FLRSD Sunday Message, April 7, 2024

Good evening FLRSD,

It is my deep hope that if you celebrated Easter that you continue to find time to reflect, find some center ground and embrace the meaning of this period throughout the upcoming year. If you or your loved ones are in the midst of Ramadan I wish you Ramadan Murbarak which means "Blessed Ramadan". And if you are in the midst of preparing for Passover at the end of the month, it is my hope your seder will be deeply reflective and return you to a grounded place, a joyous space and that the celebration and prayer is what you need for the upcoming year.

We are almost ready to begin our April Break, Friday 4/12-4/21 (returning on 4/22), and as the story last week mentioned we will remain focused on teaching and learning. We will be well represented on the playing fields. Our maintenance and custodial teams will be busy. Our buildings will be filled with the laughter and joy of our students and the staff that continue to guide the learning environments.

This story should you choose to read it, 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. In the book, The Four Agreements, one of the tenants is to not take things personally and that the bitterness and negativity that someone throws out, is their issue no matter how toxic it might feel. It goes on to discuss how we must not feed into that anger lest we become angry ourselves. It is my hope that this story resonates with you in some way and that you and your loved ones continue to thrive from the beauty that life has to offer, rather than the bitter.

what holds your coffee_.pdf

So many of our Principals, Assistant Principals, Faculty, Staff, Paraprofessionals, Counselors, School Psychologists, Schedulers, Nurses, IT and Library Media Staff, SRO, Coaches, Advisors, School Psychologists, Maintenance, Custodial and Cafeteria workers everyday give it their all and make “the best of everything”, regardless of position. Combined with a Central Office Staff and Administration, School Committee, Town Officials, First Responders, community partners and of course parents, guardians and loved ones who seek to support in so many ways for all of our students. Everyone who has collaborated to ensure the “coffee” rather than the “cup” is the focus and deserves our thanks and our appreciation. Please continue to let them know!

May you send out and experience the sweet aroma of life rather than the bitterness of it this week and may you have it returned two fold.

Alan

Alan Strauss, Superintendent

Follow FLRSD @FLRSDsuper on Instagram

With gratitude

Alan

Alan Strauss, Superintendent follow us on instagram @FLRSDsuper

April is Autism AWARENESS MONTH

FLRSD began the month with a Light it up Blue Day on Tuesday April 2nd and each school will raise awareness throughout the month as they did so well for Black History Month, Women's History Month and others. Yet any celebration without answering the WHAT and 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 supporting all students and families. Our students with Autism live within their “awesomeness” and their stories and voices must always be heard. We must continue to do more to help support all our students and some of that begins with awareness yet it is not enough!.

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 and often assume what autism looks like. It is my hope that this April, our schools, led by our Principals and Special Education team, our caring educators,SEPAC and our entire community, continue to lead the way in raising acceptance.

AES PLAYGROUND

The AES playground will be closed 24/7 from March 18 to approximately the beginning of April break for repairs. Although this is an inconvenience for a few weeks the results will be well worth it. Please remember that all of the rain during the week potentially delays the re-opening of the playground.

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