October 11 - Student Holiday - School Offices Closed
October 12 - Principals Coffee (10am) - www.atdsf.com
October 13 - PSAT & Class of 2022 Convocation
October 18 - HCPS Bands Showcase @ Godwin
October 19 - PTSA Event - Little Known Secrets for College
October 19 - LifeReady Showcase
October 22 & 23 - Homecoming Parade/Game
October 23 - Homecoming Dance
November 2 - Election Day (Schools Closed)
November 4 - Schools closed for PT Conferences (Virtual)
Out next Principals Coffee will take place on Tuesday, October 12th at 10 am. Unfortunately, this will have to be a virtual event due to HCPS policies related to non-student visitors during instructional hours. Please mark your calendars for this optional event, which will be streamed on Facebook and on www.atdsf.com
Testing:
All 9th and 10th grade studnets
11th grade students who signed up
Student Guides:
Bell Schedule:
Seniors and Families,
We will hold the class of 2022 Senior Convocation on October 13th at 10am. This
event will be held in our school gym, with all seniors present in their
graduation gowns.
Students will kick off their senior year with messages from our class officers, Mr.
Marshall, and our Convocation speaker, Freeman alum, parent, and Hall-of-Famer:
Vance Harmon.
Due to COVID 19 protocols and available space in our gym, this event will be live
streamed to families via our YouTube channel. We apologize sincerely that we
are not able to host all families for this event in our gym or at another
location on our campus; we explored multiple options to make that a possibility
but are unable to due to logistical obstacles.
In keeping with tradition, seniors are released from the rest of the day of school
if they wish.
Additional Information:
Convocation is a formal ceremony and all seniors are glad to take this rite of passage. Considering that seniors are wearing their graduation gowns to this ceremony, please be sure you have paid the $60 senior class fee so that your senior can obtain a cap, gown and tassel on October 7th during lunches.
For this event, seniors must be dressed appropriately. Every senior will wear their graduation gown (no cap) Every senior will wear dress clothing under the navy gown. (no cords/caps or tassels, etc). No tennis shoes/casual shoes/flip flops/jeans or t shirts. Ties or bowtie are acceptable.
Students will report to their 9:00 am Freeman Focus class, or period 1 class, depending on whether or not the temporary schedule has been returned to the regular schedule due to the late bus issues we are having.
Student will report to Auditorium at 9:30 am when a bell rings.
Immediately following convocation, a traditional Senior Picture will be on the outside bleachers. Students will remain in their seat until instructed to proceed to the bleachers outside. There will be recessional out to the outside bleachers if there is no rain. If there is rain, there will be no processional, and seniors will take their pictures in the gym and be set up the bleachers.
Since Seniors traditionally have the rest of the day off after convocation, If you DO NOT approve the early release of your senior, please email Dr. Rodriguez, the senior administrator nurodriguez@henrico.k12.va.us
The weather is changing and soon there will be a chill in the air, the perfect time for Brunswick Stew!
DSF Bands and Orchestras are hosting our annual Brunswick Stew sale on October 23rd.
We are receiving pre-orders here: www.tinyurl.com/dsfstew2021
All the details you'll need are in the order form!
Pick-up will be Saturday, October 23rd, 12-1:30pm at Parham Road Baptist Church, 2101 N Parham Rd 23229 (up the road from DSF).
Please email DSFstewcrew@gmail.com with any questions
Pre-orders close Oct. 16.
Oct. 19: Life-Ready Expo, HCPS’ showcase for student career possibilities and pathways
Students in grades 7-12 and their families can find out more about a variety of career and educational pathways Oct. 19 at HCPS’ annual Life-Ready Expo. The event will be held at Hermitage High School. Students and families can explore career paths at the Expo, while talking with more than 70 employers. Attendees will have a chance to:
• Find out about career opportunities and understand the total value of their pay and benefits.
• Discover multiple ways to “learn and earn” by taking advantage of employer programs that pay for employees to attend college and receive other training after high school.
• Talk face-to-face with employers about what their industries will need in coming years — and how you can acquire those skills.
• Quiz industry and government representatives about their own paths to success.
Henrico County Public Schools Life-Ready Expo
When: Oct. 19 from 6-8 p.m.
Where: Hermitage High School, 8301 Hungary Spring Road, Henrico, Va. 23228
All attendees, regardless of their vaccination status, are required to wear masks at the event.
Being “life-ready” is one aspect of the school division’s Henrico Learner Profile, HCPS’ blueprint for K-12 education. It emphasizes the importance of “six Cs” for students: developing quality character, and becoming effective global citizens, communicators, collaborators, and critical and creative thinkers.
Homecoming Dance is on!!! The Homecoming Dance will take place on Saturday, October 23rd from 7 – 10 p.m. outdoors near the big gym. Only Freeman students are allowed to attend due to the pandemic. Tickets will go on sale the week before during lunches and are $10.00 each. The theme is “GLOW”. Semi-formal attire. We are seeking some song requests for the DJ – click below! Stay tuned for more specific details. Look forward to seeing you at DSF GLOW-COMING 2021!
Please visit our website for resource, information and ways to celebrate.
Starting on Monday, 10/4, we will make a temporary change to our schedule to alleviate concerns brought on by late morning buses. We will move Freeman Focus to 9 am. We have 12-15 late buses each day and our classes who serve bus riders have been drastically affected by this. We do not see this changing in the near future, so we will adjust in our building to help our students.
The Freeman PTSA has partnered with “The College Funding Coach” to offer a free workshop called, “Little-Known Secrets of Paying for College.” This virtual event will take place on Tuesday, October 19th at 6:30 pm and will be streamed via a live webinar. The event will last approximately 1 hour. To attend, please register using this link.
We will alter our dismissal timing and car-rider pick-up location, returning pick-up to the student lot near the baseball field. This also goes into effect on 10/4. Your feedback on the Drivers-Ed Lot Pick-Up Trial was very helpful, and our community remains split on which system worked better. With that divide, we are opting for the plan that does not have students walking across Camden Dr. and will use the timing of our dismissal (student drivers ten minutes before car-riders) to stagger a release and ease (though unlikely eliminate) congestion at dismissal.
3:45 - Student drivers released
3:55 - Car riders and bus riders released to student lot
The Henrico County Code of Conduct mandates a dress code to ensure a proper learning environment. Students are expected to review that policy prior to choosing clothing and those not adhering to dress-code will be asked to change. Those who repeatedly violate this Code of Conduct policy will be subject to disciplinary action. Please help us avoid that situation by speaking with your student about the dress code.
The HCPS Code of Conduct stipulates that student cell phones must be off and away during instructional time. This year at DSF, students may be asked to place their phone in a designated location in most classes during class time. Students who do not and whose phone is out without permission during class time will have that device confiscated and turned into the main office. Phones will be retuned to parents and guardians. Students may use the main office landline to inform parents that their phone was confiscated.
Each year, nearly 800 students at Douglas Freeman compete on multiple athletic teams. With your membership in the Booster Club, you support our programs and you save money on admission to home sporting events. See our website (www.dsfathleticboosters.org) for details about benefits associated with each membership level. Athletic passes and tickets may be used for all home Varsity and JV athletic events, excluding tournaments and Invitationals. Without a Booster Pass, costs per sporting event are $8 for football and $6 for all other sports. Preferred parking applies to all home football games except Homecoming. Tickets and passes from prior seasons are no longer valid.
Now more than ever, staying connected with the school and your child’s teachers is important to your child’s success in school. Henrico parents can create accounts to view grades and attendance information through PowerSchool, access assignment information through Schoology, and receive communications through the SchoolMessenger App. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to set up your access to these tools. If you need assistance, please reach out to our Innovative Learning Coach, Jessica Ciokan (jkciokan@henrico.k12.va.us).
PowerSchool Parent Portal - click here then choose “Create Account” tab
Schoology - click here for directions
SchoolMessenger App - click here to sign up to receive school and teacher communications in one place. (click here to learn more)
Starting this week, we will begin using this space to report out the number of COVID-19 cases we had on campus along with the number of positive exposures at school that resulted from those cases.
This week (10/3-10/10) our shool recorded 1 positive COVID case and 5 exposures. All close contacts have been notified.
Close Contacts:
With almost our entire student body returning to Freeman this year and our classrooms at full capacity, there becomes an increased likelihood that your student could be deemed a close contact if we have a positive case in the building. If that occurs, school administration or health professionals will call with a series of questions to determine if quarantine is necessary. Here's how we can help keep as many students at school as possible:
Encourage mask-wearing at all times as we enforce this every day at school.
If you feel comfortable, have your student get a COVID-19 vaccine. Students with a full vaccination status are better protected from COVID-19.
Please remain patient with our school officials and contact tracing team.
The school maintains and enforces carefully-documented seating charts to ensure that no unecessary students are quarantined.
Our division has amended its definition of a close contact, citing that students that are three-feet apart and fully masked would no longer be considered close contacts. Students should do their best ro remain 3 feet from others at all times that such distancing is possible.
Quarantine Decisions:
HCPS has published a chart to help families and staff understand the decisions being made by our contact tracing team. Only contact tracers and school officials can clear a student for a return in the case of a positive case or exposure.
AP exam ordering is now live. Students and families will order their exams online through Total Registration. The deadline to order, without a late fee, is November 8, 2021. Each exam costs $100. Please click here for more information.
We are excited to welcome Mrs. Beth Metcalf to Freeman as our GRASP advisor this fall. She will be meeting with seniors and their parents/guardians to discuss financial aid and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Mrs. Metcalf will be at Freeman on Tuesdays each week. To sign up for an appointment with her, please click here. You can also schedule a virtual appointment with a GRASP advisor on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays by calling 804-923-0059 or emailing advising@grasp4va.org
Phone: 804-673-3709
Website: tinyurl.com/dsfcounseling
Liz Puckett, School Counselor, Last Names: A-Cr
ebpuckett@henrico.k12.va.us
Morgan Meadowes, School Counselor, Last Names: Cu-Hen
memeadowes@henrico.k12.va.us
Janet Smith, Director of School Counseling, Last Names: Her-K
jksmith@henrico.k12.va.us
Susie Good, School Counselor, Last Names: L-Ph
slgood@henrico.k12.va.us
Corey Hancock, School Counselor, Last Names: Pi-Sa
clhancock1@henrico.k12.va.us
Charlie Williams, School Counselor, Last Names: Sc-Z
cewilliams@henrico.k12.va.us
Graeme Byrne, Administrative Assistant
gjbyrne@henrico.k12.va.us
Sarah Terry, Registrar
sdterry@henrico.k12.va.us
Graduation 2022 may be months away, but planning for the All Night Graduation Party (ANGP) is well underway! Not sure what the All Night Graduation Party is? The Freeman high school ANGP is a tradition for the senior class. For over 30 years, parents, the Freeman PTSA, and the entire Freeman Community have been sponsoring this party, which takes place on graduation night in an alcohol and drug free environment. This long-standing tradition is something our graduates look forward to, and is the only party of its kind in Henrico County. This event provides the graduates with a fun opportunity to celebrate with their classmates and friends.
We don’t have a date yet, but will know when the graduation date is announced. We won’t know for sure the format of the party until closer to the date. We are definitely hoping for the best and that it will be held indoors as it was before Covid. No matter what, we will have some sort of celebration, we will adapt as we have to like the class of 2021 did and with a fabulous celebration at Deep Run this past summer.
There will be senior tabs and links on the PTSA website that you should keep an eye on to keep up with all the details and information regarding the party and fundraising for it. Remember, the ANGP is 100% planned and financially supported by senior parents and community donations. You can donate now on the PTSA website.
If you would like to volunteer to help with planning or the night of the party, please email Valerie Hendricks at DSFANGP2022@gmail.com.
Please bookmark www.atdsf.com. This is a one-stop resource for all the links, refences, sign up forms and information you might need. We are constantly updating it and use it to house important school-wide virtual events as well.
(Best viewed on a computer or tablet, Click here to open in a new window)
Announcing Partnership
Douglas Freeman is now officially partners with @GoFanHS! GoFan is the leading digital ticketing solution for more than 250,000 high school events nationwide.
Get your tickets beginning the week of October 11.