Glasgow Community Gazette - April 18

Glasgow Community:

One of my favorite times of the school year is spring. It is a time when we reflect on the current year and also a time when we are planning for the upcoming year. I love the hiring process, hearing from so many educators eager to share their experiences, working through the puzzle that is the master schedule, and thinking about how we continue to grow as a school. This year especially, I have loved getting to reconnect with our staff and students through our return and look forward to welcoming students four days per week, starting April 27.

In just a few weeks, on May 3rd, we will welcome our new principal, Mr. Victor Powell. The admin team and I have been meeting regularly with Victor the past several weeks. It is clear that listening and learning about Glasgow is very important to him, and he is very excited to get to know our staff, students, and families. I know Glasgow will be in good hands as I transition to another opportunity. My last day at Glasgow will be Friday, April 30, when I will then join Longfellow Middle School’s admin team for the remainder of the school year. 

As we approach this transition, I wanted to let you know that working at Glasgow with so many amazing students and families and leading our staff has truly been a highlight of my career. Glasgow is an incredible school. 

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 

April 27 - PTA Meeting -The next PTA meeting will be on April 27 at 7:00pm, we will welcome our new principal Victor Powell with a meet and greet. Here is the link to the session that will be in English, Spanish and Arabic.

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

Week of May 24 - 8th Grade Science SOL

May 31 - Memorial Day, no school for students

Important Information 

SOL Parent Intent Form: This Friday, April 23^rd is the last day we are accepting responses on the Parent SOL Intent form.  If you have not submitted a form by Friday, April 23^rd, if your student is in-person they will take all SOLs required for their grade level. If you do not submit a form and your student is 100% virtual, we will assume you are refusing testing.

If you haven’t already, please fill out this form ASAP and no later than April 23^rd. If you have any questions please email Sarah N’Guessan, our School Testing Coordinator, at senguessan@fcps.edu

3rd Quarter Ends Friday, March 26 & Report Cards: Friday, March 26 was the last day of the 3rd quarter. Due to changing FCPS guidance and required mailings, report cards will now be mailed home starting the week of April 19th. If you have questions about your child’s grades, please reach out to their classroom teacher. 

FCPS Grading Policy Updates - Pass/No Mark Forms Due May 10, 2021: Please read carefully for updates to the FCPS Grading Policy for middle school students including the due date to request pass-no mark grades for your child’s classes. If you have questions, please reach out to your child’s school counselor. 

In 2020-21, changes have been made to grading rules for middle school students. 

• All final marks of "F" will automatically receive a No Mark, "NM", with no action needed by student/family. A mark of "NM" will not be averaged into the student's grade-point average. 
• All final marks of "D" and "D+" will automatically receive a Pass, "P", with no action needed by student/family. 
• With parent/guardian approval, passing marks ("A" through "C-") may be replaced with a mark of "P" by completing this form and returning it to the school counselor/student services department. This decision may not be reversed. 
• A mark of "P" (in lieu of grades "A" through "D") will earn credit and will allow for enrollment in the next course but will not be averaged into the student's grade-point average. Only the letter "P" shall be recorded on the final transcript. 
• It is important for students and families to review the important considerations and frequently asked questions prior to submitting the request for pass-no mark. Information concerning the pass-no mark option for 2020-21 is available to all parents on the following web site: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/.  This form must be submitted in hard copy or via email to the school counselor/Student Services Department by May 10, 2021. Paper copies will be mailed home to all families with 3rd quarter report cards. 

Additional 4 Days a Week of In-Person Instruction and Enrollment Change Requests: Parents of in-person students should have received an invitation regarding additional days of in-person instruction per recently revised FCPS plan. Check your emails for this invitation. As of 3/26, per FCPS guidance we are no longer accepting requests for students to switch to in-person instruction. If you would like to switch your in-person child to virtual instruction for the remainder of the year, please complete the enrollment change request form in English or Spanish, and allow 48 hours for processing. 

Q4 Catch-up Days: For 4th quarter, catch-up days will be determined by individual courses and will be scheduled between May 4 - June 4. This is to ensure that there is minimal full day disruptions to live instruction as we enter into the final weeks of the school year. 

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).

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

Panther Time Picture Day: We have figured out a way to get pictures of all of our students into the yearbook so there is no need for families to send in pictures!  We are going to hold Panther Time Picture Day in May!  On Friday, May 7th, during Panther Time, your student’s Panther Time teacher will have the class log into Google Meet for the class picture.  Your student’s Panther Time teacher will take a screenshot and “capture” the class.  Mr. Perella will collect these class pictures and insert them into the yearbook spreads.  Please encourage your student to turn on their camera on Panther Time Picture Day. 

8th Grade Baby Pictures and Glasgow Staff Baby Pictures: 8th Grade Families and Glasgow Staff, we would like to have a section of the yearbook highlighting when our 8th graders and staff were babies or toddlers.  We will be accepting pictures until Friday, April 23rd. 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.

Search for a New Principal for Justice High School / Message from Dr. Fabio Zuluaga / Region 2 Assistant Superintendent: As you know the Department of Human Resources is in the process of selecting a new Principal for Justice High. The goal is for the new Principal to start on July 1, 2021.  Our FCPS/HR Department in conjunction with Region 2 Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Fabio Zuluaga and Region 2 Executive Principal, Dr. Brendan Menuey conducted a meeting with the community this past Tuesday, April 6^th.  We were able to record both presentations. If you are interested in learning more about the process please connect with the following links:

English - Arabic

English- Spanish

If you have comments please send them directly to Mr. Adam McGeehan at McGeehan, Adam apmcgeehan@fcps.edu

Hunger Games: The 6th Annual Hunger Games is HERE! The Hunger Games is a schoolwide service-learning project that fosters awareness of hunger and homelessness. The goal of the Hunger Games is for students and teachers to donate non-perishable food and toiletry items. Donations Everything collected will be redistributed to Glasgow families in need and/or community organizations that combat hunger and homelessness. Glasgow is divided into “districts” competing to make the most impact! Please review the donations list and drop-off times/locations (below) to support your student’s district! You can also sign-up to volunteer with donation collection on Mondays or make a monetary donation here.

• Monday, 10:30-12pm @ Glasgow (Door 8), & Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center (Outside)
• Tuesday-Friday, 6:45-7:30am @ Glasgow cafeteria stage

A food distribution date will be scheduled toward the end of April for families -- Details to come! Please contact Destiny Delaware (ddelaware@fcps.edu) or Shona Person (sdperson@fcps.edu) with questions.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) Bioinformatics Society - Are you interested in biology or computer science? Do you enjoy competing and working with other students? TJHSST Bioinformatics Society is hosting its 5th annual BioCode competition, with over $1000 in prizes. To register, please sign up at this link: BioCode signup form.

For more information, feel free to check out our website: tjbiocode.weebly. 

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.

Youth Climate Action Team (YCAT) - Are you concerned about Climate Control? Are you interested in learning and doing your part to protect our environment? If you’ve answered yes to either of these questions, YCAT(Youth Climate Action Team) may be the club for you. Please take a look at the video. YCAT meets every Monday at 3:00 in the Google Classroom. For more information, please contact Mr. Williams at gwilliams2@fcps.edu or the YCAT team at contact@ycatinc.com.

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.

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/