Dear Freedom Hill Community,
What a great start to the year! We were so thankful to welcome our eager learners back to the building this week after the holiday break. As we are doing in our classrooms, it is a great time for families to develop consistent routines for the year. Please ensure that your student arrives by 9:20 each day so that they can be in their classroom for the start of instruction.
We have a busy January of events! Please see below for information on our Dads of Great Students Kickoff Night, a Family Dinner Out, and our first PTA meeting of 2024. Don't forget that our winter session of PTA Before/Afterschool Programs begins this week!
Lastly, we are excited to announce this spring's FH Family Learning Series. You will find more information below. We will have a session next Tuesday evening that will provide families with information on Special Education and Section 504. What are these? How do students qualify? Might they be right for your child? Join our Special Ed. Department Chairs, Mrs. Tingler and Mr. Grumbach, for a short virtual learning session in both English and Spanish. Viewing links will be available for families who can't make it to the live session.
Have a great week!
Nicholas Zapadka, Principal
Eric Kopacz, Assistant Principal
2023-24 FCPS School Calendar
FCPS Lunch Menu
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January 15 - No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
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January 16 - FH Parent Learning Series - Introduction to Special Education and 504, 7PM (English) and 7:30 (Spanish), Link
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January 18 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30
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January 22 - Watch D.O.G.S. Kickoff Pizza Night (5:30 - Sign Up Here)
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January 23 - PTA Family Dinner Out - Noodles and Co.
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January 25: End of Q2 - 2-Hour Early Release at 2:05
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January 26: Teacher Workday - Student Holiday
Our expert Instructional Support Team is excited to share the dates and topics for our new Family Learning Series. Our goal is to provide learning opportunities for parents / caregivers interested in a variety of topics related to our students' experiences. These will be held (mostly) virtually so that topics can be recorded for families to view at a later time if desired. The first 30 minutes will be in English, and the second 30 minutes in Spanish. We look forward to seeing you!
Completed:
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Introduction to Advanced Academics with Mrs. Fredericks (September 2023, Link)
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Full-Time Advanced Academics Screening with Mrs. Fredericks - for families with students in grades 2-6 (October 2023, Link)
Coming Soon:
- Jan. 16 - Introduction to Special Education & Section 504 with Mrs. Tingler and Mr. Grumbach (7PM English, 7:30PM Spanish, Link)
- Jan. 22 - Watch D.O.G.S. Kickoff Pizza Night with Dr. Zapadka, Mr. Kopacz, and Mr. Hay (In-Person Only, 5:30PM in Cafeteria, Reserve Your Spot)
Later this Year:
- March 13 - The Science of Reading - Our New Approach to Teaching with Mrs. Rossman and Mrs. Mansuy (7PM English, 7:30PM Spanish, Link TBD)
- April 4 - All About the SOLs with Mr. Kopacz and Dr. Zapadka (7PM English, 7:30PM Spanish, Link TBD)
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This week, we are focusing on Prudence. You plan for the future and achieve your goals by making careful everyday choices.
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"When you make the right decision, it doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks.”
~Caroline Kennedy
Questions you might enjoy talking about:
- What does making good decisions have to do with prudence?
- Is it hard to make decisions in certain situations? If yes, which situations?
Do you find it becoming harder or easier to make good decisions as you get older?
As the weather grows cooler, we monitor for very low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories which may prevent children from being outside. At this time, it is our intention to have outdoor recess on most days as weather permits.
Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and/or other cold-weather clothing so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. See the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather.
If you need assistance supplying your child with cold-weather clothing, our Family Liaison, Ms. Riera Pineros, can assist you. You can also call Fairfax County's Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880. The multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and healthcare.
 Our Freedom Hill dads/male caregivers are invited to bring their student(s) to Freedom Hill for a pizza dinner and to learn about our Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) volunteer program. We will be holding it this year on January 22 at 5:30. We have made some tweaks this year based on community feedback (including having half-day signups that may be more manageable for our working D.O.G.S). Even if you are a returning participant, we'd still love to have you out. Planning to attend? Please complete this quick form so we have enough pizza!
Thank you David Hay for coordinating this great program as our "Top Dog" again this year.
 This week is Math Week in FCPS. Using the link below, ST Math, games from Family Night, or things you have at home, join the FCPS Community for 5 nights of math beginning tomorrow.
Through rich story-based mathematics experiences, math week offers families an opportunity to experience math, literacy, history, and geography in a positive way. The games and stories feature several countries including Lesotho, Madagascar, Ghana, and China. All content will be available for free directly to all families in English and Spanish.
All content will be available completely free on the website starting January 8, 2024. To access the games, families will be able to simply click on the day of the week and find their child's grade and language. View the website at anytime for explanations and videos.
 
“BEE” PREPARED
The Spelling Bee is coming to FHES! If your student in 1st through 6th grade is planning to participate, they can find the word lists and more information on the PTA website here: Spelling bee. Students selected from each grade will advance to the School Bee on Monday, February 12th, at 6PM. Each grade level will be sending six students to the finals.
BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES START THIS WEEK
If your student is participating in a before or after school enrichment class, don’t forget that classes start this week. Homeroom teachers received lists of students participating in classes but please remind your student each day that they have a class. Have fun!
DINE OUT AT NOODLES & COMPANY
Save the date for another fun family dinner out on Tuesday, January 23rd from 4-8PM at Noodles and Co. located at 201 Maple Avenue East in Vienna. Make sure to mention FHES PTA when placing your order to dine-in or carry-out. Ordering online? Use code “Giving25” to make sure we get credit for your order. Thank you Camille Paredes for organizing this FDO!
GET READY FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR
We are hosting the Science Fair on February 23rd and look forward to seeing students’ creative projects! This is a great opportunity for students to make a fun display of something that interests them. Projects may relate to something students have learned during the year but there’s no requirement that the project be based on in-class instruction. All students can choose to participate and they can work individually, with a friend, or with a group of friends. Students are encouraged to plan early so they have enough time to prepare. This is just one site where you can get inspired: Science Fair Project Ideas, Answers, & Tools (sciencebuddies.org). Look for a flier to come home with your student this week with detailed information.
UPCOMING PTA MEETING
Join us virtually at our first meeting of 2024 on Thursday, January 18th from 7:30-8:30PM. Agenda, financials and Zoom link to be provided closer to the meeting.
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