🦅 Welcome Back 🦅

Dear Freedom High School Families,

Welcome back! It is almost time to begin another exciting school year, and I am thrilled to welcome you to the 2026-2027 school year at Freedom High School. We are looking forward to a fantastic year filled with learning, growth, new opportunities, and meaningful relationships.

One of my highest priorities as principal is creating and maintaining a positive climate and culture where every student feels welcomed, respected, and connected. A place where all students are given the tools to be successful after graduating. Freedom High School is truly a place where Eagles soar, and I am excited to welcome both our rising 9th graders and our returning students back to campus.

This year, we are especially excited about the continued expansion of our specialty programs, including the Pre-Governor's School, Medical Coding and Billing, Center for Environmental Sciences, Mechatronics, and Pharmacy Technician programs. These programs provide a wide range of opportunities for our students to explore their interests, develop career-ready skills, and prepare for future success.

I am thrilled to continue building a school environment where every student feels supported, valued, and inspired. Strong partnerships between school and home are essential to student success, and we look forward to connecting with our families throughout the year.

We invite you to join us at Todos Supermarket on Saturday, August 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., where we will be distributing bookbags and connecting with members of our community. We will also host a community event at Freedom High School on August 15, and we will continue offering our Title I family engagement events throughout the year to strengthen our partnership with families and provide meaningful opportunities to connect.

As we begin the school year, please take note of the following important reminders:

• Attendance matters! Regular attendance plays a critical role in student success. If your child is absent, please be sure to send a note upon their return.
• School hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.
• Please complete all Back-to-School packets as soon as possible.
• Ensure your child's vaccinations are up to date before the start of school.
• Our Parent Liaisons are here to help and support your family with any questions or needs you may have.
• Freshmen Orientation is August 20th 9:00 am-11:00 am
• Back-to-School Night on August 27 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm

The energy and excitement of a new school year brings endless possibilities, and I cannot wait to see all that our students will accomplish. Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Together, we will make the 2026-2027 school year an outstanding one for all Freedom Eagles.

Chevelli Smith

Principal

Freedom High School

First day of school is Monday, August 24, 2026

Monday, 8/24/26, we will follow periods 1, 2, 4, and 6

Tuesday, 8/25/26, we will follow periods 1, 3, 5, and 7

Wednesday, 8/26/26, we will follow periods 2, Flex 2, Flex 1, 4, and 6

Thursday, 8/27/26, we will follow periods 1, 3, 5, and 7

Friday, 8/28/26, we will follow periods 2, Flex 3, Flex 4, 4 and 6

Check ParentVUE/StudentVUE (or your school's communication platform) regularly for grades, attendance, and school updates.

Please make sure that you have access to ParentVUE.

Log In or Activate Your Account

Log in through the ParentVUE website or mobile app using your username and password.

Don't have a ParentVUE account?

• Current PWCS families: Contact your child's school if you need a ParentVUE activation code.
• New PWCS families: Create a PWCS ParentVUE account during the student registration process.

Forgot your password?

Use the Forgot Password link on the ParentVUE login page.

Complete all required back-to-school forms and update emergency contact information.

The annual Back to School Packet will be available in ParentVUE on August 10, 2026. It is imperative that our parents complete the Back to School Packet as soon as possible (deadline is 9/18), please click on this link for instructions https://www.pwcs.edu/support_services/back_to_school/instructions/index

Ensure your student knows their transportation plan for the first day of school.

Preliminary bus schedules will be available in Parent VUE/Student VUE on August 14, 2026. Click on this link before the first day of school for important bus information.

https://www.pwcs.edu/support_services/bus_transportation/index

REMINDER from the Transportation Office: Students registered for transportation after the established deadlines may need alternate transportation arrangements at the start of the school year.

• General Education Transportation: To be routed and eligible for transportation on the first day of school, transportation registration must be completed by August 7. Students entered after this deadline will be routed within the first two weeks of school and should have alternate transportation available until service begins.
• Special Needs Transportation: Transportation registration must be completed by August 14. Students registered after this date will be routed as soon as possible; however, transportation cannot be guaranteed immediately, and families should plan for alternate transportation until services are in place.

The deadline to meet the immunization and/or physical examination requirements for the 2026-2027 school year is August 21, 2026. Click on this link for Health Requirements information https://www.pwcs.edu/registration/health_requirements

To help families prepare, please take a moment to look at the supply list for your student's courses. Confirmation of specific supplies needed for each student's class will be provided during the first week of school by their teacher.

Students should plan to attend first week of classes with, at minimum, a pen or pencil and a notebook.

August 7 to August 9, 20206 is the Virginia Sales Tax Holiday! During the tax holiday, qualifying school supplies and clothing priced at $20 or less per item can be purchased without paying Virginia sales tax, helping families save on back-to-school expenses.

For a complete list of qualifying school supplies and clothing, visit:
https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/sales-tax-holiday-list-of-qualifying-school-supplies-and-clothing.pdf

Talk with your student about their goals for the new school year and encourage them to ask for help when they need it.

Encourage regular attendance and on-time arrival each day.

Celebrate your student's efforts, encourage perseverance, and remind them that we are excited to support them throughout the school year!

PWCS School Calendar https://www.pwcs.edu/calendars/school_calendar/index

Below is our August 2026 School of Events Calendar

8/8 = Meet and Greet at Todos - 9am - 12 pm; come out and meet your principal and staff. Free bookbags, school supplies and resources available on a first come first serve basis.

8/12 - 8/14 = Jumpstart program for students who registered to attend. 9am - 1pm

8/15 = PWCS Community Event at Freedom High School 11am - 2pm. Free school supplies, bookbags and resources.

8/19 = PTSO Meeting at 7:00pm (more information to follow)

8/20 = Freshman Orientation at 9am - 11am

8/24 = First Day of School

8/27 = Back to School Night at 6pm - 8pm

8/29 = Senior Breakfast (more information for our seniors to follow)

National Immunization Awareness Month

8/26 Women's Equality Day

*September calendar of events subject to changes

September Observances:

Attendance Awareness Month

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

National Sickle Cell Awareness Month

National Workforce Development Month

Suicide Prevention Month

9/7-9/11 National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week

9/7-9/11 Interscholastic Athletic Administrators' Week

9/7-9/11 National Payroll Week

9/8 International Literacy Day

9/11 Patriot Day

9/13-9/19 National Arts in Education Week

9/14-9/18 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week

9/15-9/21 National Security Officer Appreciation Week

9/15-10/15 National Hispanic Heritage Month

9/17 National Citizenship/Constitution Day

9/17-9/23 National Constitution Week

9/21-9/27 International Week of Deaf People

9/28-10/2 DECA School-Based Ent

Please remember, Prince William County Schools will follow a Cell Phone-Free Education. This is bell - to - bell. Information from the division and policy may be found by clicking this hyper link: https://www.pwcs.edu/parents/wireless_device_use/index

FHS: Attendance https://freedomhs.pwcs.edu/our_school/attendance

Attendance email correspondence: fdhs-attendance@pwcs.edu

🏫 Student Attendance Expectations

Consistent attendance is essential for academic success and personal growth. Please review the following guidelines to help ensure students stay on track throughout the school year.

⏰ Early Dismissal

• Early dismissal ends at 1:30 PM.

• Requests after this time cannot be accommodated.

🚍 Tardiness

• Punctuality matters. Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to learn when the bell rings.

• Families are strongly encouraged to use school bus transportation to help students arrive on time.

📋 Absences

• Absences should be limited to illness or emergencies.

• Families are asked to schedule vacations and trips outside of school days.

• Parents/guardians must submit the reason for an absence within five school days via ParentVUE, email, or written note.

• If no verification is received, the absence will be marked unexcused.

📉 Chronic Absenteeism

• Defined as missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason (excused, unexcused, or suspension).

• In a 180-day school year, this equals approximately 18 days per year or 2–3 days per month.

• Chronic absenteeism can negatively impact academic performance, credit accumulation, and graduation eligibility.

✅ Commit to Success

Regular attendance builds strong habits, supports learning, and prepares students for future opportunities. Let’s work together to make every school day count.

School Safety

The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority. Throughout the school year, we will conduct required safety drills, including fire, severe weather, lockdown, and evacuation drills, in accordance with state and local guidelines. These drills help ensure that students and staff are prepared to respond appropriately in the event of an emergency.

We ask families to support our safety procedures by:

• Ensuring your child's emergency contact information is current.
• Following all visitor check-in procedures.
• Using designated arrival and dismissal areas.
• Reporting any safety concerns to the school office promptly.

By working together, we can provide a safe, welcoming, and positive learning environment for every student.

To help ensure the safety and security of all students and staff, we operate as a closed campus during the school day.

What does "closed campus" mean?

• Once students arrive on campus, they are expected to remain on school grounds until the end of the school day unless they are officially signed out by a parent, guardian, or authorized adult.
• Students may not leave campus during lunch, free periods, or between classes without prior approval through the school office.
• All visitors must enter through the main office, present identification if requested, and sign in before entering other areas of the building.
• Parents picking up students during the school day must report to the main office to complete the check-out process.

These procedures help us:

• Maintain a safe and secure learning environment.
• Know the location of all students during the school day.
• Respond quickly and accurately in the event of an emergency.
• Minimize disruptions to instruction.

We appreciate your partnership in supporting our closed campus procedures. By working together, we can provide a safe, orderly, and focused learning environment for every student.

At Freedom HS we would like all students to become involved in one of the many athletic teams or clubs/activities sponsored by the school.

Click on this link to be directed to our Athletics web page for information:

https://freedomhs.pwcs.edu/activities/athletics/index

Click on this link to be directed to our Clubs and Activities web page for information:

https://freedomhs.pwcs.edu/activities/clubs

click here to view Freedom High School's games/schedule: https://www.arbiterlive.com/School/Calendar/8018

The following teams are still open this fall, it’s not too late to join! Please make sure you have a current VHSL physical and updated and approved Arbiter Account.

Boys Volleyball, Girls Volleyball, Cross Country, Golf, Football, and Girls Flag Football.

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you" - B.B. King

PWCS Apps & Technology

• Insurance for school device may be purchased through "securranty". It is recommended that you purchase insurance for your device within 30 days of you receiving the device and before any failure or damage occurs. School device insurance
• Password Self Service: click on this link for guidance

https://www.pwcs.edu/support_services/meals/index

PWCS shares all students at 69 schools (this includes Freedom HS) will receive free breakfast and lunch during the 2026-27 school year as part of the Community Eligibility Provision. Families do not need to complete the free and reduced-price meals application for students who attend these schools.

To minimize disruptions to instruction and maintain a safe and secure school environment, Freedom High School does not permit students to use food delivery services delivered to school during the school day. Any food deliveries received for students will be discarded and no reimbursement will be provided.

Thank you for helping us maintain a focused learning environment for all students.

Our school is proud to offer a food pantry for families in need. The pantry is free and provides a variety of non-perishable food items and toiletries to help support our school community.

Families are asked to reach out to our Parent Liaisons, who can coordinate a your food pantry items and share information about local resources and services available to support you and your family.

Please contact:

Ms. Lisell Ascanio

email: ascanild@pwcs.edu

telephone: 571.589.3157

or

Mrs. Jocelyn Douglass

email: douglajc@pwcs.edu

telephone: 571.583.3153

All inquiries will be handled with care and respect. We are here to help! 💛🖤

Please click on this link for additional information about FHS: Title I https://freedomhs.pwcs.edu/our_school/title_i/index

What is Title I?

Title I is a federally funded grant designed to help schools meet the needs of all students and to provide resources to help improve educational success for families.

Every school that receives Title I funds has a Family-School Compact and a Parent and Family Engagement School Policy. Schools that receive Title I funds also host events to provide family engagement and involvement opportunities.

More information on the Title I program can be found on the PWCS Title I webpage.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, most recently reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act, states that parents in Title I schools have the right to request certain information about their child’s teachers. The information that you have a right to request about your child’s teacher is:

a. Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and

subjects the teacher is teaching.

b. Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state

qualification or licensing has been waived.

c. The baccalaureate degree major of certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of

discipline of the certification or degree.

d. Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

At Freedom High School, we are extremely proud of our teachers and

paraprofessionals, and are happy to provide you with any of the information above pertaining to your

child’s teacher(s). If you have such a request, please call the school at Freedom High School and ask for the information you are interested in.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, "All students in tested grade levels and courses are expected to participate in Virginia's assessment program, unless specifically exempted by state or federal law or by Board of Education regulations." On December 10, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) was signed into law. Section 1112(e)(2) of ESSA states that parents of students in Title I schools have a right to know about state or division policies regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by ESSA, including any policy, procedure, or parental right to opt students out of such assessments. The Commonwealth of Virginia does not currently have an Opt Out policy for SOL assessments. However, Section 22.1-253.13:3.Cof the Code of Virginia states that, “The Board of Education shall not include in its calculation of the passage

rate of a Standards of Learning assessment for the purposes of state accountability any student whose parent has decided to not have his child take such Standards of Learning assessment, unless such exclusions would result in the school's not meeting any required state or federal participation rate.” Prince William County Public Schools regulations state that, if a parent or guardian decides to not have a student take a state or local assessment, then the person making the request should be informed about the academic consequences that decision could have on the student.

If you would like to receive more information about this topic, please contact the principal