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Pictured above from upper left:
- Students really put on a show in our geography bee!
- Our math minds were at work during the PTA Math and STEM Game Night. Thank you volunteers for making it possible!
- Teachers enrich the curriculum through small groups to ensure all student needs are being met.
- Chorus students performed for the school and did a great job. The evening concert is this Friday.
Dear Freedom Hill Community,
It is hard to believe that our first semester has ended! And it ended with a bang this week. A huge thank you to our PTA, student and parent volunteers, teachers, and students as we celebrated Math and STEM Night, a Family Dinner Out, the Geography Bee, and a school-day winter concert. We are so fortunate for our community's involvement and the resources that are provided to our school. Be on the lookout for more community events in February. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Since joining the community in October, I have been amazed by the growth of our students and staff in such a short time. Though we are only halfway through the current year, our planning was next year has already begun. I look forward to sharing my vision and plans for the future in the coming months.
Being able to spend our days with the students of our community is a true joy - thank you for sending us your students each day.
All the best,
Dr. Z.
- January 27 - 28 - Teacher Workdays - Student Holidays
- January 31 - Spirit Day - Pajama Day
- January 31 - Winter Chorus Concert, 7PM
- February 3 - Report Cards mailed home
- February 6 - FHES SAFE PAC Meeting, Library, 7PM
- February 11 - Digital Safety Night with The Smart Talk, 6-8 PM
- February 13 - Something Sweet, Followed by PTA Mtg., 8:30 AM
- February 20 - Science Fair
- February 21 - Read-A-Thon Begins
We are looking to add several individuals to our wonderful team. If interested, please email your information to Kelly Harris at khharris@fcps.edu
Public Health Assistant (PHA) - this is a full-time teaching assistant position working with our students with special challenges. You will also need to apply for PHA positions online at this link.
Office Assistant / Parent Liaison - ~30 hours per week working in the front office and with families in our community.
This week's contributors:
The First Grade Teachers
First graders have been learning about the first Virginians. Its hard for us to think of a time before Target or Starbucks. To help us learn about what life was like for those who lived here 400 years ago we have been emphasizing primary and secondary sources. A primary source is an authentic document, image, or artifact from the time period or people involved. A secondary source is an interpretation or analysis of primary sources. Many of our sources have come from the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress has a vast collection of sources about events and people from all different places and times. We have enjoyed looking at paintings and drawings of Jamestown and the Powhatan people in recent weeks.
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We hope your children have demonstrated their learning about perseverance this week. On Wednesday, we'll begin learning about the Other People Matter Mindset (OPM2) element of supporting other people when they struggle. Supporting others while they go through tough times 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. Talking through a problem is a common way to help a person who is going through a tough time. When thinking about how to help them through conversation, it can be useful to (a) validate, rather than dismissing, their feelings, (b) help them reappraise the situation, and (c) *carefully* point out logic/thinking errors that may block them from healing.
This week’s example is Austin Perine. Austin, who recently turned 6, works to feed the homeless in Birmingham, AL — and elsewhere. He delivers food and hugs with a message “don’t forget to show love.”
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Freedom Hill was presented with a 2019 Energy Star, signifying that our community scored in the top 25% of schools nationally for energy conservation and greenhouse gas emissions. Congratulations and thank you for your hard work students, staff, and families!
What an awesome week we had last week. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Geography Bee, the Family Dinner Out at Noodles & Co. and our first ever STEM & Math Game Night! They were all great successes and we hope you had a great time!
JOIN US FOR THE SMART TALK DIGITAL TECH NIGHT - FEB. 11TH!
Ever struggle to manage technology with your kids? Guess what - we can help! FHES was one of only 25 schools to be awarded a grant from the National PTA to host The Smart Talk. Join us on Feb. 11 at 6pm where families will learn about the importance of digital safety and the Smart Talk, an interactive website created by National PTA and LifeLock to help families and kids talk about using digital devices responsibly. Come for free snacks, Smart Talk activities, and a presentation by Erika Deem, Parent Center Liaison from the Parent Resource Center. Optional: bring your phone or laptop and fill out the contract with your kids! No device? No worries! We'll have copies of the contract there too.
SOMETHING SWEET ON FEB. 13TH
Enjoy spending a few extra moments with your child at Something Sweet with Someone You Love on Thursday, February 13th from 8:30am-9:05am in the cafeteria! Donuts and coffee will be provided. All parents, grandparents, guardians are welcome. Children do need to be accompanied by an adult to ensure there are no food allergy issues. Please join us afterwards for our first PTA Meeting of the year. Big props to Sylvia Solari for organizing this!
AWESOME JOB AT THE GEOGRAPHY BEE!
A huge congratulations go to all our semi-finalists, finalists and winners of our National Geographic Geography Bee! In first place was: Hrishi Desai, 2nd place, Celeste Lewis and 3rd place, Arash Behdad. A huge thanks to Ms. Trott, Ms. Bliss and Thyaga Nandagopal for helping to facilitate it. Check out the full list of participants.
SCIENCE FAIR - FORMS DUE BY FEB 12
Freedom Hill's annual SCIENCE FAIR is on Thursday, February 20th. Now is the time to start thinking about projects with your child. This is an interactive evening where students can showcase what they have learned. Turn in your form by Wed. Feb. 12th. Great resources for ideas at education.com and ScienceBuddies. Questions? Contact Neda Sarafrazi.
READ-A-THON IS COMING! We are kicking off Read-a-thon with a School Assembly on Feb. 21st with author Jasmyn Wright. Students can purchase a copy of I’m Gonna Push Through, so look for an order form in Tuesday folders for the next 2 weeks. Pre-orders are strongly encouraged and are due by February 14th.
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