Bays Bulletin

Dear Parents, Staff, and Community Members,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you of an important adjustment to our 2024-2025 school calendar. After careful consideration and discussion, Brimley Area Schools and our Board of Education have decided to extend our Christmas Break by two additional days. Due to numerous vacation requests and scheduled athletic events, students will now be off on Thursday, January 2nd, and Friday, January 3rd, 2025, allowing families more time to transition back from the holiday season.

As a result of this change, we will add two instructional days to the end of the school year, during our last week in June. The new dates for the end of the school year are as follows:

- June 5th (Thursday) and June 6th (Friday), 2025 will be the added days.

The last week of school will now be scheduled as follows:

- Monday, June 2nd – Full school day

- Tuesday, June 3rd – Full school day

- Wednesday, June 4th – Full school day

- Thursday, June 5th – Half day with a 12:00 p.m. dismissal

- Friday, June 6th – Half day with a 12:00 p.m. dismissal

We understand that adjustments to the school calendar can impact family plans and commitments, and we appreciate your understanding as we make these changes to better serve our students and community.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this update, please feel free to contact the main office at (906) 248-3218.

Thank you for your continued support of Brimley Area Schools. We are committed to providing the best educational experience for all of our students, and your partnership in this effort is invaluable.

Sincerely,

Thomas Suggitt, Superintendent
Aaron Noordhoek, MS/HS Principal
Hugh Clarke, Elementary Principal
Alyssia Rogers, BEA President

Wow, can you believe it? December has arrived and we’re buckling down for the final month of 2024! It feels like we blinked and the school year is already halfway through. November brought us a mix of mild days and our first real snowfall right after Thanksgiving—classic U.P. weather keeping us on our toes! Who knows what surprises winter has in store for us this year?

One of the most magical traditions at our school is the annual Christmas Program, and we are thrilled to announce this year’s event! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 18th, at 6:00 p.m. The program will take place in the high school gymnasium, and Miss Brzezniak has been working tirelessly with all our talented musical groups to create a spectacular experience for everyone.

We can’t wait to see you there to kick off the holiday season together with music, joy, and festive spirit. Don’t miss it—it’s going to be a night to remember!

Detroit, Here We Come, Again!

On Friday, January 3rd, 2024, our varsity girls and boys basketball teams will have the opportunity to play a game in Little Caesars Arena. The Lady Bays will begin play against Munising at12:00pm with Boys following at 1:30pm. This is a great tradition we have started at Brimley schools and we wish all teams the best in their travels. Good luck!

Christmas vacation begins on Thursday, December 20th, with a noon dismissal. Reminder that with the change of our calendar, classes will resume on January 6th, 2025.

On behalf of the Brimley Area Schools, I would like to wish everyone a joyous holiday season. Hopefully, the holidays will provide all of us with the opportunity to spend quality time with our family and friends. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Brimley Area Schools looks forward to the year 2024 with anticipation of continued excellence and success.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND DELAYS

We are in the time of year when weather may affect the opening of school. Whenever there is inclement weather, a decision to either close school for the day, or to delay the opening of school must be made by 6:00 a.m.

If school is closed , or the opening delayed, we will send a message via our parent notification system, School Messenger. This message will be sent by phone, email, and text, if you have provided that information to the school.

If there is a two hour delayed opening, school will start at 10:15 instead of 8:15. The buses will run two hours later than normal. Breakfast will not be served when there is a delayed opening.

Closings and delays will also be reported over local media stations. Please check 9&10 and 7&4 for updates.

Each day, our seven buses transport approximately 330 students a total of 300 miles. The safety of our children on these buses is our number one priority. Whenever a decision needs to be made regarding the closing of school, or to delay the opening of school, the decision will be made with the welfare of our students and faculty/staff in mind.

Employment Opportunities At Brimley Area Schools

NIGHT SHIFT CUSTODIAN

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL PARAPROFESSIONAL

VARSITY BASEBALL COACH

VARSITY SOFTBALL ASSISTANT COACH

VARSITY FOOTBALL ASSSISTANT COAHC

Apply HERE

SUBSTITUTES NEEDED!

We are in desperate need of substitutes in all areas. We need substitutes for our custodians, paraprofessionals, teachers, kitchen staff, administrative assistants, and bus drivers. If you are looking for extra money, or are in need of a job, please contact our school and fill out an application.

FLLC - The Deceptors robotics team 60588 put on good showing at LSSU competition.

Our LEGO Robotics, The Deceptors, put on a good showing at their coemption at Lake Superior State University, which took place on November 23rd. The team took home awards in

They also made some nice presentation both on microplastics in our environment and on :::::

Christmas Games

Christmas games will be on Dec 20, 2023 after lunch. The homecoming court 2024 will be announced at the conclusion of the games.

We are already halfway through the second quarter of the school year! Progress reports will be mailed home the second week of December. After school tutoring is available every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:20 PM to 4:45 PM. Bussing is available for students who stay for the full tutoring period.

Congratulations to our Student of the Month winners: Julian Thornton for Middle School and Eden Flemming for High School. Julian is a new student at Brimley this school year. He was elected to the student council. According to his teachers he is excited to come to school and share what he has learned. Julian is always smiling and kind to those around him. He is helpful and a hard worker. He asks questions and is always willing to help others. Eden is also new to Brimley this school year. According to her teachers she shows character, academic achievement, work ethic, and school spirit. She is always listening and respectful. She is friendly and takes on leadership roles within the school. Julian and Eden will each receive a t-shirt, certificate, BLAZE tickets, and Sugar Daddy Bakery Gift Card. We are so proud of them!

Attendance - Be Here to Succeed Here! Parents can monitor student attendance in SKYWARD. Please discuss the importance of arriving to class on time with your student. Tardy detentions have begun; students who are tardy to more than two classes in a week will receive a friday after school detention. We are eager to partner with you to ensure your student is here, please call the office if you have questions or need support.

A special thanks to our middle and high school musicians and speakers who participated in our Veterans Day assembly at the beginning of the month.

Congratulations to all of our fall athletes who were recognized at the fall banquet on Tuesday, November 19. We are so proud of all you accomplished this season.

National Honor Society hosted the annual Turkey Tourney on the day before Thanksgiving. Students had a blast participating in a variety of fun activities including a dodgeball tournament and half court shot contest.

Students enjoyed participating in a Round Dance demonstration and learning about Native American culture throughout the month of November. Our upperclassmen were able to visit Bay Mills Community College. Our middle school students were able to participate in a seed saving workshop.

Nut Free - Brimley is nut-free K-12 this year with a number of students with nut allergies at the secondary level. Please be conscious of this when bringing items to the building or sending them with students.

On behalf of our middle and high school faculty and staff, we want to thank our incredible Brimley community for all it does to support our schools.

Mr. Noordhoek
MS/HS Principal

Hello Brimley Families. We hope everyone was able to find some rest and relaxation over Thanksgiving and were able to celebrate with family. It is the Christmas season, which means the Christmas Concert is right around the corner. The concert will be on Dec. 18th at 6:00. It will take place in the Brimley High School Gym. All community members are welcome to join us for this event!

December 21st will be a half day to begin our Christmas Break. Break will run December 20nd – January 6th.

Brimley Elementary is partnering with The Sault Area Art Center. The Sault Area Art Center is sponsoring a new program in our local schools. The Art Reach Picture Program is designed to help develop and enrich an appreciation of art in students by having trained volunteer docents associated with the Sault Area Art Center and participating schools visit classrooms once a month to introduce students to historical art pieces.

Brimley Boys Basketball has started. Here is the game schedule:

12/5 vs. Newberry 5:30

12/7 @ Rudyard 10:00am

12/9 vs. Pickford 5:30

12/12 @ Cedarville 5:30

12/14 vs. Detour 10am

12/16 Tournament @ LSSU TBA

Brimley Elementary would like to send a huge thank you to Enjoli Wilson and UP State Credit Union! They donated boxes of brand new winter coats for students in need. If your student would benefit from receiving a new coat please call the elementary office at 906-248-3217 ext 101

The Native Drumming Program is Still Accepting Participants:

Brimley Elementary is proud to announce the start of our new school Anishinaabe drumming program, grades k-6th. Starting on November 21st, this after school program will be on Thursdays at 4:30pm – 5:30pm. This program is open to all students, male/female and native/non-native alike.

*Females will be able to sing/dance with the drum, but not sit at the drum due to cultural guidelines.

Location: Brimley Elementary room #202

Parents will need to pick their students up at the front elementary doors promptly at 5:30.

Anishinaabe drumming program Teachers:

Mzzhickkekahbah Thomas, Mike Willis, Jose Santos, Trevor Leblanc, Cody Jodoin

• December 10th - Sophomore Career Exploration at MiMichigan Health Center.
• December 12th - Regional Science Fair at LSSU
• December 18th - Christmas Program, 6:00pm
• December 20th - Half Day/Noon Dismissal
• January 6th - Students return from Break

November SOTM

Mr. Walt Degruyter is this month's faculty spotlight. This is Mr. DeGruyter's 3rd year at Brimley Schools, where he teacher PE and health in the middle and high shcool, and his 7th teaching overall. Mr. DeGruyter went to college at Grand Valley. He is our Cross Country and Boys Track Coach. In his free time, Mr. DeGruyter enjoys skiing and being outdoors.

Mrs. Angela Hascall is this month's staff spotlight. Mrs. Hascall just joined is this year as our new elementary administrative assistant. Please welcome her to our school family! Mrs. Hascall has to children who attend Brimley Schools, Blake and Piper. Outside of school, Mrs. Hascall enjoys running, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and basically anything else outdoors! Welcome Mrs. Hascall!!