Connect with Katie.04.26.2024.Issue35

Connect with Katie

APRIL 26, 2024

Lovejoy Lovejoy Leopards Leopards

MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

ROBOTICS WORLDS INVITATION

COMMUNITY COFFEE TALK

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL DAY

PERSONNEL UPDATE: COACH HERREMA

JAZZ BAND INVITATION

SOFTBALL GAME RESCHEDULED

ALPHABEST REGISTRATION

SUMMER ACTIVITIES REGISTRATION

END OF YEAR PARTY DONATIONS

ATTENDANCE UPDATE

DISTRICT CALENDAR

GIRLS

GOLF UPDATE

FISHING: REGIONAL CHAMPS!

SPRING BAND TRIP SUCCESS

WSMS BROADCAST JOURNALISM

NATIONAL FRENCH CONTEST

FEATURED JOB OPENINGS

BOARD WORKSHOP SUMMARY

BOARD MEETING SUMMARY

from the Superintendent MESSAGE

LovejoyCommunity,

A big Lovejoy Thank You to our amazing Transportation Team and Administrative Professionals! April 23rd was National School BusDriverAppreciationDayandperfecttimeto celebrate our Lovejoy bus drivers who are dedicatedtosafelytransportingourstudentsto and from school each day. April 24th was AdministrativeProfessionalsDay.Wewouldnot be able to effectively operate without their supportandcommitment.

On Monday Night, we held another Budget Workshop as part of our Regular Board of Trustees Meeting. Board Budget Workshops are held each month as partofthebudgetdevelopmentprocessforthenextschoolyear.Thisprocess culminates in June with formal adoption of the 2024-2025 budget. Based on continued financial efficiency efforts, we are able to plan for a 2% compensationincreaseforallstaffandaminimumofa4%increaseforteachers andemployeesontheteacherpayscale(teachers,librarians,andnurses).Iam appreciative of the intensive work our Board of Trustees and campus and district leadership have done to keep teacher compensation a priority in the midstofstatefundingchallenges.

TheMajesticsSpringShowwaslastweekendandourcommunitycameoutina big way to support our outstanding dance program. I loved seeing so many young Leopards in the audience dreaming of dancing in the spring show someday.Thechoreographyandskillwasremarkable.

Congratulations to the Lovejoy High School Girls Track Team on winning the Regional Championship and to the Boys Team on placing third! We have 10 TrackandFieldathletesheadedtotheStateCompetitioninAustinattheendof nextweek.LovejoyBaseballearnedtheDistrict13-5AChampionship! Allthree teams went undefeated during district play this year. Golfer Ben Muirhead finished 7th overall earning All Region Honors, and qualified for the State Golf Tournament.HewillplayLegacyHillsinGeorgetownonMondayandTuesday. GoLeopards!

WearewishingLovejoyRoboticseverysuccessastheycompeteintheVEXRobotics WorldChampionshipheldinDallastoday.Yesterday,duringtheopeningceremony, Mary Sheridan (LHS sophomore and member of Team 1082R), sung the national anthem.Talkaboutbeingmulti-talented! Clickheretoseehersing(atthe54min33 secmark).

GirlsSoftballwongame1oftheirBi-Districtserieslastnightwitha7-0winagainst Corsicana. Come cheer them on tonight as they compete in the Bi-District round 2 gameontheirhomefield.Tomorrowafternoon,OneActPlaycompetesinRegionals attheArlingtonISDCenterforVisualandPerformingArts.Istillcannotbringmyself tosay“breakaleg”tostudents.WhatIwillsayistheirperformanceofTheWomenof Lockerbieisdeeplymovingandtheaudiencewillexitthetheaterimpacted.

Wehopethisisawonderfullongweekendforyourfamilyfilledwithmuchloveand joy.

LovejoyProud, KatieKordel Superintendent

ROBOTICS WORLDS

INVITATION

1082 E J R and S is competing at the VEX Robotics World Championship this week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Saturday is when we need the most fans to fill the stands and cheer on our Leopards. Please spread the word and come support us if you can. More information about the Vex World Championshipcanbefoundhere.

COMMUNITY COFFEE TALK

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.

April30,2024

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

WillowSpringsMiddleSchool

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION

April23rd,wasNationalSchoolBus DriverAppreciationDay!Pleasejoin us in celebrating our amazing Lovejoy bus drivers who are dedicated to making sure our Leopards are safely transported to and from school each day! We appreciate their patience, commitmenttosafety,andpridein ourDistrict!

Check out Willow Springs Middle School school bus snack cart! Thank you for addingtotheirspecialday!

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL

DAY

Happy Administrative Professionals

Daytoourincrediblyknowledgeable and hardworking administrative professionals across Lovejoy ISD! You keep our campuses and departments runnings efficiently and effectively while prioritizing students! The dedication and support you provide to our Lovejoy students, teachers, staff, parents and community is deeply appreciated!Thankyou!

PERSONNEL UPDATE: COACH HERREMA

Wehavesomebittersweetnewstosharewithyou.KyleHerrema,LovejoyISD AthleticCoordinatorandHeadBoysBasketballCoach,hasacceptedaposition as Associate Athletic Director at Jesuit High School in Dallas beginning next schoolyear.

ThispromotionisanexcitingopportunityforCoachHerrematoleadandgrow professionally. During his eighteen years at Lovejoy, Coach Herrema’s leadershiponandoffthecourthasdeeplyimpactedLovejoyISD’sBasketball andAthleticprograms.

We are grateful for Coach Herrema’s service to Lovejoy and wish him much successashetakesonnewchallengesinthisnextchapter.

JAZZ BAND

SOFTBALL PLAYOFF INVITATION GAME

RESCHEDULED

WeatherUpdate:TheLovejoysoftball playoff game scheduled for tonight, Friday,April26th,hasbeencancelled duetoweatherinCorsicana.

The game is postponed to Satureday at 11:00am at Leopard Stadium. If thereisaneedforgame3,itwilltake place 30 minutes after round 2 at LeopardStadium. GoLeopards!

AlphaBEST After School Programregistrationisopen for the 2024-2025 school year. Go to alphabest.org to enrolltoday!

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Lovejoy ISD offers a variety of fun and engaging summer enrichment and athletic camps for students Prek-12thgrade.

Learn more and enroll today! Summer Activities Registration Link:https://lovejoy.revtrak.net/

END OF YEAR

PARTY DONATIONS

Lovejoy is accepting donations for our annual End of Year Employee Celebration. Pleasedropoffany“giveaways”forteachersandstaffmembersat theRedBuilding(259CountryClubRoad,Allen,TX75002)withCristiClossand specifytheyarefortheemployeecelebration. Thankyou!

ATTENDANCE

UPDATE

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

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!

CALENDAR EVENT LINKS

GIRLS TRACK & FIELD:

REGIONAL CHAMPS!

Everysingleathletesteppedupduringthe2daysofRegionalTrackandField! We bested Track and Field powerhouse Lancaster by 2 points to win the 5A RegionalChampionship!

Themeetcamedowntothe4x400relaywherewehadtobe2ndinordertowin theteamtitle.Our4x4steppeduptothechallengeasusualandputonashow alongwithre-breakingtheirschoolrecordsetattheAreameetaweekago!

Ittookalotofpoints(bigandsmall)tobeinthepositiontowin!Literallyevery point mattered! We are so proud of the way these girls composed themselves andwerepreparedtocompeteeverystepoftheway.

3200meterrun

SaraMorefield-1st-STATEQUALIFIER

CamrynBenson-2nd-STATEQUALIFIER

PeytonBenson-4th

1600meterrun

SaraMorefield-1st-STATEQUALIFIER

CamrynBenson-2nd-STATEQUALIFIER

Sophie Brooks- 4th (big comeback passing 4 people in the final lap to score muchneededpoints)

800meterrun

KaileyLittlefield-1st-STATEQUALIFIER-26thconsecutiveUILwin

SophieBrooks-3rd

MiaReaugh-4th

400meterrun

MiaReaugh-5th

300meterhurdles

LaurenDolberry-4th

4x200Relay(BIGSTEPUPHEREBYTHISGROUP!)

Bailee Neatherlin, Kailey Littlefield, Brenna Wallace, Cailyn Newhouse - 6th place(2unexpectedpointsfortheteam!)

4x400Relay-STATEQUALIFIERandNEWSCHOOLRECORDof3:45.88

Lauren Dolberry, Mia Reaugh, Cailee Horinek, Kailey Littlefield - HUGE

SHOUTOUTto2greatteammates-CailynNewhouseandTaliaOrshalickcame inclutchintheprelimsandhelpedgetusintothefinalsbywinningtheirheat alongwithKaileyandLauren.

PoleVault CamrynBenson-4th

Also competing were vaulter Brinley Ludlow and thrower Jelai Johnson - both seniorswhohavedoneagreatjobprogressingourteamthepast4years!

REGIONALCHAMPS!BACKTOBACK!

BOYS TRACK & FIELD:

3RD AT REGIONALS!

Our boys team finished 3rd overall at the Region II Championship behind Red Oak and McKinney North . We also have four boys that qualified for the State Championship!

STATEMEETINFO-MAY3RD

StateChampionshipinformationHERE

THSCAACADEMICALLSTATE

DavidDavid-1stTeam

TJKoch-1stTeam

JonathanWoulfe-1stTeam

AndrewPoulton-2ndTeam

NickYarad-2ndTeam

MaxSanchez-HonorableMention

RidgeBarker-HonorableMention

REGIONALRESULTS

FullResultsHERE

3200MeterRun

CadenGary-2nd-STATEQUALIFIER

AaronWimbish-4th

NickYarad-6th

1600MeterRun

CadenGary-2nd-STATEQUALIFIER

WillCarlson-3rd-STATEQUALIFIER

NickYarad-6th

800MeterRun

DevinMuaina-1st-STATEQUALIFIER

AaronWimbish-6th

PoleVault

KadeStubbs-11th

TripleJump

ColstonAdamson-2nd-STATEQUALIFIER

LongJump

ColstonAdamson-5th

Discus

NickPerez-5th

ShotPut

NickPerez-7th

MasonDragoo-13th

BASEBALL

DISTRICT CHAMPS!

Lovejoy Baseball finished district play with a sweep against McKinney North last week. [Varsity (10-0, 4-0); JVBlack (11-4, 3-1), JVRed (13-2, 102)]. Game 1 of the series was Lovejoy ISD School Marshals Night at the Ballpark and Chris Smith got the game startedwiththefirst“Strike”.Weareso thankfulforallthatourschoolmarshals do each and every day. Game 2 of the serie series helped push the Leopards forward as District 13-5A Undefeated Champions! All three teams went undefeated during district play this year. The Varsity Leopards have one more non-district game on Saturday, April 27th vs Celina as they prepare for the playoffs. More information about playoffs will be postedonsocialmedia.Wethankeveryoneforthesupportthisseasonandlook toalongrunintheplayoffs.

MAJESTICS SPRING SHOW

OnbehalfoftheentireMajesticsDanceTeam,weextendourheartfeltgratitude to everyone who joined us for our 2024 Spring Show, "Reign." Your presence illuminatedthestageandaddedtothemagicoftheevening.Yoursupportand enthusiasmmeantheworldtous.Whetheryoucheeredfromthefrontrowor applaudedfromafar,yourenergyfueledourperformancesandmadeallthree shows unforgettable. We are truly honored to have shared our talents and passionfordancewithyou.Thankyouforbeingpartofyetanotherincredible yearfortheMajesticsDanceTeam.

LEOPARD GOLF

UPDATE

TheLeopardGolfTeamcompetedattheRegion25AGolfTournamentheldat RockwallAthleticClub,April15-16.Wehad2teamstherecompeting.Theboys finished6thand9th.

TheBlackTeamshot320-329,tofinish6th.

BenMuirheadshot78-74toleadtheLeopards

LorenzoOsteguinshot79-86

ColtonMcClurecarded78-87

ClaytonCrewsshot85-84

ColeChapmanturnedin85-85

TheRedTeamshot346-348andfinished9thoverall.

JudeCarlisleshot81-87

DavidRuggericarded86-84

GradyBootsshot91-88

JacksonLickershot91-89

KadenChae-Kimshot89-94

BenMuirheadfinished7thoverallearningAllRegionHonors,andqualifiedfor theStateGolfTournament.HewillplayLegacyHillsinGeorgetownnextweek.

LEOPARD FISHING

REGIONIAL CHAMPS!

Congratulations to Leopard Fishing on becoming Regional Champions at this pastweekendsTHSBARegionalstournamentonPossumKingdomLake.

The weather was tough but Leopard Fishing pushed through to weigh in over 46lbs.Outof255boats,wehad8teamsfishingwith7ofthoseweighinginfish. Resultsarebelow:

1stPlace-GraysonCox&CarstenDunn-23.31lbs

21stPlace-GradyBoots&NicholasRowe-13.75lbs

67thPlace-IzakLenart&GrantPursifull-9.75lbs

70thPlace-CarsonBrownlow&KadeStubbs-9.45lbs

89thPlace-JoeyBrooks&WillFahrendorf-7.89lbs

109thPlace-JackThompson&ParkerWood-6.4lbs

151stPlace-LiamQuinlan&OwenQuinlan-3.23lbs

LeopardFishingwasalsopresentedtheTeamoftheYeartrophyfortheNorth TexasDivision,earnedattheendoftheregularseason.

Great Job Anglers! Now to get ready for the State tournament on Lake Palestine,May18th-19th

SPRING BAND TRIP SUCCESS

Wind Symphony and Wind Ensemble performed in the South Coast Music FestivalonApril29inCorpusChristi.Studentsgavestellarperformances!Both bands received unanimous first division ratings from all judges and the Wind SymphonyreceivedtheBestOverallPerformanceaward.Thatrecognizesthem as the best performance from all categories and divisions from the two day contest.ThankyoustudentsandchaperonesformakingourSpringBandTrip 2024incrediblyfunandjoyous.

HART FIELD TRIP: PEROT MUSEUM

WSMS BROADCAST JOURNALISM AWARDS

CongratulationstoourbroadcastjournalismstudentsatWillowSpringsMiddleSchool. Student journalists recently received results from two state competitions, the UIL Interscholastic League Press Conference Spring convention in Austin, Texas this past weekend and Texas Association of Journalism Educators Best In Texas contest April 2, 2024.

Our weekly announcements, WSMS News, received the association’s highest rating, AwardofDistinguishedMerit,forthe7thyearinarow.Forthethirdtime,theprogram wonacovetedSilverStarAwardwhichrepresentsthetop10%ofallbroadcastsinthe state. Only 5 broadcast programs across the state received a Silver Star Award. WSMS News was the only middle school to receive this award against five 5A and 6A high schools Multiple students won Individual Achievement Awards: seven gold medals, six silvermedals,twobronzemedalsandonehonorablemention. Clickhereforacomplete list(page15).

All of our first place winners advanced in the Tops In Texas, competing against high school programs across Texas. Our 8th grade middle school students, Avery Motl and CooperLyndsey,wonthetopnewsstoryinthestatefortheirnewspackageonvaping dangers.

On April 2, 2024, the Texas Association of Journalism Educators announced the TAJE BestinTexascompetition.OurWSMSjournalistswonmultipleExcellentandHonorable Mentionawardsinnews,featureandsports.Clickhereforacompletelist.

Pleasehelpmecongratulatethefollowingstudentsfortheiroutstandingwork.Wehave amazing students in this building and incredible faculty and staff who guide them and modelgreatbehavior.KudosandROAR!!!

Media 2-Third Period: Caleb Barocio, Averi Bear, Aleyna Bramschrieber, Ashlynn Breithaupt,CoraCoughlin,DrewCrum,EliaDresser,KamranFetehdin,BradynGalloway, Molly Gold, Olivia Kelsey, Roman LaTorre, Makayla Liebl, Brayden Lloyd, Brody Lytle, Cohen Monda, George Paulraj, Cameron Rankin, Jose Roberson, Katy Roberts, Audrey Self,BeauThomas,HaydenWalker,CliveWillard

Media2-FifthPeriod:PatrickAhearn,AinsleyAskew,ColtonBlakely,BrodyBuchek,Beck Chester, Drew Chevalier, Sarah Christenson, Rebecca Denham, Davis Dunaway, Ellison Edwards,CamrynGary,LaurenGiordano,Logan“Mac”Horton,EthanKaufman,Cooper Lindsey, Avery Motl, Camryn Newhouse, Kerrigan Pallohusky, Charles Peabody, Venya Raju,ColemanReaugh,NoelleSlaughter,“CJ”CampbellSmith.

NATIONAL FRENCH CONTEST WINNERS

On March 27-28, the LHS French students participated in the annual National French Contest, le Grand Concours. This year, we earned 6 Medals and 9 CertificatesofHonor.Félicitations!

OPENINGS

Join Team Lovejoy!

StudentNutritionSpecialists(8)

BusDrivers

DistrictElectrician

Custodians(3)

SpecialEducationAides

ProcurementCoordinator

PayrollSpecialist

LOVEJOY

BOARD WORKSHOP

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

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

Debate

RECOGNITIONS

Caitlin Eldredge, Principal, Willow Springs Middle School, introduced McKinley Wideman 7th grader, who led the Pledge of Allegiance andtheTexasPledge.

LovejoyISDisproudtorecognizethefollowing fortheirparticipationandaccomplishmentsin theirrespectiveStatecompetitions:

DavidWise-CXStateandDistrictChampions,TFAStateQualifiers

PaariPalani-CXStateandDistrictChampions,TFAStateQualifiers,NSDANational Qualifiers

AndyChoy-TFAStateQualifiers,NSDANationalQualifiers

SophiaDong-TFAStateQualifiers

TheoKhakoo-TFAStateQualifiers,NSDANationalQualifiers

KiahPandey-TFAStateQualifiers,NSDANationalQualifiers

DhritiPai-TFAStateQualifiers,NSDANationalQualifiers

HOSA

SaankyaJagarlapudi-3rdPlaceRegionals&StateQualifier

HelayneDechant-3rdPlaceRegionals&StateQualifier

MilaKamaili-3rdPlaceRegionals&StateQualifier

MockTrial

AliciaBemis-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

AnishkaVellanki-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

ArwynEairheart-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

DhritiPai-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

EmersynRunions-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

HannahGapp-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

KatelynColeman-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

KiahPandey-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

NatashaGittemeier-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

NeolaEdwin-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

PaariPalani-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

RomiKahana-11thPlaceinStateCompetition

Powerlifting

ReeseWallace-5thPlaceStatePowerlifting

TeniSegun-6thPlaceStatePowerlifting

NatalieLenart-10thPlaceStatePowerlifting

CarysEvans-6thPlaceStatePowerlifting

GavinPrince-19thPlaceStatePowerlifting

TySmith-32ndPlaceStatePowerlifting

LukeSussman-19thPlaceStatePowerlifting

BenSussman-35thPlaceStatePowerlifting

CommunityRecognitions:LeadershipLovejoyClassof2023-2024

CarolynnChristenson

KariDuronio

AmyGatlin

BeckyIsaacson

SnoberLakhani

MarisaMiller

ElizabethRoberson

TracySanderson

CamilleSimpkins

MichelleWilde

Debate

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

SPRING GAME BASKETBALL CLINIC

JOIN LEOPARD FISHING

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

LHS CHOIR POP SHOW

TheannualLHSChoirPopShowis right around the corner! On May 2 & 3 at 7:00 pm come join us for a funnightofsinginganddancing.

Tickets will go on sale April 24th, $12 for adults, $8 for students. Hopetoseeyouthere!

THEATRE OAP

Lovejoy Theatre is presenting their Region qualifying UIL one act play "TheWomenofLockerbie"onApril 29th at 7:00 p.m. in the Lovejoy HighSchoolAuditorium.

Please note, this play may not be appropriate for audience members undertheageof14.

Tickets are free to students, staff andthepublic!

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

ORCHESTRA FUNDRAISER

SOCCER BOOSTER

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

LCDC REGISTRATION

LCDC FREE PRE-K

KINDER ROUND-UP

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