Connect with Katie.01.17.2025.Issue22 by Lovejoy ISD

Connect with Katie

JANUARY 17, 2025

Lovejoy Lovejoy Leopards Leopards

LovejoyCommunity,

Ilovethesmilingfacesandthesciencejournals

on this week’s cover! In a recent 2nd grade science lesson at Hart Elementary School, 2nd gradeclasseshadtheopportunitytoexplorethe powerofsketchnoting!Aspartoftheirstudyon how erosion shapes the Earth’s landforms, students participated in an engaging readaloud, focusing on how wind and water cause changes to the landscape. While listening, students students sketched their understanding in science journals, creating visual representationsoftheerosionprocess.Bytheendofthelesson,studentsnot only gained a deeper understanding of erosion but were also able to clearly articulateandshowtheirlearningthroughtheircreativesketches.

LovejoyISDBondPlanningCommittee

Lovejoy ISD’s Bond Planning Committee held its 5th meeting of the year on Monday night, where members were presented with important information from the district’s financial advisor, engaged in thoughtful discussions and worked through a project priority worksheet within their individual table groupstobeginshapingthevisionforpotentialfutureprojects.Lookingahead, Meeting 6 will take place on January 28, where committee members will receivefollow-upinformationfromMeeting5,engageinfurtherdiscussion,and developaproposedbondpackagetopresenttotheBoardofTrustees.

Student-SuperintendentConnectionCouncilHostsBoardofTrusteesPanel

This week, our High School Student-Superintendent Connection Council hosted a panel discussion with our Board of Trustees, an event that underscoredbothourstudents'dedicationtoleadershipandtheimportanceof civic responsibility. Our Student Connection Council, under the theme of Leadership this school year, took the initiative to create this platform for students and board members to engage in dialogue. The panel discussion providedanopportunityforstudentstolearnmoreabouttheroleoftheBoard of

of Trustees in Lovejoy ISD and explore the role of leadership within our school district and community. Opportunities like this represent our commitment to students developing the skills, knowledge, and confidence to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Thetimingofthisdiscussioncouldn’tbemorefitting,asweareinthemidstof BoardAppreciationMonth.Thiswasanopportunitytorecognizethehardwork, dedication, and vision of our Board of Trustees, who play such a critical role in shaping the direction and success of our school district. We are incredibly grateful for their service and commitment to our students, teachers, and community.

LovejoyHighSchoolCheerleadingCompetesinStateCompetition

We are excited to "cheer" on our Lovejoy Cheerleaders today at the UIL State Competition in Fort Worth! Our remarkable LHS Cheerleaders support many groups and spread our Lovejoy Leopard Spirit. Lovejoy HS cheerleaders have worked incredibly hard, and we know they will represent our school with pride and passion. We are cheering them on and can’t wait to celebrate their accomplishments.

TMEAAll-StateBandQualifiers

Please join us in celebrating Megan Lyons (french horn), Max Rattleff (percussion),andCalebBorn(clarinet),forqualifyingtoperformwiththeTexas All-State 5A Band in San Antonio, Saturday, February 15, 2025. All-State is the highesthonoraTexasmusicstudentcanachieve.Studentsareselectedthrough a rigorous multi-level adjudication process that begins with about 70,000 students from around the state vying for this honor to perform in one of 18 ensembles. This outstanding achievement is a testament to their strong commitmenttotheirmusicaleducation.

Acoldweekendandstarttotheweekareexpected.Wehavealreadystartedcold weatherpreparationsacrossthedistrict.Staywarm,Lovejoy!Welookforwardto studentsreturningonTuesdayafterthelongholidayweekend.

ThereisonlyONELOVEJOY,andweareALLLEOPARDS!

LovejoyProud,

KatieKordel

Superintendent

SchoolisbackinsessionandsoisLovejoyISD’sBondPlanningCommittee!At their 5th meeting Monday night, community stakeholders heard from Lovejoy ISD’sfinancialadvisor,Mr.DougWhitt,regardingbondingcapacityandmetin table groups to begin prioritizing projects. We are incredibly grateful for the thoughtfulengagementandtimeinvestmentofourBondPlanningCommittee students,parentsandcommunitymembers!

Bond Capacity Projections

01 BOND CAPACITY DEFINED

A voter-approved school bond allows a school district to borrow funds to finance capital projects Bonds allow districts to spread the cost of expensive projects across time, minimizing financial pressure on the district’s maintenance and operations (M&O) budget. School district bonding capacity is the maximum amount of bonds a school district can issue. It's calculated based on the factors listed below and the amount of outstanding bonds.

02 KEY FACTORS IN DETERMINING BOND CAPACITY

Type of Assets being Financed & Length of Amortization

Interest Rate Levels

Tax Base Levels & Speed of Tax Base Growth

Single or Multiple Phases of the Facility Plan & Length of Time to Implement the Bond Program

State Funding State Law

03 NO IMPACT TO TAX RATE

Lovejoy ISD’s current I&S tax rate is $0.50 per $100 in property value. The tax rate will remain the same whether a bond election is called for and passed or not.

04 CURRENT BOND CAPACITY

Preliminary bond program analysis indicates that Lovejoy ISD has a bond capacity of approximately $267,500,000 with bonds issued in multiple installments over several years as the market, tax base, and other factors allow. This multi-phase, multi-year approach allows for adequate spacing between facility plan project phases.

05 $37.9 MILLION SAVED IN INTEREST COSTS

Lovejoy ISD prioritizes being a strong steward of taxpayer dollars. Through early repayment of principal on prior bonds, we have saved $6.9 million in interest costs and $31 million through refunding existing bonds with lower interest rate bonds.

We are excited to "cheer" on our Lovejoy CheerleadersastheyheadtotheUILState Competition this week! Our remarkable LHS Cheerleaders support many groups and spread our Lovejoy Leopard Spirit... now it is our turn to do the same for them!!! �� UIL State Championship Friday (1/17) andSaturday(1/18)FortWorthConvention Center

Tickets:(selectD2-5A)

No School on Monday, January 20th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. All campus and administration buildings will be closed. We look forward to seeing our students on Tuesday!

Sloan Creek Intermediate, Willow Springs Middle School, and Lovejoy High School will host 4th, 6th, and 8th graders on Friday, February 7, 2025 for LovejoyISD’sAnnualBumpUpDay.

Bump Up Day was created to assist students with transitioning to a new campus and to help generate excitement for the new experiences they will have. Students will travel to the campus they will be attending for the 20252026schoolyearandhavetheopportunitytotourthecampus,askquestions, andeatlunch.

Students will be able to charge their lunch account. Student Nutrition will adjustpermissionstoallowthis.Studentsin4thand6thwillbecharged$4.25 foraregularmeal,$5.00forapremiummealandwillneedtopayforany“ala carte” or “extras”. 8th Graders who will eat at Lovejoy HIgh School will be chargedeither$4.75foraregularmealor$5.50forapremiummealaswellas any“alacarte”or“extras”theychoose.

Campuses will be sharing specific information with their parents, guardians, andstudentsthroughemailandnewslettersasthedategetscloser.

InhonorofSchoolBoardRecognitionMonth,weaskedeachofourTrusteesa unique question. This week we are honored to recognize School Board President,BarrettOwensandVicePresident,JeffWood.

BARRETT OWENS President

JEFF WOOD Vice President

Question:Whydoyouchoosetoserve ontheLovejoyISDBoardofTrustees?

ItismydistincthonortoserveastheLovejoy ISD Board of Trustees’ President. I was first elected in 2019 and continue to serve because I believe our students deserve the very best educational opportunities. The experiences, friendships, and education my children have received in Lovejoy ISD are secondtononeandtogetherwewillcontinue tobuildonourLegacyofExcellence.

-BarrettOwens

Question: Can you share a moment when you felt especially proud of LovejoyandourLegacyofExcellence?

Onemomentthatparticularlycomestomind isthecelebrationforLovejoywinningthe5A Lone Star Cup. It truly was a recognition of Lovejoy’s culture and student and faculty success across all programs- academics, athletics,andfinearts.Iamveryappreciative of the long hours, hard work and consistent dedication of so many towards continuing andbuildinguponourLegacyofExcellence.

-JeffWood

TheLovejoyHighSchoolStudent-SuperintendentConnectionCouncilrecently hostedadynamicpaneldiscussionfeaturingourdedicatedBoardMembers.

TheConnectionCouncilposedinsightfulandthoughtfulquestionstoourBoard of Trustees fostering meaningful discussions on topics such as community service,schoolfunding,theallocationofteacherresources,andopportunities forleadershipdevelopment.

WeextendourheartfeltgratitudetoourBoardofTrusteesfortakingtimeoutof their busy schedules to inspire our students. Their insights on leadership, community service, and cultivating a leadership mindset in all circumstances were invaluable. Thank you to our committed Trustees for their unwavering investmentinempoweringourfutureleaders.

Bippity Boppity BOO! Lovejoy Fine Arts cordially invites YOU to attend, Cinderella! This Lovejoy Theatre production, with live orchestra, will be a truly magical experience and fun for thewholefamily!

Clickheretogetyourticketstoday!

Performancedates:

Thursday,January23rdat7:00p.m. Friday,January24that7:00p.m. Saturday,January25that1:00p.m. and7:00pm LovejoyHighSchoolAuditorium (2350EstatesPkwy)

Withanewyearandnewsemesterbeginning,the Lovejoy ISD Transportation Department would liketoremindeveryoneabouttheexpectationof wearingseatbeltswhenstudentsareridingbuses. There is a high likelihood that your child will board a bus this year whether it be on a route, field trip, extracurricular event, etc. Not only is thisanexpectationbutitisalsoaStatelaw.

Pleasetakeamomenttovisitwithyourchild(ren)oftheimportanceofwearing aseatbeltwhileonthebusandencouragethemtodoso.Driverswillalsoassist inremindingriderstoutilizetheirseatbelts.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,please donothesitatetoreachouttothetransportationdepartment.

The Lovejoy Reads: Sora Challenge has ended, and it's time to announce the winningcampus!Overthe67-daychallenge,LovejoyISDreaderslogged3,595 hours on Sora! This is incredible, and we are #LovejoyProud of our students' loveforreadingandlearning.Drumroll,please! ��

Thefinalhourscountbycampus--->

�� PusterElementary:830hours

�� HartElementary:491

�� SloanCreek:1059hours

�� WillowSprings:1116hours

�� LovejoyHigh:99hours.

CongratulationstoWillowSpringsforearningtheoverallcampuswin!Thetop 20readersateachcampuswillreceivea3D-printedaxolotlkeychaindesigned byourLovejoyLibrarians.Inaddition,thetop10readersatWillowSpringswill also receive a special prize for their amazing accomplishment. Thank you for participatingandrememberthatSoraisavailable24/7foryournextgreatread!

During this winter season, we would like to remind our community of Lovejoy ISD’s inclement weather procedures. LISD will closely monitoring weather conditions in conjunction with local agencies includingtheNationalWeatherService. Anyupdatesregardingschooldelaysor closures will be communicated to parentsandstaffvia:

LovejoyISDWebsite

LovejoyISDMobileApp

ParentEmail,Telephone,andTextAlerts DistrictSocialMediaChannels

Lovejoy ISD does NOT send notifications stating that school is open or operating on a normal schedule. Click here for LISD’s Inclement Weather Procedureswebpage.

collegesanduniversities?Markyourcalendarfor January 29th at 6pm in the Lovejoy Childhood Development Center Library for a discussion around understanding course selection, GPA policy,andpostsecondaryplanning.

The Lovejoy STEM Fest is an annual community event where we encourage studentstotakepartinadayfullofSTEMactivities!Studentswillnotonlyhave achancetosharetheirownevidenceoflearning,buttheyhavetheopportunity toSEE,LEARN,andDOawidevarietyofexperiencesthatdevelopandsupport STEM skills. This year's Lovejoy STEM Fest will be January 25, 2025 from 10:00am-1:00pmatLovejoyHighSchool.Wecan'twaittoseeyouthere! Visit https://www.lovejoyisd.net/page/stem-festtolearnmore!

Strong school attendance is correlated with higher academic performance. Additionally,averageDailyAttendance(ADA)isametricthattheStateofTexas usestodeterminefundingforpublicschools.Eachweek,thisattendancedata willbeupdatedsoourcommunityisawareofourmostrecentADA.

Reality Check

As a valued stakeholder, we know how much our district matters to you. Therefore, we believe it is important that you have accurate and transparent informationaboutLovejoyISD.WiththeintroductionofRealityCheck,weare taking proactive steps to address misinformation and disinformation. It is our hope that this resource will serve as an informational tool for our community andfurtherLovejoyISD’scommitmenttocommunication.

Hart Elementary proudly hosted the 4th Grade Spelling Bee, celebrating the hard work and dedication of over 30 participants who prepared diligently for thisevent.Beforethecompetitionbegan,wehadthehonorofrecognizingMr. Mark Wheelis, Lovejoy ISD Trustee, who graciously served as a special guest judge.Wearedeeplygratefulforhissupportandcommitmenttoourstudents.

Congratulations to our outstanding winners: Arianna (1st place), Evelyn (2nd place), and Dylan (3rd place). Hart Elementary is incredibly proud of all our participantsfortheireffortandachievement!

2ndgradeclassesinvitedMs.Hicks,MTSSlead,intotheirscienceblocktolearn how to take informational text to sketch note. Students engaged in a read aloudwithalearningfocusonhowerosionchangestheEarth'slandforms.As Ms.Hicksreadaloud,studentstooktosketchnotingintheirsciencejournalsto beabletotalkthroughthehowwindandwatercausechangesintheEarth.As they sketched and partner shared, at the end of the lesson, students could articulate as well as show through their visual representation the cause of erosion.

Megan Lyons, Max Rattleff, and Caleb Born, members of the Lovejoy High School Band program, will perform with the Texas All-State 5A Band in San Antonio, Saturday, February 15, 2025, at the Henry B. González Convention Center as part of the 2025 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention.

Megan Lyons earned the 1st chair French horn position at Area Band auditions. This will be Megan’s second time to perform as a member of a TMEAAll-Stateorganization.

Max Rattleff earned the 1st chair percussion position. This will be Max’s thirdtimetoperformasamemberofaTMEAAll-Stateorganization.

Caleb Born earned 3rd chair clarinet position. This is Caleb’s first time to performasamemberofaTMEAAll-Stateorganization.

All three LHS students were chosen for this prestigious honor through a competitiveprocessheldthisyearacrossthestateatDistrict,Region,andArea levels. Students selected to perform in All-State concerts have competed throughrigorousauditionstoqualifyatthestatelevel.All-Stateisthehighest honor a Texas music student can achieve. Students are selected through a multi-level adjudication process that begins with about 70,000 students from aroundthestatevyingforthishonortoperforminoneof18ensembles.

Texas Music Educators Association sponsors the Texas All-State competition. Thiscompetitiveprocessbeginsthroughoutthestateinauditionshostedby33 TMEA Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advance from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest-ranking musiciansjudgedattheTMEAAreacompetitionsqualifytoperforminaTMEA All-State music group. Only the top 2.6% of musicians who initially audition becomeAll-Statemusicians.

Directedbynationallyrecognizedconductors,All-Statestudentsparticipatein fourdaysofrehearsalsduringtheTMEAClinic/Convention.Theirperformances forthousandsofattendeesbringthisextraordinaryeventtoaclose.FortheAllState concert and conductor information, go to the Performances section of www.tmea.org/convention.

Lovejoy Girls Basketball has continued to dominate through district. Varsity girls are currently 8-0 after starting back at the top of the district lineup. JV continues to improve and the freshmen look to continue their undefeated streakindistrict.

Leopardsfinishoutdistrictwiththreemorehomegamesandthreeaway:

Home

vs.Denison1/17|F7:30|JV5:00|V6:15 vs.Melissa1/28|F7:00|JV4:30|V5:45 vs.Sherman2/4|F7:00|JV4:30|V5:45

Away

atWalnutGrove1/21|F7:00|JV4:30|V5:45 atMcKinneyNorth1/24|F7:30|JV5:00|V6:15 atGreenville1/31|F7:30|JV5:00|V6:15

Weare#LovejoyProudoftheseathletesandtheircoaches,JoeyMiller MikeMotsney,AshtynRichey!

TheLovejoyVarsityBoysBasketballteamisona seven-gamewinningstreak.TheLeopardshave comebackfromtheHolidaybreakwithfourbig districtwinsoverMelissa,50-42,Greenville,6947, Sherman, 81-47, and Anna, 72-67. The Leopards were down by 17 late in the second quarter at Anna on Tuesday night, before storming back to beat the Coyotes in doubleovertime. The Leopards are 5-1 in district play and are currently in a three-way tie for first place with Walnut Grove and Melissa. On the season,theLeopardsare20-5andranked#20in thestateintheGASOTexasHoopsclass5Apoll.

TheLeopardswillbeinactionthisFridaynightatLovejoyHighSchool,whenthey hosttheDenisonYellowjackets.Tip-offisscheduledfor7:30p.m.

DearLovejoyCommunity,

As a Board, we are committed to strong and proactive communication with our community. Part of this commitment is sending an email invitation to our community prior to Board Meetings with a sincere desire for you to be involved andfullyaware,sowecancometogetherasacommunityforourchildren.

January21,2025PublicNoticeWebsite (Public ntoice will be posted a minimum of 72 hours in advance)

You may find the full agenda with supporting documentation on our district's BoardBookPremierwebsiteHERE.

Sincerely,

Barrett Owens, President

Jeff Wood, Vice-President

Amy Smith, Secretary

Marvin Bobo, Trustee

Jason Jaynes, Trustee

Julie McLaughlin, Trustee

Mark Wheelis, Trustee

BoardofTrusteesFilingPeriod

ThefilingperiodfortheMay3,2025schoolboardelectionisJanuary15,2025February14,2025.

Board of Trustee Application Packets are available for pick-up from Rodricka Taylor,CoordinatorfortheSuperintendentandBoardServices,attheLovejoy ISD Administration Building (259 Country Club Rd., Allen, TX 75002). An ElectronicApplicationPacketcanbedownloadedHERE. ThefollowingpositionswillbeontheMay3,2025ballot:

Position1:JulieMcLaughlin

Position2:AmySmith

Position3:JeffWood

Can't remember where you saw a flyer? Not a problem! Leopard Life is connected to all campus newsletters, Connect with Katie, campus websites, ANDLovejoyISDmobileapp!

Thisisanopportunityforparentsandcommunitymemberstoconnectwith LovejoyISDTrusteesandSuperintendentKatieKordelinaninformalsetting. During Community Coffee Talks, Lovejoy ISD leadership listens, shares and engagesin opendialogue/discussionwithourcommunity.

February26,2024

6:00p.m.-7:00p.m. WillowSpringsMiddle(Cafeteria)

April29,2024 9:00a.m.-10:00a.m.

HartElementary(LeopardLair)

Lovejoy SAT Prep classes are open for registration. Click here to learn more and register!

ExtendedDayLeopardAcademyisan opportunity for your child to participate in enrichment activities onhisorhercampusbeforeandafter school. Our goal is that these enrichment opportunities will allow our Lovejoy Leopards to develop creativity and critical thinking skills through activities related to their personalinterests.

Registrationisopenforthefollowing academies for students in kindergarten through 6th grade. Choose from one of the links below formoreinformation.

DISTRICT & CAMPUS

NEWSLETTERS

Lovejoy ISD is committed to creating strong connections and providing clear communicationwithourLovejoyparentsandfamilies.Belowyouwillfindlinksto the most recent newsletters from each campus. Sign up for weekly Principal Newslettersheretostayinformed!