Hello Freedom Academy Families!
With having such a shortened summer due to our extended school year last year, this summer has been very busy but we are excited to begin. We hope you all have found some time to relax and regroup before we embark on another school year.
This summer, we have hired a few new teachers to Freedom and we are confident that they will be great additions to our culture and family atmosphere. All are unique and bring so many different positive characteristics and talents that we are excited to see in action in the classroom. Please feel free to introduce yourself to them and welcome them to the Freedom family.
We have had some families reach out to us asking what this 21-22 School Year will look like regarding COVID so let us take a minute to address some questions.
This year, we will not be offering any online model for education. As a school, we feel that we best serve our students when they are in the classroom and engaged with their teachers and peers. As many saw last year, the social/emotional aspect that was removed from many students lives had a lasting impact that has had rippling effects on families. We have made the choice to put all of our resources and efforts into what has kept us a close knit community school, building relationships with students, parents, and families and joining together in educating your students.
Our board approved mask policy remains the same as it was the end of last year. Masks will be optional for all students, teachers, and visitors. That being said, with the addition of parents and visitors being allowed on campus again, we will be requiring those that wish to enter any classroom to answer questions in the office regarding exposure to COVID. We ask that everyone play their part in taking responsibility for their health, and if you are sick or know that you were exposed to an individual with COVID, please refrain from coming on campus. Parents and visitors are welcome on campus for morning flag salute, but we ask that parents and visitors do not enter classrooms in the morning unless previously scheduled time was set up with the teacher.
We will discontinue student temperature checks in the morning as our use of them last year did not reveal a reliable way to screen for any symptoms. With outside temperatures being so warm in Arizona, many kids register as having a fever, yet when rechecked in the office, they are clearly within normal limits. The best way for us to monitor student health is for parents and guardians to continue to do a great job at keeping students home who are sick or showing any symptoms of sickness. Teachers also play a great role in this as they know their students’ normal activity and health levels and they can quickly recognize irregularities.
For end of day pickup, we still will have no parents or visitors enter campus as it creates a safety risk with keeping track of kids and it ties up Beth and Andrea in the front office. If you walk up to pick up your student please wait for them at the designated waiting spot for either first pickup (k-4) or second pickup (5-8). Normal vehicle pickup line procedures will remain the same.
Campus will be cleaned every night, as usual, by our janitorial company and high touch surfaces will be wiped during the day. We still have automatic hand sanitizers in every classroom and in common areas that we encourage students and staff to utilize. Again, with the way our campus is designed, we have been blessed with having limited numbers of students using any one area. All classrooms except third and fourth grade, have bathrooms in the classroom, and teachers utilize the classroom patios to help spread students out.
We know that we cannot satisfy all families needs or concerns but we are always open to constructive conversations and we welcome open dialogue to understand the backgrounds of the students we serve. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the front office, Ms. Cavalcant, or Mr. Waypa with any questions. We look forward to a great year and thank you for trusting us in partnering to educate your children.
Best,
Mike Waypa
Freedom Academy
Assistant Principal
Jen Cavalcant

Principal
Freedom Academy Charter School
3916 E. Paradise Lane
Phoenix, AZ 85032
(602)424-0771