Principal's Message
Dear Families,
I hope everyone has been able to take advantage of the spring weather and longer days. We have a couple evening events next week. Our PTA meeting is Monday and International Night is Thursday, I hope many of you are able to attend these events. Our school office will close from April 3rd-7th for spring 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
Have a great week,
Chris Smith
DRES Principal
SOL Schedule
As you plan for upcoming appointments, we want 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.
3rd Grade: Reading- May 12th; Math- May 18th
4th Grade: Reading- May 11th; Math- May 17th
5th Grade: Reading- May 10th; Math- May 16th; Science- May 23rd
6th Grade: Reading- May 9th; Math- May 19th
Understanding Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) Reports
Grade 3-8 students across Virginia took VGA tests in fall and winter of 2022-23. FCPS mailed score reports to families earlier this month that combine Fall and Winter results. When viewing students’ scores, it is important to keep in mind that there is no “passing” or “failing” for VGA tests and that each vertical scaled score reflects performance on a single day. VGA results should be used alongside other available data for a more complete picture of students’ academic progress. Also keep in mind that the VGA asks questions from the entire curriculum, including some standards that will not be taught until later in the school year.
The FCPS VGA Score Reports webpage now includes a section on Understanding VGA Results, featuring Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). This section will continue to be updated throughout the spring to address incoming questions and to reflect additional state guidance as it is released.
Drug & Alcohol Facts Week
Quick Facts:
- National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week is March 20-26, 2023
- Opioids are the number one cause of unnatural death in Fairfax County. Young adults aged 25-34 are the most common demographic seen in the emergency room for fatal opioid overdoses.
- Nationwide, there were over 100,00 overdose deaths from April 2020- April 2021.
- Using opioids after a period of abstinence, mixing drugs, IV use, and serious medical problems all contribute to an increased risk of opioid overdose.
- 90% of substance users began using prior to 21-years-old.
- Alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine are usually the most common substances used by adolescents.
- Fairfax County police stations, pharmacies, and medical facilities provide permanent drug disposal drop boxes for residents to safely dispose of their unused/expired medication. DO NOT flush your medications.
Reframing Our Thinking:
Changing our state of consciousness is part of the human experience (kids spinning in circles to induce dizziness, meditation, runner’s high, and more) but using substances has more negative than positive side effects. Alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine use prevention strategies are also opioid overdose prevention strategies since opioid users likely used one of these three substances first. Every opioid overdose does not lead to death, but it increases the chances of an eventual overdose fatality. Although most opioid users began with alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine, these three drugs are not “gateway drugs”. The term “gateway drug” implies all alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine users will eventually use other drugs, but that is not the case for most, so the time to act is now. Treat your medication carefully; lock it up and properly dispose of any medications you are no longer using.
Sources & Resources:
Fairfax CSB Opioid Info
REVIVE Training for Opioid Overdoses
Medication Disposal
Teen Substance Use
FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program
Everything You Need to Know About Opioids
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
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, March 31st. After March 31st, anything left will be packed up and donated.
Kindergarten Parent Information Session
Do you have a kindergartener starting DRES in the fall? If so, please join us for our Kindergarten Parent Information Session. You will learn about our Kindergarten day, get your questions answered, and have the opportunity to register your student for the upcoming school year. This session is intended for parents and guardians. In the summer, we will have opportunities for students to tour the school and visit kindergarten classrooms.
Date: Friday, April 14th
Time: 9:00am – 9:30am (teacher presentation)
9:30am – 11:00am (registration)
Place: DRES Cafeteria
Sesión informativa para padres de kínder
¿Tiene un niño de kindergarten que comience DRES en el otoño? Si es así, únase a nosotros para nuestra sesión de información para padres de kínder. Aprenderá sobre nuestro día de kinder, obtendrá respuestas a sus preguntas y tendrá la oportunidad de inscribir a su estudiante para el próximo año escolar. Esta sesión está dirigida a padres y guardianes. En el verano, tendremos oportunidades para que los estudiantes hagan un recorrido por la escuela y visiten las aulas de kindergarten.
Fecha: viernes 14 de abril
Hora: 9:00 am – 9:30 am (presentación del maestros)
9:30 am – 11:00 am (registro)
Lugar: Cafetería DRES
*Habrá traductores de español disponibles para ayudar a las familias.
 
PTA News
International Night - We NEED you!
We are seeking families to set up a booth/table representing your cultural heritage at International Night in March. Please reach out to us at dresecretary@gmail.com if interested in participating.
Get More involved in PTA Next Year!
It is time once again for the PTA Nominating Committee to recruit candidates for next year's PTA Board and committees. 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. Please join us! Email drenominatingcommittee@gmail.com for more information.
Text-to-Speech Available on FCPS Websites
FCPS is introducing an innovative way to address the diverse needs of the community. A new text-to-speech feature, available on the FCPS website and each school website, will read the words aloud from webpages.
The feature will help those with accessibility needs, such as visual impairments, dyslexia, or other difficulty reading large amounts of online text. The text-to-speech feature is available for English, Spanish, and Korean. Learn more and try out the new feature.
Order Your Yearbook!
Strategic Planning Updates
Registration Open for Virtual Strategic Planning Community Forums
We invite parents/caregivers, students, employees, and community members to join us for a virtual community forum to discuss the first draft of proposed goals for the new Strategic Plan. Forums are scheduled for Monday, April 10, at noon; Tuesday, April 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (in Spanish); and Monday, April 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Click on the date to register for the event.
Notes from the Music Department
🎵 The March musician of the month is Chinese American cellist Yo Yo Ma. Click here for a YouTube playlist: https://youtu.be/1prweT95Mo0
Positivity Project (P2)
Dear Families,
Next week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Humor. Humor means you like to laugh and bring smiles to other people.
Humor is a sense of playfulness and lightness. It is a way of 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, bringing smiles and laughter to others, and identifying and communicating the absurdities in life. People with this strength don’t specifically need to be joke tellers, although many are.
Humor plays an important role in helping groups of people rise above difficult circumstances and boost morale. It removes us from our present difficulties by easing tension and making life more fun. This is why athletic teams often need a jokester to help them get through tough losses and early morning fitness sessions. On a larger societal level, humor often helps downtrodden groups to find cohesion and strength. This is why Simon Wiesenthal said, “Humor is the weapon of unarmed people: it helps people who are oppressed smile at the situation that pains them.”
To practice and encourage the character strength of humor 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!
SoCo Summer Strings
Exciting news! SoCo Summer Strings (formally Stallion Summer Strings) is returning this summer! The camp will be hosted at South County Middle School from July 10th-21st from 8:30am-12:30pm, weekdays only.
Camp is open to all rising 5th-9th grade students with at least one year of experience on the violin, viola, cello, or bass. Students will participate in two large ensemble rehearsals, an instrument-specific technique class, and a sectional each day.
You can find more information and registration for camp at www.schsorchestra.org/soco-summer-strings. Early registration is from March 1st-June 9th so sign up soon!
Important Dates
March 27- PTA Meeting, 7:00pm
March 30 - International Night
April 3-7 - Spring Break
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