Bison Blurb

Greetings parents and guardians! NBES will celebrate Career Month during May. We would love to have parent/guardian volunteers come in during Mrs. Haskins' WOW Time, to share with students about their careers. It would be a small time commitment-only about 15 minutes each. There would be the option for a google meet if you are not able to come in person. Please fill out the survey below if you would be interested in coming into your child's class and sharing about your career. Please complete by 4/21/25.

https://forms.gle/dhuEsdLPwgTJxpUN9

Our district-wide 5k is coming up on May 19th and t-shirts are for sale that were designed by our elementary Student Senate members and made by second-grade teacher Mrs. Piotrowski!

The theme for this year's event is "Ignite a Cure, Extinguish Cancer". Students can order shirts to wear on the day of the 5K and $5 per shirt will benefit the Berrien County Cancer Service. Order forms are due Friday, April 18th. Please help us support a good cause!

THANK YOU for Your Support in the TP Roll Challenge!

New Buffalo Elementary students collected nearly 1,400 toilet paper rolls for Goldberry Woods’ Tick Tube Project, helping protect local trails and properties from ticks. 1st Grade led the way with 505 rolls, earning a pizza party (thank you, Brewster’s!). Families are invited to Goldberry Woods in early April to turn these rolls into tick tubes. You can take them home or donate them for the Mighty Acorn Hike on April 18th, where Goldberry Woods and Chikaming Open Lands will teach about DIY tick prevention. Want to join the fun or learn more? Contact Ferris McQuade at experiences@goldberrywoods.com. Thank you for making this project a success!

Beginning the week of April 10, fifth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in a health curriculum called the Michigan Model for HealthTM. Students will have the chance to take part in the Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs lessons designed to develop life-long healthy habits. See the letter below for more information.

1. BASE Enrichment Information

2. On May 1st, Jean Kuecher will be putting on a puppetry workshop for the Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd grade students at the New Buffalo Township Library from 1:00-2:30. The K-2 students who attend BASE on 5/1 will ride a bus over to the library & learn how to act out the puppets and put on a puppet show at 2:15! Parents are invited to attend the show at 2:15 PM.

Quick update: Starting Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Michigan’s car seat laws are changing. Here’s what we need to know:

• Rear-Facing Seats: Kids must stay in rear-facing seats until they’re at least 2 years old or reach the seat’s height/weight limits.

• Forward-Facing Seats: After that, they can switch to forward-facing seats with 5pt harnesses until they turn 5 or outgrow the seat’s limits.

• Booster Seats: Kids under 8 or shorter than 4'9" should use booster seats.

• Back Seat Riding: All children under 13 must ride in the back seat when possible.

For more details, check out the Michigan State Police’s guidelines:

State of Michigan | Michigan.gov

Training & Educational Opportunity: Car Seat Basics

There’s a 1-hour online course called "Car Seat Basics for Law Enforcement." It covers:

• How to assess car seat use.

• How to engage with caregivers about child passenger safety.

• Providing resources during our regular duties.

The course is FREE, self-paced, and you get a certificate upon completion. You can register here:
Car Seat Basics for Law Enforcement

For community car seat checks and technician info, here’s the best link:
Certified Car Seat Technicians

The PTO at New Buffalo Elementary does so many wonderful things to support our staff and students! Participation has decreased over the past few years and we are asking for your help. We would love to have you attend our next meeting to give input. We don't always need help with big or time consuming things. Please consider joining us for one of our monthly meetings.

Wednesday, April 16 at 4:00

Wednesday, May 21 at 4:00

Wednesday, June 18 at 4:00

The word of the month for April is Courage.

This month we will focus on teaching students about courage at school. At the end of the month we will have a schoolwide assembly to celebrate all of the hard work of our students.

New Buffalo Elementary has a zero tolerance for bullying! If you believe your child is being bullied you may use the link below to report it to our staff. We encourage you to talk with your child's teacher or myself if you have concerns at any time.

https://nobullyingschools.com/

New Buffalo Educational Trust Scholarship

It pays to be a New Buffalo graduate, literally! In 2010, New Buffalo Area Schools established the NB Educational Trust. The Trust was created to provide each graduate of New Buffalo Area Schools (School Code 11-200) an opportunity to attend postsecondary education or a certification program. These funds are made available through a compact between the state of Michigan and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. Each eligible graduate receives $25,000 ($2,500 per semester for ten semesters). This program provides up to five years of post-secondary educational expenses (per the scale above). The post-secondary education must be completed within 10 years of the date of high school graduation. Exceptions to this requirement are granted for military service (equal to one additional year for each year of active military service). One of the New Buffalo district’s primary jobs is to familiarize pupils with college and foster an understanding of the value and cost of a post-secondary education. New Buffalo Area Schools take all four high school class levels on college visitations. Each year they choose a different Michigan campus to visit. In recent years they have increased their focus on promoting skilled trades. The NB Educational Trust fund is being used to certify electricians, welders, carpenters, truck drivers, train engineers and college degrees. NB promotes all certifications that assist in our graduates adding to their skills and training that help advance their employability. The class of 2010 was the first class to receive these funds. Since 2010 NB has financially assisted 517 graduates.

April 15- 5th Science Mstep

April 16- 5th Science Mstep

April 16- PTO Meeting at 4:00 in the media center

April 18- 2nd Grade field trip to Galien River County Park

April 18- 3rd Grade Mighty Acorns at 1:00 pm

April 22- 5th Grade Social Studies Mstep

April 23- 5th Grade Social Studies Mstep

April 25- Berrien RESA Playgroup at 10:00

April 29- 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade ELA Mstep

April 30- 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade ELA Mstep

May 1- 1/2 day for students- Parent teacher conferences

May 2- 1/d day for students

May 2- 4th grade Mighty Acorns at 9:00 am

May 6- 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Math Mstep

May 7- 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Math Mstep

Melissa Lijewski, Elementary Principal- mlijewski@nbas.org, (269) 469-6060

Jenna Wendel, Administrative Assistant- jwendel@nbas.org, (269) 469-6060

Renee Bowen, Student Services- rbowen@nbas.org, (269) 469-6069

Madeline Selby, BASE Director- mselby@nbas.org, (269) 469- 6062

Tom Whitsel, Transportation Director- twhitsel@nbas.org, (269) 469- 6009

Jacob Stella, Technology Director- techstaff@nbas.org, (269) 469-6020

Susan Martinic, Food Service Director- smartinic@nbas.org, (269) 469-6048

New Buffalo Elementary Website

New Buffalo Elementary Facebook

Child Nutrition and Education Benefits Application

Cafeteria on-line payments

Food Service Menu

Annual Bullying Notice here

Contact information for all departments found here

Every student. Every day.