Glasgow Parents and Community:
Greetings! I hope everyone had a peaceful weekend. It has been a great weekend for me. My mother is in town and it's been great visiting with her. That time is priceless. Also, I wanted to share our accreditation information and items we are working on. Please see the images below. We are working on Math and English Special Education instruction for our school and also targeting our Science instruction.
As you know, Middle School sports is happening and we’re planning for a fun and exciting sports program. As some of you know, Cross Country practice is starting this week. We also have an Intramural Basketball competition planned as well. Glasgow will participate in our first annual Hoops Challenge with Thoreau MS, Kilmer MS, Jackson MS, Holmes MS and Poe MS. Practice will begin on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023 during 1st block. Participation will require students to be in good academic and behavioral standing. Students can be removed from the team if these expectations are not being met. Practices will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays also in 1st Block. Students are required to attend practices to participate in the games. The games will be played at Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Rd, Falls Church, VA 22042) Friday, October 13th, October 20th, and October 27th. Games will start at 4:30 and end at 8:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Williams gwilliams2@fcps.edu.
All FCPS students continue to have unlimited access to live, 24/7, one-on-one online tutoring services through Tutor.com at no cost to families. Student participation is optional and parents/caregivers can opt their student(s) out of accessing the services. Get more information on the Tutor.com Online Tutoring Services webpage.
Students can access Tutor.com via a link in Schoology. Additional information about how to log in and access a tutor is provided to families via the following: Elementary - How It Works and Middle & High - How It Works. Questions not answered in the posted resources may be sent to onlinetutoring@fcps.edu.
Also, please see Dr. Ricardy Anderson’s 2023 Back to School Message! September 13th from 6-8PM - Back to School Night.
STEAMOLOGY STEM Fest Offers Hands-On Activities for Students: Students are invited to participate in STEM FEST on Saturday, October 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at South County High School. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade can participate in robotics demonstrations, coding experiments, and more. High school students are invited to volunteer. Visit the STEAMOLOGY website for more information.
Humbly,
Victor L. Powell
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 Glasgow Back to School Night
September 13, 2023; 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Back to School Night is an opportunity for parents and guardians to connect with all of their student’s teachers, counselors, and administrators. Our event this year will be in person. Glasgow Panthers and their families will rotate through students’ schedules to meet each of their teachers in their classrooms. We are looking forward to seeing you for Back to School Night!
Family Life Education (FLE) Preview Night
The Glasgow Health and Physical Education department invites families to come to the Family Life Education (FLE) preview night on Wednesday, September 13 prior to the beginning of Back to School Night. Lesson materials and teachers will be available in the health rooms from 5:30pm-6:00pm. The presentations will be in room C137A/B.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) information Session
September 13th 5:00pm - 6:00pm. Do you have a student who is interested in applying for enrollment at TJHSST next year? Would you and/or your student like to learn more about TJHSST? Representatives from TJHSST will be at Glasgow on September 13th from 5:00pm - 6:00pm to present on the programming/curriculum and application process in our lecture hall. All are welcome.
Course Requests/Schedule Changes
The window to submit course change requests has closed. Counselors are currently working through course corrections (students who have been placed in the wrong classes as per beginning of year assessment data and/or program participation) and will begin to look at requests that were submitted by the deadline during the week of September 5th. The school’s schedule is built based upon the request students make during the spring course selection process. The options to make changes at this time are extremely limited and will be based upon approval from the Director of Student Services, Jenn Pallotto. If a course request change can be granted, students, parents/guardians and teachers will be notified. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
World Language Credit Exam
November 9, 2023 Glasgow will host the World Language Credit Exam. The exam is designed to assess students’ native language proficiency and enable them to earn one to three credits toward fulfilling the world languages requirement for the Advanced Studies Diploma, see more information on the credit exam website. The registration window opens on Tuesday, September 5, at 8 a.m. and closes on Thursday, October 5, at 4 p.m. for more information about the exam and the registration process, your student should speak with their school counselor:
Student Vue and Parent Vue
All FCPS students have a Student Vue account. All student schedules are active and up to date in SIS Student Vue and SIS Parent Vue. If you do not have a SIS Parent Vue account, we strongly encourage you to sign up for an account. You can find directions on how to do so at this link: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/student-information-system-sis-fcps/sis-parent-account-registration. Once you have signed up for an account, you’ll need an activation code - which we will work as quickly as we can to provide to you. You can find a video that provides information on how to use SIS Parent Vue and all that you will be able to access with your account here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLwkkemipws.
Health Information and Emergency Care Forms
The Health Information Form (HIF) (SS/SE -71) Health Information Form and the Emergency Care Information form (SS/SE-3) Emergency Care Information provide valuable information regarding student health conditions. These forms are critical in the early identification of students who may need healthcare support in the educational environment. Along with the development of Healthcare Plans (HCP) and Action Plans, the Public Health Nurses (PHNs) utilize the information contained in the HIF to develop teaching strategies for FCPS staff in order to meet the requirements of Regulation 2104 Health Services-School Health Related Needs.
For SY 23-24, these forms will be required for all students. Parents/guardians may submit these forms either through electronic submission accessed within the weCare@school (weCare) module.
Students Are Learning Every Day
As you plan upcoming trips and other family events, please remember the importance of sending your child to school every day. Review the FCPS School Year Calendar and try to plan any time away during long breaks from school.
Children who show up for school regularly develop fundamental reading and math skills while building a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers. Research shows that children who were chronically absent (missing 18 days or more) in kindergarten and first grade were far less likely to read proficiently at the end of third grade.
Read more about how families can help form good attendance habits.
Kiss and Ride
We have many families who choose to drop off and pick up students each day from school. We ask that all families use the kiss and ride line for student drop off and pick up. To keep the flow of traffic moving along and to maintain safety, we ask that you pull your cars up and stop at the locations our monitors direct to before allowing your child to exit your vehicle. Please be sure students are ready to exit cars with all their things out of car doors that exit onto the sidewalk. Please wait for the car in front of you to pull forward before you begin to depart. We also ask that you refrain from parking in the kiss and ride line or double parking in the lane. If you need to enter the building, please find a parking spot to park in our lot – do not double park in the parking lot or drop students off in the parking lot. Cones will be placed in the first two lanes of the parking lot to close off traffic and prevent families from dropping off students in the lot. Thank you so much for your cooperation.
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2023-24 Student Rights and Responsibilities
FCPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment. In late June, the School Board approved changes to the SR&R for the 2023-24 school year. Updates include a revision of dress code expectations, bystander expectations for students witnessing harmful or unsafe behaviors, bullying, and substance abuse responses. Read Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid’s letter to families regarding the SR&R.
Parents/caregivers should talk to their child(ren) about expectations for this school year. Also, please log in to SIS ParentVUE and sign to acknowledge your review of the SR&R, or sign and return the signature sheet to your child’s school by Friday, September 29.
- 🔍 Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity
FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service.
Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.
Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports.
Virginia Growth Assessment
The Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) is a test required for students in grades 3-8. For the 2023-2024 school year, students will take a reading and mathematics VGA in the fall and winter. For fall 2023, VGA will address content that was taught in the previous school year. There is no “passing” or “failing” outcome for the VGA. Results will provide starting and mid-year data about student growth and will offer information about areas of strength and growth in reading and mathematics. All middle school students take the VGA for reading. However, middle school students enrolled in a high school credit-bearing math course, such as Algebra 1, will not take a VGA for mathematics. The following points may help you and your student better understand this assessment.
- VGA must be taken in person at school.
- This online, computer-adaptive test is about half as long as the spring SOL test.
- Questions use Standards of Learning (SOL)-like items to measure current knowledge and skills in the content area.
- Student results will be used to help school staff plan for instruction and support.
Caregiver Checklist: Have You Completed These Important Forms?
During the first weeks of the year, caregivers receive many forms to complete. Several of the most important ones are below:
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Digital Resources Consent: Some FCPS-approved digital resources require parent/caregiver consent before they can be used by students. Find the list of resources which require consent on the Digital Resources - Parent Consent page. This page also includes directions on how to provide permission.
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Student Rights and Responsibilities: This document explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses. Parents using SIS ParentVUE will be prompted to sign the document when they log in to that platform. A printable version of the document with a signature sheet is available on the SR&R webpage.
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Opt-Outs: The Opt-Out Booklet is online or available from your child’s school. It contains information on:
- Parents’ rights to inspect and consent or opt out before their child participates in certain surveys.
- Parents’ rights to inspect instructional materials.
- Rules regarding student records and disclosure of student information (including photo/video of students) and the right to opt out.
- Parents’ rights to opt out of the Social Emotional Learning Screener, physical exams not required by state law, career or social emotional counseling, Library Equity Access Pass Project, and/or Tutor.com.
- The process by which complaints may be filed if parents or students believe their rights have been violated.
The Importance of Up-to-Date Immunizations
Immunizations are required for public school entry and help keep students protected from serious diseases. 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. Immunization records can now be updated online in SIS ParentVUE through the Online Verification Update form. To access that form, click Online Packets in the top right of the screen after logging in to SIS ParentVUE. Caregivers can obtain an activation key letter to activate their SIS ParentVUE account by contacting [the main office].
Statewide Outbreak of Meningococcal
One of the required immunizations for students entering 7th and 12th grade is the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY). The Virginia Department of Health is currently tracking a statewide outbreak of meningococcal disease. MenACWY can provide protection against the bacteria responsible for this outbreak.
Visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of immunization 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.
2023-24 Health and Safety Guidance for Schools
Although the COVID-19 hospital transmission level (previously the COVID-19 Community Transmission level) for Fairfax County is currently low, COVID-19 cases have risen in Virginia during the last few weeks, and flu season will soon be upon us. Be sure to review FCPS Health and Safety Guidance for the best ways to prevent the spread of disease and to find out when students should stay home from school.
Future Scientists
If you are interested in joining the 2023-24 Glasgow Science Olympiad team, fill out the 2023-24 interest form available at this link: tinyurl.com/muvnjs4h
Please fill it out by Friday, Sept. 1.
Our first meeting will be held online Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 7pm-8pm using Google Meets at this link: https://meet.google.com/idf-sscs-ueo We will briefly introduce Science Olympiad for new students/parents; we will discuss the tournaments we are planning to attend; we will see who from last year is interested in returning for the 2023-24 season; and we will make sure everyone understands the extra work that is required when taking on building events. You or a parent must attend this meeting if you wish to be on the team this year (or be excused ahead of time by the coaches).
The regular after-school meeting time for Science Olympiad will be on Wednesdays, block 2, once the after-school program starts up (later in September—watch for Mr. Williams’ emails). We plan to hold one in-person general interest meeting during the after-school time before making the event assignments and closing the team to new members. We can only take 30 students for the team, but we do keep a wait-list of 6-8 people and invite waitlist students to attend meetings (last year everyone on the waitlist made it onto the team). Team members need to commit to being on the team all year, attending 3-4 weekend tournaments, and attending the Science Olympiad team meetings every Wednesday in block 2 unless excused by the coaches (plan to attend even if the lunch time sign-up fills up).
For more information about the Science Olympiad, visit www.soinc.org or www.virginiaso.org. Feel free to reach out to the coaches with any questions:
Middle School Athletics
Glasgow Middle School will be offering Athletics for middle school students–for the first time–in September 2023. Starting with cross country this fall and outdoor track to follow in Spring 2024, middle school athletics is being offered at no cost to students. For more information, please refer to the recording of the interest meeting that took place on September 7th (must be accessed through @fcpsschools.net account). All completed forms can be emailed to John Lee at jjlee4@fcps.edu or turned in to Mr. Lee at room E220. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Lee in person or via email.
League of Ladies (LOL)
League of Ladies (LOL) will focus on relationship building, leadership development, and forming a strong sense of self. Our goal for this year is to help our members create a support network of positive peers and engage in community services projects that will directly benefit our community.
Kickball Club is an opportunity for students to get outside, be physically active, and have fun with friends! Come join us, improve your hand eye coordination, and let your competitive spirit out. We will learn skills of the game of kickball, create new teams each day and help encourage each other to play hard and possibly be crowned Kickball Champion.
3D Printer Club
We will be starting the 3D Printer club on Tuesdays and Thursdays during after school in Room (not sure). Let all your students know--especially the creative, artistic, and math/science lovers. Whatever they can think of, they can design. Whatever they can design, we can print. Any staff that wants to support and collaborate can join us as well. There will be small, medium, and large-scale projects that we will tackle throughout the year, focusing on sustainability, school-improvement, and fun.
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- September 13th Back to School Night
- September 25th Holiday (Yom Kippur)
- October 9th Indigenous People's Day
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