On January 23, I sent a special edition of Email Express regarding School Finance. In response to that correspondence, I have received a number of inquiries regarding recapture or Robin Hood. This school year we will be required to pay just short of $1 Million back to the State of Texas as Robin Hood (recapture). If the rules on Robin Hood, which are based on the property wealth per pupil, do not change our Robin Hood payment will almost double for next school year. Ironically, at the same time our state funding is dwindling, we are required to send additional dollars back to the state on top of the loss of funds.

 

The Texas Association of School Boards issued a press release last week in reference to property tax reform. You may click here to read the article.

Denim & Diamonds Online Auction

Now – Tuesday, February 12

The Denim & Diamonds online auction opened on Tuesday, February 5 and will close on Tuesday, February 12 at 10:00 PM. Up for bid are classroom parties, sports camps, prom tickets and other Lovejoy experiences donated by Lovejoy staff. Additionally, auction donations normally reserved for the Denim & Diamonds event are available in the online auction. Click here to bid now!

Today was National Signing Day. The following Lovejoy student athletes signed their collegiate letters of intent this afternoon at Lovejoy High School. We are #lovejoyproud!

 

Conor Beckett

Lacrosse – Southwestern University

 

Coleman Christensen

Football – Furman University

 

Carson Collins

Football – University of Tulsa

 

Carson Hockersmith

XC and Track/Field – University of Oklahoma

 

Natalie Womack

Swim – Henderson State University

Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay

Region III Champions

James Vaughn 100 Yard Fly

Region III Champion

Jed Michael Jones

Region III Male Swimmer Of the Year



This past week the Lovejoy Swimming & Diving team completed the most successful season in team history. The Varsity Girls finished as the 5-A Region III Runners-Up and the Boys team, coming off their 12-5A District Championship, finished in third place. 

 

Eason Jones , Jackie Carroll , Natalie Womack , Emmerson Dingwerth and Ana Laura Faoro (Region III Runner Up in Diving) led the Women’s team to their Runner Up position. 

 

Max Mueth , Jed Michael Jones (Region III Male Swimmer of the Year), James Vaughn , Jakob Feldman and Alex Rowe led the Men’s Team to their third place finish. The swimmers are preparing for the State Swim & Dive Meet at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin on February 15-16.

Congratulations to Morgan Elvin who became the first Lovejoy wrestler to win 100 matches in her career. Currently with 102 career wins, Morgan will continue competition at the district, regional and state tournaments. 

 Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated. Through the Scholastic Awards, teens in grades 7 through 12 from public, private, or home schools can apply in 29  categories  of art and writing for their chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited and published.  Since its founding, the Awards have established an amazing track record for identifying the early promise of our nation’s most accomplished and prolific creative leaders. Alumni include artists Andy Warhol, Philip Pearlstein, Cy Twombly, Robert Indiana, Kay WalkingStick, and John Baldessari; writers Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Bernard Malamud, Myla Goldberg, and Joyce Carol Oates; photographer Richard Avedon; actors Frances Farmer, Robert Redford, Alan Arkin, Lena Dunham, and John Lithgow; fashion designer Zac Posen; and filmmakers Stan Brakhage, Ken Burns,and Richard Linklater.

 

It is with great excitement that Lovejoy Visual Arts (LJVA) adds names to that list again this year. For the first time, LJVA has freshman and sophomores represented in these ranks. Prior to this year, only juniors' and seniors' work was selected to compete at the national level of the Scholastic competition. Among the 43 works of art receiving a regional award, two were 9th grade, 11 were 10th grade, 11 were 11th grade, and 19 were 12th grade.

 

Of the 43 award winners, 13 pieces/portfolios received Gold Keys and will compete for recognition, scholarship, and award on the national level. Congratulations to all of these students for their tremendous accomplishments.

 

Kiley Boots

Gold Key - Drawing and Illustration

 

McKenna Christiansen

Silver Key - Digital Art Road

Two Honorable Mentions – Painting

 

Keeran Cross

Gold Key - Drawing and Illustration

 

Hailey Downing

Silver Key - Drawing and Illustration

 

Bryce Fuller

Gold Key - Digital Art

 

Jenna Garcia

Two Silver Keys - Drawing and Illustration

 

Anna Hurlbert

Silver Key - Drawing and Illustration

Eliza Hyde

Gold Key – Drawing and Illustration

 

Kristina Marshall

Gold Key - Drawing and Illustration

 

Kara McKintosh

Gold Key - Digital Art

 

Megan McNeal

Honorable Mention - Drawing and Illustration

 

Katherine Miller

Honorable Mention - Printmaking

Silver Key - Painting

Five Honorable Mentions - Drawing and Illustration

Gold Key - Printmaking

Honorable Mention - Art Portfolio

 

Sarah Nash

Honorable Mention - Printmaking

Two Silver Keys - Drawing and Illustration

Gold Key - Painting

Silver Key - Film & Animation

Honorable Mention - Painting

 

Kate Petrin

Honorable Mention - Drawing and Illustration

Silver Key - Drawing and Illustration

Hunter Ruiz

Two Gold Keys - Digital Art

Silver Key - Digital Art

 

Luis Sandoval

Honorable Mention - Drawing and Illustration

 

Avery Silliman

Two Honorable Mentions - Drawing and Illustration

Gold Key - Drawing and Illustration

Gold Key - Art Portfolio

Trinity Tassan

Gold Key - Drawing and Illustration

 

Sydney Wigginton

Two Honorable Mentions - Drawing and Illustration

 

Mackenzie Williams

Honorable Mention - Painting

The Lovejoy Orchestra program hosted and competed in the Region 25 UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest on Saturday, February 2. The orchestra students performed amazingly as well as worked to host judges, parents, directors, and students, run scores to contest office, and run the concession stand. Of the 40 solo and ensemble entries, the Lovejoy musicians had 35 Superior/First Division ratings. 

The following students qualified for TSSEC (Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest) by earning a first division rating on a Class 1 solo and/or ensemble:

 

Collin Ashby - solo

Jacob Beets - ensemble

Jackie Carroll - ensemble

Kelsey Carroll - ensemble

Caroline Duke - solo

Richard Dunham - solo

Cade Muziers - ensemble

Hallel Pang - solo

Melody Quinterro - ensemble

Ryan Schlimme - solo

Meifei Wang - solo and ensemble

Lauryn Watanabe - solo

Mark Wen - solo and ensemble

Carol Xu - solo and ensemble

Abigail Xue - ensemble

Daniel Xue - solo and ensemble

On Saturday, February 2 the Willow Springs MathCounts team competed in the Preston Trail Regional MathCounts Competition on the campus of UTD. The MathCounts Competition Series is a national program that provides students the opportunity to compete in live, in-person contests against and alongside their peers. Created in 1983, it is the longest-running MathCounts program and is open to all sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.

 

The regional competition consisted of over 200 individual competitors and 30 teams from the Northern Dallas area. The Willow Springs team consisted of 10 seventh and eighth grade students. Six students competed as individual competitors, and four competed both as individual and as team competitors. The students put forth outstanding efforts, with two students scoring in the top 25% of all competitors . Hannah Mao finished just outside the top six, reaching both the Countdown Round and a spot in the state competition with a 16th place finish.  Patrick Dunleavy finished in 33rd place. In addition to exceptional individual efforts, Hannah Mao , Patrick Dunleavy , Joshua James , and Harry Wang performed masterfully finishing 7th, missing the state competition by one place.

Congratulations to Lovejoy Freshman Sharon Basepogu for her 5th place High School Championship finish in the Region III Chess Tournament at Music City Hall in Lewisville. The US Chess Federation currently ranks Sharon in 25th in the Top Girls Age 15 category. Additionally, Sharon is a Club Tournament Director.

It is time for us to prepare school calendars for the next two school years: 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. The administration will take the recommended calendars to our Board of Trustees for approval on February 20. As our practice has been, we are reaching out to you for input in order to create calendars yielding the greatest satisfaction among all Lovejoy ISD stakeholders. You will find a link to the survey below.

 

As your superintendent, I will work to preserve a calendar that is in the best interest of both teaching/learning and a calendar that facilitates student attendance, which generates state funding. Please find some considerations, which will influence our decision-making:

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may click here to access a printable version of the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 drafts. In general, these calendars are based on the current 2018-2019 calendar. You may click here to access the current calendar. 

 

You may click here to complete the calendar survey. The survey will close at 5:00 PM on Friday, February 8. Should you have any questions regarding the survey please contact Stacey Dillon , Assistant to the Superintendent, at 469.742.8003.

Save the date! Lovejoy ISD will host the second annual STEM festival on March 2 at Lovejoy High School. The event will be held from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. We hope you will join us for an exciting day filled with fascinating speakers, hands-on experiments, Makerspace, student exhibits, robotics lab, cool contests with prizes, food trucks, and much more.

 

An Open House for prospective families will be held during the STEM festival. We hope you will invite your friends and family members who are interested in Lovejoy to join us for this event at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

 

Look for more details in the next edition of Email Express.

The filing deadline for a place on the ballot for the May 4, 2019 Trustee election is Friday, February 15, 2019 at 5:00 PM. Candidate packets are available for pick up in the Administration Building. Please ask for Stacey Dillon.

 

For additional information, please   click here .

 

Candidate filings as of January 16, 2019 are:

 

Lovejoy ISD Trustee Position 1: Chad Collins

Lovejoy ISD Trustee Position 2: Amy Smith

Lovejoy ISD Trustee Position 3: Robbin Wells



Lovejoy ISD is focused on generating new sources of revenue to offset our loss of state funding. Our goal is to protect our programs and avoid charging fees for items such as riding the bus. If you have a need for any of the following services, you can help generate revenue for the district by choosing members of the Circle of Partners . Our partners have pledged a charitable give-back (10% or more) to Lovejoy ISD for any business within the district. 

Savvy Realty pledges 10% of gross commissions on all closings within Lovejoy ISD combined with a fixed fee program which saves their home-sellers thousands of dollars. Check out SavvyRealtyLovejoy.com for details. Company founders Jeff and Sharon Kofahl are proud parents of Lovejoy High School Juniors Bradley and Brandon and Willow Springs 7th grader, Brady.  

The Walker Group Coldwell Banker APEX, Realtors pledges 10% of gross commission on homes they help sell or buy within Lovejoy ISD. Tonya Walker lives in Lovejoy ISD and specializes in this area. She and her team are excited to partner with Lovejoy ISD. Tonya’s website may be found here . 

For your roofing and solar work, we hope you will consider Jones Solar Roofing . Chadd Jones of Jones Solar and Roofing is pledging 10% of their profits on roofing and solar work completed in the Lovejoy ISD. Jones Solar and Roofing provides free inspections of your residential or commercial roof and property. They also offer free estimates on Solar/ Battery and Energy Efficiency upgrades to your home or business. Their website is: https://jonessolar.com/ or you may reach them by phone at 214.412.7444 for residential or commercial properties. Members of his family have been supporters of the Lovejoy ISD since 1979. Chadd and Liesl Thompson Jones are the proud parents of Puster Elementary 1st grader Maxwell.

Please Click Here

for detailed information regarding the topics shown below.

 

LHS Cheer Informational Meeting

LHS Winterguard

 

 

WSMS Theatre Presents Lafayette No. 1

LHS Band Concert

Lovejoy Children’s Choir

WSMS Band Concert

WSMS Orchestra Concert

WSMS Choir Concert

Java & Jazz

LHS Band Fundraiser

Please Click Here

for detailed information regarding the topics shown below.

Lovejoy Athletic Department

Multi-Sport Athletes of the Week

Lovejoy Baseball

Lovejoy Boys Basketball

Lovejoy Girls Basketball

Lovejoy Golf

Lovejoy Powerlifting

Lovejoy Boys Soccer

Lovejoy Girls Soccer

Lovejoy Softball

Lovejoy Tennis

Lovejoy Track

 

 

Lovejoy Wrestling

This section of Email Express highlights news reports/articles featuring Lovejoy over the previous week.

 

 

SportsDayHS: Swimming

 

SportsDayHS: Signing Day

 

Please Click Here

For detailed information regarding all topics shown below.

Gifted and Talented Referral Window Open

Now – March 8

The referral window for students in grades 1-11 for gifted and talented services is open now - March 8. Referral forms are located online in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

 

 

Lovejoy Senior Hosts Volleyball Camp

February 19

Lovejoy High Senior Madison Waters is hosting a volleyball camp for her Senior Project. Funds raised will benefit the American Cancer Society.

 

 

  Gifted and Talented Information Sessions

February 20 and 25

Looking for More Information about G/T Services? Brief information sessions will be held on February 20 and February 25.

 

 

Lovejoy STEM Festival CANgineering Competition

March 2

Lovejoy is pleased to announce the first ever CANgineering Competition at the Lovejoy STEM Festival on March 2.

Lovejoy Gifted Association Announces Rocket Build and Launch Events

March 6 and March 24

Kindergarten Round-Up

March 25 - 29

Hop Into Spring Chess Tournament

March 30

This annual Lovejoy Tournament continues to be a hit around the metroplex. Come join your fellow chess players on March 30 at Sloan Creek for a wonderful day of chess play.

 

 

Mark Your Calendars for the Elementary Campouts!

The Elementary Campouts are a fun and memorable experience for our kids and their families. They offer a wide variety of activities including bounce houses, glow parties, movies under the stars, and much more. The grand finale of each event is a campout on the playgrounds. Funds raised from the campouts provide revenue for the campus and the school district to help offset the loss of state funding.

 

Campout dates are:

 

Lovejoy Elementary School

April 12

 

Puster Elementary School

April 26

 

Hart Elementary School

April 27

STEM Festival T-Shirt Design Contest

Calling all students! Submit your entry for the design of the STEM Festival 2019 t-shirt. Click here for details.

Lovejoy Student Hosts Toy Drive

Lovejoy High School Freshman, Katie Berman, requests your assistance with a toy drive she is organizing to benefit Ready Fighter One.

Lovejoy Offers Group Counseling

Lovejoy is offering group counseling for students for a variety of areas. The groups will meet weekly, during school hours, and will be facilitated by Lovejoy’s Social Worker, Noelle Gove, LCSW.

Toy Drive

The Lovejoy High School Work-Based Learning Program is accepting new to gently used toys for children birth – 5 years. Donations will benefit Little Leopards.

Mentors and Coaches Needed

Lovejoy High School is offering an exciting new Entrepreneurship course – INCubatoredu and we need your help.