LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #15 2021-2022
December 12, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope that you are enjoying the weekend and the sunshine today. A good day to get your shopping done! We have another busy week at the Locke with 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside.” – Lon Watters
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – A Day – HW Club, late buses
Tuesday – B Day – Chorus concert, 7:30 PM High School
Wednesday – C Day – Report cards published, HW Club, late buses, PTO Meeting-6:30 PM
Thursday – D Day -- HW Club, late buses
Friday – A Day
REPORT CARDS – TRIMESTER 1
Report cards will be published on Wednesday, December 15th. It will appear under published reports on your Aspen homepage. Please return the report card envelope to indicate you have seen the report.
MUSICAL – INFORMATION MEETING
There will be an information meeting for the spring musical on Monday, December 13th from 1:45 – 2:45 in the auditorium. If you are interested in being in the cast or crew, please attend. See attached flyer for more information.
MASK REMINDERS
Just a friendly reminder to have your students change their masks daily when coming to school and to wash them regularly. Also, masks should fit properly over the nose and mouth. If a student does not have a clean mask for the day, they may report to the Main Office in the morning to obtain a new one. Thank you!
STUDENT REMINDERS
- Charge Chromebooks at night and bring them to school every day – We only have a few extras left in the office for students to borrow.
- Bring in a pair of inexpensive headphones to leave in school or your backpack.
HOLIDAY CONCERTS ARE BACK!!
It was great to see our band and orchestra back on stage last week. Congratulations to all students for their great performances. We have one concert left this week for our chorus. Please come out to hear some great music. Please see the calendar below for the date and locations.
THANKFUL TREE
Thank you for your generous donations to the Billerica Food Pantry. We donated $1000 to the pantry! Also, thank you to Ms. Wells, Ms. Higgins, and our student council for putting together the “thankful trees” in the cafeteria. See our Instagram account for photos.
RAISE CRAZE – PTO FUNDRAISER
Please see the attached flyer for the Raise Craze fundraiser. The fundraiser ends December 17th.
STUDENT COUNCIL
For students interested in joining the student council, please fill out the attached application.
COVID TESTING
Our weekly routine COVID testing will resume this week on Tuesday. If you gave consent for your child to be tested, this will occur every Tuesday moving forward. Note: Testing will not be done on December 21st. 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. 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.
Note: for the week of December 20th, HW club will only be in session on Monday the 20th.
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.
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 #12
I HATE SHOVELING!
Zoe and Sophia are sisters and don’t like to shovel (who does?), but they are responsible for keeping the family's driveway clear of snow. If they work together they can complete the shoveling in 30 minutes. One day Zoe had to do the job alone. It took her 40 minutes. How long would it have taken Sophia to shovel the same amount alone? You can assume that each girl always shovels at a constant speed.
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: December 15th
PTO CORNER
Our next PTO meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 15th at 6:30 pm. The meeting will take place in the Locke library. Hope you can join us!
Holiday Trinkets will be sold at all lunches from December 20-Wednesday December 22! All items are just $1. If you’d like to volunteer to sell, please email Tricia LaFauci tlafauci@msn.com
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
UPCOMING DATES
- Monday, December 13th – Spring Musical Information Meeting 1:45-2:45
- Wednesday, December 15th – Trimester 1 Grades Published
- Wednesday, December 15th -- PTO Meeting, 6:30 PM Locke Library
- 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