The Lovejoy Independent School District
Welcome to Lovejoy ISD where
Kids Come First.
Each day we are focused on doing our
Best Today. Better Tomorrow
.
We are
One Heart. One Lovejoy.
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Dear Lovejoy Community:
It has been a tremendous week of numerous accomplishments in Lovejoy ISD. From amazing campus campouts, to a wide variety of athletes qualifying for state competitions, to incredible mastery level results on 5th and 8th grade STAAR exams, it is certainly a great time to be a Leopard! I hope you will take time to read the diverse student accomplishments shared below. Additionally, the news from our Deputy Superintendent Dennis Muizers regarding mastery level learning and STAAR results is a must-read. We are indeed Lovejoy Proud!
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In addition to our student successes, it is a pleasure to congratulate Kent Messer, Principal of Willow Springs Middle School on his most recent accomplishment. Over the past four years, Mr. Messer has been working on his Educational Doctorate through Creighton University. He conducted research on the effect of principal mentorship programs on beginning principals. Last week, Mr. Messer successfully defended his dissertation and met all requirements of the Creighton University Ed.D. program. Congratulations, Dr. Messer!
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I hope you had an opportunity to read the Special Edition of Email Express that was sent to you last night. Parents, grandparents, and community members can have a profound impact on the legislative debate over how to fund schools and reform the property tax system. Now is the time to make your voices heard! As it currently stands, under the Senate’s version of HB 3, Lovejoy is poised to lose $3.5 million in funding annually; whereas, under the House version Lovejoy will lose $2 million annually. Neither of these options are acceptable. You may
click here
to see how you can help.
It has been brought to the attention of the district that there is a data inconsistency in the Texas Education Agency’s Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR). The TAPR report data for 2017-2018 under-reports the number of dedicated special education teachers in Lovejoy ISD. You may
click here
to for an explanation of the discrepancy and to view the data had it been reported accurately.
With respect and admiration,
Dr. Dennis Womack
LISD Interim Superintendent
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The 2019 School Board Election will be held on Saturday, May 4 from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM. The terms expiring in 2019 are Places 1, 2, and 3. Place 1 candidates are Chad Collins (incumbent) and Joel Treanor. Place 2 candidates are Amy Smith (incumbent) and John R. Reed. Place 3 candidates are Robbin Wells (incumbent) and Jennifer Kline. The Lovejoy ISD Administration Building, Portable #1 is a Collin County Vote Center. You may
click here
for a full listing of Election Day polling locations.
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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. Congratulations to the numerous volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the elementary campouts such extraordinary events.
Click here
to see a bird’s-eye view of the Puster campout.
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The Boys Golf Team competed in the UIL Region II Tournament this past week at the Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club. The Boys were limited to playing nine holes on the first day of competition due to heavy storms in the area. On Thursday of the tournament, the boys played twenty-seven holes to make up for the nine holes missed on Wednesday. The Leopards finished the first eighteen holes with a team total score of 310, which had them in 5th place, seven shots out of the 3rd place State Qualifier position.
Jay Pabin
shot 74,
Brian Wolfe
shot 78,
Mason McClure
and
Jack LeGare
both shot 79 and
Trent King
finished with an 84. The Boys shot a team total 304 on the last eighteen holes, finishing in 5th place.
Jack LeGare
shot 87,
Trent King
shot 81,
Mason McClure
shot 79,
Brian Wolfe
shot 78 and
Jay Pabin
shot 66.
Jay Pabin
finished third as an individual and qualified for the UIL State Golf Tournament, becoming the first Lovejoy male golfer to qualify for the State Tournament. Jay will compete in the State Tournament on Monday (May 20) and Tuesday (May 21) at the White Wing Golf Club in Georgetown.
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Lady Leopard golfer
Allie Bianchi
will travel to Georgetown to participate in the 2019 UIL State Girls Golf Tournament on Monday (May 13) and Tuesday (May 14) at the White Wing Golf Club.
Good luck to Allie and Jay in their quest to bring home an Individual State Championship.
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The Lovejoy Track and Field Program had an historic weekend at the UIL Region II 5A Track and Field meet this past Friday and Saturday at University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks Stadium. The Leopards qualified three individuals and one relay team to the 2019 UIL State Meet in Austin on Friday, May 10.
The Lady Leopards finished the meet in ninth place while the Boys team finished in second place to Regional Champion Lancaster.
Alaina Pierce
will represent the Girls Team in Austin as she qualified in the High Jump (5’6” jump). The Boys team will be represented by
Will Muirhead
(3200M Champion),
Jahi Rainey
(Shot Put Champion) and the 4x200M Relay Team of
Hunter Smith
,
Jake Chamberlin
,
Beau Iovinelli
and
Ryan Gordon
(Regional Runner Up) with a new school record time of 1:26.65.
Ryan Gordon
also qualified in the Boys 200M Dash with the State’s fourth fastest time of 21.26, another new school record. We send best wishes to our State competitors.
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Congratulations to the four Leopard Fishing teams who qualified out of Regionals for the State Championship this past Saturday on Lake Ray Hubbard.
The freshman duo of
Max Nwanebu
and
Connor Dunn
stepped into a leadership role with a team leading, 20th place finish out of 208 qualifying teams. They were one of less than 20 teams to have 5 fish bags for the derby.
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Ben Burns
and
Coale Barr
qualified with another clutch performance in a season that had them neck and neck or leading the Angler of the Year standings for most of the season.
Nathan Van Riper
and
Josh Windsor
punched their ticket to State which helped solidify their role as upper-classmen leaders.
John Armstrong
and
Josh Bittlestone
- Last year's Angler of the Year winners, struggled a bit out of the gates this year. With the help of their volunteer captain, Chris Parks, they were able to regroup to both make Regionals and a State Championship berth.
With
Jay Pabin
unable to fish,
Clayton Underwood
took the reigns and punched his ticket to State.
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Congratulations
to Lovejoy High Schools company of
The Anatomy of Gray
for a fourth place position at the State UIL Theatre Competition. Special awards at the State Competition were Honorable Mention All Star Cast,
Luke Wild
and All Star Cast,
Marcie Sawyers
.
The company will be performing a “home show” for the community on Wednesday, May 22 in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium at 7:00 PM. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
In addition to advancing from district, bi-district, area, and regionals, following is a list of comprehensive awards won on their journey:
Best Actress
Marcie Sawyers
(Regionals)
Marcie Sawyers
(Bi-district)
All Star Cast
Luke Wild
(Regionals)
Marcie Sawyers
(Area, District)
Claire McLaren
(Bi-district)
Alec Welhouse
(Bi-district)
Honorable Mention Cast
Claire McLaren
(Regionals, District)
Austin Keefer
(Regionals, Bi-district)
Luke Wild
(Area)
Elle Mendelson
(Area)
Zach Joyner
(Bi-district, District)
All Star Technician
Dev Veitch
(Regionals, Area, District)
Lauren Mural
(Bi-district)
Outstanding Technician
Dev Veitch
(Bi-district)
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Sophomore
Luke Wheatley
represented LHS at the Tournament of Champions hosted at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. This tournament is one of the most prestigious speech and debate competitions in the country and has an extremely difficult qualification process. There were students from over 300 schools and 4 countries competing. After two full days of preliminary competition in both Dramatic Interpretation (DI) and Oral Interpertation (OI), Luke qualified for the quarterfinal round of DI. This places him among the top 30 competitors in one of the most difficult tournaments for the year. Congratulations, Luke!
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LHS sophomore
Allie Johnson
set an unofficial Women’s World Record for the Highest Unassisted Martial Arts Kick at the Texas State Hanmadang Championships. Allie broke a board at a height of 7’10” with a vertical kick, and narrowly missed 8’1”, solidly hitting but not breaking the board at that height. Witness testimony from the officials and measurers will be provided to Guinness World Records along with video evidence for certification. The previous record for women was set in The Netherlands in May 2012. Allie will compete at the US Open International Hanmadang in Colorado Springs in July, where she is the defending four-time World Champion in the High Kick. She also won Gold Medals in Forms and Spinning Hook Kick at the Texas Championships. Allie trains with Master Chris Adamson at House of Dragons Taekwondo in Frisco, where she is also an instructor. She is a Second Degree Black Belt and will test for her Third Degree in August. Congratulations, Allie – we are Lovejoy Proud!
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Congratulations to Willow Springs Middle School 8th Grader,
Emily Perry
, who competed in the Junior High K-9 National Chess Championship held at the Gaylord Texan. Teams from across the USA attended, playing 7 games over a span of 3 days. Each game lasted between 2 and 4 hours each. Emily earned 13th place amongst the 241 opponents in her section. She practices every Monday after school with Mr. Chase Crocker and the WSMS Chess Club.
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After an amazing regular season, the Lovejoy Lacrosse boys’ fifth and sixth grade Black Team qualified for and competed in the DFW Youth Lacrosse League City Championship Playoffs. The playoffs were held on April 27-28 in Frisco. The fifth and sixth Black Team went undefeated in pool play and advanced to the Championship game. The team beat Highland Park in the Championship game and were named the D2 City Champions. Congratulations to the fifth and sixth Black Team on their back-to-back City Championships!
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The Lovejoy Ice Hockey Varsity team is honored to have five players selected by the AT&T Metroplex Ice Hockey Association to receive All-Academic Honors. Less than 5% of the 400+ varsity players in the league receive this honor which is based on GPA, AP courses, and community service. Congratulations to seniors
Matthew McLaren
,
Cyrus Mortazavi
,
Andy Pottinger
,
Ryan Raineri
, and junior
Mark Henderson
.
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Dear Lovejoy Community:
I have received many excellent questions recently regarding our academic program. One cornerstone of the academic program is our re-teach and re-test practices in grades K-12. As one parent shared through email, “it is a topic that is hotly debated in my circle of friends.” I hope the following information will improve the dialogue and understanding around this research-proven instructional practice.
In Lovejoy we expect teachers to use innovative methods to positively impact the learning of each student. “Fortunately, many innovations include elements of more established strategies for which evidence of positive effects
does
exist. Among these research-supported strategies, one of the most powerful is mastery learning. Few strategies have been implemented as broadly or evaluated as thoroughly during the last 40 years” (Guskey, 2010).
A Quick Summary of Mastery Learning
When using a mastery learning approach, teachers organize the important concepts and skills they want students to acquire into learning units, each requiring about a week or two of instructional time. For those of us in Texas, these important concepts and skills are already defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that describe what each student should know and be able to do in each subject and course in grades K-12. Students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses must learn the concepts of these college level courses from the syllabus that is approved by The College Board.
Following high-quality initial instruction, teachers administer
formative
assessment, identifying precisely what students have learned well and where they still need additional work. The formative assessment data allows the teacher and student to know which TEKS or AP concepts still need to be mastered. A plan is created in which the student must complete additional work and learning with additional instruction to correct their understandings. These are often called correctives because the plan describes what students must do to correct their learning difficulties and to master the desired learning outcomes.
When students complete their corrective activities with additional instruction (re-teach) and the teacher has identified the corrections in their prior learning gaps, they take a second, parallel formative assessment (re-test) that addresses the same learning goals of the unit but includes somewhat different problems, questions, or prompts. The second formative assessment verifies whether the correctives were successful in helping students remedy their individual learning difficulties. It also serves as a powerful motivational tool by offering students a second chance to succeed.
Re-teach and Re-test in Lovejoy
Re-teach and re-test looks different at each level in Lovejoy. For our K-4 students the progress of students is monitored through our Standards-Based Report Card that summarizes the major TEKS and the progress students are making toward mastery of the TEKS each nine weeks. In grades 5 through 8, if a student has a major grade test/project with a failing grade, the student may attend mandatory tutoring and corrective sessions before and after school. In grades 5 through 8 the re-test allows a student to improve their grade to 100. In grades 9 through 12, students with a failing major grade test/project grade have the same corrective/tutoring options as students in grades 5-8; however, the re-test grade can only be a maximum of 85.
Recent Grade 5 and Grade STAAR Results
It is always affirming when we have evidence that our mastery learning model produces powerful examples of student success. Yesterday we received Grade 5 and 8 STAAR Results for Reading and Math. The State of Texas adjusted the levels of performance on STAAR with “Masters” as the highest level. Due to nearly all of our students “passing” the STAAR, we analyze the growth in our “Masters” student performance as a strong indicator of the effectiveness of mastery learning. Our Grade 5 and 8 “Masters” performance for 2018 and 2019 are provided in the table below:
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In Lovejoy, one of our Graduate Profile pillars is to academically prepare each student for the future of his or her choosing. Academic preparation comes with effective teaching, hard work, and feedback for improvement resulting in demonstrated mastery of academic content. Mastery learning is a cornerstone of how we strive to fulfill our covenant with the community to intellectually equip each Lovejoy student.
We hope you continue to love where you learn. If you have any questions or concerns, always know that you may contact me on my cell at 214.385.1967.
Respectfully,
Dennis Muizers
Deputy Superintendent
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Chad Collins, Board President, announced the timeline for the Superintendent search at the February 20 Board Meeting.
Friday, February 22, 2019 - Completed
Request for Proposal was submitted for interested search firms to apply.
March 8, 2019 - Completed
Deadline for interested search firms to submit their proposal.
March 18, 2019 - Completed
8:00 AM - Lovejoy ISD Administration Building
Special Board Meeting to select top three search firm candidates.
The following search firm candidates were selected to present proposals:
Texas Association of School Boards
JG Consulting
Bob E. Griggs & Associates
March 20, 2019 - Completed
2:30 PM – Lovejoy ISD Administration Building
Special Board Meeting to hear proposals from top three search firms.
3:00 PM – Texas Association of School Boards
4:00 PM – JG Consulting
5:00 PM - Bob E. Griggs & Associates
March 20, 2019 - Completed
7:30 PM – Lovejoy Elementary School Gymnasium
Board action will be taken during the regular Board Meeting to select a search firm.
The Board selected JG Consulting to lead the search for the next Superintendent of the Lovejoy Independent School District. Please
click here
to access the JG Consulting website for additional information regarding their firm.
March 28, 2019 - Completed
8:00 AM – Lovejoy ISD Administration Building
Special Board Meeting to meet with JG Consulting regarding the search for the next Superintendent of the Lovejoy Independent School District.
April 2, 2019 – Completed
An anonymous survey regarding the search for the next superintendent will be shared with the community for JG consulting to receive community input.
April 9, 2019 - Completed
6:30 PM – Lovejoy High School Lecture Hall
A Community meeting will be held on April 9 at 6:30 PM in the Lovejoy High School to gather community feedback regarding the search for the next Superintendent of Lovejoy ISD.
April 17, 2019 - Completed
5:30 PM – Lovejoy ISD Administration Building
The Board of Trustees will meet in Executive Session with JG Consulting to review the Superintendent Search Profile.
Summer 2019
The new Superintendent will be in place in preparation for the 2019-2020 school year.
We will continue to keep the community informed regarding the search for a new Superintendent.
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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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LHS Jazz Ensemble
May 6
The LHS Jazz Ensemble will perform with the Texas Instruments Jazz Band and Sal Lozano on Monday, May 6.
Click here
to purchase tickets.
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WSMS & LHS Dance Department
May 7
You are invited to join the WSMS and LHS Dance departments as they present their final showcase on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 PM in the LHS auditorium. From contemporary, hip hop, and jazz - these students have been working hard putting together choreography and perfecting dance pieces. Admission is free.
Lovejoy Orchestra Spirit Night
May 7
The Lovejoy Orchestra will have a Spirit Night at Chipotle on May 7. Click
here
for more information.
LHS Choir Pop Concert
May 17 and 18
Tickets are on sale now at the Lovejoy ISD Box office:
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WSMS Choir Pop Concert
May 20
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Lovejoy Summer Musical Theatre Camps
July 9-20
We are excited to announce our 2019 musical: Seussical KIDS!
Acting, choreography, lighting, costuming, set building, and painting are just some of the fun activities taking place in Lovejoy’s Summer Musical Theatre Camps: Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre, and Intern Camp.
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Click here
for detailed information regarding summer athletic camps and Performance Course.
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Lovejoy Baseball
Lovejoy Softball
Lovejoy Tennis Junior Development Camps
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This section of Email Express highlights news reports/articles featuring Lovejoy over the previous week.
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Lovejoy Gifted Association Presents
iCode Event
May 5
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WSMS Presents Parents Night Out
May 10, 2019
Are you interested in a night out? On May 10, WSMS will host its first Parents Night Out, from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM. This is for students in grades 1-4. WSMS National Junior Honor's Society students are hosting this event and will provide childcare (WSMS Staff will also be involved).
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Lovejoy High School Recycling Event
May 11
Lovejoy High School, in partnership with Renewed Solutions, invites you to clean out your closets and file cabinets to participate in an electronics recycling and paper shredding event on Saturday, May 11 from 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM in the front parking lot of the high school. Click
here
for more details.
Lovejoy Country Run
May 11
Join us for the 13th Annual Lovejoy Country Run on Saturday, May 11 at Lovejoy High School. This event benefits the Lovejoy athletic teams of LLI (Lovejoy Leopards, Inc.). Go to
:
to register to participate in “Running with the Leopards” and to support your Lovejoy Leopard Athletes.
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Summer Enrichment Camps
Enrollment Now Open!
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Kids 1st Summer Camp
Enroll Now!
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Camp Invention
June 10 – 14
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Summer Sewing Camp
June and July Offerings
Join the 12th year of summer sewing fun at a new location: Lovejoy High School! Click
SEWING
for details about the camp as well as details about a special project option: T-shirt quilt.
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Important News from Student Nutrition Regarding Student Meal Accounts
This is a courtesy message from Lovejoy Student Nutrition Services to inform households of an upcoming change in student meal accounts. In an effort to minimize negative balances at the end of the school year, beginning Wednesday, May 8 and for the remainder of the school year, students will no longer be able to charge meals which will result in the student incurring a negative balance to their meal account. Students may continue to use their lunch accounts as long as they have money in the account. Households with students who currently have negative balances will receive reminder emails and phone calls. Federal regulations prohibit us from rolling over negative balances to the next school year. Please make arrangements to remit payment for any negative lunch accounts your child may have incurred.
All positive balances will be rolled over to next school year. If you have a graduating senior, funds may be transferred to any sibling in the school district. To request a meal account refund, please complete a
refund request form
located on the Student Nutrition website. For assistance, please contact Student Nutrition at 469.742.8041.
Student Nutrition Services thanks you for your understanding and for allowing us to serve your student(s) this school year.
Foundation for Lovejoy Schools Requests Assistance
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
is requesting your assistance in taking the following
3 minute survey.
The objective of the survey is to determine how best to share our accomplishments and progress, identifying the best avenues to share information, and increase participation.
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools continues to award grants that help preserve and offer experiences, programs, equipment and education which support the educational goals in our district.
Because of your awesome support, $403,593 in innovative classroom grants is being awarded for the 2019 - 2020 school year.
You may access the survey at the following link:
The survey is active now thru May 10, 2019.
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Lovejoy Students Seeking Assistance With
Birthday Party Project
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Share the News!
Lovejoy Scholars
Lovejoy Scholars, our K – 12 tuition-based enrollment program, is a great opportunity for families who live outside of our district boundaries, but want their children to experience a Lovejoy education. Will you help us share the news?
Pre-K Now Enrolling
Excellence Begins Early
Call Today!
Little Lovejoy Scholars is accepting applications for tuition-based Pre-Kindergarten.
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SafeSchools App
SafeSchools has launched their new mobile application for anonymous reporting. You may
click here for the SafeSchools Alert Mobile Application Download Instructions.
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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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