NB Wall

September 16, 2022

Middle School Parent Message

Back to School Night:  Middle School Back to School Night will be on Thursday, September 22.  This is a night for parents to visit with the teachers who are working with their children and learn about the different courses and programs offered at Northern.  This year, we invite you to attend a special meet and greet session with our new Superintendent, Dr. Andrew Zuckerman.  This event will provide families with the opportunity to get to meet the leader of our school district.

The schedule for the evening will be as follows:

5:45 pm to 6:30 pm:  Meet & Greet with the Superintendent, Dr. Andrew Zuckerman, in the media center

6:30 pm to 7:00 pm:  Welcome and program overview in the cafetorium

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm: Classroom visits

In order to prepare for the evening, you will need to access your child’s schedule on PowerSchool for the order of classes and the room numbers.  That evening, during the classroom visits, you will follow your child’s schedule and simply skip the lunch period.  So please take a few moments to ensure you can access your child’s schedule on PowerSchool and are able to identify the room numbers.  Of course, the best person to ask for assistance will be your child if you are not sure of the schedule and location of the different classes.

We look forward to welcoming the parents of our students at Back to School Night.  Please note that this is a program for parents.  To ensure enough space in the classes, we prefer that students remain at home.

Lunches:  As you know, lunches are no longer free for all students.  We are concerned that students who might qualify for free or reduced lunch have not submitted an application to receive this assistance.  We do not want any children who might need this service to have any difficulties in getting their lunch.  If there is any doubt, please be sure to complete the application.  The application can be found on our webpage under parent/student resources and at this LINK.

 

Student Survey:  As part of our accreditation process and goal setting as a district, we have been working to increase student participation in community service for the last several years.  In order to ascertain our progress in this goal we survey our students annually.  In the coming days our students will be asked, as part of a voluntary survey, to share their experience with community service activities.  The survey will be completed in physical education classes and the questions can be found at this LINK.

Student Lockers:  We have had issues with ants in student lockers in the seventh grade wing of the building.  The facilities department will be working to address the problem this weekend.  It is important to note that they are not permitted to use pesticide in areas students use, such as their lockers.  Any pesticide treatments will take place away from areas that students use and any work in the lockers will be limited to cleaning and disinfecting.  Moving forward it will be important for students to be sure they do not keep any food overnight in their lockers and to properly dispose of any food wrappers or other related waste that might attract ants.  We are hopeful that these measures, as well as the onset of colder weather, will eliminate this problem.  

After School Activities:  After  school clubs, activities, and sports are underway.  We encourage all of our students to find something to get involved with as they begin the school year.  The primary method of communication for club and activity meetings is through the morning announcements and these same announcements are posted on PowerSchool in the Daily Bulletin.  Students should listen carefully to the daily announcements for information on these events.

For students participating in a fall sport, they need to have submitted both the sports participation information and physical online, and been cleared by our school doctor.  Parents receive an email indicating that their child has been cleared to participate.  Unless students are cleared, they cannot stay for an athletic practice or play in a game.  Any questions, please contact the respective coach. 

Assessment Schedule: During the course of the school year, students will participate in various standardized assessments. Assessment Information and NB’s Assessment Schedule is available on the Office of Curriculum and Instruction website in the Student Assessment section.  

Start Strong:  The New Jersey Department of Education is again requiring school districts to administer the Start Strong Assessments.  According to the NJDOE, “As a result of the disruption to education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to deliver instruction and supports for learning acceleration remain a critical priority at the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). Pursuant to the Commissioner's regulatory authority, local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to administer the Start Strong assessments as part of the overall Statewide assessment system.”

The Start Strong Assessments will provide teachers, students, parents and schools with meaningful data at the beginning of the school year that complements the data our teachers are already collecting, so that we may best educate our students in the 2022-2023 school year.  

The Start Strong Assessments will measure the prior grade level standards. The following grades/subjects will be tested in the Middle School, October 12-13 with make-up testing.

  • Grade 7 ELA 07, Math 07

  • Grade 8 ELA 08, Math 08, (ALG or GEO if applicable)

We will administer these tests in the first 90 minutes of the morning on October 12and October 13 and then will follow a modified schedule for the remainder of the school day.  The assessments are digital and can be completed within 60 minutes.   Students must bring their district issued charged chromebooks to complete the assessments.  Students who are testing are encouraged to get a full night’s rest, eat breakfast and arrive promptly at the start of the school day.  

Please click on the link for further information about the Start Strong Assessments: New Jersey | Start Strong (mypearsonsupport.com)

NJ Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) Results - Spring 2022: The district has received the Individual Student Reports (ISRs) from the Spring administration of the NJSLA.  These will be mailed within the next week and the scores will also be available in PowerSchool. 

 

COMING SOON in October 2022:  Group Counseling for Students After School.  Northern Burlington School District has collaborated with First Children Services (FCS) to provide therapeutic mental health services in-person to our students via group counseling.  This is a free 8-week group in-person after school support group for students to engage with a licensed clinician and their peers to discuss various topics in a safe space setting. The main topics will include mental health concerns, emotional regulation, gaining self-awareness, communication skills, and coping skills.  If you are interested in having your child participate or have questions about the group, please contact your child’s School Counselor. Spaces are limited.  Dates to be determined.

 

COVID:  As we mentioned in the opening message to parents, COVID is still with us, but we have changed our precautions significantly since 2020.  Most importantly, students who are ill should stay home.  That was true in 2019, and it is still true in 2022.

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, tpugliese@nburlington.com.

Important Dates:

September 22:  Middle School Back to School Night

September 28:  PTSC General Meeting, 6:30 pm, HS Media Center

October 6:  Mid Marking Period

October 10:  No School for Students/Staff Development Day

October 12:  Middle School NJ Start Strong Assessments:  First 90 minutes of the School Day 

October 13:  Middle School NJ Start Strong Assessments:  First 90 minutes of the School Day

October 18:  Middle School Picture Day

October 21:  Early Dismissal of Students/Staff Development Day

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.

Principal