Announcements for the Month of June

The +10 Mindset

Congratulations to Raegan Harvey for placing 4th in State
for Poetry Interpretation.  In the picture above, Raegan
had the opportunity to meet our State Representative, Justin
Holland with Mrs. Raymer, BRHS Theatre Teacher, and her
parents, Lee and Joe Harvey.  Joe Harvey also serves as
BRISD Board Member and Vice President

The 2016-2017 school year has come to an end.  So much has been accomplished by our students, our teachers, our district and our community as a whole.  As we reflect on this past school year, let's take time to celebrate the successes and learn from our shortcomings.  After all that is what learning is all about, right?

As we look forward to 2017-2018, I want to share some exciting news.  The Blue Ridge ISD, City of Blue Ridge and Blue Ridge Chamber of Commerce have joined forces to create the Blue Ridge Alliance.  The Alliance was created to promote all things Blue Ridge.  The mission of the Alliance is simple.

TOGETHER WE CAN

On Tuesday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m. the Blue Ridge Alliance will have its first meeting at the BRISD Building.  All Blue Ridge organizations, businesses, and churches are invited to send representatives to the meeting.

Congratulations Senior Class of 2017

Video by Senior, Jason Price

Upcoming Events

• 

  BRMS Field Day was a huge success.

  Fri, May 26 - Last Day of School
• Sat, May 27 - Graduation at 11 a.m.
• Mon, May 29 - Memorial Day - BRISD Offices closed
• Tue, May 30 - Summer Hours Begin:  Mon-Thu from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Tue, May 30 - Blue Ridge Alliance Meeting at 6:30 at BRISD Admin Building
• Mon, June 5 - Summer School starts at BRES, BRMS and BRHS
• June 19 - 22 - STAAR Retesting for Grades 5, 8 and EOC
• Mon, June 19 - Board Meeting at 6 p.m.
• July 25 - 26 - Revolutionizing Learning Conference for BR Staff in Royce City
• Tue, Aug 1 - High School Registration for Jrs & Srs.
• Wed, Aug 2 - HS Registration for Fr & Soph.
• Mon, Aug 7 - 9 - New Teacher Orientation
• Thu, Aug 10 - BRISD Teachers and Staff Return
• Mon, Aug 21 - First Day of School 2017-2018

Kindergarten and Senior Graduates came together at the Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony on Thursday.

Calendars

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Leslie who
was named KLAK Teacher of the Year
for the DFW Metroplex.  Pictured with him
is BRHS Principal, Anthony Figueroa.

District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar

Check out our Job Openings

Check out our Summer Athletic Camps

• Brochure
• Dates & Registration Form

AfterSchool Child Care for 17-18
Afterschool Child Care is coming to BRISD in 17-18. Please complete this survey to tell us your interests.
SHARE with your friends!!!  

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.

Week of May 22 (Last Week of School)

The +10 Mindset - Seniors 2017
The 2017 school year is coming to an end, and graduation marks the hallmark of 13 years of formal education.  In this post, I would like to spotlight our senior class as they finish their education in Blue Ridge ISD on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 11 a.m.  We wish our seniors the best of luck and pray for God's speed and blessings as they take the next step in their lives.

    The Class of 2017

Cassady Adkins Gavin Lacalle  

Miguel Alvarez Blaze Lennon  

Cameron Armstrong Krystal LeVitt

Jordan Bailey Remmi Love

Maria Bouska Harrison Martin

Kimberly Brown Tristyn Nolen

             Karla Estrada Caleb Partridge

Rachel Evans Jason Price

             Max Gafford McKenna Quillin

Pamela Garcia Matilde Ramirez

             Brennan Garner Tanner Rule

EmiLee Garza Shelby Sikes

Isaac Gossage Michael Smith

Elias Granados Tanner Smith

Whitney Hall Haylie Stephens

Jaci Horton Chaice Weatherford

Jordan Jenks Hannah Wink

Garrett Jones Henry Womack

Nicholas Kapalla   Hayden Wright

Kindergarten Publishes Book
Kindergarten students can read and write, and they do it so well that they published their very own  book.  Check out the video created by Mrs. Ellingson to see just how awesome our kids are.

Don't Forget to Monitor your Child's Summer TV Activity

6th grades at Moody Gardens in Galveston

There are several good shows on NetFlix, but there are some that are too mature for our students.  One example is the series, "13 Reasons Why".  While I have not seen the show, I have learned that the premise of the story is about a teenage student's suicide.  As a parent, I want to urge you to remember the importance of monitoring what your children watch and  the importance of using the parental settings on your devices.  Children never stop learning and being exposed to both good and bad influences in this world.  Our job as parents is to guide them and at times limit their exposure to things that could potentially have an adverse impact on them.






Upcoming Events

• Fri, May 19 - Senior Night at Six Flags

  

  Board Members, Amanda Voirin and Gary
  Lillard were sworn in at our last board
  meeting.

• Tue, May 23 - FFA Banquet at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 -
• Kindergarten Graduation - 1 p.m.
• 8th Grade Graduation -
• STAR Night at BRES -  6 p.m.
• Sun, May 21 - Senior Baccalaureate at First Baptist Church at 2 p.m.
• Tue, May 23 - FFA Banquet at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - Kindergarten Graduation at 1 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - STAR Night for Grades PK - 4 at BRES at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - 8th Grade Promotion at 7 p.m. at HS Gym
• Fri, May 26 - Last Day of School
• Sat, May 27 - Graduation at 11 a.m.

Calendars
District Calendar

8th graders enjoyed their trip to Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar

BRISD 17-18 APPROVED CALENDAR

Transfer & New Students to BRISD

CLICK HERE to learn more about enrollment process.

Transfer students must complete the out of district transfer forms each year prior to beginning the new year.

Check out our Job Openings

Check out our Summer Athletic Camps

• Brochure
• Dates & Registration Form

BRISD leads National Twitter Chat
 Blue Ridge staff of Katie Pelzel, Melissa Stiney, Stephanie McPherson and Amy Hopkins led the #atplc chat on Thursday night.  The topic was building a strong school culture for professional learning.  Below is a link to the content of the chat.  Thank you to our BRISD staff for their commitment to continuous learning.

@BlueRidgeISD You've been quoted in my #Storify story "Creating a Powerful Culture for Professional Learning" https://t.co/X91Y5YnT35

— Solution Tree (@SolutionTree) May 12, 2017

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.

Week of May 15

The +10 Mindset
As we begin to end the 2016-2017 school year, I would like to take time to thank our teachers and staff for doing such a great job leading our students to discover their excellence.  They are such a talented and dedicated staff who truly do whatever it takes to help our students learn and grow.

Kindergarten Graduation is set for
Thu, 5/25/17 at 1 p.m.

Did you know that our teachers have already begun making their plans for next year's success?  Each teacher has begun the task of identifying where they would like to grow in their own learning.  For some, they will be learning about a new resources.  Others will work on making their routines and procedures more student driven, and some will be deepening the knowledge of the content they teach and how to personalize learning for individual students.

The +10 Mindset is about continuous improvement, and at Blue Ridge ISD learning never stops.  It's also not a one-size-fits-all approach.  Our goal is to lead every student to excellence by creating an environment where every educator first focuses on their own personal growth because teacher growth equals student growth.  When educators are growing, students will grow in turn, and that is ultimately the reason why our district is on the path to great heights.

This week, I encourage you to take time to #ThankaTeacher.  They are working so hard and deserve our appreciation.

#TxEdTuesday & #Seniors17
On Tuesday, we encourage everyone to join us in using Facebook and Twitter to tell their story about the BRHS Senior Class of 2017.  Share your celebrations and pictures of your seniors and don't forget to use the hashtags of #TxEdTuesday and #Seniors2017 in your post.  We can't wait to see what you have to say about our awesome senior class.

TxVSN Grant Awarded to BRISD

Eric Penick visiting today from Universal Technical
 Institute to speak about post secondary readiness.

The Texas Education Agency has awarded Texas Virtual School Network (TXVSN) grants to Texas public rural schools and open-enrollment charters. Blue Ridge ISD applied for a grant and was chosen to receive $24,200.

The Texas Virtual School Network Online Schools (TxVSN OLS) program provides instruction to eligible Texas public school students in grades 3-12. With the use of grant money, BRISD will be able to offer TxVSN online classes through accredited public school districts to students in need of special courses that cannot be offered on campus because of schedule conflicts or other special circumstances.

We are excited to have this option available for our students to receive quality instruction virtually through TxVSN. Thank you to Amy Hopkins for her hard work in securing this grant.

Upcoming Events

• Fri, May 12 - Game 2 of Baseball Playoffs in Ponder

• 

  James the Traveling Toad visited
  BRES from Idaho Falls, ID.  The paper toad
   is a project by a student from their
  elementary school.

  Mon, May 15 - Board Meeting at 6 p.m.
• Tue, May 16 - Senior Awards Night at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 18 - Father/Daughter softball game at 6:30 p.m.
• Fri, May 19 - Senior Night at Six Flags
• Tue, May 23 - FFA Banquet at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 -
• Kindergarten Graduation - 1 p.m.
• 8th Grade Graduation -
• STAR Night at BRES -  6 p.m.
• Sun, May 21 - Senior Baccalaureate at First Baptist Church at 2 p.m.
• Tue, May 23 - FFA Banquet at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - Kindergarten Graduation at 1 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - STAR Night for Grades PK - 4 at BRES at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - 8th Grade Promotion at 7 p.m. at HS Gym
• Fri, May 26 - Last Day of School
• Sat, May 27 - Graduation at 11 a.m.

Calendars

District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar

BRISD 17-18 APPROVED CALENDAR

Transfer & New Students to BRISD

CLICK HERE to learn more about enrollment process.

Transfer students must complete the out of district transfer forms each year prior to beginning the new year.



Check out our Job Openings

5th Graders working hard on science review.

Check out our Summer Athletic Camps

• Brochure
• Dates & Registration Form

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.

Week of May 8

The +10 Mindset - Teacher Excellence
Student excellence cannot occur without teacher excellence, and teacher excellence cannot occur without teacher leadership.  In this post, I would like to highlight the teachers in BRISD who are going above and beyond by being selected as thought leaders for regional and state conferences or academies.  Please join me in congratulating the following outstanding BRISD professionals.

SELECTED TO ATTEND ACADEMIES
Name	Organization	Academy
Stephanie McPherson	Region 10	Chosen for Mathematics Collaborative
Kenny Williams	Oracle Academy	Java Fundamentals
PRESENTING at CONFERENCES
Name	Conference	Topic
Melissa Stiney	Region 10 Tech Conference	Presentation: We came We Seesaw'd We Learned
Amy Hopkins/Katie Pelzel	Region 10 Tech Conference	Presentation: Google Classroom...A Must Have Teacher Tool!
Melissa Stiney	TCEA Tots and Technology	Presentation: Getting Googly: Great Google Drive Add-Ons
Theresa Wade	Region 10 Write for Texas institute	Presentation: Using Writing to "Spice" Up Your English Class
Katie Pelzel	Revolutionizing Learning Conference	Presentation: Blended Learning: Making it Work in Your Classroom
Katie Pelzel	Revolutionizing Learning Conference	Presentation: Lecture Less and Get More with Google Classroom
Theresa Wade	Revolutionizing Learning Conference	Presentation: My Students LOVE Writing, and Yours Can TOO!
Dena Hamilton	Revolutionizing Learning Conference	Presentation: Targeting Teens and Tweens in a Digital World
Scott Leslie	Revolutionizing Learning Conference	Presentation: Tips and Tricks for Google Classroom
Susan Bohannon	Revolutionizing Learning Conference	Presentation: Classroom Management and Discipline in the High School Classroom

Upcoming Events

• Fri, May 5 - Baseball Playoff vs. Wolfe City at 6:30 in Leonard

  

  Thank you Beta Club for honoring our teachers
  for Teacher Appreciation Week

• Sat, May 6 - Baseball Playoff vs. Wolfe City at noon in Leonard
• May 8 - 12 STAAR Testing at BRMS & BRES
• Mon, May 5 - Math: Grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 5 Retest, 8 Retest
• Tue, May 6 - Reading: Grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 5 Retest, 8 Retest
• Wed, May 10 - Science: Grades  5 & 8
• Thu, May 11 - Social Studies: Grade  Grad 8
• Mon, May 15 - Board Meeting at 6 p.m.
• Tue, May 16 - Senior Awards Night at 6 p.m.
• Tue, May 23 - FFA Banquet at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 -
• Kindergarten Graduation - 1 p.m.
• 8th Grade Graduation -
• STAR Night at BRES -  6 p.m.
• Sun, May 21 - Baccalaureate at First Baptist Church at 2 p.m.

  

  Teacher Appreciation Luncheon at Central Office
  Special thanks to Carolyn Wink for organizing
  and preparing the meal.
  Thank you Joe Harvey for manning the grill.
  Thank you to Cathy Agan for decorating
  the hospitality room.

• Tue, May 23 - FFA Banquet at 6 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - Kindergarten Graduation at 1 p.m.
• Thu, May 25 - STAR Night for Grades PK - 4 at BRES at 6 p.m.
• Fri, May 26 - Last Day of School
• Sat, May 27 - Graduation at 11 a.m.

Calendars
District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar

BRISD 17-18 APPROVED CALENDAR

Transfer & New Students to BRISD

CLICK HERE to learn more about enrollment process.

Transfer students must complete the out of district transfer forms each year prior to beginning the new year.



Check out our Job Openings

5th Graders working hard on science review.

Check out our Summer Athletic Camps

• Brochure
• Dates & Registration Form

Join the District-Wide Remind Group for Emergency Texts

District-Wide Remind Group for Text Message Alerts
over School Closures or Emergencies.  CLICK HERE

On Tuesday, there was a police chase that went around Blue Ridge.  As a precaution, we locked down the campuses, but school continued as normal while we monitored the situation.  We communicated the progress of the lockdown via Twitter and Facebook to keep parents updated.  Fortunately everything ended quickly and the chase never came in the city limits of Blue Ridge or near our district.

After the incident ended, we had a request from a parent to create a district-wide text message group for future situations.  This is a great idea, and we have done just that.  Please pass the word and encourage everyone to join the BRISD District-Wide Text Message Alerts.  Here are the steps to get signed up.

1. Text the message @brisdd to 81010
2. Go to rmd.at/brisdd and enter your information to get in the group.

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.