Bison Blurb

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As part of our commitment to providing continuous service excellence to our families and our community, we are conducting a survey in partnership with Studer Education. Your feedback will help us determine what is working well in your child’s school and any areas that may need improvement.

The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. We encourage you to complete it in one sitting, as your responses will be saved once you click submit. The survey will ask you to select your child’s school, and you can complete a separate survey for each of the schools your children attend.

The Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey can be accessed here:

• New Buffalo Area Schools – Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey

• QR Code link:

The survey is scheduled for Monday, February 24 through Friday, March 7.

To maintain confidentiality of the Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey, our partners at

According to mlive, New Buffalo Area Schools is ranked # 10 in the state of Michigan! This is a wonderful reflection of all of the hard work that happens in our schools. Congratulations to the staff and students for continuing to prove why NBAS is the best place to be!

Themed Dress Up Days (Wednesdays):

March 5: Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat Day - wear stripes or red/blue

March 12: Reading keeps you warm - wear your favorite hat/scarf

March 19: Surfs up for Reading - wear/bring your beach/aloha gear

March 26: We “read” all month - wear red to celebrate

Join the Tick Tube Challenge This March!

Help protect our local ecosystem by saving your empty toilet paper rolls for the Tick Tube Challenge! Throughout March, Goldberry Woods is hosting a month-long collection drive, inviting families to take part in this hands-on conservation project to reduce ticks naturally.

Drop off your toilet paper rolls at school or visit Goldberry Woods for a DIY experience in the Barn all month long! Plus, join us for special guided experiences on March 8th & 15th (10–11 AM), featuring a nature walk, Lyme awareness, and tick tube-making.

Stay tuned for an upcoming opportunity with Mighty Acorns to help place tick tubes in our local natural areas! Learn more at goldberrwoods.com/experiences or follow @goldberrywoods on social media.

National SEL Day!

March 3rd is SEL Day! This is a globally celebrated day that highlights the benefit of incorporating social-emotional learning into schools. SEL supports children’s academic success, mental health, and well-being. New Buffalo Area Schools has an incredible Wellness Team of School Counselors, Social Workers and our Student Advocate. The Wellness Team along with teachers, administration, and support staff provide daily SEL opportunities. Implementing the PBIS behavioral framework, sensory room, classroom lessons, using daily check-ins with Class Catalyst, facilitating small groups and clubs throughout the year, classroom community and restorative circles, cooperative learning structures, and much more!

What exactly is SEL?

The graphic below best describes the important SEL skills that students practice and build upon throughout their day.

1. BASE Enrichment Information

2. (New troop) Girl Scout Parent meeting on Tuesday, March 4th at 6:00 in the Elementary cafeteria!

3. There is only 1 more week of offering enrichments for the 2nd trimester - Trimester ends on Friday, March 7th.

4. The 3rd trimester begins on Monday, March 10th & Enrichments will begin right away

5. Upcoming half days: Thursday (3/6) & Friday (3/7) next week. Please bring a cold lunch if your child is staying for BASE!

6. Sign out Update as of 2/14: During those busy times at BASE for pick-up, we will have an extra Ipad to sign out on, in order to prevent longer wait times outside. Thank you for your patience & understanding while we try to find the best solution!

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, March 19 at 4:00

Wednesday, April 16 at 4:00

Wednesday, May 21 at 4:00

Wednesday, June 18 at 4:00

Mobile Dentist is coming! It will be at New Buffalo Elementary on Monday, March 17. You can either fill out the paper form or visit www.MySchoolDentist.com to sign up.

Sickness season is in full swing! We are encouraging lots of handwashing at school. If your child is sick, contact Mrs. Bowen at 269-469-6069 to inform the office of their absence. Below are some tips for helping keep your child healthy.

The word of the month for March is Cooperation.

This month we will focus on teaching students about cooperation 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.

March 3- 4th grade trip to Lansing

March 5- Kindergarten field trip to Bendix Woods

March 6- 1/2 day for students

March 7- 1/2 day for students- end of Trimester 2

March 14- Popcorn Day

March 17- Mobile Dentist

March 19- PTO meeting NBES media center at 4:00

March 26- 3rd-5th Grade music show at 6:00

March 28- Berrien RESA Playgroup at 10:00

March 31-April 6 - Spring Break

April 7- School resumes

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.