Jan 9 - PTSA Meeting (5pm in DSF Library & online)
Jan 13 & 14 - Class Ring Information Stop-Ins (430-7)
Jan 16 - Schools Closed, MLK Day
Jan 19 - Cap & Gown picture day for seniors
Jan 19 - Curriculum Fair
Jan 26 - End of Semester 1
Jan 27 - Half Day
Feb 20 - Student Holiday
Feb 21 - Student Holiday
Feb 22 - Senior Parent Information Night (6pm)
March 10 - Schools and Offices Closed
June 6 - DSF Class of 2023 Graduation (7pm)
Registration for the first annual “Jogging for Jackson Memorial 5K Run/ Walk” in honor of Tuckahoe’s late band teacher, Kirkland Jackson is open. Mr. Jackson served as the band director at Tuckahoe Middle School from 2015 until his passing in the summer of 2022 after a short battle with cancer. Mr. Jackson's love for music lives on at Tuckahoe through his students and the robust band program that he created. Please help us honor Mr. Jackson's legacy by participating in this memorial event. The race will occur on Saturday, April 29th, at Tuckahoe Middle School beginning at 9:00 am. All money raised will be donated to the Tuckahoe Middle School music department in honor of Mr. Jackson and his work instilling a love for music in all the students he taught. To sign up please go to https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Henrico/JoggingforJacksonMemorial5KRunWalk
The scheduling process for the 2022-2023 school year will begin in January 2023. Students in grades 9-11 will speak with their teachers regarding course recommendations the week of January 2nd. Students and parents/guardians will complete their course requests in PowerSchool January 16-27. School counselors will begin their individual Academic and Career Planning meetings with all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students beginning on January 17th to confirm course selections and discuss their postsecondary plans. School counselors meet with students in grade level order. Rising seniors will have their meeting first, followed by rising juniors, and concluding with rising sophomores. The last day students may request a change to their course request, per space available, for the 23-24 school year is May 26th, 2023. Important note: Some classes will begin to close and students may be placed on a waitlist for certain electives beginning on February 24th, 2023. Students and parents/guardians may access the HCPS planning guide by clicking here. The DSF course option sheet for rising 10th-12th grade students may be accessed here.
The DSF School Counseling department will offer evening appointments in January/February for families who have questions about 2023-2024 course scheduling and selections. To sign up for an appointment, please click here. Please review counseling caseload assignments carefully. Caseloads and scheduling reminders are listed below:
We are scheduled to be at Douglas Freeman HS on the upcoming dates for Sophomore and Junior Family Ring Order Nights:
Wednesday, January 11th from 4:30 - 7:00 pm
Thursday, January 12th from 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
We do ask the parents/students to make an appointment, if at all possible, by using the QR code on the flyer.
Dear Senior Parents,
A long-cherished senior tradition has now arrived. If you would like to include a Senior Tribute Ad in this year’s yearbook, please see the attached flyer for information on how to include a Senior Tribute Ad for your senior in our upcoming yearbook. There are two payment options: online directly through our publisher, Herff-Jones, or on our OSP. If you choose OSP, you’ll need to email our senior ad editor, Sophie Armstrong at hcps-armstrse1@henricostudents.org, with the congratulatory message to your senior as well as the photos you wish to include. A sample is included below.
Parents, guardians, and students are invited to attend the 2023-2024 curriculum fair. Please join us to hear all about the exciting courses, both academic and elective, that Freeman has to offer for the 2023-2024 school year. The DSF curriculum fair will be held in person on Thursday, January 19th from 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm. You may come anytime during this time as your schedule allows. You will be able to meet with teachers, hear from current students, and even watch performances by our award winning fine/performing arts programs.
Is your student thinking about attending college? Please join the DSF school counseling department on Tuesday, January 24th at 5:45 PM for the Underclass Parent Night in the library. School counseling will cover the college exploration and application process, including steps you and your student can take at each grade level to prepare. Students are also welcome if they desire!
Students - registration for Evening School courses and spring Online PE is now open. Students may register for courses by visiting this website. A selection of academic courses may be offered as well as Driver’s Education, PE 9, and PE 10. Registration and payment must be submitted no later than January 31st, 2023. Please see your school counselor if you have questions.
Did you know?:
Missing 10% of the school year (for excused or unexcused absences) is considered "Chronically Absent" by Virginia department of education metrics.
Chronic Absenteeism is one way that schools are judged as "accredited" or not.
This means that if your student has missed 6 or more days (excused or unexcused) this year, they are labled as "Chronically Absent" in our data!
What can I do?:
Minimize non-sick absences. Of course keep contagious students at home and call in absences, but minimize full-day absences from school for trips, appointments, or other avoidable school days missed.
If you have an appointment in the middle of the school day, don't take the full day absent, instead have student leave early.
Thanks!
-DSF Admin Team
Parent/Guardians of Class of 2023 Seniors,
Please find linked here the Josten’s Graduation newsletter with information about ordering graduation announcements and other senior graduation related gear. Paper copies of this information was given to your Senior by their Government teacher (or 1st period teacher if they are not in Gov’t class) last week. It is recommended to have your order placed no later than December 1st to ensure you receive the custom school announcements for graduation (OPTIONAL). A Josten’s representative will be available on November 30th during all lunches in the cafeteria if your student prefers to place the order in person. You can also order online anytime at www.jostens.com.
Is your student struggling to complete homework or understand class concepts? Henrico County has contracted with a tutoring service, FEV Tutor, to provide *FREE* one on one online support after school hours and during designated school hours. Students can book a session ahead of time, get instant on-demand help 24/7, or set up a regular meeting time with a tutor for more comprehensive support. Students should connect through Clever and search for “FEV Tutor”. Students and tutors work together using an interactive whiteboard, chat or audio chat function and the format can be personalized for different learning styles. For more information, visit the FEV tutor website or the Student Dashboard guide. If you have any other questions, you can email Mrs. Reilly, DSF Testing Coordinator csreilly@henrico.k12.va.us.
HCPS has partnered with MajorClarity, an online academic and career planning platform designed to help every student in grades 6-12 explore and discover future careers and courses that closely relate to their interests, personality, skills and strengths and take ownership of their academic and career goals! Because parents/guardians play an integral role in their student’s academic and career planning process, students are encouraged to access MajorClarity at home with their family in addition to the various planned and scheduled opportunities to work in the platform at school. Parents/guardians also have the opportunity to access MajorClarity via their student's account anytime, from any device, using Clever. Check out the MajorClarity Parent/Guardian Login Instructions for detailed directions!
The following MajorClarity resources may also be helpful to HCPS parents/guardians:
The Secondary Student Journey in MajorClarity
Career Exploration & Self-Discovery in MajorClarity
Finally, HCPS Bridge Builders Academy will be presenting a virtual “Getting to Know MajorClarity” session in January, and details will be coming soon! In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to your school counseling department, your partners in academic and career planning, with any questions or concerns.
DAILY ATTENDANCE
ABSENCES: CALL ATTENDANCE OFFICE (804) 673-3700 EXT. 1 TO REPORT STUDENT ABSENCES OR SEND A NOTE* WITH STUDENT UPON RETURN TO SCHOOL (TECH STUDENTS: CALL DSF AND TECH CENTERS FOR ABSENCES)
*NOTES FOR STUDENT ABSENCES: STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED 10 SICK DAYS PER YEAR (WITH A NOTE OR PARENT/GUARDIAN PHONE CALL); AFTER 10 SICK DAYS, A STUDENT MUST HAVE A DOCTOR’S NOTE FOR THE ABSENCE TO BE EXCUSED – IT IS HELPFUL TO BRING A DOCTOR’S NOTE AFTER A VISIT, SAVING PHONE CALLS AND PARENT/GUARDIAN NOTES FOR WHEN A STUDENT IS HOME SICK
LATE ARRIVALS: SEND STUDENT TO SCHOOL WITH NOTE (FROM DOCTOR [PREFERRED] OR PARENT/GUARDIAN) – LATE ARRIVALS ARE NOT ACCEPTED BY PHONE
EARLY DISMISSALS: IF A DISMISSAL IS KNOW IN ADVANCE, SEND NOTE TO SCHOOL WITH STUDENT (NOTE SHOULD HAVE STUDENT’S FULL NAME & GRADE, REASON FOR DISMISSAL, PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME AND PHONE NUMBER) – THIS WAY, STUDENTS CAN SIGN THEMSELVES OUT ON THE DISMISSAL LOG AND MEET THE PARENT/GUARDIAN IN THE PARKING LOT
IF THE STUDENT DOES NOT HAVE A NOTE FOR DISMISSAL, THE PARENT/GUARDIAN MUST COME INTO THE SCHOOL TO PICK UP THE STUDENT. THE PARENT/GUARDIAN MUST BRING A PHOTO I.D. TO THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE AND SIGN THE STUDENT OUT ON THE EARLY DISMISSAL LOG
NOTE THAT EARLY DISMISSALS ARE NOT ACCEPTED BY PHONE, FAX, EMAIL OR TEXT – IN ADDITION, WE WILL NOT CALL A STUDENT OUT OF CLASS AHEAD OF TIME – ONCE WE HAVE VERIFIED THAT THE PHOTO I.D. IS ON OUR AUTHORIZED PICK-UP LIST, WE WILL BE HAPPY TO RETRIEVE THE STUDENT FROM CLASS.
COLLEGE VISITS
COLLEGE VISIT PRIVILEGES ARE EXTENDED TO JUNIORS AND SENIORS, AND WITH PROPER DOCUMENTATION, WILL NOT COUNT TOWARD EXAM EXEMPTION
PROPER DOCUMENTATION:
1. LETTER/NOTE FROM THE COLLEGE PROVING THAT THE STUDENT ACTUALLY ATTENDED THE COLLEGE FOR A TOUR/VISIT [PREFERRED] - MOST COLLEGES HAVE THEIR OWN FORMS, AND ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE
2. CONFIRMATION OF THE SCHEDULED VISIT
3. IF A TOUR/VISIT IS NOT POSSIBLE, A PICTURE OF THE STUDENT TAKEN IN FRONT OF THE COLLEGE SIGN WILL BE ACCEPTED
As a part of our culture of appreciation and acknowledgment of the positive things that happen at DSF each week, we ask our staff to share "Shout-Outs" or positive messages about a colleague from the week prior. We publish them for the whole staff to see as a way of growing the good and celebrating wins.
I'd love to have the community's help. I'll post this link each week and deliver any "shout-outs" to our whole staff in our internal weekly newsletter. If you hear of a cool lesson, or a teacher or counselor goes out of their way to make your student's learning experience better, send in a quick note using the form below. Thanks for considering, your appreciation means a lot!
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.
Student drop-off and pick-up locations are in the student parking lot behind the Baseball field, off of Camden Drive. Parents are asked to pull into the main student parking lot when picking up students at dismissal. Parents should not use the visitor's parking lot in front of the school to drop off or pick up students during the start of the school day (8:30 to 9:15 a.m.) or at dismissal (3:30 to 4:15 p.m.). Please note that it is extremely unsafe, at any time of the day, to drop students off on the curb in front of the school. The Drivers’ Education Lot across Camden Drive is ONLY for buses. Let’s ensure the safety of our young drivers by following this request.
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.
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)
We are excited to welcome representatives from numerous colleges into our school this year to lead informational sessions during Freeman Focus. Students are required to sign up ahead of time and will not be permitted to attend without pre-registering. To see a list of visits and sign-up, please click here.
Key Resources:
All Things DSF Website (AKA: “at dsf”): www.atdsf.com
Freeman PTSA Website: www.freemanptsa.org
DSF Athletics Calendar (always up to date): www.colonialdistrictva.org
Mr. Marshall on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@dsfMrMarshall
Freeman Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/freemanhighschool.official
Freeman Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreemanHighSchool.official/
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