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Dear Freedom Hill Families,
As winter officially approaches, we want to take a moment to recognize the continued effort and commitment our students show each day. We are also incredibly thankful for our outstanding staff—whose passion, creativity, and dedication make Freedom Hill a joyful place to learn. With winter break just around the corner, we are looking forward to closing out 2025 on a positive and celebratory note.
This week is full of excitement, so be sure to review our December Spirit Week schedule below. We hope all students will join in the fun!
As you begin your holiday celebrations, please take a moment to review the updates below from our amazing PTA. They are also treating our teachers to an appreciation lunch this week—thank you, PTA, for your continued support!
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Candygrams are on sale this week
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Registration is open for winter before- and after-school activities
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The holiday break is a perfect time to prepare for the Spelling Bee
- Many teachers have provided wish lists to enhance your students' classrooms. Consider helping them with an item or two!
The Weekly Update will take a short break during the holidays and will return in January. From everyone at Freedom Hill, we wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season. Thank you for another wonderful year of partnership and support for our students—we look forward to an exciting new year ahead!
Nicholas Zapadka, Principal
Tim Scesney, Assistant Principal
Holly Sims, Assistant Principal
2025-26 FCPS School Calendar
Freedom Hill Family Resources
Breakfast/Lunch Menus
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December 15 - 19 - December Spirit Week
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December 15 - Last Day for Full-Time AAP Referrals
- December 22 - January 4 - Winter Break
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January 5 - School Re-Opens
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January 9 - Last Day for PTA Winter Enrichment Registration
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January 14 - Family Reading Night, 6PM
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January 14 - Kilmer MS Virtual Info Session for Rising 7th Graders, 5PM
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January 15 - Kilmer MS Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night, 5PM
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This week, we are focusing on Self-Control. You have the ability to control your emotions and behaviors. You think before you act.
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“By constant self-discipline and self-control, you can develop greatness of character.”
~Grenville Kleise
Questions you might enjoy talking about:
- Do you consider yourself to be a person who has self-control? What things do you do that indicate this?
- Why is self-regulation important?
- What happens when your emotions take over? How can you work on developing greater self-control?
Will include:
- February 18
- March 18
- April 22
- May 13
Read more about early release Wednesdays on the FCPS website.
Parents and guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services must submit the AAP Full-Time Referral Form to Mrs. Fredericks no later than December 15, 2025.
Each year, families can submit a referral for Full-Time AAP services any time from the first day of school through December 15. No late referrals for Full-Time AAP services will be accepted.
Once a referral is received, our school will compile information related to the student. Then, a committee of trained professionals from across the county will review materials to determine eligibility for full-time AAP services.
Next Steps for Parents
Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. At the elementary level, referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened by the school. If you miss the full-time referral deadline, your student can still be screened for subject-specific or part-time AAP services for the remainder of the year.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website.
Course registration for 7th grade begins in January! Families are invited to a Virtual Information Session on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 5:00 PM for an overview of Kilmer Middle School and course options, and an in-person Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night on Thursday, Jan. 15 from 5:00–7:00 PM to meet teachers, attend information sessions, explore course options, and tour the school. Additional details will be shared by Kilmer before Winter Break!
 There’s a story behind the success of every FCPS student — a story about what’s possible when FCPS receives the appropriate funding for world-class teachers, rigorous academics, and future-ready learning experiences. At FCPS, student success starts with a strong budget!
We’re currently developing our Fiscal Year 2027 Budget, which will be presented by Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid to the School Board in January.
During this process, we’ll be sharing our budget story with you. The different chapters will explain the impact of chronic underfunding, why strong funding benefits all of Fairfax County, what’s at stake when our schools don’t get the support they need, and what Fairfax County residents can do to support our schools, students, and teachers.
We invite you to follow along and learn how you can help our community write its next chapter!
Some families may be looking for additional resources to help support their child’s academic success. The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of FCPS employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to hire as tutors. This list is a resource offered by the FRC, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with the tutors. This list is not approved by FCPS and is only meant to be a resource to families.
FCPS also partners with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors' services, at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.
Our counselors will soon be delivering the mandated 6th grade harassment curriculum to our students. Parents have the option to opt-out of this instruction if desired, and should have received a form to do so in their Wednesday folders. A web link to do so can also be found here. Please direct any questions about the curriculum to Mrs. Kimura.
     
Upcoming Events:
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Ongoing - Winter 2026 teacher-led enrichment classes available for registration.
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January 9 - Registration for Winter 2026 teacher-led enrichment classes closes on Friday, January 9th at 9 pm.
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February 3 - School-wide Spelling Bee
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February 11 - PTA Meeting in the Library and via Zoom, 6PM
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February 20 - Science Fair, 6-8:30PM in the Cafeteria (ideas and project examples)
🎉 WINTER 2026 TEACHER-LED ENRICHMENT REGISTRATION OPEN! 🎉
The PTA is offering a wide variety of before- and after-school programs. From art, PE, math, origami, drama, board games, and crochet club, these hands-on before- and after-school classes are led by our incredible FHES teachers and designed to inspire and engage every learner.
Spots are first-come, first-served, so be sure to register early. Financial aid is available for eligible families; please reach out before registering if you need assistance.
Find all details on the PTA website’s Enrichment Activities page.
Questions or need support? Email PTA Enrichment Coordinator Alex Bryden at alexandra.t.bryden@gmail.com.
A big thank-you to Alex for making this program possible!
THE SCIENCE FAIR IS COMING!
Freedom Hill's Science Fair is returning on Friday, February 20th. The Science Fair is a great way to showcase something your child learned with a posterboard/tabletop presentation, demonstrate a cool hands-on experiment, or more! See the flyer for the form to fill out and an example tri-fold poster board. Need ideas? Great resources for ideas are at education.com and ScienceBuddies.
The form is due on Feb. 5th to Hubert at hubertchao@gmail.com or to the PTA Mailbox in the office.
If you need help getting the tri-fold poster board, we have a limited supply; contact Hubert at hubertchao@gmail.com.
We also need people to help with the Science Fair! Sign up here.
TEACHER WISHLISTS
Help grant the wishes of our FHES teachers and staff! Please consider purchasing an item from the wishlists here to directly support our teachers and enhance learning for all students.
ANNOUNCING NEW PTA GRANT PROGRAM FOR FHES FACULTY
The Freedom Hill Elementary School PTA Faculty Grant Program supports student learning by meeting the needs of teachers and staff. It funds unique or innovative programs or resources, teacher collaborations, instructional materials, professional development, and more.
Submissions:
- For 2025-26, the PTA has designated a pool of $1,000 for FHES faculty.
- FHES faculty should complete the application by April 5, 2026. Submit your application to the PTA Board at info@freedomhillpta.org for review.
- PTA will begin reviewing applications in April to allocate the requested amounts in the PTA Budget or until funds are exhausted.
If you have questions, please contact the PTA at info@freedomhillpta.org.
The grant application can be found here.
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MINTED FUNDRAISING PROGRAM
From holiday cards, children's art, graduation announcements, wedding invitations, and more - you can now shop Minted all while earning 10% of the proceeds from each sale for Freedom Hill PTA. Use code: FUNDRAISEFHESPTA
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🍬ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY CANDY GRAMS! 🍬
The 6th-grade class is continuing the annual tradition of selling Candy Grams! From December 11th-18th, the 6th graders will sell Candy Grams each morning from 8:30-9:10 AM at the main entrance. Sixth graders will deliver the purchased Candy Grams to classrooms from December 12th-19th.
Each Candy Gram is just 50¢, and you can choose either a classic candy cane or a sweet-free option* (includes a winter-themed stamper, a mini bear eraser, and a glow-in-the-dark resin duck) to accompany your completed note.
*Available for purchase while supplies last.
SPELLING BEE WORD BANKS
PTA Quick Links:
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