Welcome to the Freetown Elementary School |
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Dear Families, Memorial Day has just passed and with that begins the unofficial beginning of summer. Little indicators at school tell me that the children are getting ready to begin their summer plans. There is more of a “buzz” on the buses, the cafeteria becomes louder and the teachers are frantically trying to complete the last pieces of the curriculum. This Memorial Day was also a reminder of the supreme sacrifice that men and women have made for our country. Our thoughts and prayers were with the Trahan family and the recent death of their son, Petty Officer Tyler Trahan, in Iraq. On Wednesday, May 13th, Petty Officer Trahan was laid to rest in the Bourne National Veterans’ Cemetery. As his funeral procession passed through East Freetown our third grade students lined the roadway with American flags. Not a sound could be heard. I am proud of the way in which our students showed their respect to Petty Officer Trahan and his family. On Thursday, June 4th and Friday, June 5th our Third and Fourth Grade Story Explorers will be holding their annual Storytelling Performance. Our Grade 3 Explorers will be telling their tales on June 4th while Grade 4 Explorers will be telling theirs on June 5th. Since late in September and early October the students have been practicing and rehearsing. Please join us for two evenings of Folk Tales being brought to life! At the end of this school year Mr. Dias will be retiring. For the past twenty-one years Mr. Dias has dedicated himself to improving the fitness and athletic ability of our children. He has taught them the basic, fundamental skills of sports and the importance of good sportsmanship. Prior to coming to Freetown Elementary School and beginning in 1975, Mr. Dias taught Science at the George Austin Middle School and coached Varsity Football at Apponequet High School. In addition to football Mr. Dias also coached Track and Field at Apponequet Regional High School and UMASS Dartmouth. He has graced our halls with his signature greetings everyday, bringing smiles to everyone. We wish him well as he looks forward to his “second career.” It seems that each year at this time we talk about budget cuts and the impact they will have on our school. This year is no different in that we are looking at a budget reduction. There are some people who feel we cry wolf and then miraculously find the money to fund staff and programs. Last year we reduced staff by four classroom teachers, four support positions, closed our Computer and Science Scan Tech Labs, reduced our professional development and saw our class sizes rise to the mid to high twenties. This is not crying wolf! Again this year we have scoured our budget, reduced line items to nearly nothing and eliminated or will not fill additional programs all in the hopes of preserving current class sizes and maintaining a continuation of the services we currently provide. There are no guarantees that this will happen. Your support at the annual Town Meeting on Monday, June 1st at 7:00, ARHS is crucial. I wish all our families a safe and happy summer vacation! Visitors to the Schools: Please click here and go to page 13 to review the policies governing visiting our school. |
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