Glasgow Community:
I hope this email finds you safe and well. I have felt so encouraged by all of your emails and phone calls, and I have loved hearing that many students are reaching out to teachers. I am so proud to share that our incredible staff has come together - virtually, of course - to collaborate at very high levels to ensure our approach to distance learning meets families’ needs as best we can providing both rich asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities.
I shared with staff this week that reality has hit. I’m sure you feel the same. We have been navigating these challenges for weeks now. Among our community, some of our anxieties and questions are ramping up; for others of us, we feel a little more at ease because we are finding routine in this new normal. Sadly, even closer to our hearts, I know we have family members and friends who have lost their jobs, or who are sick, and worse.
It would be easy, even justifiable, for us to feel despair, or for us to feel that our efforts we have committed to just aren’t enough. At Glasgow, as educators, we believe that any action we take to open the world to our students through learning is the right action. Our role is to pave a path for our students and their families. To provide entry to learning, structure as well as caring and belonging. We know that school provides a semblance of normalcy for many of them. And if we can achieve this for even some of our students, then we truly are making a difference. Learning impacts students forever.
As we move to distance learning, I want to give you a sense of what to expect. Please understand that as we continue to learn from our and others’ approach, and that things may change. See the next section which highlights our approach to distance learning at Glasgow and shares the bell schedule that we will follow for the last 8 weeks of school. A more detailed email about distance learning will come in mid-week community gazette as well as a virtual parent coffee on Friday, April 10 at 9:00am to answer any questions you might have.
Enjoy your Spring Break and as always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Katie Madigan, Acting Principal
Contact Information:
Twitter: @ktmadigan
Email: kemadigan@fcps.edu
Website: http://www.fcps.edu/GlasgowMS/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlasgowMS.FCPS/
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Distance Learning
Distance Learning will begin throughout FCPS on April 14th--our site will go live on April 13. Glasgow students and families will be able to access asynchronous lessons in all content areas through Blackboard. Here is link to the FCPS Distance Learning website that will provide you detailed information. More information to come later this week in a mid-week gazette on how to access all of these learning opportunities.
Middle School Bell Schedule
Glasgow, along with FCPS, will use the following bell schedule for the middle school. Asynchronous learning will occur each day using the teacher provided lessons or the paper packets and synchronous learning will happen on Wednesdays and Fridays, each synchronous session can be up to 45 minutes long.
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Asynchronous Learning - Asynchronous learning means that students can access lessons and do them any time during the day or evening based on the times they have access and are available. FCPS guidance states that each middle school lesson should take around 30 minutes per subject to complete. Access to asynchronous learning will be provided through Blackboard or using FCPS's packets.
Five days per week, students will be able to access lessons for their core classes (English, Math, History, Science, and World Languages), and two times per week for electives (Health & Physical Education, Arts, and Design classes).
Synchronous Learning - Synchronous learning means that students must be logged on at a particular time to engage in the learning opportunity. Two days per week, core teachers will be providing synchronous learning opportunities and support for students. Students will need to login during their class period and can then interact with their teacher, ask questions to clarify asynchronous lessons, get feedback, and further their understanding through discussions.
Office Hours - All teachers will be available via email every day and will do their best to respond to families within a 24 hour time period to provide speedy support. We ask that families recognize and understand that our staff members are also balancing home and family challenges along with supporting students’ instructional needs.
More information to come on how to access synchronous learning opportunities in the mid-week Gazette.
Grading Update
3rd Quarter Grading Update - The School Board was briefed that no student work assigned after March 13 will be graded, at the recommendation of VDOE; however, work assigned prior to March 13 will still be accepted up until April 24 in order to be applied in the calculation of students’ third quarter grades. Additionally, it is the intention of FCPS to use maximum flexibility in assessing and evaluating student learning for the remainder of the school year.
4th Quarter Grading Update - Middle school and high school students will be assigned a “no mark” for the fourth quarter, with assignments submitted being allowed to positively influence the student’s overall grade for the year based on mastery of learning concepts, in accordance with FCPS grading policy. Only final grades will be shown on transcripts; a “no mark” will not show on a student’s final transcript.
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Volunteer Opportunities
Get Involved, Run for the PTA Board - The PTA is looking for interested parties to serve on the board, there are a number of opportunities available. Some positions are easily performed remotely. Please email the PTA if interested: glasgowms.pta@gmail.com.
Food Donation - Fortunately our feeder neighborhoods have several pre-existing food truck delivery programs through Food For Others. If you are interested in donating food, we recommend that families donate using information from the website: https://www.foodforothers.org/
POSTPONED - Volunteer at the Book Fair: April 13 thru April 20 - Stay tuned for more information about an online Book Fair.
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Important Dates
April 6 - 10 - Spring Break
April 10 - Parent Distance Learning Virtual Coffee
April 13 - Distance Learning Rollout
Upcoming: Online Book Fair
April 10 - Parent Distance Learning Virtual Coffee - 9:00am - Join Katie Madigan, Acting Principal, in a virtual parent coffee at 9:00am. She will be there to give an overview of the distance learning plan and answer any questions you might have. Here is the link to Katie Madigan's Blackboard Collaborate Office where the coffee will take place: https://us.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/guest/505dd866fe674acaa1de7248c9474125
April 13 - Distance Learning Rollout - The asynchronous approach to our distance learning will go live on April 13. Login to Blackboard to get your student ready for a whole weeks worth of learning.
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Glasgow Goodies
Staying Connected Photo Album - I would love to hear how you are spending your time and maybe even post some pictures in an upcoming Gazette. I have created a Google Photos album titled “Glasgow Community - Staying Connected Photo Album” to share pictures of how you are spending your time while social distancing.
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Important Information
K-8 Learning Packets and Opt Out - Learning packets have been mailed home this week to all students in K-8 in FCPS. Learning packets are not required but are another resource that students and families can use to enhance their learning at home. The packets are meant to provide access to learning for all students, regardless of home technology access. The packets are available electronically in Blackboard FCPS 24/7 Learning so if a parent would like to print the packets at home, they may use the opt out link to stop receiving the printed instructional packets in the mail. They will need their student’s ID number and their e-mail address to access the opt out system. Please note, it may take up to 1 week to process the request to opt out.
Library Books and Resources - Please enjoy your school library books at home. No books are overdue and they can be returned when school buildings re-open in summer or fall. Please check out our audiobooks and eBooks available on MackinVIA. See this video that will help you access MackinVIA: https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cqQ3rBt9wQ Students can also check out books from MyON. Here is a video that shows you how to access that resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITgJzPWMIBc&t=2s Feel free to email, Tara Sanz, Glasgow MS librarian and avid reader of middle grade & YA fiction, if you need any recommendations or help with accessing online library resources. tmsanz@fcps.edu Happy reading!
Student Services - Counselors Available - If you have concerns regarding your child’s socioemotional health or mental wellbeing, please contact your child’s counselor for support. Counselors are available to check in with your child through email or the voice-dial feature on Google Meets. Unless your child has been opted out of counseling services, counselors may be reaching out to your child if they have requested an appointment or if staff members have noticed concerns that may prompt a check in. As always, counselors will stay in communication with parents whenever necessary.
Counselors are currently working on additional plans of support for students, parents, and staff during the COVID-19 closures. We will make guidance documents available in an upcoming Gazette. .
- A – C: Akon Otoyo - ajotoyo@fcps.edu
- D – J: Curtiss Barnes - crbarnes@fcps.edu
- K – Ph: Cynthia Pareja - cspareja@fcps.edu
- Pi - Z: Greg Frantz - gdfrantz@fcps.edu
- ESOL Level 1 &2: Irania Escalante - ivescalante@fcps.edu
- TEAM 7&8: Jenn Pallotto (lead) - jkpallotto@fcps.edu
2020-2021 Course Registration for Glasgow Students - Academic advising has concluded for all rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. You can view the courses that your child has selected through StudentVue and ParentVue selecting the “course request” tab. Please note that all course request changes for Glasgow students 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.
Laptop Distribution for Students - This week Glasgow distributed another 120 laptops for over 540 total. At this time we do not have plans for another mass laptop distribution. FCPS has begun mailing home paper packets this week. These packets are meant to provide instruction for students who do not have technology access at home. Additionally, we've had many conversations with families seeking a computer because the adults use their computer for work during the day. One of the benefits of the asynchronous approach we will use is that students/families can be flexible with their schedules and still ensure that students have access to material from Glasgow teachers and courses. Due to limited supply, please only reach out if your family does not have any access to a computer or laptop at home.
Yearbooks Still on Sale! - Parents are encouraged to purchase a yearbook today! The cost is $30. You can purchase your yearbook on-line at https://www.balfour.com/virginia/alexandria/glasgow-middle-school. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Perella at maperella@fcps.edu. Please note, yearbooks will be distributed to students at Glasgow during the last week of school.
Food Services Meal Distribution Sites - FCPS will continue to provide grab and go breakfasts and lunches at no cost for students at multiple sites to students, with breakfast from 8:00-10:30am and lunch from 10:30am to 2:00pm. School-age students are welcome to come to any of the nearest sites listed below to pick up a lunch during that time period. Other sites are also available on the FCPS homepage. All meals are available at no cost to children 18 years and under. Adult lunches are available for purchase for $2.
- Annandale Terrace, 7604 Herald St., Annandale
- Braddock Elementary, 7825 Heritage Dr., Annandale
- Bailey’s Elementary School, 6111 Knollwood Dr., Falls Church
- Crestwood ES, 6010 Hanover Ave., Springfield
- Glen Forest ES, 5829 Glen Forest Dr., Falls Church
- Parklawn ES, 4116 Braddock Road, Alexandria
- Bailey’s Community Center, 10-10:30 a.m., 5920 Summers Ln, Falls Church
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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.
Talking with children about the importance of washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when they are sick is important during this pandemic. Here are three other resources to support families in talking with children about COVID-19. This week's articles come from FCPS, National Association of School Psychologists and the American School Counselor Association:
From FCPS: Talking to Children about Coronavirus
From NASP: Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource
From American School Counselor Association: Coronavirus Resources | American School Counselor Association
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FCPS Cares
Do you know a Glasgow Middle School staff member who went beyond what is expected? 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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Be Informed, Stay Involved!
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