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The Principal's Desk!
Greetings Families,
We have come to the end of the 3rd quarter and have Spring Break to look forward to! I hope everyone is able to relax and enjoy time with family over Spring Break.
Some updates:
- Dr. Brabrand sent an email yesterday and plans to share details regarding the CDC's updated guidance after Spring Break. Once these plans are finalized I will follow-up with communication regarding how we will implement the plans at Daniels Run.
- Brooke Nichols (counselor) has relocated to Alabama and we welcome Allison Jackie as our school counselor for the remainder of the school year.
- Alex Forbes (PE teacher) is on leave for the remainder of the school year; we have identified a replacement and will share her name as soon as her hire is official.
- See the information below regarding the option to not take SOL's this school year.
- Please support our PTA fundraiser; the PTA plays a vital role in the success of DRES!
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 and have a great Spring Break!
Chris Smith
Daniels Run ES Principal
Celebrate a DRES Staff Member - FCPS Cares.
Calendar Reminder: Two-Hour Early Dismissal on March 26; Spring Break Is March 29-April 2
As a reminder, Friday, March 26, is the last day of the third quarter. Students will be dismissed two hours early and attend their in-person or virtual classes as planned.
Spring break is March 29-April 2. Also, Monday, April 5, is a teacher workday and a holiday for students. Teachers will not be available for office hours and students are not expected to complete asynchronous assignments. See the complete 2020-21 school year calendar.
Office Hours - Spring Break
The Daniels Run main office and building will be closed Monday, March 29th through Friday, April 2nd. The office will resume normal operating hours on Monday, April 5th.
SOL Testing Refusal Form
SOL Refusal Form
All FCPS students in grades 3-6 (virtual and in-person) will be taking the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests during the months of May and June. GIVEN THE CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC, THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (VDOE) IS ALLOWING STUDENTS TO REFUSE SOL TESTING FOR THIS YEAR. Should you want to refuse SOL testing this year (no penalty against the student), please complete this form by FRIDAY April 9, 2021. This will allow us time to finalize our testing schedule so that we can release those dates.
The SOL tests that will be given this year include:
Grade 3: Reading & Math
Grade 4: Reading & Math
Grade 5: Reading, Math, & Science
Grade 6: Reading & Math
Todos los estudiantes de FCPS en los grados 3-6 tomarán las Pruebas de los Estándares de Aprendizaje de Virginia (SOL) durante los meses de mayo y junio. DADOS LOS DESAFÍOS DE LA PANDEMIA, EL DEPARTAMENTO DE EDUCACIÓN DE VIRGINIA (VDOE) ESTÁ PERMITIENDO QUE LOS ESTUDIANTES RECHAZAR LAS PRUEBAS SOL PARA ESTE AÑO. Si desea que su estudiante no participe en las pruebas este año (sin penalización contra el estudiante), complete este formulario antes del VIERNES 9 de abril de 2021. Esto nos dará tiempo para finalizar nuestro programa de pruebas para que podamos publicar esas fechas.
Las pruebas SOL que se darán este año incluyen:
Grado 3: Lectura y Matemáticas
Grado 4: Lectura y Matemáticas
Grado 5: Lectura, Matemáticas y Ciencias
Grado 6: Lectura y Matemáticas
SOL Refusal Form
Let's Meet Our Staff!
Please Welcome Allison Jackie!
Hello Daniels Run Elementary guardians, students, and staff! My name is Allison Jackie. I grew up in the area and went through Fairfax County Public Schools. I am now a new school counselor who has been studying at George Mason University for my masters. I have experience through my program at the middle and elementary school level. I am now taking over for Brooke Nichols for the rest of the year for grades K-2 and I can be found in her old office. I am so fortunate to be a part of this awesome community and to support DRES students who have already proven to me to be resilient, kind, and bright kids. Please feel free to reach out to me if there is anything I can do to help as I will be happy to do so. I look forward to getting to know everyone and be a part of the DRES team!
Clinical Team Updates
We just wanted to update you all on the availability of the DRES Clinical Team for the remainder of the school year so you know who to turn to when you have a need.
Louise Robinson, School Counselor, Grades 3-6 -- Available 8:30-4pm, Monday through Friday
Allison Jackie, Interim School Counselor, Grades K-2—Available 8:30-4:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday, through May 6th Beginning May 10, availability will be Tuesday through Friday, 8:30-4:30pm
Ashley Pontera, Social Worker—Available 8:30-4:pm, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
Kara Hodes, School Psychologist—Available 8:30-12;30 Mondays, 8:30-4pm Wednesdays and Thursdays
If one of your students is expressing the intent to do self-harm, or harm to others during the school day, please follow these steps:
- Record what the student did/said, as well as when and where it happened.
- Send an email to DanielsRunESWellness@fcps.edu
- Stay with the student in-person or virtually until a member of the admin or clinical team arrives
After school hours, please reach out to the students’ guardians or, if unavailable, call 911 for a police wellness check.
Finally, all staff are mandatory reporters of child abuse. If you have a concern, please contact (703) 324-7400. If you need help making the call or want to report a call has been made, contact the clinical team for help at the same wellness email address above.
Send In Your Yearbook Pictures!
We need your pictures for our yearbook. If you did not have your child's school picture taken we would like a phot of just them to include with their grade level.
If you have any pictures of all the learning that has taken place outside the building, we would like those too. We cannot guarantee all pictures will be included (outside of individual student picture) however we will include as many as we can.
Please upload your pictures to our yearbook site using the link below,
Thank you!
Daniels Run Elementary School (shutterfly.com)
Order your 2020-2021 Yearbook!
PTA & Equity Team Book Club
The PTA, in partnership with the equity team at DRES, has selected Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning as the next parent book club selection. Join us by reading the book over the next few weeks and participating in this important discussion on April 14th following our PTA meeting.
Positivity Project & Spirit Week!
Character trait for April 6-9: Humor. You like to laugh and bring smiles to other people
Humor is a sense of playfulness and lightness. It is a way or looking at and describing the world that brings laughter to people. A person with the strength of humor is skilled at seeing the funny side of things, brings smiles and laughter to others, and identifying and communicating the absurdities in life. People with this strength don’t specifically need to be joke tells, although many are.
Music News!
Masked Singer KARAOKE: April 29; 4:30PM
Click here to submit a masked singer video and click here to join the Karaoke Google Classroom on Thursday, April 29. Contact Miss McCarten with any questions.
Thanks to all the families that came out yesterday to cheer on the 13 students that performed!
4th-6th Grade Virtual Field Trip
Did you know that Grades 4-6 will be attending a virtual orchestral concert this spring? This will be during the school day. The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra will be performing. All students will be playing or singing along during the concert including songs like Saints Go Marching In and It Don’t Mean a Thing, if it Ain’t Got that Swing.
Musician of the Month: The April Musician of the Month is Trombone Shorty! The picture book Trombone Shorty is available in the library, & here
SAVE THE DATE:
- April 29; May 25; 7pm: FHS Pyramid Virtual Choir Spring Concert; 15 DRES students will be performing in this virtual concert. Go to this channel and subscribe and you will be notified when it goes live.
- May 28: 6th Grade All County Choral Festival Virtual Concert. Two Daniels Run 6th graders will represent our school and perform with 6th graders from across the county. Stay tuned for the link.
SINGING TELEGRAMS FOR SALE (UPDATE: $560 raised for A Place to Eat!)
The chorus club is selling virtual singing telegrams. Who would you like to send a song to? Promo here: https://youtu.be/P2OGOZgTf2k Click here to order: https://forms.gle/BZii9QrPGkm4Ph9d7
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.
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
Qualcomm Thinkabit Summer Camp
Have you ever wanted to build a robot to clean your room or take out the trash, but didn't know where to start? Or have an idea for an app that will make you rich but are stuck on the details of creating it? Then the Katherine Johnson Middle School Thinkabit summer camp presented by Qualcomm is the place for you! This summer’s camps will be held virtually.
Current 5th and 6th graders may apply to this camp using their FCPS Google account by April 9, 2021 - https://forms.gle/3uePk8ypry4X65xW6
Please direct any questions to Kelsea Owens – kfowens@fcps.edu
These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the superintendent, or this school
These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the superintendent, or this school
PTA NEWS!
Before your Spring Break begins - Please Donate to PTA
Thank you to everyone who has already donated to the Daniels Run PTA No Fuss Fundraiser. We were unable to do our usual fall fundraiser, but still needed funds to finish the year strong and be ready for next year. All contributions directly support PTA projects and programs. Donate online at https://dres.memberhub.store/store/items/60348or visit www.danielsrunpta.org for more information.
Get More involved in PTA for 2021-2022
It is time once again for the PTA Nominating Committee to recruit candidates for next year's PTA Board. Being in a PTA leadership position is rewarding, important and fun! The Board is a great way to get involved at Daniels Run, get to know our staff and admins, work with other parents, and support our students and school community. 2021-2022 will be an important year in defining what PTA can be for DRES. Please join us! Visit www.danielsrunpta.org/getinvolved or email drenominatingcommittee@gmail.com for more information.
https://dres.memberhub.store/store/items/60348
https://dres.memberhub.store/store/items/60348
Important Dates
March 29-April 2-Spring Break
April 5-Teacher Workday; no school for students
April 14-PTA Meeting & Book Club
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