LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #12 2021-2022
November 21, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are enjoying the weekend as we prepare for the holiday season. We only have 2 ½ DAYS OF LEARNING this week, but we will make the most of them.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I would like to wish you all a happy and certainly a healthy holiday season ahead. I am thankful for the support you have given to me and our staff this year and I know in the weeks ahead we will continue to work hard to provide tremendous learning opportunities for our students and to support them academically and emotionally. During this busy time, I hope we all can get a chance to pause and reflect on the positive moments of this year and look forward to the coming months with renewed optimism. Happy Thanksgiving!
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” -- John F. Kennedy
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – D Day -- HW Club, late buses
Tuesday – A Day
Wednesday – B Day – Half Day Schedule, 10:40 Dismissal (depending on buses), and Pajama Day!
HALF-DAY – Wednesday, 11/24
Wednesday, November 24th is a half day. Lunch will not be served. Dismissal will be at approximately 10:40 – 10:55. For the safety of students, we need to wait for the buses to arrive to dismiss students. This is dependent on when the buses leave the high school. Walkers and pick-ups will be dismissed after bus students.
THANKFUL TREE
The Locke will be creating a thankful tree on the half-day, November 24th. Students will come up with something they are thankful for and add it to their grade level tree. In addition to this, there will be a collection bucket by the tree for students to donate money to the Billerica Food Pantry. Please contact Mrs. Wells or Ms. Higgins with any questions. mwells@
PAJAMA DAY – WEDNESDAY
We will be having a pajama day on Wednesday. We are asking students to make an optional donation of $2 to the Billerica Food Pantry. They can turn the donation into their homeroom teacher starting tomorrow. Students need to continue to follow the dress code and clothing should be appropriate for school.
RAISE CRAZE – PTO FUNDRAISER
Please see the attached flyer for the Raise Craze fundraiser.
STUDENT COUNCIL
For students interested in joining the student council, please fill out the attached application.
COVID TESTING
Our weekly routine COVID testing will not take place this week. We will resume on Tuesday, November 30th. If you gave consent for your child to be tested, this will occur every Tuesday moving forward. If you have not completed the consent form and wish your child to be tested, please see the link:
https://forms.gle/
HOMEWORK CLUB
HW club will continue this week. (only Monday) It will be in the library every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1:45 – 2:45. Students do not need to sign up ahead of time for HW club. Students will sign up in the morning in the office and will report to the library immediately after school. Students can attend as many days as the parent/student believes are necessary. Students are expected to stay for the full hour. HW Club continues throughout the year.
LATE BUSES
Late buses continue this week and will run on every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The buses usually arrive at the Locke at 3:10 PM. We have 3 late buses. Please see the attached routes. Please let students know their bus number. Students will wait in the cafeteria until buses arrive. Late buses run throughout the year.
STUDENT REMINDERS
- Charge Chromebooks at night and bring them to school every day
- Bring in a pair of inexpensive headphones to leave in school or your backpack.
BUS POLICY
Students that ride the bus can only ride on their assigned bus in the morning and afternoon. Students are not allowed to ride different buses to be with friends after school.
If you have any questions regarding bus assignments, please contact our assistant principal: Phillip Peters: ppeters@billericak12.com -- 978-528-8654
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #10
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ROLLS!
This year Anthony's family is hosting the big Thanksgiving dinner. That means his grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins will all be coming to his house. There will be 12 adults and 15 children, so they're going to need a lot of food!
Anthony is in charge of making the rolls. His mom wants him to make enough so that there will be 3 rolls for every 2 adults and 4 rolls for every 3 children. She also told him to bake one extra roll for each person to make a turkey sandwich the next day.
She advised him not to make partial recipes because recipes with yeast often turn out better if you follow the directions exactly. With all the leftovers that could spoil, refrigerator space will be precious, so Anthony doesn't want to save any dough to bake later -- he wants to bake it all at once.
His recipe makes 2 dozen rolls. How many rolls will he make if he follows all of his mother's suggestions? Explain how you arrived at your answer.
Send your answers to Mr. Garas – tgaras@billericak12.com – Show your work and explain! You can win a Dunkins gift card and the highly coveted math certificate!!
Last week’s answer: 3 moves, Last week’s winners – Sharada Parameswaran, Abhi Patel, Marc LaFauci, Amir Akmedov
PTO CORNER
Our next PTO meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 7th at 6:30 pm. The meeting will take place in the Locke library.
Hope you can join us!
We are also looking for help with the following programs:
Special Programs Coordinator
Labels Program (Box Tops, etc.)
School Time Fundraisers
Scrip Gift Card Program
Scholastic Book Fair
If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact the Locke PTO
Email: billericalockepto@
Facebook: https://www.
Keep your family safe while also raising funds for the Locke with a customized mask! They are comfortable and breathable. You can order directly from the Google form:
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. Brewster at nbrewster@billericak12.com
LUNCH/BREAKFAST
Please see the attached November lunch menu. All lunches are free to students. We will continue the practice of giving out free breakfast bags at the end of the school day. Breakfast will not be served in the morning.
UPCOMING DATES
- Wednesday, November 24th – Half Day – 10:40 Dismissal (approximate, depending on buses)
- November 25th and 26th – No School, Thanksgiving Holiday
- Monday, December 6th – Day 60, Trimester 1 ends
- Tuesday, December 7th -- PTO Meeting, 6:30 PM Locke Library
- Wednesday, December 8th – Locke Site Council, 5:00 PM Library
- Wednesday, December 8th – Band Concert – 7:00 PM Marshall Middle
- Thursday, December 9th – Orchestra concert – 7:00 PM Marshall Middle
- Tuesday, December 14th – Chorus Concert, 7:00 PM BMHS
- Tuesday, December 15th – Trimester 1 Grades Published
- Thursday, December 23rd – Half Day – 10:40 Dismissal (approximate, depending on buses)
- December 24th through January 2nd – Holiday Break
- Monday, January 3rd – Return to school
Have a great week! If you have any questions, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or call at 978-528-8655
Warmest regards,
Tony Garas, Principal