LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #23 2020-2021
February 28, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
It’s the last day of February! I can see spring in our future. I hope you are all enjoying the weekend. We have a full week ahead and 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” —Nelson Mandela
POOLED COVID TESTING
We will be starting pooled testing this week. Please complete the attached form if you would like your child to participate. For more details, please see the district’s website.
HYBRID SUPPORT STAFF
Our hybrid support staff has changed slightly. Stacia Bujnowski will no longer be the hybrid support person for 6th and 7th grade ELA/SS. Teresa Rogers (trogers@billericak12.com) will be taking over that role and will only be working with Locke students. Ms. Rogers is supporting 6th and 7th Locke students in all subjects.
Note: Jared Smith (jsmith@billericak12.com) will continue in his 5th-grade support role for both Locke and Marshall students.
STUDENT COUNCIL – COOKIE CONTEST!
Congratulations to the following winners of the cookie contest: Ashlynne Colella Jason Leipow, Molly Gallagher, and Josie Medeiros. Honorable Mention – Ms. Call
Please see the video for all of the submissions. Great job to all students who participated. (I’m still waiting on a cookie delivery …)
https://www.wevideo.com/view/
SPIRIT WEEK IS COMING!
Spirit Week will be the week of March 8th – March 12th! See the link for the themes and where to upload your photos:
BINGO NIGHT!
As part of spirit week, we are having a family bingo night on Thursday, March 11th at 7:00 PM. See the attached flyer to sign up.
MCAS TESTING
MCAS testing will begin in April for all students. (including remote students) In the coming weeks, we will have more details with scheduling, logistics, etc.
NEW CHROMEBOOKS
The district has purchased new chromebooks for all middle school students. Our goal is to get these chromebooks to students by the end of March. All students, including remote students will be given a chromebook. If you have already checked out a chromebook, it will be exchanged for a new one. We will have more details and logistics on the distribution process later this week.
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Last week’s answer: The final order was: 1. Polar Bear 2. Yeti 3. Blizzards 4. Blizzards 5. Polar Bear 6. Yeti 7. Yeti 8. Blizzards 9. Polar Bear
MATH RIDDLES
- If it took 6 people 9 hours to build a barn, how long would it take 12 people to build the same barn?
- A grandfather, two fathers and two sons went to the movie theater together and everyone bought one movie ticket each. How many tickets did they buy in total?
- A cell phone and phone case cost $110 in total. The cell phone costs $100 more than the phone case. How much was the cell phone?
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!)
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February is black history month. For some ideas on how to celebrate and discuss black history with your children, please see the following link:
https://news.azpm.org/s/83916-
PTO UPDATE
Hello from the Locke PTO!
Our March PTO meeting will be scheduled soon. Please join us.
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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 |
February 16 – March 15 | March 29 |
March 16 – April 15 | May 3 |
No requests accepted after April 15 | |
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
- SPIRT WEEK – March 8th –March 12th
- BINGO NIGHT – March 11th – 7:00 PM
- Professional Development Days – No School, March 19th and March 22nd
- End of Trimester 2 – March 23rd
- First Day of Trimester 2 – March 24th
- Report Cards Published – April 1st
- Good Friday – No School, April 2nd
- Quarter 3 Ends for Unified Arts Classes – April 12th
- Quarter 4 Begins for Unified Arts Classes – April 13th
- Spring Break – April 19th – April 23rd
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