Glasgow Community Gazette - June 13

Glasgow Community:

It’s hard to believe this is the last message from us for the 2020-2021 school year! What a year it has been!  And we made it! #StrongerTogether2021 We would be remiss in not recognizing the huge role parents and guardians have played this year, teaching alongside us while in your homes. Thank you for all that you have contributed to your child’s learning and for your unwavering support.  We could not have done this without you!

Also, Fairfax County Public Schools’ contract with Blackboard ends on June 30. The new learning management system is Schoology (pronounced /SKOO-luh-jee/). Schoology is a learning space that enhances communication, collaboration, and personalized learning for students, teachers, and families. Schoology will be used division-wide starting in July. Parent accounts will be available in mid-August. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account. 

More information about Schoology is available online.

To all our students - our society owes you a great deal of gratitude. You have sacrificed for the greater good of our society and done so without complaint, with positive attitudes, with grit and resilience, and all the while supporting each other through it. I am truly in awe of our students and know that our future is in very good hands. 

Congratulations also to all 8th graders as they are promoted from middle school and go into the next exciting phase of their education in FCPS or beyond. Also, a special shout out to our very own Shannon Gray who was honored at the FCPS HONORS event this past week as a secondary finalist. Please see the picture below. We are so proud of all our teachers and staff! They really represent our school well! As the summer begins, I am still conducting home visits so please feel free to reach out and email me if you would like me to come visit your family!

We wish you a wonderful summer!

Humbly,

Victor L. Powell, Principal

Contact Information:

Email: vlpowell@fcps.edu

Twitter: @VictorLeonPowe1

Website: http://www.fcps.edu/GlasgowMS/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlasgowMS.FCPS/

Important Dates

June 17 - Last day counselors will be in the office. If you need assistance after this date, contact Director of Student Services, Joash Chung (jhchung@fcps.edu).

Important Information 

Glasgow Summer Reading Program: Have a splash exploring literacy this summer.  Participate in the Glasgow Summer reading program to explore a variety of literacy activities, participate in the public library  summer reading challenge, and join in on the UNPLUG challenge. See the Glasgow MS summer reading site for all of the details and resources! Complete the Google Form at the bottom of the summer reading site when you have COMPLETED the summer reading program. https://sites.google.com/fcpsschools.net/glasgowsummerreading/home

8th Grade Graduation: 8th Grade students, their families, and the Glasgow Middle School Staff came together virtually this past week to celebrate our students and their accomplishments throughout their time in middle school. Check out the award winners and farewell video in this article from our very own Panther Post: https://gmspantherpost.org/2372/student-life/8th-grade-students-at-gms-celebrate-in-final-farwell/

Yearbook Distribution Day: Yearbooks will be distributed during the summer this year. We will also hold a special yearbook signing celebration in honor of our 8^th graders before they move up to high school! 

Please see the tentative dates below – look for updates and more detailed information coming soon!

• Tuesday, July 27^th:   8^th Grade Distribution Day & Yearbook Signing Celebration
• Wednesday, July 28^th:  Distribution Day for all grade level students
• Tuesday, August 3^rd for all grade level students

Any yearbooks not picked up will be held in the main office at Glasgow (for 6^th & 7th graders) or will be shipped to Justice High School (for 8^th graders). Please contact Marc Perella (maperella@fcps.edu) with any questions.

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.  In addition to ordering a yearbook for your student, families may purchase extra yearbooks to be donated to Glasgow students.  On the website, simply choose “Friends of the Yearbook” and you can help to make a student smile!  Yearbooks will be distributed over the summer like we did last year.  If you have any questions, please contact Marc Perella: maperella@fcps.edu  Here is the link to the on-line store:  https://www.balfour.com/virginia/alexandria/glasgow-middle-school

Justice Athletics, Parents and families – We Need You: The athletic booster club is always looking for new members, officer candidates and committee volunteers. The boosters provide about 1/3 of the overall operating budget for Justice Athletics. Please use this Google Form if interested. Someone will be in touch soon! Join now. We meet monthly, with our June meeting taking place on Wednesday, June 16^th @ 6:30pm. Meeting Link

Justice HS Volleyball: Justice HS volleyball coaching staff will be holding a camp for boys and girls in grades 5th-8th from June 9-12.  All details and registration can be found at this link https://hallofjustice.com/jhsvc/.

Justice Row: Come learn to ROW!  Justice Rowing is offering a Summer Rowing Camp.  We'll meet down at our boathouse at Sandy Run Regional Park and learn about the racing shells, ERGs, and all about the great sport of rowing.  Dates TBD.  Go to JusticeRowing.org for more information, or send an email to justicerowing@gmail.com.  We look forward to seeing you!  

Summer Arts Camp: Does your child love the arts?  Are you looking for a wonderful summer enrichment opportunity for them?  Institute for the Arts and Elementary Institute for the Art's registration is open now for students currently in grades 2 through 11.  Don't delay, seats are first come first serve!  Registration closes June 25th. Tuition waivers are available for students who qualify.  Questions? Email: ifta@fcps.edu or efita@fcps.edu. Register here.

VIP Camp: Hello Panther Families! V.I.P(Value in Prevention) Camp is designed to encourage teens to develop healthy and positive recreation interests and features a wide variety of leisure activities and programs. V.I.P Camp will run Monday-Friday,  June 28, 2021-July 29, 20201 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m at Glasgow MS. This camp is sponsored by Fairfax County Public Schools and Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services guaranteeing a quality program for your child. To be eligible, participants must be current or rising middle school students residing in Fairfax County. Registration will be extended through Monday, May 24, 2021. For registration and camp information, click HERE (you MUST be signed into your students’ account to access this form). If you have questions, concerns or feedback please contact Mr. Williams at gwilliams2@fcps.edu

Summer Practice Books: Summer Practice Books will be mailed home to FCPS students to provide suggested activities for students to support continued learning.  Families who have opted-out of paper mailings from the division will only receive digital copies of the Summer Practice Books.  Books will be mailed home to families in early June to arrive before the last day of school, June 11, 2021.  Families will receive email communication in May about upcoming book arrival.  Digital versions of books will be emailed to the enrolling parent SIS account in PDF format the week of June 7, 2021.

Students enrolled in grades K-8 in 2020-21 will receive one Language Arts Practice Book and one Math Practice Book by course enrollment.  These books will also include information and guidance about digital tools that can be accessed by students and families to support learning throughout the summer.

English Learners and Special Education students may receive additional or customized books.   

More information can be accessed on the Summer Practice Books public webpage

After School Updates

Hello Panther Families! As Summer approaches, it’s hard to believe we’ve  completed another year of After School. Although we’ve had our challenges, it’s been fun interacting with our students and getting to know them. I am very appreciative of the relationships that have been made, as I am sure our teachers and administration feels the same way. Although the school year will be ending, we’ll still have learning opportunities and fun activities over the summer.  If you’re interested in Summer fun, please check out VIP CAMP (link). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at gwilliams2@fcps.edu.

Glasgow PTA News

PTA Meeting Recording: On Tuesday, 5/25 there was the final PTA meeting of the school year.  Here is a link to the recording.

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/