Fall Planning - 2020-2021


- PK - 2nd Grade - Students will receive a learning schedule that will allow for teacher-led instruction, independent work, and small group / individual teacher-led learning opportunities. Families should anticipate a grade-level appropriate schedule with a blend of time online and off-line with teacher interaction daily.
- 3rd – 12th Grade - Students will follow a schedule similar to On-Campus learning with a blend of both live instruction and independent learning. Families should anticipate approximately 3-4 hours (not including breaks, transitions, or lunch), depending on the grade level of daily instructional requirements.
Why did Lovejoy ISD decide to do three weeks of virtual learning? (added August 11, 2020)
Are districts able to open in-person “normally” 5 days a week and meet TEA requirements? (Added August 6, 2020)
How are decisions made regarding school environments and the start of school? (Added August 6, 2020)
Are all students starting remotely, August 17th? (Added July 31, 2020)
How do I indicate my student’s learning preference for September 8th and for the remainder of the first nine weeks? (Added 8/1/20)
To indicate your preliminary preference:
- Visit PowerSchool Parent Portal
- Log in (You must make sure you are logged in as the parent)
- Select your student
- Scroll to the left and click on 2020-21 Learning Environment
- Make your selection at the top of the screen and hit submit
What if I need to change the learning preference for my student? (Added 7/24/20)
For Hart Elementary, email Alis Brantl - Alis_Brantl@lovejoyisd.net
For Lovejoy Elementary, email Sondra Payne - Sondra_Payne@lovejoyisd.net
For Puster Elementary, email Kendra Card - Kendra_Card@lovejoyisd.net
For Sloan Creek, email Lori Esser - Lori_esser@lovejoyisd.net
For Willow Springs, email Carol Vik - Carol_Vik@lovejoyisd.net
For all other campuses, please email Nancy Lessner, Nancy_Lessner@Lovejoyisd.net
Once we have chosen either On-Campus or Leopard Virtual Learning, can we change our mind and chose the other type?
Will teachers teach both online or virtually? (Added August 2, 2020)
What will class sizes be for each grade level? (Added August 2, 2020)
Will I still need to buy school supplies for my student regardless of learning environment? (Added August 2,2020)
Will students receive the week's worth of curriculum/work on Monday to do at their own pace throughout the week or is work given daily by teachers as if students were physically present in class daily? (Added August 11, 2020)
What learning options are available for High School Students? (Added August 2, 2020)
- On-Campus - Hybrid
- Leopard Virtual Learning
- On-Campus - Hybrid +
When will the Hybrid On-Campus Start? (Added August 2nd, 2020)
Why are we doing Hybrid when others are not, in our opinion? Best practices? (Added August 8, 2020)
What does the Hybrid Schedule Work? (Added August 2, 2020)
Student groups will then be scheduled to attend 2 days of On-Campus learning, followed by 2 days of Virtual learning, alternating which groups would be On-Campus in order to reduce the total number of students on campus at one given time. A draft schedule has been provided below to help demonstrate the On-Campus hybrid model -
Example
September Hybrid Calendar
What is Hybrid+? (Added August 2, 2020)
Option 3 - Hybrid+ - This option is for our families that may need to ensure technical connectivity or need their student to attend campus five days a week. Students who select this option will continue to follow the On-Campus hybrid schedule but will have the option to attend LHS physically in assigned “learning center” classrooms on designated virtual learning days.
Learning centers will be staffed by Lovejoy ISD employees, not necessarily teachers, who will be present to monitor students while they work independently on their remote instruction.
Teachers will not be available to meet face to face with students attending the Hybrid+ virtual days, as they will be instructing another cohort of students. However, students may connect with their teachers via email, tutorials, or scheduled office hours.
What about Dual Credit Classes? (Added August 2, 2020)
What if things improve? Could we have more kids in school at the same time? (Added August 3, 2020)
Will HEPA filters be added to all HVAC systems? (Added September 4, 2020)
Staff are encouraged to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly, avoid touching
their face, and to keep a facial covering or mask on when in the building.
Do the HVAC systems in our building recirculate interior air, or do they consistently pull in fresh air from outdoors? (Added September 4, 2020)
programmed accordingly. Please realize and understand as the outside air becomes
hotter throughout the day, the inside of the building will become warmer. With the
outside air dampers open during the day, you should not expect a variance of greater
than 20 degrees from the outside temperature and the indoor temperature. For
example, if the outside temperature is 98, then the indoor temperature will be around 78
at best.
Why was the mask requirements for grade levels changed to fourth grade? (Updated 8/7/20)
Please remember that all students and staff are required to wear a mask or face shield as they transition into or out of the building or transitioning inside the building from one location to another. While wearing a mask, students should also maintain at least six feet of distance from others as much as possible (i.e. entering/exiting buildings, walking to/from classrooms in the hallway, etc.).
Students in grades 4th - 12th grade will need to plan to wear masks throughout the day in order to be in compliance with the Governor's orders, including within the classroom.
Will there be daily required COVID-19 checks for On-Campus staff and students?
What is the plan for our vulnerable students, such as students who receive special education, ESL, or 504 students?
This is a high priority, and the District is continuing to work on how to best continue to meet the needs of students through both On-Campus and Leopard Virtual Learning. Since each student has a plan specifically tailored to their needs, please direct your student-specific questions to the campus administrator.
Will my child be required to wear a mask?
What about students, staff, and or families who are immunocompromised?
Will lunches be provided to students who attend Leopard Virtual Learning? (Updated 7/24/20)
Yes, the district will provide lunches to students qualifying for free or reduced lunch under the National School Lunch Program.
How will Leopards Virtual Learning be different from the instruction provided during the school closure last spring?
Why does the Elementary Leopard Virtual Learning schedule end earlier than On-Campus Learning? (Added August 3. 2020)
What safety standards will be in place for On-Campus Instruction?
- Require the use of masks in accordance with executive orders
- Daily deep sanitization of campuses and buses, especially high touch areas
- Hand sanitizer stations
- Signage encouraging social distancing
- Regular hand washing procedures
- Mandatory training for all staff on coronavirus preventative strategies
- Mandatory training for students on proper hygiene practices
- Pre-plated lunches which will likely include lunches in the classroom
What will the school day look like concerning recess, lunches, class-sizes, and social distancing?
What will home athletics events and performances look like in Lovejoy ISD? Who will be able to attend athletic events and performances? (Added: August 28, 2020)
Athletic Events - Due to COVID, stadium and athletic venue capacity will be reduced by 50% to ensure proper social distancing. Therefore, season tickets will not be honored this year. Tickets will be sold online with a new system called Ticket Tracker and will be sold one game at a time. Priority for tickets will be given to LHS Senior Parents, Participant Families, and then released to the community. Tickets will be limited to 2 tickets per family.
While we encourage our students to attend all of our athletic events, due to spacing restrictions, we will be unable to have a dedicated student section. We will do our best to try to keep students as close as social distancing as possible.
Pep Rallies - We will not be holding traditional pep rallies in the gym this year due to social distancing. However, we are excited to explore different options, such as looking at outdoor celebrations, etc. to gather safely. Campus administration and our cheer program are working together to look at the possibility of outdoor alternatives.
Fine Arts Events -
Fine arts productions, concerts, and visual art galleries will be virtual through the end of November. We will evaluate opportunities for the Fine Arts Festival as well as Spring performing and visual arts activities and announce those plans at a later date.
At this time, we are tentatively planning an LHS musical experience for January. Details regarding the LHS musical will be shared at the end of September. We are considering all possibilities for our interested musical theatre students to provide an enriching experience.
The WSMS musical experience will be postponed until the Spring.
Will Extra-Curricular, Athletics and Fine Arts teams travel? (NEW - 12/4/2020)
What are we doing to keep kids safe? (Added: August 28, 2020)
Fine Arts -
We are currently following the recommended guidelines from UIL music, UIL athletics, TEA, and CDC with regards to student safety in the performing arts classrooms. In addition, we are following recommended guidelines from the Performing Arts Aerosol Study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado.
- For elementary specials for music and art, masks will be expected to be worn at all grade levels. This is the recommendation for singing and also for the safety of the art materials that might be shared between students in the on-campus classrooms.
- For the Secondary Music Programs (6th - 12th) :
- Choir students will be wearing both face coverings and face shields while singing. During the 90 minute class period, the students will sing for 30 minutes, complete non-singing activities for 30 minutes, and complete the period with singing activities. The choirs will be in flat forward-facing rows, as opposed to the traditional arc. The directors will also be grouping students in smaller ensembles to practice during their class periods.
- Band wind ensemble students will play for 30 minutes in the band hall in a socially distanced, flat row block, facing forward with a personal music stand. They will then complete non-playing activities indoors or play their instruments outside for 30 minutes, and then play instruments in the band hall for the remaining 30 minutes. The band students will wear instrument appropriate face coverings and apply fabric bell covers to wind instruments, which decreases the emission of respiratory aerosol/droplets.
- In orchestra, the students will wear face coverings during their class period. As orchestra instruments are not “wind instruments,” the students will remain in class for the duration of their class period. The orchestra students will be seated, facing forward, and socially distanced in a flat row block, as opposed to the traditional arc. Students will not share music stands.
- In the movement performing arts:
- The Majestics, Color Guard, and studio dance classes will be socially distanced and wearing face coverings during rehearsals. The face coverings will be removed for physical activity. In outdoor rehearsals, students may remove their face covering for consistent physical activity (ie: running a dance/guard show with the music and counts). All choreography will be socially distanced for the fall performances with 6 feet of set space between students. During a live performance, the students will remove their face coverings upon entering the performance field, perform without face coverings, and replace the face-covering after exiting the performance field. The Dance Locker room will be available for students only during their class period. Social distancing precautions will be in effect, as well as cleaning and sanitizing between classes.
- The cheerleader program will also wear face coverings in practices unless engaging in physical activity. When attending games, the cheerleaders will remove their face coverings when actively engaged in a cheer, spirit-leading, or other physical activity such as tumbling or dancing. The students will replace their face coverings between these activities while on the sidelines during game days. The Cheer Locker room will be available for students only during their class period. Social distancing precautions will be in effect, as well as cleaning and sanitizing between classes.
- The Lovejoy theatre program will be working on virtual productions this fall at both WSMS and LHS. Face coverings will be worn in all theatre classes. Face shields may also be worn while students are rehearsing scenes in the classroom, the blackbox, or on stage when blocking and movement is less than social distancing. The theatre directors will also be following recommendations for speaking roles and actors from the Performing Arts Aerosol Study.
- Secondary Visual Arts will expect students to wear face coverings in all art classrooms. Some materials or supplies may be shared. Students will be encouraged to wash hands and use sanitizer during art if any supplies are shared.
Athletic Areas / locker rooms / showers
- We are currently working within the TEA, CDC, and UIL guidelines on COVID-19 regulations. We will sanitize the athletic areas and athletic equipment after each practice/game use (Practice Facilities, Weight Rooms, Locker Rooms, Showers). We have entry/exit plans for our high traffic areas such as locker rooms and hallways. We have assigned lockers based on team levels to keep athletic team members socially distanced while dressing in the locker room. All players wear their masks while in the locker room areas unless showering. There will be coaches assigned to locker rooms to monitor and enforce the guidelines actively.
Will there be homecoming? (Added August 28, 2020)
Currently, Homecoming is October 9th. As long as we have a Homecoming Football game we will crown a homecoming King and Queen. Unfortunately, we will not have other activities that have been part of Homecoming week that are large group events like the Homecoming Dance.
What will off site games look like for our band, athletes, color guard, drill team, etc? (Added August 28, 2020)
Currently, District 7-5A (Football District) is reviewing the final details of these policies. The communication from schools within our district seems to be a common feeling of not having visiting bands, drill teams, or color guard at away games. Cheer groups would be allowed to travel to all away games (size of their group). Currently, our band, majestic, and color guard will have the ability to perform at all home contests.
Out of an abundance of caution for our student-athletes, every effort will be made to limit their contact with non-essential personnel. The sidelines will be strictly monitored to ensure that only necessary personnel are near the students. A rule change will be voted on to expand the player/coach box from 25 to 25 to the 10 to 10-yard lines. This will allow for an additional 30 yards of sideline space for social distancing. Football players and staff will wear masks/gators at all times on the sidelines.
Are parents responsible for off-site transportation? (Added August 28, 2020)
Athletics will provide bus transportation to all out of town contests (two athletes per seat fully masked). If the parents do not feel comfortable with this form of travel, they will have the opportunity to transport their student(s) to the scheduled athletic contest. Parents would need to provide the Sport Head Coach an Alternative Travel Release Form before the scheduled athletic contest trip. This form can be found on our athletic website (www.lovejoyleopards.net). These forms will be kept on file with the athletic sport.
Will tickets be sold for away games? What is the capacity? (Added August 28, 2020)
Yes, tickets will be sold online through the opponent ticket site. We understand there is 50% capacity for away games in our district. The seating for opponents is more limited than what we have at Leopard Stadium. The opponents will let us know how many tickets will be available for their stadium and provide our patrons with the necessary capacity number of tickets.
Will there be Half time shows? (Added August 28, 2020)
The Fine Arts Administration will determine the halftime show.
Fine Arts -
- The Lovejoy Band, Guard, and Majestics will not be traveling to the away football games this season. These performance organizations will participate and perform at the home varsity football games. At this time, they will be seated, socially distanced, in the visitor section. All three groups are planning to perform a condensed spirit show during half time. Their performances will begin when 18 minutes remain on the half time clock. (i.e., Lovejoy fans have a 10-minute break to visit the concession stand!)
- The Lovejoy Varsity Cheer Squad will cheer both home and away varsity football games. The cheer students will ride school transportation to and from the away games with two students per seat, fully masked. Parents may request to transport their students to an away game by completing the Alternative Travel Release Form. The WSMS and LHS cheer program will cheer the usual home games for the upcoming fall sports, which may include football, volleyball, and basketball. The squads may be condensed into smaller groupings for indoor home games as per the cheer coach. The cheer program will work closely with athletics to follow any related UIL athletic guidelines and rules as pertaining to cheer squads. Please work directly with your cheer coach for the game-day plans at your child’s respective campus.
Will orchestra be offered? What will it look like? (Added August 4, 2020)
What is the plan for extra-curricular activities such as choir, band, football, etc.? (Updated 7/17/2020)
- Face Coverings - Executive Order GA-29 - All employees, parents, visitors, and students ten years of age or older must wear face coverings or face shields upon entry to an area where UIL activities are being conducted and when not actively practicing or exercising unless an exception applies, as outlined in the full document
- Students may access locker rooms and engage in drills that involve one or more students on offense against one or more students on defense beginning 7/13/20
- Updates of required protocols for individuals confirmed, suspected or exposed to COVID-19
Band - - Marching Season - Due to the drastically increased community spread of COVID-19 in Texas, there are too many associated risks and uncertainties with how, or if, marching competitions will take place this fall. Lovejoy ISD has made the very difficult decision to join other districts and not participate in competitive marching band activities for the Fall.
Are coaches permitted to discount a player because they did not play in a “recommended” amount of tournament/ games over the summer due to possible safety concerns? (Added August 4, 2020)
Are sports permitted to have tryouts before school starting? (Added August 4, 2020)
For athletes moving into WS and athletics for the first time, when will we be receiving further information around what those days will look like? (Added August 12, 2020)
We do not have good internet service, is there anyway the district can help? (Added August 2, 2020)
What kind of Chromebooks and Laptops do you recommend for virtual learning, if families want to purchase one? (Added August 2, 2020)
Laptop - Windows 10 OS, Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM or higher, 500 GB Hard Drive or higher
Will Lovejoy ISD be providing loaner technology equipment prior to the first day of virtual instruction? (New - 7/21/2020)
Will my student’s teacher be serving both On-Campus and Leopard Virtual Learning? (Updated 7/24/20)
We are currently watching the numbers as parents selected their preferred preference for learning after September 8th. Based on those numbers, we will be better able to schedule classes and create class lists.
What about Transportation?
Since Lovejoy ISD is not offering an On-Campus learning option until September 8th, would I be eligible for a tuition refund or credit for the Lovejoy Scholars and/or Little Lovejoy Scholars Program? (Updated 7/24/20)
Lovejoy Scholars and Little Lovejoy Scholars students remain enrolled in Lovejoy ISD and will receive services through virtual learning during the first three weeks of school. Our teachers, administrators and staff are working diligently to provide an enriching and robust virtual learning experience for all of our students. As we continue to fund the day-to-day operations of the district, no refunds or credits will be issued.
What about the Kid’s First Afterschool Program?
Staff Planning Guide
- August 22nd
- August 15th
- August 8th
Dr. Geoff Wiss
Dr. Stacey Wyrick
Dr. Raeley Guess
Dr. Christopher Newton
Dr. Rosemary Bates