Good evening everyone
We hope that you and your family had a happy winter break and a safe beginning to 2023 and we look forward to our continued partnership with each of you as we enter the second half of the school year in the next few weeks.
As stated during our October School Committee we have been working and will continue to work bringing in new safety protocols for the protection of both students and staff. During that meeting we discussed purchasing a visitor management system-RAPTOR- which we knew would take a few months to get up and running and I am pleased to inform you that beginning tomorrow January 9th the system will be implemented. Please review the attached letter so that you can understand the system, its purpose and what is still needed for all visitors entering any of our school buildings.
Please click here to view the: Letter Regarding Raptor Screening
Winter sports are in full swing and I encourage families to attend a MS girls or boys basketball game, a HS swim meet( boys and girls swim at the same meet), HS girls or boys basketball game,Hs girls or boys hockey game,or an indoor track event. The programs offered are outstanding and our coaches truly care for the well being of each student-athlete. I encourage any family in our primary schools or MS, who have students interested in playing sports to attend.
I want to commend our students and families throughout the district as well as our staff and administrators for their immediate return to school focus on Tuesday. In my visits, as well as the visits by Teri Fleming, our Director of Curriculum and Ashley Bouley, our Director of Special Education it was clear to us once again how connected in most cases, our students feel with their school and that the building of solid respectful relationships come first, the desire to eagerly learn is a natural progression.
It is my hope that each day this year each of us take 5 minutes to breathe deeply, to laugh with those you care about and to find joy in kindness. In that kindness, we must always remember from the lessons of tragedy that we seem to read about, or experience far too often, that time is precious and as basketball coach George Raveling said once “ our most sacred gift is time...on our self discovery journey, we can get so consumed with yesterday and worried about tomorrow that we sometimes undervalue the power of today and this fragile moment. Nothing in life is guaranteed. While we all pray for longevity, the real question becomes will we truly live and love with the time we have. Every day is an interview, an opportunity, a negotiation, an audition, a search, a discovery and a celebration. Every day is our now.”
Like the father in the following story, find time to put a smile on someone’s face despite all the reasons we are too busy. WE ALWAYS HAVE A LITTLE TIME ! I hope you enjoy this story as so many have
“Getting late for a meeting, need to run”, he said, as he slung his coat over his shoulder, and bounded out of the house. As he drove away, his daughter came running down the stairs two at a time. ‘Wait, wait’, she said, but he had already left.
Her mouth crumpled like used wrapping paper. ‘He forgot to give me a goodbye kiss’, she whispered in a voice that trembled under the weight of her hurt. She called him, ‘you left without giving me a kiss’, she said accusingly. ‘I am sorry sweetheart’, he said, his voice contrite. ‘It is okay’, she said, trying to be all grown up as she cut the call.
She gulped down her breakfast morosely, wore her shoes, picked up her school bag and started to walk out of the door, her shoulders slumped. As she climbed down the steps, the car glided to a stop outside the house. He got out of the car. She ran to him, her whole face lit up like a Christmas tree.
‘I am sorry’, he said, as he picked her up and hugged her. She said nothing. Her jaw ached from smiling.
Fifteen years later, no one would remember he was late for a meeting, but a little girl would never ever forget that her father drove all the way back home just to “kiss her goodbye.”
~ author unknown
I incessantly see so many of our dedicated Faculty, Staff, Principals Assistant Principals, Coaches, SRO, Nurses, Advisors, Counselors, School Psychologists, Maintenance Custodial and Food Service staff, Library Media and IT staff, School Committee, Central Office Staff and Administration, first responders, Town employees and our wonderful business partners understand that kindness is first, that positive relationships are the forefront of everything,and that there is always time to support our students and each other. Whether it is giving extra help, sitting in a meeting after school, coaching, attending games or concerts or plays, or in any of a myriad of ways I am proud and thankful of the time they find. Yet as Superintendent I want to work and do all I can so that each one of the amazing people who work within FLRSD, CONTINUE to have a healthy life-work balance.
Thankfully so many of the aforementioned people work daily to give our students a little bit more attention,and a little bit more kindness. So I thank those whose actions actually show they put kids first, rather than those who only say they do!
May your week be filled with kindness. And may you make some time for yourself and your loved ones!
Be well, be safe and most of all… be in peace.
Alan
Alan Strauss, Superintendent
Follow us on Twitter at @FLRSDsuper
Follow us on Instagram @FLRSDsuper
SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council)
We, like the PTO, are a group of parents helping one another learn and grow regarding our children's needs. Please do not think that this parent group is strictly for parents of students with special education needs.
Is your child struggling academically, emotionally or behaviorally? Do you have a child that has a diagnosis and is eligible for an IEP or 504? Do you have questions about resources or how to help your child progress? If you are looking for support, then let's talk about it! Please join your FreeLake SEPAC Tuesday, January 10th at 6:30pm in the Apponequet Library for a mid year check in. Bring your questions and let's support each other. We are joined in our monthly meetings by the Director of Student Services Ms. Ashley Bouley, who can also assist with any questions or concerns you may have. If you are interested in coming or have any questions about SEPAC, please feel free to email us at sepac@freelake.org . We hope to see you soon!
Additionally, the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will be visiting the District in March 2023 to assess our special education programming. In preparation for this, the DESE is holding a parent orientation on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 @ 6:30. We will be streaming this presentation during our monthly SEPAC meeting in the library at ARHS. Please contact Ashley Bouley if you have any questions abouley@freelake.org .
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: https://www.freelake.org/news
ARHS: https://www.freelake.org/o/arhs/news
FLMS: https://www.freelake.org/o/flms/news
GRAIS: https://www.freelake.org/o/grais/news
AES: https://www.freelake.org/o/aes/news
FES: https://www.freelake.org/o/fes/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!
FLRSD: https://www.freelake.org/news
ARHS: https://www.freelake.org/o/arhs/news
FLMS: https://www.freelake.org/o/flms/news
GRAIS: https://www.freelake.org/o/grais/news