A Message from the Superintendent
 Dear
Lovejoy Community:
The Texas Legislature is now in session, and once again, our number one legislative priority is school finance. This session, we are particularly focused on the legislative decision related to a portion of our funding called Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction (ASATR). Our ASATR funding is approximately 16% of our total budget, and when the legislature created this line item of funding in 2005, it was promised to be a permanent fixture to school finance. There are 200 school districts in the State of Texas which receive ASATR funding, and our legislature is currently scheduled to end ASATR as of September 1, 2017 in response to a budget shortfall in the 2011 legislative session.
The Lovejoy ISD Board of Trustees has tasked our administration with having a singular focus to continue to protect the Lovejoy program, to ensure our kids continue to receive the same programs we currently have in place. To this end, we are vigorously working with our legislature to extend ASATR funding until we naturally no longer qualify for ASATR. School districts drop off of ASATR as our local tax base growth exceeds student enrollment. Our ASATR funding is ~ 50% of what it was in 2005 when the program began. As we continue to grow, we will become less dependent on ASATR funding.
In addition to seeking a legislative remedy to this challenge, we are also exploring opportunities to generate revenue to make up for the potential loss of ASATR funds. One of the most important revenue enhancements currently in place is our Transfer with Tuition program which will add ~ $1.3 million to this year's budget. We are increasing our communication efforts in the metroplex regarding this program.
As a new initiative, we will begin a Pre-Kindergarten program with tuition for the 2017-2018 school year. If you have a child, or children, who will be 4 years of age by September 1, 2017, you may choose to register in our tuition-based program.
Click here
to complete a form if you are interested in enrolling a student in this program, have any questions, or have comments. As always, if you have questions about our Pre-K program, please send me
an email
, or call or text me at 972.415.8129.
Disney 3v3 Soccer Nationals
Congratulations to Maddox Bailey (PES/4th grade) for taking 1st place at the 2017 Disney 3v3 Soccer Nationals in Florida this past weekend.
Maddox and his team (PST Attack) won the national championship going undefeated throughout the tournament, beating teams from Florida, Kansas, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma, including last year's National Champions.
Extreme Engineering Robotics
Both Lovejoy Extreme Engineering Robotics Teams cruised to the semifinals last Saturday at the Terrell Starstruck Competition. Unfortunately, both found the same fate losing in 3 matches in the best 2 out of 3 semifinals. Robot 1082A come in 4th in the Robot Skills solo competition. 31 teams from across the Metroplex participated in the event, with only the team competition winner qualifying for a berth in state. Lovejoy has one more competition coming up on January 28th to earn a second berth in state. Congratulations to the following team members:
Chase Barnes
Jo Jo Belk
Max Hooper
Matthew Franks
Madison Hubbard
Brock Mordecai
Connor Redding
Jonathan Tiner
Jolina Tran
January 2016 is School Board Recognition Month
January is set aside each year as a special time for our community to celebrate the contributions of our school board and say thank you for their dedication to the students, parents, staff members, and community. We appreciate our board members and all they do. With gratitude, we recognize and thank:
Chad Collins, President
Julie James, Vice President
Robbin Wells, Secretary
Scott Christiansen
Matt Gournay
Al Litchenburg
Amy Smith
Filing Deadline for May Trustee Election
The filing deadline for a place on the ballot for the May 6, 2017 Trustee Election is Friday, February 17, 2017, at 5:00 PM.
C
a
n
d
i
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a
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e packets are available for pick up in the Administration Building. For additional information, please
click here
.
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A Message from the Deputy Superintendent
High School Class Ranking
Dear Lovejoy Community:
Welcome back from the long MLK weekend. There are many competitions and performances scheduled for this week. For example, the high school performance of the musical Fiddler on the Roof is scheduled for this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Along with several sports competitions, our Academic Decathlon team will be competing this Saturday at Coppell High School. I'm looking forward to attending several of these wonderful opportunities to see our Lovejoy students shine.
I get a question every so often about our high school graduation ranking policy. Our policy ranks all students in the graduating class. This question typically surfaces because there are a handful of districts which choose to only rank students in the top 10% of the graduating class. When this became a small trend about five years ago, we conducted a review of the pros and cons for our high school graduates. We continually examine the potential impact of any local policy on our Lovejoy students.
Ultimately, we have continued to rank all students because of the negative effects it would have for students who are ranked outside of the top 10%. Specifically:
- Most colleges will recalculate GPAs for applicants in order to have the most accurate comparisons. Without a class rank, the GPA calculation becomes subjective based on each individual school's policy. The students are placed into a rank tier, and some universities, including Texas Tech, UNT, and Texas State have assured admissions based on the class rank tier and qualifying SAT or ACT score. Without a class rank, students would be placed into the application review process with no guarantees, whereas class rank can allow the student to meet the assured admissions criteria.
- Some universities (Texas A&M, for example) have a second tier of automatic admission. At Texas A&M, the top 25% of their graduating class, with an ACT composite score of 30 or higher or 1360 on the new SAT, will meet the automatic admission requirements. If there is no class rank, our students not in the top 10% will be placed into the Holistic Review process.
- Merit scholarships for many schools are tied to class rank when combined with SAT/ACT scores. For example, application requirements are specifically limited to students in the top 25% or top 50% of their graduating class. Lacking a class rank would require the college to determine eligibility to apply for the scholarship funds.
We hope you love where you have chosen for your child to learn. If you have feedback to help us improve, please do not hesitate to contact me on my cell at 214.385.1967 or via email at
dennis_muizers@lovejoyisd.net
.
Respectfully,
Dennis Muizers
Deputy Superintendent
214.385.1967
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Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools will host a raffle entitled "Fab Five", which includes:
- 7 nights in Sydney, Australia, donated by Cleve Adamson Custom Homes
- $2500 VISA gift card, donated by Owens Realtors
- Texas Limo Wine Tour and Getaway
- Goyard, St. Louis PM Large Tote in Black
- Large Kamado-Style Grill in Red by Grill Dome, donated by The Firehouse in Allen
Raffle tickets are $100. Only 500 tickets will be sold. A drawing will be held for each item, giving each ticket a chance to win one of these prizes. The winners will be drawn at the Denim and Diamonds Gala. You do not need to be present to win.
Click here
for additional information. You may purchase tickets from any Foundation director, via the foundation's website, or at the LISD administration building. See the Foundation website for a list of directors, or
click here
to purchase tickets online.
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This section of Email Express highlights news reports/articles in which Lovejoy has been featured over the previous week.
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Gifted and Talented Referrals for 2017-2018
The referral window for gifted and talented services is now open.
Click here
for referral forms which are located online in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. The window will close March 31, 2017.
Testing will be Saturday April 8, 22, or 29 for students in grades 1-12. Kindergarten students will be tested during the school day.
For questions regarding students in Kindergarten through 4th grade, please email
Caroline Garcia
or call 469.742.8310.
For questions regarding students in 5th through 12th grades, please email
Brie Smith
or call 469.742.8032.
Afterschool Coding Club
The University of Texas at Dallas Department of Computer Science is offering an afterschool coding club at Willow Springs Middle School. The club will meet from 4:00 - 5:00 PM on Wednesdays in February, March and April.
Click here
for details and registration information. The deadline for registration is January 29, 2017. If you have any questions, please contact
kay_bordelon@lovejoyisd.net
.
After Christmas Toy Drive
The Work-Based Learning Program at Lovejoy High School is sponsoring its Annual After Christmas Toy drive for Little Leopards. Donations of gently used toys for children birth to 5 years old are appreciated. Following is a list of After Christmas Toy Drive needs:
Legos
K-Nex
Littlest Pet Shop Houses and Animals
Doll Houses
Board Games
Dress Up Clothes and Hats
Baby Dolls
Outdoor Ride-on Toys for Toddlers
Outdoor Weatherproof Toys for Preschoolers
Arts and Crafts Items
Play-Doh and Play-Doh Toys
Plastic Animals and Dinosaurs
Board Books or Waterproof Baby Books
Anything "Little People"
Infant Mobiles or Toys which will attach to a crib
No Stuffed Animals, please.
Toys may be delivered to any Lovejoy campus or the Administration Building. Thank you for remembering our youngest Leopards.
ASA Softball
Substitute Nursing
Lovejoy ISD is currently accepting applications for substitute nurses. The application may be found by
clicking here
. Please contact Melissa Page with any questions at: 469.742.8013 or
melissa_page@lovejoyisd.net
.
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Lovejoy High School Performing Arts Presents
Fiddler on the Roof:
January 19 - 21
A classic, timeless journey of love, loss, faith, and family.
The tradition of great musicals continues at Lovejoy High School with this year's musical, Fiddler on the Roof, January 19th through 21st at 7:00 PM.
Set in the small Russian town of Anatevka in 1905, Fiddler on the Roof tells a story of faith, family, and tradition. Tevye (played by senior, Trace Glorioso) tries to preserve his family's traditions in a changing world. He is forced to choose between maintaining his Jewish culture and the happiness of his three eldest daughters, Tzeitel (sophomore, Adelyn Maruca), Hodel (senior, Zoe Kahana), and Chava (junior, Renae Haas).
From laughter-inducing lines to memorable music, Fiddler on the Roof is a show for everyone, featuring characters audiences will fall in love with, such as the local matchmaker, Yente (senior, Abby Yaegar), the village butcher, Lazar Wolfe (junior, Vinny Horlock), and the poor lovestruck tailor, Motel (junior, Ryan Hyde).
The show offers iconic and beloved songs such as "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "Tradition," and "The Dream," making it a perfect mix of audience-pleasing humor and heart.
Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for students, faculty and seniors.
Click here
to purchase tickets online. The physical box office, located in front of the LHS auditorium, will be open the week of the show, January 16th through 20th.
Fiddler on the Roof is a heartfelt, moving play you and your loved ones will enjoy.
7th Annual Forum on Children and Families: January 20
The Center for Children and Families and The University of Texas at Dallas will present their 7th Annual Forum on Children and Families, Out of School Time: Expanding Learning Opportunities, Reducing Achievement Gaps on Friday, January 20th.
Click here
for additional information and to register for this event.
Emergency Preparedness Fair and Blood Drive:
January 21
Are you prepared for an emergency? What about a natural disaster, financial crisis, or active shooter situation? Learn to be more prepared for all kinds of emergencies by attending the Free Community Emergency Preparedness Fair:
Saturday, January 21, 2017
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Give the gift of life by donating blood with the American Red Cross
Blood donations will begin at 8:00 AM
1324 W. Exchange Parkway, Allen 75013
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Mini Majestic Dance Camp: January 28
The annual Mini Majestic Dance Camp will be held on Saturday, January 28
th, from 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM. Lovejoy ISD girls K-6 are invited to join the Majestic Dance Team to learn a fun routine and perform at a "Show-Off" for parents and friends. The "Show-Off" will be held in the Lovejoy High School auditorium at 1:00PM on January 28th. The deadline for registration is January 24th. Please go to
www.majesticsdance.org
for additional details and registration information.
Lovejoy Visual Art Students Honored at Dallas Museum of Art:
February 25 - April 16, 2017
The following Lovejoy High School visual art students were selected to participate in the 23rd annual Young Masters Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art. This is a prestigious honor; having their work selected to hang among the halls of contemporary and historic masterpieces in an exhibition demonstrating the most extraordinary work created within AP Studio Art programs from ten of the area's highest performing high schools.
Joelle Benigno - AP Drawing
Taite Borozny- AP 3D Design
Tad Greenwald - AP 2D Design
Ryan Irwin - AP 2D Design
Carolyn Jurotich (2 time winner) - AP Drawing
Hannah Lawson - AP Drawing
Ian Toomey - AP 3D Design
Jessica Wu (2 time winner) - AP Drawing
Please mark your calendars to visit the exhibition:
23rd Annual Young Masters Exhibition
Dallas Museum of Art, Concourse Gallery
Exhibition: February 25-April 16, 2017
Camp Invention: June 19-23
Camp Invention will be held at Sloan Creek Intermediate School from June 19th through 23rd for children entering K - 6th grades.
Click here
for additional information.
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If you would like to provide us with accomplishments of a Lovejoy graduate, please
click here
.
We will share this information in the "Where Are They Now?" section of Email Express. It is a pleasure to report the successes of Lovejoy graduates during their college years and beyond.
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Inclement Weather
School closures will be determined based on safety. In the event of a school closure, notifications will be announced on the district's website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. We will also announce any closure through the media and by phone. Links to our social media accounts are shown below.
Lovejoy ISD App
The Lovejoy ISD App is available for download on both Apple and Android devices. To download the app for Apple devices, please
click here
. To download the app for Android devices, please
click here
.
Twitter and Facebook
Are
you following the district on
Twitter
? Have you liked us on
Facebook
? Join us on social media for news and announcements.
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As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
With Respect,
Ted Moore
Superintendent
Lovejoy ISD
972.415.8129 (mobile)
469.742.8011 (office)
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