Glasgow Community Gazette - October 18

Glasgow Community:

It is hard to believe that it is already the middle of October. We have been learning so much about your students both as individuals and as students. Starting on Monday, October 19, students will be following a revised bell schedule for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays that includes a shortened Panther Time in order to accommodate our Flexible Instructional Time (FIT). This adjusted bell schedule will allow us to continue to meet our students' social emotional and now their academic needs.  

Glasgow’s Flexible Instructional Time is an opportunity for students to receive targeted interventions, literacy based enrichment lessons, or other enrichment opportunities during our 3 hour block on Mondays. During FIT classes, teachers will take attendance and students will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Students have learned about FIT this past week in Panther Time and will learn about their teachers for the first round of FIT during their Panther Time class on Monday. In addition, your child should have received an email from their FIT teacher this past week and now should have a Google Classroom for FIT. The new bell schedule for Mondays and 4th period on Wednesdays and Fridays is as follows (see below for a new graphic):

Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays effective 10/19

• Panther Time - 9:05-9:35 
• FIT - 9:45-10:25 

To support this transition, our Director of Students Services, Joash Chung, has created a video explaining how and when FIT will take place. Please reach out to him directly if you have any further questions: jhcung@fcps.edu.

As we transition to FIT, we will also have slightly later Office Hours on Mondays: 8:15am - 9:00am and 10:30am - 11:15am. Please check your child's teacher's Google Classroom for their updated times.

Likewise, mark your calendars for the first early release of the school year on October 30. The bell schedule for the early release will be shared next week - the hours of school will be 7:30am -  12:15pm.

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns.

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 19 - Library Checkout @Community (see below)

October 22 - Distance Learning 101 for Families (see below)

October 26 - Library Checkout @Glasgow (see below)

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)

November 16 - School Counseling Fall Advisory Council (see below)

Library Updates

Library in the Community - Glasgow MS librarians/staff are bringing the library out into the community for checkout! Come browse our carts or request a book.

• October 19
  • 10:30-12:30 at Bailey’s Community Center, Willston Multicultural Center, and Woodrow Wilson Public Library from
  • 10:00-12:00 Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
• October 26
  • 10:30-12:30 at Glasgow MS  

Booktastic Panthers - The Booktastic Panthers will take a journey through Virginia Readers Choice selections and other popular YA titles that celebrate diversity.  We 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. Join the Glasgow MS Library Google Classroom for more information. Classroom Code is u74n5km.

Important Information 

Event: Distance Learning 101 for Families - Glasgow MS and Luther Jackson MS families are invited to our Distance Learning 101 event on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 6 PM (English/Arabic) and 7 PM (Spanish)! Explore strategies and resources to help your children at home, learn more about our upcoming Parent Academy, and network with other families. Listen to some of our parents' and students' voices as they discuss distance learning strategies that have worked well for them. Select your preferred language to sign up for the session. English, Arabic, or Spanish  You will receive a session link the day of the event.

School Counseling Fall Advisory Council - The school counseling team will be holding its fall advisory council on November 16th from 10:30 - 11:15am.  The purpose of the Advisory Council is to provide support, feedback and recommendations for the School Counseling team.  As a team, we serve the entire school, and we will be seeking student, parent/family, staff and community members to serve on our advisory council.  Of critical importance is for us to have diverse voices that represent our wider school community. If you are interested in serving on our Advisory Council, please contact  Greg Frantz (gdfrantz@fcps.edu)  or Emily Wasserman (ebwasserman@fcps.edu) to express your interest.

Request to Expunge High School Course Taken in 2019-2020 - Due Friday, October 30 - 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. Parents must make the request no later than the end of the first quarter on 10/30/20. 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.

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.
• Students Rights and Responsibilities: 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

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.  

TJHSST Admissions Update - Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand has presented recommendations to the Fairfax County School Board to revise the admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), the governor’s regional school, in order to promote access to historically underserved students. Based upon the School Board Work Session discussion on October 6, the school board consensus was that testing (Quant-Q, ACT Aspire Reading and Science) will be eliminated for this year, the application fee will be eliminated and there will be an increase in student enrollment at TJHSST. A window for the application process has not been set at this time. The next scheduled School Board Work Session to discuss additional changes is currently set for November 17.  The www.tjadmissions.org website contains links to video recordings of the work sessions and town halls leading up to this decision.

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/

VolutnteerFest - Here is a distance learning opportunity that you can work on with your family in the safety and comfort of your home.   Slated for October 24 and 25, VolunteerFest is a community-wide event that engages volunteers of all ages and abilities in a weekend of service to support local nonprofit partners and government agencies.  This year, in order to provide opportunities for everyone who wants to serve and to get needed donations to nonprofits, we are offering new “at-home projects.” Volunteers can choose from a wide variety of projects that fit their interest area and budget: for example; write holiday cards for vulnerable populations, purchase materials and make no-sew fleece blankets for Veterans in hospice care, bake homemade treats for rescue dogs, and much more!  For those who can and desire to serve in-person, we also have some smaller socially distanced opportunities available, such as storm drain labeling and grounds beautification projects.  For a complete listing of projects, please visit Volunteer Fairfax’s website here.  It’s easy to sign-up by creating a volunteer profile.  Teens will have fun working on these projects while earning service hours and it’s also a great way for families and small groups to serve together.

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].

Bus Route Meal Service

Important Information about Grab and Go Meals - Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) continues to update times and locations for grab and go meals posted on the website. It is important for families to have this information. Grab and go meals are available to ALL students. In addition, FNS will offer breakfast and lunch meals for Saturday during distribution on Fridays. Food distribution locations and times are posted and updated frequently on the website:  https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/food

Food Distribution at Bailey’s - The Food for Others P3 Power Pack Program is serving Glasgow this year! The P3 Program is biweekly on Fridays from 3pm-5pm at Bailey's Community Center. The next P3 dates are Oct 16th and Oct 30th. Students must provide an ID number and are encouraged to bring a bag to pick-up their snack. Please contact Destiny Delaware at ddelaware@fcps.edu for more information.

Opportunities for Students to get  Involved @Glasgow

Each week your students hear about activities and ways to get involved at Glasgow during the morning announcements. Below you will find descriptions of the amazing after school opportunities as well as other ways to get involved in the greater Glasgow community.

After School @Home Opportunities:

Girls Basketball at Justice - If you are interested in playing basketball for Justice High School and haven’t joined Junior Justice yet, contact Coach Stuecheli via email and he will add you to the Junior Justice Girls Basketball Google Classroom.  Junior Justice is the longest running club at Glasgow MS. We work on skill development to prepare you for Justice Basketball.  Questions? Contact Coach Stuecheli via email at TASTUECHELI@FCPSSCHOOLS.NET. 

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.

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! 

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.

Rotary Interact Club - 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. Please select the sign-up form in the language you’d prefer. English, Spanish, or Arabic. For additional questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Vestal at slvestal@fcps.edu.

GEMS - Hey Glasgow! Are you interested in STEM? Do you want to work with TJ students to do fun experiments and lessons? Come to GEMS on Wednesdays during the academic block to learn more about STEM-related topics. Some of our past lessons include airbags, density, as well as math games. We will be learning about chemical reactions this week! We also offer homework help in all school subjects. Feel free to stop by and get help in math, science, English, and another language (if we have a tutor available).

Creative Writing - Do you love expressing yourself through writing? Would you like to have the freedom to explore different types of creative writing? The creative writing workshop gives writers the opportunity to entertain, and express ideas through poetry, nonfiction, playwriting, and much more!

LGBTQ+ Support & Advocacy Group - The mission of the group is to work towards a more accepting environment for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity through education, support, social action, and advocacy.  This club is for students who are LGBTQ+ or for students whose family and/or friends are LGBTQ+.  The club meets on Tuesdays from 2:30pm - 3:30pm synchronously.  Contact Mrs. Durgavich at adurgavich@fcpsschools.net to get a link to our Google classroom! 

National Junior Honors Society - Are you an 8th grader interested in leadership opportunities?? Do you have an impressive academic record? If you answered “yes,” you should apply for membership in Glasgow’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society! Membership in the National Junior Honor Society is based on scholarship, leadership, character, citizenship, and service. In order to apply, you’ll need to first sign in to Google Classroom with the code: YQFZWWO. We are looking forward to meeting you soon!

Math Agility Club - Meets Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:30 pm. For all levels. Being good at math is about more than practicing and knowing a lot of math facts. It is about seeing relationships between numbers and shapes. It is about thinking in different ways. In this club, we will play with math to develop math reasoning skills. We will use puzzles, number sequences, fractions, ratios, as well as visual and 3D spatial skills to solve problems. Both individual and group problem solving will be emphasized. Come with any level of math skills and learn to enjoy math more

Algebra Explorers Club - Meets Tuesday and Thursday 3:30 – 5:00. This club meets twice a week to explore math in different settings. We will have a variety of problems of different levels related to the theme of the week. Topics may include cooking, track and field, math at the aquarium, math in archaeology and ancient times, elementary astronomy and math in art. We will do individual puzzles that make you think in different ways and solve group problems that involve planning and communication. This club is for students who are currently taking algebra or have an interest in learning and practicing algebra skills.

Math Homework Club - Meets Thursday 7:30pm – 9 pm. Come every week or come when you have questions. We will work on individual problems related to homework. Sometimes you just need a hint to get you through a problem. Sometimes you need to review strategies that can help you become a better problem solver. We will experiment with ways to work on multiple homework problems at the same time, using chat, email messaging and group discussion.

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/