Glasgow Community Gazette - March 7

Glasgow Community:

We are pleased to welcome Victor Powell, the new principal at Glasgow Middle School. He is coming to us from Alexandria City Public Schools where he has been the principal at Maury Elementary School for the past four years. As we welcome him into our community, I would like to say that it has truly been an honor to serve the Glasgow community this past year as the Acting Principal. Together we have navigated these uncertain times during the pandemic all the while building on our strong instructional foundation. One thing I am most proud of was how we expanded our community and family partnerships as well as increased access for all students this past year with our Mobile Monday Libraries, the Parent Academy, student leadership opportunities and our partnership with the PTA. I know that Glasgow is primed to take on this next chapter. 

Our 8th graders’ return to the building this past week can only be described as joyful. Along with our staff members they truly brought a buzz to the building, and we can’t wait to welcome our 6th and 7th graders! Students’ return was very smooth - all of our logistics planning went exactly as we envisioned, which truly is a testament to the strength and commitment of our entire staff. I couldn’t be prouder! We appreciate your continued patience as we move through this transition back to school. Our focus is to safely welcome and connect with students who have returned to the building while also supporting students who remain in virtual learning. 

Please join us on Thursday, March 11, for our Parent Academy session titled ACE Interface.  Each session will last 1 ½ hrs. During the session, you will learn about trauma and how it affects the brain & learning, and how communities can support one another. Glasgow is coordinating this session of ACE Interface with licensed social workers. If you are interested, please select your preferred language to sign up for the session English at 5:30pm or Spanish at 7:00pm. The Arabic session will be coming soon.  You will receive a session link on the day of the event. 

Finally, as a reminder, tomorrow is an FCPS school planning day, which means there is no school (no Office Hours nor Panther Time) for students. 

As always, please reach out with questions, and we will see all of our students who are returning to the building in-person on Tuesday/Wednesday or Thursday/Friday this week!

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

March 9 - 6th & 7th Grade Return to Building

March 11 - Parent Academy - Glasgow MS families are invited to attend our Parent Academy session titled, ACE Interface Thursday, March 11, 2021, at 5:30 PM (English) and 7 PM (Spanish)! The Arabic session will be coming soon. Each session will last 1 ½ hrs. During the session, you will learn about trauma and how it affects the brain & learning, and how communities can support one another. Glasgow is coordinating this session of ACE Interface with licensed social workers. If you are interested, please select your preferred language to sign up for the session English or Spanish. You will receive a session link on the day of the event. We hope to see you on March 11, 2021.

March 18 & 19 - Catch-Up Days - As we continue to find ways to support students in managing their workload, Dr. Brabrand asked schools to identify quarterly Catch-Up Days that would allow students time to complete assignments they might be missing or need to complete. Students will follow their schedule and log into Blackboard Collaborate or attend in-person classes. Teachers will take attendance and remind students about any work they need to complete; no new lessons or additional assignments will occur on these days. 

March 23 - PTA Meeting

March 26 - Early Release - End of the 3rd Quarter

March 29 - April 2 - Spring Break

April 6, 7, 8 & 9 - Picture Day - See Important Information for more information, SignUp Genius to come soon.

Return to School

SYC Attendance Code - We have a new attendance code- SYC- that teachers will use if an in-person student does NOT come to school BUT DOES log in virtually.  If you see this code for your in-person student's attendance, they did not come to school physically but participated virtually.

Stop the Spread - FCPS has launched the Stop the Spread campaign. Here is a video that FCPS has put out for the community. All staff are actively engaging in professional learning around Stop the Spread as we gear up for  our return. If you would like to learn more about this campaign you can find it on the FCPS website here: https://www.fcps.edu/blog/stop-spread

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.

Important Information 

Save the Date!  Picture Day is Coming April 6, 7, 8 & 9! - Glasgow students will have the opportunity to have their picture taken in April!  Students who are attending school in-person will have their picture taken during their Health and PE class on either the Tuesday/Wednesday Cohort or the Thursday/Friday Cohort.  Students who are virtual will be able to make an appointment and have their picture taken after school hours on either April 7^th or April 8^th (the link for appointments will be sent next week).  We WILL NOT be using these pictures in the yearbook, so please do not feel obligated to have your student’s picture taken.  This is an opportunity we wanted to offer to our Glasgow families since some of our students haven’t had their picture taken since October, 2019. Please click on the link below regarding Lifetouch’s enhanced cleaning protocols on Picture Day.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TkJ0P8hig93KlKSieYJzXSkfZXe7wR-n/view?usp=sharing

Pictures with Pets (or animals or stuffed animals) for the Yearbook - Our next request for yearbook pictures is here!  We would love to have pictures of our Glasgow students and staff with a pet or animal or stuffed animal.  The pictures can be pets that live with you, a friend or family pet, stuffed animal, or an animal that posed with you somewhere else (like a farm or zoo animal).   These pictures may be used in a section of our yearbook.  Pictures may be submitted by Google Form. Students and teachers can click on this form to upload pictures: https://forms.gle/TiASqazaf6CbLRL38 Please make sure to include name, grade, and description of what is happening in the photo. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Perella, yearbook advisor, at maperella@fcps.edu   

Lobby Day is coming!  - Glasgow Civics students are busy preparing for Lobby Day on March 16 and 17.  Elected officials and community leaders have been invited to virtually join our classrooms.  They will listen to our students take informed action as they address community and global issues in support of the common good.  We are incredibly proud of their hard work, and look forward to having an authentic audience to provide feedback for their proposed solutions. Please contact Kathy Lafreniere (Individuals and Societies Instructional Coach) if you have any questions: kmlafreniere@fcps.edu

Watch Justice High School Sports Live at Home! - Athletics are going strong at Justice High School and even though spectators are limited to invitation most games for most sports are being live streamed.  Create a free account with the National Federation of High School Sports here and watch from home!

Diversity in STEM Talk - The PTSA Diversity Committee of the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will hold its next Diversity in STEM Talk in March! This series is especially for elementary and middle school students in grades 4-8. Join us Monday, March 15, at 6 p.m. to hear from Vern Williams, former math teacher in the Fairfax County Public Schools and current math teacher at BASIS Independent McLean in Tysons Corner. Mr. Williams taught mathematics in FCPS for 40 years and taught in the gifted and talented program for over 30 years. Among numerous other awards, Mr. Williams was the 1990 Fairfax County Public Schools teacher of the year and he received two awards for distinguished teaching from the Mathematical Association of America. His special interest is teaching traditional and rigorous mathematics to gifted middle school students. Join us to hear from this master teacher!   - What sparked his interest in math? - What does he enjoy most about math? - What would he recommend to students who want to pursue math? - What else would you like to know? Parents, register at this Zoom link: http://bit.ly/TJStemTalk3 Submit questions in advance here: https://bit.ly/tjdiversitytalks If you missed our February 8 talk on robotics, you can view the recording here: https://tjptsa.com/2020-02-12-diversity-stem-talk-2-video-available/

After School Updates

Glasgow After School program will remain virtual at this time. We are taking into consideration all logistical factors regarding the  safety for our students, teachers and transportation. Safety is our top priority for both teachers and students. We will continue to offer virtually, quality programs which foster leadership, character development, social and emotional supports and relationship building. We will continue to work closely with County Executives and the Health Department to make informed decisions on our return to in-person after school activities. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at gwilliams2@fcps.edu.

Cooking with Chef Shirley - Our final Cooking w/ Chef Shirley Class will be held Wednesday, March 10, 2021, at 6:00. If you would like to learn how to cook and prepare delicious & healthy family meals, this is an opportunity you don't want to miss. In this class, you'll be able to follow along step by step with Chef Shirley. Below is the dish spotlight. St Patrick’s Breakfast for dinner. We will be making Irish Soda Bread, and Irish Frittata, and a Lime Greek Yogurt Dip to serve with fresh fruit. If you're interested in joining this free Cooking program, please contact Mr. Williams to register at gwilliams2@fcps.edu.

Club Time Changes: The following Clubs have changed meeting times to accommodate those in transit from in-person learning. If you have any questions, please contact me at gwilliams2@fcps.edu or your Club lead for more information.

• Virtual Gaming will now start at 2:45 and ends at 4:45(Tuesday/Friday)
• After School Cooking Club on Thursday starts at 3:00 and ends at 4:30. Start times on Mondays and Wednesdays will remain the same.
• SGA will meet on Mondays at 9:30 a.m. beginning March 15, 2021
• Journalism will now meet (Mondays/Fridays) at 3:30  and end at 4:45

Glasgow Girls Basketball -  began March 2^nd, 2021. In this Club, you will learn and strengthen your fundamentals in  basketball while developing discipline, improve stamina along with mental and physical conditioning. The purpose of this club is to enhance your confidence and understanding of what it takes to play Highschool and College Basketball. This Club meets Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:00- 4:30 on the Outside Courts. You’re encouraged to bring your own basketball. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Mr. Stuecheli at tastuecheli@fcps.edu for more information.

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 date is 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.

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/