Connect with Katie.10.28.2022.Issue13

E E K L Y N E W S A N D I N F O R M A T I O N F R O M T H E S U P E R I N T E N D E N T

SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE

Lovejoy Community,

The administration building parking lot has had a significant amount of traffic which is a sure sign that early voting has begun. When we sold the portable buildings this past spring, we kept one portable next to the administration building because it serves as a voting

location for the community. Lovejoy ISD has 12,700 registered voters. As of October 27, 2,488 people have voted. This is 19.6% of

eligible voters. Early voting ends on November 4 and Election Day is on November 8, 2022.

As you know, Lovejoy ISD has an important measure on the ballot. Proposition A is a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election (VATRE) to increase the M&O portion of the 2022 ISD tax rate by 3.17 cents.

The two priorities of Proposition A are:

Employee compensation

Restoring the fund balance

The passing of Proposition A would generate approximately $640,000 in additional funding for Lovejoy ISD. The projected cost of a 2% raise for teachers and staff is $644,000. Employee compensation is a component of teacher and staff recruitment and retention.

If the VATRE does not pass, days of operating expenses in the fund balance are projected to decrease to 65 days in fiscal year 2026, potentially requiring a loan to fund operating expenses. The amount of money in a school district’s fund balance fluctuates throughout the year, but 90 days of cash on hand is often used as a minimum standard. If the VATRE passes, days of operating expenses in the fund balance is projected to be at 80 days in fiscal year 2026.

It is important to Lovejoy ISD that community members feel confident in their understanding of Proposition A. I encourage you to visit our informational VATRE web site HERE. Additionally, please feel free to reach out to us HERE with any questions.

There is only ONE LOVEJOY and we are ALL LEOPARDS!

Katie Kordel Superintendent

Jim Bob Puckett Spirit of a Leopard Award

Last Friday night at the Leopard Friday football game, Lovejoy ISD honored retired head coach and athletic director, Jim Bob Puckett with the new Jim Bob Puckett Spirit of a Leopard Award. This special award will be presented each year at Leopard Friday honoring an individual who passionately supports Lovejoy Athletics. Congratulations Coach Puckett!

Lovejoy HS Teacher Appreciation

LHS Student-Superintendent Connection Council

This week, Superintendent Kordel and Dr. Zambiasi hosted the Lovejoy High School Student Superintendent Connection Council. The council includes students in grades 9 12 and meets monthly, with a focus on student voice. Our first council meeting included great dialog about our students' educational experience. We are deeply grateful for the time and commitment of each student serving on the council.

Green Team Update: Willow Springs Garden

1st Annual Celebration of Learning - Puster

A special thank you to the Puster Elementary First Grade Team for sharing their focus on early reading instruction with us during our new Celebration of Learning. First graders Cal McCormick and Mercy Belle Wideman read to us and were so adorable that we felt bad for everyone that had to present after them on the agenda. We will have a Celebration of Learning at each regular board meeting to share and celebrate the learning that is occurring in our classrooms each day.

October 2022 Heart of Lovejoy

October 2022 Heart of Lovejoy

October 2022 Heart of Lovejoy

STUDENT ACTIVITIES & RECOGNITIONS

Lovejoy Runnin' Leopards are Regional Champions!

The Lovejoy Runnin' Leopards (Cross Country Teams) are REGIONAL CHAMPIONS! The boys have won 7 consecutive Regional titles and the girls have now won 3 in a row. The boys team had an outstanding race putting 2 guys in the top 10. The girls team put 6 runners in the top 10 and scored an impressive 18 points! (15 is a perfect score). The girls and boys teams will compete in Round Rock at the State Championship on Saturday, November 5th at 10:00 and 10:40 AM. The girls are looking to defend their state title and they guys will hope to earn the top spot this year as well. We would love to have Leopard fans lining up around the course in Round Rock!

Leopard Friday Program Sweep!

Volleyball closed out their district season on Leopard Friday with a program sweep! The volleyball program would like to thank the entire Lovejoy Community for their support on Friday, the energy was so contagious and definitely brought energy to support the victory!

The freshman and JV teams had successful seasons and we couldn't be more proud of them! Varsity finished their district season as Co District Champions and will move on to playoffs next week! Make sure to follow the volleyball program on instagram and twitter for game updates!

Point

Varsity Football Advances to Playoffs

Our 7th and 8th grade football seasons wrapped up on Tuesday night. Our 8th grade Black team finished 7 2, and the Red finished with a perfect 9 0 record. The 7th grade Black team finished 5 3 1 and the 7th grade Red team went 7 2.

Our freshmen and JV teams are both undefeated in district, and will have a chance to become district champions with wins this week vs. Melissa!

Our Varsity football team is 6 2 and has already clinched a trip to the playoffs thanks to an undefeated district run thus far in the season. With a win tonight vs. Greenville and a win at home next week on Senior night vs. Melissa, the Lovejoy Leopards will clinch their third straight District Championship.

Congratulations to these freshman footballer's who also achieved straight A's in the first quarter!

#OneStandard

Aerospace Field Trip

The LHS Aerospace Engineering class took a field trip to the Richardson RC Club where students were able to fly RC Airplanes to put their knowledge of flight controls and aerodynamic forces into practice. Students must take Intro to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering to be eligible to take this cool class.

Sloan Creek Band and Orchestra Concerts

RECOGNITIONS

Principals/Community

Throughout the month of October our community has helped us celebrated our

with door decor, kind notes, small gifts, lunches, and even custom videos! Thank you so much for all the big and small things you to show them you care! Check out some of the things our creative community shared!

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Travis Zambiasi, Ed.D.

Principal, Lovejoy High School

Professional Background

Prior to serving as the Principal of Lovejoy High School, I have been fortunate to serve in the following roles:

High School Principal

Middle School Principal

Middle School Assistant Principal High School Teacher and Coach Doctor of Education in Leadership with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction

Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Austin College

Personal Highlights:

Our family loves to watch sports and go to different stadiums! We frequently vacation in Michigan, where a lot of our family is from My wife is a counselor at a nearby high school and we have 3 children

Roles and Responsibilities

Drive student success by defining and leading the culture, expectations, and priorities of a campus in alignment with Lovejoy's graduate profile, district priorities and core values.

Building and maintaining positive relationships with students, parents, and staff members.

Collaboration, Connection, Community

The Lovejoy educational experience is incredibly unique due to our communities commitment to providing enhanced educational experiences. Students at Lovejoy High School benefit from countless opportunities, created through community partnerships and parent engagement, that exemplify the Lovejoy ISD Graduate Profile: intellectually equipped, open to challenges, well rounded, engaged in a healthy lifestyle, respectful, and serve the community. Thank you for the collaboration, connection, and community that continue to create #OneStandard at Lovejoy High School!

469.742.8719

BOARD OF BTRUSTEES OARD OF TRUSTEES

Lovejoy ISD is committed to providing consistent, transparent communication with our community and employees. We hope this meeting summary will support you in staying connected and informed.

October 24, 2022 Board Meeting Summary

Additionally, Regular Board Meetings and Workshops are now recorded and archived on the Lovejoy ISD website. You can access recordings by clicking the picture to the right. Passwords are noted below the recording links.

Board Meeting

Posie Butler, 5th grader at Sloan Creek Intermediate School led the pledges.

Cal McCormick and Mercy Belle Wideman helped Puster Elementary 1st grade teachers share their first annual Celebration of Learning with the Board of Trustees and community members!

October is National Principal Appreciation Month and the Board of Trustees celebrated our Lovejoy principals' and their leadership, dedication, and passion for their staff and students.

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. Check out the new Community News format!

AND SAFETY

19andschools.

Students and/or staff who have tested positive for COVID 19 may return in 5 days if they have been fever and symptom free for 24 hours. (Change from 10 days for students) Students with a COVID-19 household member who has tested positive are no longer required to quarantine. The district will not maintain a local “dashboard”,

positive cases. The district is required to report positive cases to the state. A link will be provided on the website that reflects this information for the district.

remain in place at each

to complete.