|
 |
|
Freedom High Community Member,
| |
 Thank you for your commitment to making Freedom High School a place where "Demography does not Equal Destiny" and where "Learning Is Our Top Priority." Welcome Back!As you are aware, January 7th officially started the New Year for OCPS and the 3rd marking period for the 2018-19 school year. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with friends and family and that your New Year is off to a fantastic start.
As I reflect on the New Year, I want to let you know that I truly enjoy serving as Principal of Freedom High. FHS is a community built on inclusivity where all personalities, perspectives, and dreams are cultivated and nurtured. Each of our Patriots come here to learn, grow, and discover who they are and who they want to be. This would not be possible without an incredibly dedicated group of teachers, and a very hard working support staff. 2nd Semester RemindersParents, currently we are 2 weeks into the 3rd marking period. Please take time out to review your son's/daughter's progress by visiting our ProgressBook portal. Every parent/student has a login to ParentAccess, a component of ProgressBook. As a parent, you are empowered to check grades and have that conversation with your child. These conversations with your child are crucial. They teach your child about high expectations, ownership and self-advocacy. Remember to utilize our Saturday Amnesty Days when your students fall behind. Saturday Amnesty Days are every Saturday with the exception of holiday weekends. Graduation RateAs recently as last month, the Florida Department of Education released the federal uniform graduation rates. I am pleased to announce that Freedom High has a current graduation rate of 98%. FHS has increased in grad rate each year since 2010. Our goal is to achieve 100%! Listed below are the rates published for Freedom over the last 6 years.
- 2012/13 - 91%
- 2013/14 - 91%
- 2014/15 - 93%
- 2015/16 - 94%
- 2016/17 - 96%
- 2017/18 - 98%
Thank you all for your unwavering commitment to your child's success. This year is about teaching children to do 'Whatever It Takes' for them to be successful.
Happy New Year!
Ms. Cheryl Neely Mir
Principal
Pictured very top: FHS School Resource Officers, Deputy Robert Salamat and Deputy Phillip Engstrom with Principal Neely Mir (January 2019).
Remember Patriots, should you ever see or hear of something suspicious or unusual, please say something to any teacher, staff member, coach, or school resource officer as soon as possible.
Thank you.
|
|
|
 Jan. 21: Dr. Martin Luther King Day (No school)
Jan. 23: Girls Basketball vs South Lake, 5:00 pm
Jan. 24: Boys Basketball vs Cypress Creek, 5:30 pm
Jan. 26: Saturday School, 9:00 am
Jan. 29: Wrestling Dual Meet vs St. Cloud (Senior Night), 6:00 pm
Jan. 30: Girls Basketball vs University, 5:30 pm
Feb. 2: Saturday School, 9:00 am
|
|
Orange County Public Schools
| |
|
Notes:
* Attendance percentages include excused and unexcused absences as both represent lost instructional time.
* Regular monitoring through ProgressBook is essential as student report cards and progress reports are issued only 8X per year.
Credit: Mr. Charles Youtz, Dean/Senior Class Sponsor
|
|
Featured Department
World Languages
|
|
Bottom left to right: Ms. Suarez (BLA), Ms. Hernandez, Mr. Wiler, Ms. Perez Cedeno (Dept. Chair), Ms. Rivera, Ms. Tawil, Mr. Miscannon.
Top row: Ms. Feliciano Ojeda, Mr. Otero, Mr. Tomassoni, Ms. Rodriguez, Ms. Gozu, Ms. Witt, Ms. Javar, Ms. Cruz.
|
Dell Scholarship Semifinalists
Pictured left to right: Rebekah Parker, Ms. Fant, Claudia Caputo
FHS would like to recognize seniors, Rebekah Parker and Claudia Caputo, on being chosen as Dell Scholarship semifinalists. Rebekah and Claudia was chosen based on their long-term commitment to the AVID college readiness program and strong academic success! Both have the opportunity to qualify for a $20,000 finalist scholarship, to be chosen this spring. Congratulations ladies!
FHS STEM at ITSEC
Recently, 12 members from Freedom HS STEM club and 8 members from FHS' Academy of Information Technology attended the annual I/ITSEC (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference) - the world's largest modeling , simulation and training event. The students experienced the best when it comes to simulations - from medical mannequins (with realistic wounds) to flight simulators that the militaries from around the world use for training. The convention usually caters to businesses and the military but for one day they allow local students to attend. Only 30 area schools were chosen to send 20 students each. This is the fifth year that FHS was invited to the conference. Attending with the students were Dr. Veronica Yates-Riley (FHS career specialist), Mr. Kevin Houck (FHS Engineering) and Mr. Michael Hellmund (FHS Engineering and STEM Club sponsor).
|
Dr. Jessica Torres
Kelly Services Substitute Coordinator of the Month
Left to right: Karen Randolph, Dr. Torres, Mrs. Mir
Congratulations to our American Sign Language teacher, Ms. Kelly Javar, for being chosen the November Horace Mann Teacher of the Month. Ms. Javar goes above and beyond the classroom. Not only will her students sign at this year's PRISM concert, but they will also participate in a "learn to sign your favorite Christmas song" tutorial. This tutorial is open to anyone that wants to learn.
|
|
Rigor Around the Campus
Drip Irrigation in APES with Mr. Lang
| |
Mr. Eric Lang and his second period AP Environmental Science class
Rigor around campus is demonstrated by Mr. Eric Lang's AP Environmental Science classes as they tour the school garden learning about gardening techniques and the utilization of drip irrigation to maximize water efficiency. Click https://youtu.be/m0PeYXqIgN4 to see a part of the lesson in action.
** Rigor in the Classroom prepared by Mr. Charles Youtz, Dean/Senior Class Sponsor
|
2019-20 Course Selection
Counselors met with 8th grade through 11th grade students to review graduation requirements and course options for 2019-20. All grade levels have selected courses for the 2019-20 school year. Information can be found, using your student's OCPS account, on the Student Services Google Drive: https://tinyurl.com/StudentServicesFHS in the 2019-20 Course Request folder.
Programs Many programs are available at Freedom High School to offer unique academic opportunities for our students. These programs require an application or audition. It is the student's responsibility to contact the sponsor to complete the application or inquire about auditions. To find out more about the programs available:
Program description link for parents & students: https://tinyurl.com/FHSPrograms
Video: http://youtu.be/Ta5j5BigMaU?hd=1
FAFSA - Financial Aid for College Colleges require that all graduating seniors complete the FAFSA application. If you need assistance with the application, please contact the College and Career Specialist, Mrs. Flores: [email protected]. There will be a Valentine's Day party on February 14, 2019 for all students that have completed the FAFSA and shown their counselor the email that states: The FAFSA has been successfully processed.
Valencia Dual Enrollment - Fall 2019 Registration * Application Opens: February 25, 2019
* Application Closes: March 25, 2019
* Test Scores Due: April 15, 2019
For more information visit the website: http://valenciacollege.edu/dual/ or the student can meet with their counselor during the student's lunch.
College Acceptance Letters Seniors should bring a copy of their college acceptance letter to their school counselor during their lunch.
|
Girls Wrestling
Congratulations to the girls wrestling team for their second place finish in a tournament over the weekend. Milena Hernandez, Kalani Rivas, Marthine Laguerre and Issa Salgado all won tournament championships. The team will be back in action this Saturday at Cypress Creek.
| |
Girls Basketball
The Freedom Girls Basketball Program has continued to make strides this season and are off to the program's best season in 7 years. They took home the Runner-Up Trophy in the MDCA Holiday Classic, and picked up a win in their first home game of 2019 with a 53-31 victory over Poinciana. Senior Stephanie Carino has led the team with 14.4 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game, including a 25 point outing in a 61-51 loss to Winter Park. The Patriots have 6 games left, and will look to gain momentum heading into the District Tournament. The Patriots host Cornerstone Charter School on Jan. 25th at 6pm in a Varsity only contest, and then celebrate Senior Night on Jan. 30th against University; Freshmen play at 5pm, JV at 6pm, and Varsity at 7:30pm.
|
Winter Sports at FHS
Below is a list of our winter sports at FHS along with their respective head coach. Feel free to contact the head coach for tryout dates and other pertinent information. * Wrestling - David Bush [email protected]* Boys Basketball - Dustin Leonardo [email protected]* Girls Basketball - Robert Caraballo [email protected]
|
|
SENIOR CLASS OF 2019 DATES & INFORMATION
|
|
 Mar 4-8: Grad Bash 2019 Ticket SalesTickets for Grad Bash (at Universal) will be on sale. Tickets will be sold for $90.00 each cash only after school inside the cafeteria. Only FHS seniors may purchase and attend. April 15-19: Senior Day Ticket Sales Tickets for Senior Day will be on sale. Tickets will be sold for $30 each cash only after school inside the cafeteria. April 25: Senior Common Formative Exams Periods 1 & 4April 26: Senior Common Formative Exams Periods 2, 5 & 6 Grad Bash 2019 at Universal Orlando Studios and Islands of Adventure Attendees (FHS seniors only) will meet in the cafeteria at 4:30 pm to board busses (you must ride bus; no student driving) then return to FHS by 2:30 am. Attendees must ride the bus to and from Universal. No exceptions. April 29: Senior Common Formative Exams Periods 3 & 7May 4: Prom at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. Prom questions should be directed to Ms. Fierle at [email protected]
May 13: Senior Walk-Out during 6th periodTraditional event when senior class of 2019 will walk out of Freedom together, as a class, for the final time. Senior Assembly in the gym during 7th period A senior assembly in the gym will immediately follow the walk-out. May 14: Senior Device/Textbook Check-in/Cap & Gown Pick-up (last names A - M)3:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the media center. May 15: SENIORS' LAST DAY IN HIGH SCHOOL!!
Senior Device/Textbook check-in/Cap & Gown Pick-up (last names N - Z) 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the media center. May 20: Senior Day (location TBD)Activities include senior breakfast (buffet), senior awards ceremony, yearbook distribution and signing party, SGA presidential address, senior video presentation, cap & gown distribution. May 21: Final Device & Textbook return/Obligations clear/Ticket pick-up last names A - M8 am to 11 am line begins outside the back entrance doors of the media center. Obligations must be cleared in order to pick up tickets and participate in the commencement ceremony. Each senior will get 15 tickets. No extras. May 22: Final Device & Textbook return/Obligations clear/Ticket pick-up last names N - Z8 am to 11 am line begins outside the back entrance doors of the media center. Obligations must be cleared in order to pick up tickets and participate in the commencement ceremony. Each senior will get 15 tickets. No extras. May 24: CLASS OF 2019 COMMENCEMENT at AMWAY ARENA, 7:30 PM
For updates and info, visit the school information tab on the FHS website at www.freedom.ocps.net then click on "Seniors."
Our cap/gown and announcement company is Jostens. Any questions regarding orders can be answered at www.jostens.com or call them at 407-894-3131.
|
|
OCPS News
2018-19 OCPS Pocket Guide is now available online
| |
You will find facts in the Pocket Guide about:
- Number of schools, students, and employees
- Student demographics
- Graduation rates and academic highlights
- 2018-19 budget information and average salaries
- School taxes and where your dollar goes
- Building program
- Magnet programs
- Orange Technical College
- Foundation for OCPS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
This communication may contain information that is legally privileged, confidential or exempt from disclosure, and intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Anyone who receives this message in error should notify the sender immediately by telephone or by return e-mail, and delete the message from their computer and any printout thereof. Please note that OCPS utilizes spam and junk e-mail filtration applications in its e-mail systems. That filtering process may prevent or delay delivery of certain e-mail communications. If you do not receive a timely response to an e-mail communication, please contact the intended recipient by phone.
Copyright Notice
 Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and OCPS - Freedom High School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of OCPS - Freedom High School and the Orange County Public Schools. Please contact Charles Youtz at [email protected] with any questions or for further information.
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
