Glasgow Parents and Community:
Greetings! One more week till school begins! All our teachers will be back on Monday August 14th for Teacher Report Week and getting things ready for the school year! This weekend I finished another book I WISH MY DAD - by Romal Tune. Also went to the Book Festival in DC with my family. Definitely would recommend the book and the event to everyone. It was a great read. Also, be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.
- Days marked with blue Hs are student holidays.
- Days marked with orange Os are religious and cultural observance days (or evenings if only half marked).
- Days marked in pink are holidays for students, but working days for teachers and staff.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and the start of each month coincides with the birth of a new moon. The date of Eid a-Fitr is regionally decided, which can lead to unexpected date changes. Eid al-Fitr is currently slated to begin at sunset on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, and last through sundown Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Tuesday is designated a half-O day, and Wednesday is a holiday, with all schools and offices being closed. If the day for Eid changes after the school year begins, the calendar may be adjusted.
This is an exciting time for FCPS! We are continuing the work of implementing our new strategic plan. Next week, teachers will learn how their work is critical to achieving excellent student outcomes.
Stay tuned for additional information on how FCPS’ new strategic plan is coming to life. In the meantime, please visit the Strategic Plan webpage.
Humbly,
Victor L. Powell, Principal
Contact Information:
Email: vlpowell@fcps.edu
Twitter: @VictorLeonPowe1
Website: http://www.fcps.edu/GlasgowMS/
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 Second Story transforms the lives of children, youth and their families by providing safe havens and opportunities for them to grow and thrive. Our programs provide support at critical turning points in their lives.
Though these safe spaces are the first step, we also work closely with youth and families to help them achieve their goals and work toward self-sufficiency, breaking cycles of homelessness, abuse, and poverty. All of our programs are located in Northern Virginia, though depending on the circumstance youth outside of our community can receive support as well. We had a great time with our families last week connecting with us about how we can ensure our students have a great school year!
https://www.second-story.org/
 
Open House
We hope that you will join us for our Open House for ALL students and their families on Wednesday, August 16th from (9-11AM) & (1-3PM) when students can pick up their schedules and find their classrooms. Our Student Services staff, Administrative team and teachers will be in attendance at the Open House, you will also have the opportunity to meet all teachers and staff at Back to School Night on September 13th from 6-8PM that goes more into instruction and the curriculum within their classes. Open House sets an inviting atmosphere and welcoming tone for the school year. It is an informal event for students and families to tour the building, meet and greet teachers, collect general information about classes and programs, meet new friends and get to know the building before school begins. For crowding purposes, we have two windows of time for our families to attend Open House.
   
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Important Dates
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Wednesday, August 16th – Open House
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Monday, August 21st - First day of school
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Friday, September 1st - School Holiday
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Monday, September 4th - Labor Day Holiday
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Wednesday, September 13th - Back to School Night at 6:00-8:00PM
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Monday, September 25th - School Holiday; Yom Kippur
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Monday, December 18th-Monday, January 1st - Winter Break
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Monday, March 25th-Friday, March 29th - Spring Break
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Wednesday, June 12th - Last Day of School
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School Supplies
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Lined paper
Pencils
Pencil sharpener
Scissors
Pens, blue / black / red
Erasers
Colored pencils
Markers
Highlighters
Straight edge ruler
Compass / protractor kit (Geometry)
2 pocket Folders
Dry erase markers
Notebooks
Helpful to have (Not Required)
Post-it notes
Index Cards
Graph Paper
*Some teachers may require other supplies for their classes in addition to this list. Your child will receive information regarding those supplies during the first week of school.
Communities In Schools is a national organization that ensures every student, regardless of race, gender, ability, zip code, or socioeconomic background has what they need to realize their full potential in school and beyond.
Communities In Schools works by bringing community resources directly into schools through embedding a trained local coordinator whose sole focus is helping connect students with additional support to help them learn, advance in grade level and graduate. Please welcome our Glasgow MS - CIS coordinators for our school! Chris Olszewski chris@cisofnova.org and Ms. ulma zulma@cisofnova.org
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Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
We just wrapped up a very successful summer for the Glasgow Panther’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club. Glasgow Middle School was the first middle school ever, in Fairfax County, to send national qualifiers to the FBLA National Leadership Conference (NLC). This year’s week-long conference was held in Atlanta, GA and hosted 14,000 students from around the world! Glasgow sent 5 students to the NLC. Qualifying for the NLC is already an accomplishment on its own and requires participants to have placed in 1st or 2nd in their state competition. As their FBLA Advisor, I am extremely proud of all my club members and national qualifiers.
The following students qualified in their respective business events below:
Video Game Challenge
- Ian Caballero-Sotelo
- Nii Annan
- Javier Caballero-Sotelo
Business Ethics
Exploring Business Issues
Upon arrival to Atlanta, the students eagerly began preparing for their event presentations. Each event had a preliminary round and then a final round for the top 15 in the country. These students truly gave it their all. Of the five competitors, the Video Game Challenge team and Nisreen qualified for finals! This is HUGE! Before finals, the students had to clean up their presentations and present again a couple days later. Of our finalists, our Video Game Challenge team finished in 4th place in the entire country! Ian, Javier, and Nii were beaming with pride on the stage.
When they were not competing, students were able to have professional photos taken, learn about business opportunities, meet college recruiters, and attend business info sessions at the conference. The students learned so much and took advantage of every opportunity. It was a great experience for them. One of the most fun activities was the exchanging of pins. Students bought pins representing their own state or country and traded them with other students from different places. Glasgow students had so much fun meeting people from all over the world.
It was not all business in Atlanta. During our down time, we visited the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola, toured Georgia Tech’s campus, had a blast at the FBLA Block Party, and enjoyed the local Atlanta cuisine. This was genuinely a trip of a lifetime for these kids. The students repeatedly exclaimed how much fun they were having. We hope that this year's trip provides a solid foundation for future Glasgow FBLA adventures and success.
Free Resources for Families
Did you know that caregivers can access free webinars, confidential consultations, a lending library, and resources to help adults support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities?
Learn more about FCPS’ Family Resource Center (FRC).
Workshops for Families
The Family Resource Center is already scheduling a helpful series of webinars for the 2023-24 school year. Save the date for the following discussions in September. See the full list of workshops. Click on the title to register for each event:
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New School Year, New Strategies: How to Plan, Persist, and Achieve Academic Success This Year, on Friday, September 8, 10-11:30 a.m.
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Meet the Author Series: The Self-Driven Child by Dr. William Stixrud, Friday, September 15, 10-11:15 a.m.
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Characteristics and Needs of Twice-Exceptional (2e) Learners, on Tuesday, September 19, 10-11:30 a.m.
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Who's the Boss? 5 Ways for Families to Help Kids with Big Emotions, Friday September 29, 10-11:30 a.m.
Be the first to learn about new workshops by signing up for the FRC newsletter.
Important Information for the Beginning of the Year
Access to Student Information for Parents
Access your student’s attendance records, grades, and assignments at any time with SIS ParentVUE. Caregivers should receive an activation code when they register their child.
Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. Access SIS ParentVUE by using an app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices.
Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.
Information parents will be able to access includes:
- Attendance
- Health information
- Discipline incidents
- Name of 2023-24 Classroom Teacher
- Bus stop and approximate times
In addition, parents will also be able to view school information, including teacher email addresses, the FCPS calendar, and emergency contact information.
Are Your Child’s Immunizations and Records Up to Date?
Immunizations are required for public school entry and help keep students protected from serious diseases. Many children missed their well check-ups and their recommended childhood vaccinations during recent years because of disruptions from COVID-19. It is critical to catch up to keep children healthy and ready for school.
While COVID-19 vaccinations are not required, many other immunizations are. Check with your students’ healthcare providers now to make sure they are up to date on their immunizations.
Visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of clinics or contact your family’s healthcare provider. Appointments are required for most clinics.
Remember to request documentation of your child’s immunizations to provide to their school. Get more information on immunization requirements and the necessary documentation to share with your child’s school.
Home and School Communication
We have a variety of methods for communication. First and foremost, News You Choose a subscription based newsletter will be sent by email each Friday with weekly news and updates. Subscribe for News You Choose by visiting this link. Enotify will be used for any emergency or timely messages and does not require a subscription. It will be very important for each family to enroll in a SIS Parent Account online tool. Occasionally, we may send papers home on Thursday’s. News and events will be posted on our school website. Teachers will often communicate via Talking Points and information is posted in Schoology and SIS.
Bus Riders
During the first week, your child should arrive at the bus stop a few minutes early until the bus driver establishes a regular routine. I highly encourage you to have your child ride the bus to school on the first day to get in the routine of which bus to ride home each day. We will use the list from transportation to check in with each bus rider and give them a card with their bus number home. You will receive a letter with your child’s bus number, stop location, and approximate times. If you would like to request a different bus stop, please complete an Exception To Ride form which can be found at this link: https://tinyurl.com/FCPS-Transportation. Please email it to Route Supervisor
Visitor Registration
We have the same visitor registration system as our elementary feeder schools. Parents new to Glasgow Middle School will need to register at the first visit. After that it will take under 15 seconds to sign in and get a visitor badge if you have an ID with you. Office staff will be available to help parents use the system. Having a driver’s license handy makes the registration process faster, but a driver’s license is not required.
Food and Celebrations
We have several students with medical needs that are food related. For safety, we do not allow food items for birthday celebrations. You may send in a small token such as a pencil. Children are celebrated at school in the classroom and on our news show and morning announcements.
Parent Responsibility
- Keep your student(s) home when they are sick.
- Advise the School Health Aide or the Public Health Nurse of any special health concerns.
- Immediately notify the physical education (PE) teacher if your child has any activity restrictions.
- Provide current home, work, and alternate telephone numbers.
- For medications that must be administered during the school day, please follow the guidelines of FCPS Regulation 2102:
- Complete the FCPS Medication Authorization Form and Medication Delivery/Pick Up Form. These forms can be found in the clinic or by emailing our Public Health Nurse, Michele Brookhart mbrookhart@fcps.edu
- Provide the school with properly labeled containers.
- Medications must be transported to and from school by a parent/guardian; except with parent/guardian approval for a high school student to carry over-the-counter (OTC) medications to and from the school health room.
- Medications must be kept in the school health room or other approved location unless approved for the student to carry it. If a student carries his or her own medication, a backup may be kept in the school health room.
- OTC medications may be given up to ten consecutive school days with the parent’s or guardian’s signature on the FCPS Medication Authorization form before a physician’s authorization is required.
- OTC pain relievers for headaches, menstrual cramps, orthodontic pain or muscle aches may be given as needed throughout the school year with only the parent’s or guardian’s signature on part I of the FCPS Medication Authorization form.
- Cough drops and throat lozenges may be carried and used by students in kindergarten through 12th grade as needed provided they are in the original packaging. Students must not share cough drops or throat lozenges under any circumstances.
This school year, please note some changes in our medication protocols to help ensure the safety of our medication administration management in Fairfax County Public Schools. These changes include:
- Any time you drop off or pick up a medication in the health room, a Medication Delivery/Pick Up Form will be completed and signed by both the parent/guardian and the School Health Aide or FCPS staff member. This form will document that all required authorizations are complete, and the number of pills or amount of medication accepted/returned. A copy of the form will be given to the parent/guardian and school administrator.
- All medications must be in the original pharmacy container. Over the counter (OTC) medications must be in an unopened original container. It will no longer be acceptable for parents/guardians to bring in refills from home and place them into the container currently in the health room.
- Only a 30-day supply of medications should be brought to school. No more than 100 tablets or pills of OTC medication should be brought to school.
All requirements outlined in FCPS Regulation 2102, First Aid, Emergency Treatment and Administration of Medication for Students, continue to apply.
Starting school year 23-24 there will be new EPI-PEN forms
f your student has an Epi-Pen medication prescribed, please have this form completed by your student’s health care provider and bring in your student’s own rescue medication to the school health room. The health care provider must be licensed to prescribe medication in the U.S.
The Epi-Pen form from previous school years will not be accepted. New forms can be found online at this link Authorization for Anaphylaxis Action Plan or by requesting it from the school PHN. Once your health care provider has completed the AUTHORIZATION FOR ANAPHYLAXIS ACTION PLAN, you may bring the medication to the school PHN/SHA for proper intake.
The Virginia Asthma Action Plan
The Virginia Asthma Action Plan template developed by the Virginia Asthma Coalition and adopted by the Virginia Department of Education will be used to guide the care your student receives and serve as the health care provider orders. Links : VA ASTHMA ACTION PLAN and FCPS Authorization for VA Asthma Plan
If your student has a rescue asthma medication prescribed, please have this form completed by your student’s health care provider and bring in your student’s own rescue medication to the school health room. The health care provider must be licensed to prescribe medication in the U.S.
Additionally:
Links:
FCPS Authorization for VA Asthma Plan-English
FCPS Authorization for VA Asthma Plan-Spanish
FCPS Authorization for VA Asthma Plan-Arabic
FCPS Authorization for VA Asthma Plan-Chinese
COVID-19: To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at school, FCPS has developed the Health and Safety Guidance Document for 2021-22 | Fairfax County Public Schools (fcps.edu). These guidelines are continuously updated to follow the most current CDC guidance on COVID mitigation. Please review the guidelines periodically to stay up to date. Any questions should be directed to school administration. Vaccines are safe, effective, available, free and an important strategy in fighting COVID. To make an appointment for your student, visit the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS).
Thank you for your cooperation in helping to make this a safe and healthy school year. If you have any questions, please feel free to call either the School Health Aide, Claudia Vladescu, at 703.503.2710 or Public Health Nurse, Autumn Levasseur, RN, at( 571) 495-9645.
Tutor.com Is Still Available Free for All FCPS Students
Online tutoring through Tutor.com is still available to ALL FCPS students as a resource for both support and enrichment. Last school year, more than 12,000 students participated in approximately 70,000 tutoring sessions. Tutor.com will remain available to all FCPS students at no cost this school year.
Locker Removal
A percentage of our lockers are being removed to allow for more space in the main hallways upstairs, which will positively impact the flow of students getting to and from class each period! We are excited and thankful for all the hard work from our facilities department in FCPS!
 
SIS ParentVUE
Support Your Child’s Success!
Access your student’s attendance records, grades, and assignments at any time with SIS ParentVUE. Caregivers should receive an activation code when they register their child.
Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. Access SIS ParentVUE by using an app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices.
Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.
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