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For a translated version of this newsletter, please click HERE. Next click on the language con in the upper left corner to choose your preferred language.
Para obtener una versión traducida de este mensaje, haga clic AQUÍ. Luego, haga clic en el icono IDIOMA en la esquina superior izquierda para elegir su idioma preferido.
As a reminder, schools and offices will be closed November 23-25. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Classes will resume on Monday, November 28. See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar.
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
Congratulations to our 4th-6th grade chorus students who participated in the Fairfax Pyramid Chorus concert on Tuesday. Our students did a wonderful a job and it was great to see former DRES students and families who are now attending Johnson MS and Fairfax HS.
Congratulations for the Fairfax HS field hockey team (and former DRES students) for wining the state championship. If you are free this evening head over to Fairfax High School for the football region semi-final game against Lake Braddock. The Lions are undefeated and have many former DRES students on the team.
We will not send a newsletter next week due to the short week of school. I hope all of our staff, students, and families have a joyful Thanksgiving Break.
If you have any questions or concerns you can contact our main office at 703-279-8400 or contact me directly at cmsmith@fcps.edu
Chris Smith
DRES Principal
Lost and Found
Are your children missing any clothing? Our lost and found is near our lobby staircase. Please stop by to take a look if you are missing something before Friday, December 2nd. After December 2nd, anything left will be packed up and donated.
Parents please write your child’s first and last name on the inside of winter coats to ensure they can be returned to your child during the frigid winter months!
- We especially appreciate everyone’s efforts to avoid taking extra days off during the Thanksgiving holiday. Just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and leave your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school.
- We know it’s tempting to extend your vacation by a few days on either side of the holiday. However, this holiday season, the best gift you can give your child is a good education. And the best place to get that education is in school. Every day. On time.
AVID Tips
As part of our AVID mission to increase college awareness, our school will establish the first Friday of each month as College Swag Day. Students and staff are encouraged to participate by wearing college colors and/or logos, official apparel, etc.
We will begin our College Swag Day on Friday, November 4th. Future dates include December 2nd, January 6th, February 3rd, March 3rd, May 5th, June 2nd.
Examples of college colors:
Positivity Project!
Dear Families,
This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Gratitude. Gratitude means you are aware of and thankful for good things that happen.
Gratitude is the quality of feelings and expressing thankfulness and appreciation. It is an affirmation that there is goodness in other people and the world and that we have received that goodness. People with the strength of gratitude have a readiness to show appreciation for kindness and also to return kindness. A leading expert, Robert Emmons, calls gratitude a “relationship-strengthening emotion because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and affirmed by other people.”
Out of all 24 character strengths, gratitude is the single best predictor of individual well-being. It is correlated with increased energy, empathy, happiness and optimism. And, the great thing about gratitude is that it can be intentionally cultivated. Numerous studies have concluded that gratitude is like a muscle. The more you practice it, the stronger it gets -- and the more you’re able to reap its benefits.
To practice and encourage the character strength of gratitude with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2) where together you will watch a video, read a quote and talk about the answers to three questions.
Have a wonderful week!
A Note from the Music Department
🎵 Pyramid Choir Performance Bravo to the 47 4th, 5th & 6th Grade students who sang in the pyramid choir concert at Fairfax High School last Thursday
🎵 Veterans Day video – enjoy this video that features our military families and the Chorus.
🎵 The November Musician of the Month is Indian tabla musician, Zakir Hussain. Click here for a performance.
🎵 All School Song: Winter Walk: Ask your child to sing our new all school song for you. The whole school will sing this at our Chorus Winter Concert next month. Click here to sing-along.
PTA News!
Book Fair - Online Store
A hugh thanks to our many volunteers that helped run the book fair this week. We had a great time helping our students get new books. If you missed the fair and still want to shop, you can shop the online store through November 27. (*you may have to copy and paste the link in a new browser*)
https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/parent-store-2.html?fairId=5197852
Important Dates
November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Holiday
December 19-January 2-Winter Break Holiday
January 16-Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
January 25-2 Hour Early Release
January 26-Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
January 27-Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
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