LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #28 2020-2021

April 4, 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 full week for students with 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …

FULL RETURN – April 15th

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. Please see this document regarding protocols, scheduling, and transportation. 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 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

REPORT CARDS

Trimester 2 report cards were published on Thursday, April 1^st to the Aspen portal. Please sign-off on report card envelopes this week so that we can verify you have seen the report.

Cohort 1 – Return envelopes on Tuesday, April 6^th

Cohort 2 – Return envelopes on Friday, April 9^th.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. (assassinated 53 years ago April 4, 1968)

POOLED COVID TESTING

We will continue with Covid testing this week on Tuesday and Friday. 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

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:

Please contact the main office at 978-528-8650 to schedule a time for pick-up.

CHROMEBOOK CASES

We are selling cases for the new Chromebooks. The deadline for ordering is Wednesday, April 7^th. 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 on the following dates:

May 18^th – ELA

May 19^th – Math

May 20^th – Science

The dates for 6^th and 7^th grade are to be determined. We will have more specifics soon regarding logistics. All students, including remote students, are expected to participate in MCAS testing.

MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK

Last week’s answer: $270

To Tell the Truth

A group of 72 people is populated by both truth-tellers and liars. Truth-tellers always tell the truth, and liars always lie. To figure out how many tell the truth and how many lie, Erin gathers all 72 together and asks each person how many truth-tellers and liars there are. She receives 61 responses saying “there are 32 truth-tellers and 40 liars” and 11 responses saying “there are 11 truth-tellers and 61 liars”. How many liars are there?

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!)

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

UPCOMING DATES

• 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