SPRING NEWSLETTER
Dear RHS Senior Parents:
It is unbelievable that your child is now in his or her final semester of high school. Graduation is only about
three months away. In preparation for this momentous occasion, please encourage your child to stay focused.
This is an exciting time; however, we must not lose sight of our goal: a smooth transition from high school
student to high school graduate. To achieve this goal, maintaining attendance and grades is imperative. Every
student should put forth his or her very best effort from now until the end of school.
Enclosed you will find the “2010 Senior Schedule/Information.” The information provided will tell you the
“who, what, where, and when” for the end of school and for graduation. Please keep this information handy so
that you can refer to it throughout the semester. If you have questions or would like further information, please
contact me at 255-0807 or at: kwhite2@lincolnschools.org.
TOPS: To apply for TOPS and/or any federal student aid programs, you must complete the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2010-11 school year. If a student meets the ACT and GPA
requirement for TOPS yet fails to complete the FAFSA, he/she will not be eligible for TOPS. Online
applications are preferred. You may apply online at: www.fafsa.ed.gov. NOTE: An application must be
received by July 1, 2010 for 2010 graduates who wish to receive TOPS funding for the 2010-2011 academic
year. We encourage seniors to apply before graduation. If there is a problem with the application, then we can
work together on a solution before graduation. ACT scores must be sent to TOPS. If you have not already taken
care of this, please call ACT at (319) 337-1313 and request that your scores be sent to TOPS (code #1595).
TOPS will not accept scores that I send. They must be sent directly from ACT.
Graduation supplies: Mr. Joiner of Graduate Sales will deliver graduation orders on April 7, 2010 from 9:00
a.m. until 1:00 p.m. If your student has not ordered his/her cap, gown, tassel and diploma cover, you must order
from Mr. Joiner by phone at 318-865-0409. If your child plans to wear a cap and gown worn in a previous year,
the cap and gown must be approved by Mrs. Tatum as soon as possible. Even if she approves the previously
worn cap and gown, a diploma cover and tassel must still be purchased.
Senior pictures for the Resume are due to Mrs. DeMattos by March 12. This should be an outside shot. A
student may submit a hard copy of the photo or have the photographer submit a CD. The picture can be emailed
to resume@lincolnschools.org. Cap and Gown pictures for the Ruston Daily Leader are due to Mr. Bruner
(lbruner@lincolnschools.org) by March 12.
NCAA Clearinghouse: If your child plans to participate in collegiate athletics, he/she must be registered with
the NCAA Clearinghouse. Register online at www.ncaa.org. Official ACT scores must also be sent to the
Clearinghouse. Call ACT at (319) 337-1313 to request that your scores be sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse
(code #9999). Official ACT scores must be sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse from ACT. The Clearinghouse
will not accept scores from me. Also, a student will not be officially cleared to play a collegiate sport until a
final transcript is sent after graduation. After graduation, I will send these transcripts as soon as they are
certified by the State of Louisiana.
Scholarships: Mrs. Jessie Bryan and Mrs. Jane Tatum, RHS Career Counselors, are working with me on
scholarships. As scholarship information is received, announcements are made to seniors regarding these
scholarships. Any scholarship your child is offered should be submitted to Mrs. Bryan for publication in the
graduation program. Even if your child is offered a scholarship but doesn’t accept it, we would like to include
that offer in the graduation program.
Final Examinations: The last day of school for seniors is Thursday, May 6, 2010. Final examinations will be
administered on May 7th, 10th, and 11th. A senior may be exempt from a final if he/she has an A average in the
class for the year.
Graduation: Graduation is scheduled for Monday, May 24, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Rehearsal will be held on
Monday, May 24, 2010 at 10:00. All graduating seniors must attend the graduation rehearsal. A student
who does not attend rehearsal will not be allowed to march at graduation.
Senior Trips: Senior trips should be scheduled for AFTER graduation. Trips that interfere with graduation
rehearsal or with honor graduate speech rehearsals will not be permitted. Again, all trips should be planned for
AFTER graduation.
Final Transcripts: Before the last day of classes for seniors, each senior should complete a “Request for Final
Transcript” form. This form will be distributed to each senior during English class. This form will direct me to
send your final transcript to the college of your choice.
Graduation Party: Although the party after graduation is not a school-sanctioned event, there will be a
planning meeting for parents in the Ruston High School auditorium at 6:00 p.m. on March 22, 2010. This party
will be hosted and chaperoned by parents. All seniors will have the option to purchase a ticket to attend this
party. If you would like to help with the party, please plan to attend the meeting on March 22nd.
I encourage you to often check your student’s grades, attendance, and discipline records online using the “Parent
Command Center” at http://www.lincolnschools.org. What a great resource! As you know, the new message
system that Ruston High School implemented this semester makes you constantly aware of grade, attendance,
and disciplinary issues for your RHS student(s). The automated messages you receive encourage you to refer to
the “Parent Command Center” for more detailed information. Our students are not always happy about either of
these resources; however, they are essential for parents!
The Ruston High School Career Center is certainly an invaluable resource at RHS. Mrs. Jessica Bryan and Mrs.
Jane Tatum have done a fabulous job assisting our students with college and career exploration. If your child
has not taken advantage of this resource, please encourage him or her to visit the Career Center as soon as
possible.
It has certainly been my pleasure to work with your senior this year. At Ruston High School, we are fortunate to
have great students and supportive parents. Let’s work together to make your student’s last semester of high
school a positive one.
Sincerely,
Kay W. White
Registrar/Senior Counselor
SPRING CALENDAR
February
7 ULM Financial Aid Program, 6:30 P.M., RHS auditorium
11--15
GEE retests for seniors only
18
President’s Day – No School
28
Cap and Gown pictures due to Resume
March
2
Report cards issued
19 – 23 Spring Testing: 9th Grade – Iowa, 10th Grade – ELA and Math,
Science and Social Studies
27 Mr. Joiner delivers graduation orders to RHS seniors
30 Cap and Gown pictures due to Mrs. Bradford for Ruston Daily Leader
April
2 --9
Spring Break
13
End of 5th Six Weeks
20
Report cards issued
4
Scholarship information due to Mrs. Pardue
7
Last day of classes for seniors
May
8–9
senior finals: 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th period – Wednesday
2nd, 4th, 6th period – Thursday
10
English IV AP Exam 8:00 A.M.
11
American History AP Exam 8:00 A.M.
World History AP Exam 12:00 P.M.
11
Senior grades due to Mrs. Pardue by 3:30 P.M.
Dual classes grades due to LA Tech
11 th Grade –
15
Honor Graduates notified
21
Graduation Rehearsal - 3:00 p.m. – Thomas Assembly Center
22
Graduation – 7:00 p.m. – Thomas Assembly Center
Testing
ACT*
Test Dates
February 10, 2007
April 14, 2007
June 9, 2007
Registration Deadline
January 5, 2007
March 9, 2007
May 4, 2007
*LSU requires writing assessment portion of ACT for entering freshmen
SAT
Test Dates
Registration Deadline
March 10, 2007
May 5, 2007
June 2, 2007
February 2, 2007
March 29, 2007
April 27, 2007