Sunday Message
December 15, 2024
Good evening FLRSD, We hope your weekend was positive and that the week coming will be filled with a great deal of learning and inquiry. Below are our school messages for this week.
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
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
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.
District Calendar 2024-2025 SY
Bus Transportation Change Request Form
ARHS Family Holiday Bonanza- for all ages!
Come celebrate the winter season at ARHS’s Holiday Bonanza on December 18th from 3:30-6:30 in the festively decorated courtyard of the high school! There is a $5 per person entry fee, with a maximum cost of $20 per family. All funds raised will be going towards our courtyard restoration project! Entry grants you access to all of our festive activities, including pictures with Santa, a Polar Express Door Tour, crafts, food, winter themed carnival games, and much more. Some of the events are outdoors, but we do have some areas inside for you to warm up! The main event, our Bonanza tree lighting, will take place at 4:30. We will also be taking donations for Toys for Tots, and families that bring toys will be able to participate in our Cake Walk for a guaranteed free treat, with a chance to win a Gregg’s “Death by Chocolate” cake. Open to all kids from FES, AES, GRAIS, all students must be accompanied by a parent.
A Message from Mr. Strauss...
This past week our students and staff have sadly found hate symbols in two boys bathrooms, one at FLMS and one at ARHS. Everyone is both appalled and disappointed that these symbols of hate and destruction have been brought into our buildings as that goes against everything Laker Pride is about.
While SRO Bartholomew and the Sheriff's office are involved, our Administration worked diligently to find the perpetrators and due to their efforts consequences are being distributed. What I was most heartened by were the students I was able to meet with at ARHS along with Principal Dessert and Mr. Viera, our wonderful School Counselor. These students, spanning grades 9-12, spoke openly about the embarrassment and negativity that these actions cause, and how this is not representative of ARHS. They spoke passionately about ways to address this as a school community and are dedicated to having a speaker address the student body.
It is important to remember that the actions of a few do not represent the entirety of what is clearly a wonderful student population k-12 and to make any suggestion otherwise is a disservice to all of the amazing students and staff here within FLRSD. And it is the work and voices of these students that led me to this week's short message below should you choose to read it.
Many of the messages sent out each week are sent in by community members or are words that have been shared with me throughout the course of my very rewarding life in education. There have been many times that stories are driven by local events that force us to look at what is most important in life or that we must do better - for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, community and our global village.
I vividly remember as a Principal in Connecticut trying to find words for the Sunday Message immediately after the massacre at Sandy Hook, when I was convinced there were no words to share with our community that was linked not only geographically, but where staff had family working there that tragic day. Our clergy in town posted the following poem and in light of the aforementioned incidents the past two weeks at FLMS and ARHS, I felt compelled to share the immortal words of Reverend Martin Niemholler. He was a member of the German Clergy during World War II and was arrested for refusing to carry out the orders of the regime and he was subsequently confined to a concentration camp until he was released by the Allies. These words still ring true for all of us as a reminder of what happens to others, happens to us. The students we spoke with at ARHS certainly felt impacted by the actions of a few.
May you reflect on these powerful words should you choose to read them!
Discourse and differing opinions are vital to a free society, but violence, hatred and prejudice are never acceptable and it is our obligation to model appropriate discourse, kindness, and an open heart to others. As Rev. Niemholler poignantly wrote, we cannot wait until things affect us personally while ignoring all that is happening to others. I encourage you to discuss the impact of hate speech and hate symbols with your student(s) to whatever extent you are comfortable.
So many of our Faculty, Paraprofessionals, Assistant Principals, Secretaries, IT and Library Staff, SRO’s, Counselors, Directors, Team Chairs, Nurses, BCBA, OT and PT staff, Principals, Schedulers, School Psychologists, Transportation Drivers, Food Service, Maintenance and Custodial Staff, Coaches and Advisors as well as Central Office Administration and Staff, First Responders, School Committee and our community partners work diligently to care for each other, model respect each day and we are proud of all our students k-12 who understand that kindness and care makes for a better community.
Be well, and most of all be … healthy.
Alan
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