Middle School Parent Message
January 15, 2021
Important Dates:
January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: School Closed
January 19: Hybrid Schedule (In-person Classes) Resumes
January 20: Cohorts A&B Report for In-Person Classes (This is a Wednesday)
February 5: End of Marking Period 2/Semester 1 Classes
February 8: Marking Period 3/Semester 2 Classes Begins
February 15: President’s Day: School Closed
Good Afternoon:
Spirit Week: Thank you to all who participated in this week’s Spirit Week activities. It was great to see the different takes on the various themes for each day.
Return to Hybrid: We look forward to welcoming our hybrid students back in person beginning next week. Just a few reminders/updates for next week:
Screening Process: We continue to use the screening app Healthworks Doc. While the process is the same, please note that the questions have changed slightly to better reflect New Jersey guidelines.
Schedule Reminder: Since we are observing Martin Luther King’s birthday on Monday, January 18, students in cohorts A and B will attend in person on Tuesday and Wednesday, and students in cohorts C and D will attend in person on Thursday and Friday.
Start of Winter Sports: Winter Sports at the middle school start on Tuesday, January 19th. Schedules, cohorts and procedures will be communicated via the sport-specific google classrooms. If you have any questions regarding boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, or cheerleading, please visit our coaches’ contact page - https://www.nburlington.com/o/nbc-ms/page/contact-coaches.
Northern Burlington plans to continue to follow the guidelines and recommendations established by the NJSIAA, for both our middle school and high school athletic programs. Please take time to read the following link, as it relates to our upcoming sports programs.
New medical guidelines have been issued at the local and nationwide levels recommending any person who has been Covid-19 Positive or presumed (suspected) Covid-19 Positive must be medically cleared after COVID-19 infection and before participation in sports, gym, or any school physical activity as there is a risk of post-Covid cardiac complications. Please contact the school nurse with any questions.
Ordering School Lunch for ALL Students 18 Years and under: Please NOTE: Monday is a Holiday so pickups will be Tuesday and Wednesday this week only.
Ordering School Lunch for ALL Students 18 Years and under: Please note that Lunches are FREE FOR ALL YOUR STUDENTS through the month of June 2021. PLEASE CONSIDER ORDERING LUNCHES. Use the link below to place an order:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSCfgxym6WPcJofHaCxJa5lS1jTZzsRyr2-UUxGsXWCpnxbg/viewform
Our pickup window is 10 am through 11:15 am on Tuesday and Wednesday as per the following schedule:
Tuesday: 1/19/2021
Wednesday: 1/20/2021
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. Masks must be worn at all times and for social distancing purposes, NB will limit the number of people entering the middle school facility at one time.
Message from the School Nurse: The New Jersey Department acknowledges the state is in a "second wave" of coronavirus infections with transmission among school children often being without any symptoms.
Therefore, the NJDOH recommends no student should attend school with any COVID-19 like symptoms until they have either received a negative viral test (molecular or antigen) for SARS-CoV-2 or they have completed an isolation period of at least 10 days since symptom onset and at least 24 hours after resolution of fever without fever-reducing medications with symptom improvement.
A Doctor's medical note without testing is no longer acceptable.
Please continue to share any COVID-19 cases or exposures with our school nurses. We ask that you directly contact your student’s nurse as this information is critical for monitoring community incidence & planning for safely keeping our school open.
Middle School: Mrs. Theresa Pugliese : tpugliese@nburlington.com
Moving into the New Year, we will release any information about COVID-19 cases on Monday and Thursday as opposed to daily notifications.
Email: These emails go out weekly. If you are reading it, clearly you have received it. However, if you know of someone with children at Northern Burlington who do not receive this and other communications, be sure to check the junk mail folder of the email account (the same can happen to emails from teachers too). The weekly parent messages are also posted on the middle school web page https://www.nburlington.com/o/nbc-ms.
Travel Advisories: Just a reminder that if your family traveled 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
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.
Clinical Spotlight:“Mental health is one of the biggest pandemic issues we'll face in 2021” reports Kristen Rogers from CNN. Based on the mental struggles endured by so many this year, there are issues mental health professionals anticipate coming to the fore in 2021 such as isolation, burnout, stress etc. "Taking care of ourselves and each other should be everybody's focus as we go into 2021." A silver lining, the mental burden of the pandemic has facilitated more honesty and empathy around mental health, which is key to dismantling the stigma that deters some individuals from seeking help. Please click this link to access the full article:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/health/mental-health-during-covid-19-2021-stress-wellness/index.html
Mental health in 2021: What we'll experience and overcome - CNN As Covid-19 vaccines progress, the pandemic will still likely weigh on the collective psyche long-term. Based on the mental struggles endured by so many this year, these are the issues mental ... |
District Technology Presentation: For those of you who could not attend the virtual parent event on January 13th here is a link to the recording of the presentation. It will also be available on our website.
District Technology at a Glance
From the Yearbook Staff: The yearbook staff needs YOUR help in gathering photos from this year. Please consider helping us by uploading a photo or two each month to https://images.jostens.com/415623968. Thank you!
Did you know you can send a personalized message to your student inside the yearbook? A 200-character message is just $20. You can also personalize your cover with a monogram or your name for just $7. Deadline for ordering a parent message or a personalized cover is January 28, 2021. http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09873596
Do you shop on Shutterfly? Introducing a great way to shop that also gives back. Create unique home decor and photo gifts through our custom storefront and Shutterfly will donate 8% of all purchases to our yearbook. Simply go to our Storefront before you start shopping.
http://nbcrmsyearbook.shutterflystorefront.com/
NB Greenhouse Fundraiser: Fresh Honeybell tangelos direct from Florida. Hurry, Honeybells must be ordered by 1/22/2021, but there are other varieties to order until 2/5. Or, Valentine's gifts from See's Chocolates (ends 1/29). Just click the pics and thank you for supporting our NB Greenhouse Club. If you should have any questions, please contact Keith Dannucci at Kdannucci@nburlington.com.
High School Program of Studies and Course Selection for 2021-2022: The 2021-2022 High School Program of Studies is now available on the High School Counseling Department web page. Additionally, we are excited to announce that course selection will occur electronically via PowerSchool. The High School Counselors will be meeting with students in Grade 8 during early March.
Here is the recording of the High School Program of Studies Information Session hosted by the Offices of Academics and Counseling on Thursday, January 14th which will also be posted on the HS Counseling page of the website.
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***
Community Request for Emergency Services Volunteers: Please take a moment to review the following request from our local fire departments and EMTs.
January 14, 2021
Dear Community Members:
I hope this message finds you well. I am the Fire Chief of the Franklin Fire Company No. 1 of Columbus, New Jersey as well as a resident and taxpayer in Mansfield Township. Our regional community has a long history of volunteerism in the Fire and Emergency Medical Services. However, we are in a period of extreme need for volunteers in these services and I am asking for your help. We need members! We all know how important our front-line medical personnel and first responders have been, and still are, during this pandemic. I am reaching out to you in hopes that we may work together to fill this need while providing opportunities for our young local citizens.
In years past, our Emergency Services members were able to participate in career day at Northern Burlington County Regional High School. Additionally, in the past we have solicited for volunteers at homecoming carnivals. Unfortunately, with the changes the School District has experienced due to COVID-19, those opportunities have gone away. We have all learned that we must think outside the box and get creative during these times and we have asked the school district to assist us with communicating the needs of each township’s volunteer Fire and EMS service by posting this letter on the district’s Facebook page and sharing this letter with parents and students. Many of our students may not know of the opportunities that may open for them by joining us and beginning a potential career as a volunteer Firefighter or Emergency Medical Technician.
Furthermore, creating a larger volunteer base will provide a financial benefit for the community as we are all fighting for local funding. While career personnel will create even more of a need for local government tax dollars, volunteers are VERY cost effective. The local governments may save money while providing opportunities for community members.
We are asking you to reach out to your students and family members to communicate our needs and the opportunities that are available. Each Department has a website and email address for potential members to read about our services and reach the appropriate contacts. A list of those agencies is listed below.
I have confidence that by working together and reaching out to the entire local community to solve our goal in keeping our community safe and healthy, we will not only help the local emergency services, but our students and community alike.
Respectfully,
Douglas J. Borgstrom
Fire Chief, Fire Official, Fire Sub code Inspector, Emergency Management Coordinator
609-298-5325x102 Office
http://www.ctfd1.org/ Chesterfield Township Fire
recruit@jacobstownfire.org North Hanover Fire and EMS
http://www.springfieldtownshipnj.org/departments/fire/ Springfield Fire
http://www.mansfieldfire.com/ Mansfield Township Fire
http://wrightstownborough.com/index.php/government/public-safety
Monday, school will be closed as we observe the birthday of Martin Luther King. The holiday on Monday provides a chance to reflect on the timeliness of his message as we continue to grapple with many of the issues, like racism, that he worked tirelessly to address. Enjoy the long weekend best wishes with any day of service projects you may be involved with as part of the holiday.
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal