|
Pictured above from upper left:
- Thank you to everyone who participated in our monthly Spirit Day with their pajamas.
- Way to go Chorus! The Friday concert was splendid.
- Thank you to Shahdy Ali-Hassan and Sahar Javadi for the donation of a beautiful Vienna bench for our lobby!
- Our students love to read! Read-A-Thon begins soon.
Dear Freedom Hill Community,
I hope this week's message finds you well. We had a short but exciting week that culminated with Spirit Day and our winter chorus concert. We appreciate our community's participation.
In the coming weeks, you will receive information about our 2020 Read-A-Thon. We enjoy this fundraiser because (1) it encourages reading among the students and (2) we raise money for our school. Last year students/teachers logged over 202,000 minutes read over the 2 week period. I have already committed to being taped to a hallway wall by our students if we meet our fundraising goal this year.
We will be kicking off the Read-A-Thon on 2/21 with a visit from author Jasmyn Wright, who will talk about her new book I’m Gonna Push Through. You can order the book in advance and will find information coming home in Tuesday folders.
All the best,
Dr. Z.
- February 3 - Report Cards mailed home
- February 6 - 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
- February 21 - Jasmyn Wright Author Visit
We are looking to add two individuals to our wonderful team. If interested, please email your information to Kelly Harris at khharris@fcps.edu
1. 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.
2. Office Assistant - 20 hours per week working in the front office
We know that there are many staff members at Freedom Hill that go above and beyond to make a difference for students and families in our school. Our teachers are currently nominating one another for their acts of service and recognized teachers are able to park in the principal parking spots for the week. We do also have another staff recognition spot and would love to have community nominations.
Please consider submitting a short recognition statement about one or more of them to FCPS Cares! This is an easy and very nice way of noticing and celebrating the efforts of our Freedom Hill employees. Each and every submission is acknowledged by FCPS and celebrated by our school division.
Give it a try! Just click this FCPS Cares link and fill in a few blanks. It just takes a minute and will mean so much to those individuals! You will receive a response from FCPS for your acknowledgement.
This week's contributor:
The Special Education Team
One of many tools that all teachers use when shaping behavior is Positive Reinforcement. These same strategies can be used at home when parents desire to change behaviors that their children demonstrate in the home environment. The use of Positive Reinforcement to shape student behavior is considered Tier 1 of the Multi-Tiered System of Support utilized in schools. Positive Reinforcement is defined as the use of a reward or reinforcer (i.e. stickers, praise, a special treat, extra time with a favorite toy) to increase desired behaviors such as following directions or initiating assignments. Parents should pair rewards or reinforcers with desired behaviors to continue to motivate and teach.
One example of this system giving frequent positive reinforcement throughout the day for a primary-aged student follows:
 |
|
We are excited to announce that the FHES Green Team is getting back together! If your child would like to join, their form is due by February 7th, 2020. The commitment for Green Team is Friday mornings from 8:30am-9:00am. This year we will be working on revamping our recycling program and revitalizing our garden. If you have any questions or need another copy of the form, please email Mr. Curtis @ kgcurtis@fcps.edu. |
We hope that you've had some significant conversations with your children this week on ways to support other people when they struggle -- and why that is such an important aspect on humanity. On Monday, we'll begin learning about forgiveness -- which is the ability to move past being injured and accept that people make mistakes. Forgiveness means that you forgive those who have done wrong. Forgiveness can often be seen as a selfless act, but it also carries many benefits for those who practice it. Those who demonstrate forgiveness have the ability to move forward after someone has hurt them. Forgiveness is often rooted in the idea that all people are valuable and worthy of a second chance. Many who forgive have the ability to consider things from another’s perspective. For a 1-page overview of forgiveness, please click here and for a blog post with additional links to academic research into forgiveness, please click here.
|
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 2020. Big props to Sylvia Solari for organizing this!
MORNING PTA MTG, 2/13 at 9:15AM
After Something Sweet, join us for a morning PTA meeting with Tim Scesney, School Based Technology Specialist who'll update us on FHES' technology plan. Please note tax receipt letters for 2019 membership donations were emailed last week. If you expected a letter and did not receive one, please contact Kerrey Olden.
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.
VALENTINE'S CANDY GRAMS - AVAILABLE FEB. 5-14TH
Sixth Graders will be selling candies for Valentine's Day. Include a personal note in your candy gram or use these pre-printed notes that are supplied. Candy grams will be available for sale from 8:45am-9:10am on February 5-14. Cost is $0.50 each. You or your child can send candy grams to a few select friends or teachers or to the entire class. Click here for info. All proceeds go to 6th grade end of year activities and gift to Freedom Hill. Q's? Contact DaMee Hwang.
SAFE PAC is a committee of FHES parents collectively working to improve the
safety of FHES students, teachers and staff by securing a vestibule for the
front entrance of the school. SAFE PAC members have held discussions with
FCPS officials, School Board members and FPAC (the FCPS Facilities Planning Advisory Council) on the school system’s implementation of security vestibules in FCPS schools.
Interested in more information? Join SAFE PAC on February 6, 2019 at 7pm in the Library for a meeting about the committee’s progress and the work that is still needed to secure a security vestibule at FHES. For information please email fhespac@gmail.com
|
Do you have a child interested in the Arts? Don’t miss out on registering for Fairfax County’s Elementary Institute for the Arts starting February 3rd! Students explore Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre through this weekly program that runs from July 6-31st. For more information visit the E-IFTA website.
|
|
|
