Food For Kids Donations

The Lincoln County Area Retired School Personnel (LCARSP) presented donations to the school-to-home food programs in each school district in Lincoln County on Dec 2-4. Linda McGlothlin, LCARSP President, and Zenda Folta, LCARSP webpage administrator and photographer, met with representatives from each school district to present a check for $200 with a matching donation of $200 for their food support programs.

As part of the LCARSP Community Service in Lincoln County, LCARSP members voluntarily donate to the LCARSP Food For Kids project. The Food For Kids monies are then donated to the school-to-home food support programs – the Silex R-I Owls Pals, the Elsberry R-II Backpacks, the Troy R-III Buddy Bags, and the Winfield R-IV Pals Pax programs.

LCARSP is a unit of the Missouri Retired Teachers Association which supports the statewide Show Me Hunger project and strongly encourages local community service projects.

Elsberry R-II Backpacks

Sponsor- Natalie Head

Accepting:

Madison Leckbee, President Elsberry National Honor Society

Kyndal Pratt, Vice President Elsberry National Honor Society

Macy Barber, Secretary/Treasurer Elsberry National Honor Society

Winfield R-IV Pal Pax

Volunteer director – Terry Feeler (not available)

Accepting:

Pastor Fielding Poe of the First Baptist Church of Winfield

Troy R-III Buddy Bags

Sponsor & accepting -- Dr. Amy Salvo

Silex R-I Owls Pals

Sponsor – Laura McDonald

Accepting:

Kelan Kinion, President Silex National Honor Society

Laura Mc Donald, Co-sponsor Silex National Honor Society

Heather Miller, Co-sponsor Silex National Honor Society

The 2021 Lincoln County Area Retired School Personnel Classroom Grants are now available on the LCARSP website, under the "Classroom Grants" page. or follow the link at the bottom of this page.  

Let's move on to 2021!  We understand your school year has been very challenging and you have worked harder and more creatively than ever before so we have simplified our application form (tell us what you need and how much it will cost). Check it out 

The purpose of these grants is to help fund small projects for classroom teachers.  One $200 grant will be awarded to a teacher in each of the four county school districts.  

Applications may be accessed by clicking at the bottom of this page or on the Classroom Grants tab on the menu bar.  Scroll down to the article and click the work "HERE."

If you are a teacher in the Silex, Elsberry, Troy or Winfield School District, fill one out!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GmUsTs7tSrgpHfTesw1hDBEL-0OycfotuU0PGlueJUU/edit?usp=sharing

2020 Missouri Retired Teacher Foundation Grant Winners

Several members from the Lincoln County Area Retired School Personnel unit helped Missouri Retired Teachers Association Region 13 Vice President Sherry Brandes award four Missouri Retired Teacher Foundation Grants to Lincoln County 

teachers this month.  

On October 21, the group met with Elizabeth Utterback, Agriculture Education instructor at Troy Buchanan High School in Troy. She used her $500 grant to purchase a license to create on-line record books for all agriculture students at TBHS.

Pictured l-r: Linda McGlothlin, LCARSP President; Elizabeth Utterback; Sherry Brandes, Region 13 Vice President, Margaret Smith, MRTF Board Member.

The group traveled across town to award another grant to Stephanie Harris, First Grade Teacher at Main Street Elementary School in Troy. She used the grant to purchase Good Morning Tubs, an alternative for morning work that emphasizes STEM skills.

Pictured l-r: Sherry Brandes; Linda McGlothlin; Megan Sanford, Main Street Elementary Principal; Stephanie Harris, Sierra Johnson, Main Street Elementary Assistant Principal; Margaret Smith.

October 28, representatives of LCARSP and MRTA presented two more MRTF Grants to teachers in Lincoln County.  Sheri Hoff, Winfield Middle School English Language Arts teacher has used her funds to purchase tall tables and stools for those students who work better standing.  She said her students were thrilled to work at these stations when they were able to return to class earlier this month.

Pictured l-r: Sherry Brandes, Region 13 Vice President; Sheri Hoff; LCARSP President 

Linda McGlothlin

The group awarded the last $500 Missouri Retired Teacher Foundation Grant to Melissa Skibinski, Third Grade Teacher at Main Street Elementary School in Troy (Lincoln County R-III). She used the grant funds to purchase items for a Calming Box. These include weighted blankets and fidget busters to aid students who

need help focusing.

Pictured l-r: Linda McGlothlin; Brianna Knorr, Third Grade Teacher; Melissa Skibinski; Sherry Brandes

Of the eight grants awarded in Region 13 (Lincoln, Pike, St. Charles and Warren counties), Lincoln County Schools received four!  Congratulations to all of these winners!  We appreciate your dedication to your students!

May 2020 Updates - Covid 19 Edition

Timely information from Unit President Linda McGlothlin:

1) PSRS/PEERS ballots for Board Members will be in mailboxes any day now. MRTA has endorsed Dr Collins and Dr Vitt for PSRS/PEERS Board positions. Please consider voting for Dr Collins and Dr Vitt.

2) All LCARSP meetings, capers, and events in May have been CANCELLED!

3) LCARSP Craft Club members are creating fabric face masks and have them available to anyone who needs them. Crafters suggest a donation be made to the LCARSP Grants to Teachers fund for the masks. if you would like a mask(s) please contact any LCARSP member who may direct you to a craft club member. (See photos for possible fabric choices.)

                   

4) Be aware and avoid the many scams that have developed! Do NOT GIVE, OR POST, ANY personal information (ie. phone number, PINs, address, email, birthdate, SSN, credit card #, maiden name, kids or grandchildren names, pets' names,...!)

5) Be careful if you need to go out and about in our communities. Remember to "social distance" as this virus knows no boundaries, and particularly preys on the "vulnerable population" -- which is most of our LCARSP members!

Finally, as the present health situation has altered our LCARSP plans for April and May, in order to meet the required number of yearly meetings, please tentatively put Thursday, July 9th on your calendars for a possible "make-up" LCARSP general meeting date. I will put this before the Executive Board to discuss and make a decision whether to hold a July meeting.

2019-2020 Classroom Grant Winners

Here are our 2019-2020 Classroom Grant winners!  

Stacey Watson (pictured right) from Winfield R-I will be using her grant money to access standards-based video sites to enhance her science curriculum.  Presenting the grant is Cheryl Kerns.

Elsberry Educator, Melissa Grossner plans to use her grant funds to enhance her Technology curriculum.  Nancy Lenk is pictured making the grant presentation.

Stephanie Harris, 1st grade teacher at Main Street Elementary at Troy R-III, will be using her grant money to help students who need social, emotional and academic support.  Presenting the grant is Nancy Lenk.

Winfield teacher, Benjamin Crump will be using his grant funds to enhance the geography curriculum for his 6th grade students.  Bonnie Hubbman is pictured making the presentation.

Congratulations to all of these outstanding educators! 

Cancelations Continue

With the continued STAY AT HOME recommendations due to Covid-19, our clubs and groups have had to cancel meetings this month.  Unit President Linda McGlothlin shared some important information in a recent email.

Hi, all,

Hope you are "sheltering-in-place" and have enough TP* to get you through several more days. 

  *These are the times that try men's soul.  ~Thomas Paine

Just to reiterate, Terry Elia included several cancellations in the minutes of the March meeting.  These cancellations included all activities through the end of April as listed below. 

LCARSP Craft Club - April 7th CANCELLED

LCARSP April Program & Meeting - April 9th CANCELLED

LCARSP Caper to Old St Charles - April 23rd CANCELLED

LCARSP Book Club - April 23rd CANCELLED

As the present health situation continues, if cancellation of May activities are deemed necessary you will be notified via email.

I hope you have taken the opportunity to peruse the AMBA website and learn of the many new benefits afforded to MRTA members.  

As we have extra time at home, do take this opportunity to look through our new benefits provider, AMBA, and see what they have to offer you!

"Where are we going, Pooh?"

"Home, Piglet.  We're going home, because that's the best thing to do right now." ~A.A. Milne

MRTA Has a New Benefits Provider

After many years, MRTA has discontinued its association with Forrest T. Jones and Company for insurance and other benefits.  MRTA has announced they have a new benefit provider Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA).  AMBA will make our membership more vaulable with nationwide discounts and programs.  

All retired public school employees will be receiving letters in the mail very soon explaining the change so please be looking for this information!

The following flyer was made available at our March 2020 unit meeting.  Learn more about the new insurance provider and other benefits available to MRTA members by following this link: https://www.myambabenefits.info/association/mrta

**If you wish to continue your business with Forrest T. Jones and Company, you will need to contact them personally.

Leaders Attend Presidents Summit

Our Unit President Linda McGlothlin and Vice President Clarissa Sydnor attended the MRTA Unit President Summit March 10-11 in Jefferson City. They learned lots of great information and ideas to help make this year fun and exciting!  While there, they got to meet Dan Meers aka KC Wolf, mascot of the KC Chiefs. Dan has been the KC mascot for the past 30 years!

(pictured: Clarissa, Linda and Dan Meers)

The group heard lots of speakers during motivational workshops including MRTA Executive Director Jim Kreider.

One very important item discussed at the Summit was the discontinuing association with Forrest T. Jones and Company for insurance and other benefits.  MRTA announced they have a new benefit provider Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA).  AMBA will make our membership more valuable with nationwide discounts and programs. 

Please be on the look-out in your mailbox very soon as all retired public school employees will be receiving letters explaining the change.

Copies of a handout (seen below) were distributed at the Summit and then shared at our unit meeting Thursday.  

If you wish to continue using Forrest T. Jones as your insurance provider, please contact them personally.  ALL MRTA MEMBERS are eligible to activate and explore the AMBA website: https://www.myambabenefits.info/association/mrta

February Book Club

LCARSP Readers, the next book our book club is reading is "The Last Days of Night" by Graham Moore. This is a novel of historical fiction published in 2016. The story follows a young lawyer in New York City in 1888, as he attempts to discern who invented the light bulb: Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, or Nikola Tesla.

If you would like to borrow a book, check one out at the First Christian Church (we are in the second door from the window). Discussion will be Feb. 27 at Halo and Wings.