Freedom Hill community,
I'd like to thank our staff, students, and parents for a wonderful "Thanksgiving Luncheon" on Friday. Due to everyone's enthusiasm we prepared over one thousand (!!) lunches for our families, which represents a big increase over the participation we had at this time last year. We were so thrilled to see the enthusiasm for our school on display! Thank you to all who attended.
As we make our way into the Thanksgiving holiday, I have some more exciting news. Our new assistant principal, Mr. Eric Kopacz (KOH-paz) will be joining us for his first day of work on December 9. He will be coming to us from Waynewood Elementary, an FCPS school in the Alexandria area. During his nearly eleven years at Waynewood, he has accumulated a variety of experiences. He has taught 4th and 6th grade, AAP, special education inclusion, served on the school leadership team, the crisis team, as test coordinator, and as PBIS lead. He also has experiences working with students with significant disabilities as an Extended School Year administrator, where he supervised instruction, communicated delicate matters to parents, and supported teachers/students in crisis situations. He has earned a B.A. in Elementary Education from Shippensburg University, and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from George Mason. We look forward to him beginning soon! Welcome, Eric!
All the best, and have a wonderful holiday.
Dr. Z.
- November 27-29 - No School (Holiday)
- December 3 - Registration Opens for Winter Enrichment
- December 9 - Mr. Kopacz begins as Assistant Principal
Today is the final day! Nominations close today (Sunday) for the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Freedom Hill Outstanding Employee in one of five categories, please complete the nomination through the Google form link. The five categories are:
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Outstanding Leader
- Outstanding Professional Employee
- Outstanding Operational Employee
You may nominate an employee in one or more categories and each employee fits in an award category. All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The google form link has more information regarding the criteria for each of these awards. Thank you for celebrating each other and the great work we are doing at Freedom Hill! If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Bliss at LMBLISS@FCPS.EDU.
Each year, staff and community members adopt Freedom Hill families in need, helping them with clothes and gifts for the holidays. If you would like to adopt a family, you can sign up in the main office or call the school. You can also e-mail ssujoromero@fcps.edu. You will be assigned a family and be provided with the children’s ages, sizes and preferences.
Parents, have you ever considered applying to become a substitute teacher? FCPS has a significant need for substitute teachers. We've already had several days with teachers out on leave here at Freedom Hill with no available substitutes. When this occurs, we must rearrange our staff to cover the classrooms for the day.
As a substitute teacher, you choose the days and schools in which you are willing to work. We’d love to develop a core group of Freedom Hill parents who are available to serve as substitute teachers. If you think this might be a good opportunity for you, please click here.
The AAP office has created this slideshow to help guide parents through the process of referring your child for Level IV AAP services. The first step in the process is for a parent or teacher to submit the Level IV referral form (https://www.fcps.edu/node/38893). This can be submitted to your child’s teacher or emailed directly to Tara Fredericks (tlfredericks@fcps.edu). The deadline for referrals is January 9th.
Please contact Tara Fredericks (tlfredericks@fcps.edu) with any questions!
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PTA RECAP
A big thanks to those who came out to the Family Dinner Out at Silver Diner and the PTA meeting last week. It was great to see everyone and have such productive conversations at the PTA meeting. Look forward to Winter Enrichment registration, classroom spelling bees, a teacher appreciation luncheon and holiday gift card sales in December! For those who ordered spiritwear online, you should receive those the week of December 9th. Have a great holiday!
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SNEAK PEEK AT WINTER ENRICHMENT CLASSES
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It's time to start thinking about before and after school activities for January through March. Winter Enrichment registration begins on December 3rd! Take a look and see what classes your child and their friends are interested in doing! Activities are here.
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2019 PTA HOLIDAY GIFT CARD SALE!
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Do all your holiday shopping while helping raise money for your FHES PTA! Gift cards make fabulous presents for family, teachers, school staff, childcare providers, coaches and scout leaders. Great options include Starbucks, Amazon, Target and more! Deadline: Mon. Dec. 9th (to get by Tues. Dec. 17th) Order forms are going home in this week's Tuesday Folder. Questions? Contact Joyce Chong.
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Directory Update
While the print directory is being finalized, you can always still updated your info online in the AtoZConnect directory online. You'll want to verify your student's teacher, parent names, address, phone numbers and email. It takes only a few minutes!
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