Note from Dr. Sandra Talbert, Lorena ISD Superintendent

The events at the elementary school in Connecticut on Friday deeply impacted everyone. Those of us who are educators feel a great responsibility for our students’ safety while they are entrusted to us. I want to assure you that Lorena ISD has a comprehensive safety plan in place. We constantly strive to review that plan and prepare our teachers and students by conducting drills. We will continue to evaluate our plan and discuss any modifications we might need to make or ways we might improve the existing plan. Counselors are available to visit with students on each campus. The counselors also can provide you with resources should you like guidance in speaking to your child about this tragic event.  Lorena ISD will not conduct large group discussions with the students as parents have chosen how much or little information to share with their child, and we want to honor that. Again, we take your child’s safety seriously.  You can rest assured that we do everything possible to ensure Lorena ISD students’ safety. We treasure your children.

Sandra Talbert
Superintendent of Schools

Christmas Holiday

Lorena ISD Christmas Holiday Dates:

Friday, December 21st - Early Dismissal on all campuses

Monday, December 24th through Monday, January 7th - No school

Tuesday, January 8th - School resumes for students

We hope all of you have a safe and happy holiday season!

LHS Theater Presents...Ebenezer's Christmas Carol

This Friday and Saturday (December 7th & 8th) the Lorena High School Theatre Department will present Ebenezer's Christmas Carol.  The play begins at 7 pm both nights in the Performing Arts Center.  Admission is $3. 

High School Band Winter Concert & Honors

The Lorena High School Band will hold its

Winter Concert and Cake Auction

on Monday, December 10 at 7pm in the PAC.

ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

COME OUT AND ENJOY SOME GREAT MUSIC AND BID ON SOME AMAZING HOLIDAY TREATS!

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Also - congratulations to the following students for making the 2012-2013 ATSSB All-Region Band.

Callie Jackson

Austin Hill
Levi Golding
Josh King

Levi and Josh both finished FIRST on their instrument and will advance to AREA competition which will be held in January.

 

Post courtesy of Marcus Bryant, LISD Music Director

Football Regional Playoff Info

After a thrilling Area Championship victory last Friday night over Fairfield, the Leopards are on to the Regional round of the Class AAA Division 2 playoffs!

We will play the West Orange-Stark Mustangs Friday night, November 30th at Waller ISD Stadium in Waller, Texas.  Kickoff is set for 7 pm.  Pre-sale tickets are available in the High School Office.  Prices are $5 for students and $7 for adults.  All tickets at the gate will be $8.  THSCA, 19-AAA, 21-AAA, & Senior Citizen passes will be honored.

There will be a community-wide Pep Rally Thursday night at 6:30 in the Performing Arts Center and a send-off Friday at 2:30.  All are invited to attend!

Map to Waller ISD Stadium


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Leopard Football Area Playoff Info

Congratulations to our Leopards on their Bidistrict Championship victory over Rockdale Friday night!!! 

The Leopards will now play Fairfield this Friday, November 23rd at 7:00 p.m. at Bryan High School for the Area Championship.  Tickets for the game will be sold in advance at Lorena High School. Student tickets will be $4.00 and adult tickets will be $6.00.  All tickets at the gate will be $7.00.  You can purchase tickets from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm Monday and Tuesday.

Map to Merrill Green Stadium in Bryan:



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Leopard Football Playoff Info

Your District 17-AAA Champion Leopards will kick off their playoff run this Friday night (November 16th) against Rockdale.  The game will be played at Leo Buckley Stadium in Killeen at 7:30. 

Ticket info:

• Presale student tickets will be available in the high school office Tuesday - Friday @ noon.  Student tickets at the gate Friday night will be $7.
• Adult tickets will be $7 and will only be available at the gate on Friday night.  There is NO presale of adult tickets.

Map to Leo Buckley Stadium in Killeen:


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New Leopard Field Scoreboard

Thanks to sponsor donations, we now have a brand new scoreboard at Leopard Field!  The animated graphics will provide an even more exciting atmosphere for gametime.  Come check out the new scoreboard at the next Leopard home game! 

Be sure and thank these great sponsors:

• Greg May Honda & Greg May Chevrolet
• TopDollarDeals.com
• Extraco
• Waco Sports Academy
• Hobby Howell
• Ratliff Readymix
• Wendell Jackson Sign Company
• Oakcrest Funeral Home
• State Farm - Bob Anderson
• Herff Jones
• Shipley Donuts - Hewitt

Also - a very special thanks to Bill & Mary Coleman and Mike Nicoletti & the Lorena Athletic Boosters for their important roles in obtaining the new scoreboard.

Tanner Underwood Benefit: Good Fun for a Good Cause

As you may know, LHS student, Tanner Underwood was in a serious car accident on I-35 in March 2012.  Over the last seven months, Tanner has been treated for a traumatic brain injury at various hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.  Now that Tanner is finally home, the Lorena community would like to celebrate his return and honor him with a benefit to help defray medical costs and ongoing care.

When members of the class of 2016 began planning the TUHope Crew Benefit , they set two goals: to raise money and to create a memorable party to celebrate Tanner's return to Lorena.

The event will take place Sunday, November 18, from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Hog Creek Ice House. The program is packed with fun activities for the whole family.

For tons of information about the benefit as well as ticket and shirt sales, please visit the TUHope Crew website.

Robotics Team Advances

Congratulations to Mr. Sam Bartlett and our Robotics Team!  They competed this past weekend in the Heart of Texas Boosting Engineering, Science & Technology (BEST) Robotics Technical Competition, and took home first place.  This is an outstanding result especially considering we are in the first year of our Robotics program.  They now advance to the State competition in Dallas in two weeks.  Students from both the Middle School and High School make up the team, and they represented Lorena extremely well.  The picture on the left shows the team's trophy, t-shirt, plaque for best t-shirt design, and the official program for the competition.  You can find out more about our Robotics team by reading this post from earlier this year. 

Bus Rider Count

On Wednesday, October 31st and Friday, November 2nd LISD will take a bus count on both the morning and afternoon routes.  The school district can earn an additional $9000+ if we have good ridership on those days. 
The Texas Education Agency requires the school district to choose two days from different months to get the bus ridership average we report.  So, we are asking you to encourage your child to ride the bus Wednesday, October 31st and Friday, November 2nd to support us in the effort to raise additional transportation funding from the state.

Thank you for your support.

Science, Technology and Engineering Success

Lorena High School science/physics teacher, Sam Bartlett, had a simple idea:  If you build it, they will come.  Last spring, with hopes of developing a local science club, Mr. Bartlett applied for and won a grant  from the Lorena Education Foundation to purchase parts and build a computer from scratch.   With his grant in hand, Mr. Bartlett then solicited students to form LSTEC (the Lorena Science Technology and Engineering Club).  Last week the students and Mr. Bartlett met after school to build their first computer, Leopard I.  With excitement in the air and an overall atmosphere of half business and half party, the students finally flipped the switch.  “There were cheers and high fives when we turned it on for the first time and it worked”, said Mr. Bartlett.  “I want to thank the Lorena Education foundation again for making this fantastic experience possible.”  He went on to explain the high school students will also form the Lorena High School BEST Robotics Team, using the computer to design and build a robot and then compete later this year in the Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology competition, or BEST Robotics.

LISD appreciates Mr. Bartlett, who, like so many other teachers in Lorena, strive to show students that science, math and technology can be fun, challenging and rewarding.  If you would like to help the Education Foundation make future grants like this possible, you can mail your donation to the Lorena Education Foundation, P. O. Box 39, Lorena, Texas 76655 or consider participating in our annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser on Friday, October 26th.  For more info about the tournament or the foundation, contact them at EducationFoundation@LorenaISD.net. 

Lorena Elementary Earns Award

 

This year the Waco Tribune-Herald once again conducted the H.O.T. Reader’s Choice Awards. Congratulations to Lorena Elementary School for being chosen as the Best Public Elementary School by readers! Be on the lookout for the Waco Tribune-Herald H.O.T. Reader’s Choice 2012 Award supplement in the paper where you will see the announcement!
 

Congratulations to the Lorena Elementary staff and students for this outstanding honor!

AYP Plans and Information

Dear Parents and Guardians of Students at Lorena ISD,

Lorena ISD is committed to providing every child with the best education possible, and we work hard to that end each and every day.  While Lorena ISD has been a recognized school district for the past several years, this year the state suspended ratings because of the new STAAR tests.  The state is still in the process of setting the standard for the grades 3-8 assessments.  However, there are different requirements for the Federal government under the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Act.

Under the NCLB Act of 2001, a Title I, Part A-funded LEA (local education agency/LISD), or school district, that has not met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for two or more consecutive years in the same indicator (reading, mathematics, attendance rate, or graduation rate) is subject to LEA-level Title I School Improvement Requirements.  Based on the 2012 LEA AYP Status released August 8, 2012, Lorena ISD is subject to the LEA-level SIP (School Improvement Program) requirements for Stage 1 during the 2012-2013 school year. For additional information about the AYP definition please visit TEA’s website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ayp/.

 Lorena ISD missed AYP in math for the past two years.  In 2010-11 we had more students pass the math assessment in Special Education than were allowed by the state imposed cap.  There is a 2% cap of special education students that are allowed to take a modified test; therefore, any student who passes over the cap counts as a failure.  This caused Lorena ISD to miss AYP in 2010-11.  In 2011-12 the standards were raised as the goal of 100% of all students passing was quickly approaching in 2014.  Requirements for math in 2011-2012 were 83% of all students and subgroups passing; next year the goal for all students will be 95%, and finally in 2014 the standard will be 100% passing for all students and subgroups. 

New PowerSchool Accounts

Alert: If you used PowerSchool Parent Access in previous years, you will need to create a personal account this year!

New This Year! PowerSchool Parent Portal with Single Sign-On

In previous versions of the PowerSchool Parent Portal there was a separate username and password for each student requiring a parent to login multiple times if they had more than one student attending any LISD campus. This year we  have introduced the Parent Single Sign-On feature.

Single Sign-On offers a number of benefits, including:

• access to multiple students with one login
• a personalized account for each parent and guardian
• the ability for parents/guardians to retrieve their own login information

As always, you will still be able to securely view your child's up to the minute student attendance, grades, detailed assignment descriptions, school bulletins, and even personal messages from the teacher.

 

Parents:

 

Start by clicking on the LISD PowerSchool icon, then click on "Create an Account" the first time you login for the 2012-2013 school year.

West Nile - 4 D's of Defense

With Football season in full swing please make sure you are protected and courteous of others around you.

Recommendation from the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District concerning spectators at football games and other outdoor activities.
Every person can protect themselves from West Nile Virus and mosquito bites with simple, easy to do actions.  Remember the 4 D's of Defense.

• Drain any standing water
• Use mosquito repellent with DEET
• Avoid Dusk/Dawn.  Mosquitoes are most active at these times
• Dress in long sleeves and pants if possible.

Use of mosquito repellent at football games and outdoor activities: Individuals attending the football games or other outdoor activities and choosing to use mosquito repellent should do so before entering the game or activity venue.  Please respect others and do not use spray repellents inside the stadium or areas near the stadium where other people are gathered.  Please be courteous of others who may be adversely affected by the use of these sprays.

Frequently Asked Questions

Preguntas que se hacen frecuentemente

School Traffic

Parents, please note that there has been a change in the stop signs at the intersection of Williams and Houston streets. This is now a two way stop rather than a four way stop. Please be careful as we adjust to the new flow of traffic. 

Also, the city of Lorena has moved the school zone sign past the entrance to the LMS parking lot.  The goal is to set up a turn lane leading into the parking area of LMS.  A turn lane will help keep Leopard Lane open to two-way traffic when parents are waiting to pick up their students at the end of the school day.

Back to School Events & Registration

Back to School Bash!

The annual Lorena ISD Back to School Bash will take place August 27th at Leopard Field! Food, activities, and fun for the entire family will be available!

- Booths open at 5:30 pm

- Meet the Leopards at 6:30 pm

- Kindergarten/Senior Walk - Passing the Torch

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

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New Student Registration: 
August 6th-10th from 8am - 11:30am & 12:30pm - 4pm
  
Campus Events:

Primary School
"Meet the Teacher" - Thursday, August 23rd, 5:30pm -6:30pm

Elementary School
"Meet the Teacher" - Friday, August 24th, 5:30pm -6:30pm
Parent Orientation - Tuesday, September 4th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Middle School
Registration and Schedule Pickup
5th & 7th Grades: Tuesday, August 21st, 5:30pm
6th & 8th Grades: Thursday, August 23rd, 5:30pm

High School
Fish Camp (incoming Freshmen) Friday, August 24th, 1:00pm - 3:00pm Parents are encouraged to attend!
11th & 12th grade Orientation, Monday, August 20th, 6:00pm
9th & 10th grade Orientation, Tuesday, August 21st, 6:00pm

LISD offering the "Leopard Pass"

LISD is again offering the "Leopard Pass" to all home sporting events EXCEPT Friday night football games, tournaments, banquets, or fundraising activities. 
The "Leopard Pass" is your ticket to all volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball games and track meets (excluding the 17-3A track meet).  Cost for the "Leopard Pass" is $60 for adults and $40 for students.  The "Leopard Pass" may be purchased at the LISD Administration building.  Senior citizens (55 yrs and older) may also pick up a "Senior Citizen Pass" at the same location for no charge.

Varsity Football Ticket Sales

Football season is just around the corner, and it promises to be an exciting year in District 17-AAA.  Lorena will have 6 home football games this year with games against Madisonville, Lampasas, Grandview, Connally, Robinson and China Spring. 

Reserved seats for the 2012 Lorena Leopard Football games will go on sale Monday, August 6, 2012, at the LHS office.  Tickets will be available for purchase from 7:30am to 3:00pm.  Previous year season ticket holders will have from August6-8 and August 13-17 to claim and purchase their seats.

Seats not claimed and paid for will go on sale at 7:30am on Wednesday, August 22.  There will not be a waiting/exchange list.  Tickets will be available on a first come/first serve basis on August 22nd.

Tickets are $48 for the six home football games.

Coming Soon! New Website for Lorena ISD

The Lorena ISD district and campus websites are in the process of a complete redesign to increase efficiency, making them more timely and useful. The overhaul of our website gives each school a clean and updated online look to replace a design that was already seven years old.
In July 2012, visitors will notice a few changes to the website including:

• School and District news distinctively displayed on each homepage
• Photos of LISD students displayed online 
• The addition of Apps to help you connect better with the schools

Here's a little preview of what's to come:

New Scoreboard Sponsorship

Lorena ISD has a special opportunity for companies or individuals interested in sponsoring a new scoreboard for Leopard Stadium.  The stadium is host to athletic and other extracurricular events year round.  Anyone interested in any level of sponsorship is encouraged to contact Jeff Linnstaedter (jefflinnstaedter@lorenaisd.net) at the Lorena ISD Administration building or call (254)857-3239.

Thank you for supporting the Leopards and Lorena ISD!

State Track Meet Results

Our three Lady Leopard State Track qualifiers all ran personal best times at this past weekend's state track meet.  A special congratulations goes to Miranda Prado for her silver medal performance in the 3200 m run! 

Here are all the results:

Miranda Prado 3200m.  – 2^nd place

Miranda Prado 1600m. – 4^th place

Ashlyn Bell 100m. Dash – 7^th place

Ashlyn Bell 200m. Dash - 6^th place

Erin Sims 100m. Hurdles – 7^th place

Erin Sims 300m. Hurdles – 5^th place

Baseball Area Playoffs

After winning the Bidistrict championship over Groesbeck, the Leopards are 20-9 on the season and will play Bullard (21-8) in the Area playoffs Friday & Saturday.  

All games will be at Ennis High School.  Game 1 is Friday, May 11th at 7:00 pm, game 2 is Saturday, May 12th at 2:00 pm, and game 3 (if needed) will follow game 2.  Lorena will be on the 1st base side.

View Larger Map

Driving Directions:

 Go north on I-35 to Hillsboro.  Take I-35 East at Hillsboro to Italy.  Exit on Highway 34 to Ennis.  As you come into Ennis, the high school will be on the right.  Baseball field is behind the football stadium. 

Lorena ISD Honoring 7 Retirees

Softball Area Playoff Info

The Lorena High School softball team will take on Rusk in the Area round of the Class 3A playoffs this Friday night @ 7:30 in Fairfield.

Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students.

Map to Fairfield High School



View Larger Map

Driving directions to Fairfield High School, Fairfield, TX 75840

from Lorena, TX

	1. Head south on N Bordon St toward Center St
		0.4 mi
	2. Keep left at the fork

FFA District Banquet

Image from FFA.org

We had another great night for Lorena FFA last night at the District Banquet.  Garrison Jamison was the District Champion in the Junior Prepared Public Speaking Event and Jacob Mathis was District Champion in the Extemporaneous Speaking Event.  Both these boys will advance to the Area Competition on May 12. Brett Hendrix was 2^nd in the talent competition, Kallie Bryant was 5^th in Soil Stewardship Speaking, and Tori Hebert was 6^th in the Sr. Prepared Public Speaking Contest.  Lorena FFA also finished 2^nd in the District CDE Sweepstakes and won a total of nine district level banners.   We have a state competition coming up on May 5^th as well as an area competition coming up on May 12.  Please wish all of the Lorena FFA competitors good luck!

Article by Henry Goff

Regional Track Results

Congratulations to all the LHS athletes who participated this past weekend in the Regional Track Meet in Humble.  We had several athletes place and have some who are headed to Austin for the state meet in two weeks. 

Ladies' Results -

• Erin Sims placed 1st in the 100m hurdles and 2nd in the 300m hurdles, qualifying for the state meet in both events.
• Ashlyn Bell placed 2nd in both  the 100m dash and the 200m dash, qualifying for the state meet in both events
• Mirando Prado placed 2nd in both the 1600m run and the 3200m run, qualifying for the state meet in both events

Men's Results -

• Eric Pelham placed 3rd in the 800m run and will be an alternate for the state meet
• Hunter Lowe, Taylor Glenn, Chris Whiteside & Bradly Krall placed 6th in the 800m relay and set a new school record (1:29.46)
• Garrison Locking placed 4th in the 110m hurdles
• Taylor Glenn placed 6th in the 100m dash
• Bradly Krall placed 6th in the 200m dash

Softball & Baseball Playoff Info

Both the Lorena HS Softball and Baseball teams have made the Class 3A playoffs!

Here's the info for their first round games:

Softball -

Opponent: Madisonville
Place: Fairfield
Time: Saturday, April 28th @ 2 pm

Baseball -

Opponent - Groesbeck (will play a three game series)
May 3rd @ Groesbeck @ 7
May 4th @ Lorena @ 7
May 5th @ Groesbeck @ 2
Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for students

Good luck to the Leopards and Lady Leopards!