Glasgow Community Gazette - September 2

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Glasgow Community:

Happy Labor Day! We had a wonderful start to the 2019-2020 school year! It was fun to welcome students back into the building and watch them get acclimated to their new schedule and routines with the help of returning students and staff.

Throughout the week when I visited classrooms, I saw teachers sending a consistent message that who they teach is just as important as what they teach (if not more). I observed students’ excitement for both the content they will learn and the variety of community-building activities in which they participated during class and Panther Time. These relationships are the foundation for the learning your student(s) will do this year and are an important part of our strong, positive school culture at Glasgow.

As I mentioned last week, Panther Time focuses on the academic, social and emotional development of our students. On Tuesday and Wednesday during Panther Time, students played team-building games and learned important first week information and procedures like how to find your bus at dismissal, how to use your agenda book and cafeteria procedures during lunch. 

On Thursday, students watched a video with members of the admin team talking about our Panther Principle of Safety. We explained some of our most important behavior expectations, especially in the hallways. On Friday, students learned about what Kindness means at Glasgow.

This week we will focus on our Panther Principle of Committment. Here is a link to our “Panther Principles” matrix, with all of our behavior expectations: https://goo.gl/NZAwCk. We will continue to explain and discuss these with our students to support their success at Glasgow and beyond.

We are off to a great start! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

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 Cares

FCPS Cares

Do you know a Glasgow Middle School staff member who went beyond what is expected this first week of school? If so, then click here to submit a brief description so we can all acknowledge the good work of Glasgow faculty and staff members.


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Important Information

Emergency Care Cards - Return to School: Emergency Care Cards will be sent home on Tuesday. Please take time to look over the card, make any necessary changes, sign the card and return it with your student to school. If there are no changes that need to be made, the card still needs to be signed and returned to school. Thank you for taking time to review and update this important information.

 

Form Collection through Panther Time: Please have your student return the following forms to your student’s their Panther Time teacher as soon as possible:

  • Emergency Care Card (will be going home on Tuesday)
  • Health Information Form
  • After-School Form
  • SOL Retake Form

 

Course Change Request Forms: At Glasgow, our priority is to ensure students are registered for classes that are an appropriate match to their academic needs and interests. Forms are available for students to pick up from the Student Services office. Approved changes will be limited and based on factors such as student readiness, staffing, and availability. As a reminder, all Course Change Request Forms are due to Student Services by Friday, September 6.

 

Free and Reduced Price Meals Application: Did you know that free and reduced price meal application forms need to be completed EVERY year? We encourage you to apply online using this link. Applications are also available in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Tagalog, French, and Vietnamese. To change the language of the application click on the Language link in the top right of the screen. For more information, please click here.

 

September Safety Drills: Glasgow conducted its first fire drill of the year and will continue to have safety drills weekly throughout the month of September. Teachers will help teach students our expectations and procedures to support school-wide safety. If you have any questions about required safety drills, please email Kristy Ritchie at klritchie@fcps.edu.


Breakfast and Lunch 

Parents may access the MySchoolBucks app to add money to student breakfast and lunch accounts, see menu options, check ingredients and allergen information, and much more. The official FCPS mobile app is available for iOS and Android at no cost. Lunch menus can be viewed online at https://fcps.nutrislice.com/menu/glasgow-middle-school.


Transportation

New App - "Here Comes the Bus" - Here Comes the Bus app is a school bus tracking app that can simplify morning and afternoon routines for parents and students by giving them real-time bus location and text or email notification alerts, helping them get to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus utilizes our GPS data and an easy to use customizable map that works on one or multiple devices, such as a tablet or smartphone. The FCPS school district code is 28982. Click here for more information about Here Comes the Bus.


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Article of the Week

In addition to keeping you updated on important information related to Glasgow Middle School, the Gazette will also provide information about what parents can do at home to help their student improve academically and help parents build the social and emotional skills that students need to be successful

Principal Shawn DeRose was quoted in this week's article from the Washington Post titled, “Five ways parents can help their kids transition smoothly to middle school.” by Phyllis Fagell. Ms. Fagell also has a new book titled, Middle School Matters. Check it out!


Important Dates

September 10 - PTA Meeting, 7pm

September 18 - TJHSST Information Session, 6pm Lecture Hall

September 20 - Panther Store (all lunches)

September 30 - Late Buses Begin

October 3 - Back to School Night, 6-8pm

October 7 - After School Program Begins

 

First PTA Meeting of the Year - September 10, 7:00pm: Join us for Glasgow’s first PTA meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 10 at 7:00pm. The meeting will include a Principal’s Report from Shawn DeRose and presentation on Glasgow’s After School Program. All are welcome to attend; membership in the PTA is not required.

 

TJHSST Info Session - September 18 at 6pm: For parents of students whose 8th graders are currently enrolled in Algebra 1 and Geometry and are interested in applying to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST),the Freshman Winter Application will be available this Monday September 2 after 4pm. Greg Frantz is the TJHSST Liaison Counselor and distributed info sheets to all Algebra 1 and Geometry classes this week. He held a student info session during Panther Time on Thursday, August 29.

Glasgow will host a TJHSST Admissions Representative for a Student & Parent presentation on the application process followed by a question & answer session in our Lecture Hall on Wednesday, September 18 at 6pm.  If you are unable to attend the presentation at Glasgow the TJHSST Admissions website has a list of all middle schools that are holding presentations www.tjadmissions.org.

The application and all information about the Freshman Winter Application Process is contained on the TJHSST Admissions Website www.tjadmissions.org. The application deadline is 4pm on September 27. Please contact Greg Frantz at gdfrantz@fcps.edu with any questions or the TJHSST Admissions Office at tjadmissions@fcps.edu

 

After School Program and Late Buses Begin - September 30 & October 7: Late buses at Glasgow are scheduled to begin Monday, September 30.  The late busses will be available for students every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday after this point.  The after school program will begin officially on October 7. If you have any questions, please contact Greg Williams at gwilliams2@fcps.edu.    

 

Glasgow Back to School Night – October 3: On Thursday, October 3, we will be hosting our annual Back to School Night (BTSN). The Back to School Night program officially begins at 6:00 PM, and we encourage you to arrive early as we anticipate a well-attended event. Please bring a copy (or take a photo) of your student’s schedule. Students are welcome to attend BTSN as interpreters for their parents if necessary. In addition, please keep in mind that parking will be limited. We have arranged for the buses that normally park outside door #3 to park at Justice High School that evening. We also hope to provide overflow parking on the soccer fields.

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 you 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.


Author R.J. Palacio Visiting Glasgow

Author R.J. Palacio will be visiting Glasgow Middle School on October 10 to promote her new book White Bird: A Wonder Story. Inspired by her blockbuster phenomenon Wonder, R. J. Palacio makes her graphic novel debut with an unforgettable story of the power of kindness and unrelenting courage in a time of war.

More information about the event will be coming soon, including how to pre-order White Bird: A Wonder Story. In the meantime, check out https://wonderthebook.com/ for more information about the author and her newest book. Special thanks to Barnes and Noble for their support.

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Reference and Reminders

Report Student Absences: In order for our students to get the most out of their education, students must be in school and on time to class every day. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.

Save this phone number in your phone! Call the Attendance Line at 703-813-8787 by 8:00am when your student is absent from school.

 

Glasgow on Twitter and #GMSbelieves: Throughout the year, you can view the amazing things happening in our classrooms and beyond via Twitter. Check out the tweets with photos from the first week of school at @glasgowms and @shawnderose for important updates and highlights as well.  You can also use the hashtag #GMSbelieves.


Glasgow Middle School Panther Mascot, image

Be Informed, Stay Involved!