Connect with Katie WEEKLY NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
FEBRUARY 9, 2024
y o j e v o L s d r a p o e L
CONTENTS 04 MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
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ROBOTICS UIL 5A STATE CHAMPIONS
SIGNING DAY ATHLETICS 2024
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15 GIRLS BASKETBALL ENTERS PLAYOFFS 17 9TH ANNUAL PORTRAIT EXHIBITION 18 GIRLS SOCCER CELEBRATIONS 19 COLOR GUARD’S SWEEPING SUCCESS 20 LEOPARD FISHING: SCHOOL CHAMPIONS
21 ACCERERATED ART 1 RAKU FIRING 22 SIDE-BY-SIDE 8TH GRADE CONCERT 23 ABILENE ALLIANCE 08 BEST BUDDIES CHILI COOK-OFF 09 PUSTER STUDENT WINS CONTEST 24 MOCK TRIAL HEADS TO STATE 10 CELEBRATING SCHOOL COUNSELORS 24 SCIS ORCHESTRA ICE CREAM SOCIAL 11 LCDC REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! 25 LEOPARD LIFE 31 CAMPUS NEWSLETTERS 11 ATTENDANCE UPDATE 31 COMMUNITY NEWS 13 DISTRICT CALENDAR 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL
MESSAGE from the Superintendent Lovejoy Community, Happy 100th day of school! There is absolutely no way not to break a smile when you get to see kindergarten students and their teachers dressed as centenarians. I am extremely proud of the learning and growth that has occurred in these first 100 days and excited about maximizing each day left in the school year. We remain relentlessly focused on ensuring our students have an exceptional learning experience in Lovejoy ISD and your support and partnership is an essential part of our success. We are proud to share that Lovejoy High School Robotics Team #1082R won the 5A State Championship! This is our first Robotics State Championship. Congratulations to Coach Josh Strickland and Lovejoy High School Robotics on this remarkable accomplishment! I love to watch our robotics teams' designs progress throughout the season as they go through the engineering design process. This iterative process teaches our students the power of open-ended problem solving, learning from failure, innovation, and teamwork. As School Counseling Week comes to a close, I want to thank each of our counselors for the significant role they play in the education, support, and success of our students. School counselors provide academic counseling as well as critical support for students and their families. Their role in connecting students with resources to help them succeed academically, socially, and emotionally is vital. Thank you for the way you celebrated these very deserving educators this week. I hope your weekend is filled with love and joy. There is only one LOVEJOY and we are all LEOPARDS! Lovejoy Proud,
Katie Kordel Superintendent
ROBOTICS UIL 5A STATE CHAMPIONS Congratulations to our 5A State Champions 1082R! Lovejoy is bringing home its first ever robotics State Championship! We had an amazing partner in 4148Z from Greenville and are honored to have been alliance partners for this championship. Additionally, we are celebrating Championship Semi-Finalists #1082M [Meltdown]. They had an amazing day of hard-fought matches and they worked so hard to end as the 4th ranked team in Qualification Matches and Skills Rank. We are #LovejoyProud of our entire Robotics team and grateful for the leadership of Coach Strickland. Thank you Lovejoy parents and community for your time, dedication, and passion for this program!
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100TH DAY OF SCHOOL The 100th day of school is a tradition and milestone for kindergarteners in Lovejoy! The 100th day signifies that students have completed more then half the school year, reinforces math skills students have been learning, and celebrates all the learning that those same students have already accomplished! In celebration of the 100th day of school, students at Hart and Puster Elementary dressed as 100 year olds, participated in counting games and a 100th Day of School celebration! Thank you parents and teachers for making this such as special day of learning for our students!
BEST BUDDIES CHILI COOK-OFF
Last weekend LHS Best Buddies had a blast at their bowling event! In March, Lovejoy Best Buddies will host their 3rd annual chili cook-off which helps raise money for the Best Buddies program and events. Save the date and join the fun public entry is only $5.00!
PUSTER STUDENT WINS POSTER CONTEST Fourth grade student at Puster Elementary, Vivaan Kotagiri, has won the 2024 STEM Festival Poster Contest! Vivaan’s original artwork incorporates the Leopard paw print, a STEM logo, and detailed examples of STEM. Vivaan’s parents shared that he has always had a creative streak and has shown interest in Arts since the age of 2. He is also passionate about STEM, so when this opportunity presented itself, he was thrilled. He wanted to visually represent the meaning of each letter in STEM with relevant educational and scientific symbols while also ensuring the design stays true to the Lovejoy spirit! Mr. Miles Knight said, “Whether he is tackling a challenging problem, creatively coming up with solutions, writing a story, or making people laugh, Vivaan always exemplifies himself as a leader.” Vivaan’s RLA teacher, Mrs. Dahl, states, “It is always a joy to see Vivaan walk into class. I know he will not only give his best effort, but he will also help others lift the level and creativity of their work. He is the quintessential Lovejoy Leader.” Congratulations Vivaan!
CELEBRATING LISD SCHOOL COUNSELORS We have had a wonderful week celebrating our School Counselors! Our counselors have an important role in the success of our students. We appreciate the students, parents, and staff members showed their heartfelt appreciation to our counselors. They put the “love” in Lovejoy and we are deeply grateful for their impact.
LCDC REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
ATTENDANCE UPDATE Strong school attendance is correlated with higher academic performance. Additionally, average Daily Attendance (ADA) is a metric that the State of Texas uses to determine funding for public schools. Each week, this attendance data will be updated so our community is aware of our most recent ADA.
DISTRICT CALENDAR
CALENDAR EVENT LINKS
STUDENT CALENDAR
DISTRICT CALENDAR
CAMPUS CALENDARS
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
FINE ARTS CALENDAR
Campus, District, and Athletics Calendars are linked above for the convenience of our community. *Please note event dates, times and locations are subject to change and should be verified by participants.
SIGNING DAY ATHLETICS 2024 Lovejoy High School hosted it’s Spring Signing Celebration on Wednesday, February 7th. Lovejoy Athletics had 12 athletes sign to compete at the collegiate level, in addition to the 19 athletes that signed in the fall! Congratulations to our outstanding student athletes: Chase Bogle - Football at Arkansas State University James Brunson - Football at Tufts University Dante Dean - Football at Southwestern Oklahoma State University Alexander Franklin - Football at Trinity University Wes Hightower - Football at Hendrix College Brandon Monroe - Football at Angelo State University Nick Perez - Football at Stephen F. Austin Sam Reynolds - Football at Southwestern Oklahoma State University Khalin Williams - Football at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Nicole Young - Soccer at Hardin Simmons University Colston Adamson - Track and Field at Oklahoma State University Mia Perrin - Volleyball at Midamerica Nazarene University
GIRLS BASKETBALL ENTERS PLAYOFFS The girls basketball team finished the regular season with a record of 21-14. This is the 4th time in program history to have over 20 wins. The Lady Leopards will play Red Oak on Tuesday, February 13th in their first playoff game. Game time is 6:30 at South Oak Cliff High School.
CONNECTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND THE LOVEJOY COMMUNITY WHILE SUPPORTING LOVEJOY ISD THROUGH REVENUE GENERATION The Lovejoy ISD Community Partner program is a new way for local businesses to support Lovejoy ISD and connect with the Lovejoy Community! Community Partner advertisements are featured in our weekly District newsletter, Connect with Katie, Living Lovejoy videos, and District Social Media. Interested in becoming a Community Partner? Click HERE to learn more!
9TH ANNUAL LJVA PORTRAIT EXHIBITION Tuesday marked the opening of Lovejoy's 9th Annual Portrait exhibition; celebrating the concepts of self-representation and individuality from K-12 artists. There was a fantastic turnout for this celebration of the selected artists and their beautiful work. Congratulations to all of our artists and thank you to all of the friends, families, and Lovejoy Community members who attended this wonderful exhibition. A special thank you to our LJVA Gallery Managers for their work in curating, organizing, and hanging this fantastic collection of work. If you were unable to attend the opening, please contact Brice_McCasland@lovejoyisd.net to schedule a viewing between 8am - 5pm until February 23rd.
GIRLS SOCCER CELEBRATIONS Last week the girls Varsity soccer team beat Sherman 6-0, and Tuesday night the Varsity team beat Denison 9-0. Congratulations to Kylee Dziubinki on breaking the program's single game assist record (5) last week and season assist record (15) this week. Also congratulations to Emma Nelson on breaking the program's career goals record (45). These records are a reflection of the individual talent both Kylee and Emma have, the hard work they have put in, the quality the team possesses, and the hard work everyone has put into the program over the years. Last week the girls JV team beat Sherman 8-0, and Tuesday night the JV team beat Denison 7-0. The wins moved the JV team's record to 9-2-1 (4-0).
COLOR GUARD’S SWEEPING SUCCESS The Lovejoy Color Guard program had a stellar weekend at their first color guard competition of the season on Saturday, Feb 3rd at Independence High School in Frisco. The Willow Springs Middle School Color Guard won 2nd place in the middle school division. The Lovejoy JV Guard won first place in their division, and the Lovejoy. Varsity Guard won first place in their division! It was a sweeping success. Congratulations to all of our color guard students! Thank you, Gloria Garcia, Lovejoy Color Guard Director, for your compassionate, excellent leadership!
LEOPARD FISHING: SCHOOL CHAMPIONS Leopard Fishing took home the “School Champions” trophy at the THSBA tournament on Lake Ray Hubbard on February 3rd, with a total weight of 26.76lbs. Out of 216 boats we had 4 teams weigh in fish, with one finishing in 1st place! Congratulations to our teams! Below are the placements: 1st Place - Joey Brooks/Will Fahrendorf 5th Place - Carson Brownlow/Kade Stubbs 18th place - Izak Lenart/Grant Pursifull 19th place - Grady Boots/Nick Rowe
ACCELERATED ART 1 RAKU FIRING Last week the Accelerated Art 1 students at LHS participated in an ancient Japanese firing technique outside of our art studio as part of the exploration of handbuilt ceramic methods. This is a firing technique where vessels/bowls that the students created are quickly fired in an outdoor kiln and then moved to a reduction chamber (metal trash can) to cool them in a "reduction" of smoke from paper and sawdust to create metallic finishes, glazing nuances (bubbles, etc), and micro cracks. This technique is a great way for our students to experiment with firing techniques, work safely as a collaborative team, and explore the relationship to the purpose or process when creating their work. Our artists did a phenomenal job of working together to get some incredible finishes on their practice bowls!
SIDE-BY-SIDE 8TH GRADE CONCERT The Lovejoy Band 8th Grade Side by Side Concert was Monday, February 5th. The 8th grade band students from Willow Springs Middle School came together with LHS Band students to put on a whole concert of three new pieces in 1.5 hours! Ms. Ball, Mr. Zellar and Mr. Whitling had a fantastic time making music with these dedicated kids. Parents enjoyed the performance, students enjoyed playing together and having pizza! Please email Martha_Ball@lovejoyisd.net with any questions about Lovejoy High School Band! With such sweet, talented and hardworking kids, we are so excited about the future of the Lovejoy Band program!
ABILENE ALLIANCE 1082R and 1082E worked together as an alliance this past weekend in Abilene at the Battle in the Big Country VRC Tournament and they fought through many rounds of opponents to end as the Tournament Champions! This was an incredible day of hard work and intense robotics engineering and it culminated in an excellent win. Working equally as hard was team 1082J who had a strong performance at the tournament and we are proud of their finish as Tournament Finalist! These teams will be back soon in Abilene at the Regional Championship and we are truly excited at what they will accomplish next. Performance and success at the Regional Championship coming Feb. 24th will result in a select few number of teams being qualified to the VEX Robotics World Championship! Continue to support your Lovejoy Robotics students as they strive for this honor. Thank you to all the chaperones, coaches, parent volunteers and supporters who help make this happen. We are #OneHeartOneLovejoy
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MOCK TRIAL HEADS TO STATE On Saturday, February 3rd Dhriti Pai, Alicia Bemis, Kiah Pandey, Emersyn Runions, Neola Edwin, Paari Palani, Anishka Vellanki, Natasha Gittemeier, and Katelyn Coleman competed at Mock Trial Semi-finals and earned the honor of representing Lovejoy at the State Mock competition. Congratulations and best of luck!
SCIS ORCHESTRA ICE CREAM SOCIAL Sloan Creek Orchestra hosted our Annual Ice Cream Social Concert this past Tuesday. The students performed incredibly well and our community enjoyed ice cream after to celebrate them!
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LOVEJOY LINKS
PTO PRESENTATION
STEM IS SWEET!
STEM FESTIVAL
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LOVEJOY LINKS
PRE-K REGISTRATION OPEN!
PRE-K REGISTRATION OPEN!
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LOVEJOY LINKS
NUTRITION NEWS
ORCHESTRA SPIRIT
SAT TEST PREP
STUDENT COUNCIL BLOOD DRIVE
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LOVEJOY LINKS
MCCU DEBIT CARD DESIGN CONTEST Lovejoy ISD recently entered into a partnership with My Community Credit Union. This partnership is intended to enhance student opportunities in the areas of financial literacy and provide hands-on learning experiences for future careers related to finance. An MCCU branch is scheduled to open at Lovejoy High School in the fall of 2024. Card Size: 2-1/8 by 3-3/8
Scan the QR Code for Official Rules and additional details, or visit mccu.coop/lovejoy.
On Friday, October 27th, MCCU kicked off their Debit Card Design Contest. The contest is open to all Lovejoy ISD students. Three debit card design winners will be selected representing grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The winners will have their designs on our Lovejoy Leopard MCCU Debit Cards and will receive a $100 gift card! Contest Rules: Must be an original image/design/artwork. Participants may submit up to 2 designs. Parent consent is required. Submissions are due to marketing@mccu.coop by midnight on February 29.
BUMP UP DAY: FEBRUARY 16TH Sloan Creek Intermediate, Willow Springs Middle School, and Lovejoy High School will host 4th, 6th, and 8th graders on Friday, February 16, 2024 for Lovejoy ISD’s Annual Bump Up Day. Bump Up Day was created to assist students with transitioning to a new campus and to help generate excitement for the new experiences t hey will have. Students will travel to the campus they will be attending for the 2024-2025 school year and have the opportunity to tour the campus, ask questions, and eat lunch. Students will be able to charge lunch and any a la carte/snacks purchases to their lunch account during their visit to their Bump Up school. Please make sure funds are available in your student's lunch account. Lunch prices for students visiting Sloan Creek IS or Willow Springs MS will be $4.00 for a regular meal or $4.75 for a premium meal. Lunch prices for students visiting the high school will be $4.50 for a regular meal or $5.25 for a premium meal. A la carte/snack prices vary. Please refer to this document for specific pricing.
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EXTENDED DAY LEOPARD ACADEMY Leopard Academy is an opportunity for your child to participate in enrichment activities on his or her campus before and after 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 personal interests. Registration is open for the following academies for students in first through 6th grade. Choose from one of the links below for more information. Board and Card Game Academy Yo Yo Academy
COMMUNITY COFFEE TALKS This is an opportunity for parents and community members to connect with Lovejoy ISD Trustees and Superintendent Katie Kordel in an informal setting. During Community Coffee Talks, Lovejoy ISD leadership listens, shares and engages in open dialogue/discussion with our community. August 29, 2023 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sloan Creek Intermediate
February 28, 2024 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Lovejoy High School
November 30, 2023 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Hart Elementary School
April 30, 2024 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Willow Springs Middle School
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LOVEJOY LINKS
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Calling all Lovejoy Alumni! The Lovejoy Independent School District is excited to engage former LISD students and our community through Alumni spotlights in the district newsletter, as well as LISD social media. Alumni spotlights are a fun way for the district to celebrate our students' educational, professional, and personal journeys after graduation. If you wish to participate, please complete this form for our LISD Communications Department.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT INTEREST FORM
Lovejoy ISD is proud to continue facilitating student opportunities through the Professional-to-Student Engagement Portal. Sign-up and share your talents! Lovejoy Community Professionals: Who are Lovejoy Community Professionals? Engage with students by sharing their Industry & Business Leaders expertise and knowledge Parents Mentor students through various Lovejoy Alumni career and college ready experiences Lovejoy Neighbors Strengthen students skills in the areas Senior Community Members of communication, collaboration, Heritage Ranch Community Members critical thinking and problem solving Family Members of Lovejoy Students Build leadership skills, develop self confidence
DISTRICT & CAMPUS NEWSLETTERS Lovejoy ISD is committed to creating strong connections and providing clear communication with our Lovejoy parents and families. Below you will find links to the most recent newsletters from each campus. Sign up for weekly Principal Newsletters here to stay informed! DISTRICT NEWSLETTER Connect with Katie
SLOAN CREEK INTERMEDIATE Principal Newsletter
HART ELEMENTARY Principal Newsletter
WILLOW SPRINGS MIDDLE Principal Newsletter
PUSTER ELEMENTARY Principal Newsletter
LOVEJOY HIGH SCHOOL Principal Newsletter
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COMMUNITY NEWS
The Lovejoy ISD Community News website is intended to facilitate connections and raise awareness of local events, activities, fundraisers and organizations that might interest Lovejoy families. The information featured on the Community News website is submitted by community members. Lovejoy ISD is not affiliated with the organizations and does not claim to endorse them.
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Connect with Katie . February 9, 2024. Issue 25