Good evening,
Every day, something catches my eye that leads me to believe there is so much more positivity around us than the world wants to acknowledge. Whether it is an act of kindness that reminds me of what I see daily within our community from adults and students, extra effort, or the partnership between people. I am always inspired by the “WHY” someone does a little more or looks at life as half full rather than half empty when so many choose to not do so.
Last year I spoke of witnessing a group of students who saw a wallet dropped by a mother trying to manage her two angels and a grocery cart and instead of pocketing the money they walked up to her, gave her back her money and pushed her cart to her car so she could hold both her children. The boys had nothing to gain from this and when I spoke with them about what I saw I also asked them WHY? They said because “they know what it is like to not have lots of money and if their mother lost money they would hope someone would return it”. I then asked them if could buy them their gatorades and snacks and one said “ no sir, thank you but my pastor, my mom, and my grandmother have taught me, do not expect to be paid for doing the right thing, do it and good things will happen when you really need it”. Wise words from a teenager and great advice from the role models in their lives. They had a choice and it reminded me once again of the choice WE all have everyday in every situation.
As a school community one of our most important responsibilities is to help students find their own “WHY”. When we find our “why”, we always find our way and when we lose our “why”, we almost always lose our way. The individual learning styles of students are incredibly varied just as the passions and motivations of students are personal. Therefore we must continue to build a district that thinks critically, introduces students to multiple opportunities of learning and inquiry and teaches our students how to think, NOT what to think.
The very short story below and the words of the woman who it is about, is something I hope we can all instill in our life and our students' life daily. She sings joyously rather than opine for more and it is a gift we all can give ourselves and our world. Should you choose to read it, this incredibly simple yet not easily accomplished approach to life, is an invaluable reminder for all of us. We all must be acutely aware when our students are struggling to find their why or their way so that we can support them collaboratively.
As I work daily with our Faculty, Paraprofessionals, Principals, Assistant Principals, Directors, Nurses, Administrative Assistants, Counselors, Coaches, School Psychologists, Advisors, SRO, IT and Library staffs, Maintenance, Food Service and Custodial staff, Schedulers, Central Office Staff, School Community, Town Officials and Community Partners I am reminded that so many put away their “story” each day so that they can be positive and empowering examples for our students. So, I ask that we all take a step back and show kindness, appreciate the work of those who support our children, and be good to others and yourself. KINDNESS and POSITIVITY Is contagious!
Have a great week everyone!
Be well, Be happy and most of all... be in peace
Alan
Alan Strauss, Superintendent -
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FES FUN RUN
All of our PTO’s give extraordinary time and effort to support our schools and this week I’d like to highlight the FES PTO for the Fun Run that took place on Thursday. Due to their work, and the wonderful “FUN” that the FES staff and Principal Ward brought to the field, $38,000 was raised for the benefit of ALL students. We cannot thank all the donors enough and especially our FES PTO for the hours given to this wonderful experience.The joy on the faces of students said it all.
Trunk or Treat A Halloween trunk or treat will be at Hathaway park in Assonet on Saturday, Oct. 28th from 11-3.
AES WINDOW AND DOOR PROJECT For those of you who have had any type of remodeling done this will not surprise you. The door portion of the AES project will be delayed, not due to the contractor NENA but due to the manufacturer producing incorrect door sizes for at least 14 doors. They have taken ownership of this error and admitted it is their responsibility. All classrooms including the second floor have windows and shades installed.
FLMS AND ARHS BREAKFAST
Opening week has been successful and we look forward to continuing this throughout the year.Thank you to Andrea Fay, Director of Food Services and her staff for all of their work each day to feed all of our students.
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.