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The Principal's Desk!
Greetings Families,
I know our students are eager for a snow day and the weather seems to yank the big snow away from us at the last minute. There are more snow chances next week so we will see what is in store for us. A few updates:
- Our bell schedule changes starting Tuesday (2/16) to 9:00-3:30. A more detailed schedule can be found here
- We are now a meal kit site and are distributing meal kits (contains seven days of breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and supper items packed in bulk) each Wednesday from 8:00-12:30. You can find daily grab and go locations and bus route meal service information here
- I shared a video last week with Return to School updates
Please contact me directly at cmsmith@fcps.edu or call the main office (703-279-8400) if there is anything our school team can do to support your student and family.
Thanks for your support,
Chris Smith
Daniels Run ES Principal
Celebrate a DRES Staff Member - FCPS Cares.
Calendar Reminder: Schools and Offices Closed on February 15 for Presidents Day Holiday
As a reminder, all schools and offices will be closed on Monday, February 15, for the Presidents Day holiday. Students are not expected to complete asynchronous assignments that day. Classes will resume on Tuesday, February 16. See the complete 2020-21 school year calendar.
Stop the Spread: Protect Yourself and Slow the Spread of COVID-19
Your actions keep all of us healthy, and we need to keep it up and continue working together to help slow the spread of COVID-19. There are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. Testing, contact tracing, and staying home and away from others when sick or after contact with someone who is sick, are also critical to help “box in” COVID-19 and prevent it from spreading further in our community.
Let's Meet Our Staff!
Morgann Babcock
Hello DRES Parents and Families! I am the Kindergarten and 1st grade Special Education Teacher. This is my 3rd year at Daniels Run and 8th year working for FCPS. I am married and have three amazing teenagers, ages 18, 17 and 16. I love spending my time watching them play sports…football, field hockey and cheer. My other passion besides teaching, is fitness. I have been a fitness instructor for 15 years. It is such a joy to be a part of this awesome community and I have missed seeing all the smiling faces at school every day
Ginny Barron
My name is Ginny Barron. I am the 2nd grade special education teacher at Daniel’s Run. This is my 2nd year at Daniel’s Run but my 5th year teaching special education and my 9th year teaching overall. I am married to an amazing man and we recently celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. I have 2 awesome boys who both attend Daniel’s Run as well. Outside of school, our family enjoys rock climbing, skiing, and playing with our puppy we got last spring. I live in Fairfax City and enjoy seeing Daniel’s Run families when we walk our dog and at the pool. Yell out and say hi if you see me walking by.
Kid's Heart Challenge
Hey Daniels Run Families,
Did you know, February is healthy heart month? During the month of February, Mrs. Forbes and Ms. Piller, in collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA), will be leading Daniels Run in the Kids Heart Challenge. The Kids Heart Challenge encourages students to do 1 of 3 actions each and every day; Move more, drink more water, and display acts of kindness. These actions align with the Health & PE curriculum and with aspects of the Positivity Project here at DRES! In addition, we have an opportunity to raise money for the AHA (which is optional) and the PE program at DRES. If interested in fundraising, students will have the opportunity to win individual prizes and schoolwide rewards. Students will learn more during PE the week of 1/25-1/29. For more information and to sign up, click the link here (Kids Heart Challenge Info)!”
Yearbook Cover Contest!
We are looking for our wonderful artists to help make our yearbook the best ever. Please consider submitting an entry. If you have any questions or to submit an entry, please email Mr. Parker: mrparker@fcps.edu
Positivity Project
Humility means you do not seek the spotlight. You let your actions speak for themselves. Humble people have an accurate (not underestimated) sense of their abilities and achievements. They hold the capacity to acknowledge their mistakes and limitations, and are open to advice and new ideas. They do not show off their possessions or accomplishments.
Music News!
MOVIE MUSIC KARAOKE: February 18
If you want to sing, enter the lottery by clicking here. The lottery closes at 4pm, February 8. 20 student's names will be randomly chosen and everyone will be emailed on February 9 to announce who was selected. If you just want to watch, just come to the Karaoke Google Classroom on Thursday, February 18 to hear your classmates sing! Click here to join the Karaoke Google Classroom. Contact Miss McCarten with any questions.
Summer Enrichment Programs through The College of William and Mary
William & Mary’s SEP is an academically challenging program with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning for students. The program is not meant to replace the regular school curriculum; rather, it recognizes the importance of allowing able children to explore additional specialized areas of science, mathematics, humanities, and the arts. Click for More Information.
Summer 2021 SEP registration is now open for students in grades 2-12. William & Mary’s Center for Gifted Education is excited to offer 2 weeks of virtual opportunities with courses available in the morning and afternoon each week. We have virtual courses available in the areas of robotics, civics, STEM, coding, writing, social science, and many more. Please see our Summer 2021 brochure for more information.
Attendance Matters!
- This is the time of year when winter weather and children’s illnesses can take a toll on school attendance. But it’s important to get your children to school every day possible.
- If you are unsure whether to send your children to school, consult your doctor or this website for guidance: https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/policies-regulations-and-notices/attendance-policies/attendance-when-should-i-send-my. Our school nurse is also a terrific resource for chronic health conditions.
- Do what you can to keep your children healthy. Dress them warmly for the cold weather and make sure they’ve got hats and gloves. Encourage them to wash their hands regularly, and send them to school with a bottle of hand sanitizer.
- Help your child learn to persevere. Today, he learns to overcome a snowdrift. In the future, he will have the grit to triumph over even greater obstacles to his dreams.
FCPS Cares!
FCPS CARES is an opportunity for staff, parents, students, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others. Every month, a nominated employee from each region and Central Offices will be recognized as an FCPS CARES of the Month recipient. We’ll share their names in Employee News, and they will also have access to a new FCPS CARES banner for their profile photo in Outlook. Watch this video to learn more about FCPS CARES. We also encourage you to acknowledge a staff member who has gone above and beyond
Elementary Magnet Schools Information Nights to Be Held February 16, 17, 18; Applications Accepted March 2 - April 6
Fairfax County Public Schools will be accepting applications for its elementary magnet school programs beginning Tuesday, March 2. Bailey’s Primary School for the Arts and Sciences will accept lottery applications for students who will be in grades K-2 during the 2020-21 school year; Bailey’s Upper School for the Arts and Sciences will accept applications for students in grades 3 and 4. Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences will accept lottery applications for students who will enter grades K-6 during the 2019-20 school year.
Selection for available magnet school spaces is based on a lottery. Registration for the elementary magnet school lottery closes on Tuesday, April 6, at 4 p.m.
Parents are strongly encouraged to attend virtual school-based information nights on Tuesday, February 16, for Bailey’s Elementary; Wednesday, February 17, for Bailey’s Upper; and Thursday, February 18, for Hunters Woods. These information nights will provide the opportunity to learn about individual school programs, student eligibility, the lottery process, and available transportation.
Get more information about parent information nights and the magnet school lottery.
Is Your FCPS Laptop Running Slow or Having Connectivity Issues?
- It is important to RESTART your FCPS laptop daily. If possible, go to an FCPS site once each week or every other week, log in and restart your laptop twice. Doing this at an FCPS location on the FCPS network allows your computer to get valuable and necessary updates.
- More help for troubleshooting other issues you may experience can be found on FCPS’s website: Tech Support for Families. It may behoove students to bookmark this site, as it will help solve most common problems. Obviously we want our students to have the best experience possible in this virtual environment!
Parent/Student Tech Support Portal
To support families who are working with their children during distance learning, Fairfax County Public Schools is launching a new Parent Technology Help Desk. The number is 1-833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). It will be answered by staff 7 a.m.to 11 p.m., seven days a week. If the help desk is unable to solve the issue on the phone with the parent or guardian, they will enter a ticket on the parent’s behalf and the request for help will be transferred to the appropriate FCPS team.
Parents or guardians who need help in a language other than English should let help desk staff know, and a interpreter will join them on the line. (FCPS also has existing parent information phone lines, available in eight different languages, that can assist with general questions about FCPS.)
FCPS has also set up an online portal to allow older students and parents and guardians to request technology help directly.
Get more information about the new Parent Technology Help Desk.
Register for Upcoming Free Webinars from the FCPS Parent Resource Center
The FCPS Parent Resource Center (PRC) is offering four free parent webinars in February. They are:
- Strategies to Support Social Emotional Learning at Home: A Webinar for Families, on Wednesday, February 17, 6:30 to 8 p.m., or Friday, February 19, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
- Is it Over Yet? How to Help your Child Cope with the Pandemic and the Eventual Return to Normalcy: A Webinar for Families, on Friday, February 26, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
More information on each session and how to register is available online.
Note: Previous webinars have been recorded and can be viewed on the PRC YouTube channel.
PTA NEWS!
Share The Love - This Weekend
Don’t forget to make your valentine for DRES and share it! Email a picture of yourself holding it to dresecretary@gmail.com and if you are able, take your heart to Daniel’s Run and tape it to the front doors between today (Friday) and Sunday. Need supplies? There are still a few kits available from the PTA in a bin outside the main entrance. Come by and grab one anytime.
PTA Improv Night with AFYP - Friday, February 19th
We have hired Acting for Young People (AFYP), a program of the Mason Community Arts Program, to present a virtual IMPROV NIGHT for our students and families. AFYP instructors will lead fun improv and acting games via Google Meet.
Kindergarten-2nd Grade - 6:00 pm
3rd grade - 6th grade - 7:00 pm
Register to participate at
www.danielsrunpta.org/events
Important Dates
February 15-President's Day-No School
February 16-Bell Schedule Change
March 5 - Two-hour early release
March 8 - Teacher workday; no school for students
March 29-April 2-Spring Break
Updated Return to School Timeline
Below is the return to school timeline.
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Preschool/PAC /Enhanced Autism students
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February 16
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Kindergarten
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February 23
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Grades 1 & 2
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March 9
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Grades 3-6
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March 16
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Daniels Run revised bell schedule will be from 9:00am to 3:30pm and will start on February 16th.
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