Roll Call - February 7, 2025

Attendees of the CTS Family Picnic at Chitimacha Tribal School in Jeanerette, Louisiana, enjoy a game of giant checkers.

Please join us in congratulating Aspyn (Class of 2026 at Navajo Preparatory School), who received the American Chemical Society Special Award during the American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference in San Antonio in October. She also earned second place overall for her project, "Chemical Analyses of Archaeological Pottery Sherds Found Along the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona."

This special award earned her the American Chemical Society Student Exchange Award and a $2,000 stipend to present her project again in the spring or fall in San Diego, California, or Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to Aspyn! And to Ms. Flores, Navajo Preparatory’s sponsor for students talented in science, for supporting Aspyn throughout this process.

On Saturday, January 18, 2025, the Mescalero V5 Robotics Team traveled to Roswell, New Mexico, to compete at the New Mexico Military Institute in the Southeast New Mexico Robotics Challenge.

With seven teams competing, the Goofy Goobers—Ruth, Ryan, and Tommia—received the Design Award for their robot’s construction and the unique role their design played in the competition.

Meanwhile, N.W.A (Natives With Attitude)—Cody, Darlene, and Hendrick—ranked first in the tournament, winning the competition alongside their alliance partner, Mr. Tang from NMMI. This marks the second consecutive competition win for N.W.A in New Mexico, setting a record as the first Native American team to win in the state.

Coach and mentor Nate Raynor was also awarded the Southwest New Mexico Mentor of the Year Award.

Chief Leschi Schools offers a financial literacy class that equips students with essential money management skills. With the new year and tax season underway, students took a proactive step toward their financial futures by learning how to file taxes and navigate personal finance.

The Office of Indian Education has three Notices Inviting Applications currently open for 100 days and all three competitions will close April 28, 2025.​

• Professional Development: Teacher & Administrator Recruitment (PD)​
• Professional Development: Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI)​
  
• Demonstration: Native Youth Community Project (NYCP)​
  

The Electronic Application System for Indian Education (EASIE) has the following deadlines set for this year's cycle of applications:​

• Part I opens February 3, 2025​
• Part I closes March 7, 2025​
• Part II opens March 31, 2025​
• Part II closes May 9, 2025

Attention School Leaders!

We’re looking for stories and photos to feature in our weekly Roll Call and on social media! Highlight the incredible things happening at your schools and celebrate your students, staff, and community with us.

Here are some exciting new opportunities to share:

• 💻 Digital Learning Day – February 22. Share how your school embraces technology and digital learning innovation.
• 💖 Love Teaching Week – February 12–16. Spotlight the passion and dedication of your educators.
• 🙌 National Student Volunteer Day – February 17. Celebrate students making a difference in their communities through volunteerism.
• 🏀 Recreational Sports and Fitness Day – February 22. Show how your school promotes fitness and recreational activities.
• 🎨 National Arts Month – February. Feature student art projects and performances to celebrate creativity.
• 🗣️ Youth Leadership Month – February. Highlight student leaders and their contributions to your school community.

Don’t miss this opportunity to shine a light on your school’s successes and creativity. Send your submissions to lead@bie.edu or click the button below!

February's Harvest of the Month packet from BIE's Indigenous Food Hubs is up now! It features a fact sheet, recipe and coloring page highlighting maple syrup.

The Bureau of Indian Education Indigenous Food Hubs encourages students and families to learn about nutrition, agriculture, Indigenous food culture and cooking inside and outside the classroom with Harvest of the Month.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers competitive grant is designed to provide funding to create academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children who attend BIE funded schools. The goal of the 21st CCLC program is to help students meet state and local standards in core academic subject areas, such as reading and math; offer students a broad array of activities that can complement regular academic programs; and offer cultural enrichment opportunities based around language, tribal heritage, land and more. Annual awards will range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $240,000 for 5 years.

Apply:

• Review the Request for Application and 21st CCLC Grant Application.
• Attend one of the application webinars as needed for application assistance.
• Submit your ‘Intent to Apply’ email to 21stCCLC@bie.edu by January 30, 2025.
• Submit your application by March 28, 2025, to 21stCCLC@bie.edu.

Support and Assistance

• 21st CCLC New Grant Application Webinars:
• February 11th, 11-1:00CST
• 21st CCLC Grant Application Open Q/A Office Hours:
• February 25th, 11-12:00CST
• March 11th, 11-12:00CST

Email general questions to Sarah Price and Andrea Bia.

• February 11 - EAP/Risk Analysis
• February 12
• OSHA 10 Courses
• February 13
• EAP/Risk Analysis
• OSHA Record Keeping

• February 11 - AHERA Asbestos Awareness and Designated Person Training
• February 18
• Solid Waste Management and Reporting Awareness
• Hazardous and Universal Waste Awareness Training

• February 7 - Requests & Rosters
• February 11 - Teacher Credentials/Quality and Staff FTE
• February 13 - Scheduling Part 3
• February 18 - Scheduling Part 4
• February 20 - Scheduling Part 1
• February 24 - Scheduling Part 2
• February 25 - Elementary Scheduling
• February 26 - Teacher Credentials/Quality and Staff FTE