LISD Expect Excellence Newsletter

Hello Levelland Lobos!

The holiday season is a special time for family and friends. During November we celebrated Thanksgiving and we were able to reflect on the true spirit of thankfulness. The blessings in

our lives are abundant and we should not allow them to go unnoticed.

As we practice gratitude, we are reminded that it is not just what we have, but also for the

amazing people who fill our lives. A heartfelt gesture, a helping hand, or simple kindness to

those around us can make a huge difference. Every moment and every individual in our lives is

a blessing.

As you celebrate the holidays and hone the connections that unite us as a community, you will

find hope and gratitude. As Norman Vincent Peale stated, “The more you practice the art of

thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.”

Have a great week!

Go Lobos!

Expect Excellence

Becky McCutchen, Superintendent

It was a great day for Levelland ISD educators. Our Levelland ISD Foundation for Excellence gave $9,305.76 to lucky grant writers on each campus before Thanksgiving. The LIFE Foundation provides Innovative Teaching Grants to teachers wanting to enrich students' academic experiences. They fund creative, innovative academic projects not supported by school budgets and today they made 17 LISD teachers happy! At ABC, Tammy Branch was awarded money for individualization instructional aides. Jacqueline Covarrubias, Julie Fortner, and Taylor Peck were awarded flexible seating, and Mrs. Peck also received new headphones. Crystal Miller was awarded Boogie Board Re-Write Max Tablets, while Karen Torres got her Read to Succeed for All Needs grant. At Capitol, Music Director Susan Draper received more Orff Instruments, PE teacher Kristy Sanders was awarded fine motor games that build skills, and Clara Sanders got Science Materials that will expand learning to a new level. At South, Librarian Tiffany Harkins received a 3-D printer. At LMS Gina Randol will start an indoor salsa garden, Reba Griggs & Kayla Kelly will get Prime Time for their Robotics Teams, and Olivia Magee will receive Graphic Novels that go with her History Curriculum. At LHS, Music Director Josh Ballard received Microphones, while Scott Lawson was awarded a computer Maintenance Mobile Lab. This is both amazing and terrific! We are excited for these educators that #expectexcellence. We appreciate all that LIFE does to support the enhanced learning of LISD students! https://files.gabbart.com/455/life_grant.mp4

Levelland ABC #expectsexcellence and hosted the annual UIL Academic Event today. These littles worked hard in and out of the classroom to stand up in front of judges to perform their Oral Reading and to complete their Storytelling. Congratulations to all these students who studied harder, excelled further, and went above and beyond to complete this task. Thank you to the Principals, the Counselors, the coaches, and the parents who put in extra time to prepare these kids to be judged!

LHS Choir Director Josh Ballard shares that his women's choir visited the ENMU Music School. They got to attend college music classes, tour the University, sing in a University Choir rehearsal, talk to professors and students, and eat a college lunch! Mr. Ballard says, "We had a blast and got re-motivated for college, school, and choir!" This was a great learning experience ladies, congratulations!

Levelland Middle School #expectsexcellence and hosted a great Family Night last night. It was for parents to learn from their children. History students had studied Thanksgiving Celebrations around the world and presented their research to parents, which included yummy food items. Furthermore, Science students helped their parents discover the wonders of science with hands-on experiments, engaging activities, and fun challenges! It was a fabulous learning night with a lot of parent participation. We appreciate you coming! https://files.gabbart.com/459/lms_history__science_night.mp4

The LHS YELL members send out a huge thank you to Nicole Campbell of Smith Family Auto for teaching them about buying their first car. Ms. Campbell gave advice on credit and what to do before, during and after the big purchase. She completed the lesson and let the YELL members drool over a new FORD raptor truck! That was fun! Thank you to the Chamber for lunch!

Nearly 50 people attended the LISD Bilingual Meeting held yesterday. We provide these meetings to enable parents with the skills to help their students be successful. It takes a village and we are thankful for these amazing opportunities that make us better learners!

ABC, South, and Capitol all held their annual turkey trots this week! These are fun days that kick off the Thanksgiving Break! There was races and fun games for sure, but look closely to see if you find the biggest turkeys of all! https://files.gabbart.com/455/turkeytrot24finala.mp4

Central Office hosted their annual Thanksgiving Potluck Luncheon for the Central Office Staff, Technology Department, Maintenance Department, Special Education Department, Transportation Department, and LISD Administrators. We thank, Central Office for giving us this time of togetherness and gratitude. Working for Levelland ISD is truly a blessing!

The LHS NHS Community Service for November was to "Fall Into A Good Book," and members brought books for Hickory Terrace residents. Our NHS Officers visited Hickory Terrace right before the Thanksgiving Break to deliver the books and brighten everyone's day! We are always proud when our young leaders think of giving to others. (Not pictured Ethan Parkinson).

Mrs. Lott's Little Lobos took a trip to Walmart to locate and identify fruits and vegetables. Each team had picture pages and a dauber to mark them off as they found and identified the correct item. This lesson taught about grocery buying, categorizing, colors, fruits, and vegetables. There were so many things included in this lesson even learning outside of the classroom! Great job kiddos!

We know some of you ate ham for Thanksgiving Dinner! But don't kiss it like Mr. Luna did at LMS! Mr. Luna was the one earning the most money in the Annual LMS Parent Club "Kiss A Pig Fundraiser." The Fundraiser helped the Parent Club raise $419! Congratulations to the Parents and Mr. Luna!

Levelland Middle School eSports sponsors Reba Griggs and Kaya Kelley #expectexcellence and share that their eSports students have had an outstanding season competing. They wrapped up their regular season play with 3 teams and 2 individuals advancing to the playoffs for the Vanta Texas Middle School Leagues. The Rocket League season started with 38 teams (160 gamers) from 22 schools. LMS advanced 2 teams (9 gamers) to the playoffs. The Super Smash Bros. season started with 28 teams (117 gamers) from 14 schools. LMS advanced 1 team (4 players) to the playoffs. The Chess season started with 20 teams from 10 different schools. LMS advanced 2 players to the playoffs. Playoffs have a "sweet 16" and "elite 8" rounds that will be played remotely at home. The Final 4 advance to the state championship, which will be held at Baylor University December 13-14. Super Smash Bros, Rocket League, and Braxton were beaten out in the Sweet 16 round of playoffs, but Dylan Slape is still ranked number one! He is heading into the elite 8 on Wednesday with a 6-1 record this season. Great job, kids and best of luck to you, Dylan!

The LHS YELL members send out a huge thank you to Nicole Campbell of Smith Family Auto for teaching them about buying their first car. Ms. Campbell gave advice on credit and what to do before, during and after the big purchase. She completed the lesson and let the YELL members drool over a new FORD raptor truck! That was fun! Thank you to the Chamber for lunch!

We just finished one holiday and are preparing for the next. LHS sends out a thank you to NHS for decorating the annual tree and preparing the campus for Christmas festivities!

Please vote to help Bill's BackPacks win in the City Bank Community Rewards program. This Community Rewards Program serves non-profits with much-needed funds to keep rolling. We appreciate your help in advance and will remind you often! You can vote every hour through December 6th. Feel free to vote for any other Levelland organization in the other categories as well.

https://www.city.bank/about/our-company/community-rewards

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