­­­­­­­LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #1 2021-2022

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September 2, 2022

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,

180 DAYS OF LEARNING!! Welcome back!!

I hope you have all enjoyed the summer and are ready for the school year to begin. In our efforts to improve communication with families, we publish the Life at the Locke weekly newsletter which contains all of the information for the upcoming week. We will “publish” every Sunday or Monday of a long weekend. We have a tremendous amount of information to share with families as we return to school next week. Please read this email thoroughly and discuss as a family. We have spent a great deal of time this summer preparing our school for the return of students and hopefully back to a sense of “normalcy”. We anticipate a great opening to the school year and we appreciate the cooperation of families and students.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” –Zig Ziglar

SCHOOL TIMES

School starts promptly at 7:30. Students should be in their homeroom at 7:30. The drop-off time for students is 7:00 -- 7:25. Students will be allowed to enter the building at 7:00. From 7:00 – 7:20, students that enter the building will be supervised in the cafeteria.

FIRST DAY

The first day of school for students is Wednesday, September 7th. It is an “A” day schedule.

When students attend in person on the 1st day, there are two important numbers to remember:

Remember your homeroom number and your bus number.

When students arrive at school, they will report directly to the homeroom. Staff will be in the hallways to direct students. If students do not know their homeroom, they will report to the cafeteria and be directed from there.

DROP-OFF

Student car drop-off will be in the lower lot beginning at 7:00 AM. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO EXIT CARS UNTIL 7:00. Parents are to enter VIA URBAN ST (off Baldwin Road), drop students off at the sidewalk, make a U-turn, and exit via Urban Street.

Parents, please do not enter from Allen Road in the morning. The Allen road entrance is only for school buses.

DISMISSAL

Walkers and pick-ups are dismissed at 1:50 after the buses depart.

TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR DISMISSAL

Parents enter via Urban Street and line up in lower circle. After the buses leave, parents are to pull around the circle in a SINGLE file line to pick up children. The pick-up zone is between the two crosswalks. This is the only place we would like children picked up. We do not want children stepping in front of cars to be picked up. Please keep the line single file.

PLEASE DO NOT PICK UP STUDENTS IN THE LOWER LOT.

 

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  

FORMS

On the first day, students will receive the following forms to be filled out and returned:

  • Emergency form
  • Medical form
  • Signed agenda book (p.17)
  • Technology Release
  • Communication Preference
  • Photo-opt form (only send back if you need to)

CHROMEBOOKS AND GOOGLE CLASSROOMS

Students are required to bring their school-issued Chromebooks to school every day beginning on the 1st day of school. Students should charge their Chromebooks overnight. All teachers will be setting up a google classroom for their students where assignments will be posted and where assignments can be turned in electronically. If your child does not have a Chromebook, please contact the main office at 978-528-8650.

BUS ASSIGNMENTS

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.

The bus routes for the year are listed at this link.

If you have any questions regarding bus assignments, please contact our assistant principal: Phillip Peters: ppeters@billericak12.com -- 978-528-8654

LOCKERS

The locker policy is as follows:

  • All students will be assigned a lock and a locker. (Students will be given lockers on the 1st day)
  • Backpacks will be kept in lockers throughout the day. Phones should be in lockers turned off. 
  • Students can go to lockers in the morning, after period 3, before PE, before last period special, and at the end of the day. 

Here is a video that shows how to open a combination lock. Remember right, left, right!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDJYuWtUR3E&t=16s

MEDICAL INFORMATION

Our school nurse is Janice Roberts – jroberts@billericak12.com Medications can be dropped off on Tuesday, September 6th from 9:00-11:00 AM. If you cannot make this time, medications/orders can be dropped off during the 1st few days of school. Both Epipens and inhalers may be brought in by students and given to the nurse. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Roberts.

LUNCH/BREAKFAST

All breakfast and lunches are free to all students again this year. Students will be receiving a 4-digit pin code that they will need to use when they get breakfast or lunch. Breakfast will be served beginning on Day 2. It will be “grab and go”. Students can grab breakfast in the cafeteria when they come in and then report to homeroom. They can eat breakfast in homeroom.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

Back to School night will be Thursday, September 15th from 6:00—8:00 PM. It will be an in-person event. Parents will have the opportunity to follow their child’s schedule and hear the course expectations from teachers.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

We are happy to announce that we will be offering after-school programs again this year. We will have further details over the next few weeks.

ROBOTICS FUNDRAISER

Our robotics team is having a Chipotle fundraiser on September 7th from 4:00-8:00 PM. Please attached flyer.

PTO CORNER

The PTO welcomes all families to the Locke. We will be meeting monthly to plan several events throughout the year. We are always looking for volunteers to help plan great programs that will benefit our students. Our first meeting is Wednesday, September 28th at 6:30 PM in the Locke Library. Please see the attached dates for all of the PTO meetings during the year.

UPCOMING DATES

  • Wednesday, September 7th – A Day, 1st day of school, all students report to homeroom
  • Monday, September 12th – Boys and Girls Club transportation starts
  • Wednesday, September 14th – Picture Day
  • Thursday, September 15th – Back-to-School Night 6:00-8:00
  • Tuesday, September 20th  – Early Release, 11:40 Dismissal
  • Friday, September 23rd  – All forms due
  • Friday, October 7th – Stomp-out Bullying Day

If you have any questions, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or call at 978-528-8655 I look forward to a great school year!!

Warmest regards,

Tony Garas, Principal

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