Good evening,
Over the past two weeks I have watched our youngest students talk with our food service director about adding foods such as PIzza Hut, Cake, chocolate fountains or other foods, or can we eliminate beans. It was beautiful to hear their inquiry and reminded me of all the wonderful times my daughter kept repeating those 3 letters- WHY and the joy in answering each one as I saw her take in every piece of information she could.The inquiry, joy of knowing why and putting it into action is the basis of so much of our work.FLRSD is committed to continuing to help our students become inquiry based learners and ask the question why as it allows them a voice.
I recently have listened to High School students use their voice to enact change in ways that leave us all impressed and I have spoken with Middle School students who want to eradicate hate words. Each conversation leaves me understanding how bright our future is and how we must all continue to focus on ALL of our students, their needs, their interests and their well being. Our students are inquisitive, kind, reflective and regardless of their pathway - they are forming the foundation for success and we will continue to pave the way.
Thursday 3/30/23 Senior Breakfast
On Thursday we had the opportunity to sit with close to 50 senior citizens as FLRSD provided breakfast to simply say thank you and we appreciate you.For the 23/24 school year FLRSD will be looking to be bring seniors into our schools to mentor, work with and just share experiences with students from across the district.Inter generational collaboration is so powerful.We look forward to it.
On April 5th the School Committee will vote on the budget that has been proposed. It is one of the lowest budgets to ever come from the Superintendent's office and yet I am very confident that we will continue to improve an already outstanding educational program for our students.
Spring sports have begun and we hope you come out to see our Lakers on the field, the track, the diamond, and the courts.
MCAS testing has begun at the HS and will continue over the next 8 weeks throughout the district, and we know everyone will give it their best, yet we also know that a single test score does NOTdefine any student.
PLEASE Enjoy the latest FLMS newspaper! Freelake Ledge - FLMS Student Digital Newspaper
Congratulations to Ramar Thomas grade 7 who recently placed 3rd at the NATIONAL Track and Field meet in Virginia Beach in the 60 meters and 200m and 3rd at the New Balance National High School invitational in Boston.
Do you KNOW someone who has done something extraordinary - let us know and maybe they will be highlighted in the Sunday message!
April is Autism AWARENESS MONTH
GRAIS wonderfully began the month with a Light it up Blue Day on Friday and each school will raise awareness throughout the month. I want to thank Dr Sullivan for beginning the celebration of what is traditionally Autism Celebration Week, which leads to Autism Awareness Day on April 2 leading to Awareness month. Yet any celebration without answering the WHY that our students ask daily is unfortunate, so I appreciate the necessary work being done to truly raise awareness.
“Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. The Autism experience is different for everyone. It is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is often referred to as a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees.”
While there is currently no known single cause of Autism, early diagnosis helps a person receive resources that can support the choices and opportunities needed to live fully and our District, led by our amazing Director Ashley Bouley and her team, is focused on helping all students and families. Our students with Autism live within their “awesomeness” and their stories and voices will always be heard.
We have all seen commercials where the audience is asked to raise their hand if they know someone who was diagnosed with a particular medical condition and one is often comforted that they are not alone seeing the number of hands in the air. Surprisingly to many if we asked a similar question regarding knowing someone who was diagnosed with Autism, just as many hands would be raised, yet very few people understand the complexities. It is my hope that this April, our schools led by our Principals, our caring educators,SEPAC and our entire community, continue to lead the way.
On Tuesday evening at 6:30 SEPAC, in the ARHS library will be presenting the following community opportunity for all parents.We hope to see you there and we thank ALL of our PTO’s for their support in making this important opportunity to FLRSD.
This story, as simple as it seems, is a microcosm of a number of lessons we try to instill in our young adults everyday. It is also a great reminder for all of us to stay true to the importance of understanding what is most important and that bitterness, anger and negativity destroy our own well being.
“A group of alumni, who were very successful in their careers, decided to get together to visit their old university professor. After they all reunited, the conversation of the alumni soon turned into complaints about work, relationships and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all of his old students had a cup of coffee in hand, they sat down together and the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is, of course, normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that can also be the source of much of your dissatisfaction, problems and stress.
It’s important to know that the cup itself adds no real quality to the coffee. In most cases, it is just chosen because it's perceived to be more special or expensive. What all of you really wanted was to experience the coffee, not the cup, but you unconsciously went for the best cups. Some of you tried to get the best cup first or began eyeing each other’s cups to see if yours was nice enough.
Now consider this: Life is a bit like the cup of coffee; the jobs, money, possessions and position in society are the cups. They are just tools and structures that contain or hold together the current story of your life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Here is my advice to you – Savor the coffee, not the cups! What you really want is to be happy and the happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.
So live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly….and your life will be fully lived. When you spend your time trying to be right, trying to find fault in everyone else, not working hard and being jealous when others are, not looking in the mirror and spend more time trying to be heard rather than your actions be seen, your coffee and your life becomes bitter and no one wants to be around bitterness” Author unknown
Thank you to all of our open and reflective Faculty, Staff, Assistant Principals. Paraprofessionals, Secretaries, IT and Library Media Staff, Nurses, Counselors/School Psychologists, Advisors, Team Chairs, Coaches, Food Service, Maintenance and Custodial Staff, SRO, First Responders, Town Hall Employees, Central Office Administration and Staff, School Committee, and Business Partners who see the glass half full. Each day they see the beauty within each student and the importance of appreciating all that our students and this community offers. Each day they come to work and give of themselves and we owe them thanks and not bitterness.
Have a great week everyone and may your week be filled with the aroma of happiness and kindness, not filled with the bitterness of others!!
Alan Strauss, Superintendent of School
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Freetown Lakeville Regional School District School Links
Please click on the link(s) below for district information and easy access to your child’s school news
FLRSD: News | Freetown Lakeville Regional School District
ARHS: Apponequet Regional High School News
FLMS: Freetown Lakeville Middle School News
GRAIS: George R. Austin Intermediate School News
AES: Assawompset Elementary Schools News
FES: Freetown Elementary School News
Below please find links to important forms and information. These are located on our website but hope this may assist you in locating them quickly (we will continue to add to this and if you have suggestions on what would be helpful to add please let us know) Thank you for the latest suggestions!