Grand Re-Opening of IBC Minitropolis at Del Castillo Elementary

Principal Petra Torres welcomed students and guests to the Del Castillo Elementary grand re-opening of Cowboyville - its IBC Minitropolis - that included a $1,000 donation from the bank to help get this year’s fiscal operations underway. This is the second year for the Minitropolis which is a self-contained financial community within the campus. Del Castillo students earn Cowboy bucks based on attendance, good behavior, participation and other factors. These Cowboy bucks can then be used to purchase items at the school’s General store. The IBC Minitropolis will be run by Fifth and Fourth grade students under the supervision of the sponsor teacher, Ms. Evelyn Cantu. Students will also be guided by Fifth Grade - Bank Presidents Noe Rodriguez and Abril Acevedo along with Fourth Grade – Bank Presidents Alexander Castillo and Aneth Ferrer. In turn they will be supported by other students who will serve as bank managers, tellers and security personnel for the Cowboyville Minitropolis.

IBC Bank President, Mr. Al Villarreal, commended the school’s administration and teachers for adopting the Minitropolis concept – and he congratulated those Fifth and Fourth Grade students who had taken on leadership rules within this financial community. Mr. Villarreal explained the importance of being fiscally responsible starting with basic steps such as saving money based on goals. He noted that through their participation the students were learning in a practical way how to make better decisions when it comes to personal finances. Mr. Villarreal stated he was pleased that the Minitropolis at Del Castillo Elementary was one more example of how IBC continues to work in partnership and in support of the Brownsville Independent School District. View more photos.

Lincoln Park High School Public Hearing for Improvement Required Rating

Lincoln Park High School was identified as “Improvement Required” under the Texas Education Agency (TEA) 2018 Accountability System. The school presented information regarding the rating at stakeholder meetings at the campus on September 11th and will present the information and proposed plan at the October 2, 2018, Brownsville ISD Board of Trustees meeting. The Campus Leadership Team has developed a targeted improvement plan to address the areas of low performance. The public is invited to comment on this information and plan during the public hearing to be held after the BISD Board of Trustees conference presentation. This is part of the required activities under Texas Education Codes 11.253(g), 39A.055(2), 39A.057, and 39.055(3). View the Lincoln Park HS Targeted Improvement Plan.

“Mentoring Minds” Donates Shoes to BISD Students

About Mentoring Minds "
Mentoring Minds is a national K-12 publisher that provides research-based resources which support technology integration and standards mastery for Math, ELA, and Science. Mentoring Minds’ commitment to education extends beyond the classroom as well; the company proudly sponsors groundbreaking administrators across the nation and supports community-based education initiatives through MindShare, an employee-driven grant program.

Mentoring Minds Support for BISD
BISD has been a customer of Mentoring Minds for at least 10 years. One of its sales representatives heard from some of the principals that there was a need for shoes for students in the district who are under the Youth Connection Project. The sales rep shared this with Teresa Sherman, Senior Vice President - Educator Relations for Mentoring Minds. The idea to do a shoe drive for this loyal customer was born with a goal of $1,000. Teresa announced the shoe drive at the company meeting each week over the course of three weeks. $2,500 was collected during those three weeks and the CEO matched it, resulting in a total of $5,000. Eligible students from various campuses were identified and they received personalized invitations. The students went by on Saturday morning, September 15th, to the Payless ShoeSource at Sunrise Mall and picked out whatever pair of shoes they liked. Students from Pre-K 3-year-old program, Pre-K 4-year-old program, and K-12 were in attendance. Some 250 pairs of shoes were given out before the day was over.

Athletics Program Update

* All Middle School Athletics for this Saturday, September 15th, have been cancelled.
* All High School Volleyball games for this Saturday will be Varsity level only and at the discretion of each high school.
* The Hanna ECHS football game scheduled for today has been cancelled.
* The Veterans Memorial ECHS football game will be held tomorrow, Saturday, at Tom Landry Stadium in Mission at 6:00 PM.
* The Porter ECHS football game will be held at La Joya Palmview on Saturday at 6 PM.
* The Lopez ECHS football game will be held at Sams Stadium on Saturday at 6 PM.

Weather Notice Update

Due to inclement weather, there will be early dismissal for all students today Friday, September 14, 2018.
No afterschool activities for today.

12 Noon……Middle School Dismissal
1:00 PM……Early College High School Dismissal
1:40 PM……Elementary School Dismissal

REGULAR SCHOOL DAY

BISD schools and offices will be open today. As of this time all normal schedules will be followed.

Football Game Update

Thursday, September 13, 2018
Pace vs. Donna @ Sams Stadium @ 7PM
Rivera vs. Valley View @ Valley View @ 7PM

Friday, September14, 2018 (Weather Permitting)
Hanna vs. Weslaco East @ Weslaco @ 7:30PM
Veterans vs. Mission Veterans @ Mission @ 7:30PM

Saturday, September 15, 2018 (Weather Permitting)
Porter vs. La Joya Palmview @ La Joya @ 6PM
Lopez vs. Rio Grande City @ Sams Stadium @ 6PM

Message from the Superintendent

Please know that we are monitoring all weather conditions for the threat of severe weather during the next few days. As the information is updated and if inclement weather approaches it is possible that normal school and bus schedules may be changed, or classes and school activities (athletics) cancelled. If those decisions are made we will notify you through this website, through telephone calls, and through posts on Facebook. BISD will take every precaution to ensure the safety of every student and employee.

Message from the Superintendent

For the last few days I have received numerous calls from parents regarding the bands playing at football games. The concerns centered on the new scoreboard.

The addition of scoreboard ads was never intended to interfere with the usual routines of high school bands during football games. No directive was ever sent by me nor any assistant superintendent that the band should stop playing if an ad started. I have met with the high school band directors to assure them that the managing of the scoreboard has been fine-tuned to avoid any interruptions of band performances. The band directors offered great suggestions to ensure a smoother operation that supports the band program. They brought significant experience to the table since their bands play in many high school stadiums that currently carry similar scoreboard advertising.

We invite our BISD community to attend this week’s home football games to celebrate the great work our teams, bands, cheer and dance students contribute to our district. Come and see that at BISD our students are first and foremost in all our events.

Brownsville ISD Lucio Middle School GEAR UP STEM CAMP