Glasgow Community Gazette - April 11

Glasgow Community:

I hope that you were able to enjoy the weather this weekend. It is starting to become busy again as we spend the weekend involved in Scouts and sports. I am looking forward to a quiet Sunday as we look ahead to some upcoming transitions. 

As FCPS communicated on Thursday, all FCPS middle and high schools will move to 3ft social distancing in all classrooms based on the updated CDC guidance of March 12, 2021. The ability to decrease social distancing from 6ft to 3ft means that middle and high schools will be expanding the number of students returning to four days of in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year.

For Glasgow, while we already have some students who are attending four days a week, this will mean that all students currently attending in-person two days per week will be invited to attend four days per week, starting on Tuesday, April 27. We will be sending out detailed information today via a separate email to all families whose students are currently attending school in person.

As Ramadan begins on Tuesday, April 13, per FCPS guidance just released, teachers will avoid any new graded assignments or activities such as tests, quizzes, or other assignments during religious and cultural observances in the 4th Quarter. Glasgow students can continue to move through self-paced instruction and always will have the opportunity for teacher support and to catch up as needed. 

SOLs will begin the week of May 10 and will run through the week of May 24. Here is our draft schedule:

• Reading: Monday, May 10 (virtual students) and Tuesday, May 11 (in-person students)
• Math: Monday, May 17 (virtual students) and Wednesday, May 19 (in-person students)
• Science 8: Monday, May 24 (virtual students) and Tuesday, May 25 (in-person students) 

We are currently working to contact all virtual students to invite them to test in the building on Mondays. If your child is virtual please complete this form to share with us testing intention. We will share further information about testing and potential schedule changes in the coming weeks.

As always, please reach out to me 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/

Important Dates

April 27 - In-Person Student Return 4 days a week - More information to come about this transition via a separate email today

April 27 - PTA Meeting - Save the Date

Week of May 10 - Reading SOL
Week of May 17 - Math SOL

Week of May 24 - 8th Grade Science SOL

Important Information 

Topic: Register for FCPS’ Special Education Conference - One to Share With Your Staff & Don’t Forget Parents/Guardians Can Attend Too - FCPS will hold its 16th Annual Special Education Conference on Saturday, April 17, virtually. The conference will include a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions supporting the conference's theme: The time for inclusion is now. A student strand will be held for youth ages 14-22. FCPS educators, administrators, and pre-service teachers will earn five recertification points for attending the entire conference. Register now. 

Parent Academy Follow-Up - Thank you to all who were able to attend our April Parent Academy session titled: COVID Vaccination, the Truth, which was led by a few Fairfax County Health Department experts. During the session, we explored the following:

• Common misconceptions surrounding the COVID vaccination
• Understand the components that make up the vaccine
• How to secure an appointment
• Ways to avoid scams
• Upcoming events

Here are the recordings for those who were unable to attend. We hope to see you again for our next Parent Academy on May 20^th where we will look at the importance of summer reading. Parent Academy 4.8.21 (Spanish) Parent Academy 4.8.21

Family Life Education - The Health and PE Department will be teaching Family Life Education (FLE) in the coming months: 7th grade will be in FLE from 4/20/21 to 4/24/21, and 8th grade from 5/11/21 to 5/14/21. If you had intended for your student to not participate in FLE, please complete the opt out form on the FCPS website and return it prior to the start of FLE. Questions can be directed to Amanda Eastman (ageastman@fcps.edu) or Michael Pulver (mapulver@fcps.edu).

IB Mid-Atlantic Student Excellence Award - The IB Mid-Atlantic Student Excellence Award application process is now open!  We will once again be recognizing outstanding PYP, MYP, CP, and DP students from our member schools who represent the ideals of the IB Learner Profile and who have displayed a commitment to service.   The award is $500 for at least one student in a PYP or MYP Programme, and $1,000 for at least one student in a DP or CP Programme.  The application can be accessed using the following link. Award guidelines are here. Applications are due by APRIL 15, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. No late applications will be considered.  If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Nonye Oladimeji our IBMYP coordinator at ceoladimeji@fcps.edu

Yearbook Store is Open - The Yearbook Store is open and ready for your orders!  Who doesn’t want to have the 2020-2021 yearbook to capture such a unique and different school year?  For the low cost of $25, you can guarantee a copy of the book will be reserved for you.  With a limited number of books for sale this year, don’t wait until the end of the school year to order.  Yearbooks will be distributed over the summer like we did last year.  If you have any questions, please contact our yearbook advisor, Mr. Perella: maperella@fcps.edu Here is the link to the on-line store:  https://www.balfour.com/virginia/alexandria/glasgow-middle-school

8^th Grade Baby Pictures and Glasgow Staff Baby Pictures

8^th Grade Families and Glasgow Staff, we would like to have a section of the yearbook highlighting when our 8^th graders and staff were babies or toddlers.  We will be accepting pictures until Friday, April 23^rd. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Perella, yearbook advisor, at maperella@fcps.edu  

Pictures may be submitted these 2 ways:

1. Balfour EZPix web site:  https://studio.balfour.com/ezpix/ 

• Yearbook Project Number:  117803
• Upload Code:  Please leave blank.  No Code is necessary.
• Login
• Scroll down, accept terms & conditions
• Fill out the requested information and begin uploading.  You can upload 10 pictures at a time.

2. Google Form

• Students and teachers can click on this form to upload pictures:  https://forms.gle/yutUVmWeW1VtEWWy7
• Please make sure to include name and grade.

The WP - Wolfpack Theatre at Justice High School is happy to present the virtual performance of Minus Some Buttons by Mark Dunn - Minus Some Buttons is an entertaining comedy about Graceland, a small-town elementary school in the late 1980’s where some very unconventional and humorous teaching methods are used. Join the cast of unique and delightful characters as they all remember that it can actually be fun to learn! This live performance is coming to you virtually at 7:00 pm on three nights: Thursday April 15th, Friday, April 16th, and Saturday, April 17, 2021. Kindly note this production is a fundraiser for our theatre program to help prepare for a return to live performances next year. You can reserve your ticket and make a donation via this link:   https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/15606/justice-high-school-theatre.

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/Wednesdays) at 3:15  and end at 4:30

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.

Youth Climate Action Team: Is an 8 week student led program which will increase student engagement, socioemotional wellness, educate students on the climate crisis, empower students to become environmental leaders through a culminating capstone project. There will be competitions amongst groups where students can earn prizes while learning about Deforestation, Global Warming and Tropical Storms. This Club will meet on Mondays starting March 15, 2021 at 2:30. For more information please contact Mr. Williams at gwilliams2@fcps.edu

Glasgow PTA News

The Glasgow Parent Teacher Association (PTA)  is currently seeking volunteers for the Glasgow PTA 2021 – 2022 Executive Board!  

See the Glasgow PTA Executive Board position descriptions and bylaws to understand the basics. For more information, contact the Nominating Committee before April 24th!

We are seeking volunteers for all roles, but critical need is for the role of President. 

President (Required by the Internal Revenue Service, Virginia and Glasgow PTA Bylaws)

• Preside at all meetings of this PTA. 
• Coordinate the work of the officers and committees of this PTA, in order that their purposes may be promoted; be available to assist with all work as needed. 
• Perform other such duties as may be prescribed in the Bylaws of this PTA. 
• Serve as an ex officio member of all committees of this PTA except the Nominating Committee. 
• Regularly maintain and respond to all correspondence directed to this PTA. Maintain PTA email account for use for all PTA correspondence. Regularly check for PTA mail and messages sent to the Glasgow main office.

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/