Daniels Run ES - August 25, 2023

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/25/2023 01:15 PM EDT

A Note from the Principal 

DRES Families, 

A big thank you to our students, families and staff for making our first week a great success.  Teachers and students have been busy building relationships and establishing routines this first week.  

One of our areas of focus this year is student attendance. The beginning of the school year is the best time to develop strong attendance habits! Students who attend school regularly are more likely to perform well in reading and math, develop strong social and emotional skills, and graduate from high school on time. Help prepare your child for future success. Watch this video with tips from Fairfax Pyramid principals and visit FCPS’ Attendance webpage for tips and strategies. Last school year our chronic absenteeism rate was 19.06%.  Chronic Absenteeism is defined as missing ten percent or more of the academic year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences.

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 

Welcome Back Dragons!

First Week of School

 

2023 Student Rights and Responsibilities

FCPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment. In late June, the School Board approved changes to the SR&R for the 2023-24 school year. Updates include a revision of dress code expectations, bystander expectations for students witnessing harmful or unsafe behaviors, bullying, and substance abuse responses. Read Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid’s letter to families regarding the SR&R. 

Parents/caregivers should talk to their child(ren) about expectations for this school year. Also, please log in to SIS ParentVUE and sign to acknowledge your review of the SR&R, or sign and return the signature sheet to your child’s school by Friday, September 29. 

 Lightspeed Parent Report

FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service.

Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.

Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports.

Safety Drills

Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for FCPS. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are also required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance. 

The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill. 

Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Please review these frequently asked questions to support your students before and after school lockdown drills.

Girls on the Run 

We are looking for a few volunteers to help organize our Girls on the Run club.  Contact cmsmith@fcps.edu if you are interested.  

Parental Permission to Use Digital Resources

Some FCPS-approved digital resources require parent consent before they can be used by students. Find the list of resources which require consent on the Parent Consent webpage. This page also includes directions for providing permission. 

Each digital resource used in FCPS has had an instructional and technical review. Information about the educational technology tools approved for use within FCPS can be found in the online Digital Ecosystem Library.

Parents can find more information about FCPS-approved digital resources on the Digital Resources in FCPS webpage.

The Digital Resources Consent page that each school has put on its school website has moved to a different location.

The digital resource page will now be housed on an FCPS central page.

Parents should use this site to complete the Digital Resource Consent process.

https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/technology/digital-resources/consent

DRES Band and Strings Registration

Band and Strings Registration is now open! 4th- 6th graders interested in strings, and 5th and 6th graders interested in band are invited to sign up using the link below. The deadline to sign up is Monday, August 28th. Band and strings will start the week of September 11th. 

https://forms.gle/tfsE7uJjY6t6o9Lv5

KT Band Instrument Fair

Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights

Fairfax County Public Schools wants all parents to understand its policies regarding surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.

In its Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms (Annual Notice), FCPS provides explanations of the rights listed above as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices. Two versions of the Annual Notice are available — a grades K-8 version and a grades 9-12 version. Parents/caregivers with children at different grade levels should read each applicable version of the Annual Notice, because the notices and opt-out rights vary depending on the student’s grade level.

Get more information and view the 2023-24 Opt-Out Booklets.

Meal Prices & Prepayments 

Meal Prices and Prepayment information can be found on the FCPS website.

Preparing for and Paying for Meals at School

Parents/caregivers need to provide their students with money to purchase meals at school, send them with a packed lunch, or apply (and be approved) for free and reduced-price meals benefits. School breakfast for students costs $1.75. Lunch is $3.25 for elementary students and $3.50 for middle, secondary, and high school students.

Free and Reduced-Price Meals

The application for free and reduced-priced meals is now available for the 2023-24 school year. Students who were approved for free and reduced-price lunch last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should re-apply as soon as possible for the 2023-24 school year, so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost. 

Paying With MySchoolBucks

The best way to purchase meals (and keep food lines moving!) is to use MySchoolBucks. Set up your student’s MySchoolBucks account today. Our front office staff can help with any questions. 

MySchoolBucks accounts can be set up to add money to the account automatically, as needed. Families with multiple children can use the same MySchoolBucks account. Visit FCPS’ Food and Nutrition webpage for more information.

Buses and Delays

Transportation Patience and Safety

Thank you for your patience as we all get used to our routines to start the school year.  

If a student’s bus is delayed, parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app to receive the delayed bus report. Email messages will be sent to announce significant bus delays. Contact the Transportation Office at 703-249-7000  with any additional questions. For any concerns after 5:30 p.m., contact Safety and Security at 571-423-2000. 

To make sure you receive email messages about bus delays, update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE.

Kiss and Ride Information

  • Welcome to the new school year. This is to inform you of our Kiss and Ride procedures for the end of the day. During the first week of school we will be distributing a Kiss and Ride card. Please place it on the passenger side dashboard of your vehicle with your child’s name and grade level. All students will be waiting in the cafeteria and we will be calling students to cars as you arrive. Beginning September 5th if you do not have the card on your dashboard you will be asked to park and come in to the office to pick up your child. Please be sure to get as many vehicle cards as you need to ensure that all your vehicles can display the card.
  • As a reminder students should only be entering and exiting cars from the passenger side of the vehicle. Also, students will be dismissed to a vehicle ONLY. Please do not walk up to the cafeteria exit door to pick up your child.
  • We thank you in advance for your flexibility and help with ensuring the safety of the children.
  • No pets are allowed on school grounds

Back to School Open House and Picnic - Sept. 7 

Join us for our Back to School Night Picnic. We are combining back to school night and our welcome back picnic. The school will be open from 5:30-6:30 for you to see your student's classroom and stop by and say hello to their teacher. The picnic will be from 5:00-8:00 on the playground and fields. Bring a picnic dinner or buy dinner from one of the food trucks available. There will be music, games and friends to meet. Be sure to stop by the PTA table for a free treat for our students!

Paperless Opt-Outs Available!

As a part of our ongoing efforts to streamline paper processes, parents can now select a number of opt-out’s electronically via ParentVUE.  Once you have signed into your ParentVUE account, simply select the “Student Info” tab and click on “Edit Information.” You will find opt-out’s listed there.  Parents that do not yet have a ParentVUE account will still be able to use paper forms for notification. If you need to set up your ParentVUE account, you can create one online via the FCPS ParentVUE Registration page.

Free Resources for Families

Did you know that caregivers can access free webinars, confidential consultations, a lending library, and resources to help adults support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities? 

Learn more about FCPS’ Family Resource Center (FRC).

Workshops for Families

The Family Resource Center is already scheduling a helpful series of webinars for the 2023-24 school year. Save the date for the following discussions in September. See the full list of workshops. Click on the title to register for each event: 

Who's the Boss? 5 Ways for Families to Help Kids with Big Emotions, Friday September 29, 10-11:30 a.m.

2023-30 Strategic Plan News

This is an exciting time for FCPS! We are continuing the work of implementing our new strategic plan. Next week, teachers will learn how their work is critical to achieving excellent student outcomes.  Stay tuned for additional information on how FCPS’ new strategic plan is coming to life. In the meantime, please visit the Strategic Plan webpage.

School Year Calendar

Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.

  • Days marked with blue Hs are student holidays. 
  • Days marked with orange Os are religious and cultural observance days (or evenings if only half marked). 
  • Days marked in pink are holidays for students, but working days for teachers and staff.

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and the start of each month coincides with the birth of a new moon. The date of Eid a-Fitr is regionally decided, which can lead to unexpected date changes. Eid al-Fitr is currently slated to begin at sunset on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, and last through sundown Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Tuesday is designated a half-O day, and Wednesday is a holiday, with all schools and offices being closed. If the day for Eid changes after the school year begins, the calendar may be adjusted.

Important Dates   

September 1-4  - Labor Day Break 

September 7 - Back to School Open House/PTA Picnic 

September 22 - Fairfax High School Family Fun Fest, 5:30

September 25 - Yom Kippur - FCPS Schools and Offices Closed