Overbrook High School

The Pine Hill School District is dedicated to valuing diversity and inclusivity while fostering relationships that promote the development of our students academically, socially, and emotionally. We are intentionally equipping students with the skills needed to become contributing members of society.

We are just about one week away from welcoming students back to school for the 2024-25 school year. I am thrilled to reconnect with all of you as we work together to assist your student's journey in education. The administrative team in both the school and district have been working hard to prepare for this upcoming school year and are excited about some changes we have made to enhance your student's experience and support your students as they return to school. In this newsletter, we will discuss some policy changes, new programs, support services and what to expect in terms of the first days of school and beyond. We believe in the potential of each and every one of our students and strive to ensure that Overbrook is a place where they can achieve their dreams. Thank you for being a vital part of your child's education and we look forward to working together with you.

John Carullo

Principal

Overbrook High School and the Pine Hill School District will welcome students back to school on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Just a reminder that all students should be in Homeroom by 7:24AM.

For your reference, here is the Pine Hill School District Calendar:

Pine Hill School District 24-25 School Calendar

Please take note of the Early Dismissal Days for the High School on the School Calendar. There are some days in which the Elementary schools have early dismissal and the High School does not. Also, take note of our Staff Inservice Days.

Here is a list of all of our early dismissal days for the High School. High School dismissal time on early dismissal days is 11:30AM.

Wednesday,. November 27

Friday, December 20

Friday, January 17

Friday, February 21

Friday, May 23

Friday, June 6

Friday, June 13

Monday, June 16

Monday, June 17

Here is a list of all of our Staff Inservice Days. Please note that school is closed to students on these days.

Thursday, August 29

Tuesday, September 3

Friday, October 11

Friday, February 14

Friday, March 21

Finally, please take note of the days that school will be closed in the school calendar for holiday observances, holiday breaks, and NJEA convention.

Our Assistant Principals have worked extremely hard to revise our code of conduct and are introducing a program meant to be more restorative in nature and educate students who may commit code of conduct infractions on why those infractions are viewed as negative behaviors.

Attached in the links below you can find this updated Code of Conduct and also our New "Student in Good Standing Program". Additionally, the district has purchased a program called Navigate 360, a behavioral intervention program with online lessons designed to promote reflective practice in students who are struggling behaviorally. Finally, the district will continue to partner with the Pine Hill Police Department to enhance existing diversion programs and bring in brand new proactive programs for our students.

It is our goal to teach students how to be good citizens and positively contribute to society. By incorporating these corrective actions rather than being punitive only, we aim to achieve this goal.

2024 - 2025 Code of Conduct

Student in Good Standing Program

We have implemented a few procedural changes that students will need to be aware of. First is Dress Code. Please familiarize yourself with these changes. If you have any questions, students should reach out to their Assistant Principal. During our class meetings in the first week of school, we will go over Dress Code in detail with the students. In the following document, changes are in italics.

24/25 Dress Code

This will be our biggest adjustment to date for the students. As many schools across the county, state and nation are doing, we too will be eliminating cell phones during instructional time beginning the first day of school. Research has shown that cell phones can be a significant distraction in the classroom, impacting students' ability to concentrate and engage with content. Our goal with eliminating cell phones in the classroom is to reduce interruptions and distractions, increase participation in classroom activities and discussions and provide a safer learning environment for our students.

We understand that cell phones are an important part of life in the 21st century. Students will still be permitted to use cell phones before school, during class changes, in the cafeteria and after school. However during instructional time cell phones will not be permitted. We have purchased pockets for each classroom in the school that are numbered and will be hung on the walls or closets near teacher desks to store student devices. The linked procedures below detail our policy further.

24/25 Electronic Devices

To support this procedure we will work with students to understand the importance of healthier habits surrounding technology use and being present in the classroom. We will also ensure that all family members will have quick access to their students in case of emergencies through calling the Overbrook High School main office at (856) 767-8000.

We are also going to model this procedure as adults in the building, eliminating our own cell phone use during instructional periods. We are confident that this change will have positive impacts on students academic performance, focus, social emotional learning and overall well-being. We appreciate your support as we work together to create the safest space possible for our students.

Overbrook High School will be hosting our annual Back to School Night on Thursday, September 12, 2024. The program will begin promptly at 6:00PM in our Auditorium with a small administrative presentation.

For planning purposes, here are a list of important events for parents and guardians! Please save the dates!

Thursday, September 12 - Back to School Night

Wednesday, November 20 - HS Conference Night (Virtual)

Thursday, January 30 - 8th Grade Parent Night

Thursday, February 20 - HS Conference Night (Virtual)

Tuesday, June 17 - HS Graduation (Tentative) *

*For HS Graduation, students participating in the ceremony must be present in school the three school days prior to graduation. Tentatively that will be June 13, June 16 and June 17. Should the date of graduation change due to inclement weather days, the practice days will change as well.

Each new student to OHS will be assigned a chromebook from the district and all returning students should plan to bring their chromebooks charged to school starting Day 1. Outside of that, there are no supply lists at the high school level as there is in the elementary schools, as the complexity of our schedule is far greater than that of the elementary school. Students are encouraged to bring their chromebooks each day. I always recommend a binder for paperwork, some paper/notebook and a writing utensil. Typically in the High School, teachers will inform students of specific supplies they may need on the first day of school.

Access to Genesis, including student schedules, is now open. You must fill out all district forms on Genesis prior to gaining access to your students schedule. Please keep in mind that our counselors are still working out some of the conflicts with individual student schedules. Please do not contact us with schedule change requests at this time.

Also, for your information, here is the High School Bell Schedule.

All bus passes have been mailed out by the Pine Hill transportation office this week to students in Pine Hill and Clementon. Please note that your address in our system is the address the pass was created from and will be mailed to. Any changes now will take time to process and change the route.

Please note that Berlin Township handles their own transportation.

The Free and Reduced Lunch Application will be available on the district website and in the parent portal of Genesis along with the other forms required to be filled out at the beginning of the year. I have also included the link to the Cafeteria Resources page below.

Pine Hill School District Cafeteria Resources

We hosted Freshman Orientation on August 27, 2024. Attached is our slide show that we presented to our parents. Welcome to the Class of 2028!

24/25 Freshman Orientation Slideshow

Class of 2025 senior portraits are being scheduled with our partners at Second Flash Photography. Senior portraits will begin the week of August 12, 2024. To schedule and review pricing please click the link below:

Overbrook Senior Portraits Class of 2025

Additionally, Mr. Davis with Second Flash has created his own remind account. You can join that by texting @4da2e4 to 81010 to receive periodic updates.

Attention Class of 2025! Welcome to SENIOR YEAR! At the link provided in this message, please see a letter from Mrs. Fisher and Mr. Burger regarding Senior Year Activities. Also, as a reminder our senior trip will be to Williamsburg Virginia, Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, Go Karts Plus, & the National Air & Space Museum. We had an amazing trip last year, and are looking forward to doing it again with the class of 2025. Your first payment and mandatory insurance is due by September 20th. Please email cfisher@pinehillschools.org or eburger@pinehillschools.org with any questions you may have.

Senior Year Activities and Costs

Consider supporting our Overbrook Rams Athletics Teams! All athletic schedules can be found on the Tri-County Conference website, linked below.

24/25 Fall Season Overbrook High School Athletics Schedule

Workouts and practices have started for the Fall Season. If you child is interested in a Fall Sport, please call Kim Riley at 856-767-8000 ext. 3023 or visit the Athletics Home Page below for more information.

Overbrook Athletics Home Page