LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #16 2017-2018

HOLIDAY EDITION!!

December 17, 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,

I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. It is a great time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to new challenges. Enjoy your vacation with family and friends. The Locke has great year of learning planned for the new year. The newsletter will be taking a week off. We will publish again on January 1^st. See you in 2018!!

4 ½ Days of Learning left in 2017! Let’s see what’s happening …

Monday, December 18^th is a “B” day.  Please plan accordingly for the week. 

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle

HALF DAY

Friday, December 22^nd is a half day (also ugly sweater day!) with dismissal at 10:40. Breakfast and lunch will not be served. Dismissal time is dependent on the arrival of buses. Please be patient as we will follow our regular dismissal procedures for the safety of all students.

HOMEWORK CLUB/LATE BUSES

HW Club and late buses will continue on only Monday and Wednesday this week. There will not be HW club or a late bus on Thursday.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. — ANNE FRANK

REPORT CARDS

Your child’s report card was published to the Aspen portal on Wednesday, December 13^th. It can be seen on your home screen under “published reports”. We will not be sending home a paper copy of the report card. We ask that you still sign the report card envelope for us to verify that you have seen the report card.  If you do not have a log in, please emailksharkey@billericak12.com and we will be able to provide this information to you as soon as possible. All reports in the future will be published on the portal.

I-READY TESTING REPORTS

On Wednesday of last week, students were given I-ready reports in math and reading to bring home. They were in the report card envelope. We utilize these results to make instructional decisions regarding student learning. If you have any questions about the reports, please contact your child’s teachers or administration.

HONOR ROLL

Congratulations to all students for their accomplishment of achieving high honors or honors for the 1^st trimester. Please see the complete list of students on our website:

https://sites.google.com/a/billericak12.com/bps/schools/locke

TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE

Thank you Locke families for your incredible generosity!  The peer leaders collected 190 toys and books for Toys For Tots. We beat last year's record! Happy Holidays to all! See attached picture. 

RAFFLE – SIGNED GRONKOWSKI JERSEY

Congratulations to Rory Flynn on winning the Gronk jersey! Thank you to Locke families for their donations. We raised over $900 which will be put toward equipment for our fitness room. Go Pats!!

ROBOTICS RAFFLE – ROOMBA

Congratulations to our very own custodian Ken Tassi on winning the Roomba! (irony or coincidence) Thanks you so much for your donations! The funds raised will be put toward our award-winning Robotics team and their expenses for the season.

MCAS TESTING SCHEDULE

Please see the attached MCAS schedule for this spring.

MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK

Last Week’s Answer: 10.3 inches per year

A Holiday Yarn

Every year, during the holiday season, Mary knits gifts for several of her relatives. This year, she plans to make a hat for her cousin, a scarf and hat for her grandmother, two pairs of socks for her grandfather, two hats and a scarf for her mother, and a hat and two pairs of socks for her father. Each hat requires 1 ball of yarn; each scarf requires 3 balls of yarn, and each pair of socks requires 1.5 balls of yarn. What is the minimum number of balls of yarn Mary must have to complete all the knitted gifts she intends to make?

Turn in answers to the main office. Prizes coming soon!

PTO CORNER

Winter/ Holiday Trinket Sales:  Trinket sales will continue during lunch time through this Thursday, December 21st. All items are $1 each. We wish to thank our volunteers for helping us out during this busy time of year.

Cookie Dough and Pie order pickup will be BETWEEN 4PM AND 7PM THIS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20^TH in the school cafeteria. Because we do not have an appropriate method of storing these refrigerated items, it is imperative that they be picked up on Wednesday evening. Thank you for your orders and we do hope that you and your family will enjoy these delicious desserts.

Locke Apparel: We will have a limited supply of Locke apparel available for purchase in the school cafeteria between 4PM and 7PM this Wednesday, December 20th. These make great last minute holiday gifts! The following items will be available in sizes small, medium, and large: long sleeved shirts in cotton and dri fit, hoodies in cotton and dri fit, and hats with and without pom pom. Order forms will also be available for our January order including these and other Locke items.

Gift Cards: We will have a limited supply of gift cards from our Scrip gift card program available for purchase in the school cafeteria from 4PM to 7PM this Wednesday, December 20th. These are great for holiday gift giving! Choices include 99 Restaurants, Chilis, Chipotle, Dominos, Dunkin Donuts, ITunes, Panera, Starbucks, Subway, and Staples. The purchase of these gift cards help you avoid lines at stores while supporting the Locke PTO. Order forms will also be available for our January order. 

Yankee Candle fundraiser: Shop online from the comfort of home with purchases delivered right to your door while supporting our school at the same time. Just go towww.yankeecandlefundraising.com and enter our Group Number, 999972037 in the "Start Shopping" box. Orders may be placed through 1/10/2018. Perfect for your own home or post-holiday gift giving.

Stress Free Fundraiser... Traditional fundraisers not your thing?  Our Alternative - Stress Free Fundraiser runs throughout the school year. Donations can be sent in at any time and are sincerely appreciated. 100% of all donations go to the Locke PTO to directly benefit the students and staff at the Locke. Checks should be made payable to Locke PTO in an envelope marked Locke PTO. Forms are helpful but not mandatory if Stress Free Fundraiser is on the memo line of your check.

Open Positions/ Volunteer Opportunities: We need volunteers to "shadow" our current chair people for the following positions to take over at the end of the 2017-2018 school year:

Co Vice President (fundraising), PTO Treasurer, Box Tops for Education Program Coordinator.

Please reach out for more information or to express your interest in any of these positions. Thank you! Without the help of parent volunteers stepping up to give some time and share their expertise, we simply cannot have a successful PTO. Please help us continue our mission to make Life at the Locke the best it can be!

Volunteer Opportunities... The Locke PTO welcomes any and all help that parents are willing to give. We have many different opportunities to help out, some at our school or in other parts of Billerica and some that you can do from home. No amount of time and effort is too little, so please take a look at the attached list and let us know what you can do to help us make Life at the Locke that much better! Remember, even if each parent or family volunteers one hour of their time and effort, it all adds up and benefits all our kids and our Locke community. Forms may be sent into school with your child labeled Locke PTO or simply send us an email at billericalockepto@gmail.com letting us know how you would like to help! Thank you!

Box Tops for Education: Please save and send us your Box Tops from Education. Each box top you are willing to clip from a Box or other container from your grocery store purchase and send in to the school earns the Locke PT0 10 cents toward supplies, events, and programs for the children. Please make sure that the expiration dates remain intact so that we can receive credit. Box tops should be turned in in either an envelope or Ziploc bag clearly labeled with your child's name and home room number. Thank you!

Upcoming PTO Meetings:  All Mondays, except our next meeting on Tuesday, January 2^nd, February 5^th, March 5^th, April 2^nd, May 14^th, June 4th

Please join us! It's a great way to get lots of information, share your ideas and suggestions, get answers to questions you may have, and have a say in what we do to help make life at the Locke the best we can for all the students. No babysitter? No worries. Children are always welcome.

Please contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you may have at billericalockepto@gmail.com or by calling Faith Stevens at 978-667-6676 or 978-314-3389. Thank you!

ABSENCES

If your child is going to be absent, please call 978-528-8650 to report the absence. You can leave a voicemail at this number which goes directly to our secretary. You may also email our secretary, Ms. Battcock at pbattcock@billericak12.com

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

• 8^th grade Field Trip – Monday, December 18^th
• Orchestra Concert – Tuesday, December 19^th , 7:00 PM BMHS
• 6^th grade Field Trip – Wednesday, December 20^th
• 7^th grade Field Trip – Thursday, December 21th
• Half Day, 10:40 Dismissal, Friday December 22^nd
• Holiday Recess – December 23^rd – January 1^st
• Return to School – Tuesday, January 2^nd, 2018
• PTO Meeting - Tuesday, January 2^nd, 2018 – 6:30 PM

ATTACHMENTS:

1. PTO stress-free fundraiser

2. PTO Volunteer Opportunities

3. MCAS testing schedule

4. Toys for Tots photo

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com Have a great week!!

Warmest regards,

Tony Garas, Principal