LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #17 2023-2024

January 1, 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,

Happy New Year!! 366 DAYS of LEARNING!! I hope you enjoyed the holiday vacation and I wish you all a healthy and happy 2024. Let’s try to keep those resolutions …

4 DAYS OF LEARNING this week! Let’s see what’s happening …

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school

LOCKE WEBSITE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. -- Neil Gaiman

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Monday – New Year’s Day – No School

Tuesday – C Day

Wednesday – D Day – Advisory Schedule

Thursday – A Day

Friday –  B Day

AFTER SCHOOL THIS WEEK AND JANUARY

• We will not be having HW Club or late buses for the first two weeks of January.
• HW Club and late buses will return the week of January 15^th on Wednesday and Thursday. (No school on Monday)
• Winter After School Activities will start the week of January 29^th. Information will be provided in early January.

TRIMESTER 1 REPORT CARDS

Trimester 1 report cards were published to the ASPEN portal on Thursday, December 14^th. It appears under published reports on your Aspen homepage. For parent account login assistance or to re-set your password, please email: portalhelp@billericak12.com 

STUDENT RECOGNITION

Congratulations to all students who achieved honor roll and high honor roll. Also, congratulations to our “Student of the Trimester” recipients. Please see the attached lists:

Trimester 1 Honor Roll           Trimester 1 High Honor Roll          Students of the Trimester

PTO NEWS

• Upcoming PTO Dates: Please see the attached list of PTO meetings for the remainder of the year.
• We will be having a restaurant night at Casa Blanca from 3:00-9:00 on Thursday, January 11^th. Please see the attached flyer for more details.

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.

MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK

2024 Challenge!

Use only the digits in 2024 (2, 0, 2, and 4) exactly one time each along with any mathematical symbol or operation of your choosing to create expressions equivalent to the numbers between 1 and 10.

1 =        2 =         3 =     , ...  up to 10.

Last problem’s Answer: The actual number of $25 gift cards Mr. Garas bought for gifts was 7 gift cards.

RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK

Riddle: Name the most recent year in which New Year’s Day comes before Christmas.

Two Jokes:

What do cows say on Jan. 1?     

Where can you practice multiplication tables on New Year's Eve?

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.

FROM THE TOWN OF BILLERICA

The Town of Billerica is seeking residents' input on Billerica's open space and recreation as it is currently updating its Open Space and Recreation Plan. I have been asked to share their survey link with families in order to reach a larger audience of residents.  They would appreciate your input which can be shared by taking this online survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KM8BR63. 

REMINDERS

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.

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.

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, January 2^nd – School Resumes
• Monday, January 8^th – School Site Council – 5:00 PM, Locke Library
• Wednesday, January 10^th – PTO Meeting, 6:30PM-Library
• Thursday, January 11^th – Restaurant Night, Casa Blanca
• Monday, January 15^th – No School, MLK Day
• Wednesday, January 24^th – Day 90, Quarter 2 Unified arts classes last day
• Thursday, January 25^th – Day 91, Quarter 3 Unified Arts classes begin
• Monday, January 29^th – Winter After School Activities Begin

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