Roll Call - September 11, 2026

Students at Seba Dalkai Boarding School in Winslow, Arizona, wear headphones while using their laptops as they complete math lessons on a digital learning platform.

Lummi Nation School in Bellingham, Washington, welcomed its newest kindergarten Blackhawks with joy and celebration. Students and staff created a spirited tunnel filled with cheers, smiles, and plenty of Blackhawk Pride as kindergarteners arrived for their first day.

The entire school community is excited to welcome these young learners into the Lummi Nation School family. Their first steps through the tunnel mark the beginning of a wonderful school journey, supported by encouragement, pride, and community strength.

Mariano Lake Community School in Crownpoint, New Mexico, celebrated a fun evening field trip as the dormitory students visited the Playground of Dreams in Gallup. The group enjoyed packed lunches and a cool evening outdoors, filled with laughter, play, and well earned fun after completing their first month of school!

Seven Navajo Technical University students completed Harvard University’s 10‑week Research Experience for Undergraduates, gaining hands‑on research experience, mentorship, and professional development in the sciences.

Throughout the summer, students designed their own research schedules, worked closely with faculty advisors, engaged with the Cambridge community, and honed communication skills through weekly trainings. Their final symposium showcased their projects on Native tea bioactive extraction, turquoise spectroscopy, soft‑system dynamics, and environmental electrochemical sensing using a 3D‑printed boat.

This experience was transformative and helped shape the careers for NTU’s emerging scientists and engineers.

Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, Oklahoma, launched an exciting new broadcast class this year, welcoming students, staff, and families into a fresh daily tradition. Each morning, “The Side Talk” delivers announcements about sports, clubs, celebrations, and the daily cafeteria menu — keeping everyone informed and connected.

Broadcasting students selected the name “The Side Talk,” marking the start of a legacy that they create and lead. The students are in charge of directing, producing, sound engineering, and presenting, giving them valuable experience and full ownership of the broadcast.

The anticipation for each morning’s announcements grows as students look forward to friendly faces, uplifting messages, and the unique blend of news, humor, and Native languages that make Riverside’s community so special. Through this new class, Riverside is strengthening communication skills and building an inclusive space where every student’s voice can shine.

As we gear up for a new school year, we’re looking for back‑to‑school content to feature in the BIE Weekly. Please share the moments, projects, and events that help kick off your year on a strong note!

We’d love to highlight:

• First‑day photos and welcome‑back activities
• Classroom setups, bulletin boards, and creative learning spaces
• Any 250th‑related projects or commemorations planned for the fall
• Back‑to‑school nights, community events, or cultural celebrations
• Student art, writing, or videos that reflect the excitement of a new year

Your contributions help us showcase the incredible work happening across our schools. Please send in your content so we can celebrate and share your stories!

Please include a brief description with each photo and ensure students pictured have the appropriate media release on file. Your stories help keep our communities connected and inspired!

Please bookmark this form and share your upcoming events and milestones with us so we can identify opportunities for BIE and Indian Affairs leadership to participate and celebrate with your school community.

We’re especially interested in ribbon cuttings, groundbreaking ceremonies, policy or program announcements, cultural celebrations, student showcases, major academic or athletic achievements, community events, and other significant school milestones.

Sharing these events early helps us coordinate leadership participation, amplify your school’s accomplishments, and ensure the great work happening across BIE schools receives the visibility it deserves.

ConcurGov travel vouchers must be approved at the regional/office/program level no later than September 18, 2026 5 PM MT/7 PM ET.

Please do not sign, review, or approve ConcurGov travel vouchers from the cutoff on September 18, 2026, through October 13, 2026. Any actions taken during this period will cause processing delays once FBMS reopens for the new fiscal year.

Travel voucher processing – including signing, reviewing, and approving – may resume in ConcurGov on October 14, 2026, 10 AM MT/12 PM ET. AS-IA, BIA and BIE budgets must be loaded in FBMS and available at the spending level for travel vouchers to process successfully.

Questions?

• DOI Travel Help Desk: 1-866-367-1272 option 4, 1; travel_helpdesk@ios.doi.gov.

• Echo Keo, Program Analyst - BIE Travel Lead/Operations POC - echo.keo@bie.edu

What Happens When the Interfaces Between ConcurGov and FBMS are Down?

The interfaces between ConcurGov and FBMS can be unavailable for many reasons including: FBMS system maintenance, system downtime, and Fiscal Year end.

What can I do in ConcurGov?

Users can still make travel reservations, create travel authorizations, sign/route/approve travel authorizations.

What can't I do in ConcurGov?

Users will not be able to apply the Voucher Signed or T-Entered stamp to travel vouchers during interface outages. Users will receive a blank EAI External Funds Checking screen when attempting to apply these stamps.

Please review the following memo from the Director's Office that addresses the BIE's policy regarding usage of the Bureau's official letterhead. It addresses modifications, templates for various purposes, and more.

The Division of Performance and Accountability is beginning the 2026–2027 school year with McKinney-Vento professional development opportunities. Each session is designed for different school staff who play an important role in identifying and supporting students experiencing homelessness. Whether staff are new to McKinney-Vento or would benefit from a refresher, these opportunities are intended to strengthen BIE's collective efforts to identify, connect, and support students experiencing homelessness.

Join the BIE NASIS team for an enriching in‑person Native American Student Information System training designed to strengthen user skills and expand confidence with NASIS tools. Whether you choose the Premium path — covering areas like Online Registration, Campus Learning Suite, Workflow, Voice Messenger 2.0, and the Insights Dashboard — or the General NASIS track with essentials such as User Security, Census, Attendance, Scheduling, Course Setup, and Data Validation Reports, each session empowers participants to better support their schools.

NASIS System Administrators, Registrars, School Counselors, Education Specialists, and School Administrators are encouraged to register for one of the upcoming sessions in Blaine, MN (September 15–17), or Albuquerque, NM (November 17–19).

Reach out to Ask-NASIS@bie.edu with any questions.

Join the BIE School Operations Division Finance Team for a series of virtual lunchtime trainings on best practices for school financial professionals. Topics are wide-ranging, from inventory logs and submitting UDO certifications to year-end memos and researching transactions. These sessions will take place on Thursdays from July 2026 through April 2027.

Supporting schools with their new resource, the Strategic Transformation of Education initiative launched a Monthly School Website Help Desk on the second Thursday of each month at 3 p.m. EST. The one-hour call features a short training topic, such as a new feature, content strategy, or FAQs, followed by an open session for problem-solving and answering questions.