Message from Mike: October 18, 2019

Message from Mike

October 18, 2019

Dear Wonderful Lovejoy Community:

“One of the commodities in life that most people can’t get enough of is compliments. The ego is never so intact that one can’t find a hole in which to plug a little praise. But, compliments by their very nature are highly biodegradable and tend to dissolve hours or days after we receive them-which is why we can always use another.”- Phyllis Theroux

I remember back in elementary school I could not wait to get home to tell my mom how well I had done on the playground football game that day. I grew up in New Mexico where there were no youth sports at the time and all of our feats of greatness were accomplished on the playground in grades K - 6. I remember my mom would listen and ask for details, knowing she had to be so kind with some of my exaggerations. My mom would say how proud she was, and I was refueled from the inside after I had been encouraged and affirmed. She was good at that. I couldn’t wait to hear her words. Then I got to tell my dad, and it was just as awesome.

Even now as an adult, the power of a positive affirming word is fuel to my soul. Now I’m not talking about reaching or searching for a compliment as I did back in 2nd grade, but man it sure is cool to receive a word of affirmation. We all love it. But, I have found it is equally enjoyable to give a word of affirmation. Our words are so powerful. The tongue truly is the most powerful muscle in our body as it has the very power to lift up, tear down, end wars and start them. Talk about power!

I’m curious how motivated you are to look for the good around you, especially in the daily things we so often take for granted. As a community, our words of affirmation are the rudder on our ship. A few critical things must happen for your appreciation of the affirmation to be genuine:

Be sure you get out of your place of comfort.

There is nothing more powerful than giving a person a positive compliment face to face, especially when you see them in action, in the moment.

Great things should not be glossed over.

Make sure you have a process of hearing great things that are going on in our community. You don’t want great things or efforts going unnoticed, because you didn’t see it yourself.

Publicly affirm.

Nothing is more powerful than publicly affirming someone in front of their peers. It lifts up the accountability for all and especially for the one receiving the affirmation to continue their great work.

What kind of button on an elevator are you? Are you the one who will take people up and lift them to new heights, or are you the one that will bring them down and leave them in a parking garage? I know which one I want to be!

We are One Heart. One Lovejoy.

Week In Review

This morning we launched a refresh of the district’s websites. You will notice a few changes which includes an updated look, user friendly features, videos and ADA compliance. We are excited to share the great Leopard news with the world through our websites. www.lovejoyisd.net

__________

Last week we celebrated Friday night lights on Thursday. With a last second touchdown, the Lovejoy Leopards won the battle over Frisco Reedy 20 – 19.

__________

The Volleyball team is continuing to dominate in district play. I enjoyed a great opportunity to visit with the team prior to their game on Friday, reminding them of their impact on each other, on the court, and in our community. They have hearts of gold and mindsets of warriors.

__________

Congratulations to our Leopard Fishing team for their 1st place win in their tournament on Saturday! We are #LovejoyProud!

__________

In other exciting Saturday news, two Lovejoy High School Entrepreneurship students participated in the first Lucas Farmers Market! Saskia Wells and Micah Chapman represented Lovejoy High School and their Lucas Cookie Company exceptionally well.

__________

Tuesday was Championship Day for the Leopards with a Bi-District Championship win for the Tennis team and total dominance by the Cross Country team at the district meet. Details and photos are shared below in the Student Recognition section.

__________

October is Principal Month! We are so very thankful for our principals and all they do for our students, staff and community. Our first shout out goes to Lacey Moser, Principal of Hart Elementary School. Did you know she was born in Missouri, grew up in Wisconsin and is a huge Green Bay Packers fan?

__________

Homecoming festivities are in full swing at Lovejoy High School with the Mr. Lovejoy crew and the Powder Puff Champions…the Seniors!

__________

One of my favorite parts of the day is visiting our Leopards at lunch. They always remind me of the joy of connection. I love our Leopards!

Student Recognitions

Lovejoy High School AP Scholar Awards

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams. 323 students at Lovejoy High School have earned AP Scholar Awards and recognitions of their exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

At Lovejoy High School, 27 students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average score of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. These students are:

Brooke Buttner

Samantha Carter

Nikith Dodda

Andrew Godipelly

Jordan Grebe

Katherine Guo

Cody Larimer

Surya Manikhandan

Matthew McLaren

Samir Mehta

Shalin Mehta

Pallavi Muraleedharan

Preston Nicol

Adem Odza

Ethan Ohman

Brett Pedersen

Samuel Philips

Andrew Pottinger

Madeline Roth

Samuel Rouse

Hasif Shaikh

Emma White

Sydney Wong

Carol Xu

Daniel Xue

Jordan Yoder

Stephanie Zhou

127 students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

58 students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

121 students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher.

16 students qualified for the AP Capstone Diploma by completing both AP Seminar and Research and earning a 3 or higher. Diploma students also earn a 3 or higher on four additional AP courses of their choosing.

1 student earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate by earning a score of 3 or higher in both courses. Congratulations to Maxim Jostrand.

You may click here for the full press release and listing of all student names. We are so very proud of these students and their tremendous academic accomplishments!

__________

Lovejoy High School Tennis

Congratulations to the Lovejoy High School Tennis team! This week they secured both a Bi-District Championship and an Area Championship. The team will face Frisco Lebanon Trail on Tuesday in the next round of competition.

__________

Lovejoy High School Cross Country

Congratulations to the Lovejoy High School Cross Country team on their total dominance at the district championship meet!

Varsity Girls Individual District Champion

Amy Morefield

Varsity Girls Team Champions

Varsity Boys Individual District Champion

Will Muirhead

Varsity Boys Team Champions

JV Girls Individual District Champion

Andrea Richardson

JV Girls Team Champions

JV Boys Individual District Champion

John Armstrong

JV Boys Team Champions

Girls District MVP

Amy Morefield

Boys District MVP

Will Muirhead

Girls Freshman of the Year

Amy Morefield

Girls District Varsity Newcomer of the Year

Amy Morefield

Boys District Varsity Newcomer of the Year

Riley McGowan

Girls District Coach of the Year

Carly Littlefield

Boys District Coach of the Year

Logan Kelly

Upcoming Events

Lovejoy ISD School Board Meeting – October 21

The Lovejoy ISD Board of Trustees will meet on October 21 for a Public Hearing and Regular Board Meeting. The Agenda for the meeting may be found here. The Board will meet at 6:00 PM for dinner and executive session. The regular board meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the Lovejoy Elementary School gym. A brief overview of the meeting follows:

· Honor the Superintendent Team of the Month - Business and Employee Services

· Honor our National Merit Scholars

· Honor our PTA Reflections State Award Winner

· District/Campus Improvement Plans

· Public Hearing on FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas)

· 2018-2019 Independent Audit Report

· Budget Amendment #1

· Dr. Goddard’s 90 Day Plan and Action Points

__________

October 22 – December 3 – SAT Prep Class

Enrollment is limited to 12 students.

For additional information please visit the Community News Page.

__________

Safety and Security Training

Lovejoy ISD is offering “Stop the Bleed” and “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events” trainings during the month of November. You are invited to join us for this training which is applicable and practical for all community members.

Stop the Bleed

November 19, 2019

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Lovejoy High School Lecture Hall

Click Here to Register

Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events

November 21, 2019

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Lovejoy High School Lecture Hall

Click Here to Register

For additional information, please visit our Community News Page.

Community News

The Lovejoy ISD Community News Page includes news from our schools, programs, booster clubs, student organizations, Foundation for Lovejoy Schools, community, and more. Check back often for up-to-date news on events and activities.

This Week's News:

Senior Judges Needed!

Varsity Football Tickets Available Through School Store

Parking Information for Home Football Games

2019-2020 PTA Reflections Contest – Look Within

When Life Gives You Lemons Fundraiser

LISD SAT Prep Class

Softball Fundraiser

Foundation for Lovejoy Schools Men’s Tailgate Party and Cornhole Tournament

Taste of Fairview Benefiting the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools

Red Ribbon Night at Allen Americans

Lovejoy Gifted Association Coding Event

Lovejoy Professional Network Charity Benefit Golf Tournament

Senior Project! Boys Wrestling Camp

STEM Design Your World Conference for Girls

City of Lucas Farmers Market

Senior Project! Girls Wrestling Camp

Senior Project! Running Over Depression

Safety and Security Training

Leopard Baseball Buddy League

Mountain Bike Team

Lovejoy High School Cheer Fundraiser

Holiday Poinsettias for Sale

Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run

News from Collin College

For the latest Athletic News, download the "Lovejoy Leopards Athletics" app.

For the latest Fine Arts News, follow @LovejoyArts on Twitter, or like them on Facebook at Lovejoy Arts.

Wishing You a Great Weekend

Today is Homecoming! We will host our first Alumni event this evening from 6:00 – 7:00 PM at Leopard Stadium. I cannot wait to celebrate the return of our Alumni Leopards and experience all of the Homecoming festivities!

Varsity Volleyball will compete against Denison at 5:30 PM tonight at Lovejoy High School. Kickoff for the homecoming game is at 7:00 PM. We hope to see you there as we cheer for our Leopards on the football field and celebrate our cheerleaders, band, color guard, drill team, sports medicine and journalism students. Did you know that our Red Ledger students run the scoreboard? They are awesome and do a tremendous job – so talented!

The Lovejoy Band will compete in the first round of their UIL marching competition tomorrow at 10:00 AM at the new McKinney stadium. We hope you will join us as we cheer for our band. Please arrive by 9:45 AM to be seated.

We wish you and your family the very best for a safe and happy weekend. We can’t wait to welcome our students and staff back to school on Monday!

Proud Lovejoy Leopard,

Michael Goddard, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Lovejoy Independent School District

Stay Connected

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Follow Dr. Goddard on Twitter @drmike_goddard.

Are you following the district on Twitter ? Have you liked us on Facebook ? Have you joined us on Instagram?

#OneHeartOneLovejoy