High School Parent Message
Sept 1, 2023
Dear Parents and Guardians:
The 2023-2024 school year is about to begin! This summer we have been getting ready for your children to return.
Important Dates
Sept 5: First day of school for freshmen & new students only - early dismissal day
Sept 6: First day of school for all students
Sept 14: HS Back to School Night - in person, 6:30-9pm
Sept 15: HS Student Picture Day
Sept 15: Activity Fair during lunch periods
Sept 18-22: Senior Portraits by appointment only - see below
Sept 5
The first day for freshmen and NEW students is Tuesday, September 5th. School begins promptly at 7:20 am and dismisses at 11:55 am. Breakfast will be available. See more information below regarding breakfast. Freshmen should report to the auditorium (room 404) and new students should report to the Main Cafe. Students will follow an abbreviated schedule, meet their teachers and become familiar with the high school. New students will receive their Chromebooks this day.
Sept 6
The first day for all students is Wednesday, September 6th. School begins promptly at 7:20 am and dismisses at 2:28 pm. Students should report to their first period class. Please access PowerSchool to see the student’s schedule. Students will also be attending grade level assemblies during an extended Homeroom period.
District Expectations:
District Norms:
How we treat one another at Northern Burlington is important and we want all of our students to feel welcome. We want to create a safe and orderly environment to promote the best opportunity for learning. To that end, we have three key expectations in our school community. At Northern, our students will
Be Ready
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
As school begins we will be talking to the students about how those expectations apply in all the classrooms. Throughout the year we plan to revisit these concepts and reinforce them.
In addition, eliminating bullying is another key part of our expectations for student conduct. We will be setting up a variety of student activities throughout the school year to better educate our students on how to stop bullying.
Finally, our school has been recognized as a No Place for Hate school by the Anti-Defamation League. We look forward to continuing to earn this distinction through organizing different activities related to No Place for Hate throughout the school year. Look for updates in the weekly parent message that comes out every Friday via email.
Bathroom behavior:
The expectation for behavior in the bathrooms is directly related to our district norms: Be Respectful and Be Responsible. Students are expected to use the bathroom as it is intended and then exit. Students engaging in inappropriate behavior will receive consequences.
Vaping:
Obviously, vaping is inappropriate and students will receive consequences if they are found to have a vape in their possession or found to be vaping. This year, in addition to the normal consequences, students will be expected to participate in an anti-vaping program entitled, ASPIRE sponsored by MD Anderson. The program is virtual, self-directed and takes approximately 3 hours to complete. Students will learn about the dangers of traditional nicotine products and the new and emerging products such as e-cigarettes, hookah and marijuana use.
Electronic Pass System
We are implementing a new electronic pass system called SmartPass. It is a web based program that will allow students to use their Chromebooks or smart phones if they choose.
Communication
Communication is crucial to our organization, students and families.
Students:
Important school related information will be shared with students via their grade level Google classroom and their school email. Teachers and counselors also send emails to students and share information in Google classrooms.
Parents:
Parent Messages are sent regularly at the end of every week. We use email communications on a regular basis so it is essential that we have an accurate email address. Parents should log into PowerSchool to review the email address shown and update as necessary. Parents may enter more than one email address. Please note that adding an email address in the Parent/Student Portal does not change the email address on file in PowerSchool demographics, to do this you must email the school registrar your request.
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Breakfast
Breakfast will be available for students every day in the Main Cafeteria from 6:45 am - 7:10 am. The price will be $2.00 for a breakfast bundle which will include a grain/ and or protein, a fruit, and a milk. This will be the free/reduced option and will also be available for purchase. Ala Carte items are available for purchase as well.
Lunches:
We have three cafeterias: West Cafe, East Cafe, and Main Cafe.
Students must stay in their assigned cafeteria & remain at the same lunch table.
Minimal outdoor seating will be available.
Every day there are three lunch periods and each is 30 minutes long.
We encourage all parents and guardians to complete a new 2023-2024 Application for
Free and Reduced Price School Meals prior to the first day of school. The application
can be found on our webpage under parent/student resources and at this LINK.
The cost for a regular school lunch is $3.25, and a premium lunch is $3.50. Students will use their school ID to move through the lunch line. Parents are welcome to establish an online lunch account through the lunchtime parent portal found under Food Services on the parent/student page and at this Acct Link.
Students are welcome to pack their lunch, please no glass bottles.
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Opening of School Forms
Similar to last year, the typical opening of school forms that have to be completed, are available for completion in PowerSchool. Please log on to your Parent PowerSchool account and complete the two required electronic annual forms and if applicable the Senior Form:
Emergency Information & Trip/Activity Medical form.
Parent Consent Form
Class of 2024 Senior Diploma (Seniors Only)
These three (3) forms need to be completed before your child’s schedule can be accessed. If you cannot access your Parent Portal account, please contact your child’s counselor for assistance. Thank you!
Student Schedules
PowerSchool is available to parents and students (upon completing the Opening of School Forms). PowerSchool allows parents and students to view attendance, grades, and assignments.
Bus Assignments:
Bus Assignments can be found in PowerSchool under Transportation. Please be aware that students must ride their assigned bus. Temporary requests for a student to ride a different bus will be considered only for emergency situations and only with the Principal’s approval. Such a request must be submitted in writing from both the parent of the child and the parent who will be receiving the child, along with phone numbers to confirm the request at least 24 hours in advance.
Student drop-off/pick up:
Drop Off:
Students are expected to be in their HR no later than 7:20 am. Students may be dropped off by the west gym beginning at 6:45 am.
From 7:20 am on, students must be dropped off at the front entrance near the main office.
Pick Up:
Students needing to be picked up before the end of the day, must be signed out in the Main Office.
After dismissal, students must be picked up at the west gym entrance.
For students 18 years old or older; The parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the adult pupil shall submit a written request for approval of an early dismissal to the Principal. The request must include the reason for the pupil's early dismissal to excuse them before the end of the school day.
Chromebooks
Please be aware of our Chromebook protocol:
Students are expected to bring their school issued Chromebook & charger to
school every day.
Please make sure that the student logs into their Chromebook prior to the
first day of school so that all system updates are completed prior to their arrival.
It is the students’ responsibility to have their Chromebook charged every day.
If a student does not have their Chromebook/charger, they will be sent to
the main office to call a parent/guardian to bring what they are missing.
Students who have non-working Chromebooks should report to the main office
for a loaner. When students receive their repaired Chromebook, it is expected that they return the loaner.
The cost to replace a charger is $35.
The cost to replace a Chromebook will depend on the age of the Chromebook.
Dress Code
Please be reminded that there is a dress code. Please review the following with your children and reference page 26 of the student handbook for the following information:
NO sheer clothing
Undergarments may NOT be exposed
Bottoms MUST touch tops
Bottoms MUST cover personal areas
Students in violation of the dress code will be asked to change their clothing. If they have nothing in their locker, they will call a parent/guardian to bring them appropriate clothing. If the student refuses to change their clothing - they will be placed in In School Suspension.
Assessment Schedule
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 Office of Curriculum and Instruction (Academics) website in the Student Assessment section.
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SENIOR PARENT SECTION
Senior Parking:
Seniors are eligible to apply for parking on campus. Please find the link below for the 2023–2024 Senior Parking Application that can be accessed in Google Classroom.
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.
Senior Portraits
If your senior missed the summer portrait session, view this Senior Portrait Flyer for the week of September 18th - September 22rd. Students who have not previously had their portraits taken have been issued appointment times. These times will be sent to you from LifeTouch, if your student can not make the appointment they are assigned please call 1-800-687-9327 to schedule another time slot.
Students who need to “retake”, can email Shane Donahue, shane.donahue@lifetouch.com , or Maryann Roland mroland@lifetouch.com , directly to book an appointment.
Senior Trip
Senior Trip information was sent via email at the end of June to members of the Class of 2024 and their parents/guardians. The Senior Trip is from April 24-27. The first payment of $550 is due by Friday, Sept 15th Mr. Grala or Ms. LaFata.
Senior Trip Class of 2024 Parent Letter
NORTHERN BURLINGTON 2024 ITINERARY
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SAT Prep Program Registration
NB’s own 6 week SAT Prep program continues in-person on Saturdays from September 16, 2023- October 28, 2023 (No Class October 14). The program is contingent on sufficient enrollment of at least 17 students. An afternoon session will be added if needed to meet all registration requests. The registration deadline is Tuesday Sept 12, 2023 2023 FALL SAT Prep Program Registration.
Clinical Corner
Welcome back to school! What a mixed bag of feelings related to that sentence! Excitement, fear, stress, happiness…how amazing that in 10 weeks time we can get so used to not being in a school routine and then have to adjust all over again. Reacquainting ourselves with our peers, starting over with teachers and colleagues, even figuring out what to do for lunch could make anyone feel anxious. One way anxiety can be defined is worry over a threat that is still in your future. Emily Delzell, author of the article “How to Stop Feeling Anxious Right Now”, shares strategies to minimize that threat. One is to accept it and the other is to remember that you can have anxiety AND still perform well. Your body’s response to anxiety is its way of coming to your rescue and giving you energy(albeit uncomfortable), that would allow you to fight off the threat. When you avoid your anxiety by instantly distracting yourself, you never learn to deal with it, thus never giving yourself the chance to realize that you can tolerate it. The article also mentions doing a reality check and asking yourself, “On a scale of 1-100 how likely is it that the thing I am anxious about will happen?” Yet another option is to put your anxiety on a schedule: pick a 15 minute window during the day to think about your anxiety. When the anxious thoughts come outside of that time tell them to come back tomorrow at the scheduled time! There are too many great strategies in this article to list, so please read it in full here and pick a few to try! Hopefully this will help you face the first day of school head on, talking back to the bully that is anxiety and have a great year!
Northern FFA Fall Plant Sales
The Northern FFA Chapter will be holding 3 Fall Plant Sales during the month of September & October. Please see the sale dates & times below. Horticulture students have been working hard over the summer propagating, planting, and growing fall crops - including mums & pansies! This year we are happy to offer a unique selection of plants to our customers. We look forward to seeing you during the plant sale days! In addition to the sale dates below, the greenhouse will be open for plant sales during Back-to-School Night on Thursday, September 14th from 6:30pm-8:30pm and at the HS Open House on Thursday, October 12th from 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Save the Dates!
Northern FFA Fall Plant Sale Dates & Times:
Saturday September 16th - 9am-1pm
Saturday September 23rd - 9am-1pm
Saturday October 14th - 9am-1pm
A variety of plants to include:
Fall Annuals, Mums, & Pansies
Foliage Hanging Baskets - 10" & 12" baskets
Fall Veggies & Potted Herbs
Houseplants, Succulents & Indoor Plants
Various Mixed Combo/Decorative Fall Planters
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
Other Important Information
Several important pieces of information are available on our district website at www.nburlington.com, MORE, Parent/Guardian Resources:
· District Calendar
· Free and Reduced Lunch Application
· Student Handbook
· Parent Teacher Student Connection (PTSC) Announcement: This is the parent group for
the school district.
· Medication at School Form: Must be completed in order for a child to take any medication
at school.
· Acceptable Use of Technology Policy
· Anti-Bullying Policy
· Asbestos Abatement Notification (AHERA) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan
· Health Insurance Brochure/Application
· Vaccine Information
Finally, make sure you enjoy these final days of summer with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing your children return. Best wishes as we embark on another exciting school year.
Sally López, Ed.D.
Principal
Follow the Principal on twitter @nbc_hsprincipal
Follow the Superintendent on twitter: @AZUCK1
Webpage at www.nburlington.com