Oct 19 & 20th - Senior Pictures
Oct 22nd - October School Board Meeting
Oct 29th - PSAT Test (for juniors who've signed up)
OCT 29th - Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3-6pm (Option 1)
Nov 2nd - Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3-6pm (Option 2)
Nov 3rd - Election Day Studnet Holiday
Nov 16th - Start of 2nd Nine-weeks
On October 19 and October 20, Strawbridge Studios will take senior portraits in the big gym. If seniors wish to appear in the senior portrait spread in this year’s yearbook, they must sit for this photo session. The Sign-Up Genius link to sign up for individual time slots is listed below.
Attire:
All students must wear their navy blue graduation gown
Students must wear a pressed collared shirt with a tie or a professional blouse
Please be sure to wear a mask and observe the state’s social distancing rules.
Sitting for your portrait is an excused absence. We will provide your teachers with a record of your time slot and confirmation of your attendance.
Sign up Link:
Earlier this month, we sent AP students this message regarding AP exam registration. You can register now for your Spring AP-Exams. The deadline to sign up and pay is November 6th, 2020. Please refer to the message linked above for links and further details.
Our team of Freeman Alums and the VCU Brandcenter has combined forces with DSF officials to narrow the list of student-suggested mascot/nickname choices to a short list of four possibilities. We need your help choosing our school symbol from those four choices. Please visit www.freemanmascot.info and offer feedback in the form of a rank-order vote for this short list of nicknames:
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Mavericks. A Maverick is an individual who goes his or her own way, a change-agent. This word embodies the challenge-the-status-quo spirit of the previous nickname w/out ties to the Confederacy. It pays homage to our core value of independence while embracing our future. “Go Mavs!” “Maverick Thinking”
Pioneers. Another incarnation of our independent spirit, pioneers courageously go where others have not and lead in their field. “Pioneers” captures both our history and our forward-thinking outlook at the same time and pays homage to Dr. Freeman’s role as a pioneer in several fields. “Roll Pioneers!” “Learners, Leaders and Pioneers”
Trailblazers. “Trailblazers” combines the core value of personal independence with an acknowledgement of social rootedness in the Tuckahoe community. DSF is located on Three Chopt Road, originally a Native America then colonial trail (marked by three notches on the trees) that stretched across Virginia. Trailblazer is also synonymous with thinking differently and creative leadership, two qualities we hope to instill in our students. “Go Blazers!” “Be a Trailblazer!”
United. Family and community are central to the DSF experience. Our diverse student body, supportive community, and remarkable alumni unite in an uncommon way to produce something wonderful. From a moment that could have been divisive, we emerged as the "Freeman United."
Each year our College Funding Coach Team partners with Freeman’s PTSA to teach our free workshop called “Little-Known Secrets of Paying for College”. Parents who have attended our workshop in the past have expressed how useful and invaluable the information we share is, so we’ve always made sure to include Freeman on our list of schools we visit.
Due to COVID, we have been teaching this workshop via ZOOM since March! On Tuesday, October 20th at 6:30pm we will be streaming our free workshop as a webinar. The webinar will run approximately 1 hour. In order to attend the workshop all you need to do is register using this link!
Freeman High School will be holding virtual parent-teacher conferences on Thursday, October 29 from 3:00 – 6:00 PM, and Monday, November 2 from 3:00 – 6:00 PM. An online sign-up is available to schedule appointments with the teachers you wish to meet with. If you are unable to access the online sign-up, please email the teacher(s) or call the school at 804-673-3700.
The online signup can be found at https://ptcfast.com/schools/Freeman_Fall2020. Directions for using the online signup are available at http://tinyurl.com/PTC-help-parents.
Links to meet with the teachers virtually will be posted on atdsf.com/conferences prior to the October 29 conferences.
All 10th graders are invited to explore the amazing course offerings at the Advanced Career Centers at Hermitage and Highland Springs. During the week of October 26 - 30, 2020, during Freeman Focus and lunch, students may learn about the ACE classes by watching a variety of program videos based on student interests. After reviewing the videos, students may narrow down their interest and join MS Teams live to speak with the teacher for a question and answer session. Please click here for more information.
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
Support DSF Choral Boosters by placing an order with Charleston Wrap by Oct 22 (to receive items by Thanksgiving). Get your holiday shopping started by purchasing UltraHeavy™ gift wrap, gourmet kitchen essentials, personalized gifts & more! Simply click on this link: www.charlestonwrapstore.com and enter our school code: 20330. Your order helps support Chorus students through the Angel Fund, Auditorium Lighting Campaign, Equipment and Props. Thank you!
-Synchronous School Day ending at 2:55
-Freeman Focus moved to the morning
After listening to all the groups that we serve (students, families, teachers), including many of you who have voiced a concern about the length of the school day to me and other school officials, we learned last night that HCPS is shortening the virtual school day for secondary students. For DSF, that means the synchronous school day will dismiss at 2:55, providing more time for students to complete homework and other asynchronous work and providing our teachers time to plan engaging lessons, meet with students virtually and provide meaningful feedback. This new schedule will go into effect on Tuesday 9/29.
Please have your children return all library materials to Freeman as soon as possible. We will also accept books they have checked out from other HCPS schools. They may return books by
Bringing them to the bus loop during extended library hours (Wednesdays 8-9:00 am and Thursdays 4-5:30 pm)
Putting them in the black and yellow bin located by the front office door
Contacting the library staff to arrange another way
Students may check out books by using the bookhub form. They can pick up books during extended library hours or by appointment.
DSF Parents - the school counseling department would like your input about which topics we should address with our students this year. We will use this information to shape our school counseling program. Click the link below to fill out a quick survey! Thanks for your help!
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/
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!
Distribution of free meals will take place at Freeman starting on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 on the bus ramp side of the building.
Monday through Thursday (Friday meals are distributed on Thursdays.)
7-9 a.m.: Hot breakfasts (when available) and cold lunches.
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Hot lunches as well as cold breakfasts for the next day.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCPS is waiving the laptop fee ($25), the science fee ($5) and the P.E. fee ($4). Some other classes (such as some of our Career and Technical Education options for limited in-person learning) may still require a fee.
If you haven’t used Online School Payments before, you’ll need to set up an account.
There is a 4% fee to pay with a credit card, which pays for the vendor’s costs. If you prefer to pay by check, please mail a check to your school with a copy of the obligation list from the online payment system highlighting the fees being paid.
If you do not want to pay online, you will need to mail a check to
Freeman High School
8701 Three Chopt Rd
Henrico, VA 23229
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!