LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #10 2023-2024
November 5, 2023
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are having a great weekend. We are back with only 3 DAYS OF LEARNING this week, but we still have a busy schedule ahead as usual. We wish a happy Veterans Day to all and especially to those who have served to protect our country. Let’s see what’s happening this week …
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” —Maya Angelou
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – D Day -- HW Club, Activities, Late Buses, Talent Show Auditions
Tuesday – No School, Staff Meetings
Wednesday – A Day – Picture retakes, Advisory Schedule, HW Club, Activities, Late Buses, Day 45
Thursday – B Day – New Unified Arts Classes Start, No after school programs
Friday – No School, Veterans Day observed
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS THIS WEEK
Due to the holiday on Friday, we will not have after-school programs or late buses on Thursday, November 9th this week.
PICTURE RE-TAKES
If you were absent on the 1st day of photos or want your picture retaken, the pictures will be taken on Wednesday, November 8th. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
QUARTER 1 ENDS
Wednesday, November 8th is the forty-fifth day of school and the end of the first quarter. The following courses are on a 45-day schedule this year: art, drama, health, music, shop, and computer science. Students will see a change during one period of their day on Thursday, November 9th , the beginning of the second quarter. Students, please check your schedules. Final grades for quarter 1 classes will be posted to ASPEN by Wednesday, November 15th, and will appear on the trimester 1 report card issued in December.
PTO MEETING
We will be having a PTO meeting on Wednesday, November 15th at 6:30 PM in the Locke Library. All are welcome to attend. We are seeking new leadership for the following positions:
President
Vice-President
Secretary
If you are interested in any of these positions, please send me an email at tgaras@billericak12.com.
SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL-PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
I am seeking parent volunteers to serve on the Locke School Council. We would like at least one parent representative per grade level. The school council is responsible for the school budget, setting policy, and for revising the school improvement plan. Parental input is a critical component of our improvement efforts as we move forward with new initiatives. We will be meeting on the second Monday of each month at 5:00 PM. Our first meeting will be Monday, November 13th at 5:00 PM in the Locke Library. Please see the attached link for the meeting dates throughout the year. If you are interested in serving on the council or need more information, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or
THE TURKEY TOSS IS COMING ...
Turkeys will be flying again in the Locke gym. We are raising money for the Billerica Food Pantry and the Lewiston, Maine tragedy. Please see the attached for more information.
TALENT SHOW
We will be having a talent show on Thursday, November 16th at 6:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE
The Locke Pride Alliance is sponsoring a Toys for Tots toy drive for this upcoming holiday season. Collection boxes are now available in the lobby of The Locke Middle School and will be available for parents to drop off toys during parent/teacher conferences. The collection will go through Friday, December 8, 2023. We are collecting new, unwrapped toys for ages infant to 18 years old. According to our contact at Toys for Tots, there are typically fewer toys donated for older children.
ROBOTICS UPDATE
The members of the Locke Monsters Robotics team would like to sincerely thank all of the members of The Locke Middle School community who supported our bake sale at the parent/teacher conference on October 25th and November 1st. In addition to supporting our team by purchasing items from the bake sale table, many people also made donations to the team. We will use the money that we raised to help purchase materials that students can use to build their robots. Our first competition is scheduled for December 17th and students have been working very hard to get their robots ready for this year's challenge.
UPDATED -- 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. PLEASE WAIT FOR MY SIGNAL TO LET STUDENTS OUT OF CARS. ALSO, ONLY MAKE A U-TURN AT THE END OF THE LINE. 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.
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 #7
Magic Math!
Try this and see how it works:
Step 1: | Pick any number |
Step 2: | Double it |
Step 3: | Add 5 |
Step 4: | Multiply by 50 |
Step 5: | If you've had your birthday this year, add 1773, or, if you've not yet had your birthday this year, add 1772 |
Step 6: | Subtract the year of your birth |
You should end up with a number that is a combination of the number you started with followed by your age. For example, if you are 12 and you start with the number 27, the result you should end up with is 2712.
Question:
- Explain why the result is always the original number followed by your age.
Last Week’s Answers: 1. 21 students 2. 1/6 Congratulations to Leila Diaz and Omkar Deshpande
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: Why did the vampire need mouthwash? They have Bat Breath!!
This Week A Riddle: A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family? (prizes for this one!)
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.
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 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 secretaries, Ms. Brewster at nbrewster@billericak12.com or 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
UPCOMING DATES
- Tuesday, November 7th – No School, Staff Meetings
- Wednesday, November 8th – Day 45, Last Day of Quarter 1 Unified Arts Classes
- Wednesday, November 8th – Picture Re-Takes, Make-ups
- Friday, November 10th – No School, Veteran’s Day
- Monday, November 13th – School Site Council, 5:00 PM-Library
- Wednesday, November 15th – PTO Meeting, 6:30 Library
- Thursday, November 16th – Talent Show, 6:00 PM-Auditorium
- Wednesday, November 22nd – Turkey Toss!!
- Wednesday, November 22nd – Half-Day, 10:40 Dismissal
- November 23rd-24th – No School, Thanksgiving Recess
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