|
English | Español | አማርኛ | 中文 | 한국어 | Tiếng Việt | العربية | فارسی | اردو
Dear Freedom Hill Families,
What a great first week at Freedom Hill! It has been wonderful to have our students back in the building and to see our school come alive again. Throughout the week, we saw teachers diving into meaningful learning while also taking time to build relationships, establish routines, and create the strong classroom communities that will set the foundation for a successful year. Our students have brought so much energy and enthusiasm back to the Hill!
Thank you as well for your patience and cooperation with our arrival and dismissal procedures this week. We know that the beginning of the year brings an adjustment period as everyone settles into new routines, and we greatly appreciate our families working alongside us to keep arrival and dismissal safe and efficient for all students.
As we head into week two, we hope you will join us Tuesday evening for our annual Back to School Night for parents. Our schedule is below, and offers families two sessions, if needed, to see multiple FHES classroom teachers:
- ~5:50 - Doors Open
- 6:00-6:25 - Session 1 with Teachers
- 6:30-6:55 - Session 2 with Teachers
- 6:00-7:00 - Specialist Meet & Greet in the Library
- 7:00-7:30 - Advanced Academics Information Session in Library
- 7:30-8:00 - Informal Discussion with the School Administration in Library
Wishing you and your family a great 2nd week!
In partnership,
Dr. Nicholas Zapadka, Principal
Mr. Tim Scesney, Assistant Principal
Ms. Holly Sims, Assistant Principal
2026-27 FCPS School Calendar
Freedom Hill Family Resources
Breakfast/Lunch Menus
PTA-sponsored enrichment classes for the Fall 2026 session are now open for registration! Our teacher-led programs offer students a fun and meaningful way to explore new interests before school.
The Fall Session runs from September 8 – December 18 and includes a variety of engaging options across grade levels.
Before-School Options for the Fall Include:
(Class days and times vary; see the registration page for complete details.)
All enrichment classes are taught by FHES teachers, providing a safe, familiar, and supportive learning environment.
To register, visit the PTA Enrichment Activities page and store: https://freedomhillespta.givebacks.com/w/enrichment
Note: Classes require minimum enrollment to run.
Registration Closes August 31 @ 9 PM
Contact the PTA at info@freedomhillpta.org if you have any questions, issues, or need additional help.
Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. A continuum of Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services is available to students in Grades K to 12 and is designed to match services to each student’s unique academic needs.
Identification for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services occurs throughout the school year. Full-Time AAP services have two identification cycles:
-
Fall identification: Students in grades 3 to 7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15th.
-
Spring identification: Any FCPS student in Grades 2 to 7 may be referred by December 15th.
FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration in the holistic identification process for AAP services:
- All students in Grade 2 take the Naglieri General Ability Test (NGAT).
- Students in Grades 3 to 6 who do not have a multi-domain ability test score take the NGAT.
- Students in Grades 3 to 6 may retake an ability test one time. Families may request the ability test retake by contacting Tara Fredericks by September 30.
Families are invited to attend our AAP information meeting led by Mrs. Fredericks, our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART), from 7:00-7:30PM on Back to School Night. In additional meeting will be held later this year to discuss the specifics of Full-Time AAP services (for interested families with students in grades 2-6).
For more information, please contact Tara Fredericks, AART, at or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs webpage.
Is your child interested in student leadership opportunities? Student Council Elections are coming soon! Look for the permission slip to participate in elections in your student’s Wednesday folder.
Freedom Hill Eagle Running Club is BACK! Calling all 3rd through 6th graders to join us for 6 weeks of Running Club on the following Thursdays after school from 4:10-5:30: September 17, 24, October 1, 8, 15, and 22. The cost is $25 and is payable on MySchoolBucks. This payment includes 6 weeks of running club and registration to the Freedom Hill 5K on October 25th. Students will receive a race t-shirt! Registration is OPEN from September 2nd- September 15th.
Three-hour early release days for Freedom Hill are:
- September 30th
- November 18th
- January 13th
- April 7th
Read more about early release Wednesdays on the FCPS website. Directions for how to indicate your childcare needs are below. Please complete by August 25th.
Opt In/Opt Out for ERW Childcare
We anticipate most students will be dismissed at 1:05, like last year. However, we recognize that some families may require childcare during the limited Early Release Wednesdays; these students will be supervised by instructional assistants. No new instruction will take place as after-school care is strictly supervision.
Directions to Indicate your Childcare Needs for ERW
Log in to ParentVUE to review and provide your choice for Early Release Days Child Care.
⇒ No, I have childcare arrangements on Early Release Days and do not require childcare
⇒ No, My child is enrolled in afternoon SACC
⇒ Yes, I require childcare, and my child will stay at school until the normal dismissal
Here are the welcome videos from ALL Fairfax County School Board members.
Experience an easier way to view your child’s school menus using MealViewer:
- View what is being served each day.
- View the nutritional information for each meal.
- See if any specific allergens are being served.
- Get notified when your student’s favorite meal is being served.
Printable menus are always available on the Food and Nutrition Services webpage.
Again this year, families will use the Parent Digital Consent System to complete some forms that have used paper in the past. You will log in using your ParentVUE Account credentials, there, you will be able complete the Digital Resources Consent form for the school year, which is required for all students. You will also be able to find more information about opt-out forms and complete those forms for your student.
 As part of the ongoing commitment to strengthening layered safety and security programs, FCPS will implement a new student ID system for students who ride our school buses.
The implementation of the student IDs is designed as an additional safety measure for our 130,000 students who ride the bus each day, ensuring they are on the right bus and that they get on and off at the correct bus stop, as well as making sure only authorized students are on our buses.
The IDs will be provided to students who ride the bus. Those students will be expected to tap on and tap off the bus. The student IDs do not track student movement. The only information available is when a student taps on or off a bus. Much like our Here Comes the Bus app, our new app will allow parents/guardians to track the progress of the school bus.
It is possible that the ID program will expand in the future to include uses such as library cards and meal payment. Learn more about the new transportation system and student ID cards.
| 
