Ruston Elementary School

Last night the Lincoln Parish School Board approved the 2023-2024 school calendar! To view the calendar for the next school year, click the link provided. https://5il.co/1ow2j

Lincoln Parish Schools will be closed Monday, January 11, due to winter weather conditions. Student assignments can be found on Google Classroom, or some were sent home by teachers on Friday. Enjoy the snow and be safe! Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 12, and students in grades 7-12 will be on the B schedule for Tuesday. Ricky Durret Superintendent Lincoln Parish Schools

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Program | Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services Louisiana Reopens 2019-2020 P-EBT Application for Families Who Did Not Apply in May and June Families Who Received P-EBT during the May-June Application Period are NOT Eligible The P-EBT program provides help buying groceries for the families of children who were receiving free and reduced-price meals at school last school year. These one-time benefits are $285 per eligible child. This covers 50 school days missed from statewide school closures during the pandemic. Some parents became eligible for free and reduced lunch in May 2020. They would receive $91.20 per eligible child, which covers the cost of meals for 16 school days in May. The initial PEBT application period closed on June 15, 2020, and served 407,800 children. This second application period is aimed at the 264,111 children who qualified but did not receive PEBT the first time. http://www.dcfs.louisiana.gov/page/pebt-program All students in LP are eligible for free breakfast and lunch during school days until December 31, 2020 or money runs out.

LOUISIANA REOPENS 2019-2020 P-EBT APPLICATIONS FOR FAMILIES WHO DID NOT APPLY IN MAY AND JUNE Louisiana is giving families another opportunity to receive financial benefits from free and reduced-price school meals missed when schools closed in 2019-2020 due to the pandemic. Eligible families who did not apply for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program in May and June can take advantage of the second application window that opens for three weeks, beginning at 8 a.m. September 8. Who Qualifies: 1. Families of children who normally receive free or reduced-price meals at Choudrant Elementary and Choudrant High are eligible for the program. 2. All children who attend a Cypress Springs Elementary, Dubach School, Glenview Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, IA Lewis, Early Childhood Center, Ruston Elementary, Ruston High School, Ruston Junior High, and Simsboro High School regardless of income. This second application period of the 2019-2020 P-EBT is only for families who did not apply to receive P-EBT benefits during the initial window in the spring. These one-time benefits, which total $285 per child, intend to cover 50 school days, from the onset of statewide school facility closures in March through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The application will be available in a P-EBT portal on the Louisiana Department of Education website. The portal opens September 8 at 8 a.m., and the deadline to apply is September 29 at 5 p.m. For further information use the following link: https://5il.co/kqz5

Good afternoon! We look forward to having students back in school tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 3. If your child is on an A/B schedule, tomorrow, Sept. 3, is “B” day. The schedule for the month of September is attached. If you are without electricity or internet and unable to attend school or complete assignments, please inform your school. The absence will not count against your child, and make- up work will be permitted once your electricity and internet have been restored. Students will be responsible for making up the work, or grades will be affected. Please remind your child to have a mask in grades 3-12, and social distancing is still required. Calendar Link: https://5il.co/kjp1

To: Parents and LPSB Staff members: From: Mike Milstead RE: Lincoln Parish School Cllosure Date: Monday, August 31, 2020 For information regarding Lincoln Parish Schools closure status click on the following link from Mike Milstead, Superintendent of Lincoln Parish Schools: https://5il.co/kfp2

Good afternoon Lincoln Parish Parents, The plan for meal distribution for students in the Virtual Program or on the A/B schedule has been released. This plan is for students who are not at school to eat breakfast and lunch. Please review the attachment which gives specific instructions. The following information can be found on the attachment: 1. Parents must call the school cafeteria between 7:30 am – 9:00 am where he or she intends to pick up meals, which includes one breakfast and one lunch each day. 2. Meals may be picked up from one of six designated schools between 12:45 pm and 1:30 pm each day. Be sure to pick up from the school you contacted that morning. 3. The parent consent form must be completed each day and submitted to the school to verify meals which are distributed. 4. Your child qualifies for a free breakfast and lunch each day if he or she eats free at his or her normal school location and is not at school that day. 5. The six school pickup location options include Dubach School, Choudrant High School, IA Lewis School, Ruston Elementary, Ruston Junior High School, and Simsboro High School. Parents from any Lincoln Parish School may pick up at the most convenient location of the six options. 6. Meals will be distributed in car lines. No one will need to get out of their vehicle. 7. Meals will only be prepared for those families contacting the school cafeteria before 9:00 am each morning. Link for Parent Consent for meal pick ups: https://5il.co/jk60

There will be a Facebook Live Town Hall Meeting on Monday, July 20, 2020 at 6:30PM. The meeting can be viewed on Facebook Live broadcasted from the Lincoln Parish Facebook page at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/lincolnparishschools/ You can ask questions for the Town Hall Meeting by emailing the following account: communications@lincolnschools.org

Please use the following link to see the most up to date Lincoln Parish Schools Strong Start Plan https://5il.co/ibco

There is still time to come in and sign up for our Summer Reading Program! Children ages birth through grade 2 can earn a prize for every ten books read to them or by them. Children in grades 3-6 can earn a prize for every 500 pages they read. We are getting in new picture books, chapter books, EZ readers, non-fiction books and graphic novels weekly, so please try to get some summer reading in before school starts! After school begins, we have a large selection of the EZ readers and beginning chapter books that are recommended by the IRLA Home updates! We look forward to serving you the rest of the summer and this school year! From your friends at the Lincoln Parish Library.

Summer Reading Program at the Lincoln Parish Library Who: Birth thru high school When: May28-July 28 What: All children in Lincoln Parish are encouraged to participate to keep reading through the summer Online read-a-louds and weekly craft demos are available on the Lincoln Parish Library's Facebook page(under the video tab) To-go crafts are available each week to go with the Fairy Tale theme of the week We can get a bag of books together for you if you call and talk to someone in the Children's or Teen's department and deliver it curbside if you do not wish to come in 251-5531 This week there are two "Science Tellers" videos and a magic show "Tommy Terrific" that will be available all summer to watch

PANDEMIC-EBT AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS RECEIVING FREE OR REDUCED-PRICE SCHOOL MEALS Amid the ongoing public health crisis, Louisiana has been approved for the new Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program. This program will provide extra help buying groceries for the families of the more than 600,000 children who normally receive free and reduced-price meals at school. Eligible families who complete an online application will be issued a P-EBT debit card by the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to access benefits. The P-EBT card will function like a standard EBT card, and the same guidelines will apply. Families will receive $285 in total P-EBT benefits per child. Unused benefits will roll over month to month and must be used within 365 days. Use the following link to access the Information and Application: https://5il.co/g6mu

To: Parents/Guardians From: Mike Milstead Date: April 10, 2020 Use the following link for the latest update concerning Lincoln Parish Schools. https://5il.co/ez14

The City of Ruston is partnering with Lincoln Parish Schools by inviting students who need access to WiFi to park in our Historic Fire Station, Civic Center, and Sports Complex parking lots to utilize free WiFi. Please see details for each location below. Parking lot of City Hall (signal is strongest on the north side of the building). WiFi name: Public WiFi Parking lot of Historic Fire Station WiFi name: Public WiFi Parking lot Sports Complex “B” Dixie parking lot WiFi name: Ruston Sports Complex Parking lot of Sports Complex “C” Softball/Tennis WiFi name: City of Ruston Wireless WiFi

This is a REMINDER: Wednesday, April 8th is PICTURE DAY. Portraits Plus will be at your school taking "Spring Portraits". Please return the prepay envelope with your background and package choices. Please dress appropriately and bring your best smile!

A conference call was held Sunday afternoon, March 22nd with representatives from the Governor's Office, the Louisiana Department of Education and state superintendents. All facets of the school food service program were discussed. The issue is not whether feeding students is important. We all agree that it is. At the same time, staff and employee safety must also be considered. In one week alone, through the efforts of our dedicated employees and school personnel volunteers, we have served approximately 11,000 meals. On Monday, March 23, 2020, we averaged serving about 4 meals per child which will carry us through the current week. While this program is important, we must consider the safety and well-being of our employees as well, particularly in light of the shortage of adequate protective gear such as gloves, face masks, and thermometers. Accordingly, given the shortage of these supplies and our concern for our employees, our school system will for the time being suspend our food services after serving one more day on Monday, March 23, 2020. Thanks for your understanding.

To: Parents and Community From: Mike Milstead 1. Probably the best/most important thing you can do with your child during these days away from school is to read to and with them daily. 2. Access the resources available on our website, https://www.lincolnschools.org/. Almost daily updates continue. Many lessons, interactive practices, and tests are available. Many are based on information taught in our classrooms. In addition, some teachers continue to reach out using Google Classroom and Facebook Live. 3. If you text LACOVID to 898-211, it will send you a link to connect to up-to-date FAQ with Louisiana 2-1-1. It’s a really good source of current information concerning coronavirus. 4. Beginning Monday, March 23, we will add the Lincoln Parish School Board office at 410 South Farmerville as a site for disbursing school breakfasts and lunches, 9:30-11:00 each day. 5. Continue best practices such as good hygiene, frequent handwashing, social distancing, and remaining at home to the extent possible. 6. We will get through this time together. Our goal is to offer the best possible education to all of our students regardless of the circumstances in which we may find ourselves. Be safe out there.

To: Parents and Community Members From: Mike Milstead 1. I encourage each of you to use our online resources for your children that you can access through the Lincoln Parish School Board website, https://www.lincolnschools.org/. We continue to update these resources. Some of them are our actual providers of curriculum materials. 2. We continue to work on best ways to continue our Dual credit and AP classes. More info soon on that. 3. Meal pickups continue at 8 of our school sites below between 9:30 and 11:00 for breakfast and lunch. All children under the age of 18 qualify. Choudrant High (includes Choudrant Elementary) Cypress Springs (includes RHS) Dubach Glenview (includes RJHS) Hillcrest IA Lewis Ruston Elementary (includes LPECC) Simsboro 4. Our plan remains to resume school on Monday, April 13. 5. Please support our local restaurants during this difficult time. Even if you don’t purchase a meal, try to purchase a gift card and share a meal with someone else. 6. Please continue practices that help protect your family from coronavirus: frequent handwashing, if possible staying away from those who are sick, and cleaning surfaces. We will get through these trying times. Best wishes to each of you.

March 16, 2019 Update 1. LPSB School Food Services continue 9:30-11:00 each regular school day at the following schools through March 27, 2020. Services will resume after spring break on Monday April 6 through Thursday, April 9. No meals provided on Good Friday, April 10. Choudrant High (includes Choudrant Elementary) Cypress Springs (includes RHS) Dubach Glenview (includes RJHS) Hillcrest IA Lewis Ruston Elementary (includes LPECC) Simsboro 2. Children 18 and younger qualify for these meals. 3. All LPSB Schools and school buses are being cleaned and disinfected this first week away from school, March 16-20. 4. Schools are not providing assignments during the time away from school. The Governor’s resolution was not decreed until Friday afternoon March 13 at 1:00. This timing gave virtually no time to prepare materials for student review even if we had planned to. 5. Presently educational links are available on the Lincoln Parish School Board website that could be useful as a tool to help students during this time away from school. More links will be added later. Taking advantage of these websites is encouraged but voluntary. 6. No extra-curricular activities associated with schools are occurring during the time school is not open. This includes all athletic contests and practices. 7. All LPSB Schools are closed including playgrounds and athletic facilities until further notice. 8. Lincoln Parish School Board office lobby and phones lines are open Monday-Friday, 8:00-12:00. To the extent possible, questions and concerns should be handled by phone or email.

TO: LPSB Parents/Guardians FROM: Mike Milstead, Superintendent, Lincoln Parish Schools 1. LPSB Cafeterias will be serving breakfast bags and lunch bags from 9:30-11:00 at the following locations, Monday through Friday. Ruston Elementary (includes LPECC) Simsboro Dubach Choudrant High (includes Choudrant Elementary) IA Lewis Cypress Springs (includes RHS) Hillcrest Glenview (includes RJHS) 2. You will be met at the carline sites with the meals so that you do not have to exit your vehicle. You will receive both meals at the same time. This will continue up to our Spring Break, which begins March 30th. 3. After regular Spring Break ends, breakfast and lunch disbursements will continue on Monday, April 6th at the same times. 4. More information will be sent to you using this format over the following days and weeks. Included in that information will be how you can if you choose to access online sites that might help your child continue their education during the 20 days that school are closed. 5. Stay safe. Take care of yourselves and your children.