| MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! |
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APR 29-May 2
APR 30
Exec Board Meeting
May 5-9
Teacher Appreciation Week
May 6
GRACE Docent/Volunteer Mtg
May 7
School Nurse Day
Band/Strings Concert
May 12
MAY 14
MAY 26
NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
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| The Freedom Hill PTA |
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1945 Lord Fairfax Road
Vienna, Virginia 22182
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An Eagle Email!
The PREFERRED Way to Communicate!
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April 29, 2008 |
| Check www.freedomhillpta.org often to stay up to date. No more paper flyers! | |
| PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Two, four, six, eight who do we appreciate? Our awesome Staff Basketball Team! One, three, seven, nine who do we think is really fine? All the incredible Freedom Hill fans who came out to support the team. What an all-around great event! Marshall High School's gym was rocking Friday night and our team was on fire.
Freedom Hill quickly made it clear that they could not only talk the talk, but they had game to back it up. We came home the victors, but truly both schools were winners. Both Wolftrap and Freedom Hill showed their school spirit - shaking their pom-poms, yelling into their megaphones (save those for next year) - and just had a blast cheering on their teams. Many of these kids will move to Kilmer and Marshall together so it was perfect opportunity to establish friendships that will last for years to come.
Thank you to Ramon Camillo, Cindy Beaman, Cristye Miller, Teri Ruttenberg, Christina Weise, Mogjy Robinson, Tami Wilkinson, Donna Hill, Beth Anderson (and her boys), Janine Walker, Mogjy Robinson, Zuhayr Ahmed, Isabelle Samad-Zadeh, Mili Mittal, Mirna Nickson, Jessica Chen, Liu Zhai, Amanda Rowell, April Moser, Francoise Campbell, Kris Delta and Kira Merski for helping to do everything from set up, sell tickets, food, guard the doors and clean up. We couldn't have pulled this event off without you. Thanks to all the students, their families and other faculty members for supporting our team. And I've saved my biggest THANK YOU for our staff team members who've spent their Monday afternoons being put through drills, learning plays, running up and down the gym floor all in preparation for this event. Your hard work paid off and you were awesome. I hope we can make this an annual event.
This week will prove to be another busy one between the book fair and the plant sale. Remember Tuesday night is both Family Night for the book fair as well as a perfect opportunity to pick up your pre-ordered plants from the plant sale. Family Night at the book fair will feature a dedication of books to the library by their author, Melanie Stanley (aka Mr. Stanley's wife). She's written a series of books about famous historical characters and ancient civilizations that are related to the Fairfax County curriculum. The PTA has purchased Mrs. Stanley's books for the Freedom Hill library so that all of our students have the opportunity to read and enjoy them. So please bring your children Tuesday night to pick out some new books for their own libraries and perhaps pick out one or two to donate to their classrooms where all Freedom Hill students will be able to enjoy them for years to come.
If you pre-ordered plants and requested them to be delivered, expect a package to be delivered on Wednesday. Otherwise, make sure you stop by the plant sale during the hours of 5:30-8pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, 2-7 pm Friday and 9 -noon on Saturday.
Mark your calendar for the next Family Dinner Out May 6 from 5 pm - 9 pm at Joe's Pizza & Pasta in Vienna. Come join your Freedom Hill friends for fun, laughter and good food. Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5th - 9th with the culminating luncheon on Monday, May 12. Please contact Dorothy Brown or Rabab Seigle to help. You can provide food, help with set up or clean up and/or donate money toward the luncheon.
Come listen to the band and strings students show off all they've learned this year on May 7 at 7:00 p.m. They've been practicing hard and it's sure to be a wonderful performance.
The next PTA meeting is May 14th at 7:15 p.m. We will hear from our renovation experts to get an update on what's going on (like the lack of a ceiling), their expectations, as well as safety, and you will have the opportunity to have any questions answered. As always, school-aged childcare will be available.
Finally, there are several hot issues that may be of interest to you. The first involves the grading scale which affects students' permanent records. The second relates to school start times. For more on these topic read further down in the newsletter.
Thanks and GO EAGLES!
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| NEXT PTA MEETING IS WEDNESDAY, May 14th at 7:15pm
Note that this is the SECOND Wednesday of month.
The May Meeting will be about the renovation. We assume you have noticed that demolition work has started at the school during the night hours. (at least the Alloy's know!)
All those in the know will be there to talk about schedules, procedures, issues etc. so if you want real answers to your questions, be sure to attend.
We will also be nominating our new board members and a little more PTA business. (it's getting shorter!!)
See you there! |
| How about our awesome Freedom Hill Faculty Hoopsters
Thanks to all the fans and all our great faculty who made the basketball game such a great event. It was a fun time had by all and we thank Wolftrap working with us to put this event together and promoting great sportsmanship (even though we XXXXedited by censorsXXXX all over the court) |
| Spruce up those beds and support your school all at the same time! Freedom Hill's Flower Sale is Coming!
Get your flowers, plants, vegetables and herbs from Freedom Hill.
The Flower Sale is coming April 29 to May 2. Don't foget you can make your purchases starting the same night as the Family Fun Night at the book fair! Preorders and new sales can be picked up on Tuesday 5:30 - 8 pm. Remaining preorders will be delivered on Wednesday. Sales will continue Friday 2-7 and Saturday 9-12.
All your purchases will support your school!
We can still use some volunteers, so email Andrea Gavurin at andrea@gavurin.net and let her know when you can help! |
FHES INTERNATIONAL DAY was a huge success!
A great day of many cultures.
A huge thanks to Dilkash Ahmed and all her volunteers for bringing our cultures of the world together for a fabulous day of learning. It was a joy to see so many proud students dressed in their country's traditional garb and learning about different cultures from various countries that are represented at Freedom Hill. There was a huge spread of a variety of differnet food from around the world that students were able to sample.
A fabulous day at Freedom Hill. Thanks again to all who made it happen and to all who participated.
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
and ask how you can help! |
Teacher appreciation week is coming in May.
We will be having a few events for the teacher the week of May 5-9 and our big appreciation lunch on May 12th. Please make a note to help us out with your time, a dish, a door prize or all of the above.
You can sign up to volunteer your time and cooking skills online (or via printable form) on the Teacher Appreciation page of our web site. We need your responses on how you can help by May 1st. Thanks in advance!
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Get Important Information from Your Child's School Via Email!
Sign up for Keep In Touch.
Fairfax County Schools offers "Keep in Touch". Signing up for Keep In Touch gets you important information from your children's school through an email blast. There are fewer and fewer paper communications, so please sign up to get school announcments electronically.
Every parent with an email address should be signed up. No excuses! This system is managed by the school system and your information is kept safe as your school records are.
Sign up online through this link. Do it now!
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Community Corner
A place for our membership to make community announcments, needs, offers etc. Send anything you would like posted to newsletter@freedomhillpta.org.
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PASS THE WORD TO YOUR NEIGHBORS ABOUT THE FHES FLOWER SALE APRIL 29-MAY 2
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All prospective Cub Scouts and their parents are invited to see what Pack 976 is all about on May 9th. See the flyer about joining us for an ice cream social to learn more about scouting.
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A summer camp being offered at Wolftrap Elementary July 28 - August 1. It is a science camp called Camp Invention. All the information about the camp is on their website www.wolftrappta.org , then click on the Summer Camp tab.
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Issues Affecting Fairfax County Public Schools.
Please take a look at these two issues that are affecting our students.
For those of you with younger children, you may not know that Fairfax is one of the few counties where a 94+ is an "A." This means when your child gets a 93 on a test, it's a "B." After months of research, a group called FAIRGRADE has researched and determined that the differences in these grading policies put FCPS students at a disadvantage with respect to college admissions and impact our students' opportunities for merit scholarships, Honors programs, NCAA athletic eligibility, and car insurance "good-driver" discounts.
To read more about this, and to sign the petition, please visit:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/fairgrade/index.html
The second issue is about starting times for FCPS schools. Research shows (and anyone who has ever been a teenager knows) that teen's body clocks are different and they need to sleep in later to perform better, yet our middle & high schools start VERY EARLY. In our neighborhood, the high school bus picks up at 6:20 a.m. and middle school at 6:30 a.m. The elementary kids don't go until about 8:40 a.m. To learn more about this issue, and to get on the mailing list, go to www.sleepinfairfax.org. Also, check out Washington Post columnist Mark Fisher's article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042102902.html
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FAMILY DINNER OUT IS MAY 6th
Mark your Calendars!
The next family dinner out has been scheduled!
Come out for a fun family dinner with your Freedom Hill Community on May 6th from 5 to 9 pm at JOE'S PLACE PIZZA AND PASTA at 435 W. Maple Avenue in Vienna.
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 Last Box Tops Contest Has Started!
They really do add up!
Let's keep it up- one more contest!
The final Box Tops contest of the year is now underway! The grade level that turns in the most Box Tops by May 30 will win a sno-cone party and every class that turns in at least 100 Box Tops by that date will win Air Head candies. They really add up for our school, so please don't forget to turn in your Box Tops!
Keep on clipping! The year is not over yet!
GO TO OUR BOXTOPS PAGE TO SEE ALL THE DETAILS ON BOXTOPS, WHERE TO FIND THEM AND MORE WAYS YOU CAN EARN YOUR SCHOOL MONEY ON YOUR REGULAR PURCHASES. |
| Look out for the 2008 Virginia School Census
Let's get the money due to us from the State!
Less than half the households in the county have returned the state school census. Another mailing will be coming in May. Please look for it, fill it out and drop it back in the mail. Our county should receive about $3,000 per student from the State of Virginia from sales tax dollars this year. This census is important as it tells the State that we need additional funding to support the diverse populations and needed programs in our communities. Don't be left out, look for it in your mail box! If you have neighbors who may not understand the importance of the survey, please communicate that it is something to look for and to return. |
| GRACE Art presents Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in May
This month our GRACE Art volunteers will present the Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to out students. Please look for their project and a handout that will be brought home explaining what they learned about the artist and the related project.
All the GRACE Art details can be found on the GRACE PAGE of our web site.
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SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT EVERY FRIDAY! ESPECIALLY ON MAY2.
Remember to wear red or your Freedom Hill Sportswear on Fridays.
Every Friday is still Freedom Hill Friday, but another special spirit day is coming on May 2. Earn your treat by wearing spirit wear or predominantly red. Don't forget we've got great Freedom Hill shorts, windbreakers, short-sleeved tees and sweatshirts to complete your Freedom Hill wardrobe.
Download an order form from the website or contact dsgurdak@positek.net for orders.
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| FOR OUR 6th GRADE PARENTS WHOSE STUDENTS ARE HEADING TO KILMER
Plan on staying involved at the middle school level!
Dear New Kilmer Families,
You are invited to the last Kilmer PTA meeting, being held on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 10:00am at Kilmer.
We want to welcome you and give you a chance to meet the PTA Board Members for the 2008/2009 school year.
This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know Kilmer a little better and have any of your questions answered!
Very important: The Kilmer PTA still has open positions for the 2008-2009 school year:
Vice President - assist the president
Secretary - take minutes at the PTA meetings and type them up to be approved at the following meeting
7TH Grade Volunteer Coordinator - Great job to do at home!! When the PTA/teachers need volunteers - you send out an email asking for help! Our 8th grade volunteer coordinator is experienced and will help you!
Reflections Chairperson - advertise the Reflections contest and organize the entries to be judged
Co-Chairing School Store - schedule volunteers and shop!!
Remember:
Volunteering is a great chance to get to meet other Kilmer parents, meet and interact with the Kilmer Staff and get a feel for what is happening in our great school!
If you are willing to help with one of these positions or if you have any questions, please contact Michelle Kousen at mickeyk@cox.net or Alison Koludrovic at alisonko@cox.net. It is very important that these positions be filled before the end of the school year.
We look forward to meeting you on May 7!
Michelle Kousen & Alison Koludrovic
Kilmer PTA President Kilmer PTA Vice President
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DO YOU SHOP AT AMAZON.COM?
Earn your school cash at no cost to you!
Click on the Amazon Link at the bottom left corner of our PTA web site Home Page and all the purchases made on Amazon from clicking on that link first earn the PTA a commission. Your online shopping can earn us up to 10 %. PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK ON THE LINK TO GET TO THE AMAZON WEB SITE!
No one likes when we keep asking for money, but if you are going to make a purchase at Amazon anyway (like this video), it costs you nothing to earn us a few bucks! Get in the habit of clicking the link on our home page. |
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If you're shopping at Giant or using Peapod.com, why not pay using Giant Gift Cards?
The PTA tries to sponsor fundraisers that don't cost you additional money or time. We purchase Giant gift cards at a discount and sell them to you at face value. It's a great way for you to support the school while you're shopping and for us to make money without a lot of effort.
Why not always have a Giant gift card in your wallet, even for those quick trips in for a couple of items? We normally buy gift cards in $100 and $300 denominations, but they're also available in $10, $20, $25 and $50 denominations.
Contact Margaret Walter at 703-356-5786 or margaretwalter2002@yahoo.com with questions or to place an order; she'll deliver the cards to you. |
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