Back to School 2018-2019
#SOUTHBRUNSWICKHIGHSCHOOL
A message from our Principal, Mr. Peter Varela
We are excited to welcome you to the 2018 - 2019 school year at South Brunswick High School. Before you know it, early morning alarm clocks will be ringing on Thursday, September 6, 2018. We look forward to that first day of school and will greet your sons/daughters with smiles and open arms!
With each new school year, there are so many opportunities for students to become involved in our high school community. If you break the school day into two halves, the first half of a student’s high school experience focuses on Academics and enrolling/taking courses that are rigorous and preparing the student
for higher education. The second half includes extra-curricular activities - Athletics, Music, Art, Clubs, Student Government, Tutoring, Volunteering, and being a spectator at events, to name a few.
In order for our great school to become even greater, students must be central to our mission. Students must make choices that benefit themselves and others.
As parents/guardians, you play a critical role. Your partnership with our faculty, staff and administration will help us support your children. We want them to excel and experience success during “both halves” of their day. Please encourage your sons and daughters to become involved in school. You can help us by asking them to speak to us about opportunities for them to participate in school. There is absolutely
something for everyone at SBHS.
With that said, we are planning for the opening of school which is September 6th for students. They will follow a special A/B schedule that will be shared with you. With so many construction projects going on at the high school this summer, I thought I would share a few of them: HVAC Units, Solar Panels, Vestibule entrance, Website, Sound system in the Auditorium, and Visitor Management System.
The District is hard at work and their support of the high school with these upgrades will truly benefit everyone in our school community. Please be sure to read all of the important documents in the "Back to School Information" tab on our school website and review, complete, update, and in certain instances, return to school with your
sons/daughters on the first day of school. We are “going green” by going paperless this year.
Our students will continue to learn and experience all that SBHS has to offer when partnerships are formed and direct communication occurs.
As Helen Keller shared, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
Let us partner with you and your children so that make the 2018 - 2019 a great school year!
Wishing the remainder of the summer brings you fun in the sun with lots of fond memories!
Regards,
Peter Varela
Weekly Email and Parent Communication Update
Good Things @ the SBHS Library
Welcome back to our returning students and greetings to our new freshmen! We look forward to meeting our 9th graders when they visit for library orientation with their english classes. For students completing Summer Reading Assignments, all resources are available by grade level on the library webpage. Follow South Brunswick High School Library on GoodReads.com and SBHS Librarian on Twitter to get recommendations from Mrs. Manganello on the latest award-winning titles to read during the last few days of the summer.
We have many exciting programs and events planned this year! The Viking Challenge returns for a seventh year. A reading contest designed to broaden our student’s horizons as they plan for life after high school, this year’s reading selections will be supporting our district theme of equity. We hope you will encourage your child to participate. Additional information on the contest can be found on the library webpage. In addition, we are proud to partner with the South Brunswick Public Library for our eighth annual South Brunswick Reads program. Check back in the coming months to find out more about the theme selected for this year.
Our library continues to grow with new books arriving throughout the school year. Our librarians are always ready to recommend print and online materials. To support students as SBHS continues BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), the library will offer charging stations to power up student devices. We will work to educate our students on device etiquette looking for teachable moments to share how and when to use a device. To better meet our student’s technology needs, we are expanding our ebook and database offerings. The SBHS databases supply credible, quality information on many topics, including: history, current events, international and domestic politics, literature, science, and health. Passwords are available at the library desk. To locate a book, visit our library catalog.
Please encourage your child to come and visit the SBHS Library Media Center. The library is open at 7:10 every morning. Students may visit before school, during HAP classes, and at lunchtime. Our desktop computers are available to students throughout the school day and our Chromebooks and iPads are available for class use. The library staff looks forward to working with everyone this year.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Manganello and Mrs. Parks
Welcome to South Brunswick High School Athletics...
Welcome to South Brunswick High School Athletics. We look forward to an exciting competitive year. Fall Sports have begun and are underway.
Sports schedules are now available at www.greatermiddlesexconference.org. (We no longer use schedulestar). You can now view daily, weekly, monthly and season schedules. Also be sure to sign up for NOTIFICATIONS to receive instant up to date changes and cancellations as they occur.
Hall of Fame Induction: The 2018 Hall of Fame Induction will take place on Friday, October 12, 2018, at half-time of the football game vs. St. Joseph’s of Metuchen. Please come out and join us. The football game begins at 7 PM.
Vikings 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run on Sunday, November 4th. This is a great day to come out with your family and part take in an awesome event. You can do the 1 Mile Fun Run, the 5K Run and for small children, the Kiddie Run. Prizes are awarded by age group, and there is also an award for the “Fittest Family”. Information can be found at www.rwtv5k.com. Please sign up online and join us for a great family day.
Winter and Spring sports: It is suggested that you get your sports physical in 60 days prior to the start of your sport. All tryout days are posted on the website. Read through the Physical Information listed on the website. You must submit all forms requested in detail, with all signatures completed by the requested final dates. You must do health history updates every season. (If you already have a physical on file, there are still health forms that need to be submitted.) Forms will be returned if the information is not complete. You must have the final clearance by the school doctor prior to trying out.
Food Pantry - The Athletic Department will be collecting food for the Middlesex County Food Bank,. Bins will be provided at the football game on August 30th. Please help support this effort.
Please feel free to contact the athletic office if you need assistance.
Elaine McGrath - Athletic Director
(elaine.mcgrath@sbschools.org)
(732) 329-4044, Extension 3265
Karen Bertucci - Secretary Athletics
(Karen.bertucci@sbschools.org)
Extension 3247
Kim Ryan - Secretary - Pay to Participate
Extension 3295
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT CORNER - IMPORTANT COURSE DEADLINES
Entering a New Course – If a schedule change is approved, students may enter a new semester course within the first 2 weeks of the semester or may enter a new year-long course within the first 4 weeks of the school year. Students entering within this time frame are expected to make up any work deemed necessary by the teacher in a reasonable period of time.
Deadlines dates:
October 5, 2018 Last Day to enter 1st semester courses
February 13, 2019 Last Day to enter second semester courses
October 5, 2018 Last Day to make a course level change
Dropping a Course- If a course is dropped after the deadline date, the course will appear on the student’s record and transcript and it will negatively affect the student’s GPA.
Deadline dates:
· October 5, 2018 Last Day to drop first semester courses
· February 13, 2019 Last Day to drop second semester courses
· October 11, 2018 Last Day to drop full year courses
Changing a Course Level – If approved, students may switch to a different course level within the same discipline by the deadlines noted above for “dropping a course” with NO indication on the transcript of the original course level. However, ALL grades from the original course will transfer with the student to the new class and be used as deemed appropriate by the teacher in computing quarterly and final grade averages.
* If a change of level occurs AFTER the deadlines, the consequences are substantial:
The original course will be included on the
transcript with a grade of WP (Withdrawn
Passing) or WF (Withdrawn Failing), whichever is representative of the student’s cumulative grade average in the class at the time of withdrawal. Just as with an F, both WP and WF have a negative impact on a student’s overall Grade Point Average, counting as credits attempted but no grade points earned.
The new course will also be included on the transcript. The grades from the original course will transfer with the student to the new class and be used as deemed appropriate by the teacher in computing quarterly and final grade average.
Yearbooks
Get the early bird price of $83 by ordering a 2019 yearbook before October 31st. Visit www.balfour.com beginning September 15th to place your order before the price increases to $95 on November 1st. Surplus yearbooks will not be available in June. The only way to guarantee a yearbook for your student is to pre-order it today.
Senior Dedications
Any family that wishes to purchase a dedication for a graduating senior in the 2019 yearbook must submit an order form, payment, and materials by Friday, October 5th. Late submissions CANNOT be accommodated due to strict printing deadlines, so please plan early if you wish to honor your senior. Information and order form available here.
Senior Portraits
Senior portrait sessions were held in June and August. If your graduating senior did not have his/her senior portrait taken during one of these previous sessions, the final opportunity is coming up on September 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, and 28th between 3 pm and 8 pm in the DLC. Lors Photography mails to each student’s home address an appointment letter, but if he/she has misplaced it or has not received it, please call the customer service line for information: (908) 964-0847 (neither the school nor the advisor can schedule portraits). Any student who has not had their portrait taken during one of the senior portrait sessions WILL NOT be included in the 2019 yearbook.
In addition, ALL seniors must choose their preferred pose to be printed in the yearbook. The photo printed in the yearbook must feature the student wearing the drape or tux. Instructions on how to complete this task are provided by the photography company. This task must be completed by Thanksgiving Day.
Underclassmen Pictures
All 9th, 10th, and 11th graders will have their yearbook/school pictures taken on September 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th. These will be scheduled during gym classes, HAPs, or lunch. Photography schedule will be released once school begins. In order for your student to be included in the yearbook, he/she MUST have his/her picture taken on one of these days.
GET YOUR VIKING PLANNERS….
FBLA will once again be selling the SBHS school planners (aka "agenda" books). They will be available for $5.00 each at lunches the opening week of school. Look for the carts moving around the cafeterias to make a purchase. Planners will also be sold immediately after school in Room D203 (Business Computer Lab) on the opening days of school and until they are sold out. Exact change is appreciated. Supplies are limited, so be sure to get yours early. Don't miss out!
A message from our PTO...
The SBHS PTO would like to welcome everyone back to another school year! We encourage all parents to support our PTO by becoming members. Membership forms can be found on the PTO page of our SBschools website. We will have a table at Back To School Night, so please come and visit us then!
Our first PTO meeting will be Wednesday, September 26th at 6:00 p.m. in the Library-before the 7:00 p.m. College Night for Juniors Panel discussion in the auditorium.
We have a Kaplan SAT/ACT preview test fundraiser: September 29, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Blue Cafeteria.
Sign up link: http://kaplan.formstack.com/forms/fall2018sbhs Cost: $15 pp
You can reach us by email at PTO.SBHS@sbparents.org
PTO Facebook pages:
SBHS PTO: https://www.facebook.com/groups/117520062042938/
South Brunswick High School PTO:
https://www.facebook.com/South-Brunswick-High-School-PTO-508509619246829/
and Remind101 for SBHS PTO: text @sbhspto to 81010
Please check out the SBHS PTO on the sbschools.org website for more information.
Looking forward to an amazing school year with the help of everyone's involvement!
A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEALTH OFFICE
The Health Offices welcome you to the 2018-2019 school year! This year, the Main Health Office will care for grades 9 and 12 and is staffed by Donna Moreen CSN, RN and Rena Eng RN. They can be reached at extension 5208. The Annex Health Office will care for grades 10 and 11 and is staffed by Karen Gordon CSN, RN and Bin Guo RN. They can be reached at extension 5234. Your child will stay with the same health office and nurses for their four years at the high school. This allows for continuity of care with your child throughout their high school years.
Please visit our page on the South Brunswick High School Website. It is located on the drop down bar for Departments and select School Nurse (http://www.sbschools.org/schools/sbhs/nurse/index.php). Here, you will find all health forms which can be printed to your home computer. Current information regarding Sports Physical forms and tryout information is located on the Athletic Department and the Nurses page under Sports Physical forms.
Our goal is to keep your student in school and learning. Please return the Health Form you receive in your packet from the High School. You will need to sign the bottom portion so we can administer Tylenol or Advil to your child throughout the school year when necessary for minor aches and pains.
Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs is a learning theory which states that basic needs must be met in order for an individual to learn and become self actualized. Sleepy, dehydrated and hungry teens do not perform well in their academics. Here are three things you can do to ensure your child's academic success this school year.
SLEEP:
Make sure your student gets a full 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep improves cognitive recall for learning and testing. Research shows that students who stay up and cram for tests but only get 4 hours of sleep perform worse on tests than their peers who slept a full 8 hours prior to testing.
WATER:
Make sure your child is adequately hydrated. Avoid caffeine products that cause dehydration. Student athletes need to pay special attention to hydration. Headaches and sleepiness in school can occur when teens are dehydrated. You can place a water bottle or two in your child's backpack for the day. Water fountains are located throughout the school for refilling.
FOOD:
Students who eat breakfast in the morning perform better academically than their peers who do not eat breakfast. If a child's last meal is at 6pm, they may have to go 18 hours before lunch break. They then become hypoglycemic and symptomatic with headaches, dizziness, sleepiness. If your teen tells you they are not hungry in the morning, throw a protein bar, dry cereal and piece of fruit in their backpack. They probably aren't hungry at first awakening but they do get hungry at 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. and would really appreciate the snacks you pack at that time!
Also, please remember that students are not allowed to carry their own medication at the high school unless we have a specific order from your physician allowing for this. All medications must be given through the Health Office unless specified by your physician.
We look forward to ensuring your child's health and well-being this school year. We partner with parents to guide your child to create good habits in their teen years which will carry into the adult phase of their life. If you have any specific concerns you would like to discuss with your child's school nurse, please call or email us at any time. Health Office hours are 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
Welcome Back!
NEWS FROM THE BRIDGE CENTER
The BRIDGE Center will continue to offer Freshman transition counseling, in an effort to provide incoming students with a variety of supports and services as they transition into high school. In addition, the BRIDGE Center will be offering programs to seniors as they prepare for their transition out of high school. Services are free and confidential and include group services, brief individual counseling and drop-in sessions to deal with immediate needs. For more information, please contact the BRIDGE Center at 732-329-4044 ext. 3246.
FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICE - YOUR NAVIANCE ACCOUNT
Seniors, Juniors and Sophomores:
Take some time during this summer and access your Naviance account. Your counselor will be discussing your college or career options with you this year.
Freshmen:
Your Naviance Code will be distributed on the first day of school. Please take some time to log in and become familiar with Naviance. Please keep your code in a safe place as you will need it during the school year.
Please access our website at: http://www.sbschools.org/schools/sbhs/index.php
to find out additional information.
Important News for Seniors
Please download the “Authorization to Release Student Transcript”. Please sign and return to Mrs. Bartunek in the Guidance Office by September 14th.
AFTER HOURS...
After School Supervision
Students who are not in an assigned club, program, team or after school approved event with a supervising staff member are not allowed to be in the building. By 2:40pm all students are required to be in their program. Students found wandering the building after hours will be subject to a disciplinary consequence.
The "Late Bus"
- There will be late buses running at 4:15 and 5:15pm, provided by the Board of Education.
- The 4:15 p.m. bus will only run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This bus will be for students involved in clubs, homework help, and/or those serving After School Detention.
- The 5:15 p.m. buses run daily and are only for athletes.
- Because these buses are limited, and tend to overcrowd quickly, students should also have another way of getting home - in the event that the buses are filled to capacity.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: DON’T FORGET TO COMPLETE SUMMER MATH ASSIGNMENTS
All students entering any level of Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, or Pre-Calculus will be expected to complete a summer assignment before the first day of class.
In addition, there are summer assignments for AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, and AP Calculus BC. The assignments and instructions are posted on the High School website, under Quick Links, entitled “Summer Assignments”.
The purpose of the assignments is to practice skills over the summer and ensure a good start with math coursework in the fall. The assignment will also give students the opportunity to review and receive help with the math concepts that students find most challenging. Answers are included with the assignments, work will be checked on the first day of class, and the content will be quizzed on the third day of class.
In order to make certain that students are able to successfully complete the packets, the high school is offering tutoring on three dates. The two remaining dates are August 28th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the high school main library and September 5th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Room 306 in the Annex. There is no need to register for tutoring sessions.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Anna Alfieri at
The Viking Closet Gets A Makeover
At the start of the 2018-2019 school year, the Viking Closet will open its doors from a new location. New advisors, Ms. Boyer and Ms. Wright are working hard over the summer to move inventory from the 3rd floor location, to the new first floor spot. The Viking Closet will be housed in the former School Store room at the intersection between the gym hall and cafeteria hallway. The goals of the organization will remain the same: to clothe families in need in the South Brunswick Community, and to support students in need in SBHS. The Viking Closet is hoping to open its doors on October 1st to provide gentle used, freshly laundered clothing for students to acquire during lunch, HAP, or during school hours with teacher permission. The organization is still planning to run it’s annual Prom Dress Drive in February.
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
Dial 732-329-4044, then the appropriate extension
Attendance x3225
Principal x3226
Nurses’ Offices
- Class of 2019 & 2022 x5208
- Class of 2020 & 2021 x5234
Guidance x3205
James Kimple Center x3203
for Alternative Education
Grade-Level Offices
- Class of 2019 x3383
- Class of 2020 x3383
- Class of 2021 x3270
- Class of 2022 x3205
School Resource Officer x3281
Special Education x3216
Library x5207
Student Assistance Counselor x3321
Athletics Office x3247
Athletic Director x5233
BRIDGE Center/School Based Youth Services x3246
Student Activities x3316
Student Services/ Coordinator
504 Coordinator x5220
Lost and Found x3247
Department Supervisors/Chairs
- Art, Business, Family & Consumer Science, Technology x3229
- English x5230
- Math x3241
- PE/Health x3208
- Performing Arts x3846
- Science x3201
- Social Studies x3288
- World Languages x5201
If you need to communicate with a
specific teacher, please go to our
website, www.sbschools.org for a
complete list of voice mail extensions and e-mail addresses.
Imagine if every child...
South Brunswick High School
Website: https://sbhs.sbschools.org/
Location: 750 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction, NJ, USA
Phone: 732-329-4044
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBSDSBHS
Twitter: @sbhsnews