🐾 Briscoe Family Newsletter

Dear Bengal Families and Community,

Happy October! As the autumn air sets in, Bengal spirit is burning brighter than ever across our campus.

This is a huge month for our athletics as cross country, football, and volleyball head into championship season. The Bengals have won two titles in Boys Cross Country and 7th grade Girls Volleyball and were the runner up in Girls Cross Country. We are still in the hunt for the 7th grade Football title in the upcoming weeks.

Our talent doesn't stop at the field and court. October also marks the kickoff of fall performances for our incredible Fine Arts department. Our musicians, actors, and artists have been pouring hours into rehearsal, and they are ready to light up the stage.

Please make sure to regularly check the online campus calendar so you do not miss a game or event. Whether you are cheering from the bleachers or applauding from the theater seat, your presence and energy mean the world to our students. Let’s come out in full force this month and support our talented Bengals!

Warmly,

#BriscoeProud

#BengalExcellence

Mr. Bishop

Thanks Coach Dawson for providing us the opportunity to encourage patients during Pink October. 🎀

On October 21st, there will be a community presentation with information about the proposed Bond/VATRE election at 5:30 PM in the Briscoe cafeteria preceding our band concert.

Don’t forget that early voting for the proposed VATRE and School Bond 2026 runs from Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30. You can find early voting sites on the Bexar County website. Find out more about this proposed VATRE and Bond election at nisd.net/bond26

While NISD has asked voters to approve bond issuances in the past to address aging facilities, it has never put a VATRE on the ballot. So, what is the difference?

While a VATRE and bond election are often discussed together, they serve different purposes.

Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE)

A VATRE is designed to provide additional funding for a school district’s day-to-day operations. If approved by voters, the additional revenue would support the district’s contingent (pay) employee compensation plan for this current school year, and help reduce the district’s budget deficit.

Bond Election

A bond election is different from a VATRE. Bonds are used to fund major, long-term capital investments in facilities, infrastructure, technology, and other large-scale projects.

Watch the video below for additional information. In addition, visit nisd.net/bond26.

Immunization emails will be sent from the nurse for all students with missing or overdue vaccines. Immunization exemption letters are only good for two calendar years. The bulk of overdue immunizations are for 7th grade students. Most of those students have probably completed their immunizations over the summer and the updated record was not turned in. Please turn in a hard copy of your child's updated immunization record or email Nurse Thompson with proof of vaccines as soon as possible if you receive a delinquent immunization email. Exemption affidavits must be notarized and the originals must be turned in to the clinic.

We are seeing an increase of students attempting to self administer medications at school. For the safety of your student and the safety of all students on campus, please follow NISD guidelines and bring medications to the clinic to be signed in and administered by the nurse. An order form is required to be filled out and signed by the parent and physician for both prescription and over the counter medication. Students found to be in possession of medications without an order on file will be handled administratively.

They are Bengals through and through!

We are closing out Week 8 of the school year! By now, students have had plenty of opportunities to become familiar with the building and learn where their classes are located.

As we continue through the school year, please remind your child about the importance of arriving to class on time and being ready to learn. Being on time helps students make the most of their instructional time and start each class prepared for success.

Please review our tardy policy below:

• 1st Tardy: Warning, verbal correction, and tardy documented in TAC
• 2nd Tardy: Verbal correction, tardy documented in TAC, and phone call home
• 3rd Tardy: Verbal correction, tardy documented in TAC, and phone call home
• 4th Tardy: Student is informed that a referral will be submitted to the APO, administrator calls home, and an automatic after-school detention is assigned

Students are allowed 3 tardies per class period during each nine-week grading period. Once a student receives a 4th tardy, a referral will be submitted to the APO. Every additional tardy for that same class will result in a referral to the APO for the remainder of the nine-week period.

At the beginning of each new nine-week grading period, students receive a fresh start with their tardy count.

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students develop good habits and arrive to class on time, prepared, and ready to learn. We appreciate your partnership!

Nicole Gomez

Associate Principal

Parents,

Please help us remind your students that only Parent Pick up and students walking home should exit the school through the front of the building. All bus riders should exit though the the cafeteria at the back of the campus. B-run or 2nd-run bus riders should wait in the cafeteria until their bus returns to campus to pick them up. We have had some students miss their bus because they are hanging out with friends in the front of the building after school. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Please use the planner below to help schedule vacation plans and ensure your student doesn't miss valuable instructional time.

Check out the fun in our STEM and Principles of Engineering classes!

Dress code is in effect. Please review our dress code below, and adhere to its guidelines.

Here come the next Bengal greats!

How many of y'all remember this?

There is a new system transportation will be implementing. When getting on the bus, students will be scanning in using a scan barcode that has been given to them. Your child will need to keep their barcode and use it when they get on the bus (both morning and afternoon). Your child also has the option to download the application Here Comes the Bus, create a profile and use the app. The code for the app is 29995. Please call the campus for any questions.

Click the link below to check out what GT is up to.
GT Smore

Click the link below to see what Ms. Piedra, our new librarian, has in store for you this year in our library.

Bengal Library Smore

Check out our Counseling Smore for updates on events and parent resources from our counseling department.

Briscoe Counseling Newsletter

Should any students need assistance please reach out to our counseling team.

Meal benefits from last school year have expired if there is not a current 2026-2027 meal application on file at the Free and Reduced Office.

If you are interested, you may apply for free or reduced meals online at www.schoolcafe.com/. You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application.

Applications are also available beginning at the Free & Reduced Office at 7520 Mainland Drive, San Antonio, TX 78250. Applications may be turned in to your school, at the Free & Reduced Office courtesy drop box, or mailed to the above address.

For more information, visit www.nisd.net/schools/menus or call (210) 397-4517.

Dear Bengal Families,

As we prepare for another great year, we'd love to invite you to show your Briscoe pride by wearing our official Briscoe Athletics spirit gear! Our online spirit store offers a variety of comfortable, high-quality apparel and accessories for every Bengal.

Visit our online store to browse the latest selections:

Briscoe Boys Athletics Spirit Gear Store

Briscoe Girls Athletics Spirit Gear Store

Thank you for supporting Briscoe Athletics. We look forward to seeing our community proudly representing the Bengals throughout the school year!

Briscoe Athletics

Please use the QR code to order your P.E. uniforms for this school year. It is a requirement for students to dress out in P.E., so please purchase uniforms early.

Our basketball season is coming. If you child is going to join us unsupervised to cheer on our team, please refer to these reminders:

1. Students who are staying for a game will need to report to the cafeteria and sit at the assigned table until they are escorted to the gym by the Administrator on duty.

2. Every student will need a ticket that you can purchase online.

3. All students who are at the game without an adult will be escorted out of the building at 7:00 pm. All students need to be picked up at 7:00 pm.

4. Students who have been absent for the day, or not passing his/her classes will not be permitted to attended after school events.

5. Any student who has been issued an in school or out of school suspension will not be permitted to attend any after school events for one week.

6. Refunds will not be issued for tickets purchased by students who are not permitted to attend after school events.

Basketball tryouts will begin Oct. 27th - 29th

7th grade: Begins at 6:30 AM - 8:00 AM

8th grade: Begin at 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

All students must have Medical History/Physical and RankOne paperwork completed before allowed to tryout.

7th grade may change depending on football playoffs. Coach Dawson will communicate updates as we move closer to the tryout dates.

Congratulations to Charlotte Hartman! Out of more than 600 total entries submitted to the HotShoe Photo Contest, Charlotte's photograph was chosen as one of just 28 middle school pieces selected for display. Her work will be featured in an exhibition at Saint Mary's Hall. An opening reception will take place on Wednesday, October 7, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at Saint Mary's Hall. All administrators, educators, students, and families are warmly invited to attend and celebrate Charlotte’s incredible achievement.

We are so proud of Charlotte. It is a big honor to be one of 28 photographs chosen out of 600.

Congratulations to Ms. Del Valle and Mr. Gonzalez for being awarded NEF grants. This would not be possible without our community's donations to the Northside Education Foundation. Thank you for your support!

Please email us at briscoe@nisd.net to share the great things your Bengals accomplish. Be sure to include your Bengals name, grade, ID#, a brief message about the celebration, and a photo. We look forward to hearing about the great things our Bengals do outside of school.

Visit joinpta.org and join our team. #BriscoeProud #Bengal Excellence

The Junior Scholars Essay Contest is an international essay competition open to middle school students (grades 6 to 8) worldwide. 6 winners (1 Gold, 2 Silvers, 3 Bronzes) will share more than $11,000 in cash prizes and scholarships. Essays are judged by professors from Oxford, Cambridge, Brown, and Dartmouth.

Submit before October 25 to get $100 on top of your final scholarship amount.

More info here: https://www.lumiere-education.com/junior-scholars-essay-contest

For questions, please contact Dr. Dhruva Bhat at dhruva.bhat@lumiere.education.

Our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) School Store is a big hit with students! They earn Bengal Bucks for showing respect, safety, responsibility, and kindness—and they love spending those bucks on fun prizes.

We’re looking for donations to help keep our Bengal Buggy stocked! If you’d like to contribute, our Amazon Wish List is linked below. Thank you for helping us celebrate our students’ positive behavior and make our PBIS program a success!

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/38WY0YT8W3PTR?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_9CZHFJMB768X2TH0ECP9&language=en-US

There are lots of ways you can help us be our campus safe. For example, you can talk with your children about the importance of taking drills seriously, remaining calm, and cooperating with all staff.

Check out the District Safety Website to learn more about additional safety measures.

Email: joe.bishop@nisd.net
Website: nisd.net/briscoe
Location: 4265 Lone Star Parkway, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: (210) 398-1100
Facebook: facebook.com/BriscoeMiddleSchool
Twitter: @NISDBriscoe

IG: @nisdbriscoe