LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #27 2020-2021

March 28, 2021

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend. It is a busy time of year at the Locke as we prepare for the full return of students. We have a short week for students with 4 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …

STATEMENT ON FULL RETURN

We are busy preparing for a full-return of students on Thursday, April 15^th. We are excited to welcome students back to a full five-day schedule. Of course, this brings with it many challenges regarding logistics, the social-emotional needs of students, and meeting all health and safety guidelines. Over the next few weeks as we prepare for the return, we will be communicating with families regarding your choice of model, transportation choices, and with general guidelines for students. We anticipate a safe and rewarding learning experience for all students as we enter this new phase of the school year. I appreciate the efforts of our staff and families as we navigated through many challenges to student learning this past year. As we move forward, please contact me with any questions or concerns.

PARENT SURVEY for Learning Model

Thank you to parents for completing the survey regarding your choice of learning model. The survey is now closed and all decisions are final. If your child is switching models, we will be in touch soon with information on the transition.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

There will be no school on Friday, April 2, 2021.

REPORT CARDS

Trimester 2 report cards will be published to the Aspen portal on Thursday, April 1^st at 3:00 PM.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” – Abraham Lincoln

POOLED COVID TESTING

We will continue with Covid testing this week on Tuesday. Please complete the attached form if you would like your child to participate. We are encouraging all students to participate. For more details, please see the district’s website.

https://forms.gle/iyjDVcLKJQd4i2Np9

AUTISM AWARENESS DAYS – WEAR BLUE

We will be celebrating autism awareness on Tuesday, March 30^th and Thursday, April 1^st. If you ordered a t-shirt, please wear it or you can wear blue.

NEW CHROMEBOOKS – ALL STUDENTS

All students will be issued a new Chromebook and will use it during their time at the Locke Middle School. For many reasons, we want all students to use the school-issued Chromebook. We consider it the same as a class textbook that all students need to have. We hope to issue new Chromebooks to all students by the end of the month.

Cohort 1/Cohort 2:

If you have not picked up your Chromebook yet, please bring your paperwork to the main office when you are in school. Please return any district Chromebook and charger if one was issued.

Remote Students:

Remote parents can pick up new Chromebooks on Wednesday, March 31^st.

Hours: 7:30 – 3:00.  Please return any district Chromebook and charger if one was issued.

If these days/times do not work for you, please contact the main office at 978-528-8650.

CHROMEBOOK CASES

We are selling cases for the new Chromebooks. Please see this form to order:

Chromebook Case Order Form

 

MCAS TESTING

The state has changed the dates for the MCAS testing window. 5^th graders will be tested between May 10^th and June 11^th. The dates for 6^th and 7^th grade are to be determined. We will have more specifics soon regarding the schedule and logistics. All students, including remote students, are expected to participate in MCAS testing.

MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK

Last week’s answer: 1. Circumference to diameter 2. Irrational 3. Pi times radius squared 4. 390.13 sq. ft.

OPENING DAY!

Pedro plans to purchase some new baseball bats and gloves for opening day. Pedro wants to buy the same bats and gloves he purchased last spring, but he can’t remember the price of each item. Pedro recalls making two purchases last spring, each totaling $135. The first purchase was for a glove and three bats. The second purchase was for two gloves and a bat. If the current prices of these items are the same as last spring, how much will Pedro pay this spring for three gloves and four bats?

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!)

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

March is Women’s history month. For some ideas on how to celebrate and discuss women’s history with your children, please see the following link:

https://womenshistorymonth.gov/

PTO UPDATE

Hello from the Locke PTO!

Our next PTO meeting is on Wednesday, April 28^th at 6:30 PM. A google meet link will be sent out.

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! 

PTO mask orders

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://lockemiddlelibrary.weebly.com/video-tutorials.html

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 to the bin. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Cabral at pcabral@billericak12.com

UPCOMING DATES

• Report Cards Published – April 1^st
• Autism Awareness Days – March 30^th and April 1^st
• Good Friday – No School, April 2^nd
• Quarter 3 Ends for Unified Arts Classes – April 14^th
• Quarter 4 Begins for Unified Arts Classes – April 15^th
• Both cohorts return – April 15th
• Spring Break – April 19^th – April 23^rd
• PTO Meeting – April 28^th, 6:30 PM

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