LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #14 2020-2021
December 13, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are having a great weekend. We are back with our last full week before the holiday break. 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Wishing you happiness.” – Helen Keller
TRIMESTER 1 REPORT CARDS
Trimester 1 report cards will be published to the Aspen Portal at 3:00 PM on Thursday, December 17th. The report can be found on your Aspen home page under published reports. For parent account login assistance or to reset your password, please email: portalhelp@
FLU SHOTS
As you know, all students are required to have a flu shot by December 31, 2020. Please send your child’s flu shot information to our school nurse: Janice Roberts, jroberts@billericak12.com
SNOW DAY/REMOTE DAY SCHEDULE
In the event that we have a snow day or need to go full remote, the student schedule will remain the same as a usual day. Students will attend google meets for all classes. In particular,
- Students will still have homeroom from 7:30-7:40.
- Students in both cohorts will attend google meets. Example: If we are out on a Tuesday, students will follow their B (Tuesday), D (Friday) schedules.
- Students will attend their regularly scheduled Band, Chorus, or Orchestra classes.
- The Wednesday schedule will not change.
- Note: We will not have delayed openings.
MASK REMINDERS
Students have been doing a fantastic job wearing masks and we thank them for following all protocols. As we enter the traditional cold season, it may be a good idea for students to have an extra mask in their backpacks if the one they are wearing gets wet or is broken. We also have extra masks in the office for students if needed.
STUDENT REMINDERS
Please remember our school-wide google meet expectations. See them here:
Google meet expectations for students
Also, remember to turn in assignments on-time. It is an important skill to learn how to manage deadlines. Work with your teachers to develop these lifelong skills.
VIRTUAL TURKEY TOSS FUNDRAISER
We raised $2000 for the Billerica Food Pantry with our annual fundraiser! Thank you to our staff and families for their donations. Please see the video Ms. Wells put together with all of the flying turkeys!
https://www.wevideo.com/view/
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Last week’s answer: (it was a tough one!) Bugs had $1.50, 13 nickels, 15 pennies, 7 dimes.
HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS
Sarah and her mother invited 3 other pairs of mothers and daughters on zoom to make holiday ornaments. They made a total of 46 ornaments. The daughter’s names are Sarah, Monica, Dawn, and Natalia.
Sarah made 2 ornaments, Monica made 3, Dawn made 4, and Natalia made 5.
Mrs. Carpenter made the same number of ornaments as her daughter. The other mothers made more than their daughters. Mrs. Sawyer made twice as many as her daughter. Mrs. Alvarez made 3 times as many, and Mrs. Taylor made 4 times as many.
- Find how many ornaments each mother made.
- Match each mother with her daughter.
Send your answers to Mr. Garas – tgaras@billericak12.com – Show your work! Your answers will be put into a drawing for a dunkins card! (and the famous math certificate!)
PARENT CORNER
The holidays can be a stressful time for adults and children and this year in particular has been difficult for all of us. The American Psychological Association offers the following tips to parents and families:
Strengthen social connections – We know that strong, supportive relationships help us manage all kinds of challenges. So, we can view the holidays as a time to reconnect with the positive people in our lives. Accepting help and support from those who care about us can help alleviate stress. Also, volunteering at a local charity on our own or with family can be another way to make connections; helping others often makes us feel better, too.
Initiate conversations about the season – It can be helpful to have conversations with our kids about the variety of different holiday traditions our families, friends, and others may celebrate. Parents can use this time as an opportunity to discuss how some families may not participate in the same holiday traditions as others. Not everyone needs to be the same. It is important to teach open-mindedness about others and their celebrations.
Set expectations – It is helpful to set realistic expectations for gifts and holiday activities. Depending on a child's age, we can use this opportunity to teach kids about the value of money and responsible spending. We need to remember to pare down our own expectations, too. Instead of trying to take on everything, we need to identify the most important holiday tasks and take small concrete steps to accomplish them.
Keep things in perspective – On the whole, the holiday season is short. It helps to maintain a broader context and a longer-term perspective. We can ask ourselves, what’s the worst thing that could happen this holiday? Our greatest fears may not happen and, if they do, we can tap our strengths and the help of others to manage them. There will be time after the holiday season to follow up or do more of things we’ve overlooked or did not have the time to do during the holidays.
Take care of yourself – It is important that we pay attention to our own needs and feelings during the holiday season. We can find fun, enjoyable and relaxing activities for ourselves and our families. By keeping our minds and bodies healthy, we are primed to deal with stressful situations when they arise. Consider cutting back television viewing for kids and getting the family out together for fresh air and a winter walk. Physical activity can help us feel better and sleep well, while reducing sedentary time and possible exposure to stress-inducing advertisements.
PTO UPDATE AND FALL FUNDRAISER
Hello from the Locke PTO!
Our next PTO meeting is on Wednesday, December 16th at 6:30. The google meet link is
https://meet.google.com/epw-
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We kicked off our fall fundraiser with Raise Craze on Thursday! We have already raised over $3000 and completed many acts of kindness! Keep up the great work! And if you haven't registered, go to my.raisecraze.com/A96KZB1 now and start spreading kindness!
Help us reach our goal of 1000 acts of kindness and see what Mr. Garas has in store for us!
Our Goal: $5,000 & 1000 Acts of Kindness
Curious how fundraising through kindness works? Check out the brief video (https://raisecraze.com/
#Lockeschoolspreadskindness
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Anyone looking to start holiday shopping? The deadline is tomorrow, December 14th. Scrip is a great way to do it. Order gift cards to all your favorite places with one single order and the Locke will receive a percentage back! Your cost is the same! A few of the larger percentages are LL Bean 16%, Old Navy/Gap 14%, and 99 Restaurant 13%.
The attached order form does not have all the gift cards Scrip offers. Feel free to add your own if you see it on their website www.shopwithscrip.com.
You can return your order and payment to the school, email it to the PTO (billericalockepto@gmail.com), pay via Venmo (@CheriGargalianos), or pay online through Scrip.
You can print your gift cards at home or we will have contactless delivery prior to the holidays. Please make sure we have a contact number for you.
Please let us know if you have any questions and as always, thank you.
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You can keep your family safe while supporting the Locke by ordering one of these handmade masks. They are comfortable, very breathable, and can even be customized!
TRANSITIONS
We are establishing a more structured timeframe for making student transitions between models of instruction. (hybrid to remote or remote to hybrid) Transitions will now take place on the Monday of the 1st week of each month. Any requests that are submitted prior to the 15th of the month will take place on the 1st of the following month. Please send requests to Mr. Garas, tgaras@billericak12.com
Requests Submitted | Transition Date |
October 26 – November 15 | November 30 |
November 16 – December 15 | January 4 |
December 16 – January 15 | February 1 |
January 16 – February 15 | March 1 |
February 16 – March 15 | March 29 |
March 16 – April 15 | May 3 |
No requests accepted after April 15 | |
VIRTUAL ABSENCES
We are accounting for all students both when they are in school or at home.
On Wednesdays, attendance will be taken for both cohorts in homeroom at 9:15 on a google meet.
On the days that the cohorts are home, students must attend the support staff meeting with Ms. Rogers for 6th and 7th grade or Mr. Smith for 5th grade. Homeroom teachers will also send out a quick question to ensure that students are present. Attendance will be posted by 2:00 on those days. If your child has been marked “virtually” absent, you will be notified via email the next day.
If your child is going to be absent either virtually or live, please call 978-528-8650 to report the absence. You can leave a voicemail at this number which goes directly to our secretary. Please leave a reason for the absence. You may also email our secretary, Ms. Brewster at nbrewster@billericak12.com
LIBRARY INFORMATION –Books are still available!
Check out library books from the Locke library! The process for requesting library books online has become even simpler! Using Destiny Discover in your BPS Quick Links, you no longer need to log into the library catalog. Please see Ms. Cabral's updated instruction video on the Locke library website: https://
Returning library books: Students who still have library books that were checked out last year should please return them to the main office. There will be a library book bin for you to return the books. Late slips will be going out for overdue books this week. Any books that are from elementary school can still be returned in the bin. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Cabral at pcabral@billericak12.com
UPCOMING DATES
- PTO Meeting – December 16th, 6:30 PM
- Report Cards Published (Trimester 1 & Quarter 1)... December 17, 2020
- Half-Day (Staff and Students)...Wednesday, December 23, 2020
- Winter Break (No School)...December 24, 2020 to January 1, 2021)
- Schools Resume… Monday, January 4, 2021
- Quarter 2 ends (Last day for unified Arts Classes) … January 29, 2021
- Quarter 3 begins (Unified Arts Classes Change)…February 1, 2021
If you have any questions, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or call at 978-528-8655.
Have a great week!
Warmest regards,
Tony Garas, Principal