High School Parent Message 

September 09, 2022

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Important Dates

Sept 15: HS Back to School Night

Sept 16: HS Student Picture Day

Sept 16: Activity Fair during lunch periods

Sept 19-22: Senior Portraits by appointment only - see below

Student IDs

It is very important for students to have their student IDs with them at all times during the school day.  Student IDs are required for buying lunch, and other various reasons. 


HS Back to School Night

5:45 pm   Meet & Greet with Dr. Zuckerman in HS Media Center

6:30 pm   Welcome Session in Auditorium (404)

7:00 pm   Classroom visitations 

Please ask your children to share their class schedules with you. We will be following the following schedule for classroom visits.

Period

Time

1-2

7:00-7:07

3-4

7:15-7:22

5-6

7:30-7:37

7-8 or 8-9

7:45-7:52

9-10 or 10-11

8:00-8:07

11-12 or 12-13

8:15-8:22

14-15

8:30-8:37

16-17

8:45-8:52


Morning Drop Off

Please be advised that student drop off is ONLY by the west gym from 6:45 a.m. until 7:20 a.m.

After 7:20 a.m., students may be dropped off at the main entrance. Students will not be permitted to enter the main entrance prior to 7:20 a.m.


Start Strong

This school year, the New Jersey Department of Education is again requiring school districts to administer the Start Strong Assessments.  According to the NJDOE, “As a result of the disruption to education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to deliver instruction and support for learning acceleration remain a critical priority at the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). Pursuant to the Commissioner's regulatory authority, local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to administer the Start Strong assessments as part of the overall Statewide assessment system.”

The NJDOE believes that the Start Strong Assessments will provide teachers, students, parents and schools with meaningful data at the beginning of the school year that complements the data our teachers are already collecting, so that we may best educate our students in the 2022-2023 school year.  

The Start Strong Assessments will measure the prior grade level standards. The following grades/subjects will be tested October 12-14 with make up testing to follow.

  • Grade 7 ELA 07, Math 07

  • Grade 8 ELA 08, Math 08, (ALG or GEO if applicable)

  • Grade 9 ELA 09, Math (ALG, GEO,ALG2), Science 09

  • Grade 10 ELA 09, Math (ALG,GEO, ALG2)

  • Grade 11 (only Math if enrolled in ALG, GEO, ALG2)

  • Grade 12 Science 12

The district will administer these tests in the first 90 minutes of the morning on October 12-14 and then will follow a modified schedule for the remainder of the school day.  The assessments are digital and can be completed within 60 minutes.   Students must bring their district issued charged Chromebooks to complete the assessments.  Students who are testing are encouraged to get a full night’s rest, eat breakfast and arrive promptly at the start of the school day.  

Please click on the link for further information about the Start Strong Assessments: New Jersey | Start Strong (mypearsonsupport.com)


Clinical Corner

Transitioning back to school can be anxiety provoking.  A new environment, new responsibilities, and new people can be overwhelming to your child at this time.    This can mean more unknowns, which can be scary.   However, using some positive affirmations to keep you and your child calm and feeling more confident such as ¨This is hard, and I am getting through it¨ or ¨I am capable enough to handle anything that comes my way¨ can be helpful.  Another antidote to anxiety is staying in the moment and focusing on just the task at hand.  An example of this would be to say to yourself, ``Right now I just have to get to my locker or Right now, I just have to make my lunch for tomorrow." This article explains the benefits of mindfulness in more detail.  : verywellmind.com 

COMING SOON in October 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 mental health concerns, emotional regulation, gaining self-awareness, 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.


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 electronic annual forms: 

  1. Parent Consent Form

  2. Emergency Information & Trip/Activity Medical form.

These two (2) forms needed to be completed no later than Friday, September 2nd. If you haven’t completed them yet please do so now.   If you cannot access your Parent Portal account, please contact your child’s counselor for assistance. Thank you!

Chromebooks

We had significant issues with students not bringing their Chromebooks to school and not bringing them charged. We also had many students who reported that they lost their Chromebook chargers. 

Please be aware of our updated protocol for the 22-23 school year:

  • Students are expected to bring their school issued Chromebook & charger to school 

every day. 

  • 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. Students will need their school ID for this process. 

  • 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.


District Expectations:

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. 


Parent Email: 

The school uses email communications on a regular basis so it is essential that the school has 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.  

  

 Bus Assignments:

Bus Assignments can be found in PowerSchool under Transportation and these were made available on Monday, August 29. 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.


School Lunches:

We have three cafeterias:  West Cafe, East Cafe, and Main Cafe. 

  • All three cafeterias will have the same offerings. 

  • Students must stay in their assigned cafeteria &  remain at the same lunch table.

  • Minimal outdoor seating will be available 

Every day there are four lunch periods and each is 30 minutes long. 

  • LUNCHES ARE NO LONGER FREE FOR ALL STUDENTS, The federal waiver allowing free meals for all students due to the coronavirus pandemic expired on June 30, 2022.  We encourage all parents and guardians to complete a new 2022-2023 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 the regular school lunch is $2.90.  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 LINK.

  • Students are welcome to pack their lunch, please no glass bottles.

Senior Parking: 

Seniors are eligible to apply for parking on campus. Please find the link below for the 2022–2023 Senior Parking Application that can be accessed in Google Classroom. 

  • Senior Parking Application 

  • 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 needs to schedule their portrait session for the first time, view this Senior Portrait Flyer  for a session the week of September 19th - September 23rd.  Students who have previously had their portraits taken and need to “retake”, each student is assigned an individual code. The codes only work once so retakes have to be scheduled over the phone with the number provided on the flyer.

If you need more assistance call the Prestige/Lifetouch support number 1-800-687-9327

 

SAT Prep Program Registration 

NB’s own 6 week SAT Prep program continues in-person on Saturdays from September 17, 2022- October 29, 2022 (No Class October 8).  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 13, 2022  https://bit.ly/SATPrepFall2022

COVID

Most of the COVID restrictions have been lifted.  Masks are optional and there are no social distancing guidelines or contact tracing.  However, students who are sick should remain at home.  For those students who have symptoms that might indicate the potential of COVID, they will need to be tested before returning to school.  COVID Testing can be done in the Doctor's office, community testing site or an at-home test with results provided to the School Nurse.  If negative, a student may return when feeling well and has no sick symptoms. In cases where students do test positive for COVID, they will need to remain home for a minimum of five days.  Students who test positive for COVID and return to school after five days are to wear a well fitting mask around others through the tenth day. Please contact our school nurse with any questions.

Other Important Information

Several important pieces of information are available on our district website at www.nburlington.com, explore, students & parents 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


 

   Steve Lee, Northern Burlington                       

Sally López, Ed.D.

Principal

Follow the Principal on twitter @nbc_hsprincipal

Follow the Superintendent on twitter:  @AZUCK1

Webpage at www.nburlington.com