November 8, 2023
Good Afternoon,
Here are the weekly updates from the middle school:
Mark Your Calendars for Important Dates:
Nov 9-10: No School for students. NJEA Convention
Nov 22: Early Dismissal
Nov 23-24: School is closed
Dec 8-9: MS Drama, Sherlock Holmes
Federal Impact Aid Survey: Each fall, the Northern Burlington County Regional School District reaches out to all parents asking that they complete the Federal Impact Aid survey. This is a very important document that needs to be completed in a timely manner. To make this process more convenient for our families, this Federal Impact Aid survey can be completed electronically.
The Northern Burlington County Regional School District must receive an annual signed survey from ALL parents or guardians for EACH student in order to receive federal funding of military affiliated students.
Please note that even if you are not an active military or a civilian working on federal property, it is essential that ALL parents and guardians complete and sign this form. Even though we are past the due date, we still need parents to submit these forms and will continue to follow up with students and their parents who have not yet submitted this important documentation.
Federal Impact Aid supports local school districts with concentrations of children who have parents/guardians in the uniformed services or parents/guardians employed on eligible Federal Properties. It was designed to assist local school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt Federal Property served by the district. Each year, Northern Burlington receives Federal Impact Aid funds because of your cooperation in returning these forms to us in a timely manner.
We need to have the completed form(s) even if your employment does not fall within the categories listed on the survey. This is the only way to ensure we have covered all families that might live and/or work on eligible federal properties.
Click here to log into your PowerSchool parent account, once logged in click on the link from the left side of the webpage that says Forms and complete the “Title VIII Federal Impact Aid Survey” electronically. A form needs to be submitted for each child, however if submitting for multiple children, please click the arrow up key next to the submit button. This will allow you to submit the form for each child without having to reproduce each survey selection.
Thank you for your continued support of the Northern Burlington County Regional School District. If you have additional questions, please contact Jill Markley, Administrative Assistant, extension 2003 or Richard Kaz, School Business Administrator (609) 298-3900 extension 2080.
Counseling Update: Mrs. Irwin is our 8th grade counselor. This past weekend, Mrs. Irwin welcomed her second child and will be out on maternity leave until the spring.
During her absence, Ms. Kelly Drake will be filling in during this time. We welcome Ms. Drake and please contact her if you have an 8th grader and need assistance from the counseling department. Her email is kdrake@nburlington.com.
Clinical Corner:
We are inching closer to that time of the year where we may be with family members we are not with on a regular basis. While that can be cause for celebration and good anticipation it can also be overwhelming or not good for one’s mental health. There are a lot of reasons this might happen: if they are very different in their opinions or beliefs, habits, etc. I thought it might be helpful to have some ready coping skills to be able to tolerate Uncle Bill/Aunt Susie, etc.
Try to be as relaxed as possible before the family event. If you are already operating from a stressed state it won’t take much for Grandpa Joe to put you over the edge.
Have realistic expectations-if you know a certain family member usually criticizes you for the same thing every year try and have a calm script ready to say.
Steer clear of controversial topics like politics, religion, etc. but accept that the only thing you can control is your reaction.
Take a deep breath or five! Taking a short break can recharge your tolerance battery.
Bring a happy reminder-have a friend ready to receive a venting text from you or try to put a funny spin on what’s happening.
For all 10 Ways to Cope with Difficult Relatives During the Holidays, click here.
NB Winter Craft Fair: Come out to our 5th annual Northern Burlington Holiday Craft Fair on Sunday, December 3rd. There will be plenty of holiday items for purchase and music for all to enjoy. We hope to see you there. Proceeds benefit our Northern Choral and Theatre Programs.
Vendors Wanted: We are still taking applications for vendors and crafters. Email nbcraftshow@gmail.com or see Shannon Hughes for vendor application.
Lost and Found: We will be donating the items in the lost and found to the PTSC clothing drive (see below). Students who are missing an item should check before Friday, November 17. At that point, the remaining items will be bagged and donated.
Parent Conferences: Thank you to all who came out for conferences. I hope you had good sessions if you were able to join us.
If you were not able to register for a conference and have questions about your child’s progress in a particular class, please contact the teacher and/or counselor directly.
Health Curriculum Information Session - Family Life Content - Monday, November 6, 6pm: Thank you to all who were able to join us for the family life session. We hope it was informative.
Middle School Class Fundraisers: We are having a school wide fundraiser from Charleston Wrap!!! This money raised goes to the respective classes (2028 and 2029). These funds support their class activities through high school.
See the flier for details. This is for 7th and 8th Grade the ENTIRE middle school.
The fundraiser is ongoing until NOVEMBER 29th.
Winter Sports: Winter sports registration is now open for the 2023-24 season. This would be for basketball, wrestling, and cheerleading.
If you currently have an athletic registration account, please log in with your username and password. Do not create a new one. If you need assistance, please feel free to contact the Athletic Office at 609-298-3900, ext. 2093.
For the basketball team, in particular, there are tryouts. In order for a student to participate in tryouts, they must be medically cleared. We have reached the point where sports participation materials submitted will not be reviewed before the start of tryouts. If your child is planning to participate/tryout, submit that as soon as possible.
PTSC: Our A&M November Holiday Dessert Fundraiser is back! Order from over 40+ delicious baked goods (pies, cakes, cheesecakes, etc). Paid orders are due November 13th. Pick up will be on November 21st from 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm at the middle school.
The Fall clothing drive is going on now. Clean out your closets and drop off at the Middle School pole barn (take access road behind Mansfield Twp Elementary)
Please see our website for the dessert order form link and more info about the clothing drive.
Bus Drivers Needed: Please see this FLIER from our transportation office. The district is looking for full and part time bus drivers. The job includes free training to earn CDL, as well as flexible hours. Feel free to share this flier with others who may be interested.
Enjoy the weekend!
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal