Welcome Back!

NB Families,

We had a great first week of school! It was great to have everyone back in the building, bringing the halls alive. Please see below for this week's updates. In particular there are many updates from HSA, from a changed Fun Fair date to a new apparel sale. There are also two curriculum updates for parents. We hope to see you next Thursday for Back-to-School Night!

Thank you for your patience in navigating some difficult parking lot situations this week. It looks as though we may be back to our normal parking lot next week. I'd like to give Brian Boyce, our security guard, a huge THANK YOU for all of the time he spent directing and redirecting traffic in the driveway this week. He also helped out today with our first fire drill. We are so grateful to have him!

**Remember that students are off on 9/7 and 9/8, and they return next Wednesday, 9/9.**

Important Dates - Website Link

Please mark your calendars for Back-to-School-Night on Thursday, September 10th. The letter below contains more information.

Please see the letter below from Mrs. Competiello, our ELA Supervisor, for more information about the new ELA program as well as the inclusion of cursive handwriting in Grades 3-5.

Please see the letter attached below from Mrs. VanSickle, our Director of Curriculum and Instruction, for changes to the G&T program this year.

At the end of the second day of school, Friday, 9/11, the HSA will be hosting a Fun Fair for all NB students. See this poster for more information about the event. Click here to register your child for the Fun Fair and please consider volunteering to help.

If you are interested in volunteering to be a class parent this year, please fill out this form after you know your child's teacher.

We are so pleased to announce our HSA apparel sale! Click on the picture below for the link.

The HSA currently has a Co-President position open. While only one position is open, see below for an additional nomination option should there be no interest in the president position

The President(s) shall preside at all meetings, speak on behalf of the Executive Board, and perform the customary duties of the office. There may be 2 Co-Presidents on the Board at one time to share duties. The President(s) and Treasurer must co- sign all checks. The President(s) shall appoint all chairpersons of the committees. In the event of the resignation of a chairperson, the President(s) shall appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term. The President(s) will periodically meet with the Principal and/or the Superintendent of Schools, per request. Currently 1 vacancy for 2026-2027 year.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiV6z4ohMgu9p2ZBR8d3BmZQpVDoemXVUKuS3mMT-I8U4OWg/viewform?usp=header

Join the NB HSA and check out our upcoming activities on the NB HSA website: https://nbshsa.org/

The elementary handbook outlines general procedures for the there elementary schools. Information regarding specific policies and regulations can be found on the district website.

Students are expected to maintain regular attendance at school. We ask for your partnership in bringing students to school each day when they are well, and scheduling vacations around school days. Please note that the state tracks all absences, even those with doctor's notes or a parent phone call (even ones that we mark as "excused"). To help keep you aware of your child's totals, families will be notified at 5, 10, 13 and 16 absences. At 10 or more days absent, we may request a conference or a phone call where we can help develop personalized strategies to improve your child's attendance. Please reach out if you notice any signs of school avoidance, or if you have questions about whether to keep your child home. As always, thank you for your support!

Pomptonian is our lunch service provider. You can view menus and obtain allergy information by following this link. All elementary students must pre-order lunch. Lunches are made at the high school and transported to the elementary schools.

Any families that might benefit from free and reduced lunch are encouraged to check out the district’s website and consider applying. If you qualified last year, please be sure to apply again this year as the program requires annual updates. Students will receive lunches identical to those of their peers and their information remains confidential.

The State of New Jersey has enacted a cell phone ban in all public schools. This applies to all smart devices, including watches, glasses, etc. If your child has a smart device, it should be turned off or silenced and kept in the backpack for the duration of the day. This includes any type of smart watch, even if it is on school mode. It may not be worn during school hours. Please refer to 5516R for more information.

Our committee for the inclusive playground has been working over the summer to secure donations and organize with vendors and contractors on an optimistic timeline that would ideally have an operational playground in place before the end of the year. While the playground will be at NB, it really is intended as a community play space that will be open to all families not only in our town, but also surrounding towns as well. Our website has more information about the project and how to donate to this great effort.

Please note that the courtyard that held the prior playground structure will be under construction while the playground installation is in progress. Currently, all structures have been removed and there is now a grassy area inside the fence. As this construction continues, please keep your children safe and out of that area.

Photo credit goes to Maureen Brain for her beautiful pictures of North Boulevard School.