April 4, 2026
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are enjoying the long weekend. We are putting out the newsletter a little early this weekend. I wish a Happy Easter to all who celebrate. We have another busy week ahead with MCAS testing and 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” —William Shakespeare
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – C Day – HW Club, Activities
Tuesday – D Day
Wednesday – A Day – MCAS ELA, HW Club, Activities, NO Advisory
Thursday – B Day – MCAS ELA, Activities, NO HW Club
Friday – C Day, Day 135 Quarter 3 Ends
MCAS BEGINS THIS WEEK
It is that time of year again and students will be taking the MCAS assessment starting this week. All grade levels will be participating in the ELA assessment according to the following schedule:
Wednesday, April 8 – All Grades, ELA Session 1
Thursday, April 9, All Grades, ELA Session 2
The MCAS exam gives all students an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned and how much they have grown as learners. It is important for our school and community to ensure that all students do their best work. The testing can be stressful for students and as a staff we work diligently to provide a positive environment. You can help your children in many ways:
· Be Positive
· Make sure your child attends school on every testing day
· Make sure your child arrives on time at 7:30 AM
· Emphasize that the tests are important and give students a chance to demonstrate learning.
· Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep prior to testing
· Be sure to have your child charge their Chromebook at night and bring it to school fully charged
· All students should have a book to read for when they complete testing
The MCAS assessment will be given on Chromebooks again this year. We have provided all students with training that will assist them in taking the assessment. We have also been providing students with sample items that will better prepare students for the type of questions that will be asked. MCAS is based on the common core and all of our curricula have been aligned to ensure that the work being done in our classrooms every day meets the standards. If you have any questions regarding the MCAS, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I thank you in advance for helping our students navigate through the testing season and demonstrating that the Locke is a great place to learn and grow.
MCAS CALENDAR
Please see the attached calendar for all MCAS testing dates this year.
LAST DAY OF QUARTER 3
The last day of quarter 3 will be Friday, April 10th. Quarter 4 starts on Monday, April 13th and students will begin their new Unified Arts class.
STUDENT RECOGNITION
Congratulations to all students who received honors and high honors for Trimester 2. Also, congratulations to students receiving the Student of the Trimester award. The certificates were sent home last week. Keep up the great work!
TRIMESTER 2 REPORT CARDS-PUBLISHED
Report Cards have been published to the Aspen Portal. 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 log in, 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.
LOCKE MUSICAL – REVIEWS ARE IN!
Congratulations to the cast and crew who participated in Peter Pan, Jr this year. Three incredible performances by our talented students on the Locke stage. Many legs were broken! Special thanks to Ms. Crowley, Ms. Rodland, Ms. McDermott, Mr. Dearbeck, Mr. Ashe, and the many parent volunteers. Remember to NEVER GROW UP!
ROBOTICS FUNDRAISER
The Locke Monsters Robotics Team is holding a Lottery Ticket fundraiser to raise funds for our team. We are selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a book of 100 MA State Lottery tickets ($10 version). We will be selling a total of 300 raffle tickets at $10 each. Once all of the tickets are sold, the winner will be selected and notified. You can Venmo Mrs. Tolleson (one of the coaches) @jmtolleson1 if you would like to buy a raffle ticket. The cost is $10 per raffle entry. Please include your name and phone number in the memo/note line so that you can be entered into the raffle and notified if you win.
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.
DISTRICT REPORT CARD
Please see the attached letter from Lori McDermott – assistant superintendent
RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK
This Week – 1. What do you call an egg from outer space? 2. What do Easter eggs do for fun?
Last week’s answers: 1. Why was the frog late to work on April Fools’ Day? Because her car got toad! 2. How do you keep a fool in suspense? I’ll tell you tomorrow.
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Smallest and Largest
1. Arrange the numbers 4, 8, 1, 6, 3, and 5 to form two 3-digit numbers with the smallest possible sum.
2. Arrange the numbers 2, 9, 1, 4, 5, and 4 to form two 3-digit numbers with the largest possible sum.
BONUS – Find all the different ways to arrange the numbers to get the same answers.
Last Week’s Answer: 1,357
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.
SAVE THE DATES! VOLUNTEERS WILL BE NEEDED
April 14th,15th – Trinket Sales 10:15 – 12:00
May 18th – May 22nd – Book Fair
May 21st – Ice Cream Social 6:00 – 7:30
June 17th – Field Day
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 information regarding the “Adopt-a-Senior” program.
Summer Strength and Conditioning Program
Take advantage of the summer break to harden the mind and body by attending Billerica’s Summer Enrichment Strength & Conditioning camp. The camp is designed for ALL students and is fully staffed with fitness instructors and an athletic trainer. The perfect opportunity to learn how to properly exercise and develop your fitness. The program will focus on a wide range of physical traits such as flexibility, strength, speed, agility, and stamina. Our Strength & Conditioning Program will be a comprehensive four-day per week program designed to emphasize all of the physical attributes that are important to developing core strength. Participants will also receive advice and instruction on nutrition, the importance of recovery, and the prevention of injury. All that is required of the participant is his/her motivation and a willingness to work hard. We’ll provide the equipment, instruction, programming, and RESULTS.
Offered once again– session option that will have a focus primarily on building aerobic strength as well as working on balance, flexibility, mobility, and general strength. Athletes will learn about proper form and mechanics while running as well as injury prevention routines. Athletes will also learn about the importance of nutrition and sleep and how they impact performance. This option would be ideal for athletes planning to compete in cross country, soccer, or looking to build fitness/aerobic strength.
To Register: Need a verified account with “Community Pass” if you need to activate your Community Pass account, please email communitypass@billericak12.com
Select 2026-27 Athletic Programs
Questions Contact: John Magliozzi or Laura Jenkins 978-528-7922
6 Weeks of Training
Ø June 29 to August 13, 2026 (July 4th week Closed July 6—July10)
Ø Monday-Thursday for ALL Sessions
Ø Location BMHS
Program Option #1
Ø Class of 2030 & 2031 from 8-Noon
Ø Cost $250.00 per student
Ø In addition to the Strength & Conditioning Program there will be free gym time to play basketball, floor-hockey, and other team games.
Program Option #2
Ø Class of 2027, 2028, 2029. & 2030 –3 Morning sessions offered 6:30, 8:00 & 9:30 AM.
Ø Cost $170.00 per student
Ø Session is 90 minutes
Program Option #3
Ø Hybrid Model (Focus is aerobic strength)
Ø Class of 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031 Hybrid Model (Session Option)
Ø 1 Morning Session 8 am to 10 am
Ø Cost $170.00 per student
SUMMER ENRICHMENT CAMP
Looking for something exciting for your child this summer???? If so please consider registering for the Billerica Summer Enrichment Camp at the Marshall Middle School. We are a half day camp for students aged PreK-7th graders with a variety of classes available. Please see our website for details and reach out to PJ McCarthy (PJMcCarthy@BillericaK12.com) with any questions.
FROM THE COMMUNITY
Please see the attached flyer for details on a 5th grade father/daughter dance.
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, 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
· Tuesday, Wednesday April 14th /15th – Trinket Sales at Lunch
· 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