Feb 16: School in Session to make up for snow closure

Feb 19: School Closed - Presidents’ Day

Mar 22-23: MS Spring Musical

Per the district calendar, the emergency snow closures will be February 16 and June 17. Please plan accordingly. An updated district calendar will be available after the February board meeting.

Next week, our students will be participating in a door decorating contest as part of our observance of Black History Month sponsored by our Students Taking Action Together (STAT) club and the No Place for Hate club. We are looking forward to seeing what they put together. Check out the middle school Instagram handle, @nbc_msprincipal, for pictures of the progress.

Looking ahead, the week of February 12 will be our Blue Grey Week in the middle school. This is when we divide the middle school into Blue and Grey teams. The Blue Team is all students with a last name beginning with the letters A-K, and the Grey Team is all students with a last name beginning with the letters L-Z. Over the course of the week, there will be various dress day competitions as well as other contests during the day that will provide opportunities for students to earn points for their teams. More details will follow, but we wanted to provide a heads up.

One part of the competition is a FOOD DRIVE. Students earn points for their teams by bringing in non-perishable food items. At the end of the week, the food collected will be donated to a local food pantry.

There are dress themes for Tuesday through Friday, and they are as follows:

Tuesday: Sports Day (wear your favorite team jersey/t shirt, etc)

Wednesday: Wear Red Day (It will be Valentine’s Day)

Thursday: Switch Up Day (students dress like teachers/teachers dress like students)

Friday: Blue and Grey

We are looking forward to a good competition between the two teams.

Spring sports registration is now open! If you already have an account, please log in with your username and password to register your student-athlete. If you are new to the system, please create an account and continue as a new user. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the athletic office at moneill@nburlington.com or call 609-298-3900, ext. 2093. It may seem a long way off, but take care of it now.

The board of education approved a tentative calendar for the 2024-2025 school year. It can be found at this LINK.

The last Clinical Corner discussed moving more, which can indeed help your mental health and it certainly kept coming up in my research about self care. In an article titled Caring for Your Mental Health by the National Institute of Mental Health, they define self-care as “taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical and mental health”. On top of the tips listed below you also want to make time to acknowledge your feelings and not judge them. Journaling can really help with this sometimes difficult task. Here are the article’s tips or reminders to help you and your student/child fit some you time into your week:

• Stay connected-Reach out to friends or family members who can provide emotional support and practical help

• Focus on positivity-Identify and challenge your negative thoughts

• Practice gratitude-Remind yourself daily of things you are grateful for, no matter how small

• Set goals and priorities-Learn to say no to new things if you already have enough on your plate. And focus on what you did get done instead of how much you didn’t.

• Try a relaxing activity-Explore relaxation apps, journaling, drawing or anything that makes you feel physically calmer.

• Make sleep a priority-Try to stick to a schedule and reduce phone/computer use close to bedtime

• Eat healthy regular meals and stay hydrated-These can improve energy and focus

• Get regular exercise-Even if in small doses it can boost your mood and your health.

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.