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From the desk of Mr. Smith!
Dear DRES Families,
We have had a fun week celebrating Valentine's Day, the 100th day of school, and dressing up for spirit week. We have another spirit day on Tuesday (2/2/22) sponsored by the PTA and we will be wearing tie dye. A reminder that Monday is President's Day holiday and the school building will be closed.
We are beginning to plan for the 2022-23 school year and we will host our Kindergarten orientation on March 4th from 9:30-10:30. Our future Kindergarten students are encouraged to attend along with their parents.
Always feel free to contact me directly at cmsmith@fcps.edu if you have any questions, concerns, or if there is anything our team can do to support you.
Enjoy your weekend,
Chris Smith
DRES Principal
Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run is coming back to Daniels Run ES! GOTR is a physical activity based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd-8th grade. The program teaches life skills through dynamic interactive lessons and running games. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment, while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.
Our program has been adapted to ensure physical distancing and safety. In-person practices include safety, sanitizing, and physical distancing precautions and modifications.
Starting the week of March 7, 2022 the team will meet every Wednesday Afternoons (3:45-4:45) & Friday Mornings (7:45-8:45). The program culminates in a celebratory 5K at the end of the season! The standard program fee is $175 and includes 20 lessons/practices, a t-shirt, water bottle, entry into the 5K, a 5K medal, and more. Financial assistance is available for anyone who needs it, with the lowest program registration cost being $22 for the season. Registration begins on February 7th at www.gotrnova.org.”
Community Review of Elementary English Language Arts Basal Instructional Resources
Fairfax County Public Schools will adopt new Elementary School Language Arts Basal Instructional Resources for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. A review committee composed of community members, administrators, and teachers will meet in February and March to review the instructional materials under consideration and community feedback. Public review of the recommended materials is part of the process for selecting new resources.
Elementary English Language Arts basal instructional resources may be accessed in person and online January 31 through February 28, 2022. Digital materials for public review and comment will be available at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/node/36853. Those reviewing instructional materials may complete an electronic comment sheet available at the following link: https://forms.gle/NyDax8N3NXQBp1mh8. Hard copies of instructional materials will also be available in the lobby of Willow Oaks Administrative Center.
Willow Oaks is open each business day from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and extended hours will be provided until 7:00 p.m. on the following days: February 3, February 10, February 17, and February 24, 2022. All community feedback will be shared with the review committee and with School Board members before the vote at the School Board regular meeting.
Understanding ESSER III Funding’s Impact on Student Success
Last fall, FCPS received $188.6 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funding. These funds have helped us safely reopen our schools and to keep them open. We have also been able to address the impacts of COVID-19 on students. If you are not familiar with ESSER III, here are a few things you should know about how it impacts student success. ESSER III focus areas include:
- Prevention and mitigation strategies to help keep schools open and safe for students and staff.
- Academic intervention services, such as tutoring, after-school programs, and summer learning programs.
- Professional development to ensure our schools are welcoming and culturally responsive to all students and families.
- Multilingual engagement to ensure information is accessible to all families.
- Additional support for students’ social emotional needs.
There will be two opportunities for you to tell us how well FCPS is meeting ESSER III requirements around a safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of learning. Please stay tuned for details! Visit the ESSER III webpage for more information.
COVID Vaccination Status
You may wish to voluntarily share your child’s COVID-19 vaccination information with Daniels Run ES. However, we do not require your child’s vaccination information and no school employee will ask for your child’s vaccination status. If you would like to provide us with your child’s vaccination status, please bring your child’s COVID-19 vaccination card or a photocopy of the card to Aysha Otero in the front office. COVID-19 vaccination documentation contains Protected Health Information and should not be emailed.
Counselor's Corner
Dear Daniels Run families,
We hope this February Counselor’s Corner finds you and your family happy and healthy! This month promises to be a great one at Daniels Run. In K-2, we are beginning our Second Step Unit 3: Emotional Management and Grades 3-6 will be continuing their Unit 2 in Emotion Management. Students will be learning about identifying our feelings, how to recognize strong feelings in our bodies and how to use calm down strategies to help them in their daily lives.
We had a wonderful time at the end of January working with the 2nd graders on their service learning project! They created cards, drawings, told jokes, and sent encouraging words to the kids at the pediatric cancer center at INOVA Fairfax hospital. This project was meaningful to all the 2nd grade students, and we are so happy to have contributed positively in our community. In addition to recording Flipgrid videos, the students in each 2nd grade class also chose a gift from the INOVA Fairfax Pediatric Cancer Center to send to them from their Amazon wishlist.
From February 14th through March 18th, our 3rd grade students will help coordinate a donation drive for Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation, which fosters homeless animals and then finds forever homes for them. Starting with the kick-off event on Monday, February 7th, the 3rd graders will make posters and public service announcements for the morning news and will decorate and monitor the 4 drop boxes that will be located around the school building. If you want to donate old towels for bedding and baths, paper towels and newspapers, cleaning supplies and specific high-nutrition brands of dog and cat foods, stay tuned! A Sign-Up Genius will be available AND other donation information will be provided soon. While the 3rd graders will oversee the running of the donation drive, the 4th graders will make dog and cat toys to give to foster families who care for homeless cats and dogs. More about this in our March Counselor Corner!
We hope you enjoy the rest of your February. As always, if you have any questions or need us in any way, please feel free to reach out: amcpherson@fcps.edu or lbrobinson@fcps.edu
Sincerely,
Louise Robinson (4-6) & Ashleigh Fisher (formerly McPherson; K-3)
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue!
The 3rd graders at DRES are undertaking a service-learning project to learn about the difficulties that homeless animals experience and the ways that the community can support them. Then they are doing an act of service to help homeless animals themselves! With the help of the 3rd grade teaching team, 3rd grad students will be coordinating a school-wide donations drive for Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) from Monday, Feb. 14 through Monday, March 14, 2022. Please use the link below to offer your support.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d45a9ad2aa6fb6-donation
Attendance Matters!
- There’s not much we can do about the winter weather, but there are two key steps every parent can take to help avoid absences this year: Make back-up plans for bad weather and keep your children healthy.
- Absences, even if they are excused, can add up to academic trouble. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school.
- Children who miss too much school in kindergarten are less likely to read well by third grade. By middle school, absenteeism can predict who will graduate from high school.
- A study of weather-related absences in Massachusetts found that each missed day affected a student’s test scores and grades. This was especially true on snowy days when school stayed open but some students missed class.
- Please remember, February 21 is a school holiday. We are eager to welcome your children back in school on February 22.
All sixth graders will be given a complimentary copy of the yearbook at no charge.
 Yearbook Ordering link: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/
Yearbook ID Code: 14303922
Direct link: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/LookupJob?jobNumber=14303922
A Note About Music!
🎵 Summer Day Camp Options: In person and transportation is provided to Lake Braddock High School
🎵 If your child takes private music lessons, please complete this very short 5 multiple choice question survey
🎵 The February musician of the month is Cynthia Erivo. She is an English (UK) Singer, Songwriter, & Actor. A daughter of Nigerian parents, she began her career in England and can be seen on the Broadway stage, TV and most recently playing the title role in Harriet, a biographical film about American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Next year she will play the lead role in the upcoming movie adaptation of Wicked, a popular Broadway musical.
🎵 Tune in to Channel 99 at 7pm or live stream here on Thursday night, February 24 to hear the Daniels Run Singers perform the National Anthem at the FCPS School Board meeting!
 
PTA News!
SOL Dates!
As you plan for upcoming appointments we wanted to be sure you have the SOL dates. We encourage you to schedule appointments and any absences that can be avoided with these dates in mind. Thank you!
Third Grade-Reading SOL-May 10/Math SOL-May 16
Fourth Grade-Reading SOL-May 6/Math SOL-May 13
Fifth Grade-Reading SOL-May 5/Math SOL-May 12/Science SOL-May 18
Sixth Grade-Reading SOL-May 4/Math SOL-May 11
Make-Up SOL's and Re-Takes will take place from May 19-27
Important Dates
February 21-President's Day Holiday
March 3-2 hour Early Release
March 4-Student Holiday
April 1-Student Holiday
April 3-Ramadan
April 4-8-Spring Break
April 15-Good Friday
April 16-Theravada New Year
April 22-Orthodox Good Friday
May 3-Eid al Fitr
May 30-Memorial Day
June 10-Last Day of School-Early Release
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