May 10, 2026
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
Happy Mother’s Day!! I hope you are all having a great weekend. We have another busy week ahead with 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Mothers are like glue. Even when you can’t see them, they’re still holding the family together.” — Susan Gale
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – C Day – HW Club, School Committee Presentation 6:00 PM
Tuesday – D Day – 5th Grade MCAS Science Session 1, Grade 6/7 Band Concert 7:00 PM BMHS
Wednesday – A Day – 5th Grade MCAS Science Session 2, HW Club, Orchestra Concert, 7:00 PM Marshall
Thursday – B Day – HW Club
Friday – C Day
MCAS TESTING THIS WEEK
5th-grade students will be taking the science MCAS on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Make-ups for math and science will be held on Thursday and Friday.
BOOK DRIVE
The BMHS Books for Brighter Futures club is hosting a book drive at the Locke! Books for Brighter Futures is a non-profit organization that helps provide books to kids who may not have the financial resources to purchase them. The official goal of the club is to get every kid in grades three through five a summer reading book. But, we need your help!
The book drive will run from Tuesday, April 28th until Tuesday, May 12th. We are trying to raise 250 books within the next two weeks. We need books that are lightly used or new for grades three through five. We appreciate your help! There is a box in the Locke lobby to drop off books. Thank you!
CONCERT SEASON
It’s that time of year again. Our students will be showcasing their musical talents in their end-of-the-year concerts. All concerts are at 7:00 PM.
May 12th – Grade 6,7 Band – BMHS, 7:00 PM
May 13th – Orchestra – Marshall, 7:00 PM
May 20th – Grade 5 Band – Marshall, 7:00 PM
May 28th – Choral Concert – BMHS, 7:00 PM
ROBOTICS SPRING TRAINING CAMP
We would like to invite interested 5th and 6th graders to a Robotics Spring Training Camp. The purpose of the training camp is to:
- Introduce new students to VEX robotics so that they have an understanding of the expectations and what it means to be a member of the team.
- Watch a video of next year’s game so that students can see what the challenge is.
- Start planning out strategies to address different parts of next year’s challenge.
- Give existing team members an opportunity to transfer knowledge to new members.
- Learn how to use tools to take apart the existing robots.
- And more.
The training camp is scheduled from 1:45 to 3:30 on each of the following days (you don’t have to come to all of the days if you have a conflict, but the more days you attend, the better idea you will have of whether or not the robotics program is for you). Students will need to have a way to get home after the training camp. We will meet in room 116 (the 5th grade computer room in the 6A wing of the school):
Monday 5/18 & Wednesday 5/2
Monday 6/1 & Wednesday 6/3
Please fill out the information in this Google Form to let us know you are interested and we will follow up with reminder emails.
FYI, competitions are held on the weekends and typically start in the November/December time frame. For the last few years the Middle School competitions have always been held on Sundays. If we make it to state championships that is typically a 2-day event (both weekend days). The schedule is at the host school’s discretion. The competition day typically runs from about 8 a.m. to about 5 p.m.
You can reach out to coaches: Mr. Henry DeBenedetto (hdebenedetto@billericak12.com) or Mrs. Jennifer Tolleson (jtolleson@billericak12.com) with any questions.
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK – THANK YOU TO THE PTO!
From the Locke staff:
A huge thank you to the PTO for pampering the staff all week. From breakfast, lunch, and snacks to incredible desserts and classroom supplies, we are so grateful for all that you do for us. Also, thank you to our families for their generous donations.
RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK
This Week – 1. What color flowers do mama cats like to get on Mother’s Day? 2. Why did the boy make sweet potato pie for Mother’s Day?
Last week’s answers: 1. Where do you go to learn about Star Wars? – Wookie-Pedia! 2. What do you call a droid that doesn’t use deodorant? C3-BO!
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Tents Situation
Four families are going camping: the Boivin, Kerr, Omanovic, and Banerjee families. The families are each of a different size, with 3, 4, 5, or 6 family members, and each have a different colored tent. Using the clues below, determine the family size and tent color for each family.
(1) The Boivin family uses a yellow tent.
(2) The family with the blue tent has the fewest family members.
(3) The Kerr family does not have the most people in their family and they are not in the red tent.
(4) The family in the yellow tent has the most members in their family.
(5) The family in the red tent has one fewer family member than the family in the yellow tent.
(6) The Omanovic family is not in the green tent nor in the blue tent, and they are not the family with the fewest members.
(7) The green tent has the second lowest number of family members.
(8) The Banerjee family has half the number of family members as another family.
Last Week’s Answer: 56
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, April 27th . 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. Our next meeting is on Wednesday, May 20th at 6:30 PM
The PTO has several exciting events coming up in May and June. We’d love to see some new faces and welcome your support in making them a success!
Student Entrepreneur Market
The Locke PTO is excited to invite students to participate in our very first Student Entrepreneur Market on May 21st—a fun and inspiring opportunity to explore creativity, innovation, and real-world business skills! If your student has a craft or skill and would like to showcase their products at our event, please complete the form below to let us know you’re interested in joining this engaging and empowering experience. This event will be held in conjunction with our spring Ice Cream Social, so there will be a wide audience of students and families present.
To sign up, please visit the following link by Friday, May 1st:
Volunteers needed for upcoming events! Please save the date and be on the lookout for sign-ups
· Book fair- Week of 5/18
· Ice cream social- May 21st
· Field day- June 17th
Thank you to everyone for supporting these efforts!
LOCKE GEAR is for sale! Go to this link to purchase. A portion of the price goes to the PTO.
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.
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.
· Monday, May 11th – Site Council presentation to School Committee – 6:00 PM Town Hall
· Tuesday, May 12th – MCAS Science Session I Grade 5
· Tuesday, May 12th – 6,7 Band Concert 7:00 PM BMHS
· Wednesday, May 13th – MCAS Science Session II Grade 5
· Wednesday, May 13th – Orchestra Concert 7:00 PM Marshall
· Monday, May 18th – Book Fair Starts
· Wednesday, May 20th – Early Release 11:40 Dismissal
· Wednesday, May 20th – 5th Grade Band Concert 7:00 PM Marshall
· Wednesday, May 20th – PTO Meeting 6:30 PM Library
· Thursday, May 21st – Ice Cream Social – 6:00 PM
· Friday, May 22nd – Grade 6 Field Trip
· Monday, May 25th – Memorial Day, No School
· Thursday, May 28th – Chorus Concert 7:00 PM BMHS
· Tuesday, June 2nd – Ditson Step-up Day
· Wednesday, June 3rd – Kennedy Step-up day
· Friday, June 5th – 5th Grade Colonial Fair
· Friday, June 5th – BMHS Graduation
· Tuesday, June 9th – 7th Grade to BMHS
· Wednesday, June 10th – PTO Meeting 6:30 PM
· Thursday, June 11th – 7th Grade to Canobie Lake Park
· Wednesday, June 17th – Field Day
· Friday, June 19th – No School, Juneteenth
· Monday, June 22nd – 7th Grade Class Day, Moving on Ceremony (Parents Invited)
· Tuesday, June 23rd – Last Day of School, Half-Day 10:40 Dismissal
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