Sloan Creek Intermediate School Principal Message

Happy September Sloan Creek Families,


We have had a great week at Sloan Creek.  Today your student was able to fill out their choices for Leopard Time (seem more information below).  It was so great to see them preparing and determining what they needed their time to look like. We have the most responsible kids.  We had several students choose advisory time more than once due to commitments after school.  I was SO impressed. Be sure to ask your child about what they chose.


Our students have been doing a great job with having their phones turned off during the school day, however we have had a few students texting parents throughout the day.  Please help us out by not texting your child during the day. We are happy to get any messages needed to your child if you call us at the school. 


Thank you for partnering with us to ensure our students are meeting dress code.  The majority of our students are doing fantastic.  We ask that you continue to have conversations with your child about length of shorts and wearing shirts/sweaters that cover their shorts.  We will continue to have conversations with students not meeting the dress code expectations at school as well.  


Lastly, name cards for our new dismissal procedures will go home with your child tomorrow.  We ask that all picking up students by a car have the name card displayed in your driver side window during dismissal.  When your child gets in the car, we ask that you remove it.  Once we see all cars that have their name tag removed, we will know to release the cars out of the parking lot. We will then let the next set of cars in and repeat the process. 


Thank you for being an amazing community who quickly adapts and adjusts when we see the need to make changes. I hope you all have an amazing and restful Labor Day break.  We look forward to seeing everyone back on Wednesday.


Thank you,


Courtney Halpin

Principal

469-742-8400

These students were working hard to find common multiples in math class.

Collaboration at its finest.  These students were working so hard and were kind enough to pause for a picture.

Each team takes a month to help with dismissal in the afternoons.  These amazing teachers just finished their August dismissal.  

School Bus Rally with Mr. Jamar

Hey Leopards! I wanted to take a minute to ask if you could please speak with your bus riders about setting the example each day on the bus. At Sloan Creek we encourage the Big Three. The Big Three actions are  Safe, Respectful, and Responsible behavior in all we do. I appreciate your help talking with your kids about demonstrating these daily! I know it will help our drivers and all students feel safe on the bus. 


Thank You,


Mr. Jamar


Leopard Time

Today, your child filled out a survey about their interests for Leopard Time.


Each Monday students will start their week in their homerooms. They will spend time developing character traits like respect and responsibility.


Tuesday through Friday students will have a variety of options to fill Leopard Time. 


All students will  be required to have one day of advisory where they can read, catch up on homework or study for upcoming assessments. 


All other days will be based on the individual needs of each student.


We will be finalizing student Leopard Time schedules and look forward to starting Leopard Time at the end of next week. 

Custodial Help

In the important dates below, you will see the homeroom's that will be helping on Friday afternoons in September.  Students will be partnering with the custodial team to help empty trash cans, clean trash from floors, and any other job to help our custodial team out.  We are so thankful for our custodians and hope our students continue to develop a strong sense of pride for our school through this partnership.


Students in the the assigned homerooms will help until 3:45 pm.  These days are not mandatory for our students, however we hope that all students will choose to stay.

Important Upcoming Dates

September

5- Student and Staff Holiday-No School

6- Student Holiday-No School

7- New SCIS dismissal procedure

9- Coffee with the Principals, 8:00 AM-9:00 AM, SCIS Cafeteria 

9- School store opens 

12- Wear Green to kick off "Green Team" recycling program

15- Birthday Donuts for August and September student birthdays

15- Fine Arts students go to Pin Stack 

12-16- Fall Book Fair 

16- Nash and Salamah's Homerooms Volunteer with Custodial Team

19- PTO Meeting, 10:00 AM, SCIS Cafeteria 

23- Doty and Holland's Homerooms Volunteer with Custodial Team

30- SAGE coffee, 9:00 AM-10:00 AM, Cafeteria  

30-Johnson and Dufrene Homerooms Volunteer with Custodial Team

Reminder!! New Dismissal Procedures Starting September 7th

We will start a new dismissal procedure on September 7. Please see the updated map belong along with helpful tips from Officer Jacquez.  


Parent Guide for Dismissal


1.    Once you enter the south driveway, please follow RED arrows to the front of the school.

     a.    (Only 2 lanes will be open) unless it gets backed up on                        Country Club, we will open a third lane.

   b.   Don’t forget to Zipper Merge to one lane on the north side of the gym.


2.    When approaching the front of the school, you will fill the GREEN lane                first then the ORANGE lane second.


3.    We will have students READY and LOOKING!


4.    As time will be of the essence, cell phones are not permitted for students or adults.


5.    Once the GREEN and ORANGE lane are full, the School Marshal will

    indicate when cars can start moving.         

    a.    Please talk to your student and explain to them the importance of           being READY and LOOKING.

    b.    GREEN lane will exit out first then ORANGE lane second.


6.    Parents please DO NOT exit your vehicle.


7.    If your child is not inside your vehicle once the car line starts exiting, you will go into the parking lot and a staff member will help you find your student.


***Please do not stay in the loading zone once the cars start to move as other vehicles will not be able to move in***

SCIS dismisses from the front main doors only. Bus riders dismiss at 2:50 PM. All other students dismiss at 2:55 PM. Please be mindful of this when picking students up early for appointments etc. Please DO NOT park in the fire lane. If you need to pick your student up prior to regular dismissal, please park in the front parking lot. 


Any student leaving the campus prior to dismissal needs to have a parent or guardian come in to the office and sign them out. Parents and guardians will need to present their government issued identification card. We will scan the identification through Raptor and verify the adult is listed as an authorized party to pick up the student. Students will NOT be called out of class prior to the adult signing them out though Raptor. We have been asked what the procedure is when picking up a student prior to dismissal. The best way is to enter the parking lot using the north driveway and park in the front parking lot. From there you will come in to the front office and sign your student out. We will then call the student out of class.The buses arrive at 2:30 and the carpool line begins to form at 1:45.  Please plan ahead and allow yourself extra time.


Students are able and encouraged to sign themselves in through Raptor when arriving to school after an appointment etc. Doctor notes will be turned in to the front office or emailed to julie_boardman@lovejoyisd.net. Please remember doctor notes need to be turned in no later 5 days from the absence.


Please click here to review the SCIS Student Handbook. 


If you have a change in dismissal and your student is aware of the change, you DO NOT need to contact the school. If there is a change in dismissal or a message you need to get to your child, please call the office, 469-742-8400. We will take the message and it will deliver it to them during 5th period. Please try to have all dismissal changes in by 2:30 PM. We know emergencies happen and will do our best to accommodate late changes. Please do not email or text the teacher. They are teaching and may not see the message until it is too late. The office is the centralized location for all information.


Student cell phones and cellular devices are to be powered off and in their backpacks between the hours of 7:30 AM and 2:55 PM. (Please reference the student handbook). Students are allowed to use the phone in the office. As a reminder, the phone number will show up on caller id as the SCIS phone number regardless of what phone is used to dial out of the building. If possible, please wait to receive a voice mail message before calling back.

NEW!! Extended Day Leopard Academy  

Extended Day Leopard Academy is an opportunity for your child to participate in enrichment activities on his or her campus before and after school. Our goal is that these enrichment opportunities will allow our Lovejoy Leopards to develop creativity and critical thinking skills through activities related to their personal interests. Registration is open for the following academies for students in kindergarten through 6th grade. Choose from one of the links below for more information.

Please contact miles_knight@lovejoyisd.net with any questions regarding the Extended Day Leopard Academies offered for the 22-23 school year. 


NEW!!! PTO Information 

We had an amazing turn out at our Volunteer Coffee last week! There is still time to indicate any areas you would like to help. Please see the link below. If you have not joined the PTO you can do that as well. Thank you for helping make this year a success.


JOIN and DONATE

We would love for you to sign up to be apart of the Sloan Creek PTO. The $8 membership dues go towards programs that benefit each student. Please sign up your students and spouses or join as a family. Your membership allows you to have access to our online directory and volunteer opportunities.


There is also an opportunity for you do donate to our Leopard Drive. This is different than your donation to Foundation for Lovejoy Schools. Those donations benefit the district as a whole. Our Leopard Drive stays at Sloan Creek to help put on programs like See you at the Creek, Kool off with Kona, teacher appreciation and many more.


Please click on the link below to become a member and donate.


Join and Donate Here


VOLUNTEERS

If you missed our volunteer coffee last week, there is still time to sign up to volunteer. Just indicate what areas you would like to be contacted to help volunteer. As needs arise you will be contacted to volunteer. 


Volunteer Interest Form


GREEN TEAM HELP

We need help during all lunch periods at SCIS the week of 9/12 – 9/16 as we roll out the new recycling program. The duties are for the volunteers to help students to properly sort items into TRASH and RECYCLE bins. There are signs to show what goes in each bin but students will need a little guidance and encouragement the first few days.  


Green Team Sign up


BOOK FAIR

The Sloan Creek Book Fair is fast approaching. Please click the sign up below if you would like to volunteer to help.


Book Fair Sign up


Thank you

Kim Rollins 

SCIS PTO President 2022-23

https://ptoscis.membershiptoolkit.com/Our_PTO


Book Fair is coming to SCIS  

We will be hosting our Fall book fair from September 12th - 16th. We would like to invite parents/grandparents to come eat lunch with their student and then visit the book fair. If you would like to visit the book fair during lunch, please come on the day assigned to your student’s grade and last name alpha.  We will also be open until 6:00 PM on Wednesday the 14th. Hope to see you there!


Lunch visiting schedule:


Monday: 5th grade A-L

Tuesday: 5th grade M-Z

Wednesday: 6th grade A-L

Thursday: 6th grade M-Z


Important Attendance Reminders and Updates

All families should have received their campus’ Beginning of Year Truancy Letter, via Bright Arrow. We felt that it was important to follow up with additional information.

In addition to the Compulsory Attendance Law that was addressed in the letter, there is also the 90% law; state law mandates that a student is in attendance at least 90 percent of the academic year.

In order to receive credit for a final grade in a class, a student is required to attend 90% of the days a class is offered, regardless of whether the student’s absences are excused or unexcused. 

All absences count towards the 90% law and Truancy, except for the following absences with the proper documentation: 

  • Religious Holidays with written request prior to the absence 
  • Attending a required court appearance
  • UIL eligible absences- Educational Competition administered by school staff
  • Academic, Athletic, and music contests (uiltexas.org)
  • Medical-Related absences, when the student attended a portion of the school day and presents documentation from the health care professional for the same day
  • All day Medical-Related absences do NOT exempt a student from the 90% law or Truancy. Medical Documentation for a full day absence is only used in consideration by the Attendance Committee)
  • Sounding “Taps” at a military honors funeral held in Texas 

Attendance notes for an absence must be submitted to your student’s campus no later than 5 school days after the absence. Notes will NOT be accepted after the 5th day, and your student’s attendance will not be changed.

Absence notification timeline, all absences are counted, (excused and unexcused):

  • A letter will be sent home if your student is absent 3 times in a 4 week period
  • Another letter will be sent home once the student has accrued 6 absences
  • Intervention will begin with the campus attendance committee
  • A 10 day letter will be sent home once the student accrues 10 absences
  • Your student can be referred to Truancy Court

 Although we know that students will get sick or other challenges may arise during the school year, consistent and timely school attendance is of the utmost importance. We all share the goal of enabling the students to reach their full potential and achieve all of their educational goals. The way to allow a student to reach their full potential and educational goals starts with consistent and timely attendance.

 

 

Attendance is compulsory and essential for student success. Beginning at the intermediate level, attendance is taken for each class period. Students must attend at least 90% of the days the class is offered. There are some updates to Lovejoy ISD's Attendance Policy including, but not limited to:


  • Doctor's notes must be turned in no later than 5 days after the absence. Notes will not be accepted after the 5th day, and the student's attendance will not be changed.
  • Updates to Truancy policy

Please reference Lovejoy ISD attendance policy in the Student Handbook for more detailed information regarding the attendance policy. 


For any attendance questions or to submit doctor's or parent notes, please call or email Julie Boardman at 469-742-8303 or Julie Boardman@lovejoyisd.net.  


ParentPortal Update Needed

ParentPortal Update Needed by Friday, September 16



The PowerSchool ParentPortal is now open for you to complete the online Enrollment & Student Information Forms. Please click here to access the Parent Portal. Completion of these forms is required every year for each student, and need to be completed by Friday, September 16th.

Instructions for completion are attached.

 

If you need assistance with account access or password reset, please use this link . Access requests and password resets will occur during business hours: 8:30am-4:30pm. We are unable to fulfill requests after hours, holidays or weekends. You’ll be notified via email once your request is complete.

Lunch and Delivery Information 

We DO NOT allow any type of third party delivery service for students. Examples would be Door Dash, Grub Hub, Uber Eats, etc. Parents can bring their student, and ONLY their student, lunch. We will have a cart/table in the front entry way of the building. There will be a short form that needs to be completed and attached to the lunch. We ask that you communicate to your child prior to school if you will be bringing them lunch. The cart will be moved to the cafeteria prior to lunch and the student will retrieve it from there. Parents are more than welcome to join their child for lunch. You will need to check in at the front office and present your government issued identification card. You will be scanned in as a visitor and receive a badge and lanyard. Both the badge and the lanyard will need to be worn at all times while on campus. 


If your student happens to forget something and you need to drop it off, we will follow the same procedure as lunch drop offs. We will ensure your student receives the item. 


As an additional reminder, we do not allow any birthday treats,trinkets, or invitations to be brought to, passed out, or delivered at school. This would include balloons, flowers, donuts, etc. 


The USDA waiver that allowed us to offer free lunch to all K-6 students last school year was not renewed. Congress did not provide funding for the program. 


We will be returning back to the National School Lunch Program. The elementary paid lunch price will be $4.00 ($4.75 premium meal). To qualify for free/reduced-priced lunch, households are encouraged to complete the 2022-2023 Meal Application found on the LISD Student Nutrition webpage.

https://www.lovejoyisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=388507&type=d&pREC_ID=881393



LISD Friday Night Lights 

Article Heading


Dear Lovejoy Community,


The magic of Friday Night Lights is upon us.  The first football game of the year will be this Saturday night as our Leopards take on College Station High School in the Tom Landry Classic at Allen’s Eagle Stadium.  Tickets are still available at www.lovejoyleopards.net .  As exciting as the game is, the pageantry of a Friday night football game is special because so many of our students get to be involved.  Whether it is the band marching at halftime, the cheerleaders getting the crowd on their feet, or the student trainers ensuring the safety of our players, the event is more special when more students are involved.


Here are a few reminders as we kick off our first home game of the season on September 2 against the Argyle Eagles:


Ticketing

  • Tickets will be available for purchase during the week of the game at                  www.Lovejoyleopards.net
  • To expedite admission into the stadium, please download your ticket to your phone prior to arriving so our ticket takers can quickly scan your ticket


Parking

  • Parking will be at a premium this year as we expect very large crowds.  Arrive early in order to park in the stadium parking lot
  • Be patient as our parking lot attendants help you find available parking spaces
  • Overflow parking will be available at Willow Springs Middle School, Hart Elementary School, and Grace Church (just east of LHS on Estates Pkwy)
  • Shuttle buses will be constantly moving between each sight and the stadium throughout the night
  • WANT TO RESERVE A PARKING SPOT FOR THE SEASON?  WE HAVE 42 PARKING SPACES UP FOR AUCTION HERE!  THESE ARE THE BEST SPACES IN THE PARKING LOT!  AUCTION ENDS ON SEPTEMBER 28 at 10:00 PM!!!


Concessions

  • We are happy to announce that Chick Fil A will be served at our concession area for all home games this season


Seating

  • Section A: Middle School Student/General Admission
  • Section B: General Admission
  • Sections C-G: Season Ticket Holders
  • Section H: LHS Student Section
  • Section I: Band Section


General Information

  • There will be designated high school and middle school student seating.  All students 6th grade and younger will be expected to be seated with their parents
  • The stadium gates open at 6:00 PM 


Lovejoy ISD Community News

NEW!!! 


Ladies Coffee


The Council of PTOs would like to invite all “new to Lovejoy” moms (grades 1st – 12th) to our welcome coffee on September 13th.

Please RSVP and let us know that you are coming. We can’t wait to meet you!


Red-Out 2022 Homecoming T-Shirts are on sale!!!!!! 



ENROLLMENT OPEN FOR LCDC!


Enroll now for the 2022-23 school year for any of the 3 exemplary child care and early childhood programs housed at the Lovejoy Child Development Center. 


If you would like to be contacted with information regarding our programs, please complete the LCDC Interest Form by using the link below or scanning the QR code.  You may also email us at childdevelopmentcenter@lovejoyisd.net with any questions.  


LCDC Interest Form


In addition, Lovejoy ISD is excited to share with you that we will be offering a FREE prekindergarten program for eligible students who are 4 years old by September 1, 2022, and meets at least one of the following criteria:

  • Limited use of the English language 
  • Is eligible to participate in the free or reduced-price lunch program 
  • Meets the definition of homeless 
  • The child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or the reserves and/or injured or killed while serving
  • Is or ever has been in foster care 
  • The child of a recipient of the Star of Texas Award 


*Students who do not meet any of the above eligibility requirements may participate as a tuition student.  

*Lovejoy ISD employees receive discounted tuition for all programs offered at the LCDC.



EMAIL COMMUNICATION
Be sure to take a moment to sign up, on the Lovejoy ISD website, to receive messages from the Superintendent as well as my weekly e-mails. 

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION
We cross post our daily updates on Twitter and Facebook. Parents are encouraged to follow our social media sites.

*If you would like to update your district/campus email preferences or change your email address, please click on the Update Profile link at the footer of this email. You will receive an email from Constant Contact which will allow you to update the information and campus news preferences.
Facebook  Twitter