LISD Expect Excellence Newsletter

Hello Levelland Lobos!

There are two short weeks left in this semester. It is always amazing how fast the time with our students goes.

I hope you enjoy all the holiday festivities and this special time of the year.

Have a great week!

Go Lobos!

Expect Excellence

Becky McCutchen, Superintendent

South students were caught in the library using their engineering skills and engaged in makerspace last week! Students experienced "How To Catch An Elf" by Adam Wallace and were then challenged by Librarian Mrs. Harkins to design and build a trap that would catch an elf! What a fun way to start December!

Mark your calendar for Thursday evening! This Fine Arts Expo will be a great way to ring in the Christmas Season. The One Act Play will perform. There will be an art show. And you can hear the choir and band perform! It will be a fantastic night! We hope to see you there.

LMS National History Day students worked on more research at TTU last week with Ms. Olivia Magee. The NHD program enables students to choose a topic and dive deeply into the past by conducting extensive research in libraries, archives, and museums. They then present their conclusions and evidence through papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or websites, moving through a series of contest levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. Through this process, students develop communication, project management, and historical thinking skills. We wish our Middle Schoolers the best of luck tomorrow in finding the information needed to win their competition in March.

The LMS students of the month were honored by the Levelland Lion's Club today. LMS #expectsexcellence and these teacher-nominated students were recognized for being respectful and responsible and doing their jobs everyday! Thank you to the Lion's Club for recognizing our hard-working students and for the Levelland Gift Cards received. We appreciate your support! Congratulations to Caleb Willey (6th), Ava Garza (8th), Joey Wheeler (5th) and Anna Wheeler (7th).

Thank you to the LHS Choir and ABC for representing LISD at the Downtown Lighted Event last week! It was a crisp night to ring in the spirit of Christmas. We found LISD students all around the square too, enjoying the night. Levelland ABC did it again! Congratulations on winning Best Student Float in the Lighted Parade! Yay! Thank you to everyone at ABC who pitched in to make the float look so awesome!

https://www.facebook.com/LevellandISD/videos/912206597710888

LHS Alumni Joel White and his colleague Natalie Jones were caught mentoring and giving advice to future medical students in the LHS library. Joel and Natalie are in the Texas Tech University Health Science Program and came to help future students interested in the medical field. They had sit-down interviews with LHS kids, answering questions about what to expect in college and studying, test taking, transitioning from associates to undergraduate to graduate study, and even residency match days. There was discussion of not being afraid of going in with one idea in mind and coming out with another after learning in the program. We appreciate this mentorship program that keeps interest going for our future leaders!

South Elementary 4th Grade GT students share their lastest edition of What's Up South video! GT students work on this all month, using their skills to film, cut, edit, splice and produce a great video. Thank you, Mrs. Belcher for guiding your students to be 21st-Century Learners.

Watch their video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmbUctKZ-UQ

Capitol second-graders performed "Bring on the Snow!" Friday under the direction of Music Teacher Susan Draper. It was a hilarious winter variety show that warmed our hearts and tickled our funny bones. Students sang, spoke, recited poems, and even told funny jokes. But most of all, they're really hoping for some snow days soon! They were great performances and we know what hard work went into preparing this program. Thank you, Ms. Draper!

ABC educators were treated to Gingerbread pancakes by their very own GingerBread Girls yesterday! Thank you to Gingerbread Howard and Gingerbread Hicks for always finding ways to boost morale at ABC! What a fun treat!

Capitol students learned about and practiced their empathy skills with Counselor Mrs. Barbara Utley this week. They played "Feelings charades' to practice their empathy skills (recognizing the feelings of others) then students listened to the story "A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree" to learn how the woodland animals showed empathy to the tree who was feeling sad. They concluded the lesson with their own empathetic responses to someone feeling, sad, angry, embarrassed, bored, lonely, and frustrated and posted them on the Capitol "Workin' on Empathy" bulletin board to remind everyone to be empathetic every day even if it is hard work! They also talked about Christmas. Christmas can mean even the most generous-spirited children are more focused on what they want to get rather than what they can give. But the real Christmas spirit is about giving – rather than gifts. Dr. Seuss may have been on to something in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ when he wrote "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” Mrs. Utley then gave students ideas on ways to give this Christmas. Thank you Mrs. Utley, for helping students understand their feelings.

Email: rmccutchen@levellandisd.net
Website: www.levellandisd.net
Location: 704 11th Street, Levelland, TX
Phone: 806-894-9628
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LevellandISD/
Instagram: levellandindschooldistrict