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DECEMBER 13, 2024

Lovejoy Lovejoy Leopards Leopards

from the Superintendent MESSAGE

LovejoyCommunity,

The Lovejoy Fine Arts Festival is a vibrant celebration of the transformative power of the arts in education! This cherished tradition shines a spotlight on our commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience for all our students while showcasing the truly remarkable fine arts programswithinourdistrict.

This year’s festival was nothing short of magical, filled with inspiring moments thatleftheartsfullandspiritslifted.The beautifulholidayperformancesaddedan extra layer of joy and wonder, making this season even more special. From the festive melodies of our band, orchestra, choir,andelementarymusicprogramsto the dynamic energy of our dance, color guard, and theater groups, every performance was a testament to the passion and dedication of our students andstaff.

The festival also highlighted the extraordinary artwork created by our students, from kindergarten through 12thgrade.Thecreativityondisplaywas truly remarkable and a proud reflection of Lovejoy ISD’s legacy of excellence in the arts, recognized both statewide and nationally.

Weextendaheartfeltthankyoutoourtalentedfineartsteachersanddirectors, whonotonlyinspirelearningandgrowtheverydaybutalsodevotedcountless hourstoensurethefestival’ssuccess.Ourgratitudealsogoestooursupportive Lovejoy families, whose encouragement and support fuels the achievements of ourstudentsandfaculty.

Speaking of the arts, we are extraordinarily proud that 4 LJVA Artists were recognizedlastweekas2025YoungArtsWinners!LaneBeller(‘24),DanaColston (‘25),CarolineMatthews(‘25),andVeronicaYe(’25),wererecognizedamong800 of the nation’s most accomplished emerging artists in the visual, literary and performingarts.Congratulations,Lane,Dana,Caroline,andVeronica!Wecould notbeproudertocelebrateyourwelldeservedandhard-earnedachievement!

We are also celebrating our Robotics Team competing in Boston, a strong Lovejoy ISD showing at the Heritage Ranch Christmas Parade, LHS Yearbook earning 29 awards from TAJE, excellent All Region Band results, and the Sloan CreekSpellingBee.

Wishingyouandyourfamilyawonderfulweekendfilledwithloveandjoy.

ThereisonlyO ARDS!

LovejoyProud

KatieKordel Superintende

Fine Arts Festival

The Lovejoy Fine Arts Festival is an eventweeagerlyanticipateeachyear.

All of our outstanding Fine Arts programscollaboratetoshowcasethe talented and dedicated students of Lovejoy ISD. Our Fine Arts programs are nationally recognized for their rigor and excellence, but in our community, the Fine Arts hold even greater significance. They are classes where our students feel safe, valued, andfindtheirpeers.Wetakegreatjoy in watching our students perform together and display their work. It is heartwarming to see students from otherprogramscometosupporttheir friendsandshareintheirhappiness.

TheFineArtsFestivalisamonumental undertaking thelargesteventhosted by each of our programs annually and it is worth every ounce of care, effort, and love that goes into it. We are deeply appreciative of our Fine Arts teachers and directors for time, passion, and heart for their programs and our Lovejoy students. Thank you LovejoyCommunityforbeingapartof our festival, sharing in our joy, and celebrating our remarkable students. HappyHolidaystoyouall!

Band

Orchestra

Choir

Majestics

ColorGuard

VisualArts

LovejoyVisualArtwouldliketothankourartists,families,andfriendsforjoining uslastweekaswecelebratedourAnnualK-12VisualArtEvolutionExhibit.The eveningwasfilledwithourartistssharingtheirwork,posingforpictures,telling stories from the studio, sharing some hot chocolate with old friends, and exploring the incredible work from every campus. We would like to thank our LJVA staff for the work that they do daily to create an unparalleled K-12 experienceinthevisualartsthatisfoundedinlearningandtradition,rootedin process and practice, and committed to exploration and student voice. Thank youtoourLovejoyGalleryManagersforcuratingandhangingthisexhibitionto showcase our student artists' journey from the first year in the studio to their last;providingabeautifulpictureoftheintentionalexperienceourartiststake on while in our Lovejoy studios. Thank you to our Lovejoy Orchestra for accompanying the artwork with their gorgeous instrumentation. It was an unforgettable evening for our artists because of the love and care from all involvedinthecelebration.WewishyouandallofyourartistsaHappyHoliday Seasonandcannotwaittoseewhattheycreatenextsemester!

Theatre

HERITAGE RANCH

CHRISTMAS PARADE

Lovejoy Baseball and the Lovejoy Cross Country and Track and Field team participatedintheHeritageRanchChristmasParadelastSaturday.Thegroups were wonderful representatives of Lovejoy ISD. Cross Country and Track and Fieldevenputonproduction!Theybuilta"WinterWonderlandFloat"complete withsnowflakedancers!TheyalsohadagroupofCarolerswhosangallofthe Holidayfavorites!TheteamcamecompletewithSantaClaus,BuddytheElf,2 Elvesonashelf,andLeotheLeopardMascot!Wearesoproudoftheseathletes andtheircoachesfortheircommitmenttothecommunityandgivingtheirtime toputsmilesonfaces!

Reality Check

As a valued stakeholder, we know how much our district matters to you. Therefore, we believe it is important that you have accurate and transparent informationaboutLovejoyISD.WiththeintroductionofRealityCheck,weare taking proactive steps to address misinformation and disinformation. It is our hope that this resource will serve as an informational tool for our community andfurtherLovejoyISD’scommitmenttocommunication.

AccessRealityCheckHere

ATTENDANCE UPDATE

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

G/T REFERRAL WINDOW

The Lovejoy ISD G/T referral window is opening soon! Forms will be available in PowerSchool.

Kindergartenreferrals:January1-31

Grades1-11referrals:February1-28

Aninformatonalzoommeetingwillbeheldon December16th. Thezoomlinkwillbeshared incampusnewsletters.

Please email any questions to crystal gaddie@lovejoyisd.net.

DISTRICT CALENDAR

THE GINGERBREAD

MAN RETURNS

TheGingerbreadfrenzyranthroughoutHartElementary!Kindergartenstudents searched for their friend as he disrupted the school day and created magical schoolmemories!

INFERENCE &

TEXT EVIDENCE

4th grade students are working on inferencing and text evidence to support theirthinkinginreading.Studentswereworkinginpartnershiptoidentifytext evidence as they read a portion of their mystery, as Ms. Baker listened in on theirdiscussions.Together,theytooktheirtextevidencetoquicklyjotdownifit supportedthesuspectinaninnocentorguiltyway.Thedialogueandhighlevels ofthinkingthatwereoccurringwasamazingtowatch.

SLOAN CREEK

SPELLING BEE

Sloan Creek Intermediate held a schoolwide Spelling Bee on December 11th, after competitions in Reading Language Arts (RLA) classrooms. Approximately 50studentscompetedintheSchoolBee.After21roundsandarigorousspelling word list from higher grade levels, Advait Saini was declared the Sloan Creek SpellingBeeChampion2024! OliviaLappaearned2ndplace.CassieHuntsman, whowasalsoafinalistinlastyear'sSpellingBeeCompetition,placed3rd.

AdavitwillcontinueontotheCollinCountyBeethatwilltakeplaceonFebruary 6th in Prosper at Walnut Grove High School. We are proud of the hard work these students put in to prepare, and we are in awe of their amazing spelling abilities.

WILLOW SPRINGS

ORCHESTRA TRIP

All four Willow Springs Middle School Orchestras performed holiday music at StonebriarCentre’s“SoundsoftheSeason” event!WewouldliketoacknowledgeWillow Springs Orchestra Director, Ashley Dickens, forherleadership,aswellas,our wonderful orchestra parents who transported cellos, basses,andbassstoolsandthosethattook time out of their day to chaperone and support the students! Lovejoy has the best community!

ChamberOrchestra

BASKETBALL

SENIOR NIGHT

The Lovejoy Boys Basketball team honored their 2025 senior class on Wednesday night when they hosted the Celina Bobcats. Fueled by a great allaroundteamefforttheLeopardsracedtoa71-52winoveraverygoodBobcat team.Withthewin,theLeopardsimprovedto12-3ontheseason.Theyreturn to action on Tuesday night, December 17, with their district opener against ProsperWalnutGrove.Tip-offisscheduledfor7p.m.attheLovejoyHighSchool Gym. JoinusincheeringonourLeopards!

ROBOTICS COMPETES

IN MASSACHUSETTS

Lovejoy Robotics had a great Signature event in Worcester, Massachusetts at theWave@WPISignatureeventThursdaythroughSaturday,December5-7th. 1082E and 1082J were Tournament Finalists. 1082E also placed 4th in skills. 1082MwontheDesignaward,wontheirfirsteliminationmatch,andplaced6th inSkills.1082RwontheThinkAwardandplaced2ndinskills.1082Swontheir firsttwomatchesandfacedsomehighlyrankedteams.

WearedeeplygratefulforBryanSparrow,RoboticsTeacher,andalltheparent chaperones that made this trip possible, including: Brian Amabile, Andrea Cazares,TrishCook,AndyDykstra,ChristyForte,PattyJasina,PaulJasina,Luz Orozco, Dawn Rawls, Eric Schnurr, Shannon Verschage, Tony Vilaysack, Tina Whitfill.AspecialthankstoPaulJasinaandBrianAmabilefordrivingourrobots andtrailerfromLucastoMassachusetts.

JV Robotics also traveled to Joshua, TX to attend their event Big Battle in a Small Town in our Region. The three teams did very well at the tournament. 1082G won the Innovate Award and was Tournament Finalist. 1082V won the Design Award. 1082T made elimination rounds. Thank you Coach Porsch for leadingtheseteamsinJoshua!

RoboticsinvitesourLovejoycommunitytosupportourVarsityandJVteamsat nformation.

ALL REGION

BAND RESULTS

WearesoexcitedtosharetheresultsfromPhase2ofAllRegionBandAuditions! Pleasejoinmeincongratulatingthesestudentsforalltheirhardwork.Wehave 15studentswhowillauditionforAllStatemembershipatAreaBandauditions in January! Area is the last audition to make the All State Band! This opportunityiswelldeservedforalltheirdedicationandhardwork.

13studentswonpositionsintheAllRegionBand;3studentsalsowonpositions in the All Region Orchestra; and 15 students have advanced to Area! Please congratulatethesestudentsandtheirteacherswhenyouseethem.

Piccolo

AudreyOesterling:WindEnsemble1stChair-AreaAdvancement

AudreyOesterling:1stChairAllRegionOrchestraPiccolo

Flute

MihayaSakai:WindSymphony7thChair-AreaAdvancement

GeorgePaulraj,FreshmanRegionBand

Clarinet

CalebBorn:WindSymphony7thChair-AreaAdvancement

SarahGable:SymphonicBand9thChair-AreaAdvancement

JoshMulatu:5thAlternate-AreaAdvancement

MariselaAlexander:51st(6thin5A)-AreaAdvancement

NehaSomagattu-52nd(7thin5A)FreshmanRegionBand

MakaylaLiebl-53rd(8thin5A)

BassClarinet

IanMarshall:WindEnsemble2ndChair-AreaAdvancement

AddisonWood:Alternate(14th,4thin5A)

AltoSax

AnsonPham:16th(3rdin5A)

TenorSax

AdrianPham:SymphonicBand1stChair-AreaAdvancement

Trumpet

AdamKent:SymphonicBand3rdChair-AreaAdvancement

AndrewLamping:34th(5thin5A)-AreaAdvancement

JackBurnett:36th(7thin5A)

Horn

MeganLyons:30th(3rdin5A)-AreaAdvancement

MeganLyons:AllRegionOrchestra

NicolasKelsey:31st(4thin5A)-AreaAdvancement(StillintheFreshmanRegion Band)

Trombone

JackKuhn:WindSymphony6thChair-AreaAdvancement

Tuba

LiamTran:FreshmanRegionBand

Percussion

MaxRattleff:4thChairWindEnsemble-AreaAdvancement

MaxRattleff:AllRegionOrchestra

GuiAguiar:1stAlternate-AreaAdvancement

LHS YEARBOOK TAJE AWARDS

The 2024 Lovejoy High School yearbook earned 29 awards through Texas Association of Journalism Educations (TAJE) Best in Texas competition. 3 Superior ratings, 12 Excellent and 14 Honorable Mention awards. CongratulationstothesestudentsandtheirYearbookteacher,ClarissaShirley!

Y27StudentLifePhoto-AveryHaeussler-Excellent

Y29OrganizationsPhoto-ReidGerwer-Excellent

Y29OrganizationsPhoto-AralynnWard-Excellent

Y29OrganizationsPhoto-LeiaZirogiannis-Excellent

Y30SportsAction-AlexMaddin-Excellent

Y27StudentLifePhoto-FaithNuckels-HonorableMention

Y27StudentLifePhoto-LayneDechant-HonorableMention

Y29OrganizationsPhoto-FaithNuckels-HonorableMention

Y29OrganizationsPhoto-LayneDechant-HonorableMention

Y30SportsAction-AveryHaeussler-HonorableMention

Y30SportsAction-FaithNuckels-HonorableMention

Y30SportsAction-EthanNelson-HonorableMention

Y31SportsFeature-EthanNelson-HonorableMention

Y21SidebarSuperior

Y23InfographicsSuperior

Y23InfographicsExcellent

Y21SidebarExcellent

Y18SportsSpreadExcellent

Y22AlternativeCopyExcellent

Y4CaptionWritingHonorableMention

Y15StudentLifeSpreadHonorableMention

Y16AcademicsHonorableMention

Y17OrganizationsSpreadHonorableMention

Y22AlternativeCopy HonorableMention

Y29OrganizationsPhotoFaithNuckels-HonorableMention

Y29OrganizationsPhoto-LayneDechantHonorableMention

Y30SportsAction-Avery Haeussler-HonorableMention

Y30SportsAction-FaithNuckels-HonorableMention

LEOPARD FOOTBALL

Unfortunately the 2024 Leopard football season came to an end last Friday nightinProsper. Thetoughness,grit,anddeterminationshownbyourathletes throughouttheseasonwasinspiring.OnceagaintheLeopardfootballprogram madeittothe4throundplayoffgame;anincredibleaccomplishmentthatonly a few teams consistently accomplish. Thank you to our seniors who have invested so much into this school, community, and program. They set the foundationfouryearsagoandwecannowsaythisprogramisthestandardof Texas High School Football! Lastly, we are grateful for our coaching staff, athletic trainers, fine arts programs, event staff, and parents who have made everyFridaynighttrulyspecial. Thankyou,Lovejoy!

THSCA HONORS

CROSS COUNTRY

Join us in congratulating Lovejoy’s Cross Country team for their most recent accomplishmentsforwhichweareimmenslyproud:

THSCACrossCountrySuperEliteTeam

TheTexasHighSchoolCoachesAssociation(THSCA) Super Elite Teams consists of high school players nominated by current professional members of the Texas High School Coaches Association. The award recognizesstudentathletesacrossthestateofTexas for their exemplary athletic achievement in their respectivesport.

Criteria:

Beofgoodmoralcharacter1. Varsitysportsonly.2. Have been a member of the team in good standing at the time of nomination 3. Playerhasexcelledasanelitememberintheirrespectivesport4.

LovejoyhadfourrunnersselectedtotheSuperEliteTeamthisfall!

-CamrynBenson-5AGirls

-WillCarlson-5ABoys

-JoeyReid-5ABoys

-TristanArceneau-5ABoys

THSCARegionIIICrossCountryCoach oftheYear

THSCA & Texas Farm Bureau Insurance give recognition to our Texas high school coaches for their accomplishments on and off the field/court with an opportunity to be honored nationally. Coach Littlefield and Coach Kelly are this year's THSCA Region III Coach of the Year winners for 5A Girls and Boys Cross Country respectively respectively. Each coach is now in the running for THSCA Coach of the Year fortheentirestateofTexas,whichwillbeannouncedinthenearfuture.

COLLEGE BOARD AP

ART & DESIGN EXHIBIT

MakennaFordFeaturedin‘24APStudioArtandDesignGlobalExhibit

LovejoyVisualArt(LJVA)isexcitedtoannouncethat2024LovejoyHighSchool graduate, Makenna Ford was selected to be included in the College Boardʼs 2024 AP Art and Design Digital Exhibit. Makenna is one of only 50 students selectedfromover80,000portfoliostorepresentsomeofthebesthighschool artworkintheworld!Theartworksrepresenttheresilienceandperseveranceof highschoolstudentsworldwideastheycreateinnovativeworksofartbasedon personal experience and make commentary on relevant ideas and issues in today's world. The exhibit features student and teacher reflections on these works, providing compelling insights into how artists make choices and approachartmaking.Cullingfromthetopscores,the50studentsselectedfor the AP Art and Design Digital Exhibit represent high-quality examples of rigor andexcellenceoftheAPArtandDesignportfolioandareusedasexemplarsand teaching tools for students and teachers around the globe. Ms. Ford is an extraordinary example of the humble leadership, commitment to personal goals,authenticity,andunwaveringworkethicthatLJVAhopestoinstillinallof ourartists.WearesoproudofMakennaforthisincrediblehonor!

OF TRUSTEES

INVITATION

DearLovejoyCommunity,

As a Board, we are committed to strong and proactive communication with our community. Part of this commitment is sending an email invitation to our community prior to Board Meetings with a sincere desire for you to be involved andfullyaware,sowecancometogetherasacommunityforourchildren.

December16,2024PublicNoticeWebsite

(Public ntoice will be posted a minimum of 72 hours in advance)

You may find the full agenda with supporting documentation on our district's BoardBookPremierwebsiteHERE.

Sincerely,

Barrett Owens, President

Jeff Wood, Vice-President

Amy Smith, Secretary

Marvin Bobo, Trustee

Jason Jaynes, Trustee

Julie McLaughlin, Trustee

Mark Wheelis, Trustee

LEOPARD LIFE

TheLeopardLifewebsiteisanewadditiontoLovejoy’swaystostayengaged. SchoolrelatedflyersandcommunitynewswillbesharedontheLeopardLife.

Thisweek'sfeaturedflyersare:

LovejoyBandHolidayRaffle(PurchasebyDec.12th)

ChoirCarol-O-GramFundraiser(StudentCarolersDec.12-13)

JuniorLeopardsMiniCheerCamp(RegisterbyDec.13th)

BaseballHomeRunHerosK-6Registration(RegisterbyJan.17)

CommunityNews

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!

This is a community wide program presented by LISD’s Director of Safety and Security, Casey Littlefield. We hope that you will join us on Wednesday, January 15th at the LHS Auditorium at 6pm as Casey shares the Standard ResponseProtocolsusedwithinschools as well as CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Event). CRASE provides strategiesandguidanceforsurvivingan active shooter event. If you have ever asked yourself, what should I do if confrontedwithanactiveshooterevent, come learn the strategies of Avoid, Deny,Defend(ADD).

Lovejoy SAT Prep classes are openforregistration.Clickhere tolearnmoreandregister!

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 kindergarten through 6th grade. Choose from one of the links below formoreinformation.

Thisisanopportunityforparentsandcommunitymemberstoconnectwith LovejoyISDTrusteesandSuperintendentKatieKordelinaninformalsetting. During Community Coffee Talks, Lovejoy ISD leadership listens, shares and engagesin opendialogue/discussionwithourcommunity.

February26,2024 6:00p.m.-7:00p.m. WillowSpringsMiddle(Cafeteria)

April29,2024 9:00a.m.-10:00a.m. HartElementary(LeopardLair)

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!