Glasgow Community Gazette - May 25

Glasgow Community:

What a great week this past week was for Glasgow! We were honored as a 2020 Model PLC At Work school, the only middle school in Virginia and one of only 200 schools and districts in the U.S. and Canada ever with this designation. According to the PLC Review Committee, “Glasgow has demonstrated a sustained commitment to helping all students achieve at high levels, and the structure and culture of the school reflects this commitment.” This honor is an incredible and timely testament to our commitment at Glasgow to be a great school for all students. 

We were so pleased as well to see over 100 families at our virtual Spanish-speaking Family Night this past Tuesday, where several of our Spanish-speaking faculty provided information and answered questions about Distance Learning. At the end of this meeting, we were able to provide video access and were thrilled to see many of our students as they waved and said hello. The look on our staff members’ faces was priceless--we were reminded once again just how much we miss our students and we were so grateful to get to see them. 

Finally, I have a request. To help our staff celebrate their work with students this year, please take a minute and send me a quick email (kemadigan@fcps.edu) with a story about how a Glasgow staff member has positively influenced your student. We look forward to celebrating our successes together.

As always, thank you for your continued support. Please reach out for questions and 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.

Rising 9th Grade News

Request to Expunge High School Course Taken in Middle School - A special message from Justice HS for rising freshmen. Parents of students who take a high school credit-bearing course in middle school may request that the grade be omitted from the student’s high school transcript and the student not earn high school credit for the course. Parents must make this request no later than the end of the first nine weeks of the school year following completion of the course. For courses completed in 8th grade, parents of rising freshmen must make the request no later than the end of the first quarter. Once expunged, a course cannot be reinstated. The Request to Expunge form must be completed to make this request. Please contact your child’s school counselor if you would like to discuss expunging a course.

2020-2021 Justice HS Course Registration Information - A special message from Justice HS for rising freshmen. Students and parents may access student course requests through their SIS Account. Please review the courses your child selected and contact your child’s counselor if you notice any errors. Justice HS staff spends considerable time assisting students with their selection of appropriate courses. All decisions regarding staffing, instructional supplies, etc. are made based on those selections and classes without sufficient enrollment will not be offered. We will try to accommodate changes up until June 1st but that may not always be possible due to space availability. Schedule changes in the new school year will not be made during the first weeks of school unless there is an error on the schedule. Students may be placed in support classes or general education classes based on end of year progress and assessments. Students who start the year in honors and IB courses will be required to stay in the course through October 1st. Courses dropped after 1st quarter will receive a “WP” or “WF”. The course offering catalog, where you can review information on course prerequisites, descriptions, fee requirements, and general FCPS information is available on the Justice HS website under Academics. Please contact your child’s school counselor if you would like to discuss your child’s course requests.

Justice High School Athletics Fall Sports Information - Glasgow 8th Graders!!! You are a little more than a month away from become official Justice High School 9th graders. We are excited to see you in August. www.justicesports.com

Interested in a fall sport??? Please fill out the below google form by clicking the embedded link. Contact information will be routed to the appropriate coach so that we can make sure you are included in any of their upcoming communication. Fall Interest Google Form.  In order to be eligible for tryouts, athletes must have the below items completed prior to the start dates: 2020-2021 Physical Form (must be dated after 5/1/2020), Emergency Care Card and Concussion Education (New Online Platform Under Construction). Golf starts July 30 and all other fall sports (Cross Country, Cheerleading, Field Hockey, Football and Volleyball) on August 3rd.

Coaches Contact Information

• Cross Country - Ron Kronlage - rkronlage@fcps.edu 
• Cheer-leading - Deborah O'Rourke - dworourke@fcps.edu 
• Field Hockey - Stefanie Vestal - slvestal@fcps.edu 
• Football - Greg Weisbecker - gpweisbecker@fcps.edu 
• Golf - Ryan Kenna - rhkenna@fcps.edu 
• Volleyball - Sharon Ponton - sponton@fcps.edu 

Falls Church High School 15th Annual Jaguar 5K and Kids 1 Mile Fun Run Virtual - May 3 - 31 - Anyone/everyone can participate from anywhere! It’s  designed to be a fun, healthy, safe and FREE  event to keep our FCHS family and community connected! Participants run/walk  a 5K course (3.1miles) or 1 Mile (for kids 13 years old and younger) anywhere (neighborhood roads/sidewalk, trails or on a treadmill)! There are many apps that will track distances such as MapMyRun , NikeRunClub, or RunKeeper. Participants should send us the results (fcjaguar5K@gmail.com) and include first/last name, age, gender, race time, and a picture (if desired). For the picture, if possible, wear an old FCHS Jaguar 5K shirt, or any FCHS shirt, or an FCHS FEEDER school shirt. Everyone is invited to participate so please encourage family members, friends, and neighbors from near and far! Participants will earn a certificate of completion.

Glasgow Goodies

8th Grade Slideshow - Photos Needed - One of the most popular moments of the 8th Grade Dance is the 8th grade slide show.  The pictures we use are usually taken during the last couple weeks of school.  This year we are asking 8th grade students and families to submit a 2019-2020 picture that we can use for the 2020 8th grade slide show.  The deadline to submit your picture is Friday, May 29th. https://forms.gle/iow8US1ftGeNpw8DA

PLEASE NOTE:  Since multiple individuals will be working on this project, this is the only way we can accept pictures.  Parents, you may have to use your student's school email account to upload a picture.

Grading Update

3rd Quarter Grades - 3rd Quarter Grades are now available in ParentVUE/StudentVUE. 3rd quarter report cards are in the process of being mailed out. 

4th Quarter & Final Mark Grading Update - Students will be assigned a “no mark” for 4th quarter, with assignments submitted being allowed to positively influence the student’s overall grade for the year based on mastery of learning concepts. 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. 

Per FCPS grading policy for Distance Learning, a student’s final mark for year long courses will be the highest of the following:

• Avg of Qtrs 1, 2, & 3
• Avg of Qtrs 1, 2, & 3 w/ 1 grade distribution increase (if applicable)
• 1st Semester Grade
• 1st Semester Grade w/1 distribution increase (if applicable)

For semester long courses, a student’s final mark will be the highest of the following: 

• Qtr 3 Average
• Qtr 3 Average (w/up to a two grade distribution increase if applicable)

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 27 - Synchronous Sessions - Odd Day

May 29 - Synchronous Session - Even Day

June 9 - PTA Meeting - Virtual

June 12 - Last Day of School and Synchronous Learning

May 27 & May 29 - Synchronous Sessions - Following your students regular class schedule and the distance learning schedule synchronous schedule. Students can continue to engage in synchronous learning on Wednesday and Friday this week. The links are the same each week, if your student needs a new link have them email their teacher.

Library News

Glasgow MS Library Site -  The Glasgow LIbrary site http://bit.ly/GlasgowMSLibrary 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.

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!

Important Information 

Medication Pick-Up - If your student has medication at Glasgow, you will be able to pick up medication beginning Thursday, May 28th. Information will be sent out this week via email, text message, and phone to families whose students have medication at Glasgow with more details.

Student HPE Locker & Item Pick-Up - We have scheduled student item curbside pick-up for June 8th and 9th. Families are not obligated to retrieve items from their student’s locker, but they are welcome to do so. Students and families will not have access to the building at this time. We will be sending out more detailed information about pick-up dates and times soon. Contact Deirdre McShea for more information dmcshea@fcps.edu. 

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.

Supporting Executive Functions at Home: A Free Webinar for Families - On Tuesday, May 26th from 10am-12pm, the FCPS Behavior Intervention Services department and Parent Resource Center is hosting a free webinar titled “Supporting Executive Functions at Home: A Webinar for Families.” Webinar Highlights include:

• Connections between behavior and executive functions,
• 6 executive function skill areas and their respective sub-skills:
• Working Memory
• Self-Control
• Goal Directed Persistence
• Metacognition Strategies
• Goal Directed Attention and Focus
• Cognitive Flexibility and Shifting
• Practical strategies to develop and strengthen their students' executive function skills when at home

Registration is free but required. Register online at https://bit.ly/2WU4Xhb

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

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.