October 30th, 2022

This information is important for the upcoming week.

Important Upcoming Dates:

October 31 - Senior Halloween at DSF (read below)
November 3rd - End of First Quarter
November 7 & 8th - Schools closed
November 8th (AM) - Teacher Conferences (9-12)
November 10th* (PM) - Teacher Conferences (4-7)
November 11th - DSF Veterans Day Assembly
November 23-25th - Thanksgiving Holiday

HCPSSchoolCalendar2022-23.pdf

This Week at DSF

Freeman Halloween

In keeping with tradition, our Freeman Seniors will enjoy the senior privilege of dressing up for Halloween if they choose to. I wanted to share a few stipulations with you and them to make sure our school and our students stay safe this Halloween.

Only Seniors are permitted to participate.
The HCPS Code of Conduct still applies, including rules regarding being to class on time, safe conduct in the hallways and standards of appropriate dress.
Costume masks that cover the whole face and face paint are not permitted; this is a school safety measure.
Costumes that are deemed offensive, culturally insensitive, or inappropriate for school are not allowed.

We love this tradition and want everyone to have fun, so the smart thing to do is ask a member of the Freeman Admin team about your costume plan ahead of time to make sure you'll be able to participate and have fun on the big day!

Parents and Guardians, thank you for having a conversation about this with your senior this week.

HCPS College and Career Night - Wednesday!

HCPS will hold its annual College and Career Night on Wednesday November 2nd at Tucker High School from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Students and families are invited to attend the countywide event to talk with representatives of more than 100 colleges, professional programs and employers such as business, government agencies, and branches of the military. Students are encouraged to register ahead of time. You may register by clicking here.

AP Exam Ordering

AP Exam ordering is now live. If your student plans to take an AP Exam, a minimum $40 deposit (per exam) must be paid no later than November 8th, 2022. The cost of each AP Exam is $101. For detailed information, including the AP Exam schedule, please click here. To order AP Exam(s), please visit: https://user.totalregistration.net/AP/471850

Important note: Late exams will only be approved in the instance of illness (with a note from the doctor), two AP exams in the same testing block, or HCPS sponsored athletic/academic events. Late exams will not be ordered for any other reason. Please reach out to your AP teacher if you have questions.

Parent Conferences - Tues. 11/8, Thurs 11/10

Each Fall, we invite parents and guardians to schedule conferences to speak with each of your student’s teachers in short meetings where our staff can update you on your student’s progress in each class.

Freeman High School will be holding parent-teacher conferences on

Tuesday, November 8th from 9am - 12noon, and
Thursday, November 10th from 4 - 7pm.

You must sign up for your conferences using this link: PTC FAST SIGN UP. Parents can choose to sign up for either a virtual conference (using Microsoft Teams) or an in-person conference. Please indicate your preference when you sign up. If you sign up for virtual conferences, individual teacher links will be provided prior to conference dates.

If you are unable to access the online sign-up, please email the teacher(s) or call the school at 804-673-3700.

Parent Conference Details:

The online signup can be found at https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/DSF_Fall_2022
(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 November 8 conferences.

Jogging for Jackson Memorial 5K

Save the date for the first annual 5k honoring Kirck Jackson, late Tuckahoe Middle School Band director. More information to follow.

From School Counseling

Signs of Suicide Lessons

Each year, the school counseling department conducts classroom lessons with all Health/PE 10 classes on “Signs of Suicide.” This year, the SOS lessons will take place on December 5th and 6th. Families of students enrolled in Health/PE 10 this year will receive more information, including an opt out, in the coming weeks. All families are invited to attend the HCPS Bridge Builders webinar on the Signs of Suicide program on November 15th at 6:00 pm. Signs of Suicide is a universal, school-based prevention program that teaches students how to identify the symptoms of depression and suicidality in themselves or their friends, and encourages them to seek help using the ACT technique (acknowledge, care and tell). To learn more about the HCPS Bridge Builders series and attend the SOS webinar, please click here.

ACE Center Applications

Applications for the Advanced Career Education (ACE) Centers are now live. Students interested in applying to one of these CTE programs, may access the application here. Applications are due by December 2nd. Students and families can attend the ACE Center open house event at Hermitage High School on October 26th from 7-8 pm.

Previously Posted Information

EASY REFERENCE GUIDE TO ALL THINGS ATTENDANCE

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

Introducing: Freeman Family Teacher Shout- Outs!

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!

Link to Submit Shout-Outs to a Staff Member

Cell Phones in Class

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 Dress Code

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.

Student Drop-Off and Pick-up

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.

Sign Up for Parent Accounts

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)

College Visits to DSF During Freeman Focus

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 for 2022

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.

Important Links:

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/

Athletics/Activities Calendar

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