June 5, 2020
Good Afternoon:
Follow up to the Message from the Superintendent
This week a message went out from the Superintendent regarding the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests as our nation continues to grapple with racism. Here are a few follow ups:
Even though school is not meeting in the physical building, counselors are available for any student who needs assistance. The best way to contact them is by email. In addition, please see the Clinical Corner Spotlight below.
Our faculty and staff are watching these developments closely and are prepared as these topics come up in their classes, albeit it is distance learning and not the equivalent of having students in a typical classroom.
There are resources such as films and books designed for students that can be accessed through their “Class of ….” Google Classroom.
We recognize that we do not have all the answers, but we do recognize our school needs to be part of addressing racism. We have made a commitment to programs like No Place for Hate sponsored by the ADL(Anti-Defamation League) and we look to continue to build on these types of initiatives to improve.
Clinical Corner Spotlight
Tensions flare as protests continue around the country. George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What do we tell our children? Should we stay silent? Should we engage in uncomfortable conversations? Is it going to cause kids more stress to talk about this? So many of us are wondering where and how to begin these conversations, but the truth is, they need to happen. Better to say something than nothing at all. "Children and adolescents are experiencing the collateral consequences of the publicized deaths whether they have a smartphone in their direct possession or not," said California pediatrician Dr. Rhea Boyd, who teaches nationally on the relationship between structural racism, inequity and health. "Whether from social media accounts, conversations with peers or caregivers, overheard conversations, through the news, or the distress they witness in the faces of those they love, children know what is going on," Boyd said. Kids are looking for guidance, connection, and validation of their caregivers, so that they are not navigating their feelings alone. Please click the link below for the full article:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rOW-VlENZxgcFVOGgXxOfaD9UQNBV5g_/view?usp=sharing
Summer Assignment Update
NB’s Program of Studies includes Summer Assignments for Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses for those students entering high school who are enrolled in these courses. The Administrative Team recognizes the challenges that remote learning presented in Spring 2020. While we need to maintain academic rigor and course integrity, we also need to account for possible learning gaps from this year, especially given the unknown format of school for fall 2020. To that end, the length of summer assignments will be reduced and/or their contents modified from previous years. Assignments for honors courses will be reduced in length and will not require the distribution of supplies. Assignments for AP courses will be modified to present content critical to the timeline of the course. All summer assignments will be available via Google Drive by June 18. Opportunities for students to interact and stay connected with peers will be incorporated wherever possible. Please contact the director of the department with content related questions or your child’s counselor.
Student Talent Show Preview
Here is the preview video that includes snippets of each performance/videos from the musical:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1okBrTO_1gUiFPrRX7tZ93csGRID5Lgk6/view?usp=sharing
LAST WEEK for Lunch Pick Up Available for All Families
Meals are available for any Northern Burlington high school or middle school student and their siblings. Please visit our website for more information or follow this link.
Refunds from the 8th grade Trip
At this point in time:
Any check that has not cleared your bank account was marked VOID and not deposited. You will receive a separate email to confirm the check number.
We hope to complete mailing refunds to your home by July 1, 2020. Any change to that plan will be communicated through this bulletin. Thank you for your patience with this process.
Two Survey Requests
Parent Feedback on NB’s Remote Learning
As the school year comes to a close, we are seeking feedback on our implementation of remote instruction. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at this link. The information will be helpful in the event in shaping future instances of remote instruction should it be necessary.
Parent Survey from the New Jersey Department of Education (NB does not receive the responses)
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your heroic efforts to support your children’s schools and the learning process during closings due to the coronavirus pandemic. The New Jersey Department of Education (Department) continues preparations for the next stages of school opening, and hearing from parents is a Department priority. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at the following link: NJDOE parent survey. We appreciate receiving your responses by Monday, June 8th.
If you have any questions, please contact the Department’s Office of Civic and Social Engagement at civicandsocial@doe.nj.gov.
Estimados Padres,
Gracias por sus esfuerzos heroicos para apoyar las escuelas de sus hijos y el proceso de aprendizaje durante los cierres debido a la pandemia de coronavirus. El Departamento de Educación de Nueva Jersey (Departamento) continúa los preparativos para las próximas etapas de la apertura de la escuela, y escuchar a los padres es una prioridad del Departamento. Por favor, tómese unos minutos para completar la encuesta en el siguiente enlace: NJDOE encuesta para padres. Agradecemos recibir sus respuestas antes del Lunes 8 de Junio.
Si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor póngase en contacto con la Oficina de Compromiso Cívico y Social del Departamento en civicandsocial@doe.nj.gov.
Retrieving Student Belongings and Returning School Property
Students will be permitted to pick-up and drop-off items at the Middle School on the following dates:
Tuesday, June 23rd from 8 am to Noon and 1 pm to 5 pm;
Wednesday, June 24th from 8 am to Noon and 2 pm to 7 pm; and
Thursday, June 25th from 8 am to Noon.
Anyone who needs to pick-up and/or drop-off items at the school, must sign up for a time slot using this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A044BA8AB22A57-msstudent
Pick-up and drop-off of items will take place at the middle school main office parking lot area. All items being dropped off must be in a bag that is labeled with the student’s name and must also include a list of the contents in the bag. Please be sure to read the outlined procedure below prior to coming to the school.
On your designated date and time, parents will drive up to the middle school main entrance, following normal traffic flow. (Please wear face masks in order to drop off and retrieve items as we will be doing so as well.)
You will be greeted and directed to drive to the drop off area for any materials that need to be returned to the school. Only one person should be getting out of the car to return the following books and other items borrowed from the school district. Items that need to be returned will vary based on the courses in which students are enrolled as well as any special items they may have borrowed from the school district. Items to be returned include:
Any novels or other books, for example, students enrolled in Grade 8 English Language Arts/Composition will need to return Code Orange
Any textbooks, for example students enrolled in Grade 7 Advanced Mathematics: Grade 7 Advanced Mathematics Textbook
Consumable, softcover math workbooks and science workbooks do not need to be returned
Library Books for students who have a library book on loan
Students enrolled in a band class will need to return their music folders
Students who were issued a musical instrument by the school will need to return it
Any other school property that was issued to a student during the school year
Please note the students who borrowed a chromebook will be permitted to retain for the summer and return it to school in September. Borrowed chromebooks do not need to be returned at this time unless a family will not be returning to the school district in September.
If you do not have any items to return we ask that you stay in your car and thank you for your patience as the line progresses to the locker contents pickup area.
It is imperative that you come at your designated time, follow all procedures for pick-up and drop-off of items and practice social distancing, including the wearing of a mask.
NBCRCSD Health Office
Student inhalers and epipens that were in the health office will be returned to students with their locker bags, as noted above, at the end of the school year.
YEARBOOK ORDERS
The 2020 NBC Middle School Yearbook is STILL available to purchase (while supplies last). There are LIMITED COPIES REMAINING! As the world adjusts to change, one thing that remains constant is the yearbook tradition. To order a copy of the 2020 yearbook go to https://bit.ly/2xD8Gqy
Not sure if you ordered a yearbook? Email kgierman@nburlington.com.
We have an update about the yearbook orders The yearbooks are not expected to arrive until after the school year has ended because of the delays in publishing caused by the pandemic. We do not yet have a date for their arrival during the summer, but they will be distributed once they are delivered. Until then, we are pleased to announce the optional for students to digitally sign each other's yearbooks (see information below).
Yearbook Signing: SOCIALLY DISTANCED EDITION
We are excited to announce that the 2020 Polaris yearbook signing tradition is alive and it’s fully digital to suit our socially distanced students.
Jostens has just launched a new platform, Yearbook Digital Signing Pages, that gives every student in our school the chance to create virtual signing pages, invite their friends to leave messages, and print out the final pages to keep with the yearbook as a permanent keepsake. This is FREE for EVERY student whether they purchased a yearbook or not.
Share the link below with your student so they can get started with their yearbook signing. yearbooksigning.jostens.com
Student Transfers
There are families, particularly military families, who are moving out of state during this school closure. In cases where a family must leave the district before the end of the school year, please contact the appropriate school counselor:
Grade 7 Mr. Tim Tedesco: ttedesco@nburlington.com
Grade 8 Ms. Zara Irwin: zirwin@nburlington.com
Virtual Schooling and Communicating with Teachers
Teachers are available to contact via email and they have “office hours” organized by department.
Counselors and Support for Families
During this challenging time, there are students who may wish to speak with their school counselor. If a child needs access to his or her school counselor, they are available and can be contacted by email or by using this link. Furthermore, there are a variety of resources posted by our counseling department for families at this link. These are updated as more become available.
Sports Packets for Fall Sports
At this time, Northern Burlington is awaiting the decisions of the NJSIAA task force, in conjunction with decisions made by the Department of Health. Updates regarding the collection of physical packets will follow, once those guidelines are more clear.
“The governor’s executive order (EO #149) regarding organized sports is a positive step. Specifically related to high school athletics, this executive order makes it clear that interscholastic sports may resume in accordance with reopening protocols issued by the NJSIAA – which, in turn, will be based on Department of Health protocols. The executive order also notes that activities related to high school sports may not resume any earlier than June 30, 2020.
“To establish a workable framework for a safe return, the NJSIAA has – as previously announced – convened a pair of specialized task forces. Establishing these two groups was an essential step because, given that interscholastic athletics – unlike other levels of sport – are school-based, they must be fully in sync with the overall return-to-school plans of our member schools."
To repeat: Updates regarding the collection of physical packets will follow, once guidelines are more clear.
Student Emails
In the event students still have not accessed them, here are the directions. Please note, these are NOT G-mail accounts and students cannot access them through their Google accounts. Students should check these accounts routinely for communication to and from their teachers as well as for other school announcements.
The student email address is the students’ network login @nburlington.com, which is the same as their Google login. For example, Johnny Smith who is a senior graduating 2020.
User Name: 20smith@nburlington.com
Password: same as network password
Student emails can be accessed through the Student Parent Resource page that is part of the district web page at this URL: https://www.nburlington.com/o/nbc-rsd/page/student-parent-resources--18
Also, the email access page can be accessed directly using this URL: https://outlook.office.com
If a student is experiencing difficulty with his/her email account, middle school students should email Mrs. Paulette Russo at prusso@nburlington.com.
FAQ
On our district web page (www.nburlington.com) there is a FAQ section regarding school closures. As questions arise, please forward them to NBSCPP@nburlington.com.
Save the Date:
June 5: Early Dismissal of Students/Staff Professional Development
June 11: Tentative: Early Dismissal for Students/Staff Professional Development
June 12: Tentative: Early Dismissal for Students/Staff Professional Development
June 15: Early Dismissal of Students
June 16: Early Dismissal of Students
June 17: Early Dismissal of Students/Last Day of School for Students
June 23: Pickup Student Locker Contents and Return of School Materials: Sign-up REQUIRED
June 24: Pickup Student Locker Contents and Return of School Materials: Sign-up REQUIRED
June 25: Pickup Student Locker Contents and Return of School Materials: Sign-up REQUIRED
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education. Please enjoy the weekend.
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal