Daily Bulletin

New Buffalo Elementary School Bulletin for Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Mighty Acorns dates:

3rd grade: Friday, April 18

4th grade: Friday, May 2

5th grade: Friday, May 9


Family Fit Night: Family Fit Night at the Elementary School is on Thursday, January 30th from 6:00-7:00 p.m.


Blood Drive:

New Buffalo High School's National Honors Society is sponsoring a winter blood drive on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 in the Blue Gym (high school) from 8:30 am-1:30 pm. If you would like to donate, please sign up using the following link: Winter Blood Drive.

Here is a flier with information: BLOOD DRIVE INFO.


Lunch Menu 1/27-1/31/25:

    Jan 27 - CHOOSE ONE: chicken sandwich, turkey sandwich, Smuckers PB & J (includes string cheese & Goldfish crackers or grain of the day), or side lunch (veggies, fruit, dinner roll & milk) with side options of tater tots, baked beans, fruit and milk
    Jan 28 - CHOOSE ONE: build-a-nacho, turkey sandwich, Smuckers PB & J, or side lunch with side options of nacho cheese Doritos, avocado dip, lettuce, salsa, slushie cup, fruit and milk
    Jan 29 - CHOOSE ONE: cheese stuffed breadsticks & sauce, turkey sandwich, Smuckers PB & J, or side lunch with side options of steamed veggies, veggies & dip, fruit and milk
    Jan 30 - CHOOSE ONE: Ramen Woodles with or without chicken, turkey sandwich, Smuckers PB & J, or side lunch with side options of steamed broccoli, cottage cheese, mango juice, fruit and milk
    Jan 31 - CHOOSE ONE: grilled cheese sandwich, turkey sandwich, Smuckers PB & J, or side lunch with side options of tomato soup & crackers, veggie boats, fruit and milk

School Board Meeting Dates 2025/2026 school year:

    Monday, February 10 at 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria at the MS/HS
    Monday, February 24
    Monday, March 10
    Monday, March 24
    Monday, April 14
    Monday, April 28
    Monday, May 12
    Monday, May 26
    Monday, June 9
    Monday, June 23
    Monday, July 14
    Monday, July 28
    Monday, August 11
    Monday, August 25

Artists & Authors Night:

Artists & Authors Night is Wednesday, February 26 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. The PTO Book Fair will be running during this event. Here is a flier with information: Artists & Authors Night 2025.

Kindness Club Pet Drive:

The Kindness Club at New Buffalo Elementary School is hosting a pet drive for Michiana Humane Society from February 3-7! Please see the attached flier for more information: Kindness Club Pet Drive


Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser:

NBHS Student Senate, along with Mrs. Bowen's Foods and Nutrition class and Mrs. Jager's Pottery Club, will be hosting New Buffalo's 13th Annual Empty Bowls benefit dinner on Tuesday, February 18th from 5:00-7:30 pm in the MS/HS cafeteria.

Proceeds from the dinner will go to the Blessings in a Backpack program, which benefits New Buffalo Elementary students in need.

If you would like to attend the benefit dinner, a suggested donation of $10 will provide guests with a ceramic bowl made by a New Buffalo High School student, and a meal of soup or chili with crackers, a beverage, and a dessert. Thank you to Mrs. Jager and the NBHS Pottery Club for creating and donating the ceramic bowls!


PTO Book Fair: The PTO is sponsoring a book fair on Wednesday night during Artists & Authors Night on February 26 from 6:00-7:00 pm and also during the day on Thursday, February 27. Grades K-5 will be shopping with their class during the school day. Pre-Kindergarten will NOT be shopping with their class during the school day, but parents/guardians are encouraged to attend Artists & Authors Night in order to check out the book fair.


PTO Involvement Survey:

New Buffalo Elementary PTO is in need of volunteers! Our PTO provides events and activities such as: book fairs, carnival, teacher appreciation activities, luncheons, Holiday Shoppe and the Bison Stampede fundraiser.

Please fill out this survey to let us know how you'd be willing to help our school and students.

PTO Involvement Survey

2025 Harbor Country Feeding America Mobile Food Truck Pantries:

The Pokagon Fund is helping to fill the nutritional gap for families through its sponsorship of mobile food pantries in their service area. There will be 24 such events during the year 2025. The host sites are: Harbert Community Church in Sawyer, Church of the Mediator in Lakeside/Harbert, Harbor Country Rotary Club in Three Oaks and New Buffalo American Legion in New Buffalo. Please see the attached flier for details or visit Feeding America West Michigan's website for their online schedule for Berrien County.

2025 Harbor Country Feeding America Mobile Food Truck Pantries

2024-2025 Daily and Half-Day Schedule:

Full day schedule

7:45 am - Doors Open/Breakfast

8:20 am - Class Begins

A student is considered tardy at the 8:20 am bell. A student will be marked absent after 8:50 am. All students in grades K-5 will have 25 minutes to eat their lunch and a 15 minute recess before or after lunch.

3:35 pm - Pre-K and BASE Dismissal

3:40 pm - School Dismissal

Half-Day Schedule

7:45 am - Doors Open/Breakfast

8:20 am - Class Begins

11:55 am - Pre-K and BASE Dismissal

12:00 pm - School Dismissal

School staff will supervise students on school grounds 30 minutes before the school day begins and 10 minutes after the school day ends. Unless students are participating in a school activity, school staff are not available to provide supervision before or after these times.

School Year 2024-2025 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 2023-2024 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.


2024-2025 Attendance Data Points:

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.

Data Point 1 - Tuesday, October 29th (40 days of school)

Regular = 0-2.5 days absent

At risk = 3-3.5 days absent

Chronic = 4-7.5 days absent

Severe Chronic = 8 or more days absent

Data Point 2 - Friday, January 10th (80 days of school)

Regular = 0-4.5 days absent

At risk = 5-7.5 days absent

Chronic = 8-15.5 days absent

Severe Chronic = 16 or more days absent

Data Point 3 - Tuesday, March 11th (120 days of school)

Regular = 0-6.5 days absent

At risk = 7-11.5 days absent

Chronic = 12-23.5 days absent

Severe Chronic = 24 or more days absent

Data Point 4 - Tuesday, May 13th (160 days of school)

Regular = 0-8.5 days absent

At risk = 9-15.5 days absent

Chronic = 16-31.5 days absent

Severe Chronic = 32 or more days absent

Data Point 5 - Last day of school - Friday, June 6th (180 days of school)

Regular = 0-9.5 days absent

At risk = 10-16.5 days absent

Chronic = 17-33.5 days absent

Severe Chronic = 34 or more days absent


2024-2025 School Year Calendar: Here is a link to New Buffalo's 2024-2025 school year calendar: 2024-2025 Calendar


BASE calendar 2024-2025 school year: Here is a link to New Buffalo Elementary's BASE calendar for the 2024-2025 school year: BASE calendar 2024-2025


Lory's Place: Lory's Place is meeting at New Buffalo Elementary School monthly at 10:00 am. This group is a safe place where you can share all your feelings when someone in your life has died. Please check out this brochure and permission slip. Contact Keri Haskins, school counselor, at khaskins@nbas.org if you have any questions.


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. Please see this Blessings in a Backpack brochure & application. This form also went home with all students the first week of school.


Berrien RESA Playgroups:

New Buffalo Elementary is hosting Berrien RESA read, play & learn playgroups this year one Friday per month from 10:00-11:00 am. These are FREE literacy-based events for families with children ages birth-5 years old. Each playgroup is based on a children's book and features hands-on family fun learning activities, including: sensory play, story time, art experiences, fine & gross motor centers, infant area & snack. All activities are chosen because they promote positive parent-child interaction and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. After a short welcome, families can choose how they want to spend their time interacting with the activities provided. At story time, families will receive a copy of the featured book to take home! Come and join the fun!

Here is a link to the playgroups brochure.

Upcoming dates:

Friday, January 24, 2025

Friday, February 21, 2025

Friday, March 28, 2025

Friday, April 25, 2025


Student Council Popcorn Days:

Student Council Popcorn Days - all students can bring a quarter for a bag of popcorn - one grade level will be responsible for delivering popcorn bags:

Fri 2/7 - 4th grade

Fri 3/14 - 3rd grade

Fri 4/22 - 5th grade

Fri 5/9 - 4th grade


View other dates: