May 17, 2026
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,
I hope you are all having a great weekend and enjoying the beautiful weather. We have a very busy week ahead with 5 DAYS OF LEARNING! Let’s see what’s happening …
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” — Banksy
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday – D Day – HW Club
Tuesday – A Day
Wednesday – B Day – No HW Club, Early Release, 11:40 Dismissal, 5th Grade Band Concert 7:00 PM Marshall
Thursday – C Day – HW Club, PTO Community Event 6:00 PM
Friday – D Day – 6th Grade Field Trip
EARLY RELEASE – Wednesday, May 20th
Wednesday, May 20th is an early release day. Students will be dismissed at 11:40 AM. There will not be HW club or after-school programs.
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 20th – Grade 5 Band – Marshall, 7:00 PM
May 28th – Choral Concert – BMHS, 7:00 PM
BOOK FAIR THIS WEEK
We are excited to announce that the Locke Middle School Book Fair is coming May 18th – May 22nd! Students will have the opportunity to visit the fair with their grade level ELA class during the school day on the following schedule. The link to set up an e-wallet for your child is:
- Monday 5/18 – 6th Grade
- Tuesday 5/19 – 5th Grade
- Thursday 5/21 – 7th Grade
- Friday 5/22 Morning – Make-Up Shopping
We are looking for parent/guardian volunteers to help make the book fair a success. Volunteers are greatly appreciated! Please note that all volunteers must have a current CORI on file with the school.
If you would like to volunteer during your child’s shopping time, please ask your child which period they have ELA class so you can choose the appropriate volunteer slot.
To sign up to help with the Book Fair, please use the link below:
LOCKE SPRING COMMUNITY EVENT-Thursday, May 21st 6:00 PM
We also want to remind families that the Locke Spring Community Night will take place on Thursday, May 21st, 6-7:30 pm. The evening will include the Book Fair, Ice Cream Social, and Student Entrepreneur Market. Please see the attached flyer for more details about this fun community event!
We are also seeking volunteers for the Ice Cream Social. If you are interested in helping, please sign up here:
Thank you for supporting our students and school community. We hope to see you there!
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 5/27
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.
RIDDLE/JOKE OF THE WEEK
This Week – Riddles! 1. You walk into a dark, cold room that contains a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. What would you light first?
2. I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t leave. What am I?
Last week’s answers: 1. What color flowers do mama cats like to get on Mother’s Day? – Prrrrrrrple flowers! 2. Why did the boy make sweet potato pie for Mother’s Day? – His mom said his pie was yamtastic!
MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Sum Problems
1. Arrange the numbers 4, 8, 1, 6, 3, and 5 to form two 3-digit numbers with the smallest possible sum. What is the sum?
2. Arrange the numbers 2, 9, 1, 4, 5, and 4 to form two 3-digit numbers with the largest possible sum. What is the sum?
3. Arrange the numbers 6, 9, 4, 2, 8, and 7 to form two 3-digit numbers that add to 1539.
BONUS: For each part, how many different solutions can you find?
Last Week’s Answer: Bolvin-6-Yellow; Kerr-4-Green; Omanovic-5-Red; Banerjee-3-Blue
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. We also presented our school improvement plan update to the school committee last week. Please see the attached presentation. All related documents for the council can be found on our website. I would like to thank our parents and staff who served on the council this year. I appreciate your valuable input and thoughtful discussion.
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
LOWELL SPINNERS GAMES
The Spinners are back in Lowell. The PTO has booked two outings to the park. Each game includes a $5 donation back to the PTO for each ticket sold. See the attached for more information. The links to purchase tickets are below:
6/7: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Lockemiddle0607
Theme: STAR WARS AND 6-7 NIGHT
8/7: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Lockemiddle0807
POST GAME FIREWORKS
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!
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 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
· Sunday, June 7th – Spinners Game
· 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