Glasgow Community Gazette - May 3

Glasgow Community:

What a beautiful day Saturday was! This weekend we hiked from MD to PA. As I hiked, I reflected on the week. I feel so proud - and relieved - that our first week of synchronous instruction was successful. Many teachers shared that they were so excited and nervous Tuesday evening, preparing for Wednesday’s synchronous learning. Many said it felt like the night before the first day of school! Teachers emailed and called me with their stories about how great things went and how energized they were to “see” their students, and I popped into several synchronous sessions myself. It was so fun “seeing” your students! Before starting instruction, many teachers opened their lessons with community builders. I got to hear about your students’ favorite ice cream flavors, what they miss most about school, and how they have been spending their time, among other topics. Just as our teachers were excited to connect with their students, I could tell that students were also excited to connect with their teachers and peers. I hope that your student is starting to find their rhythm accessing asynchronous and synchronous learning, as well as balancing exercise, play, and family time.  

Thank you for celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week with us this upcoming week. We will be celebrating all of our teachers through messages and hand written thank you notes.

Finally, please join us on Tuesday, May 5, for our May PTA meeting. The meeting will include elections for the upcoming 2020 - 2021 school year as well as a roundtable with me, Joash Chung, Director of Student Services, and other members of the Glasgow Staff.  This meeting will replace our next Parent Coffee. More info about how to access it is below. 

We appreciate all you are doing to support your students’ distance learning. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or feedback.

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/

Distance Learning

Distance Learning will continue throughout FCPS this week. Glasgow students and families will be able to access asynchronous lessons in all content areas through the glasgowms.fcps.edu website or the schedule that was mailed directly to your student three weeks ago. 

Here is the link to the FCPS Distance Learning website that will provide you detailed information.

Our Glasgow Website has been updated with many important links for distance learning. In the announcements section, there are two banners that will take you to the Distance Learning Hub and to the Distance Learning Resources section. Students can access their course homepages and asynchronous grids through the Distance Learning Hub and many of your questions can be answered in the Distance Learning Resources section.  In addition, like all FCPS websites, they can be translated into many different languages.

Grading Update

3rd Quarter Grading Update - Quarter Extended - Per FCPS grading policy during COVID-19 closures, 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 Friday, May 1 in order to be applied in the calculation of students’ third quarter grades. 

Note: ParentVUE/StudentVUE access will be turned off to allow for teachers to enter grades from Friday, May 1 through Friday, May 8. Grades will be available in ParentVUE/StudentVUE on Saturday, May 9. 3rd quarter report cards will be mailed out by FCPS central office after May 12th.

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. You may see some “feedback” entered into the grade-book already. Each of these assignments are “Not for Grading” and can only have a positive impact on your students final mark. Only final grades will be shown on transcripts; a “no mark” will not show on a student’s final transcript.

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/

Important Dates

May 1 - May 14 - Virtual Book Fair

May 5 - Virtual PTA Meeting

May 6 - Synchronous Sessions - Odd Day

May 8 - Synchronous Session - Even Day

May 1 - May 14 - Virtual Spring Book Fair - It’s time for the Glasgow MS Spring Book Fair!  We invite you to shop our Book Fair online from May 1 - May14, 2020! Even though our school is closed, we still want to make the Book Fair available for our entire school community. See below for more information. Scholastic Book Fair link.

May 5 - Virtual PTA Meeting - Join us for the May PTA meeting. The meeting will include elections for the upcoming 2020 - 2021 school year. We will also host a round table with Katie Madigan, Principal, Joash Chung Director of Student Services and other members of the Glasgow Staff.  This meeting will replace our next Parent Coffee.  Please fill out this form to gain access to the link for the PTA meeting. Submit questions in advance to glasgowms.pta@gmail.com. Looking forward to seeing you there.

May 6 & May 8 - Synchronous Sessions - Following your students regular class schedule and the distance learning schedule synchronous schedule. Students can engage in synchronous learning on Wednesday and Friday this week. Our teachers are looking forward to reconnecting with them online. The links are the same as last week. If you student needs a new link have them email their teacher.

Library News

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. Students can also check out books from MyON, here is a video that shows you how to access that resource. 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!

Glasgow MS Library Site -  at http://bit.ly/GlasgowMSLibrary It has been created for both teachers and students and can be included in Google Classroom. There are plenty of resources that will help you use databases, Collections, find Virginia Reader’s Choice books, and the library catalog. The librarians will host Lunch in the Library office hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11am – 12pm. Please join our Google Classroom (code: u74n5km) to attend our office hours on Google Meet. We will discuss books, help you access resources, take recommendations, and answer questions to assist with your school assignments.

Free Audiobooks - Every summer Audiobook Sync gives away pairings of audiobooks weekly.  The program starts on April 30 with our very own Virginia Reader’s Choice, The 57 Bus and Monday’s Not Coming. These titles are available until May 6. You must download the book during the available dates and be careful waiting until the last day as it expires bright and early in the morning.  For a list of titles:  https://www.audiobooksync.com/2020-sync-titles/ Register for the program: https://www.audiobooksync.com/

Virtual Book Fair -  It’s time for the Glasgow MS Spring Book Fair!  We invite you to shop our Book Fair online from May 1 - May14, 2020! Even though our school is closed, we still want to make the Book Fair available for our entire school community. Scholastic Book Fair link. Take advantage of free shipping on book-only orders over $25. If you choose a non-book item free shipping is NOT available. Plus, all purchases benefit our school. Click the SHOP NOW button to start shopping and show your support. The SHOP NOW button will not appear until the fair opens on May 1. See these links for a small sampling of books that will be offered: Pre-K Booklist , K-6 Booklist , Middle School Booklist  Please contact Tara Sanz, Glasgow MS librarian, at tmsanz@fcps.edu if you have any questions. Thanks for supporting the Glasgow MS library!

Important Information 

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. We will update you on how yearbooks will be distributed with the closure of school as we get closer to the distribution date.

K-8 Learning Packets and Opt Out - 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.

Student Services - Counselors Available If you have concerns regarding your child’s socio-emotional health or mental well-being, 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. 

*Note* When counselors are calling during Distance Learning, they may be calling from a blocked caller ID number or a number starting with (347) which is the area code for Google Meets.

• 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

Support for Parents during COVID-19 Closures - We recognize that these extended closures are an unprecedented time for all members of our school community including staff, students, and also parents. Here is a guide for parents as to how you can continue to support your child at home to ensure their socio-emotional health and wellness. 

How to Support Your Child During COVID-19 Closures

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 were 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. Please reach out to your child's counselor if you have any further questions about course registration.

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

Click here for a list of local organizations that are providing food for students and families.