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Dear Freedom Hill Community,
We hope all are well as our first quarter of the school year comes to an end (and in style with Harvest Spirit Week)! We'd like to say a very big "THANK YOU" to our families, teachers, and students for everyone's collective efforts to make this a great start to the school year. Our community continues its traditions of kindness, positivity, understanding, hard work, and engaging learning each week. We are so proud!
This week, students will be on holiday on Monday and Tuesday as our teachers conduct conferences, prepare progress reports, and plan for the second quarter. Our front office will be open from 8:30-12:00 on both days. Don't forget that Tuesday is Election Day! If you have not already, it is a great time to introduce your child to one of the foundational tenets of democracy through voting. Best wishes to our families celebrating Dia de los Muertos and Diwali this week.
On Wednesday, we have School Picture Makeup Day for any students who missed our first date.
We have extended our parent support SignUpGenius through November. We are hoping to continue our optional outdoor lunches as long as the weather remains mild and will allow students to bring their jackets outside. Thank you for your support!
In partnership,
Nicholas Zapadka, Principal
Eric Kopacz, Assistant Principal
2021-22 FCPS School Calendar
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November 1 - 2 - Teacher Work Days, Student Holidays
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November 3 - Makeup Picture Day
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November 4 - Cultural Observance Day - Diwali (no assessments)
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November 5 - Impact Aid Forms Due
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November 10 - Q1 Progress Reports Sent Home
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November 13 - Green Team Weekend Session, 8:30 - 12:00
RED Days This Week: Thursday
WHITE Days This Week: Wednesday, Friday
 Tuesday’s news that an FDA panel has recommended Pfizer’s low dose vaccine for children ages 5-11 brings hope that we can add another layer of prevention for children during this pandemic. As we await a final decision, please know that Fairfax County Public Schools and our community partners including the Fairfax County Health Department, Inova Health System, and local pediatric groups, are working together to ensure that every family who wishes to vaccinate their children ages 5-11 will have access to the vaccine. For the latest information on our vaccination rollout plans, visit our website.
If you child is experiencing any of these symptoms, please keep your child at home! In addition, if any member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19, your student may not report to school. Please contact our school clinic or the health department for next steps. |
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FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid by November 5. Returning this form is really important, because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grant funds each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all FCPS schools - but only if you complete the form.
For each school-aged child in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your child's school. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the boxes in Section 3. All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by November 5. All results are confidential.
Watch this video to learn more about the Federal Impact Aid Form.
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This week, we are focusing on Perspective. You appreciate that people see things in different ways. You have the ability to understand the world from multiple points of view.
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“When you look at a field of dandelions, you can either see a field of weeds, or a field of wishes...”
~Unknown
Questions you might enjoy talking about:
- Why is it important to look at things from a different point of view?
- What are the benefits of looking at things from different perspectives?
- Why is it important to have perspective in your relationships with others?
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The SIS - Student Information System - is an online tool parents can use to access information about their child’s attendance, report cards, discipline incidents, health information, and more. In ParentVUE, you can also view student progress reports/report cards and SOL scores.
Your secure SIS ParentVUE Account offers you the ability to use one username/password to login to both the SIS ParentVUE Account and Schoology.
Using the SIS ParentVUE account, parents will also be able to view school information, including teacher e-mail addresses, the FCPS calendar, and emergency contact information. Visit the FCPS website and use the search function and keywords “SIS Parent Overview” for more information.
Many of our Freedom Hill families have already activated the SIS ParentVUE account with the activation key. If you are unable to login to your account, you may need to reset your password on the SIS Parent Account login page (http://sisparent.fcps.edu):
- Select the “Forgot Password” button.
- Your username is the primary email address you have on file with us in our Student Information System.
- More information is available here.
Newly enrolled families should have received an activation key for your account. Please take action now to ensure your account is active, so that you won’t miss a beat!
Fairfax County Public Schools will adopt new Elementary School Language Arts Basal Instructional Resources and Science Basal Instructional Resources for upcoming school years. A review committee composed of community members, administrators, and teachers will meet in November and December to review the instructional materials under consideration and community feedback. Public review of the recommended materials is part of the process for selecting new resources. All community feedback will be shared with School Board members before the vote at the School Board regular meeting.
Elementary English Language Arts basal instructional resources may be accessed in person and online October 26 through November 26, 2021. Digital materials for public review and comment will be available at the following link https://www.fcps.edu/node/36853. Families reviewing the material online may complete an electronic comment sheet https://forms.gle/VKxcfabLedjYAZpS8. In addition, hard copies of instructional resources will be available in the lobby of Willow Oaks Administrative Center. Willow Oaks is open each business day from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm and extended hours will be provided until 7:45 pm on November 3.
K - 8 Science basal instructional resources may be accessed online until November 14, 2021. Digital materials for public review and comment will be available at the following link https://www.fcps.edu/node/39027. Families reviewing the material online may complete an electronic comment sheet https://forms.gle/g76TjGmewaN8Fgfb6.
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We hope your family has a wonderful Halloween if you celebrate today and that your students enjoy the two days off Monday and Tuesday. A few calendar notes from us - Dia de los Muertos is Nov. 1-2 and Diwali is Thursday, Nov. 4th. Don't forget to vote if you can on Election Day on Nov. 2nd. Fall Picture Make-up Day is Wed., Nov. 3rd. And get ready for Daylight Savings coming up on Nov. 7th! Also please note our International Parade is being rescheduled to Spring instead of in November.
FDO RECAP AND THANK YOU
Thanks to those who joined us for Chipotle and Coldstone last week! We collectively made $250 from the evening sales and proceeds. Thank you to Jen King for organizing! Our next FDO will be Dec. 6-7 at Ledo's Pizza in Falls Church on Leesburg Pike.
TEACHER APPRECIATION BREAKFAST, WED. OCT. 27th
Props to Sara Lyon and Sechin Lee for pulling off a great Teacher Appreciation breakfast last week! They also put together these amazing cold winter gifts complete with hand sanitizer, emergen-c and cough drops to keep our teacher and staff healthy!
DEADLINE EXTENDED - UPDATE YOUR DIRECTORY INFO BY NOV. 2nd
To access the new Freedom Hill PTA AtoZ Connect site, visit https://freedomhillpta.membershiptoolkit.com. 1) Click "Register/Login", then "Create Account" (Create your family's account and click "verify my email".) 2) You've got mail! (Check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders.) 3) Finish your registration (Parent/Family and Student Info & Directory Publish Preferences)
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GREEN TEAM - NOV. 13TH
Our school’s food garden looks great and our beds are planted for the fall. Our next weekend work session will be on Nov. 13th, from 8:30 AM – 12 PM. We will be focusing on laying down gravel pathways, cleaning up our pollinator garden, and cleaning up our front beds at school. Want info about Green Team Activities and NEWS? Sign up for our Mailing List using this form HERE (Updated and Fixed Link).
NEXT PTA MEETING - NOV. 17th at 8PM
If you missed the last PTA meeeting, here are the slides, minutes and recording with (Access Password: X78V=gp?). Next PTA meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 17th at 8pm.
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BOOK DONATIONS NEEDED
Help former FHES student, Jose Gonzalez, with his Eagle Scout project to get books in the hands of FHES children. Jose hopes to benefit students by building their family libraries and learn about the positive impact scouting can have on their lives. Donate books in the blue bin by FHES' front doors!
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GIRL SCOUTS AT FHES
There are Girl Scouts troops at Freedom Hill - it's a great leadership experience. Check out the flier for more info or contact Barbara Brown to get all the details.
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