Connect with Katie.03.29.2024.Issue31

Connect with Katie

Lovejoy Lovejoy Leopards Leopards

MESSAGE

from the Superintendent

LovejoyCommunity,

Thisweek,wehonoredteachingexcellencebycelebrating ourcampusteachersoftheyear.CongratulationstoLana Jasper, Wendy Hebert, Ryan Rohlmeier, Emily Peabody, and Kellie English. We are deeply grateful for their significant impact and relentless commitment to Lovejoy ISD students receiving an excellent education. Later this spring,oneoftheseoutstandingeducatorswillbenamed ElementaryTeacheroftheYearandanotherwillbenamed SecondaryTeacheroftheYear

This past Saturday, The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools hosted their annual fundraising gala, Denim & Diamonds, atSouthforkRanch.Itwasawonderfuleveningfilledwith a deeplevelofconnection,community,andinvestmentinourschoolsthatcanonlybedescribed as Living Lovejoy. 512 tickets to the event were sold with an additional 135 people participating fromhomeintheonlineauction.Thisschoolyear,theFoundationhasalreadyraisedmorethan $120,000 toward school safety marshal salaries and equipment, with more than $93,000 being raised at Denim & Diamonds in less than 5 minutes. The generosity of the Foundation and the LovejoyISDcommunityishumbling.

The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools, established in 2003, was created for the purpose of supporting Lovejoy Independent School District. The Foundation enhances the educational experiencesweareabletoprovideourstudents.AspecialthankyoutoSarahBrown,KimHoover, BrianDale,DonnaJohnson,andtheFoundationBoardforusingtheirtimeandtalentstosupport LovejoyISD’slegacyofexcellence.IfyouareinterestedinlearningmoreabouttheFoundationfor LovejoySchoolsandhowyoucanbepartoftheirimpactonourstudentsandschools,clickhere.

Tonight, our Girls Soccer Team has a second round playoff game against Lufkin High School in Tyler and our Boys Soccer Team has a second round playoff game against Kingwood Park High SchoolinLeopardStadiumat7:00p.m.GoLeopards!

Wewishyouandyourfamilyalongweekendfilledwithloveandjoy.Wecannotwaittowelcome ourstudentsbacktoschoolonTuesdaymorning.

ThereisonlyoneLOVEJOYandweareallLEOPARDS!

LovejoyProud,

KatieKordel Superintendent

CAMPUS TEACHERS

OF THE YEAR!

We are #LovejoyProud to announce our 2023-2024 Lovejoy ISD Campus Teachers of the Year. These exceptional educators provide exemplary instruction, build strong relationships among their students. Please join us in celebratingeachoftheseteachers!

PERSONNEL UPDATE:

MICHELLE LEASURE

Lovejoy ISD is proud to welcome Ms. Michelle Leasure as Director of Transportation. Ms. Leasure joins Lovejoy ISD from Allen ISD’s Transportation department where she has been employedsince2009.Mostrecently,Ms.Leasure served as the Director of Transportation. Read thefullpressreleasehere.

SMU EXCELLENT

EDUCATOR AWARD

Lovejoy ISD is proud to announce that Melany Porter, kindergarten teacher at PusterElementary,wasnominatedbyparentsandselectedfortheNBC5SMU ExcellentEducatoraward!TheawardrecognizesNorthTexasteacherswhoare inspiringandchangingthelivesoftheirstudents.Weare#LovejoyProudofthis most deserved recognition and thankful for parents who take the time to nominateourteachersforawardsandrecognitions!Ms.Porterwasfeaturedon Texas Today, and earned Puster Elementary $1000 for their campus! Click the videobelowtoviewthesegmentonTVthatairedthisweek.

LOVEJOY SCHOLARS

New2024-2025LovejoyScholarsapplicationswillbeacceptedfromApril3,2024 throughApril24,2024.TheLovejoyScholarsGuidelinesandApplicationlinkwill be posted on the Lovejoy Scholar website April 3rd at 9:00 a.m. The Lovejoy Scholars Program is an application based interdistrict transfer program that allowschildrenwhodonotlivewithinLovejoyISDboundariesanopportunityto attendLovejoyISD.LovejoyScholarsmustmeetDistrictcriteria.

The Lovejoy Scholars Program has a new “Resident Grandparent” designation. FamilieswithgrandparentswholiveinDistrictareencouragedtoapplyandwill beconsidered(basedonprogramguidelines)withpriorityasdesignatedbelow:

CurrentScholarsingoodstanding1. SiblingsofcurrentScholarsingoodstanding2. ResidentGrandparents3. OutofDistricttransferrequests4.

Alimitednumberofscholarsopeningsareavailableandinterestedfamiliesare encouragedtoapplyearly.Spacepermitting,asecondapplicationwindowmay beopenedonMay3rd.

MAJESTICS REIGN PROGRAM UPDATE

INVITATION

SAVETHEDATE!!!!Youdonotwanttomissthis year's highly anticipated Majestics Spring Show – “Reign” – April 18, 19 & 20, 2024 @ 7:00pm in the LHS Auditorium. Tickets go on saletothepubliconMonday,April8th.Joinus for a royal affair as we uncover the profound depths of sisterhood and what it means to trulyreignasqueen.

G/T AWARENESS

APRIL 1-5, 2024

G/T Awareness Week, observed during the first week in April each year, was created to increase awareness and encourage support of gifted education in Texas.

TheTexasEducationCode(§29.121)definesagiftedandtalentedstudentasa child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkablyhighlevelofaccomplishmentwhencomparedtoothersofthesame age,experience,orenvironmentsandwho:

Exhibit high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area; Possessesanunusualcapacityforleadership;or Excelsinaspecificacademicfield.

G/T services are designed to meet the unique nature and needs of high ability learners.OpeningconversationsanddispellingmythsaboutG/Tserviceshelps to create a better understanding of the purpose of gifted education. Ensuring programming options are commensurate with the ability of learners supports growth,engagement,andfuelsapassionforlearning.

Mrs.CynthiaAnderson,LHSG/TEnglishteacherwrites,“Allstudentsdeserveto feel that spark of passion and enthusiasm for learning when they come to school. They need to be both challenged and encouraged by their peers, teachers, and administrators. For our G/T students, having a program which allows them to create, collaborate, and explore is essential to meeting their needs and ensuring they have the ability to flourish. When we give them the toolsandthetime,theysoarfarbeyondourexpectations.”

As part of G/T Awareness week, Lovejoy ISD is participating in/observing the followingevents:

April1-5-share#whyGTmatterstoyou

April 2 - The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) free parentwebinar

April3-G/TStudentShowcase

April4-LovejoyGiftedAssociationG/TPanelDiscussion

April5-Classroomactivities,discussion,writingandpresentations

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

APPRECIATION WEEK

Next week, April 1-5, Lovejoy ISD will celebrate National Assistant Principal AppreciationWeek.PleasetakeamomenttothankJamieFlemmer,KellySchrif, Jessica Blackburn, Shawn Lewis, Taylour Reeder, Michael Montague, Fernando Ocampo, and Elyse Pollard for their remarkable dedication and impact on studentsandstaffinLISD! Weappreciateyou!

SCHOOL LIBRARIAN

APPRECIATION DAY

Thursday, April 4th is National School Librarian Day and we are proud to celebrate Kristin Dawson, Ariel Stewart, Rachel Brenner, Kirsten Cermak, and HollyGreen! Schoollibrarianssupporttheliteracyandlearningofallstudents andpartnerwithteacherstoenhanceinstructioninclassrooms. Thankyou!

LOVEJOY’S SOLAR

ECLIPSE REMINDER

On April 8th, weather permitting, students in kindergartenthroughhighschoolwillbeallowedthe opportunity to go outside to investigate the phenomenaduringtotality.

Campus Access: All Lovejoy campuses will be closed to visitors between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.onApril8th.

Absences: Parents wishing to pick up their child to view the event at home may do so between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 pm. Students checked out after 10:30 a.m. on April 8th will be marked present for the day. Absencesordismissalbefore10:30a.m.willberecordedinaccordance withthedistrictattendancepolicy.

Solar Viewing Glasses: For safety reasons, students will be required to wear the safety glasses provided by Lovejoy ISD. Students will not be permittedtouseglassesorviewersbroughtfromhome.

PermissionSlips:Ifyouwouldlikeyourstudent(s)toparticipateinthe outdoor activities, please complete the permission slip and return it to yourcampusbyApril2nd.

LovejoyEclipseFAQ’s:ClickhereforLISDEclipseFAQ’s

GT REFERRALS

GRADES 1-11

LovejoyGiftedandTalented(G/T)TestingReferral window isnowopen. ReferralsaredueThursday, April18thby5:00p.m.

Learn more about the G/T program and referral process on the Gifted and Talented website. For student specific questions, contact Brie Smith at brie smith@lovejoyisd.net.

UPDATE

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

KINDERGARTEN ATTENDANCE

ROUND-UP

We would like to thank all thefamiliesthatjoinedusat our Kindergarten Sneak PeaksonTuesdaythisweek!

Our Hart and Puster teams were overjoyed to welcome ourfutureleopards!

Don't wait! Children 5 years of age by September 1st are eligible for Kindergarten registrationonlinetoday!

MEN’S CORNHOLE

FOUNDATION EVENT

Men's Cornhole Tournament BOURBON RAFFLE! We have six bottles of bourbon to raffle off!

Blanton's, Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig, McFarlane's Reserve 13, High West Double Rye

Anyone can enter! Click here to purchasetickets.

You do NOT need to attend the eventtowin!

LUCKY TRAY DAY

Lovejoy Student Nutrition celebrated Texas Rangers Opening Day at the elementary school cafeterias with a Lucky Tray Day Giveaway on Thursday! These lucky students bought their lunch and won Rangers gear!! Thank you, LovejoyStudentNutrition!

CONNECTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND THE LOVEJOY COMMUNITY

WHILE SUPPORTING LOVEJOY ISD THROUGH REVENUE GENERATION

TheLovejoyISDCommunityPartnerprogramisanew way for local businesses to support Lovejoy ISD and connect with the Lovejoy Community! Community Partner advertisements are featured in our weekly Districtnewsletter,ConnectwithKatie,LivingLovejoy videos,andDistrictSocialMedia.

InterestedinbecomingaCommunityPartner? ClickHEREtolearnmore!

LET’S GLOOOOOOW!

Third grade students at Puster Elementary glowed in class last week as they practice and review RLA learning standards. What a fun way to check in on previouslytaughtskills!

JV COLOR GUARD

DIVISION CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations,LovejoyJVColorGuard!RA/IRA/SAJV&RAACHAMPIONS!

JoinusincelebratingtheLHSJVColorGuardandMs.Garciaforanoutstanding season. The JV Color Guard wrapped up their competitive winterguard season winningtheChampionshipintheirdivision! Amazinghardworkandtalent!

GIRLS SOCCER BOYS SOCCER

WINS BI-DISTRICT

On Tuesday night the Varsity girls soccer team beat Terrell 10-0 in the Bi-District round of the UIL playoffs. Goals were scored by Bailee Neatherlin (2), Emma Nelson (2), Kenzie Lavender, Kylee Dziubinski, Brenna Wallace, Ella York, Natalie Knight, and Katie Mitchell. Assists were by Emma Nelson, Lainey Pierce (2), Ella York (2), Bailee Neatherlin, Margo Chester, Katie Mitchell, and Natalie Burns. Kenlea Swadener and Natalie Lenart were in goal for the clean sheet. The girls will play Lufkin inthearearoundatTylerLegacyHigh SchoolonFriday,3/29,at4:30p.m.

WINS BI-DISTRICT

The varsity boys soccer team won their bi- district gamevsTerrelllastnight20. In the area playoffs LISD will be hosting Kingwood Park on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Boys soccer would love your support! Click here for ticketlink.

UIL THEATER

ADVANCES TO AREA

LHS theater is moving on to the UIL Area competition! Lovejoy students we recognizedwiththefollowingawards:

ZoeNolan,BestPerformer(onlytwostudentsreceivethishonor)

Chloe“Kore”RussellandSophieKonecny,Honorablemention JacobSmithwick,AllStarCast

PinellaCrosson,CostumeDesign

WeareextremelyproudofthehardworkanddedicationofourLovejoyTheater students.Theirperformanceisdeeplymovingandweareexcitedfortheirnext performanceattheUILAreacompetitionisinTyleronApril10th.

GIRLS TRACK & COLLIN JAZZ

FIELD UNDEFEATED

The girls track and field team is undefeated so far this season! They have won every meet they have attended and dominated over 50 schools,manyofwhichhavebeen6A.

The team has their last meet this Thursday,andthenwewillcompetein the District Championship here at the Lovejoy

StadiumonWednesday,April3rdandThursday,April4th.Ifyouwanttosee some of the best athletes who compete with everything they've got, come out and watchtheseamazingyoungwomen!

TheLovejoyJazzEnsembleperformedintheCollinJazzFestivalonSaturday,March 23. They had an outstanding performance and won the award for Outstanding Performance(onlytwogroupswerehonoredwiththisdesignation).

Someindividualmusicianswerealsochosentorecei h d di Musician:

JustinPoteet,Trombone

AdamKent,Trumpet

AdrianPhan,TenorSaxophone

DavisMiller,AltoSaxophone

JonahVuong,Flugelhorn

AddieWood,Guitar

PhilipDaverio,Trumpet

JacobWhite,Trombone

Thankyou,Mr.Whitling,forinspiringandleading ouryoungjazzmusicians!

MOCKINGBIRD POETRY WINNERS

Our WSMS Creative Writing students had the opportunity to submit original poems to the Mockingbird Poetry Society's 53rd annual Collin County Poetry Contest.Thesocietyawards1stplace,2ndplace,3rdplace,andtwohonorable mentions per grade level for the entire county. Finalist's poems will be published in the 2024 anthology of winning poems, and winners will be recognizedattheannualawardsceremonyonApril14th.

Pleasehelpuscongratulateour7th-gradefinalist,RachelWalshwithherpoem A Brief Escape, and our 8th-grade finalist, Lydia Smith with her poem A Books Impression. We would also like to recognize their teacher, Ms. Heidi Gambrell, forhersignificantimpactonherstudentssuccess!

BASEBALL HONORS

TEACHERS & SENIORS

This past week, Lovejoy Baseball was honored to recognize the amazing LHS teachersandtheClassof2024.LovejoyBaseballcontinuedWeek2ofdistrict playandsweptGreenvilleHS[Varsity(3-0,11-1),JVBlack(13-0,23-3)].Game2 oftheserieswasTeacherAppreciationNightandBarrettOwens,LISDSchool Board President, threw out the first “strike” to get it all started. Lovejoy Baseball also played a non-district game against Anna HS [(Varsity 10-0; JVBlack10-0)]andwontohelpcelebratetheClassof2024duringtheSenior Appreciation Game. We are so fortunate to have the support of all of these individuals.Thankyouallforallyougiveeachandeveryday.

ORCHESTRA UIL

SUCCESS

ThispastSaturday,March23rd,selectLovejoyHighSchoolOrchestramemberscompeted atRegionUILSoloandEnsemblecompetition.Ofthe29soloentries,26receivedSuperior ratingsand3receivedExcellentratings.Ofthe12ensemblesthatcompeted,11received Superiorratingsand1receivedanExcellentrating.

ToqualifyforStateSoloandEnsemble,studentshavetoreceiveaSuperiorrating,play music from the most difficult level as well as memorize their solo. This year the orchestra had a record number of 18 students to qualify for STATE! These students willtraveltoAustinattheendofMaytoperformandcompeteattheUILStateSoloand Ensemblecompetition.

Congratulations to the following students for receiving a Superior rating on their solo and/or ensemble: Myles Beard, Tyse Blumenthal, Audrey Casey, Lucy Crites, Sophia Dong, Carson Dyskstra, Neola Edwin, Ruona Enaohwo, Hannah Fatehdin, Campbell Finnigan, Ryan Gary, Mia George, Keith Goeders, Aidan Griffith, Tori Harris, Elliott Huang, Ava LaTorre, Alice Lee, Olivia Long, Justen Mao, Colton McClure, Avery Nish, Kayla Nguyen, Abigail Pedersen, Jackson Perry, Emilia Rodas, Sofia Rodas, Amy Romero, Lily Sanders, Teni Segun, Annie Snow, Mathew Sun, Nathan Sy, Emily Szymanski, Fabian Torres, David Wang, Jerry Wang, Caroline Wilkins, James Wilkins, Tyler Wilson, and Sofia Zinn.

A BIG congratulations to the following students for qualifying for State Solo and Ensemble: Tyse Blumenthal, Sophia Dong, Carson Dykstra, Neola Edwin, Ruona Enaohwo, Hannah Fatehdin, Eliott Huang, Alice Lee, Olivia Long, Justen Mao, Avery Nish, Jackson Perry, So Mathew Sun, David Wang, and Caroline Wilkins

BOYS GOLF

SEASON UPDATE

TheDistrict13-5AMen'sGolfTournamentwasplayedatTanglewoodResortGC Monday and Tuesday. The Leopards dominated both days taking 1st and 2nd place team honors. Lovejoy Black shot 312-322 for a 634 total. Junior, Colton McClureistheDistrictChampion,shooting74-78.SeniorLorenzoOsteguintook 2nd carding 78-81. Senior Ben Muirhead finished 4th shooting 81-79. Senior Clayton Crews shot 79-83 to finish T-5. Junior Cole Chapman shot 82-83 and finished8th.

The Red team shot 337-341 for a 678 total. Junior Jude Carlisle shot 82-80 to finish T-5. Sophomore David Ruggeri posted 81-86 good for 12th. Sophomore Grady Boots shot 89-86, Junior Jackson Licker shot 88-89, and Junior Kaden Chae-Kimshot86-94toroundouttheRedteam.

Individuals: Will Myatt shot 91-90, Ryan Murphy shot 83-98, and Owen Quinlanshot97-97.

1stTeamAllDistrict13-5AHonorsgotoColtonMcClure,LorenzoOsteguin, BenMuirhead,ClaytonCrews,andJudeCarlisle.

2ndTeamAllDistrict13-5AHonorsgotoColeChapmanandDavidRuggeri.

TheBlackandRedteamwillcompeteattheRegionalTournamentApril15-16at RockwallAthleticClub.

FRENCH HONOR

SOCIETY INDUCTEES

MOST POLITE

TEACHERS

Two Lovejoy ISD teachers were recently bestowed the honor of “Best Mannered Teacher” by the National League of Junior Cotillions Sunday night. These teachers were nominate by their own students, who wrote an esssay and won. We are #LovejoyProud of Ms. Dickens and Mr. Klotz from Sloan Creek IntermediateSchool!

By maintaining an A average across all years of French study, the following students have earned a place in La SociétéHonorairedeFrançais, theFrenchHonorSociety.

BOARD MEETING

SUMMARY

Lovejoy ISD is committed to providing consistent, transparent communication with ourcommunityandemployees.Wehopethis meeting summary will support you in staying connected and informed. Click the image on thelefttoopenthesummaryinGoogleDocs.

Regular Board Meetings and Workshops are nowrecordedandarchivedontheLovejoyISD website. You can access Regular Board Meeting and Workshop recordings by clicking theimageontheright.

The full Regular Board Meeting agenda with supporting documents may be viewedbyclickingtheimageontheleft.

BOARD MEETING

RECOGNITIONS

The pledges will be led by Sloan Creek Intermediate School 5th grader, London White.

Lovejoy ISD is proud to recognize the following for their participation and accomplishments in their respective State competitions:

Robotics-5AUILChampions1082RTeam(ApiaOkorafor.ChristianCazares, Emily Dillon, Grant Rasmussen, Hannah Schnurr, Kyle Holiman, Liam Whittington,MarySheridan,RobertSchnurr)and5AUILStateSemi-Finalist 1082M Team (Aro Ogle-Garza, Arthur He, Curtis “CJ” Cook, Josh Arnett, KeshavSubash,LaynceLim,LucasBaldwin,PariGupta,ZayanAlam)

SwimmingandDiving-14StateQualifiers,StateChampion(GrantHu)and 2StateRunner-Ups(AveEasley,MariaFaoro)

Wrestling - 4 State Qualifiers, State Champion, 3rd Consectutive (Sam Reynolds)

Robotics

Leopard Life

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

SOFTBALL IN SHERMAN

LCDC REGISTRATION

ORCHESTRA

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

BASEBALL FLOWERS

MARCH STUDENT NUTRITION NEWS

PTO SERVICE AWARD NOMINATIONS

IfyouwouldliketonominatesomeoneaPTOServiceAward,pleasefilloutthe form below. The recognition committee will carefully consider each candidate. Nominations are due by Friday, March 29, 2024. Additional information about theawardscanbefoundhere.

PTOCouncil

HighSchoolPTO

WSMSPTO

SCISPTO

HartPTO

PusterPTO FutureLeopardsPTO

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

EXTENDED DAY LEOPARD ACADEMY

LeopardAcademyisanopportunityforyourchild 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 criticalthinkingskillsthroughactivitiesrelatedto theirpersonalinterests.

Registration is open for the following academies for students in first through 6th grade. Choose fromoneofthelinksbelowformoreinformation.

BoardandCardGameAcademy

YoYoAcademy

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 engagesin opendialogue/discussionwithourcommunity.

August29,2023

6:00p.m.-7:00p.m.

SloanCreekIntermediate

November30,2023

12:00p.m.-1:00p.m.

HartElementarySchool

February28,2024

8:00a.m.-9:00a.m. LovejoyHighSchool

April30,2024

9:00a.m.-10:00a.m.

WillowSpringsMiddleSchool

Leopard Life

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 personaljourneysaftergraduation.Ifyou wish to participate, please complete this form for our LISD Communications Department.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT INTEREST FORM

LovejoyISDisproudtocontinuefacilitatingstudentopportunitiesthroughthe Professional-to-StudentEngagementPortal. Sign-upandshareyourtalents!

WhoareLovejoyCommunityProfessionals?

Industry&BusinessLeaders

Parents

LovejoyAlumni

LovejoyNeighbors

SeniorCommunityMembers

HeritageRanchCommunityMembers

FamilyMembersofLovejoyStudents

LovejoyCommunityProfessionals: Engage with students by sharing their expertiseandknowledge Mentor students through various careerandcollegereadyexperiences Strengthenstudentsskillsintheareas of communication, collaboration, criticalthinkingandproblemsolving Build leadership skills, develop self confidence

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!

DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

Connect with Katie

HART ELEMENTARY Principal Newsletter

PUSTER ELEMENTARY Principal Newsletter

SLOAN CREEK INTERMEDIATE Principal Newsletter

WILLOW SPRINGS MIDDLE Principal Newsletter

LOVEJOY HIGH SCHOOL Principal Newsletter

COMMUNITY NEWS

TheLovejoyISDCommunityNewswebsiteisintendedtofacilitateconnections and raise awareness of local events, activities, fundraisers and organizations thatmightinterestLovejoyfamilies.

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