Glasgow Community Gazette - January 10

Glasgow Community:

It’s hard to believe that we are kicking off our academic advising season to help students start thinking about course selections for next year. In Panther Time last week, 6th and 7th grade students learned about the academic advising process, Glasgow’s elective course offerings, and drafted think sheets to plan their selections. 8th graders prepared for high school advising by learning about types of courses and how GPAs are calculated. This coming week 6th and 7th graders will sign up for their classes in StudentVUE. 8th graders will learn about high school credits and transcripts in preparation for course selections will take place through Panther Time later this month.

Throughout the month of January, teachers are also submitting course recommendations for their students. These recommendations will be shared with students and counselors will use teacher input along with student grades and course histories to inform the academic advising process. It is important, however, to keep in mind that most courses at Glasgow are open enrollment. For this reason, we encourage every parent to talk with their children about the courses they would like to take in this coming school year. Parents can view course selections through ParentVUE. 

School counselors will be hosting academic advising office hours for students on Monday, January 11th and Friday, January 15th from 7:30am-2:15pm. Students can join office hours by going to this Google Classroom and clicking on the Google Meet link. Starting the week of January 25, Glasgow counselors will begin to meet individually with all students through History and Civics classes, Panther Time, and FIT. 

Lastly, Glasgow will be hosting our Rising 6th Grade Curriculum Night on Tuesday, February 2nd. Rising 6th Grade Curriculum Night this year will include both asynchronous and synchronous components similar to our Back to School Night event this past fall. Students and their families will be able to watch videos from Glasgow staff representing all of the curriculum areas prior to joining for live town hall sessions in English from 6-45pm, in Spanish from 7-7:45pm, and in Arabic from 8-8:45pm. Links will be sent out soon. We look forward to seeing you then!

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

January 11 - Teacher Prep Day - Panther Time only - No Office Hours

January 11 - Mobile Monday Library

January 11 - Trunk Tuning - Orchestra

January 14 - Parent Academy - Academic Excellence

January 14 & 15 - GMS Catch-Up Days

January 18 - No School - MLK Day

January 20 - No School - Inauguration Day

January 22 - End of 2nd Quarter - Early Release

January 25 - Teacher Workday, No School for Students

January 11 (Monday) - Teacher Prep Days - Students will have live Panther Time on these days but there will not be any Office Hours to allow teachers ample time to prepare for the upcoming return to school. 

January 11 - Trunk Tuning for Orchestra Parents - This is a reminder that we are offering “Trunk Tuning” at Glasgow MS this Monday (January 11^th) from 9am-noon. Please stop by and we will tune your student’s instrument. The weather this time of the year can be tough on wooden string instruments, causing them to go out of tune (meaning the strings are no longer the correct pitch) which can make playing very difficult for your student. Mrs. Dizon and Ms. Touzinsky will be able to tune the instrument in a matter of minutes and then you can be on your way again. Please consider bringing your student’s instrument to Glasgow MS this Monday.

January 11 - Library Mobile Monday - Glasgow MS librarians/staff are bringing the library out into the community! Mobile Mondays is here! We will be at Bailey’s Community Center and Woodrow Wilson Public Library from 10:30-12:30 and at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center from 10:00-12:00. Come browse our carts or request a book.

January 14 - GMS Parent Academy - Glasgow MS families are invited to attend our Parent Academy session on Academic Excellence Thursday, January 14, 2021, at 6 PM (English/Arabic) and 7 PM (Spanish)! During the session, you will learn more about the programs offered at Glasgow and course selection. You will also learn more about our upcoming Parent Academy sessions. Our session will be led by Nonye Oladimeji, IBMYP & Advance Academic Specialist, Kelly Greenshields, AVID teacher, and Jenn Pallotto, Counselor. Select your preferred language to sign up for the session. English, Arabic, or Spanish. You will receive a session link on the day of the event. We hope to see you on January 14th.

January 14 & 15 - FCPS GMS Catch Up Days - Per FCPS ever middle and high school should designate 2 "catch-up" days per quarter (one even day and one odd day). The intent of these days is to give students the opportunity to complete previously assigned work including missed assignments and NOT intended for completion of new assignments. Students should login to each class and check-in with their teachers on these days, support will be available during the regularly scheduled classes. .  

Rising 9th Grade Info

Rising 9th Grade Information for Families - As our Academic Advising season begins soon, for 8th grade students this means learning about their transition to high school. Here is some helpful information for families about high school:

Justice High School: On February 2, 3, and 4, Justice will be hosting a Curriculum 3-Night Extravaganza for both rising 9th graders and current Justice students. Each night will feature four departments with breakout rooms representing specific courses. There will be a quick overview presentation with time for a Q&A. More details to come. Take a look at the 9th grade course options!

Annandale High School: Annandale High School welcomes all rising 9th grade students and their families to join our high school information night on Thursday, January 14th from 7:00-8:30PM. The event will be held virtually using this Blackboard link. Students and their families will get an overview of 9th grade courses and programs from Annandale teachers and counselors, along with opportunities to attend breakout sessions with our staff. Students and parents can also view the Annandale Academic Advising Page here. 

Falls Church High School: The Rising 9th grade Curriculum Night is set for January 6th at 6:30pm and a link will be sent to Falls Church families. Take a look at the 9th grade course options!

Edison High School: The Rising 9th grade Curriculum Night is set for February 24th. Take a look at the 9th grade course options!

Oakton High School:  Take a look at the 9th grade course options!

Hayfield High School: Take a look at the 9th grade course options!

TJ Admissions Updates - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) - The application window will begin on February 1 at 8:00 am and close on February 26 at 4:00 pm. The TJ Admissions Office anticipates that additional information for current 8th grade students will be posted beginning next week on their website www.tjadmissions.org  Please contact the TJ Admissions Office tjadmissions@fcps.edu or Glasgow TJ Liaison Counselor Gregory Frantz gdfrantz@fcps.edu with questions.

Important Information 

Academic Advising at Glasgow - Academic Advising season is officially here! In Panther Time on January 6, 8, and 13, students will learn about the academic advising process, complete course selection sheets, and learn how to sign up for classes in SIS StudentVUE. Starting on January 25, counselors will start meeting with students individually through Panther Time and History/Civics classes for academic advising and course selection. 

School Counselors are offering Office Hours for students on Monday, January 11th and Friday, January 15th from 7:30am-2:15pm. If your child has any questions from the Panther Time lessons or would like to learn more about their classes for next year, please have them join our Office Hours by going to this Google Classroom and clicking on the Google Meet link! Parents are welcome to join with their children.

POSTPONED - New Student Open House for Students and Families - January 12 and 13 

Due to the revised guidance around the updated FCPS Return to School plan, the 6th grade and New Student Open Houses scheduled for Tuesday, 1/12 and Wednesday, 1/13 are postponed. Once we have new dates, we will communicate them to the community again through the Glasgow Community Gazette. Thank you for understanding and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Diversity Talk with Thomas Jefferson HS - Parents of students in the TJ Classes of 2022 and 2023 are co-chairing the TJ PTSA Diversity Committee this year.  They have planned a series of Diversity Talks, which kick off this month! These talks focus on STEM and are aimed at older elementary students and middle school students, grades 4-8. The first Diversity Talk is next Monday, Jan. 11 at 6pm. 

Parents, register at this Zoom link: https://bit.ly/TJDiversityTalk1

Submit questions in advance here: https://bit.ly/tjdiversitytalks

Yearbook Looking for Photos - The Yearbook Staff is looking for pictures of Glasgow students working or sitting in their virtual classrooms.  The staff cannot walk around the school to take pictures so we thought this would be an exciting way to see our students in their working environments.

Parents and Students can submit pictures one of 3 ways:

1. Balfour EZPix website:  https://studio.balfour.com/ezpix/ Yearbook Project Number:117803, Upload Code:  Please leave blank (no code necessary), Login, Scroll down, accept terms & conditions, Fill out the requested information and begin uploading.  You can upload 10 pictures at a time, so if you have more, just start over again after the first 10 are uploaded.
2. Balfour ImageShare: Go to your app store and do a search for Balfour ImageShare, Download the app, Create an Account: Use Project Number 117803, Click box to accept Terms & Conditions, Click Next, Locate the Confirmation Code sent to your email address and enter on the line, Click Next, Enter a Username and Password, Click Take Me To ImageShare, Begin uploading by clicking on SAVE (No Upload Code Required)
3. Submit Pictures to Google Form: Students can click on this form to upload pictures: https://forms.gle/TyeLcvNt9gnec3XPA, Please make sure to include name, grade, and description of what is happening in the picture.

ParentVUE  - If you have not done so already, please sign up for a SIS ParentVUE account. Parents who selected in-person enrollment for their child will need to complete a health screening commitment form before their child begins in-person instruction. Glasgow students will start the academic advising process in January. Students will be signing up for classes through SIS StudentVUE. ParentVUE will also allow parents to see the courses their child is requesting for the upcoming school year. Please contact Dana Rivas, registrar, for a ParentVUE activation key to use here when registering for an account.

Parent Engagement Focus Groups - Thank you to all of the families that participated in the December focus group around parent engagement. We had over twenty families participate. The meeting was very informative. Here are the group's recommendations: text communication, school FB page, frequent reminders for events, continued virtual sessions, focus on academic excellence, and smaller meetings for select subgroups. If you are interested in participating in any upcoming focus groups, please complete the form with your contact information.

Focusing on the Future - Virtual Conference - Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) - Spring 2021 SEP registration is now open for students grades 3-12. William & Mary’s Center for Gifted Education is excited to offer 2 different spring sessions with courses available in the areas of art, STEM, botany, writing, poetry and many more.  Please see our Spring SEP 2021 filer for more information. William & Mary’s SEP is an academically challenging program with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning for students.  The program is not meant to supplement the regular school curriculum; rather, it recognizes the importance of allowing able children to explore additional specialized areas of science, mathematics, humanities, and the arts.  Click for More Information.  The Center for Gifted Education is also accepting registrations for our annual Focusing on the Future event.  Focusing on the Future is a virtual career and academic planning conference for all Middle and High School students as well as Counselors and Parents.  Click to view the conference brochure.

Family Guide for Return to School - Fairfax County Public Schools is partnering with families to ensure we keep students and staff safe and healthy as we return to school buildings for learning. Working together, we will follow recommended health guidance that focuses on student and staff health, safety, and emotional well-being. The FCPS Family Guide for Return to School has a wealth of information on topics like concurrent instruction, lunch, the mandatory mask policy, recess, laptops, health protocols, and more.

Technology Support @Glasgow - We continue to encourage all families who are having issues with your Glasgow issued laptop to call the Parent/Student Tech Support Hotline at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).  The hotline is staffed 7 days a week from 7am to 11pm and multiple languages are available.  Alternatively, you can submit a support ticket online at https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/.  If it is deemed that the problem cannot be fixed virtually, we will set up a time for you to come to Glasgow for a repair or exchange between the hours of 10am – 2pm, Monday through Friday.  If you show up outside of those hours or without an appointment, we cannot guarantee a tech will be able to service your laptop in a timely fashion.  Also, to keep the student laptops running well, encourage your child to “restart” the laptop at least once a week.  A restart is in the power options and is not the same as turning the laptop off, then turning it back on.  Restarts are vital in making sure the laptop receives and installs the most current updates to ensure optimal performance.

Bus Route Meal Service

Grab and Go Meals (UPDATE) - Did you pick up your grab and go meal today?  FCPS is providing FREE grab and go breakfast and lunch to ALL students Monday through Friday. It is easy to find out where to pick up food by visiting the website:https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/food

****PLEASE CHECK OUT THIS LINK!  There are many schools close to Glasgow that are including afternoon snack and supper meals as well!  Also, the County is expanding the Fairfax Meal Kits program.  Students can pick up 7 breakfast and lunch packets at the same time.  Locations, dates and times are all on the site. 

Community Food Distribution - Food for Others’ P3 Power Pack Program is back in 2021! The P3 Program is biweekly on Fridays from 3pm-5pm at Bailey's Community Center. The next P3 dates are Jan 22, Feb 5 and Feb 19 . 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.

After School Spotlight

This week, Glasgow After School @Home would like to share new and upcoming Clubs. We’re proud to highlight the following two.  For updates and program descriptions, please visit Glasgow Middle School @Home (Link).

Cooking Club - The cooking club with Ms. Massman and Ms. Concaugh takes place on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Students can follow along with the teacher, preparing healthy and tasty treats for themselves or family members. This class promotes independence and confidence while learning kitchen safety and food prep. If this is the club for you, please contact Mr. Williams gwilliams2@fcps.edu, for sign up information.

Virtual Gaming Club - Are you a gamer? Do you like playing and competing against other gamers like yourself? The Virtual Gaming Club is the Club for you. The Virtual Gaming Club meets on Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:30-4:30 p.m. If this is the club for you, please contact Mr. Williams gwilliams2@fcps.edu, for sign up information.

Digital Art Club Spotlight - On Thursday, December 3rd, 2020, the Digital Art Club offered its first session. On day one, 49 students attended and were actively engaged. It was amazing to see. The Digital Art club teaches students the various forms of digital art and media to our students and how to differentiate between the multiple forms. If you're interested in joining, please contact me at gwilliams2@fcps.edu , Ms. Otoyo at ajotoyo@fcps.edu, or Ms. Campbell at cjcampbell1@fcps.edu.

Dates: Thursdays - Every two weeks on

Time: 2:30 – 3:30pm

Grades: 6th – 8th.

Start Date: Thursday, December 3rd

Glasgow PTA News

Fairfax County Council PTA (FCCPTA) Student Technology Mini-Grant Program - Through a generous donation from the Fairfax County NAACP, FCCPTA is offering Fairfax County Public School students (in grades 3-11) an opportunity to obtain a $500 mini-grant for the purchase of computer or a technology-related device or equipment. There are six (6) $500 mini-grants available. In order to apply, the students or their parent/guardian MUST be a member of a PTA/PTSA. Go to https://www.fccpta.org/2020/12/14/student-mini-grants/ for more information.

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/