High School Parent Message
April 6, 2023
Important Dates
Apr 7-14: School Closed for Spring Break
Apr 21: PURPLE UP Extended HR- wear purple to support the Military Child
Apr 29: Band Booster Designer Bag Bingo Flyer
Apr 29: PTSC Color Run
May 1-12: AP Testing
May 2,4: NJSLA/Early Dismissal of Students
May 3: Early Dismissal of Students
May 6: PTSC Senior Citizen Prom
May 8-22: PTSC Clothing Drive
May 18: Spring Band Concert
May 31: Spring Choral Concert
Spring College & Career Fair
Northern Burlington is hosting a College & Career Fair on Thursday, April 27th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Students are encouraged to come out and talk with admissions representatives from colleges, trade schools, military branches, and various local organizations. Organizations participating include Rutgers, Monmouth, Pace, Temple, Rider, PennCoTech, Army, Navy, Rizzieri Beauty School, and many more! Parents are encouraged to join their students for this event! Any questions please reach out to Ms. Pona in counseling at mpona1@nburlington.com .
NB College & Career Fair Flyer.pdf
PROM
Prom season is upon us! Ticket sales will take place April 25th - 28th after school from 2:30pm - 3:30pm. Information for online sales will be posted in Google Classroom. You must purchase your ticket during the correct scheduled days for your grade level. We have the right to refuse or refund tickets at the discretion of school officials. Please have your Student ID with you at the time of purchase. Tickets cost $100 per person, due to limited tickets, each student may only purchase ONE ticket and all sales are FINAL.
Senior Sales: April 25th - 26th
Juniors & Seniors: April 27th - 28th
2021-2022 School Performance Reports
This week the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) made publicly available the state's School Performance Reports for the 2021-2022 school year. This letter includes additional details as well as the link to access the reports.
PTSC
Registration is now open for our first annual Family Color Blast Run on Saturday, April 29 at 10am (check in starts at 9am). All are welcome to join in the fun! We will have two courses, 1 mile and 5k, for all walkers and runners, of all ages! DJ, Food trucks (Gita, Kona, Lexylicious), and corn hole boards
Students can fundraise or just register. All other participants just register and click I want to participate.
Fundraising letter for parents: 20230429-color-blast-fundraiser-letter.pdf
Register at: shop.schoolathon.org/198176
We are still looking for volunteers for planning the Color Run (scheduled for April 29) and the Senior Citizen Prom (scheduled for May 6). The sign up genius link for activities is on our website or email us at nburlingtonPTSC@gmail.com and check out our website (www.nburlington.com/page/ptsc) for more information.
Athletics
Online registration is now open for the Summer Fitness Club.
Any student, grades 9-12 in the 2023-24 school year, wishing to participate in Summer Conditioning must complete the online registration form.
Please contact Mrs. O’Neill in the Athletic Office at moneill@nburlington.com if you have any questions.
Northern FFA Spring Plant Sale
The Northern FFA Chapter will be holding its annual Spring Plant Sale days during the month of May. Please see the sales dates and times below. Horticulture students have been hard at work seeding, planting and transplanting in the greenhouse. This year we are happy to offer an expanded selection of plants to our customers. We look forward to seeing you again during this year's plant sale days!
Save the Dates! - Northern FFA Spring Plant Sale Dates and Times:
Saturday May 6th - 9am-2pm
Saturday May 13th - 9am-2pm
NEW DATE!: Sunday May 14th - 9am-1pm
Saturday May 20th - 9am-2pm
A variety of plants to include:
Flowering Hanging Baskets - 8", 10", 12" & 14" baskets
4" Herbs
6 pack/4.5" Annual Flowers
6" Perennials
Strawberry Plants, Houseplants, Succulents
4 pack Vegetables: including sweet/hot peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers,
melon, beans, lettuce & salad mixes and more!
Various Mixed Combo/Decorative Planters
To see the attached flyer, click HERE.
Address:
Northern Burlington County Regional High School
Greenhouse Complex
Address: 160 Mansfield Road East
Columbus, NJ 08022
Contact: Brian Hayes, Teacher of Agriculture
Email: bhayes@nburlington.com
Senior Parents Section:
Senior Scholarship Applications:
Mar 27 - Link available to students in Class of 2023 Google Classroom
Apr 17 - Applications are due by 2:30 pm
Graduation:
Graduation is June 13th at 6:30 pm on the football field. In the event of a missed day of school due to inclement weather - graduation will be moved to June 14th. There is no rain date and if necessary, graduation will be in the MS Gym with limited seating.
Senior Send Off:
Seniors will be receiving the following at the Senior Send Off on Friday, June 9th: Cap & Gown, Graduation tickets, Yard Sign, Yearbook (if ordered). More information will be forthcoming as we get closer to the date.
Cap & Gown Ordering:
Please use this link to order your Northern Burlington Cap and Gown
*Take note that a basic tassel is included with the unit and you only need to purchase the “additional tassel” if that is your preference, there is a button for No Thank You. If you are having any problems with the website, you can call Jostens and order directly over the phone 215-542-8170.
RELAY FOR LIFE INFORMATION
From May 20th at 6:00 p.m. to May 21st at 6:00 a.m. we will gather on the football field to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society! The night is spent celebrating survivors, supporting cancer patients, and remembering friends and family. There are also events and games all night long, and you can spend the night hanging out with your friends and family. All are welcome!!!!
Our next organization/information meeting will be April 26th in Room 110 of the High School at 5:30pm. If you would like to start a team or join a team, please join us!
Additional meetings are:
May 9, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
May 20-21, 2023 - Relay for Life (6:00 PM to 6:00 AM)
If you have any questions or you would like to be a part of the Relay for Life of Northern Burlington Committee, please contact Lori Nadolny (lnadolny@nburlington.com ) or Dr. Sally Lopez (slopez@nburlington.com ). If you would like to participate in Relay for Life by creating a team or joining a team, please visit the website: https://relayforlife.org/NB
Clinical Corner
While we covered anxiety at the beginning of the school year we did not discuss teen depression. Since they are so often enmeshed I thought I would bring this scary topic into the light. Seven common symptoms of adolescent depression are listed below, some explained in more detail than others because some of these can be confused with normal teenage behavior.
· Loss of interest: Losing interest in activities your teen/student used to enjoy
· Long term mood change: Long term mood changes are not normal for teens
· Sleep disturbance: When teens are depressed, they tend to have hypersomnia and sleep more but even with the extra sleep they still report to be tired
· Weight loss or gain
· Movement disturbance: Either very lethargic or fidget often, agitated
· Excessive unnecessary guilt: From “bad” things they believe they have done to embarrassing scenarios all in their head, they will feel excessively guilty. Some other signs of this are withdrawal from others, sadness or obsessive conversation.
· Suicidal tendencies: Making reference to death/suicide or being preoccupied with it
The first step is being able to identify the symptoms, and even if you are suspicious of it, you should refer your student or find a professional to evaluate your child. A lot of the information in this week’s entry was taken from the book High Times/Low Times: The Many Faces of Adolescent Depression by John E. Meeks, MD, as well as an article by the Mayo Clinic. The link for that is here and I will include it in the next entry as it is so extensive. In the next blog entry we will discuss the different causes, risk factors and treatments for adolescent depression.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
Presenter: Dr. Bobbie Downs
Target Audience: All School Staff, Parents/Guardians
PARENT/GUARDIAN/COMMUNITY TRAINING:
May 16, 2023 5:00-9:00 pm
About the Workshop: Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health of addiction challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 50 step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety , depression, substance abuse, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.
All participants that attend will receive a nationally recognized certification and will be registered in the Youth Mental Health First Aid national database.
About the Presenter: Dr. Bobbie Downs is currently the Director of the Child Study Team, Related Services, and Educational Services Unit of the Burlington County Special Services School District. She also facilitates the Burlington County Professional Development Institute and Burlington County School Crisis Response Team. Dr.Downs decided to pursue a career in education after serving as a teacher and administrator in a school for Sudanese refugees in Cairo, Egypt. Since that time, Dr. Downs served in the role of teacher and administrator at the Burlington County Alternative School before being named Director of the ESU. Dr. Downs received her Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Master's Degree in Teaching from Drew University. Later, Dr. Downs earned her Master degree in School Leadership and her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Rowan University. Dr. Downs also holds a Graduate Certificate of Autism Education. She is a certified mindfulness instructor for Mindful Schools and an instructor for Youth Mental Health First Aid. Dr. Downs is an active member of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and the Council for Exceptional Children. She also works for the Korean War Legacy Foundation and the World History Digital Education Foundation with the goal of helping educators teach more about the war and the past, present, and future development of Korea.
PARENT/GUARDIAN/STAFF TRAINING:
May 16, 2023 5:00-9:00 pm
BCSSSD Media Center
Offered at no cost to parents/guardians in Burlington County
Please click here to register.
A Message From Your Northern Nurses
Following data from the Burlington County Health Department, we are seeing a downturn in the number of Flu, COVID and all respiratory infections.
With the onset of Spring, hopefully we will continue to see declining numbers of sickness in our community. Following data from the Burlington County Health Department, we are seeing a downturn in the number of Flu, COVID and all respiratory infections.
Please continue to do your part by carefully monitoring your student and keeping him/her home for any sick symptoms. Worrisome symptoms are cough, fever, breathing difficulty AND 2 or more symptoms combined such as congestion, headache, sore throat, muscle aches etc.
Please do not send students with sick symptoms to school and either:
Take to your doctor for clearance OR
Use a home COVID test (ideally 1 negative test and a second 48 hours later)
AND - Please communicate with your student's school nurse.
We must track the number of COVID and Flu cases in our community and we will work with you and Administration to ensure students home sick have excused absences. Contact our school nurses with any questions: mcrane@nburlington.com and gnocon@nburlington.com.
Sally López, Ed.D.
Principal
Follow the Principal on twitter @nbc_hsprincipal
Follow the District on twitter: @nbcrsd
Webpage at www.nburlington.com