LIFE AT THE LOCKE … Issue #27 2024-2025
March 16, 2025
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
Happy almost St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you are enjoying the weekend and the warm weather. 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 X @LockeMiddle and INSTAGRAM: locke_middle_school
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Top o' the mornin' to ya!"—Irish Greeting
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – D Day – St. Patrick's Day - Wear Green, Be Festive, HW Club, Activities
Tuesday – A Day – Day 120, Last Day of Trimester 2
Wednesday – B Day – Advisory Schedule, Fun-Run, HW Club, Activities
Thursday – C Day – HW Club, Activities, BMHS 7th grade presentation
Friday – D Day – Dance, 6:00-8:00 PM
SPRING DANCE
We are having a spring dance this Friday, March 21st from 6:00-8:00 PM. Please see attached flyer for more details. Tickets go on sale this week during lunch. Tickets are not sold at the door.
BOOSTER-THON FUN RUN FUNDRAISER
To all Locke Families,
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
We have raised $15,115 in our fundraiser which goes towards student enrichment, field trips, 7th grade end of the year activities, and more!
The weekend incentive is students will earn two raffle entries for every $50 they raise. In addition to the prizes for top earners, we have 3 raffle prizes for the students that they are entered in to win.
Also, the classroom in each grade with the most students who have over $100 in donations will win a Donut Party! The Donut Party will be planned for the week following the Fun Run. We only have a few days left until the Locke Monster Fun Run! We need your help to be successful! If you haven’t done so already, PLEASE register your student! Registering takes just a few minutes, and costs you nothing!! Log on to: Mybooster.com to get started!
We are excited for a fun day, no student will be made to run. Everyone is welcome to move at their own pace! Keep up the good work!
Thank you,
Locke PTO
7th GRADE PRESENTATION
On Thursday, March 20th, 7th-grade students will be attending a presentation from BMHS regarding course selection and as an introduction to 8th grade.
MCAS TESTING DATES 2025
ELA (All Grades) -- April 9, 10
Math (All Grades) -- May 6, 7
Science (Grade 5) -- May 13,14
ROBOTICS FUNDRAISER
We have started a GoFundMe campaign to continue raising funds to help pay some of the costs for the upcoming trip to the World Championships in Dallas, TX in May. We are also hoping to raise enough money to help us buy the new game pieces for next year's challenge so that we can start preparing for next season as soon as the new challenge is announced in May. We appreciate your continued support for our team!
LOCKE MUSICAL
Bye-Bye Birdie will be here soon! Please see the attached flyer for more information.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING ATHLETICS REGISTRATION
We will be offering two sports this Spring for students – track and field and girls volleyball. Please see the information below:
- Registration is open Monday, February 3rd at noon.
- Start date of programs: Approx. April 1, 2025
- Families will register and Pay using Community Pass. (24-25 Athletic Programs)
- Fee is $140
- Link to Community Pass
- Need Help with Community Pass account email: communitypass@
billericak12.com - There will be more detailed information regarding practices and schedules at the beginning of March.
PTO RESTAURANT NIGHT
Our next PTO dining out fundraiser is Sunday, March 23rd from 3:00 – 9:00 PM at Casa Blanca in Billerica. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
HOMEWORK CLUB
HW Club continues 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 Monday, March 3rd. Please see the minutes for the meeting. All related documents for the council can be found on our website.
ESSAY CONTEST – DUE March 21st
The Billerica Adventure Series Corporation is sponsoring its annual essay contest related to the environment. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #20
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Please see the attached St. Patrick’s Day math puzzle.
Last Week’s Answer: Area = 13.1 square inches Send your answers to Mr. Garas – tgaras@billericak12.com – Show your work! You can win a Dunkin gift card and the highly coveted math certificate!! Congratulations to Eden Swift, Megan Hogan, Ava Harrington, and Tej Patel
RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK
This week – St. Patrick’s Day 1. Why do leprechauns hate running? 2. How do you get a leprechaun's attention?
Last week’s Answers – 1. Why should you never talk to pi? – Because it goes on forever 2. What kind of snake does your math teacher own -- A Pi-thon!
PTO GIFT CARD FUNDRAISING PROGRAM
The Locke Gift Card Program through RaiseRight (formerly Scrip) is up and running! Order gift cards from hundreds of vendors and earn cash for the Locke! To get started, go to RaiseRight.com, select to join a program, and when prompted enter the Locke registration code: 2CL88E7B61823.
Some retailers offer physical cards and e-gift cards, so you can choose your amount and delivery method. Additionally, you can choose whether your physical cards will be sent to the Locke and home with your student, or if they are eligible for direct ship, you can choose to have the cards shipped to your home. Customers can opt for a variety of payment methods, including to pay by check. However, anyone who chooses this method needs to bring their check to the school and it must be deposited and clear the bank before your order will be pushed through for processing. For anyone opting for shipment to the school, orders placed and paid for by 10:00 on Mondays will be processed with the week’s order. Once received at the school, it will be sorted and sent home with your student.
Please be sure to email the Locke PTO at BillericaLockeMiddlePTO@
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
PTO CORNER
The PTO welcomes all families to the Locke. We will be meeting monthly to plan several events throughout the year. Our last meeting was on March 12th. Please see the attached minutes. We are always looking for volunteers to help plan great programs that will benefit our students. Our future meeting dates have been set. Please see the attached list. Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 9th 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.
REMINDERS
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.
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
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.
FROM THE COMMUNITY
Please see the attached information for the Family Health and Safety Fair.
UPCOMING DATES -- ALL DATES ARE ALSO ON THE MASTER CALENDAR ON THE LOCKE WEBSITE
- Tuesday, March 18th – Day 120, End of Trimester 2
- Wednesday, March 19th – Fun Run Booster Thon Event
- Thursday, March 20th – 7th grade BMHS assemblies
- Friday, March 21st – Orchestra/String Classes field trip
- Friday, March 21st – Spring Dance, 6:00 - 8:00
- Friday, March 21st – World Down Syndrome Day
- Sunday, March 23rd – Restaurant Night, Casa Blanca Billerica 3:00-9:00 PM
- Thursday, March 27th – Grades Published 2:00 PM
- Thursday, March 27th – Locke Musical, 7:00 PM
- Friday, March 28th – Locke Musical, 7:00 PM
- Saturday, March 29th – Locke Musical, 2:00 PM
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