Middle School Parent Message
December 11, 2020
Important Dates:
December 14 & 15: Student Picture Day for Cohorts A & B
December 16: Picture Day for Remote Students (Cohort E), by appointment
December 23: Mid Marking Period for Q2
December 23: Early Dismissal
December 24 through January 3: Winter Break: School Closed
Week of January 4: All Students Remote
January 13: Early Dismissal of Students/Staff Development
January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: School Closed
Good Afternoon:
Picture Day Rescheduled for Cohorts A, B, and E: As a result in the delayed reopening of in person instruction, class pictures were postponed for cohorts A and B as well as remote students. These have been rescheduled to Monday, December 14 and Tuesday, December 15 for students in cohorts A and B. Remote students have been rescheduled for Wednesday, December 16. Completely remote students will have received an email with directions for their picture day.
This is the link to the page where orders can be placed at www.mylifetouch.com. Our Picture Day ID is EVTSG374J.
Students in Cohorts C and D had their photos taken during PE/Health class on Thursday, December 11, and Friday, December 12.
Travel Advisories: Will your student leave the tri-state area over the break? During the holiday season, the CDC and Governor Murphy have encouraged us all to limit travel whenever possible and to keep celebrations to immediate family members. However, in the event your family is traveling outside the immediate region (New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware), please plan to have your student quarantine for 10 days.
Students are able to attend all of their classes virtually during that time, even if they are in the hybrid model. In the event your child will be quarantining and attending school virtually during that time, please notify your child’s counselor. Please do not hesitate to contact our school nurse with any questions regarding the quarantine process. A link to travel advisories is included below:
NJ Travel Quarantine Information.
Health & Safety Reminders:
COVID Cannot test out of Quarantine
COVID-How-Long-Isolate-Quarantine
BCIT Presentation: Students in 8th grade saw a video presentation in homeroom about the Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT). Application to BCIT is one of the options our students have for high school. After the presentation, students who are interested or have questions should contact their school counselor. The link to the presentation is here.
Calendar for Second Marking Period: The calendar for the second marking period can be found at this link.
National Honor Society Tutoring: Is your child in need of some extra help? NHS tutoring is here to assist! Virtual tutoring will take place every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30-2pm. All you need to do is have the student who is in need of help email the NHS adviser at jnewman@nburlington.com and then the student will receive a link to the virtual tutoring session.
Parent Teacher Student Connection (PTSC): Please remember to become a member of our organization this year. If you are already a member, thank you! You can access our link through the Northern Burlington site. Payments of $10 per family are accepted via check or through Paypal. It is important that we receive your contribution as this money is channeled back to our students in the form of mini grants, awarded to teachers for use in their classrooms, as well as Scholarships granted to seniors. If you have a senior graduating in 2021 please make sure that your membership is received by us no later than February 26th, 2021 in order to be eligible. We can always be reached via email at nburlingtonptsc@gmail.com. Please stay safe!
***NOTE: We are hopeful that we may be able to have a clothing drive in the Spring of 2021***
From the Yearbook Staff: The yearbook staff needs YOUR help gathering photos from this year. Photos of students working from home. Photos of students relaxing at home. Please consider helping us by uploading a photo or two each month to https://images.jostens.com/415623968. Thank you!
Link to order a 2021 yearbook: http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09873596
School Store aka The Hound Pound: Check out The Hound Pound Online! Northern’s Middle School Campus store. The Holiday Event begins NOW: 15 % off the entire site through December 22. USE COUPON CODE: FROSTYPAWS
WWW.SQUAREUP.COM/STORE/HOUNDPOUND
Clinical Corner Spotlight: A Compassionate Guide to Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic Part 1: Understanding Why We Are So Anxious Right Now by Eric Goodman, PhD: Life in the time of a pandemic is difficult. The fact that we are feeling more anxious these days didn’t start with COVID-19. Our anxiety levels were rising well before this virus made itself known. The pandemic, however, has brought to the surface heightened anxiety that for many has been simmering underneath for quite some time. But is our anxiety really out to get us? Please click this link to access the full article:
Health & Safety Reminders:
It is important to emphasize a few points with regard to health safety. Most importantly, students should not come to school if they are sick. The remote option is available on a day to day basis if a student has any symptoms on the day he or she is supposed to attend school in person but can still attend school at home. If you have any medical questions, please contact our school nurse at extension 4030. Covid Informational Flyers.
Winter Sports:
We are now accepting Athletic Participation packets for the Winter Season. A link to the packets can be found here. The tentative start date for winter season practices is January 11th, 2021.
If your child’s physical exam is current and does not expire prior to 1/11/21, please complete pages 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 of the packet and submit them electronically to middleschoolathletics@nburlington.com If your child is in need of a new physical, please contact your physician’s office at your earliest convenience to secure an appointment. Please take page 3, 5 and 6 of the packet with you so that your doctor can complete the physical forms. Please submit the entire packet (pages 1-7) electronically to middleschoolathletics@nburlington.com
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. O’Neill in the Athletic Office at moneill@nburlington.com or 609-298-3900, ext. 2093.
Ordering School Lunch for Students: Please note that Lunches are FREE through the month of June 2021 FOR ALL STUDENTS.
Students Learning Remotely: Students who are receiving instruction remotely, or their parents/guardians, may pick up meals (three to five meals at one time) for those days they are receiving remote instruction. Ordering ahead of time is required:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSCfgxym6WPcJofHaCxJa5lS1jTZzsRyr2-UUxGsXWCpnxbg/viewform
As with the Spring 2020 meal distribution, the pick-up location is near the Middle School’s rear entrance (Middle School Door C-3 that leads into the teachers’ lounge) via the Island Road entrance and taking the 1st left to go toward the back of the school. NB has established MONDAY and TUESDAY for pick up of meals. Meals may be picked up between the hours of 10:00 AM and 11:15 AM. For social distancing purposes, NB will limit the number of people entering the middle school facility at one time.
Students Present in the Building: Students attending class will order their lunch in their first class of the day via a link the teachers share in class. Orders for these lunches must be placed by 8:00 AM. Students will be dismissed to pick up their lunch in the cafetorium prior to exiting to the bus or parent pickup locations.
Have a good weekend.
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal