I hope you enjoyed quality family time over spring break. The Lovejoy High School Visual Arts program may be the winner in the exciting spring break category. They traveled to France for an immersive, hands-on learning experience. Pictures and a summary of their trip is included in this newsletter. We are excited to be back at school and look forward to all of the exciting experiences our students will have this spring.
Speaking of exciting, I had a very happy St. Patrick's Day because I had the privilege of being Mystery Reader in Ms. Copeland's
Kindergarten class this afternoon. I was very impressed with the way the students made connections between the book and their life experiences.
On a more serious note, we are all hearing about the dangers of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl in the news, but may not be quite sure about what we can do to help keep our children safe. With fentanyl, one pill can kill. It only takes 2 milligrams of fentanyl to be lethal. Fentanyl is now the number one cause of overdose deaths in the country, surpassing heroin by a large margin. Originally manufactured for pain treatment in cancer patients, fentanyl is about 100 times more potent than morphine, and its illegal use continues to be on the rise across the United States.
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. increased 28.5% between April 2020 and April 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with three out of four overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Most of the illegal forms of the drug come to the U.S. from China and Mexico, and it has found its way to Collin County. Medical and law enforcement authorities note that more and more street drugs are laced with fentanyl because of its low cost and extreme potency.
The best way to prevent our children from trying these substances is to talk to them directly. Your support in talking with your children about the dangers of fentanyl and other drugs has an impact. The Drug Enforcement Administration created a resource, “What Every Parent and Caregiver Needs to Know About FAKE PILLS”, that can assist you with these conversations.
Additionally, on March 29th, Lovejoy ISD is hosting Fentanyl Factor: A Community Discussion on Fentanyl for Parents and Teens. During the hour-long session, attendees will view an 18-minute movie and participate in a Q and A with expert panel members. Panel members will include substance abuse professionals and law enforcement. Attendees will expand their knowledge of how fentanyl poisoning has impacted North Texas and learn what can be done to protect themselves and loved ones.
Fentanyl Factor
When: Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Who: Parents, teens, and interested community members
Where: Lovejoy High School Lecture Hall
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
There is only ONE LOVEJOY and we are ALL LEOPARDS!
Katie Kordel Superintendent
Lovejoy ISD wear your craziest socks on Tuesday, March 21 to celebrate and bring awareness to our friends with Down Syndrome.
#RockYourSocks
#NotSpecialNeeds
March 6-10 (Celebrated March 13-17 due to Spring Break)
National School Social Worker Week
March 20
Texas Educational Diagnosticians Week
The Board will convene in open session and then move to closed session @ 5:00PM in C113. The Board is expected to reconvene in open session at approximately 6:00PM.
March 21
Rock Your Socks!
World Down Syndrome Awareness Day
March 22
Parent Information Meeting - Master Schedules
LCDC Library @ 8:30AM - 9:30AM
This Spring Break Lovejoy Visual Art traveled to France for a firsthand experience, studying works from their AP Art History canon and creating work in the footsteps of Cezanne and Van Gogh. From touring the incomparable collections of work at the Louvre and Musee D’Orsay, to exploring the contemporary work housed in the incredible Centre Pompidou and reflecting on the context and concepts that have driven creative expression through time; our 41 art historians and artists were immersed into an irreplaceable hands-on learning experience.
After exploring the monuments, museums and markets of Paris, LJVA traveled to the Chartres and south of France to explore Medieval villages, visit 12th century cathedrals, and study Greek and Roman architectural influences. We traveled to Avignon, Aix-enProvence, Baux, and Cezanne’s Hill where students, parents, and teachers drew, painted, and reflected on this once in a lifetime adventure.
Brice McCasland, K-12 Visual Art Coordinator said, "The opportunity for our students to immerse themselves into the history, art works, and culture that they had only experienced in books or on a screen was truly indescribable. This yearly opportunity for our students to
explore their passion in connection to the world around them and build memories around their learning is a beautiful and unique facet of our LJVA experience. Additionally, traveling with our students is an incredible testament to just how wonderfully distinct our Lovejoy students are. From the moment our journey began, our kids stood out as mature, well-mannered, kind, and thoughtful. During the tour we were consistently praised for how inquisitive, patient, reflective, and reliable our kids were. Whether exploring the streets of Paris, studying the architecture of a cathedral, painting on a hillside, or waiting for our next flight, our Lovejoy students always set themselves apart."
A special thanks to Amanda Beller for all of the incredible planning and thoughtful work that went into making this an unforgettable learning experience for our students! If your LJVA student is interested in joining us on our next adventure, be on the lookout for news about our destination for 2024!
Congratulations to Lovejoy Theatre who competed in UIL One Act Play at Denison High on March 4, 2023 and advanced on to BiDistrict!
Special awards went to Elizabeth Esposito (Honorable Mention All Star Technician), Jillian Nuckels (Honorable Mention- All Star Cast), and Reece Robinson (All Star Cast). The next round will take place at Denison High School on March 22, 2023. The contest starts at 10 am and Lovejoy is the first, followed by Red Oak, Corsicana, Melissa, Princeton, and Forney.
We are proud of our student's character both on-stage and off. We wish the company of Nevermore, BREAK A LEG!
Girls State qualifier:
Reese Wallace is the regional champion for region 6-5A division 2 148 weight class. She competes on Saturday March 18th @ Comerica Arena in Frisco.
Boys State qualifier:
Will Brown placed 2nd for Region 6 5A division 2 220 weight class. He competes on Saturday March 24 @ Abilene @ the Taylor County Expo Center
Regional Meet for Girls:
Natalie Lenart and Reese Wallace had a great day at regionals. Natalie played 4th at the regional powerlifting meet with a total of 750 on 3 lifts. She PR's in every lift. Reese Wallace placed 1st for the 148 weight class and had a total of 760lbs on 3 lifts.
Regional Meet for Boys:
Will Brown and Jacob Migura had a great day lifting at regionals. Jacob placed 4th with a total of 1280 for the 165 weight class, and Will Brown placed 2nd in the 220 weight class with a total of 1595. Will Brown will compete at the state meet on March 24 in Abilene.
Congratulations, Leopards! We are #LovejoyProud!
The Leopard Fishing team had a great showing at our last regular tournament of the season at Lake Texoma on Saturday despite the wind. The majority of our teams were able to weigh in fish and landed Leopard Fishing 3rd place overall. Congratulations to those finishing in the top 26 out of 187 boats.
2nd place - Gavin Prince
18th place - Izak Lenart & Grant Pursifull
The annual Lovejoy ISD Percussion Concert was held on Tuesday, March 14th in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium. The concert featured percussionists from Sloan Creek, Willow Springs, and Lovejoy High School. The students performed a wide variety of musical genres that highlighted different areas of percussion like
marimba, drum set, latin percussion, electronic instruments and many more. The grand finale was an arrangement of a Jacob Collier song that involved the entire high school percussion section and featured Sarah Jane Hanchey on vocals. Congratulations Lovejoy Percussion on an amazing concert!
Percussion Photo Credit: Mercedes David
The varsity girls soccer team finished the regular season with a record of 14-3-1 (10-2) and a second place finish in district. This is the fifth year in a row the girls have qualified for playoffs. The team's first round game will be next week vs. Corsicana at a time and location to be determined.
Last Friday the JV team completed their season. The girls finished with a record of 7-4-2 (7-2-1) and a 2nd place finish in district. Throughout the season the JV team saw a lot of growth and will continue to build on their successful season.
Join
Lovejoy ISD is fortunate to have four educational diagnosticians that serve students across our district. Please join us in celebrating our educational diagnosticians, Jamie Alderson, Elaine Dow, Angie Knight, and Lisa Tyson!
Educational diagnosticians undergo specialized training to assess students suspected of disabilities, isolate factors that could enhance students’ performance in the classroom, and prepare formal evaluation reports. Diagnosticians provide information to ARD Committee meetings and assist special and general education teachers by developing and recommending strategies and materials.
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 and fully aware, so we can come together as a community for our children.
You may find the full agenda with supporting documentation on our district's BoardBook Premier website HERE.
For information on the May 6, 2023 School Board Election, please visit the Lovejoy Board of Trustees webpage HERE.
Sincerely,
The Lovejoy ISD Board of Trustees Barrett Owens, President Amy Smith, Vice-President Anne Smith, Secretary Julie McLaughlin, Trustee Jeff Wood, Trustee Marvin Bobo, Trustee Jason Jaynes, Trustee
RESCHEDULED! SOFTBALL FUNDRAISER
NEW!
VOLLEYBALL CLINIC FUNDRAISER
NEW! NAPOLI'S BASEBALL NIGHT
NEW! FLATS4BATS FUNDRAISER
MAJESTICS: EGG MY YARD
G/T REFERRALS OPEN MARCH 1ST
LOVEJOY GIFTED ASSOCIATION
STEM FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS
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.
The Texas Department of State Health Services released new guidance for the 2022-2023 school year regarding Covid-19 and schools. LISD Health and Safety Measures are posted on the District website, linked below.
