LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #28 2023-2024

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March 24, 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,

I hope you are enjoying the snowy/rainy/sunny weekend. It is a busy time of year in the month of 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

LOCKE WEBSITE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” — Audrey Hepburn

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Monday – D Day – Activities, HW Club, Late Buses

Tuesday – A Day – 6th Grade Field Trip

Wednesday – B Day – Advisory Schedule, Activities, HW Club, Late Buses (Last Day)

Thursday – C Day – No After School Programs

Friday –  C Day – Make-up Day, Early Release – 11:40 Dismissal

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS/LATE BUSES

This Wednesday is the last day for after-school activities, HW club, and late buses for the school year. There will be no after-school programs on Thursday, March 28th.

MAKE-UP DAY – March 29th

On Friday, March 29th, the Locke will be making up the day we missed on January 8th due to a power outage. There will be no school in the district for all other schools. It will be a “C” day and we will follow an early release schedule with a 11:40 dismissal time.

TRIMESTER 2 REPORT CARDS

Report Cards were published to Aspen on Friday, March 22nd. We ask parents to sign and return the report card envelope to indicate that they have seen the report. The report can be seen on your home screen under “published reports”. If you do not have an Aspen login, please email portalhelp@billericak12.com and we will be able to provide this information to you as soon as possible. All student reports are published on the portal.

SCHOOL BREAKFAST/LUNCH

Please see the attached lunch menu for the week.

BOOSTER-THON FUN RUN FUNDRAISER-FINAL UPDATE

We want to say a HUGE “Thank you!” to our students, staff, parents, and donors for our incredible Locke Monster Fun Run fundraiser.

Here is our final fundraising update. We raised $19,658 for student enrichment, field trips, 7th grade class day, field day, and more. This will directly impact our students and staff!

We had a blast celebrating last Wednesday at our Locke Monster Fun Run! Thank you to our staff and our parent volunteers for making today such a great event. Despite the cold, wind, rain, and even snow, our students had a fabulous time. Thank you to Ms. Call. Ms. Mac, Ms. Tolleson, Ms. Velozo, and Ms. Tex for agreeing to get pied! It was quite a sight! Finally, thank you to our PTO and the entire Locke Middle School community for coming together to make this a success!

LOCKE GEAR FOR SALE

The PTO is now selling Locke gear. Please see the attached flyer with the link to the store.

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. You must have a valid CORI on file to volunteer at school. Please see the minutes from our last meeting. Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 10th at 6:30 PM in the Locke Library. Please see the attached dates for the remaining PTO meetings during the year.

We also have a new Facebook page – “Billerica Locke PTO”. Click on the link below to take you there:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/W2AQvL6HZz2erG1S/?mibextid=oFDknk

LOCKE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL UPDATE

The Site Council met on Monday, March 10th. Please see the attached minutes from the meeting. The minutes and documents from our meetings can be found on the Locke website.

MCAS DATES 2024

ELA (All Grades) -- April 10, 11

Math (All Grades) -- May 7, 8

Science (Grade 5) -- May 14,15

DISTRICT-WIDE ART SHOW

The district art show will be open for viewing from April 12th –April 25th at BATV. A reception will be held on Friday, April 12th from 5:00-7:00 PM. See the attached flyer for more details.

MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK

SPRING TRAINING

A softball team is looking to rent a batting cage for their spring training. They found two within a reasonable distance but wanted to compare prices before deciding which facility to use. 
Their first option, The Dugout, charges $24 per day for the first 3 hours, then $0.08 per minute thereafter. Their second option, Batter Up, charges $30 per hour for the first 2 hours, then $0.05 per minute thereafter. Notice that while Batter Up's cost is more expensive initially, the charge per minute is less than The Dugout's. After how many hours of renting the batting cages will the cost of the two facilities be exactly the same? What is that cost?

Last week’s MPOW answer – The leprechaun knows 5 people and there were 17 people on the float.

Show all work. Submit your answers to Mr. Garas for a chance at a Dunkin gift card and the highly coveted math certificate!

RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK

Last week’s answer: St. Pat’s Day Jokes --What is a leprechaun’s favorite type of music? – Elfis -- What do you call an Irish spider? Paddy Long Legs -- What did the leprechaun say when the video game ended? – Game Clover What do you call a leprechaun with a sore throat? A Streprechaun

This week – When is the best time to wash a Slinky?

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! 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 annual Clean Up – Green Up Day will be held on April 20th from 10 am to 12 noon. Please see the attached for more information.

SUMMER PROGRAM – Middlesex Sheriff’s Office

Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Youth Public Safety Academy Summer Program

REMINDERS

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.

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 – ALL DATES ARE ALSO ON THE MASTER CALENDAR ON THE LOCKE WEBSITE

  • Tuesday, March 26th – 6th Grade Field Trip – Museum of Science
  • Wednesday, March 27th – Last Day of Activities, HW Club, and late buses
  • Friday, March 29th – Make-up Day, C Day, 11:40 Dismissal
  • Tuesday, April 2nd – Restaurant Night—Mangia,Mangia
  • Friday, April 5th – Day 135, Last Day of Quarter 3\
  • Monday, April 8th – Quarter 4 Unified Arts Classes Begin
  • Monday, April 8th – Locke Site Council, 5:00 PM
  • Wednesday, April 10th –PTO Meeting, 6:30 PM Library
  • Wednesday, April 10th – MCAS ELA Session I, All Grades
  • Thursday, April 11th – MCAS ELA Session II, All Grades
  • April 15th – 19th – Spring Vacation
  • Saturday, April 20th – Clean Up-Green Up Day 10:00-12:00
  • Monday, April 22nd – Return to School
  • Thursday, April 25th – Group Photos
  • Friday, April 26th – Last Day for ELA Make-ups

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

 

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