LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #24 2022-2023
February 26, 2023
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
Welcome Back!! I hope you had a great vacation week. It is a busy time of year as we enter into March. We are back with 5 DAYS OF LEARNING this week! Let’s see what’s happening …
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”
—Langston Hughes, American Poet
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – C Day – Activities, HW Club, Late Buses
Tuesday – D Day
Wednesday – A Day – 6A Field Trip, Activities, HW Club, Late Buses
Thursday – B Day – 6B Field Trip, Activities, HW Club, Late Buses
Friday – C Day – Faculty/Student Basketball Game
PTO UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS
Penny War!! – March 6th – March 17th, More details to follow – save your change
Book Fair – March 20th – 24th , parent volunteers needed
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
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY CAR PICK-UP
Car pick-up for after-school activities will be at 2:45. If you are picking up, enter and exit via Urban Street and loop around the circle as we do for regular car pick-up. Students can enter cars between the two crosswalks.
QUARTER 2 UNIFIED ARTS GRADES
Quarter 2 ended on January 27th. The following courses are on a 45-day schedule this year: art, drama, health, music, shop, and technology. Final grades for quarter 2 classes were posted to ASPEN by and will appear on the trimester 2 report card issued in March.
LATE BUS PICK-UP
Students will report to the cafeteria for late bus pick-up. Late bus runs 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.
HOOPS FOR HEART TOURNAMENT FUNDRAISER – A BIG SUCCESS!
We had a fantastic basketball tournament and fundraiser before vacation. Thank you to our students and families for their donations to the American Heart Association. Also, a big thank you to our PE teachers for organizing the event. See photos on our Instagram page.
MCAS CALENDAR 2023
Please see the attached calendar for MCAS testing dates this year.
ROBOTICS UPDATE
The Locke Monsters Robotics team has had a very busy and successful 2022-2023 season so far! This is the first year that we have fielded four teams, each with its own robot that was designed, built, programmed, and operated by a team of students. We are so proud to announce that all four teams have secured spots in the Southern New England Middle School Regional Championship which are this weekend February 25th & 26th.
Information is included below that explains how each team secured a spot in the Regionals:
Sophia Massaro, Emma Baldwin, Emily Leite, Nathan Reynolds, and Saanvi Thapa of Team 8025A put in extra effort to rebuild and reprogram their robot so that they could compete in a special Skills only competition on Sunday, February 12th. Their hard work paid off, and their score in the Skills competition secured them a spot in the Regionals.
Congratulations to Max Gorski, Shaurya Kaila, Ishaan Rana, James Robertson, and Asher Swint. The members of team 8025B were in the 13th seeded alliance at the start of the quarterfinals rounds at the February 4th competition. In a very exciting finish to the day, team 8025B was in the winning alliance and secured a spot in the Regionals.
Amir Akhmedov, Eli Baldwin, Sean O'Connor, Max Sweeney, and Drew Ungerson of Team 8025C went undefeated throughout the qualifying rounds on February 4th, but ended up losing in a tough quarterfinals match against the 8025B alliance. The 8025C team had already secured their spot in the Regionals when they finished in 2nd place during the competition on January 15th.
Caroline Gorski, Sabrina Gorski, Shakti Meiyur, Dhyey Patel, and Elise Skelton of team 8025D secured their spot in the Regionals by scoring well in the Skills part of the competition on February 4th. This team also made it to the semifinal round during the January 15th competition, where they were defeated by the 8025C alliance.
Mr. DeBenedetto, Mrs. Tolleson, and Ms. Cabral are all extremely proud of the students for all of their hard work, problem-solving, collaboration, and for never giving up.
These students have worked very hard and we wish them all the best at Regionals this weekend! Go Locke Monsters!!!
ESSAY CONTEST
Please see the attached link for an essay contest sponsored by the Billerica Adventure Series Corporation
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
An Average Problem
Doug, Dan, and Dean are triplets in Mr. Finch's first-period Algebra I class. Their father is in the military, which frequently reassigns him, so the boys sometimes change schools, even in the middle of the semester. Unfortunately, this Friday will be their last day in their current school, and their last exam in Mr. Finch's class!
On the following Monday, after the triplets have left the school, Mr. Finch announces the class averages. "Before Doug, Dan, and Dean left, the class average was 74%. However, removing their scores causes the class average to rise by one percentage point."
"Furthermore," he adds, "the ratio of the triplets' scores is 6 : 5 : 3. What are the scores of our three departing friends?"
Last Week’s Answer: Player A has a better chance of winning
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 do you tell a pig on February 14?" – Happy Valen-swines Day!
This Week: What is Spiderman’s favorite month?
NEWSLETTER REMINDERS
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.
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.
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.
FROM THE COMMUNITY
- The Billerica Recreation Department has many great programs for all ages. Please see the department website.
- The boys and girls club has great opportunities for our students. Please see the club website.
UPCOMING DATES – ALL DATES ARE ON OUR WEBSITE
- Monday, February 27th – Return to School
- Wednesday, March 1st – 6A Field Trip
- Thursday, March 2nd – 6B Field Trip
- March 6th – 17th – Penny War!
- Tuesday, March 7th – Early Release Day – 11:40 AM Dismissal
- Monday, March 13th – School Site Council, 5:00 PM – Library
- Monday, March 13th – PTO, 6:30 PM – Library
- Tuesday, March 14th – 7th grade BMHS assembly
- Friday, March 17th – Day 120, Last Day of Trimester 2
- March 20th -- 24th – Book Fair
- Week of March 20th – Last week of Activities
- Friday, March 24th – Spring Dance
- Friday, March 24th – Trimester 2 Grades Published
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