Connect with Katie.12.01.2023.Issue17

Connect with Katie WEEKLY NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

DECEMBER 01, 2023

VOLLEYBALL

STATE

CHAMPIONS

y o j e v o L s d r a p o e L

CONTENTS 04 MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

05 VOLLEYBALL 10 TIME STATE CHAMPIONS!

14 MAJESTICS DANCE IN MACY’S DAY PARADE

07 REGIONAL FINAL ROUND FOUR! 08 ATTENDANCE UPDATE 08 FINE ARTS WINTER FESTIVAL 11 DISTRICT CALENDAR LOVEJOY THEATRE NATIONAL 12 QUALIFIERS

16 WSMS CROSS COUNTRY 17

17 BUS DRIVERS EARN THEIR CDL’S 18 STAFF SPOTLIGHT 19 SUBSTITUTE APPRECIATION 20 BOARD MEETING SUMMARY 22 LOVEJOY LINKS 27

13

ROBOTICS COMPETES IN INDIANAPOLIS

DISTRICT 13-5A COACHES OF THE YEAR

DISTRICT AND CAMPUS NEWSLETTERS

27 COMMUNITY NEWS

MESSAGE from the Superintendent Lovejoy Community, Lovejoy High School Volleyball is the State Champion!

This is the 10th State Championship for the program.

Talk about a Legacy of Excellence! Congratulations to these elite athletes and their coaches on this remarkable accomplishment. We were so proud that our community turned out in such a big way to cheer the team on to victory at the state championship game.

We have been enjoying the Fine Arts Festival this week and, as expected, the caliber of performance is impressive. One of my favorite parts of the Fine Arts Festival is seeing the progression and development of students as they matriculate through our programs. A special thank you to our fine arts teachers who pour so much love and expertise into developing their students.

Our Varsity Football Team is advancing to the Regional Finals for the third time in 4 years!

We play South Oak Cliff this Saturday at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington. Let’s continue our strong community support for our Leopards and show up to cheer them on tomorrow afternoon.

This adorable picture of kindergarten teacher, Melanie Porter, was shared with me this week. Mrs. Porter was attending her daughter’s performance and sat behind a few of her precious kindergarten students. Celebrity sightings are nothing compared to seeing your favorite teacher out in “real life”. You can tell they think that Mrs. Porter is a total rock star. What a special reminder of the impact of teachers.

Wishing our Varsity Football Team victory on Saturday and you a weekend filled with love and joy.

There is only ONE LOVEJOY and we are ALL LEOPARDS! Lovejoy Proud,

Katie Kordel Superintendent

VOLLEYBALL 10 TIME

STATE CHAMPIONS!

What an exciting time to be a Lovejoy Volleyball Leopard! We started our Thanksgiving break with our program's 10TH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! Friday afternoon our Varsity Leopards took on the Fulshear Chargers and swept in three for the State Semi-Final match. Saturday afternoon your Varsity Leopards took on the Liberty Hill Panthers in a competitive three set sweep to earn their ultimate goal of the program's 10th State Championship!

Fun Fact:The Lovejoy Volleyball program has now won 10 State Titles out of 13 trips to the UIL State Volleyball Tournament! They join four schools that have also won 10 State Titles. Lovejoy was also recognized for getting their 10th title faster than any other school.

In August, the Lovejoy Volleyball program announced their theme for the season, One Destination: 10 Ships before a Championship (#ships). This theme walks through the 10 "ships" necessary (leadership, hardship, fellowship, battleship, ownership, craftsmanship, membership, partnership, relationship, sportsmanship) before winning a championship. We are proud of all the hard work the girls put in to reach their final destination of the UIL 5A State Championship.

Finally, we want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to ALL of Lovejoy Nation for showing up to support our team especially during the Thanksgiving break! We felt all of the love near and far! Lovejoy Nation is truly something special, and we are so grateful to be a part of it.

REGIONAL FINAL ROUND FOUR! Last Friday our Lovejoy football team traveled to Longview for the Regional Semi-Final game against the Texarkana Texas High Tigers. The Leopards won 43-21 to improve to 12-1 on the season and advance to the Regional Finals for the third time in 4 years!

The Leopards will now face the South Oak Cliff Golden Bears this weekend. We appreciate the amazing support from our Lovejoy community and hope to see it continue this Saturday! Get there early and come support our Leopards as we continue our amazing season!

Link to Purchase Tickets Ticket prices - $15 all seats Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023 Time: 3:30 p.m.

Location: Choctaw Stadium

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.

FINE ARTS WINTER FESTIVAL The Lovejoy Fine Arts Festival began this week with superb visual art displays and performances filled with music, dancing and theater!

The Fine Arts Festival continues into next week, please see the schedule on page 8.

We are looking forward to sharing a summary and pictures of events in next week’s Connect with Katie.

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 LOVEJOY ISD

HOLIDAY

Break

BEGINNING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 RETURNING THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 *Campus and District offices will be closed during break

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.

LOVEJOY THEATRE NATIONAL QUALIFIERS Lovejoy Theatre had 31 students attend The Texas Thespian Festival at The Gaylord Texan in November. Nine students competed in a variety of acting and singing competitions and were rated Superior which qualifies them to compete at The National Thespian Festival! Congratulations!

Zoe Nolan

Blake Gatlin

Sophia Konecny

Duet Scene

Solo Musical

Solo Musical

Elise Reid

Isabella Ruiz

Solo Musical

Costume Design

Chloe “Kore” Russell

Avery Smith

Jacob Smithwick

Solo Musical

Duet Scene

Solo Musical

Katy Payne

Solo Musical

ROBOTICS COMPETES IN INDIANAPOLIS Before Thanksgiving Break, the Lovejoy Robotics Varsity teams traveled to the Dallara Indy Car Factory in Indianapolis, Indiana to compete at a Signature Event featuring some of the best teams from around the world.

We are proud to share that team 1082R [ Robot Go Vroom Vroom ] won the Design Award, which is one of the highest honors at a VEX Robotics Tournament and focuses on the team with the best overall engineering notebook, team interview and design process.

In fact, all our Robotics teams did fantastic - 1082E, 1082J and 1082X ended as Quarterfinalists! We are #LovejoyProud of the success our robotics teams are having and the hard work they are putting in. We can't wait to see what they will do next!

1082R

1082E

1082J

1082X

MAJESTICS DANCE IN MACY’S DAY PARADE During the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Majestics Dance Team seniors traveled to New York City and performed with over 700 Spirit of America Dance Stars in the 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. These ladies spent time exploring the city, seeing the Radio City Rockettes, attending a show on Broadway, and of course rehearsing, walking, and performing in the parade. We are grateful for the opportunity to spread Leopard Spirit and represent our community on such a large stage!

WSMS CROSS COUNTRY Willow Springs Cross Country teams competed at the Royse City Middle School meet on Tuesday 11.28.23. The leopards had a great meet competing at Royse City. 7th Grade Girls, 7th Grade Boys, and 8th Grade Girls all placed 1st overall.

8th Grade Boys placed 3rd overall. Click here for full results.

Top 10 Finishers: 7th Grade Girls Emily Armstrong - 1st Amelie Casier - 2nd Cayna Craver - 3rd Naomi Kameo - 4th 8th Grade Girls Dani Sassine - 3rd Madison Simpson - 5th 7th Grade Boys Jake Clinton - 1st Declan Keating - 2nd Sam Roberts - 3rd Jay Martin - 5th Tyler Widtfeldt - 6th 8th Grade Boys Kaiser Lynch - 10th Congratulations to our hardworking WSMS cross country athletes on their strong finishes!

DISTRICT 13-5A COACHES OF THE YEAR! Congratulations to our Volleyball coaching staff who were named District 13-5A Coaching Staff of the Year! The coaches from each school in our division votes, and our Lovejoy coaches were nominated by their peers!

Great coaches build relationships that positively impact students’ athletics careers, academic achievements, and build character.

We are so grateful for this remarkable team!

BUS DRIVERS EARN THEIR CDL’S

David Krumrei

Steve Blumer

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Brie Smith, Director of Advanced Academics, presented Primary Talent Development through Standards-Aligned GT Curriculum at The National Association for Gifted Children’s Annual Convention NAGC23 on November 9-12, 2023.

The presentation’s guiding questions included: How do the primary gifted services of the school or district support talent development in students’ areas of strength?

Does instruction align with identification measures?

Participants in the session analyzed the content of their existing primary services and explored opportunities to align learning with instructional standards in order to maximize opportunities for talent development in their youngest students.

An invitation to present at this conference is a distinguished honor for both Ms. Smith and Lovejoy ISD’s GT program. #LovejoyProud #TeamLovejoy

SUBSTITUTE APPRECIATION Substitute Educators Day was November 17th and Lovejoy ISD has been busy celebrating our Guest Educators!

We are very grateful for all our LISD Guest Educators who work diligently to keep students safe, engaged in learning and supported when their primary teacher is out!

BOARD MEETING SUMMARY

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. Click the image on the left to open the summary in Google Docs.

Regular Board Meetings and Workshops are now recorded and archived on the Lovejoy ISD website. You can access Regular Board Meeting and Workshop recordings by clicking the image on the right.

The full Regular Board Meeting agenda with supporting documents may be viewed by clicking the image on the left.

BOARD MEETING RECOGNITIONS 8th grade Willow Springs Middle School student, Cruz Cazares, led the pledges.

The Board of Trustees and Administration were proud to recognize the following for their participation and accomplishments in their respective State competitions: Boys Cross Country- State Champions Girls Cross Country- State Champions

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

EXTENDED DAY LEOPARD ACADEMY Leopard Academy is an opportunity for your child 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 critical thinking skills through activities related to their personal interests.

Registration is open for the following academies for students in first through 6th grade. Choose from one of the links below for more information.

Board and Card Game Academy Yo Yo Academy

CAROL-O-GRAMS

KINDER G/T REFERRALS

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

SAVE THE DATE: LOVEJOY STEM FESTIVAL

MINI CHEER CAMP

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

NEW! DEBIT CARD DESIGN CONTEST Card Size: 2-1/8 by 3-3/8

Scan the QR Code for Official Rules and additional details, or visit mccu.coop/lovejoy.

ORCHESTRA SPIRIT NIGHT 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.

ACCESS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Leopard Life

LOVEJOY LINKS

BOARD ACADEMY 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.

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

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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 . December 01. Issue 17