LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #7 2023-2024
October 15, 2023
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are having a great weekend and enjoying the cool fall weather. We are back with 5 DAYS OF LEARNING this week, and we have a busy schedule ahead as usual. Let’s see what’s happening …
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Acts of kindness never die. They linger in the memory, giving life to other acts of kindness in return.” – Jonathan Sacks
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – A Day -- HW Club, Activities
Tuesday – B Day
Wednesday – C Day – Advisory Schedule, HW Club, Activities
Thursday – D Day – HW Club, Activities
Friday – A Day
HALLOWEEN DANCE!!
We are having a Halloween Dance on Friday, October 27th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
TALENT SHOW
We will be having a talent show on Thursday, November 16th at 6:00 PM. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
HALF-WAY POINT OF TRIMESTER 1—ASPEN CHECK
Tuesday, October 17th is day 30 of the school year and the halfway point of trimester 1. You can check your child’s academic progress on Aspen. If you need an Aspen account or need your password reset, please email portalhelp@billericak12.com. Include your full name and your child’s name in your request.
PARENT CONFERENCES
Parent conferences will be held in person on Wednesday, October 25th, and Wednesday, November 1st from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. We are using a computer program called PTC Wizard to schedule conferences. Conferences will be 5 minutes long and each teacher will have 48 openings. There is a possibility that a teacher will be booked and you will not be able to schedule a conference with a particular teacher. If that does occur, I encourage you to utilize email, meet individually with the teacher at another time, or schedule a team meeting. I will provide you with a link later in the week in a separate email that will take you to the website to schedule your parent meetings.
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Activities have started. If you have any questions regarding enrollment, please contact the main office.
If you are picking up, please arrive at 2:45 in the circle in front of the school. You can also pick up in the teacher’s lot. For student safety, students should not cross the street to be picked up.
Late Buses leave at approximately 3:10. Students will be supervised in the cafeteria until the buses arrive. If your child is taking the late bus, please make sure they know the bus number (1,2, or 3) and the stop. Students should write it down in their agenda. The routes are attached below.
HOMEWORK CLUB
HW club is available 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/teachers believe are necessary. Students are expected to stay for the full hour.
LATE BUSES
Late bus runs have started 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.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
One of our initiatives this year is to improve student attendance and tardiness. The impact on student learning due to attendance concerns can be seen in this graphic. Please see the attached attendance policy for the 23-24 school year.
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #4
This week’s problem is the same as last week. We need a few more submissions from students. Happy solving!
Fall in New England
It’s Autumn, and that means leaves are falling! Amber’s house occupies 2650 ft2 in the middle of a 50-foot by 89-foot parcel of land, and the leaves that fall cover the ground all around her house.
1. If it takes Amber’s family 4.5 hours to rake all the leaves, how many square feet of leaves did they rake each hour?
2. Last year, when Amber’s family raked the leaves, they used one bag per 100 square feet raked. This year, since there were more fallen leaves, they ended up using 50% more bags. How many more bags did they use this year?
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/JOKE OF THE WEEK
Last week’s answer: How can one tree contact another tree? By te-leaf-phone!!
This Week: What’s the best band to listen to in autumn?
BMHS VOLLEYBALL FUNDRAISER
Join the BMHS volleyball program in supporting the Find the Cause Breast Cancer Foundation on Friday, October 20th. See the attached flyer for more details.
REMINDERS
CHROMEBOOKS AND GOOGLE CLASSROOMS
Students are required to bring their school-issued Chromebooks to school every day. 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.
SCHOOL TIMES
School starts promptly at 7:30. Students should be in their homeroom at 7:30. The drop-off time for students is 7:10 -- 7:25. (Please note this change from last year) Students will be allowed to enter the building at 7:10. From 7:10 – 7:20, students that enter the building will be supervised in the cafeteria. Students will not be allowed in before 7:10 AM.
CAR DROP-OFF
Student car drop-off will be in the lower lot beginning at 7:10. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO EXIT CARS UNTIL 7:10. 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 the lower circle. After the buses leave, parents are to pull around 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 secretaries, Ms. Brewster at nbrewster@billericak12.com and Lucy O’Brien at lobrien@billericak12.com
BUS ASSIGNMENTS
Students who 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
MEDICAL INFORMATION
For 7th grade students, please provide the nurse with current physical and immunization records.
LUNCH/BREAKFAST
All breakfast and lunches are free to all students again this year. Students have a 4-digit pin code that they will need to use when they get breakfast or lunch. Breakfast 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.
UPCOMING DATES
- Friday, October 20th – BMHS volleyball Fundraiser
- Friday, October 27th – Halloween Dance – 6:00-8:00 PM
- Wednesday, October 25th – Parent Conferences, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
- Wednesday, November 1st -- Parent Conferences, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
If you have any questions, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or call 978-528-8655 Have a great week!
Warmest regards,
Tony Garas, Principal