Glasgow Community Gazette - October 4

Glasgow Community:

It was great to see so many of you at our Back to School Night (BTSN) on Tuesday evening. If you were unable to attend, here are recordings of the event in English and in Spanish. You can still “meet” your student’s teachers in the form of videos by visiting BTSN site on the school’s website.  

As I stated in my opening presentation, Glasgow is truly a remarkable school. Our 1,935 students and their families come from 66 different countries and speak 59 different languages.  We have an incredible staff that is tirelessly dedicated to the learning of each and every student. As an IB World School, AVID School and Model PLC, we:

• Believe ALL students can learn 
• Develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning.
• Support a culture of college and career readiness for all students

I hope you left the BTSN event with a better sense of what your student needs to be successful in their classes and the important role you can play in supporting their learning. I strongly encourage you to continue to communicate with your student’s teachers throughout the year. The parent-school partnership is vital to the success of our students. Working together, families and teachers can be a powerful team in supporting students’ learning.

It is hard to believe that the first quarter ends in less than a month. With that in mind, it is important to know that we are here to support students not only in class, but during Office Hours as well. Teachers are hosting Office Hours at least twice per week. The purpose of Office Hours is for students to meet with their teachers to discuss the material being presented in class or other related interests they may have. Course-related discussions include asking for extra help, seeking clarification of material presented in class and following up on aspects of the class you find compelling.

As always, please let me know 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/

Important Dates

October 12 - Indigenous People's Day (No School for Students)

October 27 - PTA Meeting - Grading Workshop

October 30 - End of Quarter

November 2 - School Planning Day (No School for Students)

November 3 - Teacher Work Day (No School for Students)

November 11 - Early Release (Schedule to come)

Important Information 

Supplies and Materials Distribution - With classes back in session, we have course specific supplies and materials to distribute to students. We are also continuing to distribute laptops and other items for students to access their classes. If you missed our scheduled distribution day, please stop by any day between 8am - 3pm to pick up your supplies. 

Beginning of Year Forms: We understand how the beginning of the year can be overwhelming with forms. Here are some you can access now.

• Emergency Care Form: Required for all returning FCPS students to review and update if needed.
• Emergency Care Card: Required for students NEW to FCPS.
• Parental consent for digital resources: These are the apps and programs that our teachers will use to engage our students in the virtual world. Please go here for more information and follow the link to give your consent.
• FCPSOn Computer Opt Out Form: Only for students who are not planning to use a school laptop. We highly recommend you use the FCPS laptop because all software and other applications will be loaded and accessible. Software used by FCPS and Justice HS cannot be loaded on personal devices.

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. 

Parent Support & Engagement - Glasgow is increasing opportunities for parent support and engagement this school year. We need your input on which types of programs and services are most relevant to students' families. Please complete the Parent Needs Assessment to best prepare our staff to serve you and your children -- Select your preferred survey language: English, [Spanish], or [Arabic].

Virtual Learning Feedback - Now that we have finished three weeks of virtual learning this school year, we want to hear your feedback about how things are going. Please use this form to share any thoughts or questions that you have.

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. 

SIS Weekly Progress Reports - Due to the delayed school opening and virtual start, SIS weekly progress reports to parents are now set to begin on Monday, October 5, 2020.  Please note this is a change from the original start date of September 21, 2020; therefore, middle and high schools may want to include the following notification and instructions for parents in their newsletters:

If you have registered for SIS ParentVUE and have a primary email address recorded in ParentVUE, you can receive your student’s Weekly Progress Report via email.  For the 2020-21 school year, Weekly Progress Reports are scheduled to begin on Monday, October 5, 2020.  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 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 your email is confirmed, return to the “My Account” tab to activate and select your preferences for receiving these reports.  Emails will be sent according to your selected preferences.  Weekly Progress Reports for all of your middle and high school students will be included in one email.  For additional help, refer to the quick reference guide for FCPS parents/guardians.

Parents can also access student grades through ParentVUE via the Grade Book tab.  

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.

*Food Distribution at Bailey’s - The Food for Others P3 Power Pack Program is serving Glasgow this year! Starting Friday, October 2nd -- students can grab a snack power pack at Bailey's Community Center. The P3 Program will run biweekly on Fridays from 3pm-5pm. Students must provide an ID number and are encouraged to bring a bag to pick-up. Please contact Destiny Delaware at ddelaware@fcps.edu for more information.

After School Opportunities

After School @Home Updates - This week, Glasgow After School @Home would like to share new and upcoming Clubs, which were also shared with your students this week in the announcements. We’re proud to announce our Journalism Club, which is our spotlight of the week.  For updates and program descriptions, please visit Glasgow Middle School @Home (Link).

Journalism Club - students write various articles for our online newspaper, the Panther Post. Participants take on different roles: staff writers, website curators, photographers, researchers, editors, and more! This newspaper keeps students and staff informed about relevant events in the world, our community, and our campus. They also engage in learning by exploring the writing process, podcasts, interviews, surveys/research, and will be doing broadcast journalism! If you love to write, seek the truth, and want to share the news with the world, this is the club for you! Check out their latest post at (Link).        

Additional After School @Home Opportunities:

Panthers United - Students will celebrate culture and diversity, develop social-emotional skills, and connect with the school community.

Awesome Blossoms - Female students will engage in dialogue to promote personal development, increase leadership skills, and support their peers. 

Homework Hotspot - Students receive direct support in real-time from staff.

Booktastic Panthers - Students with a passion for reading can join others to take a journey through Virginia Readers’ Choice selections and other popular YA titles that celebrate diversity. They will review the books through the lens of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King award, and Pura Belpre award evaluators and put these stories to the test. Students will tap into their artistic and creative side creating book tastings, book reviews, book trailers, and other digital products to promote these books to other readers.

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 Stef Vestal slvestal@fcps.edu for more information.

Glasgow PTA News

Check out the Glasgow PTA website to find out how you can help at Glasgow!  http://www.glasgowpta.org/participate/volunteer/

To stay in touch and in the know, sign up for the PTA listserv by sending a request to  glasgowms.pta@gmail.com. Or join the PTA it’s only $10! http://www.glasgowpta.org/participate/membership/