Harlingen Collegiate High -

Christmas with the Coakley Cougars! 💙🎄🎅 For the third year in a row, Coakley athletes have visited their feeder campuses to spread some holiday cheer by giving toys to future Cougars! Instead of paying for their school dance, the Cougars brought an unwrapped toy as their entry ticket. 🎁 “I feel good about giving presents to little kids because I know they’ll have fun, and it shows them what they can look forward to in middle school,” said Bryanna Heiskell, Coakley 8th Grade Student. 🫶

“Anybody who knows me knows that I am Cathey with an E. My mom, busy with six kids, taught me to spell it with an E. My sister took my father’s name, Tracy, but my mom added an E to her name. Somehow, the E jumped into my name too, and I’ve embraced it ever since. It’s unique, just like me. I identify with Cathey, with an E, more than my legal name, Cathy. To serve children and be trusted with their emotional well-being is such a big responsibility. Working with the ESA (emotional support animal) dogs is the biggest impact I've seen in my career. Levi and Piper have allowed me immediate emotional access to the hearts of some of the hardest-to-reach kids. HCISD has been more than just a job to me. It enabled me to carry out my calling and has been a place of growth, inspiration, and friendships. You don’t get here by yourself. I stand on the shoulders of so many friends, colleagues, and bosses who have helped and supported me along the way. I truly believe that if you serve with your whole heart when you get to the finish line, you’ll be full of gratitude—and that’s exactly where I’m at. I’m so grateful for the opportunities the district has given me.” – Cathey Steadman Student Wellness Specialist

Yesterday, the Harlingen Police Department hosted it's 10th Annual Shop with a Cop event, bringing together local law enforcement agencies, HCISD, and our community to create a memorable experience for 86 of our 5th grade students. This event goes beyond just shopping—it’s about building strong community partnerships and supporting our students in meaningful ways. A heartfelt thank you to the officers, volunteers, sponsors, and HCISD staff who made this day so special for our students. Your dedication continues to make a lasting impact!

The HCISD Transition Academy hosted their 4th Annual Christmas Social! Happy Holidays to all!

Films on the Field: Christmas edition! Tonight we saw Elf on the big screen! 🎄🎅🏼🎁🍭🍬 Congratulations to the lucky winner of tonight’s TV raffle, Luisana Quintanilla! Thanks for being a part of our HCISD Family! 📺 🫶🏼 ✨

Bonham Elementary kicked off the holiday season with an ACE Grinch Winter Workshop, packed with laughter, learning, and lots of holiday cheer! 🎉💚 Students sang Christmas carols and worked on creative DIY activities such as making slime, decorating ornaments, and more! 🧪🎄 It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year, and we love seeing students and parents come together to celebrate at holiday events across the district! 🫶

The Nutcracker is coming to life on our stage once again! Get ready to be swept away by Clara’s magical journey, dazzling dances, and Tchaikovsky’s iconic score. From the fierce battle with the Mouse King to the enchanting Land of Sweets, this timeless holiday tradition is perfect for the whole family. Performance Dates: December 13, 14, & 15. You can purchase tickets at Hcisdpa.ludus.com

Get ready to kick off the holiday season with us at Films on the Field! Join us for a screening of Elf! To make it even more special, we’ll be giving away a 55" Vizio TV to one lucky winner during the event! The winner must be registered for the 2025-2026 school year. Haven’t registered yet? No problem – we’ll have registration tables at the event! Event Details: Location: Boggus Stadium Date: Monday, December 9 at 6:15 p.m. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Important Reminder: Please note that no lawn chairs, outside food, gum, or sunflower seeds will be allowed.

We hosted a Middle School Career Expo for our 8th-grade students in November! This event gave students a chance to connect with local business partners, HCISD Academy teachers, and high school students to explore the amazing programs and opportunities offered to them. A huge thank you to our Career & Technical Education Department and our incredible partners for their ongoing support! It’s because of them that we can offer these events and innovative experiences to help our students succeed. To view more photos from this event, visit: https://photos.hcisd.org/DistrictEv.../8th-Grade-Career-Expo

We served up a delicious Thanksgiving feast in the cafeteria this week! 🦃🍽️ A few of our Board Members even stopped by to join in on the fun! 🧡

Taste the flavors! 😋 Our Harlingen CISD Child Nutrition Department hosted a food-tasting event for community members, staff, and students to help them decide what will be on next year's lunch menu. ☺️ Potential new recipes for next year's menu include pulled pork sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, overnight oats, and more! 🥖🍔🍜🍎🥦

We’re excited to announce that school registration is officially open for the upcoming school year! To ensure a smooth and stress-free start to the year, we encourage all families to register early. 🙂 How do you register? We're glad you asked! Just visit our online registration page, complete the online registration form, and submit any required documents. 💻 If you need help with registration, please contact our HCISD Family and Community Engagement Department at (956)427-3515. ☎️ Link to register: https://www.hcisd.org/page/online-registration ⬅️⬅️

"As a teacher, I am always trying to find ways to make what I am teaching more engaging and interactive while still adhering to the rigor. Whether it’s collecting post-it notes with a net or using candy corn for bingo—it’s little things like that. I do these things in my classroom to make learning fun for them. Recently, a student asked me, ‘Mrs. Vela, you’ve been teaching for 30 years. Aren’t you tired?’ I went home that same day and kept thinking about it. Of course, we get tired day to day, but she meant the profession. So, I asked myself, ‘Why am I not tired?’ I came back the next day and told her, ‘Do you know why I’m not tired? Because I love what I do.’ Then she came up to me and hugged me, and it melted my heart. I really love what I do. That’s my purpose. That’s my why." Rosalva Vela 4th Grade Teacher

We had a fantastic morning with our HCISD Ambassadors, giving them an inside look at our Instructional Services. The day kicked off with exploring the exciting world of Blended Learning at Bowie Elementary, followed by time spent with our Transition Academy ambassadors. We also dived into Advanced Academics, which included a visit to a GT classroom at Treasure Hills Elementary School.

Friendly reminder, there is no school for students tomorrow, November 5th. Classes will resume on Wednesday, November 6th.

“It’s not just about serving students a meal, but about greeting them with a smile and saying, ‘Hey, how are you doing today? Harlingen South has been my school for almost 19 years. When my son was here, he was in the Cardinal Band. I was a band booster, and I helped sew their uniform pants. I always made sure to carry things in my bag that students might need for games and competitions, like new socks and gloves. Being able to help them made me so happy. When my son went to college, I said, ‘God, what am I going to do now?’ But he gave me thousands of kids to serve. God gave me the opportunity to be here, and if he keeps giving me the chance to help the students in one way or another, I’ll be here for them. The food we give out—it's fruit, it's milk, it’s a complete meal, and it’s free. Why not take advantage of it? I always tell students things like, ‘Come on, mijo, get your breakfast, save your money for college, or get your supper. Come on, please don’t go. Try it—you’ll love it.’ Something I always tell our athletes is, ‘Play with your heart, not with your bones. Bones can break, but your heart—no matter what happens, the spirit rises.’ At the end of the day, do you know what the most important thing is? It’s that we fed those kids and that we made them feel safe and important just by asking, ‘Hi, how are you doing today?’” -Silvia Posadas Child Nutrition Food Service Specialist II #HeartofHCISD

We're celebrating National School Lunch Week with our incredible cafeteria team! We had board member Eladio Jaimez join us at Lee H. Means Elementary Fine Arts Academy to serve up some delicious, nutritious meals for our students. Let's see who stops by the kitchen next!

Way to go Stingrays! Our students had a blast participating in the annual Special Olympics Bowling event at Creasey's Bowling! We are # HCISD proud of our students and their amazing bowling skills! To see more photos, visit: https://photos.hcisd.org/.../Special-Olympics-Bowling-2024.

Save the Date! Films on the Field!! Join us for a night at Boggus Stadium to watch Coco! You bring the blankets, we'll bring the popcorn and water. Boggus Stadium Monday, October 28 at 6:00 pm Reminder: No lawn chairs, outside food, gum, or sunflower seeds will be allowed.

Happy Fall Break! 😀🍂🍁 There is no school next week, October 14th - 18th. Classes will resume on Monday, October 21st! 📆