Welcome to FDHS
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August 11, 2022
Greetings Frederick Douglass High School Community:
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! We hope that this letter finds you and your family doing well and enjoying the remaining days of summer. As we plan for a new school year, we remain committed to maintaining high standards of learning. The collective experiences and expertise of our teachers, our students’ willingness to engage in learning and the support of our parent community help make FDHS a World Class High School. At FDHS we believe every student and parent/guardian is an important member of the FDHS family. Thank you for entrusting us with the education of your student.
Registering for the SchoolMAX Family Portal will be critical to tracking your student’s progress and receiving important school communications and announcements. If you have not registered we encourage you to visit our SchoolMAX Information Page for details about registering. Once you have registered, you can use the PGCPS Family Portal to view grades and attendance for your student and it will allow us to communicate with you through School Messenger. This will also allow us to send information to you by phone, email, and/or text message. You can contact Mrs. Pamela Gainous (Pamela.Gainous@pgcps.org) for questions about the SchoolMAX Family Portal.
VIRTUAL NEW STUDENT and PARENT ORIENTATION (ALL NEW STUDENTS & RISING 9TH GRADERS)
There will be a virtual orientation session on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. This meeting will consist of information pertaining to the instructional program, School Counseling Center, and student safety. Highlights will include expectations for student behavior and academics, attendance expectations and procedures, and high school assessments.
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION (ALL NEW STUDENTS & RISING 9TH GRADERS)
For all new 9th grade students and new students to FDHS, there will be a half day (3 hour early dismissal) orientation on Friday, August 26, 2022 beginning at 8:00 a.m. This day will be a great opportunity for students to become familiar with the instructional and extracurricular programs at Frederick Douglass High School, as well as meet their new teachers and administrators. This is an excellent opportunity for 9th-grade students to learn what it means to be an FDHS Eagle.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
The first day of school for all students will be Monday, August 29, 2022. Consistent attendance beginning the first day of school is imperative. Please make sure you alter your summer vacation to adhere to the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ opening day so your child will not be behind instructionally.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
Frederick Douglass High School will remain a uniform school. Students will wear burgundy polo or golf style shirts and uniform style tan khaki bottoms. Khaki (tan) uniform style straight or pleated skirts are a uniform bottom option for female students. Skirts, dresses, and shorts are no shorter than students’ fingertips when arms are hanging straight down at their sides. Hoodies and/or a light jacket are no longer an infraction; however, the hoods can not be worn on heads.
The following items are prohibited: khaki bottoms with holes or rips, leggings/spandex, and head coverings (scarves, du-rags, bonnets, baseball hats, etc.) unless for religious or health reasons.
SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST
- PGCPS issued Chromebook or Laptop (PTECH) and charger
- Mesh or clear bookbag
- For Mathematics-
- Glue sticks
- Pencils
- Black pens
- Highlighters
- Notebook paper
- Graph paper
- TI 84 CE Calculator- Algebra I and II
- Other content areas will provide a list of items needed during the first week of school.
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
For the first time in two years, we would like to invite all of our parents and guardians, in person, to join us on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at FDHS to meet the teachers, administrators, and staff members.
SCHOOL HOURS/EARLY DISMISSALS
Classes and instruction begin promptly at 7:45 a.m. and conclude at 2:25 p.m. Early dismissals MUST be completed by 1:45 p.m.
MAIN OFFICE
The main office hours are 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The phone number for the main office is 301-952-2400.
TRANSPORTATION
Infofinder – Parents and schools may locate designated, comprehensive bus stops using this site by entering the home address. Information for the 2022 - 2023 school year will be available beginning on Friday, August 19, 2022. Use this link to access Infofinder. https://bit.ly/PGCPSinfoFinderi
Transportation Resolution System (TRS) - If you have any transportation related questions or would like to report a concern, please complete and submit a ticket to the TRS page at: trs.pgcps.org or you may call our Transportation Phone Bank at 301-952-6570 (Monday - Friday 6am to 6pm) for immediate assistance.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Your support for FDHS is essential to our success. We are grateful for all of our parent volunteers who work under the leadership of Ms. Jennifer Whitaker, PTSO President. We encourage all families to join the PTSO to support the programs that make our school great. Let’s strive to have 100% of our families join the PTSO. Additionally, please follow the PTSO on Instagram(@fdhseagles), Facebook(FDHSPTSO) and Twitter @fdhsptso. PTSO questions/inquiries can be emailed to fdhsptso@gmail.com.
CLASSROOM TEACHERS
Please be sure that the classroom teacher is the first person you email or call regarding your child’s academics. Contact information for all staff can be found in our staff directory. The staff directory is located at tinyurl.com/fdhsfaculty. If your concern is not addressed by the teacher, please contact the department chairperson for that subject area. If the matter is still unresolved, please contact your child’s grade level administrator by email or phone.
Our Commitment to You
- Promote student achievement
- Engage students in being critical thinkers, open-minded, effective communicators and balanced intellectually, socially and emotionally
- Prepare our students for the demands of college, career, continual learning and citizenship
The FDHS Student Keys to Success
- Be engaged for the entire class period, complete all class activities and assignments
- Restrict visiting social media sites during school hours and be principled and well-behaved during class.
- Act as a member of the FDHS family and make good decisions
- Seek academic and social help as needed
- Take pride in FDHS by getting involved in our extracurricular activities and clubs.
COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
Beyond coordinating students’ schedules, counselors can help students with their transition to high school, help to monitor students’ progress towards graduation, and help students with social/emotional concerns, health challenges and/or family problems. Please contact your child’s counselor to alert them of issues that could affect your child’s school performance.
Counselors are assigned to students based upon the student’s last name.
Here are the updated counselor assignments for 2022-2023:
- A - G: Ms. Quanna Inman - quanna.inman@pgcps.org
- H - O: Ms. Leslie Nicholson - leslie.nicholson@pgcps.org@pgcps.org
- P - Z : Ms. Trina Bell-Adams - trina.bell@pgcps.org
- IB and Social/Emotional Learning - miaela.thomas@pgcps.org@pgcps.org
- P-TECH and College and Career Readiness - cameron.agerston@pgcps.org
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST STAFF MEMBERS
Our knowledgeable and dedicated staff members at FDHS help make us a World Class High School. Visit our Staff Page for contact information at tinyurl.com/fdhsfaculty. I am pleased to introduce our newest staff members who will join us with their varied skills and experiences to help make FDHS a World Class High School:
- Rose Dixon - Health/Science Educator
- Dante Faison - English Educator
- Neil Hartigan - English Educator
- Maria Reyes-Sepulveda - World Languages Educator
- Andrea Samuels - Science Educator
- Sarah Schaffuler - English Educator
- Delonda Tucker - Special Education
- Natasha Tyler - Dance Educator
Respectfully,
Daisy Nichols, Principal
Sterling Brooks, Assistant Principal
Cynthia Thomas, Assistant Principal