BISD is rated overall Recognized for Community and Student Engagement*

1. BISD is rated overall Recognized for Community and Student Engagement* Ben Brite is an overall Recognized Campus under House Bill 5 Community and Student Engagement * House Bill 5, Section 46; Texas Education Code Section 39.0545

2. Honors Choir and School Choir Fine Arts Program rated Recognized The Fine Arts Program at Ben Brite consists of “The Mighty Ben Brite Comet Choir” under the direction of Mr. Raul Cervantes who engaged in weekly practices both before and after school with students to assist them in the preparation of both a Christmas concert and a Spring Concert. In addition, select students from the choir were showcased in the 2014 Honors Choir, an event that dazzled all in attendance. An honored achievement for this school years UIL Music Memory Team is that of bringing home several 5th grade 1st place recognitions and an overall 1st place team recognition. GO COMETS! Ben Brite Elementary

3. Running Club, Marathon Kids, and Volleyball Team Running Club Wellness and Physical Education Programs rated Recognized Our Ben Brite students were encouraged to participate in numerous activities throughout the year. One in particular, the Ben Brite Running Club participated in monthly running events throughout the year. All students received participation medals as well as trophies for those placing in the top 5. Our students also participated in the Marathon Kids 26.2 Mile Challenge. This program partners with schools to create and maintain healthy families and communities. Through the 26.2 Mile Challenge, events and the Wellness Team Initiative, Marathon Kids develop healthy habits and behaviors that last a lifetime. Our school also participated in the City League Volleyball Program. Ben Brite Elementary

4. Nutrition Community and Parental Involvement rated Recognized Our Community and Parental Involvement Program did an excellent job of providing parents with numerous opportunities (activities/meetings) on a weekly basis on a variety of excellent topics throughout the entire year. Parents were given the opportunity to volunteer their much valued services and expertise to teachers in the classrooms or assistance that teachers needed such as running off papers, laminating, bulletin boards, etc. Parent volunteers and community members were also allowed to partake in field trips, presentations, and school sponsored events such as our school carnival, Fire Safety presentations, Six Weeks Attendance treats, National Food Nutrition Week, Career Day, etc. Ben Brite Elementary

5. Career Day and College 101 21st Century Workforce Development rated Acceptable College Readiness *College Shirt Day *College 101 Presentation for 5th grade students by Pilar Janis from the Guidance/Counseling Office *Classroom presentations by school counselors giving all students the following “college readiness skills”: a belief in themselves; the ability to identify those special qualities within them-selves that make them unique and special; listening/communication skills; conflict resolution skills; decision making kills and goal setting skills. College Bound – Career Ready Because our vision is to prepare our students to be “college bound” and “career ready”, Brite Elementary invited professionals from various fields in the community to share their educational background and professional experiences with our students so that we could help educate them on the importance of furthering their education and the vast career opportunities that are available to them. Special guests included the following: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Cameron County Juvenile Probation Department, Willacy State Jail/Corrections Corporation of America, Harlingen Police Department, Brownsville Fire Department, National Weather Service, Gladys Porter Zoo, UTB Educational Talent Search Program, Texas Regional Bank, Valley Baptist Medical Center and GEO Reentry Services/Reality House. Ben Brite Elementary

6. Second Language Acquisition Program Recognized Just like all other BISD elementary schools, Brite Elementary adheres to BISD’s Traditional Bilingual Program and provides students with opportunities to celebrate and recognize their native language and culture. Some cultural activities the students participated in this year included: National Hispanic Heritage Month Martin Luther King Day ESL Instruction Open House (Fall/Spring) Día de Los Niños Cinco de Mayo Celebration Dia de las Madres Fiesta de los Niños Ben Brite Elementary

7. Digital Learning Environment rated Recognized BISD email Cyber Bullying Student Presentations EduSmart eSchoolPlus Instructional Software: *Accelerated Reader *iStation *Living with Science *Mind Play *Study Island *Think Through Math Project Share School Messenger STAR Chart Tango http://projectsharetexas.org/ Ben Brite Elementary

8. Perfect Attendance Encampment Dropout Prevention Strategies rated Exemplary Afterschool and Saturday Tutorials Small Group Instruction Summer School Instructional Programs Instructional Software: Living With Science, iStation, Think Through math RtI Attendance Promotion Encampment for students with Perfect Attendance Popcorn, pickle, movie every six weeks 20 bikes raffle for Perfect Attendance Bikes given to students w/Perfect Attendance from 1st-5th grades Ben Brite Elementary

9. Advanced Academics Program rated Recognized Ben Brite Elem. offers an array of opportunities and options for advanced learners through programs such as:  GALAXY [Gifted Academic Learning Achieving Excellence for Youth]-Gifted and Talented Program, UIL Academics and the Scholastic Chess. Our GT Program consists of 1st-1, 2nd-3, 3rd-7, 4th-12, and 5th-14 students who receive differentiated instruction throughout the school year. Our UIL did fairly well placing 3rd in Area Competition and our Chess Team participated in State Competition with the K1 Team coming out in 18th place overall. Ben Brite Elementary