding new ways to have the students take more ownership of their own learning.  I feel like I’ve increased my strategy tool box this year quite a bit and am happy with the progress I’ve made in the classroom.” - Arts and Design Teacher

Important Dates

June 10 - SOL Score Reports Distributed to Students

Week of June 17 - Report Cards Mailed Home

August 26 - First Day of School for Students

 

SOL Score Reports Distributed to Students: June 10 - Students received their SOL scores in one comprehensive report on June 10 during Period 7.

 

SIS Grade Reports/Report Cards: Mailed Week of June 17 - The Gradebook and Report Card modules in ParentVUE and StudentVUE will close Friday, June 21 at 4:00 p.m. Report cards will be sent the week of June 17th.

 

2019-20 School Year to Start on August 26 - Be sure to note that the first day of school for the 2019-20 school year will be Monday, August 26. Other notable dates include Labor Day break, August 30-September 2; Thanksgiving break, November 27-29; Winter break, December 23, 2019-January 3, 2020; Spring Break, April 6-10, 2020; and the last day of school, June 12, 2020. See the 2019-20 school year calendar. 
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Get Ready for High School!

Run with the Pack: Rising 9th Grade Transition Program: August 12 or 13 - Justice High School will be offering a Rising 9th Grade Transition Program on both August 12 and August 13 from 8:00am-12:00pm. Students will select only one of the two dates to attend. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Vandawalker (Assistant Principal at Justice HS) at kmvandawalke@fcps.edu or (703) 824-3900.

The program is FREE and all attendees will receive a new Justice Wolves t-shirt. To register, please fill out and submit the Google Form: https://forms.gle/M3Q2dosFMLYxN9Jc8. 
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Opportunities

Glasgow's Vegetable Garden, Volunteers Needed - Do you have a green thumb? It doesn't matter because anyone can help maintain Glasgow's vegetable garden over the summer, and eat anything that is ready to pick while you're there! Please contact Mary Geary at mkgeary@fcps.edu,  if you think you can help. Here's the signup, with more information: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084aa4a92da0fc1-help4

 

Keep Up with the PTA This Summer - The PTA greatly appreciates all the volunteers and support from this past year. We stay active in the summer as well, participating in the annual Justice Pyramid Resource Fair and planning for the new year, so look for updates on the PTA listserv (to join the listserv, send a request to us at www.glasgowms.pta@gmail.com).

After July 1, you can get your 2019-20 membership in place on our website, http://www.glasgowpta.org. The back-to-school packet will contain lots of information about new opportunities next year, and we will send out a signup for people to help stuff the packets for the whole school community!  
FCPS Awards

Glasgow Goodies

Glasgow Staff Recognized at FCPS Honors! - Congrats to Jayme Harris, who was recognized at the FCPS Honors events this past week for being named Region 2 Outstanding School-Based Support Employee of the Year. Here is an excerpt from her nomination packet: There are few individuals who have such a deep and lasting impact on the lives of Glasgow students as Jayme Harris. As an alum of the Justice HS pyramid, Jayme draws upon her own experiences to connect with and motivate Glasgow students in a way that is truly outstanding. She builds exceptionally strong relationships with all students, and especially those who tend to have the least trust in adults. Through her calm, caring and humorous personality, she makes everyone around her feel comfortable. By telling her story, she draws students out and learns about their lives and interests. Jayme is truly a role model for the students, which allows her to set high expectations for them.

Congrats to Shawn DeRose, who was also recognized at the FCPS Honors events this past week for being named Region 2 Outstanding Principal of the Year.

Important Information for Rising 6th Graders

Glasgow Middle School will be hosting a FREE Jump Start program for rising 6th graders to prepare them for their transition to middle school. Students can attend one of the two sessions offered this summer. Session one runs August 5 & 6, and session two runs August 7 & 8, both sessions will be held from 8am–12pm. Students will get acclimated to their new school through a variety of activities.

Students will have a chance to meet and interact with their new peers, tour 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.  

Register TODAY for this free program: http://bit.ly/2ZSclKK.  If you have any questions, please contact Shona Person at sdperson@fcps.edu.

 

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS

 

New Student Parent Coffee: August 5 and 7 - After dropping your student off at our FREE Jump Start Program, join Shawn DeRose, Principal, for coffee on August 5 or August 7 at 8:15am. We will be available to answer questions you may have about the transition to Glasgow Middle School. Email Sarah Beck, Director of Student Services at sjbeck@fcps.edu if you have any questions.

 

6th Grade Orientation: August 22 from 12:45-2:45pm - Rising 6th grade students and parents are invited to our 6th grade orientation on August 22 at 12:45pm. In addition to picking up packets, students and families will have a chance to walk through an odd and even day schedule and briefly meet their teachers. We look forward to welcoming our newest students and their families to our building!

 

Open House: August 22 from 3:30-4:30pm - 7th and 8th grade students and parents are invited to pick up packets and tour the building beginning at 3:30pm on August 22. 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 during this event.

 

Glasgow Back to School Night: October 3 from 6:00-8:00pm - We will be hosting our annual Back to School Night (BTSN) on October 3, 2019. The Back to School Night program officially begins at 6:10pm. Students are welcome to attend BTSN as interpreters for their parents if necessary.

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 parents 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 Middle School Panther Mascot, image

Be Informed, Stay Involved!