Life at the Locke #9 2026-2027

October 25, 2026

Spooky Edition

Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Students,

I hope you are enjoying the fabulous fall weekend. We had a great time last week with our excellent talent show and fun Halloween Dance. We have another busy week ahead as we prepare for the end of October and Halloween. Let's see what else is happening as we get ready for ...

5 DAYS OF LEARNING!

Warmest Regards,

Mr. Garas, Principal

The moon laughs and whispers, ‘Tis near Halloween.”– AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Monday, 10/19 -- D Day -- After School Activities, HW Club

Tuesday, 10/20 - A Day -- Trinket Sales at Lunch

Wednesday, 10/21 -- B DAY -- Trinket Sales at Lunch, Advisory Schedule, After School Activities, HW Club

Thursday, 10/22 -- C Day -- After School Activities, HW Club

Friday, 10/23 -- D Day

On Friday October 30th, students can wear Halloween costumes to school. Costumes must be appropriate for school, please do not bring in weapons or scary masks that cover the entire face/head. Also, please do not bring in blow-up costumes. A reminder that it is still a learning day and students need to respectful. In addition, students should not bring in candy to share with other students.

Parent conferences for the Locke and Marshall will be held in person on Thursday, November 5th and Thursday, November 12th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. We are using a computer program called PTC wizard to schedule conferences. Conferences will be 5 minutes long and each teacher will have 48 openings. There is a possibility that a teacher will be booked and you will not be able to schedule a conference with a particular teacher. If that does occur, I encourage you to utilize email, meet individually with the teacher at another time, or schedule a team meeting.

The link to schedule conferences will be open on Thursday, October 29th at 6:00 PM. See the link below.

https://app.ptcwizard.com/ptc1512061359

If you already have an account from last year, you can log-in. If you do not have an account, you will need to register and create an account.

• You will need to know your child’s teachers’ names in order to schedule the meetings. The site will provide a list of names for you to choose from.
• For ensembles, the teachers will split the days between the Locke and Marshall.
• Orchestra/Strings – Mr. Slaven will not be available, Ms. Harmon Locke on 11/5, Marshall 11/12
• Band -- Locke on 11/12, Marshall 11/5
• Chorus -- Locke on 11/5, Marshall 11/12
• If you have any questions or difficulty scheduling conferences, please contact me – tgaras@billericak12.com

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am seeking parent volunteers to serve on the Locke School Site Council. We would like at least one parent representative per grade level. The school council is responsible for the school budget, setting school procedures, and for revising the school improvement plan. Parental input is a critical component of our improvement efforts as we move forward with new initiatives. We will be meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month at 5:00 PM. (with the exception of December) Our first meeting will be Monday, November 9th at 5:00 PM in the Locke Library. Please see the attached link for the meeting dates throughout the year. If you are interested in serving on the council or need more information, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or 978-528-8655.

The PTO will be selling Halloween Trinkets (toys, pencils, stickers, etc) at lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. All items will cost $1 or $2. All trinkets must put away during class periods.

Friday, October 16th was day 30 of the school year and the half way point of trimester 1. You can check your child’s academic progress on Aspen. If you need an Aspen account or need your password reset, please email portalhelp@billericak12.com. Include your full name and your child’s name in your request. If you have any questions regarding your child’s academic progress, please contact your child’s teachers.

HW Club continues this week. It is an excellent opportunity for students to complete their work with support from our staff. 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. Students can attend as many days as the parents/teachers believes are necessary. Students are expected to stay for the full hour. Parent pick-up at 2:45 is required. There is no fee for HW Club.

Last Week's Answers:

1. What do you break the moment you name it? -- Silence

2.What word starts with E, ends with E, but only holds a single letter? -- Envelope

3. A cowboy rides into town on Friday. He stays three days then rides out of town on Friday. How is this possible? -- His horse's name is Friday

This week:

1. What do you call a ghost's mom and dad?

2. What do you call a vampire that likes to cook?

After going trick-or-treating on Halloween, James, Robbie, and Ginny come home with the following treats:

• James: 6 chocolate bars, 4 caramels, 6 lollipops, 5 licorice
• Robbie: 5 chocolate bars, 5 caramels, 3 lollipops , 7 licorice
• Ginny: 2 chocolate bars, 8 caramels, 4 lollipops , 6 licorice

They decide to put all of their treats into a single bucket. Each day, James, Robbie, and Ginny each randomly pick 2 treats from the bucket to enjoy.

(a) Assuming that each individual treat is equally likely to be selected, on the first day, which type of treat is most likely to be picked from the bucket?

(b) Assuming that each individual treat is equally likely to be selected, on the first day, which types of treats are equally likely to be picked from the bucket?

(c) How many days must Robbie pick treats from the bucket to guarantee that he picks the same type of treat more than once?

(d) How many days must James, Robbie, and Ginny each pick from the bucket to guarantee that at least one of them has picked a piece of licorice at least once?

Last Week's Answer:

a. 31 blocks in total

b. 8 rows

Bonus -- 2 to the 99th power

Send your answers to Mr. Garas – tgaras@billericak12.com – Show your work! We will have a drawing for a Dunkin gift card and the highly coveted math certificate!!

The PTO welcomes all families to the Locke. Please see the minutes from our October meeting -- attached here.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, November 4th , 2026

PTO LINKS

* Fill out and turn in your CORI so you can volunteer for any upcoming school events.

* Update your fit by purchasing your Locke School gear

* Join your Locke community for our first family event of the year! Get your tickets to a UMass Lowell Men's Hockey Game on 10/16/26. A portion of the proceeds comes back to support our school.

*Join the Locke Community for a Harlem Globetrotters game on December 30th at Tsongas Center.

* Link your Box Tops to our group - Referral code: TD580QUF

All breakfast and lunches are free to all students again this year. 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.

The district is looking for cafeteria workers. Please see the attached flyer for information.

Please see the attached link below to register for the Shawsheen Tech program for 7th graders.

All Dates are also on our master calendar on the Locke website

• Tuesday, October 27th and Wednesday, October 28th -- PTO Trinket Sales at Lunch
• Friday, October 30th -- Wear Costumes to School
• Tuesday, November 3rd -- No School, Election Day
• Wednesday, November 4th -- PTO Meeting 6:00 PM Library
• Thursday, November 5th -- Picture Retakes
• Thursday, November 5th -- Parent Conferences -- 6:00-8:00 PM
• Monday, November 9th -- Day 45 Quarter 1 Ends
• Tuesday, November 10th -- Quarter 2 Unified Classes Start
• Wednesday, November 11th -- No School, Veterans Day
• Thursday, November 12th -- Parent Conferences -- 6:00-8:00 PM
• Thursday, November 19th -- Ice Cream Social 6:00-7:30 PM
• Wednesday, November 25th -- Half Day 10:40 AM Dismissal
• Thursday, Friday November 26th,27th -- Thanksgiving Break
• Thursday, December 3rd -- Day 60 End of Trimester 1
• Wednesday, December 9th -- PTO Meeting 6:00PM Library
• Wednesday, December 9th -- Orchestra Concert 7:00 PM Marshall
• Thursday, December 10th -- Locke Chorus Concert 7:00 PM Locke Auditorium
• Monday, December 14th -- Trimester 1 Report Cards Published
• Thursday, December 17th -- Winter Band Concert, BMHS 7:00 PM
• Wednesday, December 23rd -- Half Day, 10:40 Dismissal
• December 24th -- January 1st -- Holiday Break
• Monday, January 4th -- Return to School

If you have any questions, please contact me at tgaras@billericak12.com or call at 978-528-8655

Have a great week!

The Billerica Elks have generously offered to provide Thanksgiving meals, Christmas meals, and holiday gifts for Locke School families this year.

If you would like to apply, please complete the Holiday Assistance Form Link.

• Selection: Spots are limited to 15 families on a first-come, first-served basis. Selected families will be notified.

• Deadline: Saturday, October 31st at 3:00 PM

Please see the attached link for a poster contest from the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth.

Please see the attached flyer for the annual Dollars for Scholars Trivia Night.

We are offering Chromebook Insurance again this year.

For 5th grade students with new Chromebooks -- please see the attached link for a three year plan

For 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students -- there is a one year plan option also -- see attached link

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 that enter the building will be supervised in the cafeteria. Students will not be allowed in before 7:10 AM.

Student car drop-off will be in the lower lot beginning at 7:10. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO EXIT CARS UNTIL 7:10. Parents are to enter VIA URBAN ST (off Baldwin Road), drop students off at the sidewalk, make a U-turn, and exit via Urban Street.

Parents, please do not enter from Allen Road in the morning. The Allen road entrance is only for school buses.

Walkers and pick-ups are dismissed at 1:50 after the buses depart.

TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR DISMISSAL

Parents enter via Urban Street and line up in lower circle. After the buses leave, parents are to pull around circle in a SINGLE file line to pick up children. The pick-up zone is between the two cross walks. This is the only place we would like children picked up. We do not want children stepping in front of cars to be picked up. Please keep the line single file.

PLEASE DO NOT PICK UP STUDENTS IN THE LOWER LOT.

If your child is going to be absent or dismissed, please call 978-528-8650 to report the absence or dismissal. You can leave a voicemail at this number which goes directly to our secretary. You may also email our secretaries, Christina McLaughlin cmclaughlin@billericak12.com and Lucy O’Brien at lobrien@billericak12.com

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

Electronic Devices Policy

Cellphones, smart watches or any other electronic communication devices are not permitted to be used during the school day, or on the buses. In the event that it can be demonstrated that the use of a device is a necessity during the day or on the bus the Principal/Assistant Principal may waive this policy to accommodate the needs of a particular student. All phone calls to or from students should be made through the main office, parents are requested to refrain from calling or texting their child during the school day.

Students are discouraged from bringing cellphones to school at all. Students who bring cellphones to school must keep them off and in their backpacks. Cellphones that are taken out of backpacks can be confiscated and released only to parents. The school is not responsible for the loss of electronic devices and or cellphones. Click HERE to read the full policy: JICI - Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices.

• Cell phones/ smart watches should be turned off and kept in lockers.

• If a student needs to call home, they will use the office phone. If you need to contact your child, please call the office.

• Please monitor social media accounts.

Our school nurse is Janice Roberts – jroberts@billericak12.com

· Students may drop off EpiPens, inhalers, and any over the counter medications.

· A parent or guardian must drop off any prescription medications.

· All medications need to be accompanied by a medication order from the student's physician and with either an Anaphylaxis Action Plan or Asthma Action Plan as applicable

· If families need copies of these forms they can be found on the Billerica Public Schools website: https://billericak12.com/school-nursing/

Also, as a reminder:

ALL 7th GRADE STUDENTS must submit proof of TDaP (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) and MCV4 (meningitis) vaccines, as well as an UPDATED physical exam, by 9/30/26

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has created an MCAS portal for families to review MCAS scores. Preliminary results for Spring 2026 are now available on the portal. Please see the attached letter for instructions on how to access the portal.