August 2022
Dear Parents and Guardians:
The 2022-2023 school year is about to begin! Below you will find information to help us start the year together as smoothly as possible:
Student Schedules
PowerSchool will be available to parents and students on Friday, September 2nd after 4 pm. PowerSchool allows parents and students to view attendance, grades, and assignments. If you have any questions about a schedule, please contact your child’s counselor. However, please note that changes cannot be made simply because a different elective class would be preferred or a change to be with friends.
School Forms
Please log on to your Parent PowerSchool account and complete two electronic forms. These can be found by selecting the “Forms” tab once logged into PowerSchool.
Emergency Information & Trip/Activity Medical Form
Parent Consent Form
These two (2) forms need to be completed no later than Friday, September 2nd. If you cannot access your Parent Portal account, please contact your child’s counselor for assistance. Thank you.
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 the PowerSchool School Demographics, to do this you must email the school registrar (sbaker@nburlington.com) your request.
Opening Day
The first day for students is Tuesday, September 6th. School begins promptly at 7:30 am and dismisses at 2:38 pm. Students should report to their homeroom/first period class (they are the same). The homerooms are listed in PowerSchool and will also be posted upon entry to school for reference. We will have teachers standing by to assist any student who needs help identifying and/or finding his/her homeroom. In homeroom students will receive a paper copy of their schedule, be issued a hall locker, and do other opening day activities, such as touring the building. We know many of our students are coming into the middle school for the first time and there will be multiple opportunities to go on a tour of the school and to engage in other orientation activities as well.
Chromebooks
Students should bring their charged chromebooks with them each day of school. We recommend keeping the charging cord in the backpack and storing it in the locker in case of an unforeseen issue with the battery. However, students should not anticipate being able to charge their chromebooks in school due to space and outlet limitations.
In the event a child forgets his/her Chromebook, please anticipate a phone call from your student asking you to bring their forgotten Chromebook to school. We do not have enough Chromebooks on hand to regularly be able to provide replacements to students who may have left their technology at home. So please develop a routine whereby your child charges the Chromebook every night and it comes into school everyday.
Please make sure that the student logs into their Chromebook prior to the first day of school so that all system updates are completed prior to their arrival.
Bus Assignments
Bus Assignments can be found in PowerSchool under Transportation and were made available on Monday, August 29th. Please be aware that students must ride their assigned bus. Temporary requests for a student to ride a different bus will only be considered for emergency situations and only with the Principal’s approval. Such a request must be submitted in writing, in advance, from both the parent of the child and the parent who will be receiving the child, along with phone numbers to confirm the request.
School Lunches
Every day there are four lunch periods and each is 30 minutes long.
The federal waiver allowing free meals for all students due to the coronavirus pandemic expired on June 30, 2022; therefore, lunches are no longer free for all students.
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, no glass bottles.
Weather permitting, there will be outside eating areas available beginning the second week of school.
Student Interaction
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.
Other Important Information
Several important pieces of information are available on our district website at www.nburlington.com, Explore, Student & Parent Resources:
District Calendar
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Student Handbook under Middle School Important Information
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 (HIB)
Asbestos Abatement Notification (AHERA) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan
Health Insurance Brochure/Application under Middle School Important Information
Student Athletic Sports Opening Day Meeting Schedule: Link
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 a Doctor’s office, community testing site or an at-home test with results provided to the School Nurse. If negative, students may return when feeling well and symptoms free. 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.
Important Dates
September 6: First Day of School for Students
September 12 - 16: Activity Fair
September 22: Middle School Back to School Night
October 18: Middle School Student Picture Day
We look forward to welcoming all of our students on the first day of school. Best wishes as we embark on another exciting school year.
Respectfully,
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal