LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #13 2024-2025
November 24, 2024
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are enjoying the weekend as we prepare for the holiday season. We only have 2 ½ DAYS OF LEARNING this week, but we will make the most of them.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I would like to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season ahead. We have much to be thankful for at the Locke. Our staff, families, and students have created a positive learning community that is dedicated to being an environment where all can grow and succeed. I know in the weeks ahead our staff will continue to work hard to provide tremendous learning opportunities for our students and to support them academically and emotionally. During this busy time, I hope we all can get a chance to pause and reflect on the positive moments of this year and look forward to the coming months with many days of learning. Happy Thanksgiving!
FOLLOW US ON X @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Find gratitude in the little things and your well of gratitude will never run dry.” ― Antonia Montoya
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – D Day – Activities, HW Club
Tuesday – A Day
Wednesday – B Day – Turkey Toss!, Half-Day Schedule, 10:40 Dismissal, No after-school programs
Thursday – No School
Friday – No School
HALF-DAY – Wednesday, 11/27
Wednesday, November 27th is a half day. Dismissal will be at approximately 10:40 – 10:55. For the safety of students we need to wait for the buses to arrive to dismiss students. This is dependent on when the buses leave the high school. Walkers and pick-ups will be dismissed after bus students.
THE TURKEY TOSS IS COMING ...
Turkeys will be flying again in the Locke gym on Wednesday. We are raising money for the Billerica Food Pantry and Hurricane Relief in Florida. The last day to turn in donations is Tuesday, November 26th. Please see the attached for more information.
LOCKE MUSICAL – BYE-BYE BIRDIE
The Locke Spring Musical will be Bye-Bye Birdie. Auditions are coming soon during the first week of December. Please see the attached flyer for how to sign up and for more information.
TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE
We are 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 and students to drop off toys. The collection will go through Friday, December 6, 2024. 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.
HOMEWORK CLUB
HW Club will continue throughout the 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. Parent pick-up at 2:45 is required.
LOCKE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL
Our school council met on November 4th last week. Please see the minutes for the meeting. All related documents for the council can be found on our website.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Our school is participating in Box Tops for Education, which means that you can earn cash with the products you already buy that can be used for our students! Here’s how you can help:
1. Download the Box Tops app on your phone and follow instructions on how to set up an account and sign up to support our school. Use referral code TD580QUF to earn bonus box tops which means extra money for our school!
2. Shop as you normally would. There are hundreds of participating products that help our school earn money! Look for the Box Tops logo on product packages and download a full list of participating products at BTFE.com/products.
3. Use the app to snap a photo of your receipt or submit digitally within 14 days of purchase. The app will identify any Box Tops participating products and credit them to our school. You can also connect your Box Tops and Walmart accounts. Once your accounts are connected, your school will get credit for any Box Tops products you buy at Walmart when you pay with the saved payment method in your Walmart wallet.
4. Twice a year, our school will get a check! Help us give students what they need to succeed. Let’s see how much we can earn!
SEE THE ATTACHED FLYER FOR MORE INFORMATION
LOCKE HOLIDAY TREE
Thank you to all who donated to the Locke tree at the library. Also, thank you to the PTO for setting it up, See the attached photo of the tree. It looks great! – I hope I win!
PTO CORNER
Thank you to all who helped with the Ice-Cream Social! Despite the rain, we had an awesome turnout. The toppings bar was a big hit!
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 see the minutes from our last meeting. Our future meeting dates have been set. Please see the attached list. Our next meeting is Wednesday, December 11th at 6:30 PM in the Locke Library.
Our board members are:
Andrea Toomey -- President
Amit Gandhi -- Vice-President
Jacqui Chaffins -- Treasurer
Katie Malone – Secretary
We also have a new Facebook page – “Billerica Locke PTO”. Click on the link below to take you there:
https://www.facebook.com/
LOCKE GEAR FOR SALE
The PTO is now selling Locke gear. Please see the attached flyer with the link to the store.
BMHS MUSICAL – SUESSICAL TICKETS ON SALE NOW
"Oh, the thinks you can think" when Dr. Seuss' best-loved characters collide and cavort in an unforgettable musical caper! Everyone's favorite Dr. Seuss characters are brought to life, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie, and Jojo. The colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos. Seussical is fun for the whole family!
Performance Dates: 12/5 - 12/7 @ 7:30pm
**Matinee performance on 12/7 @ 1:30pm
Tickets available at - https://billericafinearts.
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #9
Same as last week -- Thanksgiving Day Dishes
Grandmother Brown is going to host a huge family gathering on Thanksgiving Day. She has eight grandchildren, and this year she has decided that they will all help with serving or cleaning up. The kitchen is small, so she must select four of the children to wash dishes after the meal. The others will help with serving during the meal.
The selection is not an easy matter! Can you help Grandmother select a dishwashing crew of four?
- Travis will work with anybody.
- Michael won't wash dishes unless Vinolia helps too.
- Vinolia won't wash dishes with Jen.
- Nicholas won't work without Funmi.
- Jen will work with anybody.
- Clark won't wash dishes with Nicholas unless Stephen helps too, and won't work with Vinolia unless Nicholas also helps.
- Stephen won't work with both Michael and Vinolia, and won't wash dishes with either Travis or Jen.
- Funmi won't help unless either Michael or Clark wash dishes, and won't work with Vinolia unless Stephen works too, and won't work with both Travis and Jen.
What are the names of the four grandchildren who will be washing the dishes?
Last Week’s Answer: A student ticket costs $6 and an adult ticket costs $8 Send your answers to Mr. Garas – tgaras@billericak12.com – Show your work!
RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK
This week – Thanksgiving jokes! 1. Why did the stuffing cross the road? 2. What does the turkey do on the computer? 3. What do sweet potatoes wear to bed?
Last week’s Answer -- 1. If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims 2. Why should you never tell secrets in a cornfield? There are too many ears around.
REMINDERS
SCHOOL TIMES
School starts promptly at 7:30. Students should be in their homeroom at 7:30. The car drop-off time for students is 7:10 -- 7:25. 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 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
CELL PHONE POLICY
Our cell phone policy is that all student phones/smart watches are to be kept in student lockers and turned off for the duration of the school day. If parents need to contact students, please contact the main office.
CHROMEBOOKS AND GOOGLE CLASSROOMS
Students are required to bring their school-issued Chromebooks to school every day beginning on the 1st day of school. 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. Fifth-grade students who did not pick up a Chromebook will be sent home with the paperwork for parents to sign. Please return it with your child and we will issue them a Chromebook.
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
Our school nurse is Janice Roberts – jroberts@billericak12.com
- Students may drop off EpiPens, inhalers, and any over-the-counter medications.
- A parent or guardian must drop off any prescription medications.
- All medications need to be accompanied by a medication order from the student's physician and with either an Anaphylaxis Action Plan or Asthma Action Plan as applicable
- If families need copies of these forms they can be found on the Billerica Public Schools website: https://www.
billericak12.com/departments/ health-services-wellness/ school-nursing
Also, as a reminder:
ALL 7th GRADE STUDENTS must submit proof of TDaP (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) and MCV4 (meningitis) vaccines, as well as an UPDATED physical exam, by 9/30/24
LUNCH/BREAKFAST
All breakfast and lunches are free to all students again this year. Students will be receiving a 4 digit PIN code that they will need to use when they get breakfast or lunch. Breakfast will be served every day and it will be “grab and go”. Students can grab a breakfast in the cafeteria when they come in and then report to homeroom. They can eat breakfast in homeroom.
UPCOMING DATES
- Wednesday, November 27th – Half Day, 10:40 Dismissal, Turkey Toss
- Thursday, Friday November 28th and 29th – Thanksgiving Recess, No School
- Monday, December 2nd – School Council Meeting, 5:00 PM Library
- Tuesday, December 3rd – Day 60 End of Trimester 1
- Monday, December 9th – Orchestra Concert at Marshall 7:00 PM
- Tuesday, December 10th – Student School Committee Presentation 6:00 PM
- Wednesday, December 11th – PTO Meeting 6:30 PM Library
- Wednesday, December 11th – Band Concert at Marshall 7:00 PM
- Thursday, December 12th – Chorus Concert at BMHS 7:00 PM
- Thursday, December 12th – Trimester 1 Report Cards Published
- December 16th through 20th – Book Fair
- Thursday, December 19th – 7th Grade Field Trip
- Friday, December 20th – Half Day 10:40 Dismissal
- December 23rd through January 1st – Holiday Recess
- Thursday, January 2nd – Return to School
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