Connect with Katie WEEKLY NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
DECEMBER 15, 2023
y o j e v o L s d r a p o e L
CONTENTS 04 MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
05 FOUNDATION HOLIDAY GIFTS
16
1082J&R DOMINATE VRC TOURNAMENT
07 HOLIDAY FUN AROUND LOVEJOY
10 KORDEL ON A BELL 12 SAVE THE DATE: PRE-K MEETING 12 ATTENDANCE UPDATE 13 STEM FESTIVAL DESIGN CONTEST 15 DISTRICT CALENDAR
17 DALLAS MORNING NEWS RECOGNITIONS 18 BOYS BASKETBALL WINTER CLASSIC 19 BASEBALL HITS VOLUNTEER HOME RUN 19 VICTORIA GARDEN SERVICE PROJECT 20 SLOAN CREEK SPELLING BEE 20 SWIM & DIVE 21 ALL REGION BAND CLINIC & CONCERT 22 BOARD MEETING SUMMARY 25 LOVEJOY LINKS 29 DISTRICT AND CAMPUS NEWSLETTERS 29 COMMUNITY NEWS
MESSAGE from the Superintendent Lovejoy Community, On behalf of Lovejoy Independent School District, I would like to wish you and your family all of the blessings of this special season. On Wednesday, the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools filled our schools with love and good cheer. The Foundation and the generosity of our community made it possible for teachers and staff to receive a holiday bonus. We are deeply grateful to the Foundation and their donors. The value our community places on educators is one of our many blessings and part of what makes Lovejoy ISD uniquely special. Several of us dressed up to deliver the holiday bonuses to the teachers and staff. I had some fun as the Grinch. The reactions were priceless. Yesterday was also Grinch day in kindergarten which may be our most adorable Lovejoy tradition. Some of the kindergarteners thought that I was the real Grinch. Their reaction definitely made my heart grow three sizes. At Hart Elementary, unbeknownst to me, the Grinch had taped the kindergarten classroom elf to the wall the night before my visit. The kindergarteners were extremely upset with me over this transgression and made that very clear. At one point I was told, “Take our elf down right now and grow your heart!”. We also had several little Grinches that were excited to get pictures with the big Grinch. Big Grinch is still recovering from the “de-greening” process. I am looking forward to having family time over the break. We plan to do some snow skiing which is our favorite family activity. I hope your winter break is filled with love and joy. We cannot wait to see you in the new year when students return to school on January 4th. Thank you for sharing your precious children with us. The opportunity to be part of their growth and experiencing the many joys of this season with them is a gift. There is only ONE LOVEJOY and we are ALL LEOPARDS! Lovejoy Proud,
Katie Kordel Superintendent
FOUNDATION
HOLIDAY GIFTS
Lovejoy ISD is incredibly grateful for our amazing teachers, staff, students, community, and our partnership with the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools! Thank you to the Foundation and to you for your generous donations which continue to make an incredible impact across our District. Please click the link below to read a letter from the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools. Happiest Holidays!
Donation Link
HOLIDAY FUN
AROUND LOVEJOY
Child Development Center
Hart Elementary
Puster Elementary
Sloan Creek Intermediate
Willow Springs Middle
Lovejoy High School
KORDEL ON A BELL! Santa's workshop, aka Lovejoy Human Resources, has been bringing holiday magic to our LISD campuses and staff. They have been helping our resident Elf, Kordel on a Bell, sneak from campus to campus where she hides until staff members find her and win a special treat!
SAVE THE DATE: 24-25 PRE-K MEETING Do you have a little leopard turning four years old by September 1, 2024? The Lovejoy Child Development Center is hosting an informational 2024-2025 Pre-K meeting on January 10, 2024. The event will include a program overview, curriculum, tuition, registration process, Pre-K eligibility, Q&A, and tour of the school!
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.
STEM FESTIVAL DESIGN CONTEST
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
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.
1082J&R DOMINATE VRC TOURNAMENT Lovejoy Robotics competed with 6 teams this past Saturday at the Southlake VRC Tournament and we're so proud to share that 1082J [Jumbo Shrimp] and 1082R [Robot Go Vroom Vroom] worked together as alliance partners to win the Tournament Championship! 1082J had a fantastic day full of wins and even had to fix their drive controller with duct tape after a part broke and there is no doubt their resiliency paid off! 1082R also fought hard all day, and by the end of the day they not only won Tournament Champ with 1082J, but they also won Skills Champion, and the highest honor- the Excellence Award! These 3 awards make up what we refer to as the "Triple Crown" and no team in Lovejoy history has ever accomplished this at a tournament. Additionally, 1082R is now ranked 16th in the World! What a tremendous accomplishment!
1082J&R
We also want to congratulate 1082M and 1082X for being tournament finalists, 1082X also won the Judges Award at the tournament and finished 2nd place in Skills, 1082F ended 1st place in Qualification Rank, 5th place in Skills Rank and were Semifinalists, and also 1082S had their best skills runs of the season finishing 6th place in Skills and as Quarterfinalists! Congrats to all of our teams that competed in Southlake!
1082X
DALLAS MORNING NEWS RECOGNITIONS On December 6th the Dallas Morning News published their 2023 volleyball players and coach of the year. Four Lovejoy ISD players were recognized and Head Coach, Natalie Puckett, was named Coach of the Year! Head Volleyball Coach, Natalie Pucket said, “I am honored to be named the DMN Coach of the Year, but what I am more proud of is a few of the girls' awards.” Bethanie Wu - Setter of the Year Gentry Barker - Newcomer of the Year McKenna Brand - 1st Team All Area Shelby Burriss - 2nd Team All Area Click here to read the full article (subscription required) Congratulations to these outstanding athletes and Coach Puckett!
Bethanie Wu, Senior Dallas Morning News Setter of the Year
Gentry Barker, Freshman Dallas Morning News Newcomer of the Year
BOYS BASKETBALL WINTER CLASSIC Lovejoy Boys Basketball traveled to the Forney Winter Classic this past weekend The varsity team took home first place honors after defeating Tyler Legacy, Frisco Reedy, and Forney High School. The JV also took home the tournament championship while the freshman came away with the runner-up trophy. Senior Tate Ziemkiewicz was named to the All-Tournament Team and sophomore Luke Modersohn was named tournament MVP. All three teams will be back in action today, Friday, December 15th at Allen High School to play the rival Eagles. Freshman and JV will tip-off at 6:15 pm. Varsity at 7:00 pm. Admission will be free for fans who bring a toy for Toys for Texans!
BASEBALL HITS VOLUNTEER HOME RUN The Lovejoy Baseball team spent Sunday afternoon at Cabela’s in Allen volunteering for Toys for Tots where they helped collect hundreds of Toys that will be sorted and distributed to deserving children on Christmas Day. We are appreciative that the Marine Toys for Tots program allowed us to share in the Christmas Spirit and provide hope to children during the Christmas Season!
VICTORIA GARDEN SERVICE PROJECT Lovejoy Football adopted 16 residents at Victoria Gardens residential nursing center. We are proud of how our students prioritize service to others.
SLOAN CREEK SPELLING BEE 60 students participated in the Sloan Creek Scripps Spelling Bee. We are so proud of their courage and super spelling skills! 3rd place- Advait Saini 2nd place- Cassie Huntsman 1st place- Tiger Shen
SWIM & DIVE This past weekend Lovejoy Swim and Dive competed against 20 different highschools in a championship meet. Overall the women's team placed 6th, while the men's team brought home bronze! Ava Easley and Grant Hu set new school records in the 50 Free and 100 Fly respectively. On the Diving side Maria won her first 11dive competitions of the season! Let's go, Lovejoy!
ALL REGION BAND CLINIC & CONCERT Willow Springs Band had a great day at the middle school All Region Band clinic and concert! Congratulations to our WSMS Band students!
Mylie Ford, Madison Simpson, Alex Ferinden
William Swiere, Madison Simpson, Johannes Ebersohl, William Murphy
Carter Kowalski, George Paulraj, Liam Tran, Dallas Pham, Nicolas Kelsey
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 3rd grader Puster Elementary students Brecklyn Lythjohan and Berkly Todryk led the pledges.
Celebration of Learning is an opportunity for Lovejoy ISD teachers and administrators to share and celebrate learning that is occurring in LISD schools and classrooms each day. For the month of December, the Lovejoy ISD’s A Capella Choir performed.
The Board of Trustees and Administration was proud to recognize the Lovejoy High School Varsity Volleyball Team on their State Championship title. This is the 10th State Championship for the program.
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools was recognized on their 20th Anniversary for 20 years of impact on Lovejoy students and our schools. Along with the Foundation’s founders, previous Foundation for Lovejoy Schools presidents, board members, and executive directors were recognized. Founded in 2003, the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools is a 501(c)3 organization that involves the community in generating and distributing funds that enhance the educational experience in the Lovejoy ISD.
Leopard Life
LOVEJOY LINKS
SAT TEST PREP
CCMR PRESENTATION
HOME RUN HEROS
NUTRITION NEWS
Leopard Life
LOVEJOY LINKS
DESIGN CONTEST Card Size: 2-1/8 by 3-3/8
KINDER G/T REFERRALS
Scan the QR Code for Official Rules and additional details, or visit mccu.coop/lovejoy.
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.
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
Leopard Life
LOVEJOY LINKS
MINI CHEER CAMP
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 . December 15. Issue 19