January 13, 2023
Middle School Parent Message
Good Afternoon,
Here are the updates from the middle school:
PBSIS Update and Survey: We are continuing our journey with PBSIS. As you are aware, we implemented a school wide system of expectations in September.. These took the form of: Be Ready, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible. We were following ideas found in the PBSIS program and wanted to make a change to our school culture with respect to student management and this process was promising.
In the meantime, we were accepted into the formal process as part of the Rutgers University program. We are at the point in that process where we are formulating our school wide expectations and that is done via survey. So we will be surveying teachers, students, and parents to get their feedback about what these should look like.
We are in a unique spot. There are good reasons to leave our school wide expectations as they are since we have already begun to work them into the school culture. At the same time, last summer we simply imposed them with limited feedback from our stakeholders. There may be an angle we are completely missing and need to address, so we may revise the expectations.
The survey can be found HERE Please take a few minutes to complete it. It includes demographic questions to help better understand the responses and then open ended questions about what the school wide expectations should be. This will be something we would ask students to complete in homeroom on Tuesday, January 17..
Please contact me if you have any questions.
High School Program of Studies and Course Selection for 2023-2024:
The 2023-2024 High School Program of Studies is available on the High School Counseling Department Web Page. Course selection will occur electronically via PowerSchool as it did last year. Please review these instructions and contact your student’s counselor if you have any questions. The PowerSchool Parent Portal will be accessible according to these timelines:
Current HS students (Grades 9-11): Monday, January 9 - Sunday, January 22
Students in Grade 8: Monday, January 30 – Sunday, February 12
Students in Grades 7 will select courses at a later date
The district academic directors will be visiting all of the 8th grade science classes on January 25 to talk about the different high school offerings.
High School Counselors will meet with students in Grades 11, 10, and 9 to confirm their course selections starting in February. The counselors will start with rising seniors and then meet with rising juniors and sophomores. High School counselors will meet with students in grade 8 in the middle school in March.
The video recording of the presentation from the High School Academic Planning Night which was hosted by the Offices of Curriculum & Instruction and Counseling on Thursday, January 5th is now available on Northern TV. It will also be posted on the HS Counseling page of the website. The video series for each department has been updated for 2023-2024.
Spring Sports: Spring sports registration is now open.
https://northernburlington-ar.rschooltoday.com/
If you already have an account, there is no need to create a new one. Log in with your username and password to register your child for the 2023 Spring Sport Season.
Please be sure that all current physicals are uploaded into the registration portal (STEP 4).
If you have any questions, please contact Michele O’Neill, Athletic Department Secretary at moneill@nburlington.com or 609-298-3900, ext. 2093.
PTSC News:. Check our website (www.nburlington.com/page/ptsc) for more information.
Clinical Corner: It seems appropriate to write about adolescents setting goals with the New Year just arrived. In researching goal setting tips, an article by Big Life Journal stood out. It listed 8 essential tips that would help your child or student to set effective goals. To hit on just a few, there were ones like,
“Make Sure It’s Their Goal, Not Yours”
“Introduce Goal Setting As A Tool To Support Their Dreams”
“Demonstrate They’re In Control”
“Explain It’s About The Journey Not The Destination”
The article even mentions goal abandoning which is sometimes a necessary part of the process. The article has great examples of how to have conversations around each tip, like pointing out how your child or teen may have accomplished other goals on their own and how to give specific praise. The article is written in such a way that it is quick and easy to read and at the same time very thorough. And while it is directed at teens, the tips would work for anyone. Click on the link How to Help Teens Set Effective Goals (Tips & Templates) to get 2023 off to a strong start!
A Message from your Northern Nurses: Following data from the Burlington County Health Department, trends show we may expect an increase in the number of Flu, COVID and all respiratory infections.
Please do your part by carefully monitoring your student and keeping him/her home for any sick symptoms.
Worrisome symptoms are cough, fever, breathing difficulty AND 2 or more symptoms combined such as congestion, headache, sore throat, muscle aches etc.
Please do not send students with sick symptoms to school and either:
Take to your doctor for clearance OR
Use a home COVID test (ideally 1 negative test and a second 48 hours later)
AND - Please communicate with your student's school nurse.
We must track the number of COVID and Flu cases in our community and we will work with you and Administration to ensure students home sick have excused absences.
Burlington County continues to offer both the single COVID-19 test as well as a combined COVID-19/Flu test at the testing site at Willingboro Towne Center, 4390 Rt 130 North, Willingboro. Test results are generally back within 48 hours. Insurance information is collected, but people without insurance are still eligible for testing. Please see attached flyer
Contact our school nurse with any questions, tpugliese@nburlington.com.
Relay for Life: 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!!!!
We have had several meetings so far and have selected the theme of “Countries - United for a Cure”. Thank you for helping us reach our goal of $10,000 by December 31, 2022.
Our next organization/information meeting will be January 30th in room 110 of the High School at 5:30pm. Additional meetings are:
February 9, 2023 (Kick-Off) - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
February 15, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
March 21, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
April 4, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
April 26, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
May 9, 2023 - 6:00 PM (Room 110)
May 20-21, 2023 - Relay for Life (6:00 PM to 6:00 AM)
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
Reminders:
Student Pickup: In the event that a student must leave school before the conclusion of the school day they may only be picked up by a person that is listed in PowerSchool as a parent, guardian or emergency contact. All persons will need to present picture identification prior to the release of a student. Any changes to this information must be completed IN WRITING PRIOR to the day of implementation.
School Closure/Delayed Opening due to Inclement Weather: In the event that school must be closed or the opening delayed by 90 minutes due to inclement weather, announcements will be broadcast via twitter and posted on our website www.nburlington.com. Please follow me at @NBC_MSPrincipal and our Superintendent, Dr. Andrew Zuckerman, at @azuck1
Middle School Buddy Club Fundraiser
The middle school buddy club is selling Autism Awareness T-shirts this month for $16 each. Orders need to be placed by Friday, January 20th via the following link: T-shirts
Important Dates:
Jan. 16: School Closed for MLK, Jr. Day
Jan. 25: End of Second Marking Period
Jan. 25: PTSC General Meeting, 6:30 pm, High School Media Center
Jan. 26: Marking Period 3 Begins
Feb. 13: Middle School Spirit Week: Stay Tuned!
Feb. 17: No School for Students/Staff Professional Day
Feb. 20: School Closed for President’s Day
Feb. 28: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Mar. 1: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Mar. 2: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Mar. 3: Extended Learning/Block Schedule Practice Day
Have a good weekend. Of course, this weekend includes the holiday Monday. As a nation we will be honoring Martin Luther King and his legacy.
Andrew Kearns, Ed.D.
Principal