December 9, 2022
Middle School Parent Message
Good Afternoon,
Here are the updates from the middle school:
Middle School Drama: The Aliens Are Coming! The Aliens Are Coming! by Tim Kelly premiers this weekend with performances on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10 at the middle school. Tickets will be sold at the door starting at 6:30 pm. The curtain rises at 7:30 pm. Adult tickets are $8 and $5 for Students/Seniors with ID. Tickets are cash only, exact change appreciated. We hope to see you there!
Winter Concerts: The winter concert season is upon us. Come out and support the students in our band and/or chorus as they present their annual winter concerts. Admission is free.
Instrumental Concert, December 14 at 7:00pm
Choral Concert, December 20 at 7:00 pm
Both concerts are in the middle school cafetorium.
School Store Holiday Season Hours: The middle school store is holding holiday hours for parents who are looking to do some shopping for that special greyhound. In person shoppers receive a 15% discount.
The hours are listed below:
Thursday, December 15 from 2:40-3:40
Tuesday December 20 from 2:40 to the beginning of choral concert
Thursday, December 22 from 2:40-3:40
For those unable to shop in-person, purchases may be made online and picked up at the main office by s visiting the Hound Pound Online Store at this LINK.
Homefront Stocking Drive: 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! Please see this LINK for more information.
Food Drive: Update: The 2022 Canned Food Drive is here again! Student Leaders are working with the Food Bank of South Jersey to collect non-perishable food items for needy families this holiday season. Bring your food donations to your homerooms Monday, December 12 through Friday, December 16. The homeroom with the highest count wins a bagel breakfast for February! Would you rather make a donation online? Check out the link to donate on your Class of 2027 or Class of 2028 Google Classroom pages!
Winter Sports and Spectators: The middle school winter sport seasons are underway. While we appreciate the fact that there are students who want to show support for their classmates on the athletic teams, we are not equipped to provide supervision to students after school. For those students who would like to attend a sporting event as a spectator, they must first go home and then return accompanied by a responsible adult who remains with them and provides transportation home.
PTSC News:. Check our website (www.nburlington.com/page/ptsc) for more information.
Clinical Corner: Feeling the need to get everything done perfectly this holiday season? The food, the gifts, the cards, or else it just won’t be good enough? Which of course compounds the stress…does this sound familiar in terms of your child or a student you work with having to get everything perfect all the time or they perceive themselves as a failure? Similar to how one might make the same tried and true holiday treats instead of trying a new recipe, your child/student might not want to try a new activity or skill for the same reason.
A contributor from Harvard Business Review, Matt Plummer, states that “Reining in your perfectionistic propensities is not as hard as it sounds. “It’s about rechanneling a strength of yours rather than aiming for a lower goal.”
One strategy for battling perfectionism is to see the big picture. Again, the article makes a good point: Your diligence “takes a lot of effort,” and your attention to detail is “incredibly time-consuming,” says Plummer. “Ask yourself: Am I using my time wisely? Am I being productive? Is it getting in my way of doing other things well? Other strategies mentioned are adjusting your standards/expectations, creating checklists, being mindful of ruminating, identifying triggers and thinking more positively to name a few. To read the entire article, click here.
To circle back to the holidays, channeling our strengths and energy on the right things, and thinking more positively would be a good way to get through not only the holidays, but throughout the whole year.
COVID: As a reminder, students who are ill should stay home. There are lots of illnesses, besides COVID, that we want to limit the spread in school, including influenza.
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 strongly recommended to wear a well fitting mask around others through the tenth day.
Please contact our school nurse with any questions, tpugliese@nburlington.com.
RELAY FOR LIFE: Relay for Life of Northern Burlington is back and it will be an IN-PERSON event on May 20-21, 2023!
From May 20th at 6:00 p.m. to May 21st at 6:00 a.m. we will gather on the football field to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society! The night is spent celebrating survivors, supporting cancer patients, and remembering friends and family. There are also events and games all night long, and you can spend the night hanging out with your friends and family. All are welcome!!!!
If you have any questions or you would like to be a part of the Relay for Life of Northern Burlington Committee, please contact Lori Nadolny (lnadolny@nburlington.com ) or Dr. Sally Lopez (slopez@nburlington.com ).
If you would like to participate in Relay for Life by creating a team or joining a team, please visit the website: https://relayforlife.org/NB
Join us and help to make the 2023 Relay for Life of Northern Burlington the best yet! Our next organization/information meeting will be December 14th, in room 110 of the High School at 6pm.
NB HS Girls Soccer Fundraiser: NB Girls Soccer is selling delicious holiday desserts from A&M Garden Center. The fundraiser is running until December 14th, with pick up on the 22nd--Just in time for the holidays! Scan the QR code or follow the link on the flyers to order your pies and cakes today!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hMcXFNvYOY3CqRWkmImX2r1ozLxHP_-B/view?usp=share_link
Important Dates:
Dec. 9: Early Dismissal of Students/Professional Development
Dec 9 & 10: MS Drama, The Aliens Are Coming! The Aliens Are Coming!, 7:30 pm
Dec. 12: Student Congress Canned Food Drive Begins
Dec. 14: Middle School Instrumental Concert, 7 pm
Dec. 16: Student Congress Canned Food Drive Ends
Dec: 20: Middle School Choral Concert, 7 pm
Dec. 23: Early Dismissal
Dec. 24: Winter Recess Begins
Jan. 2, 2023: School Resumes
Enjoy the weekend!
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal