December 1, 2023
Good Afternoon,
Here are the weekly updates from the middle school:
Mark Your Calendars for Important Dates:
Dec 2: Children’s Theatre Day- See Flyer for details
Dec 2-3: FFA Winter Poinsettia & Plant Sale & Holiday Fundraiser
Dec 3: NB Craft Fair 9am - 2pm
Dec 7: PTSC Mtg @ 6:30pm in HS Media Center - see below for details
Dec 8: Early Dismissal - Staff PD
Dec 8-9: MS Drama, Sherlock Holmes
Dec. 13: MS Band Concert 7:00 pm
Dec. 19: MS Choral Concert 7:00 pm
Dec 22: Early Dismissal
Dec 23-Jan 1: Winter Break
Jan 2: School resumes
PTSC Meeting: Please join us for the December meeting of the Parent Teacher Student Connection (PTSC) on Thursday, December 7 in the High School Media Center at 6:30 pm. There will be a special presentation that will focus on mental health for teens and the resources offered by the school. All are invited to come out and hear from members of our counseling department with ways to best support anyone you know that might need help navigating the challenges related to mental health. Hope to see you there.
Please see our website for more info about PTSC: www.nburlington.com/page/ptsc
Floral Design
The Winter Holidays are here!
NBC Floral Design has the following creations to make your Holiday more festive: Holiday Trees, available in Holiday Greens or Boxwood. You can personalize your tree by selecting the color of ornaments or snow.
Holiday Double Candle Arrangement as seen below.
Please use this order form to request your items by 12/18/23
Clinical Corner: It’s that time of year when you hear the word gratitude probably more often than you want to. Sometimes gratitude is hard to summon. However, if we can even find very small things to appreciate about our life it can make other things easier to cope with. “Gratitude can be defined as having a positive attitude toward life and its events. It can also be defined as having an appreciation of life’s positive aspects. Gratitude can be both an action you practice and an attitude. Creating a gratitude practice such as a journal can help decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety by fostering positive feelings, improving mood and increasing motivation. Gratitude can increase happiness, self-esteem, and sense of worth while decreasing sentiments of frustration, shame or guilt.” Also according to Albuquerque, research has shown that individuals who practice gratitude also report better sleep and overall physical health. When starting a gratitude notebook, make sure it is a judgment free zone, where anything you are grateful for goes. Big things might include:
· Health
· Having food
· Access to education
· Meaningful relationships
Little or everyday things shouldn’t be discounted and may include:
· Free Wi-fi
· Your cell phone
· Someone holding the door open for you
· That first cup of coffee
This article, “Finding Things to Be Grateful For: How to Build Your Gratitude List”, makes it easy to think of things and puts them in categories, such as Things to be grateful for in relationships and Things to be grateful for at work, Unique things to be grateful for and Experiences to be grateful for…It’s a good place to start. Encourage your child/student to do this along with you or set a challenge to come up with two things a day through the holidays. For the complete list of sample ideas click here.
Winter Sports Spectators: We are beginning the winter sports season. While we appreciate our students wanting to come out and support their classmates, we are not equipped to provide supervision to student spectators. As a result, students who wish to watch a basketball game or wrestling match must first go home and then return with a responsible adult who will stay with them for the duration of the contest.
STAT Club:
STAT Club is hosting its annual Holiday HomeFront collection. As a school, we work to collect holiday stockings and stocking stuffers to help those in need. All items are donated to HomeFront, which is an organization that provides support to the less fortunate. Please bring all donations to your homeroom. This collection will be going on until December 14th. Let's continue to spread some holiday cheer to the families of HomeFront!
No Place for Hate: On December 8, an early dismissal day for students, the middle school will be conducting a No Place for Hate activity. The activity will include watching the Disney movie Brother Bear and then some activities afterwards to reflect on some of the themes of the movie including respect, kindness, empathy, perception, education, and self awareness. Please follow this LINK for a more detailed breakdown of the planned activities. These themes will complement the behavioral expectations we have been promoting throughout the year. We are looking forward to a nice activity. Any questions, please feel free to contact me.
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.
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.
Have a good weekend!
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal