LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #15 2022-2023
December 11, 2022
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope that you are enjoying the weekend and getting your shopping done! We have another busy week at the Locke with 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Fortune does favor the bold, and I promise that you will never know what you're capable of unless you try."—Sheryl Sandberg
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – D Day – HW Club, Late Buses, School Council-5:00 PM, PTO-6:30 PM, Chorus Concert – 7:00 PM, BMHS
Tuesday – A Day
Wednesday – B Day – HW Club, Late Buses, Band Concert – 7:00 PM Marshall
Thursday – C Day -- HW Club, Late Buses, Grades Published
Friday – D Day
TRIMESTER 1 REPORT CARDS
Trimester 1 report cards will be published to the ASPEN portal on Thursday, December 15th. Students will be given report card envelopes on Thursday. Please sign and return the report card envelope to confirm you have seen the report on-line.
CONCERT SEASON
The Locke/Marshall Orchestra put on a tremendous holiday concert last week. Concerts continue this week with chorus at BMHS on Monday at 7:00 and the band is at the Marshall on Thursday at 7:00 PM. Come out and enjoy holiday music from our talented students.
FROM THE NURSE
- Each student must have an updated physical and immunization form on file.
- Students should be bringing their own water bottles to school and utilizing the filtered water refilling stations throughout the school.
LOCKE MONSTERS ROBOTICS UPDATE
On Saturday, December 3rd, the Locke Monsters robotics team competed in their first VEX Robotics competition of the 2022-2023 season. The Locke Monsters fielded four different robots that were each designed, built, programmed, and operated by a team of students. It was a busy day, with each team being interviewed by the judges, competing in 8 different elimination matches as well as skills competitions. All of the teams showed great spirit, sportsmanship, and problem-solving skills over the course of the day.
Special congratulations to Caroline Gorski, Sabrina Gorski, Shakti Meiyur, Dhyey Patel, and Elise Skelton. The members of team 8025D were presented with the Judges Award at the end of the day. According to the VEX Robotics website, "The Judges Award is presented to a team that the Judges determine is deserving of special recognition. Judges consider a number of possible criteria for this award, such as team displays of special attributes, exemplary effort and perseverance at the event. or team accomplishments or endeavors throughout the season that may not fit under existing awards but are nonetheless deserving of special recognition."
CLOTHING DRIVE
The Locke Pride Alliance is having a clothing drive to benefit the House of Hope in Lowell. Please see the attached flyer for more information. The drive ends on Wednesday, December 14th.
HOMEWORK CLUB
HW club will continue throughout the school year. It will meet 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 report to the library immediately after school and sign-in. Students can attend as many days as the parent/student believes are necessary. Students are expected to stay for the full hour.
TURKEY TOSS – A BIG SUCCESS!
We made a $5000 donation to the food pantry this week. See the story in the Lowell Sun! Thank you again for your generous donations.
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. Please email us at billericalockepto@gmail.com
PTO Events/Information:
- Thank you to all of the volunteers for helping at the book fair and the holiday fair this past week. Both events were a big success!
- Trinket sales: December 19th – 21st – Volunteers needed
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Soccer or Football?
The World Cup is down to 4 teams – Argentina, Croatia, Morocco, and France. The tournament started with 32 teams. After group play, there were only 16 teams left in a single elimination tournament, meaning if you lose you are out of the tournament.
- In a 16-team single elimination tournament, how many total games are played to determine a winner?
- If a tournament had 256 teams in a single elimination tournament, how many games would need to be played?
- Who will win the World Cup?
Last week’s answer: -- 1. 1.3125 cups of sugar, 24 calculators Congrats to Omkar Despande, Rushil Naidu, Sabrina Gorski, and Nikhil Gandhi
Send your answers to Mr. Garas – tgaras@billericak12.com – Show your work! You can win a Dunkins gift card and the highly coveted math certificate!!
RIDDLE OF THE WEEK
Last week’s answer: What begins with T, finishes with T, and has T in it? Teapot
This week: What kind of pictures do elves take?
NEWSLETTER REMINDERS
CHROMEBOOKS
Students are required to bring their school-issued Chromebooks to school every day. It is important that students remember to bring their Chromebooks every day. We have only a few in the office to let students borrow. 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. We also highly recommend purchasing a protective case for the Chromebook.
LATE BUSES
Late bus runs have begun 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. The late buses have different stops than the usual routes. Please review the attached routes with students.
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. If there is an emergency reason that a student needs to ride another bus, please contact Mr. Peters.
The bus routes for the year are located on the district website:
https://www.billericak12.com/
If you have any questions regarding bus assignments, please contact our assistant principal: Phillip Peters: ppeters@billericak12.com -- 978-528-8654
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
FROM THE BILLERICA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Wanted! Substitute Teachers!
If you are looking to earn additional income and need a flexible schedule, then Substitute Teaching may be the perfect part-time job for you! Please visit our website at www.billericak12.com and go under 'Human Resources' and 'Employment Opportunities" to apply.
Wanted! Paraprofessionals!
We are looking for full-time paraprofessionals to provide hands-on support to teachers when preparing lessons. These are full-time positions with benefits. Please visit our website at www.billericak12.com and go under 'Human Resources' and 'Employment Opportunities" to apply.
Wanted! Substitute Cafeteria Workers!
Great opportunity for on-call part-time work. These positions are approximately 3 hours a day and perfect hours for those who need a flexible schedule. Please visit our website at www.billericak12.com and go under 'Human Resources' and 'Employment Opportunities" to apply.
UPCOMING DATES – ALL DATES ARE ON OUR WEBSITE
- Monday, December 12th – School Site Council – 5:00 PM, Locke Library
- Monday, December 12th – PTO Meeting – 6:30 PM Locke Library
- Monday, December 12th – Choral Concert, BMHS -- 7:00 PM
- Wednesday, December 14th – Band Concert, Marshall – 7:00 PM
- Thursday, December 15th – Trimester 1 Grades Published
- December 19th through 21st – Trinket Sales during lunch
- Tuesday, December 20th – Orchestra Concert, 12:45 Locke Auditorium
- Friday, December 23rd – Half-Day
- December 26th through January 2nd – Holiday Recess
- Tuesday, January 3rd – School Resumes
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