Frequently Asked Questions

Freedom High School Counseling Department
"To Guide and To Serve"

The mission of Freedom High School Counseling Department is to assist students to meet their academic and personal goals through the delivery of a comprehensive school counseling program. Counselors will ensure that all students are treated with dignity and respect and will recognize the uniqueness of each individual. 

La misión del Departamento de Consejería de la Escuela Freedom es orientar a los estudiantes a alcanzar sus metas académicas y personales a traves de una completa guía estudiantil. Los consejeros se asegurarán que todos los estudiantes sean tratados con dignidad y respeto celebrando la singularidad de cada individuo.


COUNSELING CENTER

Counseling Staff
Naviance Family Connection
Graduation Requirements and Commencement Exercises
NCAA Eligibility Center
New Student Registration
PSAT General Information
Role of the School Counselor
Summer School
Testing Information
Timeline for High School
Virginia Education Wizard


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We encourage parents to communicate with teachers in a variety of ways. All parents should use ParentVUE to stay updated on instruction, assignments, and upcoming events in each of their child's classes. Parents may also receive progress reports from individual teachers via email.

If parents have questions about their child's progress, we ask that they either call or email the teacher. Most issues and concerns are addressed in this manner. If, after a period of ongoing phone or email contact has been established, parents feel that a conference would be useful, they should contact the teacher to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet. There are no established conference days at the high school level.

In a few cases, parents may feel the need to meet with all of their child's teachers if there are more serious issues that need to be addressed such as excessive absenteeism, multiple course failures, chronic discipline problems, or long-term illness. In these situations, parents should contact their child's counselor to decide if a meeting with all of the teachers would be helpful.


How do I know if my student is going to graduate?
Consult the Graduation Requirements. If, after reviewing it carefully, you are still unsure, you should directly contact the School Counselor for the student in question, who will be able to consult that student's records. For the email address of your student's School Counselor, consult the Counseling Center staff directory.

How do I know if my student will be retained or promoted?
A student must have a minimum of six (6) credits to be a Sophomore (Grade 10), a minimum of eleven (11) credits to be a Junior (Grade 11), and a minimum of sixteen (16) credits to be a Senior (Grade 12). For information on what constitutes a Standard Unit of Credit, consult the Graduation Requirements.

How do I know if my student will need to attend summer school?
First, have a conversation directly with the teacher(s) of the courses in which the student is having difficulty. The teacher is best able to answer questions about what a student needs to do in class to achieve a passing grade, and any communication with the administration or the counseling center will ultimately lead back to your having a conversation with the teacher so it is best to be proactive and contact the teacher directly. It will save you time in answering your question. After this, you will likely want to speak to the student's School Counselor to discuss specifics from the student's records. In a general sense, if the course is required, and the student cannot take the course the following school year, summer school is a consideration if the course is not passed at the current time.

I suspect my student has a learning disability. What do I do?
When a student is having difficulty, the first, best resource is generally the classroom teacher, who can suggest strategies for aiding your child's performance. If no significant progress is observed following the implementation of these strategies, it is appropriate to conference with all of the child's teachers to discuss additional observations and methods of assistance. If there is no significant progress following this intervention, a parent/guardian can approach the child's classroom teacher to request referral to the Intervention Team Committee.

What resources are available for my struggling student?
One of the best resources available to your child is his/her current classroom teacher. Activities buses run after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Staying after for extra help is a critical component of getting back on track. Additionally, the National Honor Society provides tutoring after school on these days as an additional layer of support. A list of private, for-hire tutors is available from the counseling office. (Please note that these tutors are not officially endorsed by PWCS, and have provided their names to us voluntarily. Parents/guardians should be sure to use good judgment in selecting private tutors.)
Why can't my student double up on academic subjects?
Many courses have specific prerequisites that cannot be waived. If "Level 3" of a course requires successful completion of "Level 2," a student cannot take both levels concurrently. Additionally, schools are governed by regulations and legal statutes regarding class size, so space availability must be considered. Finally, school and division policies may prohibit certain situation regardless of other considerations, for example at Freedom High School no two English courses may be taken concurrently.

Can I request that my student be placed with a certain teacher?
No. Such requests cannot be accommodated.

My student is a few credits short of earning an advanced diploma. Can s/he still apply for college?
Absolutely. Students are strongly encouraged to apply to attend the college(s) of their choice.