Glasgow Parents and Community:
Greetings! I hope everyone’s Sunday has been peaceful! Last week on January 9th we had our Glasgow PTA Meeting. Please see the recording. Our next Meeting will be on February 6th, 2024. Save the Date: Academy Open Houses Begin This Month! Is your child interested in architecture and construction, information technology, or health science? FCPS high school academies will hold open houses for interested students beginning in mid-January.
A high school Academy is a center within a high school that offers advanced technical and specialized courses to prepare students for postsecondary education and/or career fields. Students enrolling in Academy elective courses will be provided with opportunities to participate in a variety of career experiences including shadowing, mentoring, or internships with local businesses. Learn more and view the calendar of Academy open houses.
For families without SIS ParentVue accounts, forms can be located on the General Registration Forms page. Some FCPS-approved digital resources require parent consent before they can be used by students. Find the list of resources which require consent on the Parent Consent webpage. This page also includes directions for providing permission.
Each digital resource used in FCPS has had an instructional and technical review. Information about the educational technology tools approved for use within FCPS can be found in the online Digital Ecosystem Library. Parents can find more information about FCPS-approved digital resources on the Digital Resources in FCPS webpage. We hope you enjoy the long weekend, and we look forward to seeing students back at school on Tuesday.
Humbly,
Victor L. Powell
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Multilingual Learners Night at Glasgow
You’re invited to celebrate our multilingual learners. Join us for a night of activities that will engage your family in promoting and celebrating your child’s language learning skills. Come to Glasgow on Tuesday, January 16th from 7-8 for music, games, language learning, student awards, and food!
Upcoming High School Events for Current 8th Graders/Rising 9th Graders
Falls Church High School
Curriculum Night - January 10th 6:15-8:00pm
We wanted to share with you that the first big event to begin our academic advising season will be our curriculum night. We will hold the event in person, hosted by our Principal, Director of Student Services, Academy Administrator, Director of Student Activities and department representatives.
Who: Students, Parents & Caregivers of 8th, 9th, 10th, & 11th graders that will be attending FCHS in the Fall of 2024
When: January 10, 2024, 6:15pm – 8:00pm
Where: Falls Church High School Auditorium & Lobby
What: Curriculum night is a presentation to families regarding course selection information, diploma requirements, Academy opportunities and curriculum information such as AP and honors levels. The Falls Church Academy is included and holds an open house to allow all eligible high school students a chance to learn about the Academy offerings.
Why: Your child will be selecting his/her/their courses for the next school year, this presentation offers lots of information on making the best choices for a successful school year.
Annandale High School
Rising 9th Grade Open House - January 17: Come to Annandale High School on January 17 from 6-8pm for an Open House to learn more about what high school at Annandale is all about! We will offer short (optional) sessions on our various Annandale programs, and teachers will be in their classrooms throughout the evening to share all about our core and elective courses for 9th Graders. The goal is for students and parents to leave this event excited about all the opportunities you will have as an Annandale Atom and prepared to complete your course request form! If you have any questions, please contact Erik Healey.
Breakout Sessions on the following topics will be offered throughout the evening: Welcome to Annandale, Course Request 101;Activities and Athletics; and Student Life.
If you have specific questions that you would like to be addressed during this event, please submit your questions via this Google Form. Thank you in advance for your input and assisting us in making this event a success!
Stay Tuned for more information from Justice HS about their rising 9th grade Night!
Glasgow Middle School Course Selection
The course selection process for the 2023-2024 school year is about to begin! Rising 7th and 8th grade Glasgow students will receive lessons about available course options and how to select courses in SIS starting on January 8th. Counselors will be meeting with students for academic advising throughout January and February. 6th and 7th grade students will be meeting with counselors during the week of January 15th. Rising 9th grade students will meet with counselors later in the month of February. Once students meet with counselors for advising, courses will be available for your preview in SIS ParentVue as well as SIS StudentVue by selecting “Course Request”. Please be sure you are talking with your child about their course options for next year in preparation for their academic advising meeting. If changes need to be made after their academic advising meeting, please contact your child’s counselor. Students have until March 15th to make any requests for changes for the 2024-2025 school year. March 15th is our deadline to help us prepare for staffing for the upcoming year.
Rising 6th grade Curriculum Night
Glasgow will be holding its first IN PERSON middle school transition/curriculum night event for families of rising 6th graders who will attend Glasgow on Wednesday January 24th from 6pm - 8:30pm (Snow date January 31st). Families with students who will be in 6th grade at Glasgow next year are invited to attend.. Students are welcome to come with their families to this event. Please be sure to share with anyone you know who has a rising 6th grader who will be attending Glasgow next year.
MML Night
You’re invited to celebrate our multilingual learners. Join us for a night of activities that will engage your family in promoting and celebrating your child’s language learning skills. Come to Glasgow on Tuesday, January 16th from 7-8 for music, games, language learning, student awards, and food!
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.
Addressing Concerns Regarding Teacher Trainees and Substitutes
We are aware of concerns within our school community about the ongoing teacher shortage and increased presence of teacher trainees and substitutes in our classrooms. Please know that we are addressing this situation and are committed to providing all of our students a safe, nurturing, and academically enriching environment.
The shortage of qualified educators is impacting school districts around the country. This USA Today article notes that 86% of public schools are having difficulty hiring educators. A state report on Virginia’s K-12 teacher pipeline found that teacher shortages increased from 3.9% to 4.8% in the current school year.
Below are some steps FCPS is taking to fill vacant teaching positions:
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Addressing the Teacher Pipeline: FCPS has developed outreach programs and partnerships with local universities to encourage more individuals to consider a career in education. This is critical, given the decline in individuals pursuing careers in education.
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Welcoming Teacher Trainees: Our teacher trainees undergo rigorous training and supervision by experienced teachers. This enables them to provide a supportive and enriching learning environment for students.
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Hiring Substitute Teachers: Many of our long-term substitutes have teaching experience and have successfully served in various roles within our schools. They are well prepared to deliver quality instruction that aligns with our curriculum. We understand the need for consistency with staffing and are working to minimize any disruptions to your child’s learning.
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Recruiting and Retaining Educators: FCPS is exploring ways to deliver more competitive compensation packages, professional development opportunities, and a positive work environment to attract and retain experienced teachers.
The state report also highlights the importance of open communication and collaboration between schools and families in order to successfully navigate the teacher shortage. We are all in this together, and we all want the very best for our students. Please share any questions, concerns, or suggestions with me at vlpowell@fcps.edu Thank you for your continued support and partnership.
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.
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