Hundreds of Donna ISD families, alumni, and community members showed up to our 2nd Annual Alumni & Community Pregame Bash. The event took place Oct. 27th in the parking lot of the Simon Sauceda Auditorium, prior to the game between the Donna Redskins and Donna North Chiefs. Visitors enjoyed a variety of food and drinks prepared and sold by different school groups, district departments and community organizations. Spectators were entertained by the various student performances, which included cheerleaders, bands and even a newly formed conjunto group. The little ones were particularly excited over the kiddie train rides around the festival as well as the various activities such as face painting, nail polishing and hair braiding and games like the popular pie toss, corn hole and balloon dart. There was also a photo booth for those who wanted to capture the moment with family and friends all while hearing music from different genres being played in the background. Thank you to everyone who came together to make this event a big success.

You can find more photos of the event on Donna ISD's Facebook page.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/donnaisd/photos

Donna ISD Superintendent Dr. Angela Dominguez and the Board of Trustees continued their Lone Star Governance Student Lunch and Learn meetings this month. The first session was held Oct. 13th at Donna High School followed by a visit to Veterans Middle School on Oct. 16th and Sauceda S.T.E.A.M. Academy on Oct. 20th. Dr. Dominguez and members of the Board took this opportunity to talk to the 6th-12th grade student leaders about the importance of an education and explained the Board's strategic goals which include Math, Reading and College, Career and Military Ready (CCMR) Goals. The students also had an opportunity to share their personal stories and talk about some of the great things that the district is doing for the betterment of the students. They also addressed some of the changes they would like to see implemented.

Donna ISD is proud to announce that 10 Assistant Principals from across the district have been accepted into DISD’s first cohort of the Aspiring Principals Preparation Institute. They took part in their first meeting on Oct. 11th. These individuals are striving to further their career in education in hopes of someday becoming principals and creating their own legacy of student excellence. Congratulations and best of luck to all of these campus leaders.

Three Donna ISD educators have been selected to be part of the Region One Building Mental Health Leader Project's first year cohort. As a a result, these individuals have been awarded a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will go towards their pursuit to become mental health professionals. Ochoa Elementary Counselor Christella Guerrero and Garza Elementary Teacher Elda Rodriguez will be seeking a Licensed Professional Counselor(LPC) certification. DAEP Social Worker Melissa Luna will be obtaining her Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) certification. The grant money will be used to reimburse the staff's tuition from an institution of higher learning, travel expenses to and from the university, childcare and other expenses linked to the Mental Health Leaders Project. Congratulations to these district educators.

Congratulations to Donna North High School Senior Ricardo Chacon for his outstanding performance at the 5A Regional IV Cross Country Championship Meet held at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Oct. 23rd. Ricardo placed 8th making him eligible to compete at state competition in Round Rock, Texas on November 3rd. Way to go Ricardo! Donna ISD wishes you the best of luck.

Veterans Middle School in Donna ISD is getting a lot of attention these days. That’s because students in Daniel Gonzalez’ robotics class are taking on a project that could someday be used for a greater good. That project is a tactical robot owned by the Law Enforcement Emergency Regional Response Team (LEERRT), a unit composed of several local law enforcement agencies that provides training resources and emergency support to small law enforcement agencies in the Rio Grande Valley. Because of a recent critical incident that took place across a Donna ISD campus, LEERRT gave the district’s PD authorization to house the tactical robot at its headquarters in case it is needed. However, when officers tested the machine, they quickly discovered that something was wrong; it was not functioning. This prompted the PD to reach out to Veterans M.S.

Read full article: https://shorturl.at/aoyCW

As a result of their work on the tactical robot project, Veterans Middle School robotics students had the opportunity to appear in various media news outlets and talk about their attempts to fix the robot. The students also captured the attention of Daniella Banda, the Executive Producer of "Valley Por Vida" show airing on our local CBS4 News and NBC 23 stations. Ms. Banda recently visited with the students in their classroom where she asked them to describe some of their awesome projects. The piece along with the stories of students representing four other Valley school districts will air during a segment called "Classroom Cribs". Viewers will be asked to vote on what school they think should be designated as the "coolest" school in the RGV based on their projects. So, make sure you vote for Veterans M.S. when you see it posted on our social media sites.

Two Teams One Family. Football players, student leaders, coaches and campus leadership from Donna North and Donna High came together for a "Unity Luncheon" on Oct. 25th to celebrate family and friendship between both schools. Although the Chiefs and Redskins competed against each other at the Battle of the Reservation on Oct. 27th, both teams want everyone to know that they are one big family from one community. Go Redskins! Go Chiefs!

Donna ISD is proud to announce the formation of its new PTECH Law Enforcement Advisory Board. On Oct.19th , members of the board held their first meeting to discuss the PTECH program at Donna North High School. The meeting focused on the law enforcement pathway; one of the three pathways offered at DNHS PTECH. A diverse group of local, county and state leaders in the law enforcement field gathered to discuss how they can contribute to creating work-based learning opportunities for the students. Among the esteemed leaders who accepted to be part of the board is Michael Banks, the Special Advisor on Border Matters to Governor Abbott, and the first Border Czar of the State of Texas. The group's presence, insights and experience will help shape the future success of Donna North's PTECH program and inspire students to pursue meaningful careers in law enforcement.

Members of the Donna North High School PTECH Education Advisory Board held their first meeting with industry partners, bringing together key representatives from various educational institutions and local human resources on Oct. 26th. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and strategize on how best to prepare PTECH students for successful careers in the education field. Attendees included representatives from Hidalgo County Head Start, UTRGV, and other influential organizations. By collaborating with these industry experts, Donna North PTECH aims to ensure that their students receive the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the education sector.

Donna ISD's Student Transitional 18+ Program held their 2nd Market Day event Wednesday, Oct. 25th at the Runn Facility. The students sold baked goods, vegetables from their garden, unique crafts from their Cricut Lab, and clothing and other items from their Thrift Store. Not only did the event highlight their abilities, but it also raised funds for the student activity fund. These funds will provide valuable opportunities like field trips and additional career growth experiences for the students. Thank you to everyone who went by to support the students.

Donna ISD Athletic Events:

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Nov. 1 - National Family Literacy Day

Nov. 1 - 30 - National Child Safety and Protection Month

Nov. 1 - 30 - National Diabetes Month

Nov. 6 - 10 - National School Psychology Week

Nov. 8 - National STEM/STEAM Day

Nov. 11 - Veterans Day

Nov. 15 - National Educational Support Professionals Day

Nov. 16 - National Parental Involvement Day

Nov. 17 - National Substitute Appreciation Day

Nov. 20 - 24 - Thanksgiving Holiday Break

Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving Holiday