Connect with Katie 03.28.2025.Issue31 by Lovejoy ISD

Connect with Katie

MARCH

28, 2025

Lovejoy Lovejoy Leopards Leopards

LovejoyCommunity,

Wehavehadawonderfulweekbackinactionafter spring break! We hope you had a restful and enjoyable spring break filled with moments of relaxation and connection. You can tell from the cover photo that the Lovejoy Visual Arts program had a wonderful spring break trip to Spain for an immersive experience, studying AP Art History worksandcreatingartinCataloniaandAndalusia.

KindergartenRound-UpandApril10thSneakPeek

IcannotbelievethatitisalreadytimeforKindergartenRound-Upforthe20252026schoolyear!Registrationisnowopenatthislinkforchildrenwhowillbe five years of age by September 1st. We are very excited to be hosting KindergartenSneakPeekatHartandPusterElementarySchoolsonThursday, April10that5:00p.m.Duringtheevent,ourfutureLeopardswillrotatethrough activities while parents receive kindergarten information from our amazing campus leaders. Welcoming our new kindergarteners is a source of such joy, hope,andrenewedexcitementforuseachyear.

Lovejoy High School Student-Superintendent Connection Council: City of Lucas

On Tuesday, the Lovejoy High School Student-Superintendent Connection Council had the privilege of visiting Lucas City Hall and building their understandingofmunicipalgovernment.Wearegratefulforthepartnershipof the City of Lucas in providing this impactful learning opportunity. A heartfelt thank you to Mayor Kuykendall, City Manager John Whitsell and the City of Lucas staff for their hospitality and for providing this meaningful opportunity forourstudents.WecannotwaitforthesecondpartofthisexperienceinApril when our students will plan and participate in a simulation of a city council meeting.

HeartoftheTeacherandHeartofSupport

ThismorningwasespeciallymeaningfulasDistrictleadershipvisitedcampuses to celebrate our Heart of the Teacher and Support honorees. These dedicated teachersandstaffmembersembodyourculturecommitmentsofRelationships, Collaboration, Results, and Fun. A special thank you to Tonya Walker, a local realtor and President of the Allen-Fairview Chamber of Commerce, for generously sponsoring the gift cards for teachers and staff that make this cherishedLovejoytraditionevenmorespecial.

2025BondPropositionInformation

Wehavecreatedawebsitewithinformationthatcanbeaccessedhere.Wealso encourageyoutovisitour2025BondFrequentlyAskedQuestionsfoundatthis link.

LegacyofExcellence:HighlightsandCelebrations

Powerlifting

The state qualifiers for the teams over the spring break were: Ty Smith, Luke Sussman, Gavin Prince, Ben Sussman, Reese Wallace, Teni Segun, and Natalie Lenart.GoLeopards!

UILAcademics

TheUILAcademicDistrictMeetbeginstoday.Let’scheeronourLeopards!

ColorGuard

Congratulations to Willow Springs Middle School for winning the Cadet Class Championship! Lovejoy High School Junior Varsity Guard won second place at theirchampionshipcompetitionandtheLHSVarsityGuardplaced9thattheWGI SouthwestRegionalinCoppell,TX.WearecheeringontheLHSVarsityGuardat theirchampionshipcompetitionthisweekend!

Theatre

Lovejoy Theatre has advanced yet again and will be heading to Bi-district next week.Let’sgoLeopards!

Majestics

TheSpringShow“UpintheAir”isrightaroundthecornerandwecannotwaitto watch them performon April3rd,4th,and5th. You canpurchaseticketshere.

Spring is a season of growth, celebration and achievement. We look forward to finishingthisschoolyearstrongtogether.

Wishingyouaweekendfilledwithloveandjoy.

ThereisonlyONELOVEJOYandweareALLLEOPARDS!

LovejoyProud, KatieKordel

Superintendent

The 2025 Bond proposal is a community driven plan that addresses major facilitysystems,technology,andsafetyandsecurityatallcampuses,aswellas renovations to support teaching and learning at Hart Elementary and Lovejoy High School. These proposed improvements will impact every student and every school, making our campuses more efficient and reducing operational costsforLovejoyISD.

Every Student, Every School

During Spring Break, Lovejoy Visual Arts traveled to Spain for an immersive experience, studying AP Art History works and creating art in Catalonia and Andalusia. Students explored masterpieces like Gaudí's Basílica de la Sagrada FamíliaandParkGüell,sketchedatPlazadeEspañainSeville,andreflectedon Medieval architecture in Córdoba and Granada. They traveled by train, taking guided tours through Barcelona, Seville, and Córdoba. Drawing from life in Medieval and Renaissance towns and experiencing Greco-Roman and Islamic architecturefirsthandwastrulylife-changing.Thisuniqueopportunityallowed students to connect with history, art, and culture in ways books and screens can't provide. Our students were praised for being mature, kind, inquisitive, and thoughtful throughout the trip. A big thank you to Amanda Beller, Jeff Seidel, Paige Christiansen and Brice McCasland for chaperoning and exceptionalplanning.Staytunedforournextadventurein2026!

This week, the City of Lucas graciously hosted the Connection Council. Mayor Kuykendall, City Manager John Whitsell, Lucas City Staff, and Fire Chief Stephens, provided our students with an invaluable opportunity to deepen their understanding of municipal government. We are sincerely grateful for theirpartnershipandthemeaningfulexperiencetheycreatedforourstudents as they continue their leadership studies. We look forward to Part II in April whenourstudentswillapplytheirknowledgebyplanningandparticipatingina simulatedCityCouncilmeeting.

Join us at the Gifted & Talented Showcase to explore amazing projects created by 1st grade4th grade students. You'll see everything from intriguing enigmas and a futuristic city to student-madegamesandpassion projects. Don't miss this chance to celebrate the creativity and talentofouryounginnovators!

LovejoyISD,don’tloseyourspotwhile you read! Lovejoy ISD Libraries are excitedtochallengereaderstodesigna bookmark that celebrates reading and centers around the theme of spots-your favorite reading spots, Leopard spots, or whatever "spots" means to you. Use the theme to jumpstart your ideas; be creative. Two winners from each grade level (PreK-12) will have theirbookmarkprintedandavailableat every Lovejoy ISD school, admin building, and library. We can't wait to see your designs and share the love of reading

You do not want to miss this year's highly anticipated Majestics Spring Show–“UpintheAir”–onApril3,4,& 5, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the LHS Auditorium. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Monday, March 24th. We hopeyou’lljoinusonboardatMajestic Air, where we plan to take you places you’ve never been. This is no ordinary journey it’s an adventure you’ll never forget!

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

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.

HartElementaryhostedafantasticartshow,celebratingthecreativityandhard work of our students. The show featured collaborative class pizzas, magical maps, secret word hieroglyphics, and much more! It was an exciting opportunity to showcase our students’ artistic talents. If you missed it, don’t worry the exhibit will be up until Sunday. Feel free to email Ms. Armstrong if you'dliketostopbyandviewtheamazingworkourstudentshavecreated.A bigthankyoutoeveryonewhosupportedandmadethiseventasuccess!

Puster kindergarten students are building future ready skills! Recently, they headed to the Leopard Lab to participate in several STEM stations allowing them to engage in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, inquiry, problem solving, creativity, innovation and resilience. There were many opportunities to teach valuable social skills such as agreeing and disagreeing appropriately. Thank you to our parent volunteers who helped support the learningateachstation!

Before the break, Lovejoy High School students had an amazing time reading withtheLeopardsatHartElementary!Itwasagreatopportunityforstudentsto engage with different groups from our school. We had members from varsity baseball, varsity boys soccer, band, robotics, and fishing all present to join in thefun.Thekidslovedinteractingwiththeathletesandstudentgroups,andit wasamemorabledayofsharingthejoyofreadingandlearningwiththenext generationofLeopards!

CongratulationstotheLHSgirlssoccerteamwhocontinuetodominateduring t l T d i th d d f th l ff th it

oseStadium. Goodluck,Leopards!

The Lovejoy Powerlifting season for the boys wrapped up last weekend in Abilene. The the girls competed the weekend before in Edinburg. Seven total Leopardsqualifiedandcompetedintheirrespectivedivisions.

OurtopfinisherwasTeniSegunwhoplaced3rdoverallintheStateinthegirls division.

The boys had top 10 finishes by Luke Sussman and Gavin Prince in their respectiveweightclasses.

CongratulationstoReeceWallace,NatalieLenart,BenSussman,andTySmith whoallrepresentedLovejoyaswell!

We are very excited to announce that Lovejoy Theatre’s One Act Play has advancedandwillbeheadingtobi-districtnextweek!! Weare#LovejoyProud of our students’ hard work and this show. Their competition has been tough andtheyhavewonagainstsomeamazingshows!

Lovejoy Theatre took home five awards including best technician for Daniella Coad, honorable mention for Ella Snyder and Clare Christenson, and All Star castforSophieKonecnyandKatyPayne.

PleasejoinusincongratulatingourOneActTeamontheirhardwork!

The Leopards completed the first round of district play Wednesday night againsttheShermanBearcatsaftersomecrazyweather!Thegameresultedina run-ruleafter5-innings,threeofourseniorsTessLynch(3),AddisonGeorge(3) andNataliePierson(4)contributed10ofthe13runsscored!JuniorpitcherIzzy Guarrielloearned11strikeoutsandanotherno-hitterinthecircleasshecloses in on her achievement of 300 career strikeouts! The girls start their second roundofdistricttonight(Friday)againsttheAnnaCoyotes!Wecannotbelieve how fast the season is going, we hope to see you at our next home game on April1stwhenwecelebrateouramazingteachers!

LeopardNation,whatanamazingtwoweeks!We'veseengreatbaseballonthe fieldandcelebratedunforgettablemomentsasateam.

Please join us in congratulating Coach Gros on his 100th win! His leadership and our players' hard work have made this possible. We’re so proud to have himleadingourbaseballathletes.

We also honored our Class of 2025. Their contributions have been invaluable, andwecan’twaittoseewhattheyachievenext,bothonandoffthefield.

The excitement continues! Next week kicks off with Neon Night at home on Tuesday. Wear your brightest neon gear and let's show our Leopards some serioussupport!

Here’swhat’scomingup:

JVRedvsMcKinneyNorth:March31st,6:00PM@McKinneyNorthHS;April 4th,6:00PM@LovejoyHS

JV Black/Varsity vs McKinney North: April 1st, 4:30/7:30 PM @ Lovejoy HS [NEONNIGHT];April4th,4:30/7:30PM@McKinneyNorthHS

Let’skeepthemomentumgoing!GoLeop

AhugecongratulationstotheJVGuardfortheiroutstandingperformanceat the JV Guard Championships on Saturday, March 15th! They earned an impressive2ndplaceinahighlycompetitivecontest!Theshowwasstunning, and the growth they’ve shown throughout the season was truly remarkable. Bravototheentireteam!

The WGI contest is the biggest and most intense competition our Varsity Guard faces each year, with the first day dedicated to prelims. The Varsity Guard performed beautifully and captivated the audience, scoring a remarkable84!Thiswastheirhighestscoreoftheseason,securingaspotin the finals on Sunday. Their finals performance was incredible, and out of 35 guards in their class, they finished 9th overall beating tough competitors likeHebron,Wakeland,andothers.Wecouldn’tbeprouderofthem!

Join us in supporting your LHS Varsity Guard this weekend at the Varsity Championships at The Colony High School on Saturday and Coppell High SchoolonSunday!

LeopardFishinghadastrongshowingattheTHSBAtournamentonLakeFork, with 21 boats participating. Lake Fork's slot limit requires releasing bass between16-24inchesandallowskeepinguptofivebass,withonlyoneover24 inches.Outof207boats,13LeopardFishingteamsweighedinfish.

Topfinishes:

6th:GradyBoots&NicholasRowe-8.96lbs

10th:Liam&OwenQuinlan-8.34lbs

13th:Carson&WilliamBrownlow-8.18lbs

15th:GraysonCox&CarstenDunn-8.08lbs

19th:MatthewLopez&CalebWashko-7.77lbs

Otherweigh-insincludedCashDardano&KadeStubbs(7.05lbs),MacCurry& CohenMonda(6.12lbs),andmore.Nextstop:LakeTawakoniinApril!

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.

March31,2025PublicNoticeWebsite (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

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!

Want more time to shop? The Leopard Store will be open late on April 16th. Everything is 50% off!

This is an opportunity for parents and community members to connect with LovejoyISDTrusteesandSuperintendent Katie Kordel in an informal setting. During Community Coffee Talks, Lovejoy ISD leadership listens, shares and engages in open dialogue/discussion withourcommunity.

April29,2025 9:00a.m.-10:00a.m.

HartElementary (LeopardLair)

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!