February 17, 2023
Middle School Parent Message
Good Afternoon,
Here are the updates from the middle school:
Spirit Week: It was great to see all the student participation in this week’s spirit week. The students seemed to have fun with the themes. Also, thank you for your generosity for all the donations to the food drive and the charity drive to support the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The Blue team was victoriuous, but hopefully all had a good time with the events.
FFA Week: National FFA Week is the week of February 21. The club has organized different dress themes to celebrate the FFA as well as the role of agriculture in the United States.
Tuesday, 2/21: Neon
Wednesday, 2/22: Favorite Food (t-shirt or sweatshirt to represent favorite food)
Thursday, 2/23: Flannel
Friday, 2/24: Blue & Gold/FFA
Extended Learning Schedule Update: We will be doing another trial run of our extended learning plan on February 28, March 1, 2 and 3. We have made adjustments to the schedule in response to feedback we received from the previous trial in December.
High School Program of Studies and 8th Course Selection for 2023-2024: The 2023-2024 High School Program of Studies is available on the High School Counseling Department Web Page. Course selection will occur electronically via PowerSchool. Please review these instructions and contact your student’s counselor if you have any questions. The PowerSchool Parent Portal is accessible to current 8th grade students and parents until Monday, February 13th. High School Counselors will begin to meet with 8th grade students to review their course selections starting in March.
To help with the planning process a video recording of the presentation from the High School Academic Planning Night is available on Northern TV and on the HS Counseling page of the website. The video series for each department has been updated for 2023-2024 and is also available on Northern TV.
Spring Sports: Spring sports registration is open.
https://northernburlington-ar.rschooltoday.com/
If you already have an account, there is no need to create a new one. Log in with your username and password to register your child for the 2023 Spring Sport Season.
Please be sure that all current physicals are uploaded into the registration portal (STEP 4).
If you have any questions, please contact Michele O’Neill, Athletic Department Secretary at moneill@nburlington.com or 609-298-3900, ext. 2093.
PTSC News: Just a reminder that senior scholarship applications are coming in the next couple of months. To qualify for a PTSC scholarship, you must be a member in good standing by February 28th. Please check our website at www.nburlington.com/page/ptsc to join our organization.
The Middle School Book Fair is coming March 6 through March 10. To sign up to volunteer, please see our website: (www.nburlington.com/page/ptsc)
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.
Check our website (www.nburlington.com/page/ptsc) for more information.
Clinical Corner: Boundaries can be the hardest things to establish and hold in any relationship. Sherri Gordon states, “After all, having healthy boundaries is part of having a healthy sense of self-worth. Kids with a strong sense of self-worth know who they are, what they value, and how they want to be treated; and when someone crosses the line in some way-either taking advantage of them, picking on them, or pressuring them to do something they don’t want to do-then they know how to recognize that something isn’t right in the relationship.” In the article written by Gordon for verywellfamily.com, “What Teens Need to Know About Boundaries”, it discusses what boundaries are, why they are important, how to set them and it even gives examples of what to say when you need to set some. In order for any platonic or romantic relationship to be healthy, one needs to be able to set limits. For example in a friend relationship, a teen might need to tell a friend that they don’t want to gossip about people or be able to communicate their feelings about the person borrowing money all the time. In a romantic relationship, they may have to draw a line about sharing passwords or when it comes to intimacy. The article gives scripts they can use to speak assertively.
The article encourages teens to trust their gut, that if they feel something isn’t right or healthy, it probably isn’t. It also encourages teens to practice setting boundaries in safe places such as with family. An example they use is agreeing to let your teen stay home from a family event if they have a test to study for if they ask for some space. Asking or advocating for what they need is a skill that goes hand and hand with boundaries. Mentioned in a previous Clinical Corner was how labeling feelings is a helpful but difficult skill to learn. Being able to be specific about one’s feelings and say, “I feel neglected when you don’t text me back for days”, is one way to start a conversation about what changes you need made within a relationship. Lastly, there are digital boundaries as well that teens need to set in order to stay safe online, but that’s a topic for another time. For now, like with so many other things, modeling healthy boundaries for your student/teen is one of the best things you can do. For the complete article, click here.
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.
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 nurse with any questions, tpugliese@nburlington.com.
Relay for Life: 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!!!!
Meeting Schedule:
March 21, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
April 4, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
April 26, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
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
Reminders:
Student Pickup: In the event that a student must leave school before the conclusion of the school day they may only be picked up by a person that is listed in PowerSchool as a parent, guardian or emergency contact. All persons will need to present picture identification prior to the release of a student. Any changes to this information must be completed IN WRITING PRIOR to the day of implementation.
School Closure/Delayed Opening due to Inclement Weather: In the event that school must be closed or the opening delayed by 90 minutes due to inclement weather, announcements will be broadcast via twitter and posted on our website www.nburlington.com. Please follow me at @NBC_MSPrincipal and our Superintendent, Dr. Andrew Zuckerman, at @azuck1
Important Dates:
Feb. 20: School Closed for Presidents’ Day
Feb: 21: FFA Week Begins
Feb. 28: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Mar. 1: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Mar. 2: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Mar. 3: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Mar. 6: PTSC Book Fair Begins (March 6 to 10)
Mar. 12: Daylight Saving Time: Clock Springs Forward 1 Hour
Mar. 17: Early Dismissal of Students/Staff Development Day
Mar. 31: MP3 Ends
Mar. 31: Middle School Musical, 7:30 pm
Apr. 1: Middle School Musical, 7:30 pm
Apr. 6: Early Dismissal
Apr. 7 to Apr. 14: School Closed for Spring Break
Have a good weekend as we celebrate Presidents’ Day.
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal