September 1 - Student Holiday (DSF Offices Closed)
September 4 - Student Holiday
September 8 - Club Fair during Freeman Focus
September 11-12 - Picture Day
September 16 - Lara Curry Memorial 5K
September 19 - Senior Parent Night
September 21 - Back to School Night
October 11 - Senior Convocation and PSAT
October 27/28 - DSF Homecoming
November 1 - HCPS College & Career Night
After a week of using our weapons scanners each morning, here's what we learned:
Entry lines are non-existent most of the morning at Freeman and not very long even when several busses arrive at once. The average wait time is less than a minute with the longest wait for any student clocking in at about 6 minutes at the most peak times.
The items most likely to alert the sensors (and slow students down) are listed below. Many students have begun sending them along the rolling tables beside the scanners as they enter:
Student laptops
3-ring Binders with a metal strip on the inside of the spine (several binders together is even more likely)
Dense metal water bottles (Stanley, Yeti, Hydroflask brands are the most common)
Umbrellas
We will continue to have scanners out at lunch for students to test their own items to see what may be alerting them to help with morning arrival.
Our students were so understanding and cooperative as our team worked to streamline this new system. Thank you and them for their patience last week!
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.
https://rrcb.org/lara-teague-curry-memorial-5k-kids-fun-run-september-16-2023/
In cooperation with Douglas Freeman High School, the Henrico Education Foundation, River Road Church, Baptist, Third Church, and Trinity UMC, Henrico Mental Health and Development Services and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention the Lara Teague Curry Memorial 5K will be hosted at Trinity UMC on Saturday, September 16th.
A Memorial Fund at the Henrico Education Foundation has been established by the Teague and Curry families with the sole purpose to support students in Henrico County. Proceeds from the 5K will benefit the Lara Teague Curry Memorial Fund.
Early Bird Registration NOW OPEN:
Early Bird Run/Walk Registration: $25/person
Early Bird Family Registration (6 Attendees): $60
Kids Fun Run: $5/kid
Registration fees increase on August 16, 2023.
Henrico County Public School’s Strategic Plan, Destination 2025, includes strategies for providing all students with opportunities to engage in rigorous learning experiences. Towards this effort, a partnership has been established with Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) to support the school division’s efforts to increase student enrollment in rigorous courses, including Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment (DE), and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes.
To support this work, your high school child will be asked to participate in a voluntary EOS School Culture Survey, which will be administered between October 2-13, 2023. The survey will be taken at school and will take approximately 40-50 minutes. Surveys will ask students about their self view, learning mindset, sense of belonging, school climate, and advanced coursework enrollment and support. Results generated from the survey will provide schools with data and trends on information, expectations, and belonging in accelerated coursework. Student responses will not be anonymous to school administrators, but will remain confidential. School teams will use this data to surface student potential, interests, and perspectives on school and course offerings.
If for any reason you do not want your child to take the survey, please complete this opt out form by September 29th to opt your child out of the survey.
If you have any questions, please contact Cara Jean O’Neal, (cloneal@henrico.k12.va.us) Freeman Associate Principal.
On September 11 and September 12, all underclassmen, including Juniors, will take their portraits during English class.
Afternoon Student 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 off 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 min 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. See the picture below for clarification.
Students - registration for Evening School courses and Fall 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 September 8, 2023. Please see your school counselor if you have questions.
Senior Parent Night - save the date!
Senior parents and guardians: save the date for our annual senior parent night event on September 19th at 6:00 pm. Administration, school counseling, and the senior class sponsors will provide information to senior families to help them navigate the year ahead. Topics include senior events, college applications, and financial aid.
College Visits 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. Students should continue to monitor this form as colleges are being added on a regular basis!
Key Points from the info below:
HCPS is using safety scanners that are faster, more efficient, and more effective than traditional metal detectors. Students will pass through with their backpacks on and keys and cell phones in pockets.
At DSF, all students will enter either the bus ramp or auditorium entrance (this is a change from previous years).
Leave plenty of time on the first day of school for building entry.
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As announced last spring, Henrico County Public Schools will phase in the use of weapons scanners at all schools this year. Scanners should be in place at all high schools on the first day of school; they will be added to middle and elementary school entryways as equipment is received.
Impact on morning arrival should be minimal once students get into the habit of removing their laptops from their backpacks. As we saw in last year’s field test, scanners are much easier to use than traditional metal detectors while providing an essential layer of security.
Please take a few minutes to watch this brief video explaining what students and visitors should expect. Weapon Scanning Video .
This additional layer of security could create new routines in our morning bus and parent drop offs. At DSF, all students will enter either the bus ramp or auditorium entrance (this is a change from previous years). Please Leave plenty of time on the first day of school for building entry.
Please see this letter (below) from our Superintendent, Dr. Cashwell, for even more information on our commitment to school safety in HCPS.
PSAT Information - October 11th, 2023
The PSAT 8/9 & PSAT/NMSQT tests will be DIGITAL this year!
9th and 10th grade students are automatically registered to take the PSAT 8/9 (9th grade) and the PSAT/NMSQT (10th grade) tests on Wednesday, October 11th. The county pays for the tests so 9th and 10th graders take it free of charge!
11th grade students can sign up to take the OPTIONAL PSAT/NMSQT test on the same day by registering AND paying the $14.76 fee. Juniors can qualify for college scholarships or the national merit program based on their scores.
Register here: www.tinyurl.com/DSFPSAT2023
Pay online here: https://osp.osmsinc.com/HenricoVA/login.aspx?ReturnURL=Payment.aspx OR via cash - exact change/check (made payable to Freeman HS) which you can turn into the main office by August 31st
11th grade students must register and pay by August 31st! NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED!
The HCPS official PSAT letter can be found HERE. More information can be found in the PSAT 8/9 Student Guide and the PSAT/NMSAT Student Guide.
Any questions? Email Mrs. Reilly, DSF Testing Coordinator, csreilly@henrico.k12.va.us
Parking passes for the 2023-2024 school year are $50 and were available for purchase for Juniors and Seniors. Please complete the Student Parking Pass Application which can be found in PowerSchool Parent Portal in the Forms section. Juniors can also fill out the application but will not be able to purchase a pass until the first or second week of school, as supply allows. Payment can be made via cash, check made payable to Freeman HS, or credit card (+4% processing fee).
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 Parent Square. 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
MySchoolBucks - Returning Users, Info for new users
Key Resources:
NEW LOOK(!) Freeman website (with All things DSF embedded): https://freeman.henricoschools.us/
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/
Senior families!
We've posted the following information for Seniors on Schoology regarding cap & gown orders. For senior cap & gown orders, only the students have access to fill out the Google Form because I need to collect their Henrico County student e-mails for verification of completion. The main purpose of this is to avoid duplicate entries for orders and also provides an easier way for us to keep track of who has/hasn't completed their order. I'm looking to have all seniors complete this form no later than August 24th in order to ensure that they arrive with enough time to distribute them prior to Senior Convocation. The link to access the form has been posted on the 12th grade Schoology group and on social media, as well. Please click here to access the infographic with this information for your convenience.
If your senior is unable to attend Open House next week and they need to purchase a parking pass, that's no problem! We will continue to sell parking passes to seniors only during all lunches on Tuesday, August 22 and Wednesday, August 23. In order to purchase a parking pass, the "Student Parking Pass Application" must be completed through the PowerSchool Parent Portal until the "Forms" section. All parts of the application must be completed in order for a pass to be issued. Then, when they come to purchase their pass, they must be able to show their driver's license. Temporary driver's licenses are accepted; however, learner's permits are not. You may click here to view that infographic that has been sent out to seniors, as well!
(Best viewed on a computer or tablet, Click here to open in a new window)