Dear Upham Community,
Hello Upham Parents! Each Sunday evening I send to the teachers a “Preview of the Week.” It simply outlines the events of the week. The message also contains inspirational videos, motivational thoughts that I have stolen from others, and always a reminder to always live in the moment. As a young man, I always took Henry David Thoreau very seriously. His original quote was, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived…I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life…” In Mr. Dees’ words, “Hit the gas!” I remind the Upham staff each week to live to the fullest because life is so very short. Having recently experienced the loss of a parent emphasized my point even further. Our lives are but a whisper and yet it should be filled each day with the wonder of a 5-year-old. Recently I have been spending a considerable amount of time on the playground. My latest experience was helping KBE out during recess. I was sitting on the outside bench paying attention to the proceedings when I watched all nine KBE students crawl into the tube slide. I was curious as to what was occurring, stood up, and then heard why they were curious. “Hey, Mr. Dees! Tarantula! Tarantula! Tarantula! As I got closer to the action I quickly glanced down at a black-colored spider the size of a small ant. After the initial excitement, Hope walked to the swings, hopped on, and yelled, “Hey, Mr. Dees! Watch me! I just learned to pump!” Upham parents, there it is…to a kindergartner learning to “pump” is life-changing. Once you learn to make the swing move without someone pushing, you are on top of the world. She did it on her own and now she can fly. She’s now perfecting her craft with the idea of jumping off in mid-flight. Again, there it is…each moment lived as if it were the only moment. As you move throughout your time here please think about Hope and pumping a swing. You might also slow down the next time you see a swing and take your turn flying. Thank you for all you do to support us. It is so greatly appreciated.
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, May 25 5th Grade Math MCAS
Thursday, May 27 4th Grade Math MCAS
Friday, May 28 3rd Grade Math MCAS
Monday, May 31st Memorial Day NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, June 1 5th Grade Science MCAS
Dare to Dream,
Mr. Dees