March 15, 2026
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
Happy almost St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you are enjoying the weekend. It is a busy time of year in the month of March and we are back with a full 5 DAYS OF LEARNING this week! Let’s see what’s happening …
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“At the end of the rainbow waited the pot of gold.” — V.C. Andrews
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – A Day – HW Club, Activities
Tuesday – B Day – St. Patrick’s Day, Wear Green – prizes for the most festive
Wednesday – C Day – No Advisory, Fun Run Event!, HW Club, Activities, PTO Meeting 6:30 PM
Thursday – D Day – Day 120 End of Trimester 2, HW Club, Activities
Friday – A Day – Spring Dance!
BOOSTER-THON FUN RUN FUNDRAISER
Locke Monster Fun Run update! Reminder: Our Locke Monster Fun Run is coming up on 03/18/2026! This is our largest yearly fundraiser and we are counting on you to help us reach our $15,000 goal. We are about 75% of the way there already, but we need your help to get us over the finish line! It’s not too late to sign up and join in the fun
Don’t forget our BONUS weekend challenge! The class in each grade that has the most students with $100+ in donations will win a donut party after Fun Run! Don’t miss out on a chance to enjoy a delicious treat and support the Locke PTO!
Weekend Challenge
For every $50 raised, students will earn TWO raffle tickets for BOTH the parent and student prize raffles! The more you raise, the more chances you have to win!
· Log in to MyBooster.com
· Share your student’s fundraising page with family & friends
· Help your class rise to the top!
Volleyball is currently full. If you are interested in being put on the wait list, please email our coach, Brittney Apostolakes – bapostolakes@billericek12.com
Track and Field
· Families will register and pay using Community Pass. (25-26 Athletic Programs)
· Fee is $140
· Need Help with Community Pass account email: communitypass@billericak12.com
SPRING DANCE
We are having a spring dance this Friday, March 20th 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.
7th GRADE PRESENTATION
On Thursday, March 19th, 7th-grade students will be attending a presentation from BMHS regarding course selection and as an introduction to 8th grade.
ART SHOW
Our annual district art show will be from March 24th – April 6th at BATV. The opening reception is Thursday, March 26th from 5:00-7:00 PM. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
MCAS CALENDAR
Please see the attached calendar for MCAS testing dates this year.
DISTRICT REPORT CARD
Please see the attached letter from Lori McDermott – assistant superintendent
RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK
This Week – 1. Why do leprechauns hate running? 2. Where do leprechauns post their photos?
Last week’s answers: 1. Why couldn’t the flower ride a bike? – Because it lost its petals! 2. What did the dirt say to the rain? If this keeps up, my name will be mud!
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
St. Patrick’s Day!
A leprechaun is trying to balance his treasure scale using shamrocks and horseshoes. He needs your help to figure out the final exchange rate!
The Problem:
- On the first scale, 3 three-leafed clovers balance exactly with 2 horseshoes.
- On the second scale, 2 horseshoes balance exactly with 5 four-leafed clovers.
Question: How many four-leafed clovers are needed to balance with 15 three-leafed clovers?
Last Week’s Answer: Warren needs to buy 2 bags of flour.
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!! We will have prizes on Friday this week.
LOCKE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL
Our school council met on Monday, March 9th . Please see the minutes for the meeting. All related documents for the council can be found on our website.
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. (not on early release Wednesdays) 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. They can attend as many days as the parents/teachers believes are necessary. Students will receive help with assignments, organization, preparing for assessments, and are expected to stay for the full hour. Parent pick-up at 2:45 is required.
PTO CORNER
The PTO welcomes all families to the Locke. We will be meeting monthly to plan several events throughout the year.
LOCKE GEAR is for sale! Go to this link to purchase. A portion of the price goes to the PTO.
UPCOMING PTO EVENTS:
Wednesday, March 18th – Fun Run
Wednesday, March 18th – PTO Meeting 6:30 PM Library
Our PTO Facebook page is: “Billerica Locke PTO”. Click on the link below to take you there:
ESSAY CONTEST
The Billerica Adventure Series Corporation is sponsoring its annual essay contest related to the environment. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
FROM BMHS
Please see the attached flyer for a class of 2026 fundraiser.
Also, please see the attached information regarding the “Adopt-a-Senior” program.
REMINDERS
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.
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/or Ms. 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
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 beginning on the first day. 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. Students are not allowed to bring in breakfast/drinks from Dunkin, Starbucks, etc.
UPCOMING DATES
All Dates are also on our master calendar on the Locke website.
· Wednesday, March 18th – Booster-Thon Fun Run Event
· Wednesday, March 18th – PTO Meeting 6:30 PM Library
· Thursday, March 19th – Day 120, Last Day of Trimester 2
· Thursday, March 19th – BMHS Presentation to 7th graders
· Friday, March 20th – Spring Dance 6:00 – 8:00
· Thursday, March 26th – Musical 7:00 PM Auditorium
· Friday, March 27th – Musical 7:00 PM Auditorium
· Saturday, March 28th – Musical 2:00 PM Auditorium
· Tuesday, March 31st – Report Cards Published 2:00 PM
· Friday, April 3rd – No School
· Wednesday, April 8th – MCAS ELA Session 1
· Thursday, April 9th – MCAS ELA Session 2
· Friday, April 10th – Day 135 End of Quarter 3
· Monday, April 13th – Quarter 4 Unified Arts Classes Start
· Monday, April 13th – Locke School Council 5:00 PM Library
· Wednesday, April 15th – PTO Meeting 6:30 Library
· April 20th through April 24th – Spring Break
· Monday, April 27th – Return to School
· Wednesday, April 29th – Group Pictures
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