Roll Call - September 4, 2026

At Kayenta Community School in Kayenta, Arizona, a student uses class time to complete a worksheet and write in her notebook.

Cheyenne‑Eagle Butte School proudly celebrated Richard Walters and the many contributions he made throughout his career. The school community honored Richard’s dedicated service and the positive impact he had on students, staff, and families by gifting him a blanket.

Richard is known as a genuine, humble, and sincere person whose actions consistently reflected kindness and respect. His character shaped countless relationships within the school and the wider community.

As Richard begins his well‑deserved retirement, the school extends a heartfelt thank you for his unwavering commitment. Congratulations, Richard! The school was fortunate to have him as a valued member of its community.

Crystal Boarding School is entering an exciting new chapter. Demolition recently began on the school’s original building — one that proudly stood for nearly a century. Built in the 1930s, the historic structure served generations of students, staff, and families.

Construction crews also began pouring the foundation for the brand‑new Crystal Boarding School, scheduled for completion in 2028. The new campus will feature a modern school building, a dormitory, and staff housing, creating a safe and welcoming learning environment for future generations.

The Crystal Boarding School community is celebrating this milestone and looking forward to the amazing opportunities the new facility will bring.

Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, New Mexico gathered at Farmington Lake for Water Day to connect with the water, spend time together, and reflect on its importance in our lives. This special day included paddleboarding, kayaking, volleyball, and more. The school extends heartfelt appreciation to the presenters, alumni, staff, and students who made Water Day meaningful and memorable. Their efforts helped create a beautiful moment of learning, reflection, fun, and community!

Sequoyah High School kicked off its Cross-Country season with an outstanding performance at the Stroud Invitational. The team brought home an impressive collection of medals and set a powerful tone for the season ahead.

In the Girls 1600M, Sarah placed 10th, Stella finished 15th, and Brenlei earned 20th.

The Boys 3200M team also delivered a remarkable showing. Matthew took 1st place, followed by Chujah in 2nd and Evan in 3rd. Jaxson secured 4th, Mason placed 8th, and Cooper finished 18th, rounding out a strong team performance.

It was an exciting and successful start to the season for Sequoyah Cross Country, full of hard work, determination, and competitive spirit!

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!

The Tribally Controlled Schools Division proudly welcomes Mrs. Katherine Ford as the newest member of the team! Katherine brings years of knowledge, experience, and positive energy to her new role, and the division is excited to have her on board.

Katherine began her Special Education career in 2006 as a middle school teacher and has since taught students from early grades through post‑secondary education. She is a member of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma and was raised in the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado. Katherine returned to the United States to work for BIE and has supported Bureau Operated Schools since 2021.

Katherine is also a certified Crisis Prevention Intervention trainer and serves as a state consultant on complaints, corrective action plans, and programmatic and fiscal reviews. She works closely with school boards, communities, administrators, staff, families, and students to ensure special education services are effective and legally compliant.

She has her master's in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from the University of Colorado. Her passion for learning led her to Barcelona, Spain, where she spent 10 years teaching and growing special education programs.

When she is not working, Katherine enjoys hiking, camping, and fishing in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado with her husband and children or visiting family in Spain.

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.