Connect with Katie WEEKLY NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
y o j e v o L s d r a p o e L
CONTENTS 19
04 MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT 06 LEOPARD FRIDAY TONIGHT! 07 WSMS THEATRE PRESENTS MOANA
STUDENTS EXPLORE NEW ROBOTS
08 LHS SIGNING DAY CELEBRATION
20 FOLK DANCING 3RD GRADE PUSTER
11 11 FINE ARTS WINTER FESTIVAL LCDC CALENDAR REMINDER
13
MCCU DEBIT CARD DESIGN CONTEST
15 BOARD ACEDMY REGISTRATION 15 ATTENDANCE UPDATE 17 DISTRICT CALENDAR EVENTS 18 VOLLEYBALL AREA SEMI-FINALISTS 19 LIVING MUESUM 3RD GRADE HART
20 WSMS COLOR RUN FUN
22 D MAJOR SCALE TWISTER GAME 23 LOVEJOY ROBOTICS TOP AWARDS 24 HEART OF A TEACHER/SUPPORT 27 LOVEJOY LINKS 31
DISTRICT AND CAMPUS NEWSLETTERS
31 COMMUNITY NEWS
MESSAGE from the Superintendent Lovejoy Community, In honor of Veterans Day, our schools spent time this week recognizing the service of our Nation’s veterans. The care and respect that our students and teachers put into their recognition ceremonies was an important reminder of the sacrifice our veterans made to protect our freedom. Last night, I had the privilege of attending the annual Veterans Day Dinner at Lovejoy High School and this morning I attended Sloan Creek Intermediate School’s Veterans Day Breakfast with my family. Along with other veterans, my husband, who served five years in the United States Marine Corps, was recognized for his service. It was extremely special to see Claire, Jacob, and some of their classmates have the opportunity to honor the courage and sacrifice of their parents and grandparents. It is my hope that the valor of the brave men and women who serve in our military will be a reminder of both the cost and value of our liberty. We have included a list of our dedicated Lovejoy ISD staff members who are military veterans in this newsletter. I invite you to join me in expressing our deep gratitude for their service and sacrifice. We remain vigilant in monitoring legislative activity that has the potential to impact your children and Lovejoy ISD. History was made in Austin this week when the Governor called for a fourth special session within the same year. You can read Governor Abbott’s proclamation here. The Governor included Education Savings Accounts (ESAs/vouchers), school finance, teacher pay, and border security in the call. HB 1 filed by Brad Buckley, Chairman of the House Public Education Committee, is 177 pages long and includes vouchers/education savings accounts (ESAs) equal to $10,500 per student per year in private school and $1000 for homeschool students, a $4000 bonus to full-time teachers, nurses, counselors, and librarians during the current school year, and an increase in the Basic Allotment from $6160 to $6700 in the 24-25 school year as well as an increase to various weights and allotments. HB 1 does not align with the Lovejoy ISD Board of Trustees’s Legislative Priorities for the special session, which can be accessed here.
Congratulations to Lovejoy High School Varsity Volleyball on earning the title of Region Semi-Finalist this Tuesday night. It was a great game with incredible fan support. Let’s make sure there are plenty of rally towels in the gym tonight when they play Frisco Wakeland at Rock Hill High School in Prosper. Friday night lights will be a community celebration this evening with a home playoff football game against Longview Pine Tree in Leopard Stadium, Leopard Friday in the courtyard, a community pep rally, and senior night. Lovejoy High School Varsity Wrestling dominated in a dual meet this week against Frisco Panther Creek with a final score of 63-12. Way to go Lovejoy Wrestling! We welcome you to attend the Willow Springs Middle School musical, Moana Jr., this weekend on either Friday or Saturday night at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $10 for students, staff, and senior citizens and $12 for adults. The musical will be in the Lovejoy High School auditorium. Wishing you and your family a weekend filled with love and joy. There is only ONE LOVEJOY and we are ALL LEOPARDS! Lovejoy Proud,
HONORING OUR LOVEJOY ISD VETERANS
Katie Kordel Superintendent Cody Barber, Army Steven Blumer, Air Force Julie Boyd, Army Johnny Cana, Army Karen Chavez, Air Force Jason Ferrebee, Army Manuel Gonzalez, Navy Alexander Ingram, Army Jorge Jacquez, Army Chris Murphy, Army Elwood Nolan, Army Chris Smith, Army Joshua Strickland, Army Mack Thrasher, Army
LEOPARD FRIDAY TONIGHT!
Schedule of events for this Friday, November 10th: 4:50 p.m. - Arrive for Leopard Friday (please do not arrive before this time as LHS will still be dismissing students through carline. 5:00 p.m. - Leopard Friday, a K-12 district event, will be held in the LHS Courtyard 5:45 p.m. - Pep Rally during Leopard Friday 7:00 p.m. - Senior night introductions for Football, Band, Majestics, Color Guard, Cheer, Cross Country, Fall Tennis, Fall Golf, Athletic Trainers will begin 7:30 p.m. - Lovejoy HS vs. Pine Tree HS Playoff Game at Leopard Stadium. Click here to purchase tickets. Due to multiple overlapping events, parking will be very limited at LHS. Satellite parking with shuttle buses will begin at 5:00 p.m. from Grace Church, Willow Springs Middle School, and Hart Elementary as satellite parking locations.
WSMS THEATRE PRESENTS MOANA! Willow Springs Middle School Theatre presents Moana at the LHS Auditorium this weekend, Friday and Saturday (November 10th & 11th) at 7:00pm. Click here to purchase tickets. If you plan to attend tonight’s (Friday) performance, please plan ahead for parking. As a reminder, LHS is also hosting Leopard Friday and a playoff football game Friday evening. On-site parking will be very limited. Satellite parking with shuttle buses will be available from Grace Church, Willow Springs Middle School, and Hart Elementary.
LHS SIGNING DAY CELEBRATION Lovejoy High School hosted it’s Fall Signing Celebration on Thursday, November 8th. A new Lovejoy record was set with 19 athletes signing to compete at the collegiate level! Way to go class of 2024! Congratulations to our outstanding student athletes: Kyle Branch - Baseball at University of Oklahoma Matthew Mainord - Baseball at Oral Roberts University Aarren Marshall - Baseball at University of Louisiana at Lafayette Peyton Benson- Cross Country/Track at University of Oklahoma Sara Morefield - Cross Country /Track at University of Tulsa Nick Yarad - Cross Country/Track at United States Military Academy at West Point Kailey Littlefield - Track and Field at Oklahoma State University Parker Livingstone - Football at University of Texas Payton Pierce - Football at Ohio State University Mackenzie Metzger - Lacrosse at Saint Francis University Cambry Patrick - Soccer at University of Texas Taylor Person - Soccer at University of Oregon Skylar Rucker - Softball at University of Texas San Antonio McKenna Brand - Volleyball at University of Connecticut Isa Camacho - Volleyball at University of Texas at Arlington Nicole Cornell - Volleyball at Harvard University Nathalia Rodriguez - Volleyball at Wingate University Grayson Shugart - Volleyball/Track at Centenary College Bethanie Wu - Volleyball at Yale University
LCDC CALENDAR REMINDER The Lovejoy Child Development Center Pre-K Program follows the LISD student calendar and will be closed November 16th - 24th. 18 mon- 2 year old classes and Pre-K 3 will have the following schedule: November 16th: Normal Hours November 17th: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. November 20th - 24th: Closed for the holidays
FINE ARTS WINTER FESTIVAL The Lovejoy Fine Arts Department is proud to present the Lovejoy ISD Fine Arts Festival 2023! We are excited to share with you nine days filled with music, art, dancing and theater! Please join us in celebrating our amazing Fine Arts students as the semester ends on a festive note!
LEOPARD STORE The school store will be open during the winter festival so you can stock up on LOJO gear for the holidays!! Tuesday, November 28th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Thursday, Novemer 30th from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 5th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
MCCU DEBIT CARD DESIGN CONTEST Lovejoy ISD recently entered into a partnership with My Community Credit Union. This partnership is intended to enhance student opportunities in the areas of financial literacy and provide hands-on learning experiences for future careers related to finance. An MCCU branch is scheduled to open at Lovejoy High School in the fall of 2024. On Friday, October 27th, MCCU kicked off their Debit Card Design Contest. The contest is open to all Lovejoy ISD students. Three debit card design winners will be selected representing grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The winners will have their designs on our Lovejoy Leopard MCCU Debit Cards and will receive a $100 gift card! Contest Rules: Must be an original image/design/artwork. Participants may submit up to 2 designs. Parent consent is required. Submissions are due to marketing@mccu.coop by midnight on January 26. Winners will be announced on March 1.
Card Size: 2-1/8 by 3-3/8
Scan the QR Code for Official Rules and additional details, or visit mccu.coop/lovejoy.
BOARD ACADEMY REGISTRATION The Lovejoy ISD Board Academy is designed for anyone considering public service on the Board of Trustees as well 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-required training requirements, and discuss the difference between Board oversight and day-to-day operations of the district. Information will also be shared on the guidelines, logistics, and timelines to run for a Board seat. The Board Academy will be on Wednesday, December 6 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
ATTENDANCE UPDATE Strong school attendance is correlated with higher academic performance. Additionally, average Daily Attendance (ADA) is a metric that the State of Texas uses to determine funding for public schools. Each week, this attendance data will be updated so our community is aware of our most recent ADA.
CONNECTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND THE LOVEJOY COMMUNITY WHILE SUPPORTING LOVEJOY ISD THROUGH REVENUE GENERATION The Lovejoy ISD Community Partner program is a new way for local businesses to support Lovejoy ISD and connect with the Lovejoy Community! Community Partner advertisements are featured in our weekly District newsletter, Connect with Katie, Living Lovejoy videos, and District Social Media. Interested in becoming a Community Partner? Click HERE to learn more!
DISTRICT CALENDAR EVENTS
CALENDAR EVENT LINKS
STUDENT CALENDAR
DISTRICT CALENDAR
CAMPUS CALENDARS
ATHLETICS CALENDAR
FINE ARTS CALENDAR
Campus, District, and Athletics Calendars are linked above for the convenience of our community. *Please note event dates, times and locations are subject to change and should be verified by participants.
VOLLEYBALL AREA
SEMI-FINALISTS!
Last Friday night Lovejoy Volleyball played Whitehouse and secured the Area Championship. Your Leopards quickly began preparing for their Regional Quarterfinal match against the Forney Jackrabbits. Lovejoy Volleyball swept Tuesday night in three sets, making them Region Semi-Finalist! Tonight they have a BIG match against the Wakeland Wolverines. Game time is 7:00pm, Friday, November 10th at Rock Hill HS. We would love to have your support at this match! We are keeping the theme rolling with red out! We can’t wait to see you there, don’t forget your rally towel! We also want to make two special shoutouts this week! First, we would like to thank Mr. Springfield who took his own personal time to drive our cheerleaders to Friday’s match. We are so appreciative of his generosity! This is what makes Lovejoy truly #OneHeartOneLovejoy . Next, we would like to thank Lovejoy Nation for showing up for Tuesday night’s match, this three-set win would be nothing without our loud and roaring crowd! Thank you to everyone who came out to support our girls!
LIVING MUSEUM 3RD GRADE HART The 3rd graders at Hart have been learning what a biography is and they culminated their unit by researching a person of significance. Each student dressed up like their person and presented information about their lives by hosting a Living Museum. Parents and students were invited to come and meet our "famous folks" while learning how they have contributed to the world.
STUDENTS EXPLORE NEW ROBOTS Lovejoy ISD recently received several new types of robots thanks to a Foundation for Lovejoy Schools grant! Students at Hart and Puster Elementary Schools will learn coding skills as well as many other STEM skills that can be integrated into their lessons. This week, Hart students have learned how to navigate the robots and are excited about the learning ahead. The new robots include: Marty robots, BlueBots, Vex123 robots, and Tuffbots. Thank you Foundation for Lovejoy Schools!
FOLK DANCING 3RD GRADE PUSTER Puster's third grade students and their families participated in the annual Folk Dance Performance. Mrs. Grall, Puster's music specialist, taught several dances to the students during their music rotations. Students then performed the dances and invited family to participate alongside them. It was a wonderful night of dancing, giggles, smiles, and fun!
COLOR RUN FUN Willow Springs hosted it’s first annual Color Run fundraiser and it was a colorfully smashing success! Thank you to all the students and staff that participated for creating wonderful memories and so much FUN!
D MAJOR SCALE TWISTER GAME Sloan Creek Orchestra took advantage of the good weather yesterday to test their knowledge on the location of notes on the staff for the D Major Scale. We played a fun game of staff twister in the courtyard.
LOVEJOY ROBOTICS TOP AWARDS This past Saturday our 4 varsity teams competed in Greenville, Texas, and came away with numerous top awards! Team 1082R won the Excellence Award and Tournament Finalist, 1082J was Tournament Champion and won the Innovate Award, 1082X won the Design Award and Tournament Finalist, and 1082E was 4th in Skills and Tournament Semifinalists. We are #LovejoyProud, and will be taking these four teams to a Signature Event in Indianapolis next week. You can watch the livestream on November 16 and 17 at https://bit.ly/40uBnzx.
1082R
1082J
1082X
1082E
Leopard Life
LOVEJOY LINKS
UPDATED! MINI CHEER CAMP
NEW! NUTRITION NEWSLETTER
NEW! SOCCER TRYOUT INFORMATION
Leopard Life
LOVEJOY LINKS
NEW! SOCCER SPIRIT NIGHT AT KELLY’S
ACCESS & ACCOMMODATIONS
NEW! GREEN TEAM
Leopard Life
LOVEJOY LINKS
THIS WEEK! FOUNDATION FOR LOVEJOY SCHOOLS TOUR OF HOMES
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 engages in open dialogue/discussion with our community. August 29, 2023 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sloan Creek Intermediate
February 28, 2024 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Lovejoy High School
November 30, 2023 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Hart Elementary School
April 30, 2024 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Willow Springs Middle School
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 personal journeys after graduation. If you wish to participate, please complete this form for our LISD Communications Department.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT INTEREST FORM
Lovejoy ISD is proud to continue facilitating student opportunities through the Professional-to-Student Engagement Portal. Sign-up and share your talents! Lovejoy Community Professionals: Who are Lovejoy Community Professionals? Engage with students by sharing their Industry & Business Leaders expertise and knowledge Parents Mentor students through various Lovejoy Alumni career and college ready experiences Lovejoy Neighbors Strengthen students skills in the areas Senior Community Members of communication, collaboration, Heritage Ranch Community Members critical thinking and problem solving Family Members of Lovejoy Students Build leadership skills, develop self confidence
DISTRICT & CAMPUS NEWSLETTERS Lovejoy ISD is committed to creating strong connections and providing clear communication with our Lovejoy parents and families. Below you will find links to the most recent newsletters from each campus. Sign up for weekly Principal Newsletters here to stay informed! DISTRICT NEWSLETTER Connect with Katie
SLOAN CREEK INTERMEDIATE Principal Newsletter
HART ELEMENTARY Principal Newsletter
WILLOW SPRINGS MIDDLE Principal Newsletter
PUSTER ELEMENTARY Principal Newsletter
LOVEJOY HIGH SCHOOL Principal Newsletter
Leopard Life
COMMUNITY NEWS
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.
CLICK HERE
Connect with Katie . November 10, 2023 . Issue 15