Glasgow Community:
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and were able to get outside and enjoy the weather. My family has taken a break from hiking and I was able to enjoy some time reading and relaxing this weekend. At one point Saturday, my 4th grader, his friend, and I were all spread out on my porch, each of us reading to ourselves - what a great way to spend a morning!
We had a great second week of school at Glasgow! I had the opportunity to visit many classrooms and it was fun to see your students and our teachers in action again this week. It is clear that our students and teachers are building connections and learning together. I have seen many students’ faces and gotten to hear lots of voices!
As a reminder, Mondays from 9:05 -9:45am is our live Panther Time. Students should log in to their Panther Time classes at this time. The purpose of this time is to take attendance, build community, check-in with students and support their transition to virtual learning. The remainder of the day, students should complete any assignments that were assigned via the Glasgow Grid. These assignments are posted in each class’ Google Classroom and on Blackboard 24-7. The grid also includes the daily learning target and evidence of learning for each class for the upcoming week.
Teachers are also available to support students through Office Hours. Office Hours are on Mondays from 7:30 - 8:15am or 10:00 -10:45am. In addition, teachers are available at least one day a week after school. The purpose of Office Hours is for students to meet with their teacher to discuss the material being presented in class or other related interests students may have. Office Hours are posted on Blackboard 24-7 and Google Classroom for each course.
Our first PTA meeting of the school year is this Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00pm in English and Wednesday, September 23, at 7:00pm in Spanish. To join the PTA meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone click here for the English or Spanish links. We look forward to many more joint meetings in the future.
In order to continue to provide high levels of instruction using instructional technology tools, each family must complete the Tech Consent form. These forms are due by October 30, electronically. If it remains unsigned after that time, teachers will not be able to continue using all technology tools with your student. Thank you for your support in completing this form.
Finally, I will be sharing information about our Back to School Night soon - be on the lookout for an email!
Thank you for all you do in supporting your student at home. As always, please reach out with 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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Virtual School Year Information
Below you will find important information pertaining to our virtual opening of school both the GMS Weekly Lesson Grid and the current bell schedules. Weekly Lesson grids can be found posted to each teacher's Blackboard 24-7 page and your student's Google Classrooms for each class.
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Glasgow Library Mobile Mondays
The Glasgow Library will be set up at Glasgow on Monday, September 20 for book check out. We will have books, bookmarks, and posters (while supplies last) for free to Glasgow MS students who check out books. You may also return your library books when you stop by for new ones! Only Glasgow MS students may check out books from the Glasgow library.
If you are looking for a specific book, sign in to the library catalog to see if they book is available and place it on hold then fill out the Google Form to let the librarians know which location you will pick up your book/s.
Check out the Glasgow Library Google Site for more information about how the library can help you and find fun activities:
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Important Dates
September 22 - PTA Meeting
September 29 - Back to School Night, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
PTA Meeting - September 22 - The first PTA meeting will be on Tuesday, September 22 (English) and on Wednesday, September 23 (Spanish). We will engage in a community discussion on bias and racism. Updates will be communicated via www.glasgowpta.org and emails/texts. To join the PTA meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone click here for the English link or here for the Spanish link.
Back to School Night - September 29 - We are looking forward to our Back to School Night, coming up soon! Though Back to School Night will look a little different this year, the goal remains the same: to introduce our staff to our families, talk about what instruction and learning looks like at Glasgow - especially in a virtual environment, and to share information about how you can support your student. We are all disappointed we aren’t able to do all of this in person this year, but I am excited about all of the experiences we have in store for you!
This year, our Back To School Night will be both synchronous and asynchronous. First, on September 29 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm we will host short live (synchronous) Town Halls, using the following schedule. Links will be sent out later this week.
6:30pm – 6:55pm – Grade 6 Town Hall in English
7:00pm – 7:25pm – Grade 7 & 8 Town Hall in English
7:30pm – 7:55pm – Grade 6 Town Hall in Spanish
8:00pm – 8:25pm – Grade 7 & 8 Town Hall in Spanish
Starting on 9/27, we will share our asynchronous opportunities, which will include a series of videos by our Glasgow administrative team, all of our teachers, and our School Board Member, Dr. Ricardy Anderson, who will share a welcome back to school message. There will also be a short video on how we use the IB grading system at Glasgow. You can watch these videos at your leisure and even use the closed captioning in YouTube to provide translation into your home language. All videos will be posted to our school homepage and also emailed to students and families next week.
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Important Information
We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources: At Glasgow Middle School, our teachers will use a variety of powerful digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. Without consent, teachers will need to plan additional lessons or deviate from a useful application altogether. You can find our school’s list of the resources here: https://glasgowms.fcps.edu/adopteddigitalresources
Please follow this link to indicate whether or not your student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval.
Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) - Parents and guardians, please review the Students Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr After reviewing the information, fill out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form using this link https://forms.gle/Pbz5C42jJPADQLyu5 . The form must be filled out one time per student.
Grades in SIS StudentVUE - Students and families are now able to view student grades in SIS StudentVUE and ParentVUE. Please click on this link for more information about gaining a SIS ParentVUE account. For ParentVUE questions, please direct families to reach out to Dana Rivas at dhrivas@fcps.edu.
Schedule Change Requests - At Glasgow, our priority is to ensure students are registered for classes that are an appropriate match to their academic needs and interests. Each year we are only able to accommodate a very limited number of course changes and priority is given to students with errors in their schedule. If your student would like to make a request for a course change, please have your student email their counselor.
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Mental Health and Wellness Conference - This year FCPS will continue to partner with INOVA and Kaiser Permanente to host the 7th Annual Mental Health and Wellness Conference. The conference will feature multiple keynote speakers who will address social emotional learning and resiliency. Virtual sessions will be offered September 14th-October 3rd. The kickoff panel will be hosted by NBC 4’s Eun Yang. Registration is available at the following website: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/mental-health-and-resiliency/mental-health-and-wellness
Additionally, Our Minds Matter will be hosting a student summit for the Mental Health and Wellness Conference. Students may register here: bit.ly/ommsummit2020
Thomas Jefferson High School Application - Attention Glasgow 8th grade students and parents, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) application window for current eighth-grade students has not yet become available. The most recent information that was presented September 15th at the FCPS School Board Work Session is contained in a News Release linked near the top of the www.tjadmissions.org website. This is the direct link. There will be a town hall regarding the proposed admissions process changes for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology on Wednesday, September 23, beginning at 7 p.m. Families and community members can watch online at https://www.fcps.edu/tv/ch99 submit comments and questions or call into the town hall live at 1-800-231-6359. The TJ Admissions Office anticipates that the next update will be made after October 8th to the Admissions Office website www.tjadmissions.org. Glasgow Counselor Gregory Frantz is the Glasgow TJHSST Liaison Counselor and may be contacted via email with questions gdfrantz@fcps.edu.
AAP Level IV Screening Updates for 2020-21 School Year - Due to the ongoing pandemic, there will be a few adjustments to the Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Level IV screening processes for the 2020-21 school year. Below please find some important notes for parents.
Timeline for Submitting an AAP Level IV Referral (Sept 8-Dec 1) - Referral forms will be collected via email, sent to the Advanced Academic Resource Specialist, Dr. Nonye Oladimeji at ceoladimeji@fcps.edu. The email will count as a digital signature for the referral. Please note referrals will not be accepted past December 1 in order to provide ample time for local schools to organize and submit screening portfolios to the central office. Parents have the option to submit the parent/guardian questionnaire and/or up to four pages of student work samples. These optional materials should be submitted to the Advanced Academic Resource specialist Dr. Nonye Oladimeji when submitting the referral form. Discontinued: Awards and certificates will not be part of screening files.
Testing Updates: The one-time retest option for the Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test (NNAT) or CogAT test will not be available this school year. There will be a process for students without an abilities test on file to take the NNAT in December. Local schools will determine which students require the NNAT and will reach out to families to schedule safe and socially distanced testing. Please note that while private testing that follows guidelines may be submitted, testing is only type of data considered. All ability tests are considered within the larger context of the overall screening portfolio. FCPS does not encourage families to seek additional testing beyond what FCPS provides to all students.
Additional information about the screening process will be shared through local school newsletters. Local schools will also communicate opportunities for parent information sessions on the AAP continuum of services and the screening processes for AAP levels II-IV.
2020 Congressional App Challenge - (CAC) has officially launched, sponsored by Internet Education Foundation. Students interested must register at https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/students/student-registration. Students, both high-school and middle-school level, may participate as individuals or in teams of up to four (4) students. CAC winners may be eligible to have their app featured in the Capitol Building. Apps may be submitted until 12 pm October 19th, 2020. Please find attached App Challenge rules for 2020, detailing submission requirements and next steps. Participating students can either reside or attend school in VA. One can confirm residency here: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
Bus Route Meal Service
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) buses are delivering grab and go meals along some bus routes. School buses will stop at designated intersections to deliver these meals. All FCPS students (regardless of age) are eligible for free grab and go breakfast and lunch, as well as other county children, under the age of 18. Adults picking up meals for children should let staff know how many children meals they need. Adults may pay $2 for the meals as well. Check out the current bus schedule.
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After School Spotlight
After-School Program - Welcome back to another exciting school year. The after school program is ready to kick off the 20-21 school year Monday, September 21, 2020. During the first week, Homework Hotspot will be the only offering from 2:30-3:15 Monday-Thursday. You will be able to log into Google Classroom and register. Once you have registered and signed in, you’ll receive the link after you have clicked “SUBMIT”. Do not exit the screen without saving or clicking the link to take to your activity. We will have a teacher available during this time to assist with any homework needs you may have. We will continue to add Clubs and Activities as the weeks progress, so please keep an eye out for After School in your student Gmail. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Williams at gwilliams2@fcps.edu.
Student Service-Learning Opportunity - Are you interested in making a difference in your community and building your leadership skills? If so, the Rotary Club sponsored Interact club is the place for you. This club will meet after school. Glasgow students who are 12 and older are encouraged to apply. Develop leadership skills while also discovering the power of Service Above Self. Leadership can be so much fun! Contact Shona Person sdperson@fpcs.edu for more information.
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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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