Glasgow Community Gazette - January 12

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Glasgow Community:

It was exciting to welcome students back after a two-week break. In many ways, the return from winter break is more important than the first day of school when it comes to setting the tone and focus for the remainder of the year. This past week, teachers and staff took time to explicitly re-teach classroom procedures and expectations as well as our Panther Principles via the news show and Panther Time.

The transition from elementary to middle or middle to high school can be difficult and stressful. However, the Justice pyramid of schools take tremendous pride in ensuring the transition is as smooth as possible. This commitment was clearly evident this week as Glasgow administrators and counselors partnered with Justice staff to promote the high school course selection process. 

While the admin and counseling team were at Justice, along with our rising 9th grade students and their families, had the opportunity to visit classrooms. The event reassured me again that the quality classroom instruction we provide at Glasgow is fully preparing them to be successful in high school.  

This week, Glasgow will be hosting Rising 6th grade Open House on Thursday, January 16 from 6:00-8:00 pm. The event was canceled due to the inclement weather last week. We will offer short optional sessions on our various Glasgow programs, and teachers will be in their classrooms throughout the evening to share all about our core and elective courses for 6th Graders. Our hope is that families leave this event excited about all the opportunities your student will have as a Glasgow Panther and prepared to complete the course request form.

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

2020-2021 Course Registration for Rising 9th Graders - Glasgow Student Services is excited to begin meeting with your students to register them for next year’s courses! This past week high school counselors met with our 8th graders to discuss topics such as diploma options, elective courses, and differences between general education and honors classes. In Panther Time on Monday, January 13, 8th graders will review this information and complete a practice course selection sheet. Starting this week, Glasgow counselors will be meeting with students one-on-one during their Health & Physical Education classes for academic advising and reviewing course selections. After meeting with their counselor, 8th graders will be bringing home the course selection sheet. 

New for this year, students are now able to enter their course selections on their own through SIS StudentVue prior to meeting with counselors. Parents will also be able to view their student’s course selections is ParentVUE when they are entered. You may help your student through this process by using the “How To” guide below.  

In order to make changes to course requests, parents of rising 9th graders will need to contact the student services team at Justice HS no later than March 1. 

Helpful Links:

Online Course Selection - “How To” Guide 

Justice HS Course Catalog for Rising 9th Graders

 

High School Transition Events at Neighboring High Schools

Annandale High School - January 15 at 7PM

Edison High School - February 25 at 7PM


Important Dates

This week - Justice HS Presentation to 8th Grade Students

January 13 - Lockdown Drill

January 14 - PTA Meeting

January 16 - Rising 6th Grade Open House

January 20 - MLK Holiday (Closed)

January 24 - 2nd Quarter Ends

January 27 & 28 - Teacher Workdays (No School for Students)

January 31 - Panther Store

February 12 - Spelling Bee

 

Lockdown Drill: January 13 - Glasgow will be conducting the required January lockdown drill on Monday, January 13. A lockdown is necessary to keep students safe when there is a potential threat within the school.

 

Glasgow PTA Meeting: January 14 -The Glasgow PTA is hosting the FCPS Parent Resource Center at this month’s PTA Meeting. The topic will be “Navigating FCPS Special Services” and we will hear from Mary Beth Harrison-Cunningham, Director, FCPS Parent Resource Center, Dawn Clements, FCPS Ombudsman for Special Education, Ann-Marie Ward Member of the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities and Jenna White, Fairfax SEPTA (Special Education PTA). This is a special presentation for all Justice Pyramid Families.PTA membership is not required for attendance. Spanish and Arabic interpreters will be present. We hope to see you there!

Everything you need to know… but didn’t know who to ask!

  • Getting started with special services. 
  • All about acronyms- 2E, IEP, 504 and more.
  • Where to find free workshops, educational materials, lending library and confidential consultations for families.
  • Where to go to resolve concerns, complaints and student-related issues.
  • How to work with other advocates for special education.
  • How to provide input and recommendations related to supports and services.

 

Rising 6th Grade Parent Night at Glasgow Middle School - Rescheduled to January 16: Come to Glasgow Middle School on January 16 from 6-8pm for an Open House to learn more about what middle school at Glasgow is all about! We will offer short (optional) sessions on our various Glasgow programs, and teachers will be in their classrooms throughout the evening to share all about our core and elective courses for 6th Graders. The goal is for parents to leave this event excited about all the opportunities you will have as a Glasgow Panther and prepared to complete your course request form! If you have any questions, please contact Joash Chung at jhchoung@fcps.edu.

Breakout Sessions on the following topics will be offered throughout the evening: Welcome to Glasgow, Course Request 101; Level IV Advanced Academic Program; Spanish Immersion Program; English for Speakers of Other Languages Program; Special Education Office; Math Course Placement and Selection Q&A

 

Justice HS Volleyball Weekend Camps in March: Sign Up Today! - Justice High School volleyball program is excited to be offering Volleyball Clinics for boys and girls in grades 6 through 9 grade every Saturday in March. For more information check out the following link: https://www.justicehssports.com/page/3095


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Important Information

2020-2021 Course Registration for Rising 7th and 8th Graders - Glasgow’s 6th and 7th graders will learn about choosing their courses in Panther Time on Friday, January 24. In Panther Time on Friday, January 31 they will watch a video to learn about the elective courses available to them next year. On Monday, February 3 our 6th and 7th graders will learn how to complete their course selection sheet. Counselors will start meeting with 6th and 7th graders in February for academic advising and reviewing course selections.  After meeting with their counselor, 6th and 7th graders will be bringing home the course selection sheet. 

New for this year, students are now able to enter their course selections on their own through SIS StudentVue prior to meeting with counselors. Parents will also be able to view their student’s course selections is ParentVUE when they are entered. You may help your student through this process by using the “How To” guide below.  

NOTE: All course request changes are due by April 17, 2020. Finalizing requests by this date allows us to invest in staffing and resources based on students’ needs and interests. We will be finalizing schedules and placements throughout the late Spring and summer months.

Helpful Links:

Online Course Selection - “How To” Guide 

Glasgow MS Course Catalog for Rising 7th Graders

Glasgow MS Course Catalog for Rising 8th Graders

 

Sign Up for Weekly Progress Reports: All parents/guardians of middle and high school students who have registered for a SIS ParentVUE Account and have a primary email address recorded in SIS ParentVUE can receive Weekly Progress Reports via email. This report provides a summary of your student(s) grades for the current quarter. 

To activate the Weekly Progress Reports via email, login to your SIS ParentVUE Account and first verify that you have a primary email address within the system. It is listed under the “My Account” tab. If it is blank, enter the email address where you would like to receive the progress reports and click on update account. Once confirmed, parents/guardians are able to activate and select their preferences for receiving these reports within the SIS ParentVUE “My Account” tab.

Weekly progress reports for all of your middle and high school students will be included in one email. FCPS Elementary Schools do not use the SIS grade book and therefore are not included in these reports. For questions about a specific progress report or grade you can login into your SIS ParentVUE Account to find detailed grade book information. Additionally, your student’s teacher is always the best resource to answer any grade book questions that you may have. Weekly Progress Report Parent Quick Reference Guide.


After School Program News

The after-school program is going great! Students are enjoying the different clubs and activities that are being offered. Late buses are available for students every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. 

This Week's Spotlight Club: Based on student interest and outreach, Glasgow is sponsoring the Gay Straight Alliance club. The purpose of the club is to provide a safe space for students who identify as LGBTQ+, straight students who support gay rights, students with LGBTQ+ families, and students who don’t have or need a label for their sexual orientation or gender identification. The club provides opportunities to socialize and find support among like-minded peers, educate students on nondiscrimination and harassment policies and procedures, as well as advocate on behalf LGBTQ+ students and issues. 

To learn more about Glasgow’s After School Program, check out our website, email Greg Williams, After School Coordinator at gwilliams2@fcps.edu or call 703-813-8885.


Glasgow Middle School Panther Mascot, image

Be Informed, Stay Involved!