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Principal's Message
Dear Families,
I hope all of our families enjoyed the Thanksgiving break! Our 6th grade students did a wonderful job yesterday debating the pros and cons of social media and homework. It was great to see them demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate skills of collaboration, communication, and ethical and global citizen.
Winter weather will be here before we know it! Watch this video to see how weather closing decisions are made. FCPS’ inclement weather procedures will remain the same as last year. The first five inclement weather days will be traditional “snow days” with no school activities. After those five days, we will use the flexibility provided by the General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of learning. Virtual learning on these days will be synchronous instruction and will start at 10:30.
Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. See the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather. We will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories which may prevent children from being outside.
If you need assistance supplying your child with cold-weather clothing, please call Fairfax County's Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. The multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and healthcare.
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
Enjoy your weekend and Go FHS Lions!
Chris Smith
DRES Principal
Reminder: Window for AAP Full-Time (level IV) Referrals Ends December 15, 2022
Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time advanced academic programs (level IV AAP services) may submit the AAP Level IV Referral Form to Elyssa McKinnon eamckinnon@fcps.edu no later than December 15.
The window to submit an AAP Level IV Referral Form is the first day of school through December 15, annually. Forms for full-time and part-time referrals are available on the AAP Forms Page. No late referrals for Level IV services can be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for AAP Level IV will initiate a process that begins at the local school and is then completed at the central office level. Our school will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data which are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of professionals from various schools review materials to determine eligibility for level IV placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of the portfolio that was submitted after they have been turned in for central selection by emailing Elyssa McKinnon eamckinnon@fcps.edu.
Referrals for AAP Levels II-III (part-time services) are screened at the local school.
For more information, there are parent presentations available on the FCPS AAP website (under “Presentations”) that contain information similar to our fall parent information meetings at Daniels Run.
Parent Advocacy Handbook
The Parent Advocacy Handbook is for parents and guardians -- a child’s first teacher and advocate. It is believed that parents and guardians should advocate and support their children’s academic, social, and emotional growth from preschool through high school, and beyond.
Information and resources within the handbook are designed to help parents and guardians:
- Learn about their rights and responsibilities as an FCPS parent or guardian.
- Learn more about what is going on in the student's school.
- Gain skills to advocate for your student at school.
- Learn more how to monitor and help your student at home.
- Find extra help and resources.
The handbook contains answers to the many questions parents may have about the school system and how they can best advocate for their student at the various stages of their school experience.
Be an advocate for your child. Know what is happening at school. Ask questions. Express your ideas, comments, and concerns. Check to see that promises made are kept.
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.
Upcoming Spirit Days:January 6th, February 3rd, March 3rd, May 5th, June 2nd.
Examples of college colors:
A Note from the Music Department
Music News:
🎵 The Daniels Run Singers will be performing at the Fairfax City Festival of Lights at 4pm this Saturday, December 4. Come celebrate with many holiday theme activities and cheer on the Daniels Run Singers 1st public performance in the Old Town Square.
🎵 The December Musician of the Month is the a cappella vocal ensemble: Sweet Honey in the Rock. Click here to learn about this fantastic group.
🎵 All School Song: Winter Walk: Ask your class 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.
Positivity Project (P2)
Dear Families,
Next week (12/5-9) our school community will be focusing on the Other People Mindset of Supporting Others When They Struggle. This means when other people are struggling, we do our best to help them out.
Supporting other people when they struggle is a critical piece of being human. There are many different approaches to helping people who are struggling. These can include: listening while they describe an event and their feelings about it, taking action to help people in need, or simply just being there and sitting together in silence. Everyone faces tough days and needs support, and this support leads to a chain of prosocial behavior that makes us feel good about ourselves and our group.
To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective 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!
Alcohol & The Holidays
The holidays usually involve family time, games, movies, food, and possibly drinks. The holidays may involve less family members this year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean less alcohol for some. Alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic and when ABC stores were deemed essential it didn’t help lower those rates (ABC News, September 29, 2020). Many people are still trying to figure out how to navigate our “new normal” since a global pandemic wasn’t on our to-do list in 2020, but we encourage you to consider a few things during these trying times.
Questions to consider when drinking with your family:
- What message am I sending if I drink in excess around my underage child?
- Have I had conversations about responsible drinking with them?
- Are the conversations I have about alcohol realistic?
- Do my conversations with others reinforce alcohol use as a coping skill during stressful times?
- What messages am I sending my underage child if I allow them to drink with me or another adult in the house?
Info to consider:
“One-third of Fairfax County students (33.7%) reported drinking alcohol at least once in their lifetime, ranging from 18.8% of eighth-grade students to half of twelfth-grade students (49.4%). One in seven students (15.2%) reported drinking alcohol in the past month, ranging from 4.5% of eighth-grade students to 27.7% of twelfth-grade students.” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020)
“Female students reported higher rates of alcohol use in their lifetime (36.1% compared to 31.2% of male students), in the past month (17.1% and 13.1%, respectively), and binge drinking in the past two weeks (7.3% and 6.5%, respectively)” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020).
Resources:
Holiday Stress
Helpful Info to Quit Vaping
FCPS video on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
Substance Abuse Prevention (Spanish)
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270 and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FCPSSAPS.
For further Information & support:
De’Ja Ruffin (McNeil)
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist
dsmcneil@fcps.edu
Important Dates
December 7 - Band and Strings Concert, 7:00pm
December 15 - Chorus Concert, 6:30pm
December 19-January 2-Winter Break Holiday
January 3 - Students return to school
January 16-Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
January 25-2 Hour Early Release (1:45 dismissal)
January 26-Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
January 27-Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
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