Good evening everyone,
With such beautiful weather last week and a dusting of snow immediately following in many parts of the Commonwealth, I am reminded not only of the Patriots roller coaster season which now allows us to concentrate on the B’s and C’s and for the Giants fans, their return to the playoffs, but of the fact that each day like life can one minute be a little warmer, a little brighter and little more uplifting and suddenly it can be a little colder and a little more slippery. With either forecast we must be aware of what is in front of us and that regardless of our preference the weather, as we see in the dangerous flooding in California, can be far worse than something inconvenient.
It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the school year. So many great things continue to happen, almost all of which go unnoticed as they are often a scaffolding of the previous day, month, or year. And just as I said prior to Veterans day , one of my concerns educationally is that our students from grades pk-adult transition do not understand the meanings of national days off, yet in order to grow academically and socially-emotionally, they must embrace the why within their education. Why are studying this, what is the impact for me and my peers, and with tomorrow MONDAY JAN 16 A DAY OFF, why we are as a nation honoring Dr Martin Luther King Jr?
AES, FES , GRAIS, FLMS and ARHS all have set aside time to not only honor Dr King’s legacy but to understand his contributions for all children, at all levels regardless of ability, to interconnect and be given opportunities that did not exist previously.
Just as we must never forget the impact our veterans have had on keeping us free, and Dr. King’s impact as well, we must as a society understand those people who have helped us in our lives and remember to not forget their impact.
This famous story, sent in by a parent to me a few years ago, is a reminder of the incessant need to truly appreciate those individuals who have been there for us. I hope you enjoy it
“Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now speaks on the lessons learned from that experience.
One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. "You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute," the man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"
Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."
Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.
Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Who has done something that has helped make your day safer – or easier or more pleasant – or who have you witnessed “packing” for someone else? Recognize them right away.
Each of us are touched by individuals who provide what we need to make it through the day. Some help inadvertently. Praise that person anyway. You are supporting the kind of behavior you respect – making it more likely to happen again.
Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. People help us, reach out to us, or support us and we must not take it for granted.
As you go through this day, take the time to recognize those who somehow “packed your parachute and allowed you to land safely”.
Each day since arriving in Freetown-Lakeville I have seen our Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Principals, Assistant Principals, Secretaries, Nurses, Schedulers, IT and Library Media Specialists, Counselors, School Psychologists, SRO, Maintenance, Custodial and Food Service Workers, School Committee, Town Officials, Central Office Administration and Staff, First responders and our Community Partners work tirelessly to “pack the proper parachute” for our students. It is my hope that you continue to reach out to one of them and say how much they are appreciated.
I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful long holiday weekend.
May you be in peace, live with joy and be healthy
Alan
Alan Strauss, Superintendent
FLRSD is now accepting applications for:
The Freetown/Lakeville Early Childhood Center is now accepting applications for 3-year-old community role model peers for the 2023/2024 school year. Children must be residents of Freetown/Lakeville and age 3 by August 31, 2023.
Hard copies of this registration packet are available on the webpage (www.freelake.org) as well as at Assawompset Elementary School and Freetown Elementary School locations.
Please return your fully completed application packet, including all required documents, to Freetown Elementary School (in-person) by February 17, 2023.
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!