
Good morning, Ram fans! Here's the basketball schedule for this week:
Mon: Jr. Girls and Jr. Boys (A) @Tech @ 5:30 - The gym will be cleared after the girls' game, and the boys' parents will enter with a different voucher.
Tues: Sr. Boys (H) vs. Marion @ 6:00
Thurs: Jr. Girls and Jr. Boys (H) vs. Annie Camp @ 6:00
Fri: Sr. Boys (H) vs. Tech @ 6:00 - This game will be livestreamed for those who do not have a voucher. There are no extra vouchers! The link will be sent out later this week.

This week's basketball game schedule:
Mon: 7th Girls, Jr. Girls, Jr. Boys (H) vs. Batesville, 5:00
Tues: Sr. Girls (A)@ Nettleton, 6:00
Thurs: 7th Girls, 8th Boys, Jr. Girls, Jr. Boys (A) @ Mtn. Home, 4:30
Fri: JV Boys, Sr. Girls, Sr. Boys (A) @ W Memphis , 5:00

The web address for HAC has changed. This change has caused the eSchool Plus Family app to be temporarily unavailable. The app developer is working on this problem.
You can still check HAC using a browser by visiting paragould.k12.ar.us - Menu - Home Access Center Login. Guardian and student login information did NOT change. If you don't remember your login info, you can get it from the main office at your student's school.

Paragould has two virtual days on the calendar for 2021: Monday, January 18 and Monday, February 15.
*Pre-K, S21C, and virtual students will attend school as normal.
*No K-12 grade students will attend on campus that day.
*K-12 grade students who normally attend on campus will take their Chromebooks and chargers home on the preceding Friday and will attend school virtually on virtual days through Zoom and Google Classroom.
*Teachers will assist students with making sure virtual day materials are available offline by the preceding Friday for students with no Internet connection outside school.

This week's basketball schedule:
Mon. 7th Girls, Jr. Girls, Jr. Boys vs. Annie Camp @ JHS (A) @ 5:00
Tues. Sr. Girls @ Jonesboro (A) @ 6:00
Thurs. 7th Girls, Jr. Girls, Jr. Boys (H) vs. MacArthur @ 5:00
Fri. Sr. Girls vs. Batesville (H) @ 6:00
Sat. 7th Boys (A & B) (H) vs. Nettleton @ 1:00

PSD now offers access to GoGuardian Parent, a mobile app to help keep parents/guardians aware of your children's activity on school-issued devices and provide you with additional controls during out-of-school hours.
What is included in this app:
-Top 5 summary of student browsing (apps, extensions, documents, and websites visited)
-Teacher interventions
-A 30-day view of websites, videos, documents, apps, and extensions
-Ability to block websites on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours
-Ability to pause internet access on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours, either on-demand or at a scheduled time
To access the app, please follow the below instructions:
Download the app
iPhone: Visit App Store, search for GoGuardian Parent, and tap the download button.
Android: Visit Google Play Store, search for GoGuardian Parent, and tap the download button.
After the app is successfully downloaded and installed, open it up, and enter the email address registered with the school. Note: If you forgot your registered email address, please reach out to your school.
Login/Check Email: Check your email on your phone for a link to log in to the app. Tap the "Verify your email", and it will take you straight to the app. Note: If you don't have access to your email through the device you used to log in, tap on "Login with verification code", and copy and paste the verification code from the email into the app

Tonight's 8th grade boys' basketball game is cancelled.

Basketball games this week:
Today: 8th boys, Jr. girls, Jr. boys (H) vs. West Memphis East @ 5:00.
Tuesday: JV and Varsity boys (A) vs. Mtn. Home @ 5:00.
Varsity girls (H) vs. Blytheville @ 6:00.
Thursday: 8th boys, Jr. girls, Jr. boys (A) vs. West Memphis West @ 5:00.
Friday: 7th, Jr., and Sr. boys (A) vs. Blytheville @ 5:00.
Varsity girls (A) vs Helena West Helena @ 6:00.

The 7th grade game vs. Manila tonight has been cancelled. The Sr. Boys Varsity game will be played starting @ 6:00.
Friday night's games with Brookland have been cancelled as well.

Junior high boys' basketball updates:
Tonight's (11/16) 7th grade boys and junior high boys basketball games at Brookland have been cancelled. We will try to reschedule at a later date.
Tomorrow's (11/17) game at Manila will be only 7th grade boys and senior high varsity. Games start at 6:00.
The boys' home game next Monday (11/23) vs. Valley View will be 7th grade, PHS junior varsity, and PHS senior varsity. Games at 5:00.

PJHS & PHS students who are transitioning to virtual learning Monday, November 16 through Friday, November 20 may pick up meals each day at PJHS Front Hall Side Entrance (10:30-12:00).
Regular, weekly pre-ordered virtual meals will be served on Monday as normal.

Paragould Junior High and Paragould High School will transition to virtual learning from Monday, November 16, through Friday, November 20. The difficult decision was made to transition to virtual learning due to the increased number of positive cases and increased number of quarantined students and staff on these two campuses. At this time, all other PSD campuses will remain open. PJHS and PHS students will continue to receive instruction through Zoom and Google Classroom utilizing teacher led instruction. Students will zoom into their classes, at their normally scheduled times, to meet with their teachers and receive instruction.
The District will utilize next week to sanitize and deep clean. We will continue to follow the mandated guidelines of the Arkansas Department of Health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as we are working very closely with both groups on a daily basis in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
We ask that everyone help slow the spread of the virus by wearing a mask properly, social distancing, and washing hands frequently. Please take necessary precautions, especially during the Thanksgiving break.

Paragould High School teacher Stephanie Edwards-Cooper was recently named one of only nine recipients of a Parsons-Burnett Scholarship from Arkansas Retired Teachers Association. The scholarship is awarded by competitive application to practicing teachers who enable successful student outcomes with innovative, engaging teaching methods. Ms. Edwards-Cooper plans to use her award to pursue her master's degree in Gifted, Talented, and Creative Education at ASU-Jonesboro. Congratulations!

Hey RAM FANS! Don't forget, tonight's bell game against GCT will be featured as the Soncom Media High School Game of the Week. If you can't attend, you can watch it LIVE at www.facebook.com/SoncomMedia starting with pregame at 6:45 pm; kickoff is at 7 pm. GO RAMS!! #psdrams

FYI: PSD is experiencing an internet outage on all campuses. Teachers may not be able to start their Zoom sessions with virtual students or respond to emails.

Hey RAM FANS! Friday night's bell game against GCT will be featured as the Soncom Media High School Game of the Week. If you can't attend, watch the LIVE stream on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SoncomMedia starting with pregame at 6:45 pm; kickoff is at 7 pm. GO RAMS!!

Congratulations Paragould Pride Marching Band, Class 5A State Champions for the 5th consecutive year! ! #psdrams

We'd like to give a special thanks to 1st Choice Healthcare of Paragould for the recent donation of bottled water to our school district. We appreciate your generosity and support of our school district!!

Football schedule change: next week's 7th grade and Jr. High football games against Greene County Tech have been cancelled and will not be made up.

We are pleased to announce that Baldwin Elementary has received a $3,000 literacy grant to promote student achievement in literacy.
Students in grades 2-4 at Baldwin Elementary will read new books provided in classroom libraries and will work to achieve reading goals established by school staff. We are excited and grateful for this opportunity made possible in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Greene County, an affiliate of Arkansas Community Foundation.

We would like to thank our parents and students for the patience and flexibility you have shown during the first nine weeks of the 2020-2021 school year. We appreciate your support and trust as we navigate our new learning options and work to improve our practices for the weeks ahead of us.
The Paragould School District provided students with a Virtual Learning Day on Friday, October 16. We would like your feedback on how we can improve in the areas of academics, student support, and time management. Your insights into our virtual learning implementation will help us ensure a safe, caring, and exciting educational environment. Please complete the survey for each school age child you have in the Paragould School District. For example, if you have three students, you will need to complete the survey three times, one for each child. The survey is open until Friday, October 23. Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Survey Link: https://forms.gle/TzBMThvqve6mdjzg7

We are proud to announce that School of the 21st Century completed the Parents as Teachers National Center Quality Endorsement & Improvement Process and earned the highest designation: Blue Ribbon Affiliate status. Parents as Teachers provides early childhood organizations and professionals with information and tools that are innovative, relevant, and widely applicable to today's parents, families and children.

So sorry! The date was incorrect in the previous post about virtual day meal pickup. The correct date is October 16. The other information (times and locations) is correct in the previous post.

The Paragould School District has received an Emergency School Pantry and Food Box Program Grant Award in the amount of $25,000! This grant is administered by the Arkansas Food Bank in partnership with the six regional food banks. The purpose of the program is to provide additional food assistance to low income families with children. There will be at least one special food box distribution per week. The food from this program is meant for all family members, not just the children. The Paragould School District is excited about this awesome opportunity to serve our students and their families!

Updated link for the Homecoming Ceremony live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HodP1-7Lw4&feature=youtu.be

Ram Fans, you can watch our live feed of the 2021 PHS Homecoming ceremony at 2:30 pm today on the Ram Channel's YouTube page. There will be no in-person audience at the ceremony. https://youtu.be/mom6wUOqYPo

Congratulations to the 2020 Paragould High School Homecoming Court!
Seniors:
Lily Broadaway escorted by Nick Ashby
Caroline Burrow escorted by Brayden Hines
Destiny Chapman escorted by TJ Myatt
Olivia Hancock escorted by Darion Norris
Tiffany Vaughn escorted by Issac Resendez
Juniors:
Rachel Chadima escorted by Christian Cox
Fernanda Morales escorted by Jake Cupples
Taylor Runsick escorted by Payton Liebhaber
Ashley Williford escorted by Brady Morgan
Sophomores:
Kyra Bishop escorted by Casey Barnum
Keimauri Brown escorted by Braden McFarland
Aubree Mangrum escorted by Ian Cox (not pictured)
Carmen Paulk escorted by Xavier Winn
Freshmen:
Aubree Baker escorted by Kaden Calhoun
Shakira Brown escorted by Lucas Deatherage
Maggie Freeman escorted by Kaydn Dillport
Abbey Nicley escorted by Gavin Oswalt

Our first virtual school day for grades K-12 will be October 16.
*Pre-K, S21C, and virtual students will attend school as normal.
*No K-12 grade students will attend on campus that day.
*K-12 grade students who normally attend on campus will take their Chromebooks and chargers home on October 15 and will attend school virtually on October 16 through Zoom and Google Classroom.
*Teachers will assist students with making sure October 16 materials are available offline by October 15 for students with no Internet connection outside school.

We regret that we have no remaining tickets for Friday night's Homecoming football game. Please support your Rams on our YouTube channel, Ram Channel, Facebook Live, or KDRS AM where it's the Game of the Week! GO RAMS!

Reminder: Parent-Teacher Conferences are tonight! They will be a little different this year, but it's more important than ever for parents and teachers to collaborate.
*No in-person conferences will be held.
*Teachers will contact parents with whom they need to speak between 4-7 pm.
*Parents may contact teachers by email with concerns or to request a phone or Zoom conference. Teacher emails can be found at paragould.k12.ar.us. Click Sites, choose your school, then click Menu - Staff.

IT'S GAME DAY, RAM FANS! Don't forget, tonight's game has been selected as the Soncom Media Game of the Week. If you can't attend, be sure to tune in! The game will be streamed LIVE on www.facebook.com/SoncomMedia #psdrams

Parent-Teacher Conferences are next Thursday, September 24. They will be a little different this year, but it's more important than ever for parents and teachers to collaborate.
*No in-person conferences will be held.
*Teachers will contact parents with whom they need to speak between 4-7 pm.
*Parents may contact teachers by email with concerns or to request a phone or Zoom conference. Teacher emails can be found at paragould.k12.ar.us. Click Sites, choose your school, then click Menu - Staff.

Great news, Ram fans! Friday night's game has been selected as the Soncom Media Game of the Week. If you can't attend, be sure to tune in! The game will be streamed LIVE on www.facebook.com/SoncomMedia #psdrams

Prairie Farms will be giving away FREE products to families on Wednesday, September 16. The first event will be at First United Methodist Church from 9-11 am. The second event will be at the Greene County Fairgrounds from 4 pm until the products run out. There will be no questions and no forms to fill out. Each family will receive 2 gallons of milk, 2 small containers of chocolate milk, 2 small containers of strawberry milk, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and French dip.

Thank you to the Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce for your generous monetary donation in support of food distribution to students in our Food Backpack Program. Your generosity and support for PSD students is sincerely appreciated!

Attention Guardians: If you received a Snapcode letter to update your student's contact information online, this is the last week to log in and do those updates. If you have misplaced your Snapcode letter or you prefer a paper update form, contact your student's school office.

The Greene County Health Department is hosting a drive-through flu shot clinic September 21-25 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm daily. As in years past, each school will also host a flu shot clinic in October: Oak Grove Elementary and Oak Grove Middle School Oct. 19; Woodrow Wilson Elementary and Baldwin Oct. 20; PJHS and PHS Oct. 21; and Paragould Primary Oct. 23. Permission forms for the school-hosted clinics will be sent home closer to those dates.

Paragould Light Water and Cable is offering community wifi hotspots at the following locations/times:
Greene County Courthouse, South Parking Lot: Monday - Saturday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Paragould Housing Authority: Monday - Saturday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Paragould High School, front parking lot: Monday - Friday 3:15 pm - 8:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Attention parents and guardians of 3rd-6th graders! Don't forget tomorrow, September 3rd, is the last day to turn in your form for the fall 2020 season of football. You may also sign up online at https://tinyurl.com/y32yxa7p. Call (870) 565-5125 or email jhoneycutt@paragouldschools.net with questions.

Attention parents of 3rd-6th graders! The Paragould School District is offering a FREE football program for Fall 2020. Forms will be sent home today with your student. Return these no later than Thursday, Sept 3 to their homeroom teacher, OR sign up online at https://tinyurl.com/y32yxa7p. Call (870) 565-5125 or email jhoneycutt@paragouldschools.net with questions.

Parents/Guardians: Per guidance from the Arkansas Department of Health, should someone, student or faculty, test positive for Covid-19 we will immediately begin the process of contact tracing. Contact tracing involves determining if anyone at school qualifies as a “probable close contact”. A probable close contact is anyone who has been within six feet for more that fifteen cumulative minutes in a twenty-four hour period of someone who has tested positive for the virus. The school will contact the parent of any child who is determined to be a probable close contact. We will also contact the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to acquire their guidance in best practices to stop the spread. Please remember that in order to protect privacy of students and staff, we cannot share personal information regarding a positive case. Therefore, we will not issue a public statement in every situation where someone has tested positive or been quarantined due to the virus.

For Military Parents:
The information gathered through this form (link below) is intended as a baseline of information to assist the Arkansas Military Interstate Compact Commission Council (MIC3) and District Military Education Coordinators with metrics and concerns of military families and school aged military kids residing in Arkansas.
Information generated through this form will be presented and addressed at the Arkansas MIC3 Virtual Town Hall Thursday, September 17th at 7pm. A link will follow in a later email so you may attend. No identifying personal data will be shared. Your privacy, safety and security is important to us and will be protected.
Military Family Questionnaire Form link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfz9u-JWtYuLvniuJqeDvbtnKABonk_HLTfrbT7tcPLA3jaoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Chromebooks for virtual learning students will be available for pick up next week. The schedule for the pick up dates and times is on the district website under "PSD Ready for Learning Resources". Students and guardians must both be present to pick up virtual learning items. Masks are required, and social distancing must be maintained. Additional information including virtual campus tours, virtual open houses, transportation, health and safety, and re-entry (ready for learning) plans are also under "PSD Ready for Learning Resources".

PSD Open House presentations can be found on the district website under the “PSD Ready for Learning Resources” link. After accessing the open house presentation, click anywhere on the screen to proceed through the slides. Go Rams!

Parents/guardians please review student policies and handbooks as changes have been made for the 2020-2021 school year. Student handbooks are located on the website. School begins August 24! #psdrams

PSD parents/guardians, if your child is going to ride a bus this year and you have questions about bus transportation, please call your child's building. We are ready to assist you regarding bus numbers, routes, etc.! #psdrams

Erin Calhoon, Director of Program and Events from United Way of NE Arkansas, presented a monetary donation, school supplies, and toothbrushes to the Paragould School District today. The monetary donation resulted from the Virtual "Stuff the Bus" Event that was held recently. The Paragould School District is so appreciative of The United Way Organization's support for the Paragould School District. THANK YOU!!

The PSD phone system is currently not working properly. Notification will be sent as soon as the problem is corrected.

Check out the virtual tours, transportation, and health and safety videos on the district website! Open house videos will be released this week! Go Rams!

DEADLINE EXTENDED! The deadline for the parent planning survey for the 2020-21 school year has been extended to this Friday, July 31. The survey should be filled out separately for each child. We recommend that you read the FAQ document, then fill out the survey. Both are located on our website at paragould.k12.ar.us.

Our final food backpack program distribution for the summer will be July 30 at the front entrance of Paragould Jr High School from 10-11:30 am. Come see us to receive your 2-week supply of snacks/food!

The National ACT will be administered on July 18, 2020. Registered students should report to the Paragould Jr. High School for testing.

A frequently asked questions (FAQ) document and planning survey for the fall have been posted in the bulletin board area of the Paragould School District website (paragould.k12.ar.us). The survey is required for all students. A guardian should fill out the survey for each Kindergarten through 12th grade PSD student in the family. We recommend that you read the FAQ document first, then take the survey. The deadline for the survey is July 17. With your help, we can plan for a great, safe 2020-21 school year! GO RAMS!

The Paragould School District Administration was notified of a racially insensitive social media post made by a district employee. The posting shows poor judgment, a lack of cultural awareness, and does not reflect the district’s values.
Paragould School District is committed to support all students and faculty regardless of gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age. This incident has offended many people in our community and shown the need to provide additional cultural sensitivity training for our staff. The district will take the appropriate steps to address this situation and use this incident as an opportunity to further our conversation on inclusiveness and cultural awareness.

Paragould School District is looking forward to opening as scheduled on August 13, 2020! As the guidance from the Arkansas Department of Health can change quickly, it is important that PSD have multiple plans in place not only to ensure the safety of students and staff, but also to provide quality instruction to students. These plans, which will allow the district to pivot between on-site instruction, off-site instruction, and/or blended instruction, are being developed and will be released in July. Please continue to check the district website and social media sites for the most recent information pertaining to the 2020-2021 school year. #psdrams

Arkansas has been approved to provide Pandemic Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for families whose children were enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program at school at the time the Governor declared a public health emergency and closed schools. It is designed to help replace the cost of meals incurred by families as a result of the State closing schools. If you are already enrolled in SNAP, you will see the additional benefits on your EBT card in late June. For families who are not on SNAP, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) has given DHS their addresses. DHS will mail an EBT card, information about Pandemic SNAP, and information about how to access benefits on the EBT card to the address ADE has on file. You do not need to be enrolled in SNAP already or eligible for the regular SNAP program. This is for families who have students enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program, which has a different income limit than SNAP. EBT cards will be mailed in late June. For each child enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program, the family will get $319. PSD participates in the Community Eligibility Program; therefore, ALL PSD students who were enrolled in school at the time of the closing are included in the program.

Our regular backpack food program will continue through July 30, 2020. Students that received food backpacks each Friday of the regular school year may pick up 2 weeks of packaged food bags in front of Paragould Junior High School from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the following dates:
Thursday, June 18
Thursday, July 2
Thursday, July 16
Thursday, July 30

Congratulations to our employees with milestone service anniversaries this year! We appreciate your dedication to education and to PSD.
20 years: Freida DaVault, Lisa Holder, Richard Taylor, Sheila Wicker, and Starla Wood
25 years: Sandra Eddleman, Rita Lawrence, Robbie Mosley, Teresa Rowe, and Ann Tritch
30 years: Tamra Powell
35 years: Erma Bateman, Melinda Dodd, and Wynell Wess
45 years: Mary Ann Washington

We were informed earlier today that Mrs. Debbie Smith has been named Superintendent of the Year by the Arkansas Rural Ed Association. We have had the honor and privilege of working with Mrs. Smith for several years and have witnessed her extraordinary ability and determination. Her work ethic, compassion and desire to serve others is immeasurable. Congratulations Mrs. Smith! We are proud to call you our Superintendent.

Please help us congratulate the following PSD retirees. These great teachers and staff have touched many lives over the years and will be missed. Enjoy your retirement!
Angie Donner
Melissa Miller
Mala Weaver
Mike Mathis
Melinda Dodd
Rene Hale
Steffanie Hoggard
Diane Keen
Linda Parson
Ann Pickney
Ellen Rawls
Betty Smith
Mike McClanahan

Congratulations to the 2019-2020 classified employees of the year from each site!
S21C: Ronnie Wells
Primary: Isela Garcia
Baldwin Elem: Tammy Cuadra
Oak Grove Elem: Tammie Clark
Woodrow Wilson Elem: Misty McIlvoy
Oak Grove Middle: Matt Gage
PJHS: Gaye Smith
PHS: Rena Loyd
Ram Academy: James Hatley
Food Service/Maintenance/Operations/Transportation and overall PSD honoree: Katrina Brewer
Central Office: Ann Tritch

Congratulations to the 2019-2020 certified employees of the year from each site!
S21C: Melanie Beliew
Primary: Shirley Jercinovic
Baldwin Elem: Hannah Paschal
Oak Grove Elem: Kristina Moss
Woodrow Wilson Elem: Jeana Hayes
Oak Grove Middle: Stacy Stacey
PJHS: Kristin Moore
PHS and overall PSD honoree: Barry Burkheart
Ram Academy: Claudia Hoffman

Congratulations to the following PHS students on their great performances in the regional math competition!
Precal/Trig: Emily Toombs - third place
Calculus: Zoe Rodrigues - honorable mention
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Congratulations to the following PHS students on their great performances in the regional math competition!
Algebra 1: Brandon Breckenridge - first place
Geometry: Tyler Brown - first place
Algebra 2: Ashton Rodrigues - first place
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PSD's Olivia Hancock qualified for Virtual Nationals in discus with a throw of 133' 8". Congratulations, Olivia! https://www.kait8.com/2020/05/27/paragoulds-olivia-hancock-qualifies-virtual-nationals-discus/

Hello Ram parents! Please fill out the following survey to help us plan our 2020-21 Covid-19 response. If you have multiple students in your household, please fill out the survey once and put all their names in the form.
Survey: https://forms.gle/yNJpENBgQyiQDV6z6
Thanks!

The 2020 Paragould Rams Athletic Awards broadcast can be heard on The Ticket NEA Sports Show! Thank you Booster Club, Dr. Jankoviak, Brad Bobo, and coaches making this event possible for Paragould athletes! The broadcast can be heard on the following website: 953theticket.com.

Thank you Mr. David Powell, PJHS teacher, for submitting and securing a $1,000 grant from the Blue and You Foundation! PJHS will be getting two additional Stop the Bleed kits thanks to Mr. Powell's efforts! #psdrams

Paragould School District receives $9,000 first Rapid-Response COVID-19 Relief Program grant from the Blue & You Foundation! The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas has awarded the first 10 grants in its Rapid-Response COVID-19 Relief program, which
will provide up to $1.7 million in grants to organizations in Arkansas working to prevent the spread of the virus or helping communities deal with its consequences. The grant will assist PSD to provide nutritious food
backpacks to students weekly and supply at-risk students with needed school supplies as they continue learning using alternate methods of instruction. Thank you to Ms. Taylor for submitting the grant application and thank you to the Blue and You Foundation for helping us support our students! #psdrams

MESSAGE 2 OF 2 REGARDING OUTDOOR WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY:
Paragould Light Water and Cable has installed open outdoor wireless for other devices at the following locations: West View Baptist Church, 701 W. Morgan Street on the south parking lot; 7th and Mueller Church of Christ, 1000 S. 7th Street on the north parking lot; Center Hill Church of Christ, 4904 Walcott Rd. on the east parking lot; Greater Vision Ministries, 529 E. Court St. on the east parking lot; and, Paragould Housing Authority, 612 Canal St. on the west parking lot. At all church locations, the service is open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. All other locations are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Sunday.
Thank you PLWC for adding the extra outdoor internet connectivity for our students!

MESSAGE 1 OF 2 REGARDING OUTDOOR WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY:
PSD outdoor secure wireless connectivity FOR PSD DEVICES are located at S21C, Primary, Baldwin, Woodrow, OGE/OGMS, and PHS. Connectivity is available 24 hours a day for PSD devices.

Congratulations to the following PSD students on earning awards at the NEA Regional Science Fair!
Overall Junior Division winner: Eli Isom, OGMS, first place.
Behavioral and Social Sciences – Bryanna Membreno and Mia Stacy, PJHS, third place.
Chemistry – Millie Kate Cooper and Kylie Davenport, OGMS, second place.
Engineering-Materials & Bioengineering – Gracen Cooper and Lauren Stanley, PJHS, second place; and Elizabeth Smith, Cheyanne Jones and Kali Baldwin Jeter, PJHS, third place.
Environmental Management – Shelby Hilligoss, PJHS, honorable mention.
Medicine & Health – Eli Isom, OGMS, first place; Molly McPherson, Amaya Hunt, and Hayden Johnson, PJHS, third place.
Microbiology – Hadley Luke, OGMS, second place; Kaydince Warren, Aniyjah Lurry and Monalisa Oli, PJHS, honorable mention.
Physics & Astronomy – Abigail Wyatt and MaKenna Harwell, PJHS, second place; Brooke Burt, Sebastian Keys and Kaleb Wicker, PJHS, honorable mention.
Plant Science – Sumaiyah Ali, PJHS, first place; Nicole Webb, Kaylynn Forbs and Kaegan Sessums, PJHS, second place; Mikayla Lambert and Kahlyn Massey, PJHS, third place.
It is a Great Day to be a Ram! #psdrams

The Paragould School District is pleased to announce that we have signed a contract with Herff-Jones to produce a virtual graduation for the PHS Class of 2020. Please know that if state/national guidelines on COVID-19 are lifted regarding large gatherings, as specified by authorities, we will also have a traditional graduation ceremony this summer. PSD plans to honor the senior class with this production of their graduation. We are excited that we will have our seniors’ memories archived and produced in a professional manner for students to share with friends and family to be live-streamed and saved for years to come. While a virtual graduation is never a first choice under normal circumstances, we feel that this option is the best at this time. Seniors will be contacted in the near future with direction on how the collection of information will take place.

Per Governor Hutchinson, all Arkansas schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year; however, instruction through Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) will continue. PSD will continue to follow the AMI plans that are already in place for PSD students. More information will follow as soon as possible.

Paragould School District provided 5,385 breakfast meals AND 5,385 lunch meals to the children in our community today. A total of 10,770 meals were distributed! Thank you to all of the employees who contributed to success of the feeding program today! #psdrams

AMI information for April 6-17 can be found on the PSD website.

PSD AMI packets for March 30-April 3 were sent home prior to the school closure. Students should continue working on Days 6-10 of the packets. Information regarding the AMI packets for April 6 and beyond will be communicated to parents next week.

The FEEDING PROGRAM for ages 1-18 will be provided to students today from 10:00am - 11:30am at the following locations:
Paragould Junior High Gym Parking Lot
Oak Grove Middle School Front Parking Lot
Ram Academy Front Parking Lot
Eastside Impact Center Across From Labor Park
Meals will not be distributed over spring break.

With this latest announcement by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to close Arkansas public schools through April 17, the Paragould School District is working with authorities to plan for and deliver meals to students in need. Today PSD buses will deliver over 230 food bags to students who had previously received food bags throughout the school year. In addition to following the Standard Operation Procedures for Safe Food Handling, the following procedures were implemented to help prevent the spread COVID-19:
1. A Health Screen was provided for all assisting with preparing or delivering meals. This process included taking the temperature of all assisting with preparing or delivering meals and wearing a mask or face cover such as a bandana.
2. Frequent hand washing with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds.
3. Sanitizing hands and surfaces.
4. Wearing Gloves
5. Disinfect surfaces and sinks before and after preparation or service of meal
The Paragould School District will work with authorities to determine the safest way to provide meals following spring break. We will send out information as soon as we have it ready and as soon as decisions are made.

All Arkansas schools will be closed through April 17 per Governor Hutchinson. We will be sending out more information as we receive it.

Labor Day Park location for feeding program has been moved across the street to the Eastside Impact Center parking lot. Parents can drive up and get food without getting out of the car. We are ready now if parents want to come early.

Parents/guardians who need to pick up their child's medicines from their child's school, may do so Monday, March 16, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Due to COVID-19, all schools will be closed March 16 - March 20 as mandated by the state. PSD will provide a “Drive Up and Pick Up” lunch to ANY child ages 1-18 at 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Monday-Friday during the school closing time period. Children who are receiving the food must be present per federal regulations. The locations for breakfast and lunch pickup are: Paragould Junior High Gymnasium Parking Lot, Oak Grove Middle School Front Parking Lot, Ram Academy Parking Lot, and Labor Day Park Pavilion. Please call your child’s school for any questions regarding the free feeding program.

PSD will be closed March 16 through March 27. Students are to complete days 1-5 of the AMI packets next week. March 23-27 is spring break; therefore, no coursework is required during that week. Please watch for more information regarding meals for students.

Per Governor Hutchinson and Secretary Key, the CDC has recommended to ADH that schools remain open unless the area is impacted by a positive test of COVID-19. PSD will continue to prepare for closure should ADH make the decision to close the district in the future.

PSD is being proactive and has plans in place to provide "Drive Up and Pick Up" sack lunches to students should the state decide to close our school district. Additional information will be provided if the state makes the decision to close PSD.

As a result of the growing concerns and risks related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus), the AAA will suspend all spring interscholastic competition starting Sunday, March 15, 2020 until Monday, March 30, 2020. Student health is a top priority in the Paragould School District. We will work closely with AAA to monitor the situation for our student athletes. The Paragould School District will continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, and other viruses including the flu and common cold, which include: routinely cleaning and disinfecting the school, encouraging staff and students to wash their hands frequently with soap and water, and
ensuring that bathrooms are adequately furnished with soap. You can also help prevent the spread of viruses by encouraging your student to stay home when they are sick, frequently wash their hands with soap and water, and frequently wash their hands with soap and water, avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, and cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing. We will continue our efforts to collaborate with local and state agencies and will notify you immediately if we receive any updated information regarding AAA spring interscholastic competition.

2019 State Discus Champion, Olivia Hancock, is headed back to state! She threw a personal best of 123 feet 4 inches at the Harding University Invitational Thursday, beating the Invitational record by more than 8 feet. Congratulations Olivia! #psdrams

PSD will be observing Presidents’ Day on Monday and will not be in session. Enjoy the long weekend!

Thank you to each one of these PSD counselors for the time, dedication, and energy you put into making PSD a better place for students! We appreciate you! Counselors from left to right: Libby Martin, Stacey Horn, Shannon Curtis, Carol Phillips, Kristie Ford, Jenny Brown, Brandie Newsom, Samantha Tilley, and Stephanie Elmore (not pictured).

Thank you Crowley's Ridge Classic Junior Livestock Show Association for the donation of $500 to the PSD backpack program! We appreciate your generosity!

PSD elementary chess team, composed of third through sixth grade chess winners at each of our campuses, competed at the Elementary NEA Regional Chess tournament today and captured first place! Sixth grade students Dalen Burroughs and Colton Stevens were undefeated all five matches. Great day to be a ram!

This past Saturday the archery team competed at Cabot. The team placed 3rd out of 12 high school teams! The top PHS archer was Allen Apuan who scored 263 out of 300. Congratulations Allen and the PHS archery team! #psdrams

The basketball games scheduled for tonight are as follows.
The Girls Junior B Game will start at 4:30.
This game will be followed by the Boys Junior B Game.
The Girls Junior A Game will start at 6:00.
This will be followed by the Boys Junior A Game.
Go Rams!

The PHS Dance team will host the Lil' Dancers Clinic on January 18th in the Junior High Gym. Registration forms can be picked up from any Dance Team Member or from Coach Wallace (jwallace@paragouldschools.net).
The PHS Dance Team will be hosting a "MOB Workout" on January 25th at Tabatha's Dance Studio. Tickets or information are available from any Dance Team Member or from Coach Wallace (jwallace@paragouldschools.net).

Three students from our Paragould High School EAST program have been selected to be part of various Leadership Teams at this years EAST Conference in Hot Springs! Westin Henderson has been selected as a Co-Leader for the EAST Technical Support team. Jacob Griffin has been selected as a member of the EAST Technical Support team. Salem Craft has been selected as a member of the EAST Documentation team. This is the first time in school history that 3 students have been selected to leadership teams in the same year. Congratulations to these three students for their accomplishments! #psdrams

The Advanced Learning Program dissection day took place at OGE. The 11th grade ALP students conducted the lab for the elementary ALP students. The students who led this lab attended the same dissection lab as fourth graders. This activity gives our students the opportunity to learn from older peers. The experience was fun for all students!

PHS Rifle team members competed at North Little Rock today. Rayleigh Gonser placed 2nd, Jeffery Huffmaster placed 6th, and new to shooting from Brazil, Lucas Tors placed 12th. Great job!! #psdrams

Coach Lamb’s EAST students are dedicating their time to the community by working various Christmas themed activity stations in the children’s department of Belk. Their service is in connection to the holiday sales in the store. PHS students, including Jax Russom, Jazmine Madden, and Ashton White, continue to do amazing things in the Paragould community! #psdrams

Mr. Inman’s PHS Community Service Learning students took advantage of the pretty day and raked leaves at several houses. They are making a positive impact on the Paragould Community and we are so proud of them! Thank you Mr. Joel Hollis for gathering the rakes and bags for this project! Always a great day to be a Ram! #psdrams

Congratulations Paragould Pride Marching Band—Class 5A State Champions!!! GO PRIDE!

PSD students are doing great things and PSD staff strive daily to help them be successful! Parents, we need your assistance! Research shows the importance of student attendance and defines chronic absenteeism as having missed 10% or more days of school. The school year is 178 days, which means that a student who misses 18 days of school a year is considered to be chronically absent. See the attached flyer from the Arkansas Department of Education to learn more about student attendance and how to help your child build a habit of good attendance.

Join us for Senior Night at Ram Stadium! Senior band members and senior football players will be recognized beginning at 6:00 p.m. Pregame activities will conclude by 6:50 p.m. The Rams will play their last home football game against Blytheville at 7:00 p.m. GO RAMS!

Congratulations to the Lady Rams on their win over Sylvan Hills last night! The Lady Rams advance to the next round of state and will play in the semi-finals today at 3:00 p.m. GO RAMS!!!

Congratulations Lady Rams on a first round state volleyball victory over Greenbrier tonight! The Lady Rams will play Round 2 on Wednesday, October 30, at 7 p.m. in Hot Springs. Let's Go Lady Rams! #psdrams

CROSS COUNTRY TEAM PARENTS: The Cross Country team will be traveling to Hot Springs on November 8 for the State Cross Country meet on November 9. The team will be staying at Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 206 Mehta Court, Hot Springs.
501-463-5600.

All cross country members improved their times! Shawn Winn placed 11th out of 110 runners! Front row, left to right: Sam Wood, Shawn Winn, and McKenzie Minor. Back row, left to right: Ethan Barnes, Peter Bakich, Chance Espinoza, Orlando Oliver, Noah Huffman, Arianna Oliver, and Victoria Slayton. Great job! #psdrams

Congratulations OAK GROVE MIDDLE and PARAGOULD JUNIOR HIGH for being recognized by the Office for Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas as schools where students demonstrated high growth on the ACT Aspire!
OAK GROVE MIDDLE received the following awards:
Statewide High Overall Growth: Middle Level
Statewide High ELA Growth: Middle Level
High Overall Growth: Middle Level (Northeast Region)
High ELA Growth: Middle Level (Northeast Region)
PARAGOULD JUNIOR HIGH received the following awards:
Statewide High Overall Growth: Middle Level
Statewide High Math Growth: Middle Level
High Overall Growth: Middle Level (Northeast Region)
High Math Growth: Middle Level (Northeast Region)
Way to go OGMS and PJHS!!! #psdrams

Sarah Sellen has been named a finalist in the QuestBridge Match Scholarship. QuestBridge partners with 40 colleges, including Yale, Vanderbilt, Duke, Princeton, and MIT, to offer full four-year scholarships worth over $200,000. This generous scholarship will cover tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, as well as travel expenses. QuestBridge notified Sarah of the final steps she will be taking in the next month to finish the scholarship process. We wish Sarah the best of luck in the final steps!

PHS Dancers had a clean sweep this weekend at the Sheridan Invitational Dance Competition! They took first place in all four categories: Jazz, High Kick, HipHop, and Pom. Senior Aaron Fisher and Junior Molly Linam placed first in Ensembles, while Sophomore Natalie Horner placed first in Solos! It's a great day to be a Ram! #psdrams

Storms are predicted for tomorrow morning. We will be monitoring the weather closely, especially during the early morning bus routes. We appreciate your patience as the storms could impact the pick up times for bus riders.

Congratulations Woodrow Wilson Elementary! Woodrow Wilson has been recognized by the Office for Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas as a school where students demonstrated high growth on the ACT Aspire! Woodrow Wilson received the following award:
High ELA Growth: Elementary Level (Northeast Region)
#psdrams

Congratulations to Paragould Junior High for being recognized by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a "School on the Move". PJHS is one of five middle/junior high schools in the state earning growth scores two standard deviation (2.0 SD) or more above the mean on the 2019 ACT Aspire Assessment. The growth score for PJHS is 85.54! Great Job! #psdrams

The Smoking Skulls Riding Club donated $575.00 in shoe gift cards to PSD. With the help of OGE secretary and Shoe Sensation employee Tiffany Beasley, school counselors Stephanie Elmore and Kristy Ford shopped for shoes and were able to purchase 37 pair of shoes for K-6 students. Thank you so much to Smoking Skulls Riding Club for the donation and to Ms. Beasley for assisting with the shoe purchases! #psdrams

Congratulations Simon McBride Class 5A State Golf Champion! We are so proud of you!! #psdrams

Congratulations to the PHS Homecoming Court!
Freshmen:
Emily Hill escorted by Britt Rogers
Lexi Huffine escorted by Garron McDaniel
Sloan Tripod escorted by Ben Sloas
Kaylee Willcockson escorted by Henry Thompson
Sophomores:
Asriah Little escorted by Tyler Brown
Lexie Mangrum escorted by Jamison DaVault
Megan Riggs escorted by Landon Manning
Savannah Tinsley escorted by Braxton Tilley
Juniors:
Paige Glenn escorted by Nick Ashby
Olivia Hancock escorted by TJ Myatt
Evelyn McHaney escorted by Randy Pate
Kathelyn McHaney escorted by Chase Rowland
Seniors:
Salem Craft escorted by Gage Blankenship
Maegan Kelley escorted by Adam Lindsey
Shea Malone escorted by Jacob Murphy
Mattie Neighbors escorted by Zach Raney
Kayla Smith escorted by Carter Starling

PHS FOOTBALL GAME CHANGE FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: The JV game against Nettleton has been cancelled. The 7th grade game against Nettleton will begin at 5:30. THE GAME IS AT PARAGOULD! Go Rams!!

PHS FOOTBALL GAME CHANGE FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: JV game against Nettleton has been cancelled. The 7th grade game against Nettleton will begin at 5:30. Go Rams!!!

Great job PHS Cross Country at the 5K Saturday! Overall Placing among all who competed: #1 Shawn Winn, #2 Beau Burbank, #3 Matthew Roach, and #4 Ethan Barnes. First place finish in their age groups: Peter Bakich, Ethan Barnes, Idayali Rodriguez, and Samantha Wood. Second place finish in their age groups: Noah Huffman, Orlando Oliver, and Mckenzie Minor. Proud to be a Ram!

The PSD app is not working again due to problems with the app integrating with the new iOS update. The app company, Apptegy, will keep us informed and contact us as soon as the problem has been resolved. Thank you for your patience!

Apple has pushed out the iOS 13.1 update. The Paragould School District App works with the new update.

Apple sent out a message stating that the iOS 13 update has been affecting many apps from functioning including the Paragould School District App. They are working on pushing out an update. We will send out notification as soon as we receive more information.

Football season has arrived! JROTC will be tailgating in the field next to the JROTC building this Friday night. All are welcome to come mix and mingle with some great students. Play some games and support Ram Nation!!! We will have hotdogs and burgers from 4:30 to 6:30. #psdrams

Congratulations to PHS senior Ashlyn Apple! Ashlyn was chosen as the Jr. Miss Greene County this week and will be representing Greene County in the state competition on October 16. #psdrams

The Annual Report to the Public will be Monday, September 9, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. in the District Administration Office located at 1501 West Court Street. The report will be accessible on the district website by September 20, 2019.

PHS golf teams won today against Nettleton and Wynne. Simon McBride and Madison Holmes were the medalists. Go Rams!! #psdrams.

The Little Rock FBI office issued a statement regarding a possible school shooting in Arkansas, August 29 (in Kentucky on August 28). The FBI could not confirm the source of the reporting party. PSD administration is not aware of any specific threat to our district. Keeping students and staff safe is our top priority and we will remain in contact with the authorities.

Way to go PJHS Rams! 16-14 win over Gosnell! #psdrams

Ram Fans, in accordance with AAA, when thunder is heard, cloud-to-ground lightning is seen, or an approved detector indicates that lightning is within 10 miles, outdoor activities will be suspended for 30 minutes. Athletes and fans will be directed to take shelter immediately.

The Annual Paragould Athletic Booster Club Kickoff is Friday, 8/23, at Ram Stadium, beginning at 5:30 for PJHS & 6:30 for PHS. Welcome all athletes, their families, and booster club sponsors! This is a great evening to meet the athletes, as they will each be recognized! Go Rams!

PJHS & PHS football scrimmage games against Gosnell begin at 5:30 tonight at Ram Stadium! GO RAMS!

Congratulations Simon McBride for earning medalist honors in golf at the Searcy tournament on Monday! Here we go Rams! #psdrams

The first day of school is Tuesday, August 13!

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The Paragould School District aspires to welcome all students into a safe, caring, and exciting educational environment filled with enriched activities and opportunities. Ultimately, all graduates will be equipped with knowledge, confidence, and a pathway to attain their dreams beyond high school.

Our vision will be achieved through accurate, honest, and timely communication, connecting students, teachers, administrators, parents and patrons.