Connect with Katie.09.20.2024.Issue09 by Lovejoy ISD

Connect with Katie

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Lovejoy Lovejoy Leopards Leopards

from the Superintendent MESSAGE

LovejoyCommunity,

We invite you to enjoy the excitement of last week’s homecoming festivities in this edition of Connect with Katie. The vibrant school spirit is absolutely contagious, and it’s hard not to smile seeingourstudentshavingsuchablast!

Thisweek,weengagedwiththreekeystakeholder groups: our amazing first responders, the dedicated PTO Council, and the innovative STEM Co Committee.Let’sdiveintothehighlights!

FirstResponderBreakfast:OnThursdaymorning,LovejoyHighSchoolhosted ourannualFirstResponderBreakfast,andwow,whataturnout!Agencieslike the Fairview Police Department, Fairview Fire Department, Lucas Fire Department,AllenPoliceDepartment,andeventheFBIjoinedus.Thiseventis afantasticopportunitytoconnectwithourfirstrespondersandstrengthenthe relationshipsthatkeepourcommunitysafe.AbigLovejoythankyoutoallour firstrespondersfortheirunwaveringdedicationandsupport.

PTOCouncilKickoff:ThePTOCouncilhelditsfirstmeetingoftheschoolyear, and we could not be more grateful for their selfless dedication. This dynamic group is all about fostering a thriving partnership between parents, teachers, and administration. If you haven’t joined your campus PTO yet, now’s the perfect time! Together, we can enhance the educational experience for every student.LinkstoeachPTOweb-pagearefoundbelow.

STEM Committee Innovation: Last night, the district STEM Committee met to brainstormexcitingnewopportunitiesforSTEMinstructioninLovejoyISD.With a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, they’re paving thewayforadditionalPre-K-12STEMopportunitiesforourstudents.Combining multipledisciplinesandinnovationiskeytosolvingtoday’schallenges,andthis committee is ready to lead the charge. The committee worked to develop indicatorsofhighqualitySTEMeducationthatwillbeutilizedaswemovetoward implementationofasystemicPre-K-12STEMprograminLovejoyISD.

And let’s not forget the generous donations to the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools received this week in honor of North Texas Giving Day. Your contributions to the Foundation support vital initiatives like innovative classroom grants, Safety Marshal salaries, as well as holiday bonuses and professional development for our incredible teachers and staff. Thank you for makingadifference!

Wishing you a long weekend filled with love and joy! Enjoy the break, and we can’twaittoseeourstudentsback,readytoshine,onTuesday!

ThereisonlyONELOVEJOY,andweareALLLEOPARDS!

LovejoyProud, KatieKordel

LOJO HOCO

FESTIVITIES

Lovejoy campuses were filled with Homecoming activities last week including, dress-updays,powderpuff,LHSpeprally,homecomingvolleyballandfootball homegames,anddance! Pleaseenjoythese2024Homecomingpictures!

HOCO MUMS FOR

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Lovejoyparentsandstudentshavehelpeddefine“tradition”inLovejoy. Thisis especially true for the Hand family, who have been repurposing mums for a numberofmuchlovedstudentsatLovejoyHighSchooleachyearforthepast sevenyears.

“WearesoexcitedthataswetransitionoutoftheLovejoySchoolsystemwith our last senior - the program will still continue on. Sadie Jane Hand used the final year of the Mums program as her senior project - it has been very rewarding for all 3 of our children and family the last seven years. We are so thankfulforsuchasupportiveLovejoycommunitywhodonatestheirmumsand garterseveryyear,aswellasofferstheirtimeandtalentswithhelpingtobring lifebackintothemumsandgartersforeachofthestudents.”

Inordertopreservethisveryspecialtradition,LovejoyPTOhasdecidedtotake the annual commitment and incorporate it as part of the SAGE program. Lovejoy ISD would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Hand family for starti thi t diti dth SAGEPTO f ti i itf d!

NORTH TEXAS

We are so grateful for the tremendous support we received from the Lovejoy CommunityonNorthTexasGivingDay. Together we were able to raise more than $144,000 for the students and teachersofLovejoy!

Ourannualappealcampaigncontinues on our website, so it is not too late to donate: Foundationforlovejoyschools.org

FIRST RESPONDERS

BREAKFEST

Thursday, September 19th, Lovejoy High School hosted our annual First Responderbreakfast.Multipleagencieswereabletoattendincluding:Fairview Police Department, Fairview Fire Department, Lucas Fire Department, Allen PoliceDepartment,andtheFederalBureauofInvestigation(FBI).

This annual breakfast provides LISD the opportunity for our School Marshals and campus and district leaders to connect with local, state and federal partners. Strong relationships with our first responders are key in providing a strongsafetyandsecurityfunctionforourstudentsandstaff.

NO SCHOOL

SEPTEMBER 23RD

LovejoyISDdoesnothaveschool

Monday, September 23rd for a Student Holiday and Teacher Planning Day. Campus offices willbeclosedandDistrictoffices will be open from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm. Wishing all our Leopards a wonderfullongweekend!

Leopard Reminder: On July 22nd, the Board of Trustees approved a changetothestudentcalendar;LeopardFridaywasmovedfrom9/27 to10/4. Asaresult,9/27isaschooldayforallcampuses.10/4isahalf dayforLHSonly.

ATTENDANCE

UPDATE

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

EARLY LITERACY

PARENT MEETINGS

LovejoyISDisofferingparentinformationsessionsaboutearlyliteracy.Campus and district leaders will present an overview of early literacy learning. The sessionwillincludeanoverviewoftheScienceofReadingandimplementation inK-3classrooms.Examplesoflessonsandstrategiesforteachingreadingand writingwillbepresented.

Weaskthatyoupre-registersothatourpreparationssupportacomfortableand meaningfulexperienceforallthatattend.

RSVPHere:https://forms.gle/L8reeHBbYyhQN92v9

Location:CarrieL.LovejoyChildDevelopmentCenterLibrary 256CountryClubRoad Allen,TX75002

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.

LEADERSHIP

LOVEJOY

Leadership Lovejoy is designed to provide community participants with a comprehensive overviewoftheschooldistrictbydepartmentand district leadership. The objective is to provide information as well as an opportunity to ask questionsinaninteractiveformat.Thestructureof Leadership Lovejoy is in-person, full-day, workshops. All meetings will take place from 8:30 a.m.to2:00p.m.Thereisacostof$90.00tocover the cost of the program. Applications are now openthroughTuesday,October1stat9:00a.m.

*Meeting Dates Listed on Application

BOARD ACADEMY

REGISTRATION

The Lovejoy ISD Board Academy is designed for anyone considering public service on the Board of Trustees as those that would like to learn more about local school district governance. School Board Members will explain the roles and responsibilities of serving on the Board, review the state-

state-required training requirements, and discuss the difference between Boardoversightandday-to-dayoperationsofthedistrict.Informationwillalso be shared on the guidance, logistics, and timelines to run for a Board of Trustees seat. The Board Academy will be on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 from1:00p.m.to3:00p.m.

DISTRICT & CAMPUS

LEVEL COMMITTEES

District-levelandcampus-levelcommitteesareinplacetoadvisetheBoardor its designee in establishing and reviewing the District and campus improvements plan as well as the District and campus educational goals, performance objectives, and major District-wide classroom instructional programs. Composition of the committees represent campus-based professionalstaff,District-levelprofessionalstaff,parents,businesses,andthe community.

Currently there are open positions for the District Improvement Team. Interestedparents,businessandcommunitymembersmayreachouttoLaurie Tinsley, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at laurie tinsley@lovejoyisd.net

DISTRICT CALENDAR

READING WITH THE LEOPARDS

On September 6th, Hart Elementary students enjoyed Reading with the Leopards with Lovejoy High School students in girls softball, boys basketball, andcheer. Today,football,girlsvolleyball,andboysbasketballvisitedPuster Elementary. ReadingwiththeLeopardsisafavoritedayforboththeBIGand LITTLE learners! Reading with the Leopards is a wonderful tradition that creates connections between our oldest and youngest Leopards. Elementary studentsaregreetedastheygettoschoolandenjoyastoryintheirclassrooms.

Hart Elementary Reading with the Leopard

Photo Credit: Becky Hand

Hart Elementary Reading with the Leopard Photo Credit: Becky Hand

NATIONAL ANTHEM

AT

HOMECOMING

The Willow Springs and Lovejoy High School choirs combined to sing the National Anthem at the Homecoming football game last Friday. More than 80 students, under the direction of Head Choir Teacher, Jeb Harris, and with the assistance of Choir Teacher, Marrisa Guerrero, took to the field to honor our nation prior to kickoff. They did a beautiful job, and we are very proud of the way they came together as one group! You can see these choirs again on October10attheFallConcert.

TMEA ALL-STATE CHOIR AUDITIONS

ThirtydedicatedmembersofLovejoyChoirauditionedonSaturdayforPhase1 of the TMEA All-State Choir, or the 'District' round. This year's entries broke a record with more than 830 students competing! We are pleased to announce that the following 9 students will represent Lovejoy at Phase 2 ('Region') and competeforaspotintheTMEARegion25choir(andachancetoadvanceinthe All-Stateprocess).Thosestudentsare:

Soprano1

NandirAltansukh(15thChair)

RachelDobbs(5thChair)

LeahFrum(12thChair)

Soprano2

KatyPayne(1stChair)

EmilyYork(10thChair)

Alto2

DarbiDickson(51stChair)

AudreyMurphy(9thChair)

ZoeReed(38thChair)

Bass1

SaayonMahapatra(10thChair)

HOMECOMING FOOTBALL

The Leopard's saw plenty of success at all three levels this past week vs their first district opponent Frisco Liberty. The Freshman and JV had decisive wins Thursday night while the Varsity followed that up with its own decisive win Fridaynightwitha76-0winoverFriscoLibertytogo1-0indistrict.

Thosewinsdon'thappenwithoutagreatweekofpracticeandouroffensiveand defensive attack teams getting both sides of the ball prepared. Our offensive attack team player of the week was linebacker Trevor Fails and our defensive attackteamplayeroftheweekwasoffensivelinemanKadenGregory.

TheLeopardslooktogo2-0thisweekontheroadfacingAnna.Wehopetosee ourgreatcommunityoutinAnnathisFridaynightat7:30pm.

LOVEJOY XC

FALL FESTIVAL

Last Saturday, the Lovejoy Cross Country program hosted 90 teams and 2,500 runnersattheLovejoyFallFestivalheldatMyersParkinMckinney.Thisisoneof thelargestCrossCountrymeetsinthestateeachyear,andwearesothankful for the support of our parents and booster club for the countless hours they spenttomakethisapremiermeet.Parentsandcoachesalsogottospendsome extrahourspatchingthecrackedcoursewith150bagsofmulchtoensurethe safetyoftherunners.

TheLovejoyteamsallracedincrediblystrongandcontinuetheirseasonasthe topranked5Ateams(boysandgirls)intheState.Bothteamsareundefeatedin 5Acompetition(JVandVarsity). .

WILLOW SPRINGS CROSS COUNTRY

TheWillowSpringsCrossCountryTeamshavebeentraininghardsincethefirst week of school. They had their first Cross Country meet on Monday at Myers Park. The kids ran amazing with the 7th and 8th grade boys teams taking 1st placeandthe7thand8thgradegirlsteamsbothtaking2ndplace!

LOVEJOY THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

Get your tickets!!! Lovejoy Theatre presents Steel Magnolias: Friday Sept. 27th @7:00pmSaturdaySept.28that1:00pmand7:00pm.Performanceswilltake placeintheLovejoyHighSchoolAuditorium.Clickheretopurchasetickets!

Lovejoy High School Theatre is proud to present Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at Lovejoy High School Auditorium on January 23rd, 24th & 25th at 7:00 pm and January 25th at 1:00 pm. Save the date for this magical, family friendlyperformance!

LHS VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM SWEEP

Lovejoy Volleyball has started their district season and is off to a great start! LastFridaytheyearnedtheirfirstprogramsweepagainsttheAnnaCoyotes!Our sub-varsity teams competed in the Frisco ISD Tournament over the weekend, wearesoproudoftheir3rdand5thplacefinishagainstsomereallycompetitive teams! Tuesday night the girls continued their streak with another program sweepagainsttheDenisonYellowjackets.TonighttheywilltakeontheWalnut Grove Wildcats at home! Varsity will play at 5pm and Sub-varsity will play at 6pm, make sure to wear your NEON! Wish our JV team luck as they continue theirtournamentplayonSaturday!

SUCCESS AT FALL STINGER CLASSIC

The boys and girls golf teams showcased their talent this week at the Fall Stinger Classic held at Tanglewood Golf Course in Denison, Texas. Competing againststrongopponents,theboysteamsfinishedin1st,2nd,and5thplaceout of 16 teams. Leading the boys team was senior Ryan Murphy, who shot a 76, followed closely by junior Barron McClure with a score of 77. The girls teams also excelled, securing 1st, 2nd, and 6th place out of 12 teams, with junior NatalieBreauxleadingthewaywithascoreof80andfreshmanEmmaBallard not far behind at 81. As the season progresses, their determination fuels excitementforwhatliesahead.GoLeopards!

EVENING WITH THE MAJESTICS

MajesticDanceTeamHostsSuccessful"EveningwiththeMajestics"Event

The Majestic Dance Team recently hosted 81 "Mini Majestics" from grades K-6 during their "Evening with the Majestics" event at the Homecoming football game. The young dancers joined the Majestics on the field for the crowning of our King and Queen, participated in pre-game activities, and cheered on the Leopardsinthestandsduringthefirstquarter.Thiseventnotonlyhighlighted theMajesticDanceTeam'stalentbutalsofosteredcommunityconnectionswith ouryoungdancers.WelovedhavingtheMiniMajesticsjoinusandshareinthe spiritofHomecoming.Thankyoutoallwhoparticipated,andwelookforward tofutureMiniMajesticsevents.

LEOPARD LIFE

TheLeopardLifewebsiteisanewadditiontoLovejoy’swaystostayengaged. SchoolrelatedflyersandcommunitynewswillbesharedontheLeopardLife.

Thisweek'sfeaturedflyersare:

LovejoyLeopards,Inc.16thAnnualGolfTournament-(9/23)

LovejoySwim&DivePumpkinPatch(10/4&10/5)

LacrosseFallSeasonRegistrationisOpen

Napoli'sGivebackNightforLovejoyVolleyball(9/24&9/25)

LovejoyGiftedAssociationMembershipRegistration

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!

❓❓WhatistheBreakfastClub❓❓

�� TheLovejoyFootballBreakfastClubisanopportunitytojoinCoachDodge andhearhimtalkthroughthepreviousweeksgameanddiscussourupcoming opponent.

�� It’s a wonderful opportunity to get insight and perspective from our own headcoach.

�� Wemeetat8:30everyTuesdaymorningatRudy’sBBQinAllenintheback room.

�� Cost is $20/person and all proceeds go directly back to the program for coachesdevelopment.

�� TheBreakfastClubisopentoallmembersoftheLovejoycommunity. We have had football dads, football moms, football grandparents, cheer parents,fineartsparents,aunts,unclesandalotoflocalretireesthatjustwant to come hear about Friday night football in Texas! You do NOT need to be a footballparentorrelativetoattend.

�� Spreadthewordtoanyoneyouthinkwouldbeinterested!

LJVA SUMMER ART

SHOW INVITATION

Lovejoy Visual Arts (LJVA) would like to invite you to our 3rd annual LJVA AP Studio Art Summer Assignment Show on September 24th, from 5-7! Every summerourAPStudioArtiststakeonavarietyofpromptstoexperimentwith new media, stay in constant practice, and to grow their personal voice in preparationforthecreationoftheirbodyofworkduringtheyear.Startingon thefirstdayofschool,APStudioclassesparticipateinaweek-longcritiqueto buildcommunity,praisecraftsmanship,growideation,practicefollowthrough, and to begin the revision process; helping grow each work into the artist’s personal best. These Summer Assignments are a testament to the artists’ grit and resolve as they build their artistic vocabulary and personal voice with a broadrangeofmaterialsandapproaches.

Please join us as we kick off another amazing year in the LJVA Studios and celebratetheseAPartists’summerworkandthejourneytheyareembarkingon todeveloptheirpersonalbodyofwork.Lightsnackswillbeserved.

*If you are unable to attend the opening on the 24th, please reach out to Brice McCasland@lovejoyisd.net to set up a time to come and tour the gallery 8am-5pm,Sept.24th-Oct.8th.

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 1st through 6th grade. Choose from one of the links below for more information.

Come meet and connect with other parents and district personnel to learn about our SAGE (Special and Gifted Education)programplansfortheyear! Coffee and light snacks will be provided.

September 24th 9:00am - 10:30am (PreK-6thGradeParents)

October 10th 9:00am - 10:30am (7th-12thGradeParents)

Location: Lovejoy Child Development CenterLibrary

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

Deadline Extended to Sept. 27!!!

LovejoyISDisexcitedtocelebrate our 2023-2024 Conference 5A Championship with an official, commemorative Lone Star Cup shirt! Youth and adult sizes available. ClickheretoorderyourLoneStar Cupshirttoday!

Orders close at Noon on September27th.

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!