Principal's Message
Dear Families,
As the 2022-2023 school year is coming to a close, it is time for Daniels Run staff to start preparing for the 2023-2024 school year. When it comes to class placements, we consider many things, such as heterogeneous groupings, balancing academic abilities, and how to maximize the support our resource teachers can provide students.
If you feel that there is pertinent information to support your child’s success, please complete this optional Parent Input Form by Friday, May 26th. Please note that this system is not intended for families to request specific teachers. Your child’s current classroom teacher, specialists, counselors, and administrators will collaborate to make well-balanced classes. We value and consider your insight into your child’s learning needs.
Also, a reminder that all visitors must use entrance #1, have an ID, and check-in at the main office.
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,
Chris Smith
DRES Principal
Writing Club
Kids Can Write will be wrapping up its first semester at Daniels Run with a celebration on Friday evening in the library. Ten students in grades three through six were paired with GMU students who supported them in writing a book. Now those books have been published, and some are for sale on Amazon, including Guy and Dude: The Abandoned Hotel by Thomas in Mr. Yu’s class about and Oakleigh by Noelle in Ms. Linte’s class! We hope to continue the club in future semesters so that more students can have the opportunity to participate in this exciting activity.
Birthday Celebrations
We ask that families consider ways to celebrate student birthdays in a joyful manner while minimizing the impact on instructional time and creating a safe and equitable environment for all of our students. There are a multitude of health issues that were taken into consideration. There are many students who are at risk when outside food is brought into the school environment due to diabetes, food allergies (peanut, milk, etc.), and chronic illnesses such as Celiac disease, etc.
To make the environment safe and comfortable for all students, while still allowing for a celebration of each child’s birthday, we ask families to adhere to donating a book, board game, or piece of recess equipment in their child’s honor or students may bring in ONE non-edible treat for each of their classmates, such as a pencil, bookmark or sticker (balloons, treat bags, etc., may not be sent in or distributed).
This treat-free policy does not apply to other special classroom parties and events. As homeroom teachers and parents work together to plan other special classroom celebrations, we ask that everyone take into account the individual needs of students in the classroom.
Attendance Information
Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
According to a recent study of elementary and middle schools, there is a 5.8% difference between April and June attendance rates. Let's work together to end the school year successfully! Visit our website for attendance resources.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Say “Thank You!” to Your Favorite Teacher
The first full week of May (May 8 to 12) is Teacher Appreciation Week. You can submit a recorded message thanking and celebrating our school’s amazing teachers and staff.
Your video message may be selected to share with our teachers and community on FCPS’ website and social media channels throughout Teacher Appreciation Week. Surprising our teachers and staff with these messages of gratitude and support is part of the fun, so keep your contribution under wraps until May.
Community Conversation: School Safety and Security
FCPS will host a community conversation to discuss our approach to safety and security, and the work we do every day to keep our schools safe. Join us Monday, May 8, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at South Lakes High School. Registration information will be available soon..
FCPS staff and experts will review our risk assessment processes, the physical measures we already have in place to protect our students and staff, pilot programs to detect vaping, and how we communicate and collaborate with our partners when there is an incident at our schools.
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
Family Resource Center
Parent Resource Center Is Now the Family Resource Center
FCPS’ Parent Resource Center has changed its name to the Family Resource Center (FRC), as a way to acknowledge and support the broad diversity of families in our community. The FRC continues to offer a wide range of essential resources and education for caregivers and students including:
Families can find printable resource guides and details about the center’s free lending library on FRC’s homepage. They may also sign up to receive the FRC newsletter for updates on webinars, resources, and other information. If you have questions, please contact the FRC via email at frc@fcps.edu or call 703-204-3941.
Upcoming FRC Webinars
The FRC is hosting the following upcoming webinars. Events are virtual unless stated otherwise.
Click on the titles above for more information or to register for a webinar.
 
PTA News
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.
Notes from the Music Department
Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie is the May musician of the month. She is the first person in history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest conductors, orchestras, and artists. She own over 2,000 instruments and is profoundly deaf. Listen to her music here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=RDEMSTFcuJjViZP0C0KYlh_3TA&playnext=1
Positivity Project (P2)
Dear Families,
Next week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm means you approach life with excitement and energy. You energize people around you.
Enthusiasm is the ability to bring life and excitement to different situations. It often leads to a higher level of involvement and engagement both for individuals and for groups. Those who demonstrate enthusiasm bring an energy and level of intensity to individual and group work. These people are often identified as early leaders and innovators as a result of their outward excitement about a task or project. Look for these people to recruit new group members and generate ideas.
For groups, enthusiasm can be directly tied to high levels of success, happiness, and achievement. Enthusiasm is contagious. One person’s enthusiasm can spark others to think, speak, and act with more energy and conviction. Groups that are enthusiastic about tasks are much more likely to spend longer periods of time in service to the group’s overall goals.
To practice and encourage the character strength of enthusiasm 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!
Important Dates
May 8-12- Staff Appreciation Week
May 10- PTA Meeting
May 29 - Memorial Day Holiday - Schools Closed
June 1st - Chorus Concert, 7:00 pm
June 6th - Band Concert, 7:00 pm
June 7th - Strings Concert, 7:00 pm
June 15th - Kindergarten Promotion (morning); 6th Grade Promotion @ FHS (2:00 pm)
June 16th - Last day of school for students; two hour early release (1:45 dismissal)
August 21 - First day of school for students
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