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Dear Freedom Hill Families,
Hip hip hooray! Our Read-A-Thon has concluded, and our incredible students absolutely smashed our goal of reading 250,000 total minutes as a school! With the help of our staff and families, we crossed the finish line with over 300,000 minutes read and raised over $13,500! Reading was celebrated across all classrooms with finger flashlight Fridays, an SCA spirit week, and teacher's choice rewards, like PJ day or movie time. As always, we extend a big thank you to Amber Halaka for her dedication to organizing our yearly fundraiser. Way to go, Eagles!
In other exciting news, we celebrated our first session of Soaring Eagle Citizens this week. Though we often praise and acknowledge students' great academic work, at Freedom Hill we also learn to care for one another and our world through our Positivity Project traits. Each teacher selected two students who embody these traits each day, and these students had a special lunch with the principals. We are grateful for our caring students and community.
As we embark on another week, please remember that tomorrow will be an early release day at 1:05. Students will be dismissed according to the plans we have on file. If you need to make any changes to how your child will be getting home, please ensure that both their teacher and the office are informed.
Have a great week, and don't forget to visit the Spring Book Fair, pre-order your 75th Anniversary Yearbook, and check out photos below from our 4th graders' great field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. Thank you to our teachers and chaperones!
In partnership,
Nicholas Zapadka, Principal
Tim Scesney, Assistant Principal
Holly Sims, Assistant Principal
2024-25 FCPS School Calendar
FCPS Lunch Menu
Freedom Hill Family Resources
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March 17 - Early Release Monday at 1:05
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March 18 - 21 - Spring Book Fair
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March 19 - PTA Family Dinner Out - Taco Bamba & Ben & Jerry's Vienna
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March 31 - School Closed, Eid al-Fitr
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April 1 - 2025-26 Kindergarten Orientation, 9:30
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April 4 - PTA Culture & Heritage Night
The Yearbook is on sale! From now until April 11th, please scan this QR code to purchase directly from our yearbook vendor. After April 11th, you will be able to purchase the yearbook using MySchoolBucks (preferred), cash, or check. Please do not send payment to school until after April 11. The yearbook will be distributed to students during the last week of school in June.
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This week, we are working on ONE of the FIVE overarching pillars of the Positivity Project. Identifying and appreciating the good in others can sometimes be difficult to do if we are too focused on ourselves.
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“It’s not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs.”
~Confucius
Questions you might enjoy talking about:
- What is expressing appreciation?
- Why does it take COURAGE to express appreciation?
- What are some ways you can show appreciation of others?
- How does it make you feel when someone expresses appreciation?
Students in grades 3-6 participate in state assessments each year. These assessments measure how students are learning the state standards. Below is the current schedule for the spring Standards of Learning tests at Freedom Hill. More information will be provided as we get closer to the testing window.
- Wednesday, March 26: Grade 5 IRW SOL
- Tuesday, April 29: Grade 6 & Grade 4 Reading SOL
- Thursday, May 1: Grade 5 & Grade 3 Reading SOL
- Thursday, May 8: Grade 5 Math
- Thursday, May 15: Grade 5 Science & Grade 3 Math SOL
- Tuesday, May 20: Grade 6 & Grade 4 Math SOL
- May 27 - 30 Retakes for identified students
Please avoid scheduling appointments for students on the dates that students will participate in the SOLs.
Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! Share your thoughts and ask questions regarding FCPS on Thursday, March 20st at Cunningham Park Elementary School from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Other Dates:
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Monday, March 24th, Kings Park Elementary School
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Tuesday, April 1st, Lorton Station Elementary School
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Monday, April 7th, Greenbriar West Elementary School
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Monday, April 21st, Mount Eagle Elementary School
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Wednesday, April 23rd, Freedom Hill Elementary School
Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all. Find out about other opportunities to connect with Dr. Reid.
🧸 Kindergarten Registration: It’s as Easy as 1-2-3…
Online registration for the 2025-26 school year is open. Parents / caregivers may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process. When registering, parents / caregivers will need to create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
There’s an easy five-step process for parents wanting to register their child for kindergarten:
- Determine eligibility.
- Identify your local school.
- Gather documents.
- Fill out forms.
- Schedule an appointment at Freedom Hill with Ms. Sujo at (703) 506-7800 or email at ssujoromero@fcps.edu
After the appointment at Freedom Hill (the student and one guardian must be present), the student and family will be invited to attend our Kindergarten Orientation on April 1, 2025. Read more about the registration process. For additional information, please contact Ms. Sujo with the contact information above.
The Early Release Mondays planned throughout the school year for elementary schools are essential to allow educators time for planning and professional development. Students will be dismissed three hours early seven times throughout the school year and are encouraged to return home via their normal route.
The following dates are planned for Early Release Mondays throughout the school year:
- September 23
- October 28
- December 9
- February 24
- March 17
- April 28
- May 19
Additional information can be found on the FCPS Early Release Mondays webpage. If you have immediate questions, please email ESPlanning@fcps.edu.
Registration will be available soon for summer camps offered by Fairfax County Public Schools for all students. Career and Technical Education (CTE) camps and Institute for the Arts (IFTA) camps will be held in July at Lake Braddock Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools. Registration begins for these programs on Monday, March 10th, and ends Friday, June 6th.
Tech Adventure Camp (TAC) is a week-long exploratory camp designed to allow current K-5 students to explore activities in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), culinary arts, health, trades, and business and marketing areas. Watch this video about CTE camps.
E-IFTA is a weekly arts camp for students in grades 2-5 who love to sing, dance, act, perform, make, and create. Students take part in four daily classes related to dance, music, theater, and visual art. They work with FCPS fine arts teachers who create fun and engaging classes.
For more information, see the Summer Learning page.
 Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. Read more about Women’s History Month in National Geographic Kids.
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The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FHES employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the exceptional work happenings at Freedom Hill. |
FCPS has created a literacy resource page for families as we have embarked on a new Benchmark curriculum. Families may access these resources here. Please reach out to your child's classroom teacher if you have specific literacy questions.
Cameras have been installed on the stop arms of 50 FCPS school buses. These cameras will be used to identify drivers who pass stopped school buses while children are entering and exiting the bus (called a “stop arm violation”).
Warnings for drivers will begin on Wednesday, April 9. After a 30-day warning period, citations will begin to be issued on Monday, May 12.
According to Virginia law, drivers must stop for stopped school buses with flashing red lights on and their stop signs extended. Motorists should stop when approaching from any direction (unless there is a barrier or median separating their lane from where the bus is stopped). They should remain stopped until everyone is clear and the bus is moving.
We appreciate our law enforcement partners for working with us to improve road safety and reduce accidents. Read more information about the stop arm cameras and all of the ways that we work with our county partners to keep students safe on their way to and from school.
 
  
ACTIVITY REGISTRATION CLOSES TONIGHT AT 11:59PM
There’s just a few hours left to register here for one of the following before/after school activities offered through Baroody this spring. Spring activities begin the week of March 24th and include:
- - 8:10-9:10 AM: PE Club with Mr. Dowling (Gr. 3-6)
- - 8:10-9:10 AM: Chess (Gr. K-6)
- - 4:15-5:15 PM: Cooking (Gr. K-6)
CROCHET CLUB - UPDATE
Due to circumstances outside our control, we’ve had to pivot and offer a new registration for Ms. Canape’s Crochet club through the PTA’s website. Registration for this class closes Sunday, March 30th. This club will run 8:10-9:10 AM on Wednesdays from April 2nd through May 28th.
FDO - TACO BAMBA and BEN & JERRY’S
Save the date for this week’s FHES Family Dinner Out on Wednesday, March 19th at both Taco Bamba AND Ben & Jerry’s in downtown Vienna. Stop by Taco Bamba from 9AM to 9PM and mention ‘Freedom Hill’ at checkout, or use online code ‘GIVE20’. Stop by Ben & Jerry’s from 4-9M and mention ‘Freedom Hill’ at checkout. If you stop by between 5:30-6:30PM, you’ll see our very own Dr. Z scooping ice-cream behind the counter!
2025-2026 PTA BOARD NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN
Nominations are now open for the PTA Board for the 2025-2026 school year! You can read about the position on the PTA website, and you can self-nominate for one or more positions using this Google form or the paper flier that will come home in your student’s folder. If you have any questions, email president@freedomhillpta.org and/or call into the PTA meeting on March 12th. Nominations close Friday, March 28th.
SAVE THE DATE - CULTURAL HERITAGE DAY & NIGHT
On Friday, April 4th, Freedom Hill is hosting a Cultural Heritage Parade around school from 10-10:30AM AND an evening of performances, art, and food/drink from 6-7:30PM in the cafeteria. You can sign up your student to participate in the parade, or sign up your student to put on a short performance or share food/drink during the evening activities by Friday, March 28th. We look forward to celebrating the special day with the community!
If you are interested in participating but unable to attend the events, you can make a poster for a country of your choice to be hung up during the day of the event. Bring your poster to school by Thursday, April 3rd. Contact Smriti at choudharysmriti@gmail.com.
READ-A-THON - THE RESULTS ARE IN!
Thank you all for a great Read-a-thon! We crossed the finish line with over 300,000 minutes read and we raised over $13,500! Reading was celebrated across all classrooms with finger flashlight Fridays, SCA spirit weeks, and teacher's choice rewards, like PJ day or movie time.
Congratulations to the students for meeting BOTH of our school-wide goals! Students can look forward to throwing water balloons at the Principals during Field Day and a school-wide Movie Day! Students can still accept donations here, and should spend their prize money by March 25th by logging in here. Questions? Contact readathon@freedomhillpta.org
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