The Bowie Star Newsletter

August 28, 2026 Vol. 4

Staff Spotlight

This Week: Chelsea McCaffrey

Years at Bowie: 10 years
Favorite Bowie Tradition: How the ELA department is always the best at Halloween.
Hidden Talents: Knowing all of my students' names by the end of the first week of school, and picking the exact right size Tupperware for leftovers with 100% accuracy.
Why I Love Bowie: The students are amazing, and the teachers are the best at what they do. I never feel more at home than when I'm at Bowie.

Senior Spotlight

This Week: Jayden Youngblood

Activities: Ready Set Teach, PALS, Black Student Alliance, Volleyball, and Student Section Leader at athletic events
Future Plans: Attend the University of Houston to study education and eventually become a high school history teacher.
Favorite Bowie Memory: Last year's "court maintenance" duty during basketball games with Easton Lewis.
Advice for New Bulldogs: Be yourself, be social, make friends, join clubs, and embrace being a Bulldog!

The Bulldawg Brief: A Note from the Principal

Bowie Families,

Happy Friday! What a great first full week of classes.

First, I want to provide an update on our attendance incentive policy. After receiving feedback from both parents and students requesting a return to our previous policy, our administrative team and teacher leaders met for additional thoughtful discussion and collaboration. We have decided to keep the current attendance incentive program in place, maintaining eligibility exclusively for juniors and seniors.

Our leadership team evaluated multiple factors to ensure the program aligns with our school-wide goals and focuses resources directly on student growth. Furthermore, following recent budget reductions which resulted in the loss of 13 teachers, 1 counselor, and a half-time assistant principal, it is essential to streamline administrative duties so our staff can dedicate their time to direct student instruction and support.

Additionally, after a week of utilizing our new tardy system, the data shows that only 10 students out of more than 2,900 had 4 or more tardies. While I understand this new system has not been especially popular with the students, the numbers demonstrate that it actually affects very few while helping maintain promptness across the entire school.

We remain deeply committed to supporting strong attendance habits for all of our students across every grade level.

Thank you for your partnership, understanding, and continued support in ensuring your child arrives ready to learn each day. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Brad Lancaster, Principal

📌 Important Dates & Deadlines

September 1 & 2
School Picture Days
📸 ELA Classes

September 7, 21 & October 9
Student & Staff Holidays
🏫 No School

September 25
Progress Report
📝 UIL Eligibility Check

October 8
End of the 1st 9 Weeks
📝 Last Day of the Grading Period • UIL Eligibility Check

October 12
Parent Teacher Conferences
🏫 No School • 📝 Conference Sign-Up Coming

October 21
PSAT
🕔 9:05 AM

🎉 Upcoming Campus Events

August 28 (Tonight!)
First Home Football Game
🏈 7:30 PM
📍 Burger Stadium

August 29
Bulldogs & Hotdogs
🕕 5:00–8:00 PM
📍 Courtyard

October 2
Club Fair (Student Event)
🕕 Lunch periods
📍 Courtyard

October 22
Homecoming Game
🏈 7:30 PM
📍 Burger Stadium

October 24
Homecoming Dance
🕕 7:00–10:00 PM
📍 Courtyard

Dawg News

ATHLETIC TICKETS & GAME DAY ACCESS — Planning to cheer on our Bulldogs at an upcoming game? All Austin ISD athletic events utilize digital, cashless ticketing through HomeTown Ticketing. To purchase tickets, visit the site, type "Bowie" in the search bar, and select our campus (verify the Bowie logo and "Austin, Texas" location). Be sure to buy your tickets online prior to arriving at the gate. If you need help purchasing or accessing your tickets, check out this Ticketing Support Guide.

BULLDOGS & HOTDOGS THIS SATURDAY! — Join us tomorrow, Saturday, August 29, from 5:00–8:00 p.m. in the Bowie Courtyard for our annual Bulldogs & Hotdogs event! Hosted by the PTSA, this community celebration serves as a collective fundraiser for Bowie boosters, student clubs, and campus programs. Enjoy food, drinks, games, and spirit wear sales throughout the evening, along with a Pep Rally at 6:30 p.m. in the Competition Gym. Admission is free—please bring cash or check for food and merchandise purchases. Can't make it to the gym for the pep rally? Watch the livestream here!

PICTURE DAY & SENIOR PORTRAITS WITH CADY — CADY Photography will be on campus Tuesday, September 1, and Wednesday, September 2 to take student photos through English (ELA) classes! Families can confirm their information and save $10 on photo packages by pre-ordering prior to Picture Day at cady.com/pictureday.

Important Note for Seniors: Sept. 1-2 photos are strictly for ID badges and school records. Formal senior yearbook portraits must be scheduled separately by December 30 to appear in the 2027 yearbook.
Scheduling Senior Portraits: CADY will offer on-campus photo days on Oct. 7-8, Nov. 11-12, and Dec. 8-9, or you can book a session at their Cedar Park Studio anytime this fall.
Senior Booking Resources: Review the step-by-step Senior Booking Guide (Guía en Español) or watch this quick Video Tutorial to schedule your session.

ACADEMIC PROGRESS REPORTS & UIL ELIGIBILITY — Families receive academic progress reports every three weeks and report cards at the end of each 9-week grading period. Please note that students in UIL activities must maintain passing grades to remain eligible. The first UIL eligibility check takes place on Friday, September 25, using grades from the 6-week progress report. Important Delivery Change: Progress reports and report cards are no longer posted in the parent portal documentation tile—they are now sent directly to families via an emailed link.

3RD ANNUAL TRANSITION FAIR & SPECIAL ED CONFERENCE — Join Austin ISD’s Special Education Department and Partners Resource Network at Bowie High School on Saturday, September 26! Learn about IEPs, parent rights, advocacy, and behavior supports during conference sessions (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.), and connect with local agencies at the Transition Fair (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) to explore resources for employment, education, and independent living. Please RSVP Online to attend.

CLASS OF 2027 GRADUATION DATE SET! — Mark your calendars! Graduation for the Class of 2027 will take place on Thursday, May 27, at 8:00 p.m. at Burger Stadium. Additional details regarding senior arrival times, tickets, and ceremony logistics will be shared later in the school year.