All-Region Band Honors

This past weekend members of the Lorena High School Band participated in the ATSSB All-Region Band Auditions at Groesbeck High School. Five of our students made it into an All-Region Band! They are:

Andee Fonseca – 2nd Chair French Horn (Symphonic Band)

Josh King – 3rd Chair Percussion (Symphonic Band)

Victor Boswell – 3rd Chair Euphonium (Symphonic Band)

Charlotte Quaas – 1st Chair Percussion (Concert Band)

Gabriel Scott – 3rd Chair Percussion (Concert Band)

Andee, Josh, and Victor will be advancing to the Area Audition on January 7^th.

BRAVO Leopards!!!

Post courtesy of Lorena Music Director, Marcus Bryant

LISD Music Department Winter Concerts

Mark your calendars for these Music Department events!

Bring family and friends to hear some holiday favorites!!!

Admission to all concerts is FREE!!!

Thursday, December 8 - Middle School Band (7th & 8th Grade) Winter Concert in the PAC.  Concert begins at 7 pm.

Tuesday, December 13 - Beginner Band (6th Grade) and High School Band Winter Concert & Cake Auction in the HS Commons.  Concert and Cake Auction begin at 7 pm.

Friday, December 16 - Middle School Choir Concert in the PAC.  Concert begins at 7 pm.

Regional Playoff Football Info

Courtesy of Coach Biles:

This is the information we currently have on our Regional Semifinal game in Brenham this week.

Opponent:         Coldspring

Date:                Friday, November 25^th

Time:                6:00 PM

Location:           Cub Stadium in Brenham, Texas

Tickets:             No pre-sale, all tickets will be sold at the gate for pre sale prices. Adults - $7.00 / Students - $5.00

Passes:            19-AAA District Passes / Senior Citizen Passes

Thank you for your continued support, we had a great and vocal crowd in Huntsville last Saturday. If you did not get a playoff shirt and desire one, please contact Annette @ Heart of Texas T’s, her number is 857-4330.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving and GO BIG RED!

Map and Driving Directions:

View Larger Map

Lorena, TX

	1. Head south on N Bordon St toward Center St
		0.4 mi
	2. Keep right at the fork
		443 ft
	3. Continue onto I-35 Frontage Rd

Area Football Playoff info

The Leopards and the coaching staff appreciates all the support last Friday night in Midlothian.  The victory over Fairfield earned the Leopards the Bi-District title, and we will play in the Area Finals game this Saturday.  Here is all the info you need to come support your Leopards this weekend.

Lorena vs. Rusk

Saturday, November 19th @ 2:00 PM 

Bowers Stadium / Sam Houston State University / Huntsville, TX

Pre Sale Tickets: Students $4 Adults $6
*Tickets will be sold in the Lorena High School office through Friday.

At the gate, ALL TICKETS are $7.

We are the visiting team and will be sitting on the side opposite the press box



View Larger Map

Driving Directions (137 miles, Estimated time: 2hrs 42 minutes):

1. Head south on N Bordon St toward Center St

Drumline National Championship Results

Our 9 Lorena percussionists returned from PASIC national competition in Indiana this past weekend with great results.

Josh King is the 2011 National Snare Champion. This is Josh’s 2nd consecutive national title. Josh is now the 5th performer to receive this title twice, and he will try for an unprecedented 3rd title next year.

Charlotte Quaas got 2nd place in multi percussion, and Gabriel Scott got 3rd.

The percussion ensemble also performed in an interactive clinic and was well received.

Congratulations to these hard working performers: Jack Donahue, Trent Curry, Andrew Burleson, Andrew King, Brett Hendrix, Charlotte Quaas, Gabriel Scott, Victor Boswell, Josh King, and manager Andee Fonseca.

Article by Damon Vela.

Football Playoff Info!

Bi-District Playoff Football Information:


Lorena vs. Fairfield

Date: Friday, November, 11th.

Time: 7:30 PM

Place: Midlothian ISD Stadium

Physical Address:

1800 S. 14th Street
Midlothian, TX 76065

Ticket Prices: Presale @ Lorena High School until noon Friday. Students - $4 Adults - $6.

All tickets at the gate are $6.

*Lorena is the visitor and will be on the side AWAY from the pressbox.
View Larger Map

Driving directions to S 14th St, Midlothian, TX 76065

Lorena, TX

1. Head south on N Bordon St toward Center St

Volleyball Regional Tournament Info!

The Lorena Lady Leopards will play this weekend in the Regional Tournament for an opportunity to make it to State!  The tournament will take place this Friday and Saturday at Bryan High School.  Below are times, ticket info, and directions.  Come support the Lady Leopards!

Friday
Game 1: Gatesville vs. Tarkington - 6:00 pm
Game 2: Lorena vs. Bellville - 8:00 pm

Saturday
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 2:00 pm

Tickets: $8 for adults, $4 for students

Location: Bryan High School in Bryan, TX

Map and Directions (one of several possible routes):


View Larger Map

Driving directions to Campus Dr, Bryan, TX 77802

3D2D

- more info »

Lorena, TX

1. Head south on N Bordon St toward Center St

CScope Curriculum Parent Portal

The CScope Parent Portal is now available for public use! http://www.cscope.us/parentportal

What does the CScope Parent Portal provide?
The "What will my child learn" section on the left side of the screen is a great feature. It allows you to view the foundation documents for your child by grade and subject.All of the content that users will access is updated for school year 2011-12.

When selecting a content area, grade level, and grading cycle (6- or 9-weeks), users will be able to access the CSCOPE Unit numbers and titles, as well as the corresponding Concepts and Key Understandings for each Unit.

Student Portal - Access Your Student's State Standardized Test Scores Online

The State of Texas now provides a Student Portal of the Texas Assessment Management System.  This Portal provides students and parents access to scores from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), including TAKS-Modified (but not including TAKS-Alternate), and the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS).

The assessment data in the Student Portal are reached through a Unique Access Code and the students' birth date as provided on the student's most recent Confidential Student Report.  Students who have lost their Confidential Student Report are instructed to contact their campus to retrieve their Unique Access Code.  This same code will be used to access State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores in the current 2011-2012 assessment year.

Specific features of the Student Portal include the following :

• viewing student assessment results over the course of a student's academic career
• comparing individual student TAKS assessment results to campus, district, and state averages (Comparisons are not available for exit level retests.)
• examining student performance on TAKS, including individual student scale scores and objective scores
• examining a student's TELPAS proficiency ratings, comprehension scores, and composite score/rating

The Student Portal can be accessed by entering http://www.TexasAssessment.com/Students  in a Web browser.  This will take users to the Families tab of the Texas Assessment website.  From that location, students and parents can click a link that will take them to the Student Portal login page. They are also able to view a guide to the Student Portal and access additional information about the TAKS and TELPAS assessments. Once students and parents have logged in, they will be able to examine test scores in detail, as well as access the guide and explanations of test scores.

For additional information about the Texas Assessment Management System, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Texas Assessment website.

District Cross Country Honors!

Congratulations to our high school cross country teams!  They participated in the District Cross Country meet yesterday morning.  Miranda Prado won first place in district, and the boys' team won second place as well.  These students will advance to the regional meet in two weeks! 

Band Contest

The Lorena High School Marching Band will perform at the UIL competition Saturday, October 22nd at the Waco ISD stadium.  Please come, bring your family, and support the band at 1:15!  We hope to have a huge crowd at the stadium to support our students!  There is a $2 admission charge at the gate, and balloons and air horns are prohibited. 

Good luck to the band!

Celebrate Red Ribbon Week Oct. 24th - Oct.28th

Red Ribbon Week brings millions of people together to raise awareness regarding the need for alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence prevention, early intervention and treatment services.  It is the largest, most visible prevention awareness campaign observed annually in the United States. It is our opportunity as a school community to take a stand for the hopes and dreams of our children through a commitment to drug prevention and education. 

LISD schools will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week with many activities. For more information, click the campus activities links below.
Elementary School
Middle School

Middle School Family Game Night

Next Tuesday, October 18, Lorena Middle School will host a Family Game Night for middle schoolers and their families.  The event will take place in the LMS Cafeteria from 6:30 to 8 pm.  We'll have games and snacks available for you to play, but feel free to bring your own picnic dinner and games from home to add to the fun.  We hope you will come and join us!

PowerSchool Service Interruption - Oct 7th 3pm

PowerSchool Gets a Facelift!

Over the weekend of October 7th, LISD staff will be working to upgrade the PowerSchool application.  When the upgrade is complete, you will see PowerSchool 7.0 has a beautiful new user interface. The new look is clean and uncluttered.  The look has changed, but the pages have remained the same.  So, you will not need any further instruction to access your student's information.

While our staff works to upgrade the database, the current PowerSchool application will not be available.  We hope to make this transition as quickly as possible. 

Thank you,
Jennifer Grimm
Technology Director
Lorena ISD

Join the Student Anglers Club- MS & HS students

If your student loves to fish or wants to learn how, then don't miss 6:00pm Tuesday night, October 11, 2011 in the LMS Cafeteria.  The Federation of Student Anglers seeks to introduce students to a series of programs that not only give them a reason to get on the water, but that make them better anglers as well.  FSA builds club fishing teams in middle schools and high schools.  The goal is to get students outside and on the water where they can learn the basics of aquatic and marine biology, fisheries management, ecology and the environmental sciences through the great sport of fishing. 
More information about the program can be found online at the FSA website.

Johnny Can Spell Training for Parents (Kindergarten - Second Grade)

Have you ever wondered what language your child is speaking when he or she says,
"er  the /er/ of her"?  For help decoding phonograms, mark your calendar for Thursday night, October 6th!

Lorena Elementary School is proudly hosting a Johnny Can Spell training for parents. Alice Nine, author of our kindergarten through second grade phonics and spelling programs will be leading the event on October 6, 2011 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

What is Johnny Can Spell?
Johnny Can Spell is a systematic, explicit phonics program.  It presents the phonograms (the sound-symbol correspondences) initially in isolation but develops mastery through daily application in spelling, reading, and writing.

Learn more about phonogram sounds and daily phonics practice to help your child learn to read.

Free Community Event!

The Greater Waco Community Education Alliance is hosting a free community evening on meaningful parent involvement on Monday, October 3 at the new University High School. 

Ako Kambon is the featured speaker – he will inspire and challenge you! For more information call the Lorena ISD administration office or see the fliers on the website under “Parent Resources.”

Family Math Games Night

Tonight is the Family Math Games Night at the Lorena Elementary Cafeteria presented by the award winning teacher consultant group: box cars and one-eyed jacks!  The fun begins at 6:30!

Students will have the opportunity to practice a wide range of math skills by playing various games with cards and dice, and parents can learn many strategies to help their children strengthen math skills.  Skills that games help reinforce include: addition, substraction, probability, counting, place value, estimation, problem solving and many more!

If you haven't RSVP'd, there's still time!  Call Lottie Donahue at the Lorena ISD Admin Building!   857-3616

Lorena ISD Media Centers: AR Home Connect

Lorena ISD Media Centers: AR Home Connect: Parents can now login to Accelerated Reader and view student progress. Simply click on the Parents link on the AR page on any Lorena ISD Library Media Center website. 

Parents use the same username and passwords as their students.  From here, parents can view point totals, average quiz scores, and even request to receive e-mails each time a student tests.

Lil' Leopard Football and Lil' Lady Leopard Volleyball

The Lorena Athletic Association is proud to sponsor Lil' Leopard Football and Lil' Lady Leopard Volleyball.  These organizations give boys (PreK - 4th grade) and girls (K - 4th grade) the opportunity to become a part of Lorena Leopard tradition at an early age.  Lil' Leopards and Lil' Lady Leopards receive t-shirts, get free admission to home games, and even get a special practice session with the high school athletes.  To find out more and download registration forms, please visit either the Lorena Elementary home page or the Lorena Primary home page.  Lil' Leopard Registration is due September 2nd, and Lil' Lady Leopard Registration is due September 6th. 

Listen to the Leopards!

Tomorrow night (August 25th) is the first football game of the 2011 season!  Our Lorena Leopards will play West at 7 pm at Waco ISD Stadium.  If you can't make it to the game, you can listen live on ESPN 1660AM. 

After this week Lorena Leopard football games will be broadcast all season long on Waco's 94.5FM (KBCT).  Tune in to support the Leopards!

Message from Dr. Talbert, LISD Superintendent

We are looking forward to a great new school year. The motto for Lorena ISD is “A Tradition of Excellence,” and our intention is to continue that tradition!

I consider it a privilege to serve as superintendent for the students in this extraordinary school district and to be part of such a supportive community. This year in Lorena schools we are continuing our quest for greatness. Our theme for this year is Teaming up for Greatness, and we will count on each person contributing to our team’s success. A team is defined as a group of people working together to achieve a goal. There are so many roles necessary for a team to function and perform to their fullest ability – the players, the coaches, the referees, the team managers, the fans, and MORE! We will focus on getting all of those involved (parents, community members, teachers, support staff and administrators) on the same page of the playbook so we can achieve our goal: VICTORY – SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS!

Working together we can reach our goals! We appreciate your commitment to our school’s continued success!

Dr. Sandra Talbert

LISD Superintendent

Back to School Bash

The annual Lorena ISD Back to School Bash will take place August 23rd at Leopard Field! Food,  activities, and fun for the entire family will be available! 

• Booths open at 5:30 pm
• Meet the Leopards @ 7:00 pm
• Kindergarten/Senior Walk - Passing the Torch

Come join us as we kick-off a new school year with style! 

2011 Parent Survey

Lorena ISD is currently conducting end-of-year parent surveys.  We want to ensure that we are meeting the needs of every student on each campus.  Parent feedback is critical to this goal.  If you are an LISD parent, please take a few minutes to complete the survey located on the district website:  http://www.lorenaisd.net/.  Look for the 2011 Parent Survey Link located at the bottom of the home page.  Thank you so much for helping make Lorena ISD great!

GT Program Announcement

Nominations of students in grades 1-7 are now being accepted for testing for the Gifted and Talented (CE) Program at Lorena Primary, Elementary and Middle Schools.  Parents or other interested adults may pick up nomination packets at the school offices. All paperwork should be turned back into the office no later than Monday, May 16^th.  Testing will occur during the week of May 16-20.  Students are served at Primary and Elementary each day during their Greater Academic Progress (GAP) time. Students in Middle School are served in advanced reading or math classes, while curriculum is differentiated in Science and Social Studies.  If you have questions about the program, please contact the school counselor on each campus or Cheri Borchardt, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Administration Building.

FFA Students Win Honors at District Banquet

Monday afternoon, the FFA Waco District banquet was held in Bosqueville.  At this event, several Lorena ISD students were honored. 

Kallie Bryant won the district Soil Stewardship public speaking contest.

Brett Hendrix won the Talent contest.

Brett Hendrix was elected to serve as a district officer for 2011-2012.

Jon Williams placed 4^th in Junior Prepared Public Speaking.

Good luck to Kallie & Brett as they advance to Area!

Chelsea Taft, FFA Advisor

Looking for Summer Fun?

Summertime is a fun time at LISD!  There are many opportunities to engage your students and keep their minds and bodies active.  We encourage you to take a look at the list of camps, library media center hours and learning opportunities available.

2011 Education Foundation Grant Awards

On Friday, April 22nd, the Lorena Education Foundation surprised Grant Winners with balloons, noise makers and a big check.  The Foundation's goal is simple. They raise funds to benefit the students and teachers of Lorena ISD.  This year the Foundation awarded four grants totaling $20,563.  The grants included:

• Bam! Teaching Science with Technology!- The science department at LMS will add 6 computers in each of the science labs.  The addition of this technology will allow teachers to be more innovative with their classrom instruction, projects and labs.
• e5 Team- embark, educate, engage, energize and empower! This grant starts off with a bang!  The first ever Digic@mp for kids will be held this summer at LISD.  The e5 Team will be teaching students Web2.0 and other technology tools and tricks.  This team also meets monthly to collaborate on all things digital and spread the knowledge to other teachers and in turn students.  The grant will culminate with the team attending the cutting edge TCEA conference in February.
• Learning Comes Alive with BrainPop Jr.!- With a campus wide subscription, brain Pop, Jr., will provide an animated tool in teaching students all core subject areas, including math and science.  In addition, the program offers great character enrichment lessons.
• Get Up and Move your Cerebral Cortex! - Research shows physical movement helps build and maintain neural connections in the brain as well as helps children manage their emotions and behavior.  The tricycles awarded with this grant will help provide the youngest students in our district with developmentally appropriate physical activities that are known to promote cognitive and emotional growth.

LISD is so grateful to the Foundation for their dedication to the students and teachers of the district. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

For more information about how you can help support the Foundation, visit them online at http://www.lorenaeducationfoundation.org/

All District Girl's Soccer and SuperCentex Awards

Recently, several members of the LHS girls soccer team were recognized by the District 34-4A coaches. We are very proud of their accomplishments!

District 34-4A 2^nd Team All-District

Lauren Marteney, Brenna Vonasek, Ashlyn Wilcox, Ansley Gough

District 34-4A 1^st Team All-District

Emmy Dickson, Alex Warren, Mariah Griffin, Cassidy Stigliano, Lizzie Lamar

District 34-4A Newcomer of the Year

Cathy Arevalo

District 34-4A co-Offensive MVP

Kaitlyn Wallace

District 34-4A co-District MVP

Brianna Johnston

LHS also had 2 young ladies recognized by the Waco Tribune Herald sports writers for their outstanding accomplishments this season.

2011 Waco Tribune Herald SuperCentex Girl’s Soccer 1^st Team Selection:  Kaitlyn Wallace

2011 Waco Tribune Herald SuperCentex Girl’s Soccer Player of the Year:  Brianna Johnston; This is Brianna’s 3^rd SuperCentex Award. She was the Newcomer of the Year in 2009 and has now been named Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011. 

Please congratulate these young ladies on their amazing accomplishments and their record setting season. They have earned and deserve every honor.