Daily Bulletin
New Buffalo Elementary School Bulletin for Tuesday, October 06, 2026
Attendance Data Points:
At different intervals during the school year, the office will be analyzing student attendance and placing students in categories of regular attendance, at risk attendance, chronic attendance and severe chronic attendance. If your child hits chronic or severe chronic attendance, you will be provided a letter after that data point. Excused and unexcused absences will be calculated in this total. Please visit this link to view the dates/absences included: List of Attendance Data Points.
BASE 1st Trimester Enrichments:
BASE is excited to offer daily enrichments for students in grades K-5 on Monday-Thursday from 4:00-5:00 pm. Here is a list: Tri 1 enrichments.
Book Fair:
Our first book fair of the year will be taking place from Tuesday, October 13 - Thursday, October 15 during the school day, and also on Thursday, October 15 during parent/teacher conferences from 1:00-4:00 pm and 6:00-8:00 pm. Please visit this website for more information, to shop online (available 10/12) and to create an eWallet for your child to shop: New Buffalo Scholastic Book Fair. If you would like to sign up to volunteer for the book fair, please use this link: Book Fair Sign Up.
Blessings in a Backpack:
Blessings in a Backpack is a program sponsored by Water's Edge Methodist Church that provides food on the weekends for any student in any grade who applies. This program is not based on income. Contact our school counselor Melissa Teed at mteed@nbas.org if you have any questions. Here is a sign-up form:Blessings in a Backpack info & application.
Fall Picture Retake Day:
Thursday, October 22 will be picture retake day. If your child was not here on picture day, Lifetouch will be taking their photo that day. If you received your student's pictures from picture day and you are not happy with them, your student can have their pictures retaken today. They will need to have their original pictures in the package with them for the retakes. They will also need to either be able to explain to the photographer what you/they did not like about the photos so we can avoid the same issue with the retakes, OR bring a note from home describing what you/they didn't like about their photo.
Breakfast & Lunch Menus:
If you'd like to order your student's lunches/view the menu ahead of time, please visit this website: Meal Magic Family Portal. Information is also available on the Food Service website: .
Education and Nutrition Benefits Application: New Buffalo Area Schools is providing free breakfast and lunch for all students for school year 2026-2027 through the Michigan School Meals Program. Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Education and Nutrition Benefits Application is still very important! Your student may qualify for other benefits like reduced fees at school. Your application may also help the school qualify for education funds, discounts, and other programs. Without this information, our district could lose important state funding for educational programs that our students are entitled to. The information collected from the application is used to provide additional services and benefits beyond school meals, like resources for classrooms, teachers, and children, guidance and college counselors, and health and wellness services. The following items are also dependent upon this application: Title I, summer day camp scholarships, summer EBT funds, field trip support, Toys for Tots, and potential household support for cable and internet. Before completing the application, please review the following: If you received a notice in July 2026 that states your student has already been approved, DO NOT complete another application. One application per family is all we need. The application is located online at Meal Magic Family Portal. A paper application was sent home with all students at the beginning of the school year. For more information on school meals, please visit the New Buffalo Area Schools Food Service website. If you have other questions or need help, call 269-469-6048. ***If there has been an income change in your household, please fill out another application.***
Reporting absences/transportation changes:
If you are emailing to report an absence or change your student's transportation plan for after school, please include both Renee Bowen and Jenna Wendel in case one of the secretaries is gone. Their emails are rbowen@nbas.org and jwendel@nbas.org. If you are calling, it's fine to just call one person and then the voicemail can be checked. Renee's phone number is 269-469-6069 and Jenna's is 269-469-6060.
2026-2027 School Year & BASE Calendar:
Here are links to New Buffalo Area School's 2026-2027 school year calendar and the BASE calendar: NBAS 2026-2027 calendar and 2026-2027 BASE calendar.
Lory's Place:
Lory's Place meets at New Buffalo Elementary School monthly. This group is a safe place where you can share all your feelings when someone in your life has died. For more information, please contact Melissa Teed, school counselor, at mteed@nbas.org. Here is a link to the sign-up form: Lory's Place sign-up form.
Count Day 10/7:
Wednesday, October 7 is Count Day. On this day, a full day of attendance is critical for our state reporting and funding. The fall count day determines 90% of a district's per-student state funding for the school year (with the remaining 10% coming from the spring count). Please make every attempt to have your students here on time and stay for the entire day!
Word of the Month:
October's word of the month is RESPONSIBILITY.
Michigan Great Apple Crunch:
New Buffalo Area Schools will be participating in the Michigan Great Apple Crunch on Thursday, October 15 at breakfast time. Please see this flier for more information: Apple Crunch flier.
School Year 2026-2027 Background Checks:
Please fill out the volunteer application through Visitor Aware if you are planning on attending any school event. A volunteer is defined as anyone working with children or coming inside the classroom/on a school bus with students. The volunteer form needs to be filled out at least 48 hours in advance. If you completed a background check during the 2025-2026 school year and were approved as a volunteer through Visitor Aware, you do not need to complete a new volunteer request. In that case, contact Devinnie Wysocki at dwysocki@nbas.org or call her at 269-469-6010 and ask to have your background check renewed. This must be done before volunteering for any school event.