March 28, 2021

This information is important for the upcoming week.

Important Upcoming Dates:

March 30: Due Date for all Q3 work
March 31: Wellness Wednesday
April 2: Student half day (2nd, 4th & 6th periods will meet)
April 5-9: Schools Closed - Spring Break
April 14: PSAT 9 & 10 (virtual students who pre-registered)
April 14: Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences (2-6pm) (save the date)
April 15: PSAT 9 & 10 (all in person 9th & 10th grade students automatically registered)
June 16th at 11am: Freeman High School Class of 2021 (Tentative) Graduation Date

Athletics

Calendar:

Click Here for our up-to-date Fall Sports/Activities Schedule (also embedded at the bottom of the Fwd)

Youtube Channel:

You can watch most of our games and contests LIVE on youtube!

Click below to view.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYfqbIgGx3TpxbggRh4q2Mg

New Information:

This information has not been shared in a Sunday message yet, so it is listed here for the first time. Consider this the "breaking news" for this week.

School Climate Survey

Each year, Henrico County Public Schools requests input from families, staff and students regarding their experiences in their school and within the school division as a whole. This is done through a survey. This information is very important to us in identifying what we are doing well and what needs improvement or change here at the school and at the division level.

The survey is open from now until April 2, and you can access the survey directly from the HCPS website by clicking on the survey link below:

https://henricoschools.us/surveys/

The parent / guardian survey is available online in English and Spanish with an optional audio feature that reads the questions aloud for clarity. The survey is also available in additional languages in printed form. Please contact us here at the school if you need a printed survey.

Additional information about the survey is available on the HCPS website: HCPS Survey Information.

Students in grades 5-12 will be asked to complete the survey during school, either in-person or virtually, between March 8 - April 2, 2021. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and no identifying information about your child will be collected. The survey will be taken online, but paper copies will be available if needed.

A preview copy of the student survey is available on the division’s website at http://henricoschools.us/ along with additional information including last year’s survey results. If for any reason you do not want your child to take the survey, please contact your child’s school this week to opt your child out of the survey.

Silent Auction for the Cameron Gallagher Foundation

The Chick-fil-A Leader Academy and the Future Business Leaders of America are hosting a silent auction to benefit the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation, an organization that increases awareness of teen mental health issues and provides programs to assist teens in dealing with depression. Cameron was a member of our school community and tragically lost her life a few years ago due to an undiagnosed heart condition. She also dealt with anxiety and depression, which led to her parents deciding to honor her life through creating the CKG Foundation to destigmatize mental health issues in teenagers. For more information about this organization, go to https://www.ckgfoundation.org/.

What you can do to help—if you have any items or services we can include in our auction, please contact Mrs. Kaplan at lmkaplan@henrico.k12.va.us. If you would like to support a business that has been struggling during the pandemic, this would be a great way to help them by purchasing items or gift cards from them. We will need all donations by April 24. We can pick them up. The silent auction will be virtual from May1-May 8.

Senior Slideshow for PTSA

Slideshow Message 2.pdf

Wellness Wednesday Guest Speaker this week

Dr. Matt Bitsko, psychologist and the Founder and Director of Summit Emotional Health, will be this week’s Wellness Wednesday guest speaker. He will be speaking to the students from 9-9:30 am about focusing on how they can slow down and assess what kind of help or coping skill they might need as they navigate through this difficult time. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions.

All students will be able to access this by attending (logging into) their required Freeman Focus class on Wednesday morning at 9am .

Scheduling Info for 2021-22

Scheduling for the 2021-2022 School Year

School counselors are finishing up their individual academic and career planning/scheduling meetings with all current 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students. If your student has not met with their school counselor or has not scheduled an appointment, please have them reach out to their school counselor immediately to schedule an appointment. Students are assigned to counselors by student last name:

Liz Puckett (A-Cr): ebpuckett@henrico.k12.va.us
Morgan Meadowes (Cu-Hen): memeadowes@henrico.k12.va.us
Janet Smith (Her-K): jksmith@henrico.k12.va.us
Susie Good (L-Ph): slgood@henrico.k12.va.us
Lindsay Holtz (Pi-Sa): laholtz@henrico.k12.va.us
Charlie Williams (Sc-Z): cewilliams@henrico.k12.va.us

Accelerated Summer School

If your student is interested in taking a new course this summer for acceleration, please click here for more information. There are a limited number of courses available for acceleration. Students may take a maximum of 2 courses for acceleration in summer school. Each course will cost $375. Enrollment for accelerated summer school courses will end on June 15th. Please reach out to your student’s school counselor with questions.

AP Exam Updates

There have been significant changes to the AP exam schedule. All AP exams will be administered as at-home digital tests except for AP Spanish and AP French. Spanish and French exams will be administered on school grounds. Click here for the updated AP exam schedule. Students wishing to cancel their exam(s) may do so through May 14, 2021. To cancel your exam, please log in to your Total Registration account (TotalRegistration.net/AP/471850). Students who cancel their exam will receive a refund on the exam cost. Late fees are non-refundable. Please click here for information about the latest AP Exam updates from College Board.

MAVERICKS MASKS FOR SALE!

DSF Mask Fundraiser Round 2! The Freeman SCA is selling Mavericks masks again. There is one style pictured to the right. In order to purchase one, please visit www.tinyurl.com/Freemanpayment and click on DSF Mask Fundraiser - Mavericks. Masks can be picked up at Freeman High School on April 14th between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m. (virtual students/community) or will be delivered to in person students during the school day. Cost is $10.00. Checks made payable to Freeman High School.

Mavericks Gear for Sale! 2 -week shop open

It has been great to see all the Mavs gear around campus over the last month. With numerous requests for more gear, DSF has opened a shop through BSN for the Freeman Family to purchase new Mavs gear. Please see the flyer below to select and purchase items to be shipped directly to your home!

MAVERICK GEAR FLYER.pdf

Afternoon Car-Rider Pick Up

Starting, Monday, March 15, we will begin a new process for student pick-up in afternoons. Parents will park at the top of the parking lot, near Three Chopt Road, and wait for their student to walk to them. This will allow more cars in the lot and eliminate the back-up onto Camden and Three Chopt. We ask you not to pick up in the driver’s ed lot or on Camden. Parking in either of these areas creates issues for our newer drivers as they try to exit the student lot. Please see the attached picture for clarification.

Sem 2 DSF Bell Schedule (updated 1-8-20)

SOL PARTICIPATION FORM

The PSAT 9/10 will be given to virtual 9th and 10th grade students who pre-registered on Wednesday, April 14th. Students who registered received an informational email which was also sent to the parent email address on file.
The PSAT 9/10 will be given to all in person 9th and 10th grade students on Thursday, April 15th during the normal school day. These students are automatically registered.
SOL testing will start in May. Virtual and in person learners will test on different dates. The Testing Calendar with scheduled test dates can be found here: https://sites.google.com/henrico.k12.va.us/dsf-testing/home.
If you have any questions, email DSF testing coordinator, Mrs. Reilly, csreilly@henrico.k12.va.us.

Semester 2 In-Person Learning Expectations

We will use this section each week to highlight key pieces of information that students returning to in-person instruction will need to know by February

Wellness Wednesday Attendance Clarification

Wednesday attendance is based on 1 of 2 things. A student is marked present if either:

(a). The student attends the 9 am SEL lesson virtually and is marked present in real-time by Freeman Focus Teacher

--OR--

(b). as a back-up for those unable (tech issues, etc.) to attend the SEL lesson, the student may complete the asynchronous Wellness Wednesday check-in during that calendar day.

(Additionally, and separately from attendance, students have work to complete in each class, posted on Schoology)

Our Process:

teachers take real-time virtual attendance during the 9 am Freeman Focus SEL lesson
Our system generates a report/list of those who did not attend the SEL lesson.
at 7pm that evening a call goes home to those who did not attend the SEL lesson. Use this is a reminder to complete the asynchronous form if your student has not. If you have completed the Asynchronous form, then you can disregard. Students have until the end of the calendar day to complete that time-stamped form.
The next morning, every teacher will check the form and update attendance for those who completed the form asynchronously. Attendance is final at 10 am.
At that time (after 10 am the day after) if attendance is not accurate, please reach out to the school.

DSF F2F Video Information Series

Click below to check out each short video in our DSF F2F Video Series:

DSF F2F Video Series

Athletics and Game Attendance

Fall Sports have begun using careful mitgation strategies to keep our athletes safe. Participants are encouraged to reach out to their coaches with specific questions.

Attending Games:

In order to be in compliance with Executive Order 72, our schools will offer for purchase two tickets per player, both teams, to familiy members for outdoor events and one ticket per player of the home team for indoor events. In the event that a JV contest takes place before a Varsity contest, the facility must be cleared before the varsity contest.

Tickets will be availabe for purchase by athletes on certain days leading up to each contest. Unfortunately, no general admission tickets will be sold at this time and passes will not be accepted. All spectators will be required to wear a mask at all times and adhere to social distancing guidelines. If guidelines are not followed, you may be asked to leave the event. This is a true team effort and we thank you in advance for your cooperation. Please contact Suzanne Criswell (sgcriswell@henrico.k12.va.us) if you have any questions.

Families of studnet athletes: Please communicate with your coach if you have questions or for dates/times for pick-ups. The information will likely come from your coach, so be sure that he/she has your correct contact information.

Freeman Focus Attendance

Beginning last week, all students (Virtual + InPerson) must check in to Freeman Focus for attendance. See Bell schedule.

Hallway Transitions

Students will maintain social distancing when in the hallways

Teachers will be required to monitor hallway traffic between classes
Hallways and stairwells will shift to one-way traffic during transitions. Students will be provided a map prior to school re-opening.
Restroom breaks must be carefully tracked for contact tracing purposes, students must sign out of class and into restrooms. We will consolidate to two or three restroom sets for the school during class periods. Restroom breaks will occur during class time.
The small gym is no longer a hallway/cut-through. Except for those access the small gym suite of classes (Reset, health rooms)
The quad is now open and encouraged for travel between the math hall and green acres
One-way traffic could lead to longer walks. Those with a transition that is made significantly shorter by going against the direction, they can apply for an against the flow

Class Attendance

Students are designated (in powerschool by parent/family intent choice) as either "Virtual" or "InPerson" students. That drives the following procedures:

Virtual Learners: [Unchanged since September]

Students are marked present by either
- (a) observed by the teacher to be visually present during a synchronous lesson during the course. (They logged in to the Microsoft Teams meeting during class) OR
- (b) completed the designated attendance check-in or warm-up during that calendar day.

InPerson Learners:

Students must be physically present in class/school to be marked present for the day.

Students can be marked tardy to school and to class.

Students cannot choose to stay virtual for a day, week, etc.*

When students are absent from school, families will request the absence to be marked excused in one of the following ways:
- Illness - call the school attendance office on the day of the absence to notify the school of illness
- Planned Absence - contact the school principal to request a planned absence be excused

One Exception:

Students required to quarantine by HCPS contact tracing team, but not showing symptoms may obtain permission to attend class virtually for a specific length of time. (symptomatic students should be absent and rest)

What if/FAQs:

What if I have to be absent?

Please call the school or send in a note from a parent/guardian. The student will make-up the missed work by working with our teachers.

What if my In-person learner wants to learn remotely while on a family trip or at home sick?

This student would be marked absent from class and the parent/guardian should call into school to report the absence. If, despite that absence, the student wants to attend some or all of class virtually, that can be approved by the teacher at the student's request ahead of time. This is important because absences drive make-up work policy and procecures. The exception to this is students asked to quarantine by HCPS contact tracers.

Teacher Attendance Procedures:

Teachers will take attendance and submit it in real-time for thsoe visually present either in class (InPerson) or in the Virtual class meeting (virtual).
Parents/Guardians will recieve an automated call for students who did not attend class that evening
Virtual learners have the remainder of that calendar day to complete asynchronous check in to be marked present
Teachers will amend attendance the next day to reflect those virtual learners who completed asynchronous work

Wellness Wednesdays:

Attendance taken through Freeman Focus classes.
Students considered present if they attend the virtual SEL lesson, OR
Students complete the school-wide Asynchronous check in form, posted in Schoology each Wednesday.
There are no other synchronous classes on Wednesdays and no students will report to the school building.

Wellness Wednesdays

Each Wednesday we will close down the school for a deep clean and students will learn mostly Asynchronously.

Schedule:

9:00 - 9:30 - Wellness Wednesday Social/Emotional Learning Lesson with Freeman Focus

9:30 - 2:55 pm - Asynchronous Wednesdays:

students complete 25-minute mini lessons at own pace from each class (posted on Schoology)
teachers available for office hours, student conferences, etc.

Attendance:

students check in using Asynchronous attendance check-in form

Lunch

Students will eat lunch with their Freeman Focus classes in either the cafeteria, large gym, or small gym, seated in assigned lunch pods.
Students will remain 6 feet apart during lunch. Masks will obviously be down while eating
Students will have assigned seats in their pods (teachers will work with students to request seats within their pod). This is essential for contact tracing purposes.
Students can bring lunch or take advantage of grab-and-go lunch provided for them.
Students in A lunch may assist with setting up their individual lunch table and chair.
Students in B Lunch may assist with putting away their individual lunch table and chair
Stuents will wipe down seating and eating area at the end of lunch and when arriving to lunch. (similar to classes)

Bell Schedule

Our Bell Schedule will be similar to the existing 2020-21 calendar with slight variations for arrival, dismissal and lunch. All students must note this change in schedule

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13HsATd_2RZIBxKyvvSAKKlWlCmPP3VbDxHjJr3AxcpI/edit?usp=sharing

Day1/Day 2 Schedules

We will use the following schedule for each week once we return to in-person instruction, regardless of holidays.

Mondays - Day 1 Schedule (1,3, FF,5,7)
Tuesdays - Day 2 Schedule (1,2,FF,4,6)
Wednesdays - Wellness Wednesdays + Asynchronous work
Thursdays - Day 1 Schedule (1,3, FF,5,7)
Fridays - Day 2 Schedule (1,2,FF,4,6)

Headphones added to supply list

Each year students are asked to purchase pencils, paper, notebooks, etc. for the school year. This semester we would add headphones to that supply list for those opting for in-person instruction. Students are asked to purchase earbuds that work with student laptops and bring them to school each day. Families, please reach out to the school if this is a hardship so we can support you.

Parallel Hybrid Instruction and Student Schedules

Student Schedules Update: After a thorough review of each student, class and classroom space, we have elected to use a parallel-hybrid model for nearly every class section in semester 2 due to the benefits it provides our students.

In this model, students in the classroom and those looking in virtually through Microsoft Teams learn from the same teachers simultaneously. We piloted this learning style for the county in December. This allows for the most flexibility and allows us to keep every student’s schedule and teacher the same as semester 1, regardless of virtual/in-person placement.
With the exception of some classroom number changes, nearly every child’s schedule and teachers will remain the same for semester-2. Parent and student feedback about possible schedule changes was a large driver of this decision.

Arrival To School (Mornings)

Students will not be allowed on campus prior to 8:45 am
Students will enter through bus ramp doors, math hall doors and Green Acres doors
Students getting breakfast will grab and go and eat in designated areas in the cafeteria
Students will report to their first period class upon arrival to school, where they will engage in quiet study, supervised by teacher or classroom monitor
First period schedule will be adjusted with a late start (tentative: 9:10am) due to multiple bus runs. Quiet study will continue until 9:10 am. This will lead to a change in the daily schedule for all periods.

Dismissal from School (Afternoons)

Goal: To ensure a safe and socially distant dismissal of walkers, car riders, student drivers and bus riders. Students will be expected to follow the one way traffic directions during dismissal. All students will stay in their last class and be dismissed from there, via a PA announcement and electronic bus board. Students will engage in asynchronous work while awaiting dismissal.

To facilitate dismissal, DSF will need accurate, up to date information regarding how students plan to travel home in 2021. All families are required to complete this DSF-Specific transportation survey prior to the start of in-person learning in February.

Dismissal Times

2:45pm - Student Drivers

2:45 pm- 3pm: Bus Riders - as each bus arrives

2:50pm - Car Riders/Walkers

Exits for Everyone

Green Acres Doors: All rooms in Green Acres, the Annex, the Center (including Larkins’ room) and Rooms 223-227
Main/Auditorium Doors: Rooms 117 - 129 & Rooms 200-222
Doors 8 or 13: Rooms 100 - 116

Alerting Admin to Protocol Breaches

It is essential that all members of the Freeman Family (Studnets, staff, families, leadership, etc.) follow health and safety protocol. For that reason, we want to encourage all stakeholders to alert school and division leadership to any lapses in protocol. We will use our anonymous alerting system, called "Anonymous Alerts" to do so. This system can be accessed from the Freeman High School website or by using this link: https://report.anonymousalerts.com/henrico/

Breaches in protocol will be addressed by school or HCPS personnell and corrected. This is about all of us doing our part to keep eachother safe, so we will learn from any mistakes in order to minimize risk.

Student Expectations

Students will be required to wear face coverings over the mouth and nose at all times. Those in violation of this are putting others at risk and will face school consequences.
Students will be required to maintain 6-feet of distance from others at all times. Those in violation of this are putting others at risk and will face school consequences Consequences include:
- - - Removal and parent contact, RESET, short-term removal from physical classroom, permanent shift to virtual instruction
Outgoing students will clean desks and seating area at the conclusion of each class with a disposable wipe
Incoming students will clean desks and seating area at the start of each class with a disposable wipe

Restroom Breaks

Restrooms will be closed during transitions between classes and for the first ten minutes of each class. This is for cleaning and monitoring purposes
Three restrooms will be open during class time for student use
Students must obtain permission and a pass to be released from class (as has always been the case)
Students will be monitored using a sign-out process for contact tracing purposes when they leave the room
All water fountains are closed. Students are permitted to bring their own filled waterbottles to school

In-Person required forms

This message is for those who have opted for a return to in-person learning. In accordance with CDC Health and Safety requirements, parents are required to complete and submit two Covid-19 safety forms for each student prior to them returning to the building.

We are very excited to welcome students back into the building and we want to do everything within our power to ensure their safety. Before your student is permitted back into the building, you need to log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal account and sign the two required safety forms.

How Do I Access the Forms?

Parents need to have an active PowerSchool Parent Portal account to access the forms. If you have a parent portal account, please complete the forms through the RYCOR system:

● Sign into your PowerSchool Parent Portal account.

● Go to the menu tab and select “Access Online Forms”.

● From there, select your student(s) name(s) and follow the instructions on the screen for each student. Please complete the following forms:

○ COVID-19 Health Screening Acknowledgement

○ COVID-19 Addendum to the Health and Safety Acknowledgement

Transportation Information needed:

Additionally, if you have not yet done so, please use the link below to let us know your plan for getting your student to and from school. We need this information to plan for student parking, and to ensure a safe and socially distant dismissal of walkers, car riders, student drivers and bus riders.

To facilitate dismissal, DSF will need accurate, up to date information regarding how students plan to travel home in 2021. All families are required to complete this the survey below prior to the start of in-person learning.

Survey: DSF-Specific transportation survey

Complete and submit asap or at your earliest convenience so that we are best positioned to welcome all students back once we are cleared to do so.

Information We've Previously Posted:

The information below had been posted in weeks prior, but is still relevant and important. Click the topic to read the collapsed text below it.

Medication in the Clinic - required process and forms

As we approach our return to in person learning at Freeman we want to remind parents that our medication policy has not changed. All medications must be brought to the clinic by a parent or guardian. Parent permission is required for over the counter medications, and prescription medications require a physician’s order in addition to parent permission. Please see the attached forms and contact the clinic with any questions. If you have not completed a health history form for your student please do so as soon as possible, so that we have all the information we need to care for your child at school.

Please reach out to the clinic to discuss dropping off necessary medication.

Allergy Action Plan

Asthma Action Plan

Over the counter Medication Log

Perscription Medication Log Permission

2021-2022 Scheduling

Scheduling for the 2021-2022 school year is starting soon! The PowerSchool Parent Portal will be open from February 15-26 for students/parents to view teacher recommendations and make selections for their 21-22 school year course request. Students can view the 21-22 course option sheet here. School counselors will meet individually with ALL students beginning in late February. Students will be able to sign up for a meeting with their counselor. The sign up links for students will be posted in Schoology in late February. School counselors will be visiting English classes to discuss scheduling during the week of February 8th.

Student Parking 2020-21

Please use the following link to submit your student’s application for parking for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. Some key details for this year:

Parking will not have a fee associated with it this year, but students must have a parking permit for this school year to park in our student lot.
Completing the application is NOT a guarantee of receiving a permit.
Parking will be granted to seniors first, then juniors and if spots remain to underclassmen.

To complete the application, you must submit:

Pictures of your student’s license (or permit and 180-day VA Driver Training Certificate)
The vehicle’s valid registration.
You will also need to acknowledge several policies and procedures.

Seniors will have until February 12, 2021 to secure their spot. After February 12, juniors will be considered and the remaining spots will be offered at that time. If you have questions, please email Laura Hollowell at lmhollowell@henrico.k12.va.us.

https://forms.gle/hQimgox854K6JvREA

Introducing the Freeman Mavericks

www.freemanmascot.info/announcement

Assistance with the financial aid process

Mrs. Janet Andrews, our GRASP representative is still meeting with students and their families who need assistance with the college financial aid process. She can be reached via email at freeman@grasp4va.org or by phone call/text at 804-223-0854. Mrs. Andrews is a fantastic resource for students and families.

Scholarship Newsletter

Parents, please be aware that the scholarship newsletter is available to all seniors. New information is posted every two weeks. You can access the scholarship newsletter on All Things DSF: https://www.atdsf.com/scholarship-info

Virtual College Tours

The Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Counselors (VACRAO) is proud to present a Virtual College Exploration program, for all Virginia students, September 14-November 5.

The eight-week program consists of hundreds of opportunities for students to learn about the college search process and about many different colleges through panel presentations and weekly Virtual College Fairs. To learn more, visit https://www.strivescan.com/virginia/

GRASP

Our school has an Advisor from GRASP to support students and families through the college financial aid process, including the FAFSA and searching for scholarships. Our GRASP Advisor is Janet Andrews. You can reach Janet by calling or texting 804 233 0854 or via freeman@grasp4va.org. Virtual appointments are available!

DONATE to the Freeman Fund (Our only academic fundraiser)

Each year, Freeman’s PTSA relies on the Freeman Fund to pay for programs, teacher supplies and other activities that benefit each child and build a strong Freeman community. In previous years, the fund has provided items like classroom sets of books, microphones, microscopes and other teacher needs that extend beyond their budgets; events like We the People and All-Star Prom; and programs like Teacher Appreciation as well as the Angel Fund, which helps students and families in need. As we start the school year virtually, we anticipate the fund will help with unexpected expenses that arise from virtual learning. Even now, teachers are thinking about and anticipating needs for supplies and support that students may not have access to at home. We hope the Freeman Fund will be able to help with those efforts right out of the gate.

These funds are provided solely through the generosity of donations from the Freeman community. Please visit freemanptsa.org and click on “Donate to the Freeman Fund” to learn more. On behalf of the DSF PTSA, thank you!

Athletics/Activities Calendar

(Best viewed on a computer or tablet, Click here to open in a new window)

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