8/14/2026

As we settle into the school year, there is a lot happening at CBPS! This newsletter is packed with important reminders, upcoming events, student and staff highlights, activities, and information to help keep our Wildcat families connected and informed.

We appreciate the continued support of our students, staff, families, and community. Be sure to take a few minutes to look through the newsletter so you don’t miss anything happening at Cedar Bluffs. It’s a great time to be a Wildcat! 💙🐾

A full Homecoming Newsletter with all the details will be coming next week, but we wanted to get these important dates and times out to families now!

🏈 Friday, October 9th - Homecoming/Pink Out Football Game

🪩 Saturday, Ocotber 10th - Homecoming Dance

Middle School Dance
📍 Auxiliary Gym
⏰ 8:00–9:30 PM
🚪 Doors open at 7:30 PM

High School Dance
📍 Main Gym
⏰ 8:30–10:30 PM
🚪 Doors open at 8:00 PM

🎟️ Admission
$3 – Single
$5 – Couple

More information about Homecoming Week, dress-up days, activities, the football game, and dances will be included in the Homecoming Newsletter coming soon!

We encourage families to use these scheduled breaks to plan appointments, family trips, and vacations whenever possible. Scheduling during these dates helps students maximize their time in the classroom and avoid missing valuable instructional time.

On Monday, September 21st, the Cedar Bluffs FBLA Chapter invites all Cedar Bluffs students and staff to wear purple to school in recognition of World Alzheimer’s Day.

Let’s fill our school with purple and show our support for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their families.

Wildcats, let’s wear purple and spread awareness 💜 🐾

At Cedar Bluffs, Wildcat PRIDE is more than a slogan—it represents the qualities we want our students to demonstrate each day in the classroom, throughout the school, and during extracurricular activities. P – Positivity means approaching each day and new opportunities with a positive attitude. R – Respect means accepting and valuing others, even when we have differences. I – Integrity means knowing our values and doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. D – Dedication means remaining committed to our schoolwork, activities, and personal success. E – Empathy means understanding and considering the feelings of others. Together, these five qualities help us build a positive school culture where students can learn, grow, and become strong leaders.

Throughout the year, we will continue to make PRIDE visible, meaningful, and fun! Once each month, students and staff will come together for a PRIDE Celebration to recognize and celebrate the great things happening throughout our school. We will also continue our popular ** PRIDE challenges**, giving students and staff creative ways to demonstrate Positivity, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Empathy—with some prizes along the way! We encourage families to talk about these five qualities at home and help us continue building Wildcat PRIDE both inside and outside of our school.

Regular school attendance is essential for student success. Being present each day helps students stay on track academically, build positive relationships, and develop consistent learning habits.

To support student success and comply with Nebraska attendance requirements, families will receive an attendance letter after 5 unexcused absences. An unexcused absence is any absence without a doctor’s note or one that is not the result of the school sending a student home due to a fever or vomiting.

After 10 unexcused absences, an additional attendance letter will be sent home. A meeting with the student’s parents/guardians, teachers, and administration will also be scheduled to discuss attendance concerns and develop a plan to improve attendance. At that time, Saunders County ARRIVE will also be contacted.

After 15 unexcused absences, another attendance letter will be sent, and a meeting will be scheduled with the ARRIVE Coordinator to provide additional support and address continued attendance concerns.

After 20 unexcused absences, another attendance letter will be sent, and the county attorney in the family’s county of residence will be contacted.

We understand that circumstances may arise that impact a student’s ability to attend school regularly. Our goal throughout this process is to partner with families, identify barriers to attendance, and provide support whenever possible. If your family is experiencing challenges that are affecting your child’s attendance, please reach out to the school so we can work together to help your student be successful.

We are thrilled to see so many families coming together to support our Wildcat athletes, performers, and teams at home games/events. These events are a wonderful opportunity to foster school spirit and community, and we truly appreciate your enthusiasm.

To ensure a positive and safe experience for everyone in attendance, we kindly as for your cooperation in supervising your children during these events. While we understand that games are a time for fun and socializing, maintaining safety remains our top priority.

Please keep the following guidelines in mind to help us a provide a safe and enjoyable environment for all:

1. Supervision: Please ensure that your children remain within your sight throughout the event.

Unsupervised children running around the stands, hallways, concession areas or gym can pose

safety risks to themselves and others.

2. Respect for the Event: Encourage your children to remain seated during the game and be

respectful of players, officials, and fellow spectators. Disruptive behavior can distract from

everyone’s enjoyment of the game.

3. Designated Play Areas: We ask that children avoid playing in areas not intended for games or activities. For indoor events, the gym floor and team benches are reserved for players and coaches. We also request that children refrain from playing in concession areas, organizing informal games in crowded spaces, or venturing into busy streets surrounding the school.

4. Safety Precautions: Please be mindful of bleachers, parking areas, and other potential hazards around the venue. We recommend that younger children be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult when moving around.

5. Leaving the Venue: If younger children need to leave the seating area for any reason (restroom, concession stand, etc.), we ask them to be accompanied by an adult.

We greatly appreciate your support and understanding as we work together to maintain a safe and

enjoyable environment for all attendees. Thank you for your attention to these important items, and we look forward to seeing you and your family at our upcoming competitions.

If a student needs to leave school early for any reason, they must check out with one of the secretaries AND sign out on the sign-out sheet before leaving the building.

A parent/guardian must also notify the school that their student will be leaving early. Calling the school is preferred, but an email or ParentSquare message is also acceptable. Notifications may be sent to Sarah Sass at sarah.sass@cbwildcats.org and Shaylee Siems at shaylee.siems@cbwildcats.org.

Please help us make sure these steps are followed each time a student leaves early so we can accurately account for students throughout the school day.

At Cedar Bluffs Public Schools, our “Bell to Bell, No Cell” policy is designed to keep students focused, engaged, and connected to the learning taking place in our classrooms. High school students are expected to keep phones off or on silent and place them in the classroom’s designated device holder, while middle school students are expected to keep phones in their lockers during instructional time. Limiting access to phones, smart watches, earbuds/headphones, and other personal electronics during class helps reduce distractions and encourages students to interact with their teachers and classmates. At the same time, we recognize that electronic devices are part of students’ everyday lives, so personal electronic use is permitted during passing periods and lunch. These designated times give students an appropriate opportunity to check messages, communicate, and enjoy their devices without interfering with valuable instructional time.

To support consistent expectations, consequences increase with repeated violations. On a first offense, the student will turn the device in to the office, where it will remain until the end of the day. On a second offense, the device will remain in the office until a parent or guardian retrieves it, and the student must turn the device in to the office each morning for the remainder of the quarter. On a third offense, the device will again remain in the office until a parent or guardian retrieves it, the student will serve one week of Wildcat Reflection, and the device must be turned in to the office each morning for the remainder of the semester.

Our goal is not to eliminate technology, but to help students develop healthy boundaries and understand that class time is learning time! We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this policy throughout the school year and make adjustments as needed to ensure it is meeting the needs of our students, staff, and school community while maintaining a positive and productive learning environment.

Cedar Bluffs FBLA is looking for local businesses, organizations, groups, and community members who would like to join us for an afternoon of fun at our annual Trunk or Treat!

📅 Sunday, October 18th

⏰ 1:00–3:00 PM

🎃 Please note, this event will be outside in trunks once again, weather permitting!

Want to decorate a trunk, pass out treats, and help make this a fun community event? We’d LOVE to have you join us! Please fill out the attached form! If you were contacted directly by an FBLA member please be sure to include their name so they receive their points!

TRUNK OR TREAT SIGNUP FORM

Cedar Bluffs Public Schools is transitioning from Remind to ParentSquare as our school communication platform. All parents and students should have received an email with instructions for getting started. ParentSquare can be accessed by parents through the ParentSquare app and by students through the StudentSquare app, or both can access the platform from a desktop computer. Moving forward, important school information, announcements, and alerts will be shared through ParentSquare just as they were previously shared through Remind. We encourage all families and students to get connected so they don’t miss important updates! If you need assistance setting up your account, please stop by and see us at Open House, call Mrs. Sass at 402-628-2080, or email sarah.sass@cbwildcats.org.

PowerSchool is the main tool our district uses to keep families connected to their child’s education. Having a PowerSchool account allows parents and guardians to:

• Stay informed about grades and progress – Check assignments, grades, and overall performance in real time.

• Monitor attendance – See if your child is in class each day and track attendance trends.

• Receive important updates – Get communication from the school about schedules, attendance, and lunch balances

• Support your child’s success – By staying up to date, you can step in quickly if your child needs extra help or encouragement.

A PowerSchool account is one of the best ways to stay engaged in your child’s learning and ensure a strong home–school partnership.

If you need assistance setting up your PowerSchool Account, please reach out to Mrs. Sarah Sass in the high school office.

A Canvas Observer account allows parents and guardians to stay connected to their child’s learning in our online system. With an Observer account, you can:

• View assignments and due dates – See what your student is working on and when tasks are due.

• Check grades and feedback – Stay up to date on progress and teacher comments for most classes.

• Monitor course materials – Access class announcements, resources, and calendars.

• Support your student – Use the information you see to help your child stay organized, meet deadlines, and reach out for help when needed.

While Observers don’t complete work or submit assignments, this account gives parents a window into the classroom and helps foster communication between school and home.

If you would like to setup a Canvas Observer Account for your child, please reach out to Mrs. Headid.

To support student success, all freshmen through seniors have access to John Baylor’s OnToCollege ACT Prep, a proven program designed to help students boost their ACT and PreACT scores while building confidence and test-taking skills. This resource provides engaging lessons, practice tests, and strategies to maximize performance.

Login Information:

• Username: Student’s school email

• Password: ontocollege

Students can log in and start preparing today at www.ontocollege.com.

Cedar Bluffs Middle & High School

Athletic/Transportation Director: Adam Tranmer

Main Office: Sarah Sass & Shaylee Siems

Website: cedarbluffsschools.org
Location: 110 East Main Street, PO BOX 66, Cedar Bluffs, NE 68015
Phone: 402-628-2080
Facebook: facebook.com/cedarbluffspublicschools