High School Parent Message
December 23, 2021
Important Dates
Dec 23: Early Dismissal
Dec 23: Mid-Marking Period grades & comments posted in Power School
Jan 3: School Resumes
Jan 5: 2022-2023 HS Program of Studies Presentation VIRTUAL
Jan 17: School is closed- Martin Luther King, Jr. day
Jan 26: Early Dismissal/Professional Development (DISTRICT CALENDAR CHANGE)
Winter Break
We made it to winter break. Thank you to everyone for your patience as we have navigated this very unique year that is one in a series of unique school years. As we reach this milestone, we want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
Stay Healthy
Part of being safe is staying healthy, and we ask everyone to be as cautious as possible during winter break to stay COVID free. The news this week talked about a handful of New Jersey schools that were closing temporarily due to high COVID numbers and the impact that had on their school operations. We want to stay off that list of schools, but we are watching the COVID numbers, particularly those in our immediate community. Our plan at Northern Burlington is to reopen with our regular schedule on January 3. To keep it that way we need your help.
First, limit possible exposure to COVID. We all know the recommendations to limit exposure. It will not always be easy during a season when the whole point is to gather with friends and family, but every bit helps.
In the unfortunate event someone does fall ill, here are the symptoms our school nurses are looking for that might indicate COVID:
Any one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of smell or taste.
OR
Any two of the following symptoms: fever (measure or subjective), chills, rigors (shivers), muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion, or runny nose.
If you need it, the Burlington County Health Department is offering walk-in testing for COVID. Please follow this LINK for location and information. Here is a FLIER with holiday hours.
Come January 3, if anyone has any of these symptoms, please do not return to school until the symptoms are resolved, and, if necessary, a negative COVID test has been received. Any questions, contact your family physician. After school reopens, feel free to contact our school nurse, too.
Burlington County COVID Vaccination Sites
Of course, the CDC continues to recommend vaccination as the best way to prevent the spread of COVID. Please see this LINK regarding more information on vaccination sites in Burlington County.
Nurses’ Office
As you can imagine, the nurses’ office has been very busy. Please be patient with us as we navigate
everything. Thank you :)
Wooden Race Car Competition Camp
(Free for all Northern High School Students)
Do you enjoy problem solving? Are you good at building things? Creative? Maybe you’ve always wanted to try your hand at woodworking but have never had the opportunity to try. If so, this is the camp for you! No experience necessary.
https://docs.google.com/docume...
21.22 Wooden Race Car Competition Camp Registration Form Wooden Race Car Competition Camp Registration Form January 24th - January 28th, 2022 2:30pm - 5:30pm Do you enjoy problem solving? Are you good at building things? Creative? Maybe you’ve always wanted to try your hand at woodworking but have never had the opportunity to try. If so, this is for you! |
Magic the Gathering & Tabletop Gaming
(Free for all Northern High School Students)
Do you enjoy problem solving and strategy? Do you like games like Hearthstone, Chess, Magic the Gathering, Risk, and Catan? If so, this is the camp for you! No experience necessary.
https://docs.google.com/docume...
21.22 MTG & Tabletop Gaming Registration Form Magic the Gathering & Tabletop Gaming Registration Form February 7th - February 11th, 2022 2:30pm - 5:30pm Do you enjoy problem solving and strategy? Do you like games like Hearthstone, Chess, Magic the Gathering, Risk, and Catan? If so, this is the camp for you! |
Start Strong Assessment Results
Earlier this school year, students participated in New Jersey’s Start Strong Assessment to assess a subset of priority standards from the prior school year. The district will soon mail the 2021 Start Strong Individual Student Reports (ISRs), which are also available in the NJ Parent Portal at nj-results.pearsonaccessnext.com. The claim code on the ISR will be needed to access results.
High School Program of Studies and SAVE THE DATE for Presentation
The 2022-2023 High School Program of Studies is now available on the HS Counseling website
Course selection for 2022-2023 begins in January.
Date: Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Location: VIRTUAL
RSVP to receive event code: https://forms.gle/zeRj29vugnNdeST69
The event will also be recorded.
SENIORS
Cap & Gown Orders- Seniors received an invitation to order their cap and gown on the Class of 2022 Google Classroom, They will order through Jostens’ website. There is no charge to order and all caps and gowns will be delivered to the school directly for distribution. All other items ordered through Jostens will be delivered to the address attached to the order.
Senior Trip OVERDUE PAYMENT
Dec 15, 2021 -- $250
All payments MUST include a COUPON
Drop off in Room 111 to Mrs. Ballinger
NEXT PAYMENT: January 15, 2022
*Balance of your student's account is located on the December payment receipt.
Last chance, if you have not paid in full
IMPORTANT: INSURANCE INFORMATION - PURCHASE NOW if you are not paid in full!!
OPTIONAL Trip Insurance should be purchased by NOW before your final payment to the school! **insurance cannot be purchased after school receives your final payment. See attachments for information and how to purchase. It IS advised and encouraged that every student purchase trip insurance.
A note from the travel company pertaining to insurance:
If a student does not purchase insurance and cannot travel later, they will be under penalty at the time of canceling.
What if my student has to quarantine due to COVID-19?
If insurance is purchased this is a non-covered reason, however it would fall under the Cancel For Any Reason coverage to possibly get back 75% of a penalty charged.
The travel agency would not issue a refund if they need to quarantine.
What if my student is diagnosed with COVID-19?
If a student is actually diagnosed with covid this could be a covered reason at 100% for sickness, however that is up to Travel Insured as medical documentation would need to be provided.
What if there is a lockdown, quarantine requirement, or Disney is closed?
If the CDC has a state ban in place to not travel to Florida or Disney is closed, the travel agency would issue a full refund.
Currently for quarantining, no states are requiring the need to quarantine before or after visiting Florida.
Additional insurance questions, please reach out to the insurance company directly. See attachment for contact information here.
Any trip related questions, please contact the advisors Kim Ballinger, kballinger@nburlington.com or Maribeth Jarvis, mjarvis@nburlington.com
Early Dismissal of Students
Please be advised that no student under the age of 18 can sign themselves out from school early even if they are drivers. As per our Board of Education Regulations:
5230 LATE ARRIVAL AND EARLY DISMISSAL
No pupil under the age of eighteen shall be released from school before the end of the school day except in the presence of the pupil's parent(s) or legal guardian(s) or an agent of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
Spectators
We appreciate anyone who wants to support our winter sports teams. However, students who wish to watch one of the winter sports teams must go home and return with a responsible adult who stays with them while they watch an after school event.
Bathrooms
Please be advised that in order to better monitor use of the bathrooms, we are requiring students to sign in on a sheet prior to entering. We are also monitoring the number of students entering the bathroom based on the available facilities.
Charging Chromebooks
Please make sure your child is bringing his/her chromebook to school on a daily basis and that it is charged in the evening. It’s 2021, coming to school without a charged chromebook is like coming to school in 1985 without a trapper keeper and a pencil.
Instructional Supports for Students in Quarantine
In addition to watching the lesson and interacting with individual teachers during prep/resource periods, a schedule of virtual instructional support has been available since November 8th. The support program will be evaluated at the end of November. The Counseling Office will email impacted students and families with the meeting schedule and links.
Travel guidelines
While the CDC recommends delaying travel until individuals are fully vaccinated, New Jersey's travel advisory is no longer in effect. Subsequently, mandatory post-travel quarantine is not required for domestic, out of state travel, within the United States. Therefore, NB will recommend that, for 14 days after travel, individuals self-monitor for COVID-19 compatible symptoms such as cough, breathing difficulties, loss of taste &/or smell, fever, chills, shivers, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion, or runny nose, and isolate and get tested if any symptoms occur.
Masks
Students, staff and visitors are required to wear masks while in school. We are grateful for the attention given to this requirement and cooperation in this regard.
More recent CDC guidelines regarding masks have been posted and these are noted below:
Wear masks with two or more layers to stop the spread of COVID-19
Wear the mask over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin
CDC does not recommend the use of gaiters or face shields. Evaluation of these face covers is on-going but effectiveness is unknown at this time.
Per the CDC guidelines, gaiters are not recommended at this time because of questionable effectiveness. Furthermore, since masks must be secured under the chin, traditionally worn bandanas are not considered effective either. As a result, students, staff and visitors may not wear bandanas or gaiters as a mask while in school. Disposable masks will be provided for those who do not bring an acceptable mask to school. Students who do not comply with proper mask wearing will be sent home.
COVID Monitoring
Our school nurse wanted to remind parents to screen their children DAILY for symptoms before sending them to school. Parents/caregivers should monitor their children for signs of illness every day as they are the front line for assessing illness in their children. Students who are sick should stay home from school and call the attendance line: 609.298.3900 x 2029
Burlington County Covid Vaccination Sites
Please see this flyer regarding more information on vaccinations.
2021-2022 Yearbook
Pre-order the 2021-2022 yearbook at jostensyearbooks.com
2020-2021 Yearbook
Limited copies of last year's yearbooks are still available for purchase. Please contact Tina Kim, tkim@nburlington.com for details.
PTSC
PTSC and Amazon Smile: The Parent Teacher Student Connection (PTSC) has an Amazon Smile account for any community members who would like to support the PTSC while shopping online. Simply go to http://smile.amazon.com and search for the "Parent Teacher Student Connection" in the list of organizations (it is listed as being in Columbus, NJ) and then go through that portal to do your Amazon shopping. Amazon will donate 0.5% of all purchases to the PTSC. Please email nburlingtonptsc@gmail.com with any login questions.
Assessment Schedule 2021-2022
During the course of the school year, students will participate in various standardized assessments. Assessment Information and NB’s Assessment Schedule is available on the website: http://www.nburlington.com/o/nbc-rsd/page/student-assessment--3
Senior Parking
Please find the link below for the 2021 – 2022 Senior Parking Application that can be accessed in Google Classroom.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe69EJej5l0-ZYiWEcxMXqm4Ta5xo-MY6KRgm0oV7WJrbPFVw/viewform
All documents for parking should be emailed to wgupta@nburlington.com
If you have already applied and have been approved, you should have received a parking decal pickup information email from Ms. Gupta.
Clinical Corner Spotlight:
Self-Care for Parents During this Holiday Season - It is common during the holiday season to be reminded about the need to take care of oneself and to find ways to cope with the inevitable stressors. This year, however, the usual holiday stress is complicated by the economic, psychological, and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst all the bad news, we have also been showered with lists of suggestions for self-care. We have all seen enough lists of seemingly simple strategies for self-care to last a lifetime. Are parents experiencing “burnout”? The simplest description of burnout is too much stress and too few resources to cope with it. This imbalance can lead to common aspects of parental burnout. Even under the best of circumstances the holiday season can cause stress, but this year we remain in the grips of the pandemic. Click the link to access the full newsletter: Self-Care for Parents During this Holiday Season
Express Genuine Emotion: It’s Worth It! By: Andy Pool, Ph.D. - Being a parent doesn’t mean you have to hide your emotions. In fact, many of your emotions may arise through your parenting experiences. In fact, both parents and teens are better off if parents learn how to appropriately express the full range of emotions. Consider reviewing the points in the article, both for yourself and as a model for the young people in your life: https://parentandteen.com/expressing-emotion/
Lunchtime mental health check-ins - #Lightentheload #feedyourmind - Mental health check-ins will be available at the High School on Tuesdays and Middle School on Wednesdays, starting December 7th during ALL lunch periods 7, 9, 11, and 13 for any students that want to attend. This allows for a small group of students (15 max, first come first serve) to drop in and have lunch with peers and a counselor. This is an opportunity to safely talk about mental health concerns in a relaxed setting. We welcome students that are genuinely interested in participating.
Introducing NAMI Homefront Mental Health Resources For Military Service Members, Veterans And Their Families – here is a brief video about the resources: Video - NAMI Homefront MH Resources and here is the website to access those resources: https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Mental-Health-Education/NAMI-Homefront
Family Support Organization of Burlington County - Parents Helping Parents: Parents helping Parents can make the lives of families better by building stronger relationships and better communication. Please join the parent support group via Zoom on the first, third and fourth Thursday evening of each month from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Please click the link to access the meeting: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting FSO Parent zoom link Meeting ID: 875 8951 4273 Passcode: 244506
Care Solace helps our Northern Burlington community find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their Care Companion™ team is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year to quickly connect you to carefully verified providers in your community. Students, staff, and families may access Care Solace services in two ways:
Call (888) 515-0595 at any time. Support is available in 200+ languages. A dedicated Care Companion™ will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
For an anonymous search, answer a few questions to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at https://caresolace.com/site/nbcrsd
COMING SOON in FEBRUARY 2022 - Group Counseling for students after school - Northern Burlington School District has collaborated with First Children Services (FCS) to provide therapeutic mental health services in-person to our student via group counseling. This is a free 8-week group in-person after school support group for students to engage with a licensed clinician and their peers to discuss various topics in a safe space setting. The main topics will include anxiety/stress management, emotional regulation, gaining self-awareness, self-esteem, friendship and relationship issues, communication skills, and coping skills. If you are interested in having your child participate or have questions about the group, please contact your child’s School Counselor. Spaces are limited. Dates to be determined.
Sally López, Ed.D.
Principal
Follow the Principal on twitter @nbc_hsprincipal
Follow the Superintendent on twitter: @NBCSUPER
Webpage at www.nburlington.com