Message from Mike
September 11, 2020
In this week's edition:
  • Communication Contacts / Processes
  • Senior Walk - Class of 2021
  • Transportation Budget Question
  • Online Athletic Ticket Sales
  • Annual Appeal - Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
  • COVID Dashboard
  • Community News
  • Week in Pictures
Dear Wonderful Lovejoy Community,

We are so excited to have welcomed about 70% of our students back on campus this week.

We appreciate your continued support as we work through challenges, especially relating to transportation. We encourage you to reach out and contact the campus and district directly if you have any questions or concerns so we can ensure you have accurate information.

As we remember and honor those who lost their lives 19 years ago, "9/11 serves as a great reminder that things that may be meant to divide us, can work to unite us".
Communication Processes
As we quickly close out the first month of school, know that Board Priority #4 is to develop stronger community connections and confidence through effective communication.

For the quickest response to any question or concern you may have, please contact your Campus Principal.

Below you will find an updated Lovejoy ISD School District Directory.

As we continue to strengthen our communications, we have shared best practices for communicating with the Board of Trustees as well as best practices for staff communications with parents.

The following information is provided to help foster open communication with teachers, coaches, directors, etc.

For future reference, you may find this information on the Parent Resources page under District Communication.

Student and Parent Concerns/Grievances
The faculty and staff of Lovejoy ISD are committed to serving our students and their parents by responding promptly and professionally to concerns or grievances which may arise.

Student and Parent Complaints/Grievances are governed by LISD Board Policies FNG (LEGAL) and FNG (LOCAL).

How Do You Resolve Parent Concerns?
If you, as the parent or guardian of a Lovejoy ISD student, have concerns regarding your child’s education or performance, we want to talk with you. Sitting down and talking with the people who interact most often with your child on a daily basis – his/her teacher, counselor, coach or director– can remedy the majority of concerns.

Most concerns can be and usually are resolved at the classroom/activity/sports or campus level. However, if your concerns are not addressed by visiting with the teacher, campus counselor, coach or director, you may choose to follow the three-level process listed below:

Level One:
Within 15 business days of the incident causing the concern/complaint, you may request a meeting with the next level supervisor which could be the Athletic Director, Fine Arts Director or Campus Principal. The Level One form may be found here.

Level Two:
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Level One process, within 10 business days of receipt of the Level One decision letter, you may request a meeting with the Assistant Superintendent of Operations (Athletics, Safety, Operations) or Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction (Teachers, Administrators, Student Discipline). The Level Two form may be found here.

Level Three:
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Level Two process, within 10 business days of receipt of the Level Two decision letter, you may appeal the decision to the School Board by contacting the Superintendent. The Level Three form may be found here.
Senior Walk - Class of 2021
Each year, our traditions get stronger and this year was no exception! On Monday, we had an opportunity to welcome and celebrate the Class of 2021. Through participation in the Senior Walk event, the Class of 2021 had the opportunity to walk through the line of parents, students and teachers who have supported them on their journey so far and welcome them to the journey ahead as the Class of 2021.
Questions Regarding Transportation
We have received several questions about transportation recently and wanted to provide additional information.

The decision by the School Board to reduce transportation services was not a whimsical or capricious one. Variations for reducing transportation expenses has been a routine component to annual budget workshops and Board budget discussions for several years.

The School Board has intentionally delayed implementing these types of reductions for as long as possible. The District adopted a deficit budget of over a million dollars for the past three years to avoid cutting programs like transportation. However, this practice is not sustainable long-term.

The cuts by the state have occured over the course of many years. We are hopeful that actions from the 2019 legislative session would yield restoration of lost funding. This did not occur. While there was some assistance from the state, it was not enough to continue every program/service we have offered in the past.

For at least the last five years, as the share of funding from the state has decreased, the Board’s goal has been to protect and preserve the academically enriched student experience. In order to accomplish this priority, budget cuts have been made as far away from the classrooms as possible. Unfortunately, while transportation service is important, it's not more important than teaching and learning.

It can be very challenging to understand the complex financial tradeoffs that are inherent in the design and implementation of public education in Texas. Every program or service offered in the District is provided to benefit students, to support the academic program, and to build the student’s social and emotional strength.

The state deems programs and services like art, music, athletics, gifted and talented, career and technology, engineering, counseling, safety & security, and transportation as optional and not required for an education. While this list is not exhaustive, there is not an item listed that is not meaningful or significant to our Lovejoy families.

We invite our community to review the Budget Workshop information that was presented this summer.

Online Athletic Ticket Sales
Lovejoy ISD is excited to announce Ticketracker, the new ticket sales system for athletic events!

This week we are conducting a soft-launch of the system for ticket sales to our Volleyball Scrimmages.

Parents of athletes participating on Saturday had the opportunity to pre-purchase tickets and we are now excited to share the link for our community to purchase!

To purchase tickets for Saturday, please click the links below!

Lovejoy High School Varsity Games:

9:00 - 12:00

1:00 - 4:00

Willow Springs Jr Varsity Games

9:00 - 12:00

1:00 - 4:00

Prior to entering the facility, patrons will need to present tickets downloaded on their phone and will be asked to follow the 4Ws throughout the event and will be required to answer COVID screening questions when entering the event.
Annual Appeal Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
We’re excited to kick off our Annual Appeal campaign!  Our goal is to raise $250,000 and have 40% community involvement. The students of Lovejoy ISD are touched by Foundation dollars in every school and grade throughout the district. Now, more than ever, they need our support to ensure no interruption to the Lovejoy standard of exceptional learning.

New this year, three giving options! Teacher Grant Fund, One Heart. One Lovejoy. Fund, or a 50/50 split. Visit our website today to learn more and donate!
Lovejoy ISD COVID Cases Dashboard

In an effort to keep our parents, staff, and community informed, Lovejoy ISD has created a COVID Case Dashboard website that will be updated at 1pm each day to reflect active lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lovejoy ISD. 
 
In addition to posting information on the website, campus-wide notification will be sent to both parents and staff when a lab-confirmed positive case has been reported at a campus.

Lovejoy ISD will personally contact individuals who may have come in close contact (as defined by TEA) with a lab-confirmed positive case on a campus. If you are NOT directly contacted, then you are NOT someone who was identified as having close contact with a positive individual. 

The COVID Case Dashboard is accessible from the main district website and can be accessed here.
 
Community News
Visit our Community News website to view information, events and activities from:

Have information you want to share on the Community News website? Click here to submit your request.
Week in Pictures
Upcoming Events


Click here to view Lovejoy ISD and campus calendars and events.
Best Today. Better Tomorrow.
We hope you have an amazing weekend!
Michael Goddard, Ed.D. 
Superintendent of Schools
Lovejoy Independent School District


Follow Dr. Goddard on Twitter @drmike_goddard.
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