Glasgow Community Gazette - September 8

Glasgow Community:

This is my favorite time of year! Not only because it is the start of the school year, but also because it is the beginning of the football season. I spend most Saturday’s watching The Ohio State University. As a Cleveland Browns fan, I usually avoided watching the NFL on Sundays but this year’s team begins the season full of optisium. I just hope it lasts.

During Panther Time this past week, students learned about our Panther Principle of commitment. Specifically, what commitment looks like at Glasgow and how students can practice commitment throughout the year.  Students viewed this YouTube video call “You Can Learn Anything” from the Khan Academy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC82Il2cjqA.    

Now that students have learned about all three of our Panther Principles: Kindness Commitment and Safety, it is time to celebrate when students demonstrate these principles with Panther Cards. Students can redeem their Panther Cards for prizes at our Panther Store, which is held once a month during lunch. Contact the PTA at GlasgowMS.PTA@gmail.com to volunteer at the next Panther Store on September 20.

Parents, you can celebrate when Glasgow staff members demonstrate these same principles as well through the FCPS Cares Program. This site collects stories of outstanding FCPS employees and posts them to a message board. FCPS Cares program will honor deserving employees with a Cares of the Month award. View program details or see info below.  

Our first PTA meeting will be this Tuesday, September 10, Greg Williams, Glasgow’s After School Specialist will spotlight Glasgow’s After School Program which will begin on September 24. If you have not done so already, please consider joining the PTA by visiting their website: http://www.glasgowpta.org/.  

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/

Important Information

First Day Packet Forms - Due September 13: It’s not too late! Please return first day packet forms to Panther Time teachers.  The forms below are due on Friday, September 13.

• Emergency Care Card
• Health Information Form
• After-School Form
• SOL Retake Form 

For the emergency care card, 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.

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 second fire drill of the year this past week and will continue to have safety drills weekly throughout the month of September. This week, we will be conducting a lockdown drill on Monday and a fire drill on Thursday. 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.

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.

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.

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

This week's article titled, "Making Math a Family Thing" outlines strategies for parents and teachers on closing the math gap between home and school. 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 21 - Bands at the Beach Fundraiser

September 23 - After School Program Begins

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

October 5 - Taste of Annandale

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. 

“Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About AAP but Didn’t Know to Ask” - September 18, 6:30pm-8:30pm, Pohick LIbrary: Fairfax County Association for the Gifted will host Kirsten Maloney as the speaker of the 2019-2020 school year for a question & answer session regarding “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About AAP but Didn’t Know to Ask”.  This is a great opportunity for parents of elementary school students looking to enter the Advanced Academics Program (AAP), or who want to understand more of the AAP options. Hear directly from our AAP Coordinator and from parents of AAP students about the process and the experience of advanced academics in our county.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 6:30pm-8:30pm with light refreshments at Pohick Library, 6450 Sydenstricker Road, Burke, VA  22015. If you have any questions about this discussion, please email it to president@fcag.org.

Bands at the Beach Fundraiser - September 21: The Justice HS Scholarship Fund will hold its third-annual Bands at the Beach fundraiser on September 21 from 4pm until 7pm. This fundraiser helps to support scholarships for Justice HS seniors. The event includes a food truck, desserts, beverages, and of course, a variety of bands. Advance tickets are available for purchase online: www.jhsscholars.org/tickets. BONUS: Special price for Justice Pyramid staff and students or just $10/ticket. Questions? Contact JHS Parent and JHS Scholars Board Member, Tara Rethore: tjreth@gmail.com

After School Program and Late Buses Begin - September 23: The after school program and late buses will officially begin on September 23. Late buses will be available for students every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday after September 23. 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.

Celebrate the Taste of Annandale - October 5: Come on out and enjoy some good food and entertainment at the fifth annual Taste of Annandale, Saturday, Oct. 5, 10am-4pm, along Tom Davis Drive in the center of Annandale.

The Taste of Annandale is a free, family-friendly street festival featuring food trucks, a beer garden, live music, an aerial dance performance, a best-dressed pet contest, a full day of children’s entertainment, 5K race, the police helicopter, a chili cook-off, vendors, and more. The Taste of Annandale 5K race starts at 9:30 a.m. in the Kmart parking lot, 4251 John Marr Drive. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/2BMXVUr. For more information visit: https://tasteofannandale.com/

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.

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.