November 16, 2025
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are enjoying the weekend. 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
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” — Walt Whitman
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – D Day – HW Club, Activities, Student Musical Meeting 1:45, Parent Musical Meeting 6:30 PM
Tuesday – A Day
Wednesday – B Day – Advisory Schedule, HW Club, Activities, Ice Cream Social 6:00 PM
Thursday – C Day – ALICE Drill, HW Club, Activities
Friday – D Day
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Please join the Locke PTO for our fall ice cream social on Wednesday, 11/19 from 6-7:30 pm in the Locke Cafeteria! There will be ice cream and slush available (don’t miss out on our amazing toppings bar!) Cost is $5 at the door- cash and Venmo are accepted. We hope you can join us for a night of fun and community. This is not a drop-off event.
We are looking for a few volunteers to help make our event a success! Please sign up here: Volunteer sign-up Link
ALICE SAFETY DRILL
We will be having an ALICE lockdown drill on Thursday, November 20th . We will be discussing it with students during advisory on Wednesday. Please see the attached letter for more information.
THE TURKEY TOSS IS COMING …
Turkeys will be flying again in the Locke gym. We are raising money for the Billerica Food Pantry and other local charities. We are collecting donations this week. Please see the attached for more information.
QUARTER 1 GRADES
Wednesday, November 5th was the forty-fifth day of school and the end of the first quarter. The following courses are on a 45-day schedule this year: art, drama, health, music, industrial tech, and computer science. Students have begun their quarter 2 classes. Final grades for quarter 1 have been posted to ASPEN and will appear on the trimester 1 report card issued in December.
FALL PLAY-A BIG SUCCESS
Congratulations to the cast and crew of “What Happened After Once Upon a Time”. They put on two great performances over the weekend. Fantastic job, everyone!
SPRING MUSICAL – INFORMATION MEETINGS MONDAY, 11/17
Please see the attached flyer for information on student and parent information meetings for the Spring musical.
TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE
The Locke Middle School is hosting a Toys for Tots toy drive. Collection boxes are available in the lobby of The Locke Middle School through Friday, December 12, 2025. 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.
LUNCH ORDERS FOR THE HALF-DAY, 11/26
If you like your child to receive a bagged lunch to take home on November 26th (half-day schedule), please complete the attached form and turn in to your homeroom teacher by Friday, November 21st. The forms will be sent home with students on Monday.
LOCKE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL
Our school council met on November 10th last week. 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 believe 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.
CHROMEBOOK INSURANCE
We are pleased to share that we are officially launching our new Chromebook insurance option for students. This program provides affordable coverage for accidental damage and other issues, helping families avoid unexpected repair or replacement costs.
Coverage will be available through our partner, Get Cover, and parents can access the enrollment portal here: BPS Chromebook Insurance.
Insurance Details:
· Dell 3100 Chromebooks (all units issued prior to 2025): $31.85 for 1 year
· Dell 3120 Chromebooks (new units distributed in August 2025): $76.85 for 4-years
· Coverage includes accidental damage, spills, and drops
More information can also be found on the BPS Helpdesk site.
RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK
1. What key can’t open any doors? 2. What do you call a group of musical sweet potatoes?
Last week’s answers: What did the Dad say when his son asked him to stop singing “Wonderwall”? – He said Maybe … 2. Why did the scarecrow win an award? – He was outstanding in his field.
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Eat your fruit!
Ms. Hernandez bought 7 pieces of fruit for the week. She bought apples, oranges, and bananas. What are the different combinations of fruits Ms. Hernandez could have bought? Show your work using pictures, words, or numbers. Hint: Think about using a table to organize your work.
Last Week’s Answer: 20 faces
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.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Please join the Locke PTO for our fall ice cream social on Wednesday, 11/19 from 6-7:30 pm in the Locke Cafeteria! There will be ice cream and slush available (don’t miss out on our amazing toppings bar!) Cost is $5 at the door- cash and Venmo are accepted. We hope you can join us for a night of fun and community. This is not a drop-off event.
“Big news! The ice cream social just got a bit sweeter with the addition of What the Fork’s food truck serving up crowd-pleasing favorites. No time for dinner before the event? We’ve got you covered! Bring your appetite and treat yourself!”
We are looking for a few volunteers to help make our event a success! Please sign up here: Volunteer sign-up Link
PTO SURVEY
The Locke Middle School PTO plays an important role in building a strong school community, supporting our teachers and staff, and creating meaningful experiences for our students. We would love the input of parents/caregivers to help us understand how you would like to be involved and how we can make participation easier and more enjoyable. If you would please take a moment and complete this survey, we would truly appreciate it!
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, November 19th – Ice Cream Social 6:00-7:30 PM
Wednesday, December 17th – PTO Meeting 6:30 PM Library
Our PTO Facebook page is: “Billerica Locke PTO”. Click on the link below to take you there:
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.
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 who enter the building will be supervised in the cafeteria. Students will not be allowed in before 7:10 AM.
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 receive a 4-digit PIN code that they will need to use when ordering 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.
FROM THE COMMUNITY
Turkey Trot Road Race – See attached flyer
Scholarship Foundation Trivia Night – See attached Flyer
UPCOMING DATES
All Dates are also on our master calendar on the Locke website.
· Monday, November 17th – Student Information Meeting for Musical 1:45-2:45
· Monday, November 17th – Parent Information for Musical 6:30 PM Auditorium
· Wednesday, November 19th – Ice Cream Social 6:00 PM
· Wednesday, November 26th – Half Day 10:40 Dismissal
· Thursday, Friday November 27th and 28th – Thanksgiving Recess
· Monday, December 1st – Day 60, Last Day of Trimester 1
· Monday, December 8th – School Council Meeting, 5:00 PM
· Tuesday, December 9th – Chorus and Orchestra Concert BMHS 7:00 PM
· Wednesday, December 10th – Band Concert Marshall Middle 7:00 PM
· Thursday, December 11th – Report Cards Published
· December 15th – 19th – Book Fair
· Wednesday, December 17th – PTO Meeting 6:30PM Library
· Thursday, December 18th – 7th Grade Field Trip
· Tuesday, December 23rd – Half-Day 10:40 Dismissal
· December 24th through January 4th – Winter Break
· Monday, January 5th – Return to School
If you have any questions, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or call at 978-528-8655. I look forward to a great school year!!
Warmest regards,
Tony Garas, Principal