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A National Blue
Ribbon, A+ school
Tidings
from Taylor A monthly newsletter brought
to you by PFTSTA Publications.
May 2014
Upcoming Dates:
May 5 AP Environmental Science
Exam
8 am
AP Psychology Exam
12 pm
PBIS Meeting
3 pm
Leadership Team Meeting
4 pm
May 6
Washington D.C. Information
Meeting
PFTSTA Common Area
6 – 7 pm
May 7
AP Calculus Exam
8 am
Wall of Fame Pictures
9 am
High School Awards Ceremony
1:30 – 2:30 pm
Band Spring Concert
6:30 – 7:30 pm
May 8
Track Meet State
AP English Literature and
Composition Exam
8 – 11:30 am
Middle School Award Ceremony
1:30 – 2:30 pm
From the Principal’s Pen by Jaime Zapico
I can’t believe the school year is almost over! It has been a great year and we have
made some great memories in our new space on Churchill Parkway. Even though we
only have three weeks left of school, please be cognizant of the fact that this is the
fourth nine weeks and if you fail a course, you fail the course for the semester.
Also, we have exams this nine week period. Remember, exams count for 25% of
your final grade.
Congratulations to the Class of 2014! Senior awards night was held on Thursday,
May 1 and the seniors were recognized for all of their accomplishments. Please see
the group picture with the seniors wearing all of their cords and medals. They are
going to look great coming down the aisle on graduation day. Mrs. Taylor also
celebrated their accomplishments at the annual senior brunch that she hosts every
year. Congratulations to Paris Evans who won the $100,000 scholarship and to Nick
Dang and Lauren Tran who were surprised with a $32,000 scholarship from Mrs.
Taylor as well. Mrs. Taylor also announced that she will continue to give the
$100,000 scholarship to one deserving senior for at least the next ten years. What a
day for my Taylor Tigers!
May 9 AP Statistics Exam
12 – 3 pm
WWII Museum Webinar for
Middle School
12 – 1 pm
May 10
Class of 2014 Graduation
Alario Center
9:30 – 10:30 am
May 12 English III EOC (3rd Period)
7:30 – 10:30 am
AP Physics Exam
12 pm
May 13
Senior Exams Day 1
English III EOC (4th Period)
7:30 – 10:30 am
AP Human Geography Exam
12 – 3 pm
School Board Meeting
5 – 6 pm
May 14
Senior Exams Day 2
Geometry EOC
7:30 – 9:30 am
AP US History Exam
8 – 11:30 am
Algebra I EOC (2nd Period)
9:30 – 11:30 am
May 15 Senior Exams Day 3
Algebra I EOC (1st Period)
7:30 – 9:30 am
Ring Ceremony
Kenner Park Pavilion
9 am
Alice
7 – 9:30 pm
May 16
English II EOC
7:30 – 10:30
A big thank you
to all of our
moms who
attended our first
annual Muffins
with Mom event.
We are looking
forward to
celebrating our
Taylor dads in the
fall of 2014 at the
first annual
Donuts with
Dads.
The end of the
year award
ceremonies will
take place on May
7 and May 8.
Please look for
invitations that are coming home this week. I’m looking forward to two great
celebrations all about my Taylor Tigers!
Graduation for the Class of 2014 is scheduled for
Saturday, May 10 at 9:30am at the Alario Center.
Graduates must be at the Alario Center for 8:30.
Parents, please make sure all family members are
seated in the arena prior to 9:25. The doors will
be closing at that time and will not reopen until
after the procession.
Save the Date – The annual Back to School BBQ
makes its return on Saturday, August 2 from 5 –
7 at school. We are very excited to bring back
this annual tradition. More information about the
BBQ will be mailed home with the fourth nine
weeks report cards at the end of May.
P.S. If you haven't heard according to US News and World report Patrick Taylor made the list
for the top 20 Louisiana high schools for college prep. We are ranked second in the state! I'm
very proud of my Taylor Tigers. The full article is below.http://m.wdsu.com/news/top-20-
louisiana-high-schools-for-college-prep/25759566
8th Grade Picnic
12 – 1:30 pm
Alice
7 – 9:30 pm
May 17 Alice
7 – 9:30 pm
May 19 Author Visit 6th and 7th Grade
9 – 10 am
May 21
(Full Day)
Exams 1st and 2nd Periods
7:30 – 11:30 am
May 22
(Full Day)
Last Day for Students
Exams 3rd and 4th Periods
7:30 – 11:30 am
May 23
Teacher Professional
Development and End-of-Year
Party
Contact Us:
701 Churchill Parkway
Avondale, LA 70094
(504)-838-2249 – phone
(504)-436-0257 – fax
Principal – Jaime Zapico
Questions – Kathy Guzman
------
PFTSTA Web-site
pftsta.com
PFTSTA is on Twitter
twitter.com/pftsta
Jefferson Parish Public
School System Web-site
www.jppss.k12.la.us
Lines from the Librarian by Elizabeth Kahn
April is a month when we celebrate poetry for
National Poetry Month. This year on April 24,
like many others, members of Bookmarked
hid poems around the school for their
classmates to find. When a poem was found,
the student brought the poem to the library
and had to read it aloud to me to receive a
prize. The poems were posted on the library’s
doors.
Sixth Grader, Lindsey Laforge, reads her poem to the
librarian.
We have one more author visit planned for the year. On May 19, all 6th and 7th grade
students will get a chance to meet Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr. They are
visiting to talk about their wonderful series that begins with Loki’s Wolves. Please
help support Octavia Books, who are bringing the authors to us at no charge, by
purchasing one of the books in the series. You can find more info and a form to
order the books here: http://bit.ly/1mcHAKr.
This is a reminder that all library materials are due by May 7. Students with overdue
books and fines will receive a notice weekly until their debt is cleared with the
library. Late fines are assessed at 10 cents a day, and any lost books must be paid
for before students leave for the summer break.
I know that students have required reading for the summer, but there are wonderful
new books out there that students might love to read. You can find the best of the
best on awards lists from the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of
the American Library Association. The YALSA Quick Picks’ list has books with high
appeal for students ages 12-18. The list includes both fiction and non-fiction.
Check out the 2014 list here: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2014-quick-picks-reluctant-
young-readers. The YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) list includes works
of fiction with both literary merit and teen appeal. Again the books are geared for
the 12-18 year old. Check out the 2014 BFYA list here:
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2014-best-fiction-young-adults. These book lists are
created yearly, so you can find more books of quality on the previous years’ lists.
The high school book group at Patrick Taylor has helped to select the nominated
titles for Teen’s Top Ten. Voting opens to everyone on August 15. To get ready for
this voting opportunity, you can find the list of nominated books here:
http://bit.ly/1ml0rP7.
All of these books can be found at a public library, bookstore, or for download on
your favorite reader.
Have a great summer and KEEP READING!
Senior Awards Night by Elizabeth Kahn
The annual awards night for the seniors was held on May 1st in Ochsner’s Monroe
Hall. Jack Cole, who was elected by his classmates, was the student speaker for the
event. Most of the members of the class of 2014 received multiple awards. Some of
the awards given out that evening included valedictorian Lauren Tran and
salutatorian Abrania Marrero. The Tiger Award which is given annually by the
teachers to a student who has shown the highest TIGER Ideals of Thoughtfulness,
Independence, Global Thinking, Engagement in Learning, Responsibility, and
Seriousness about technology was awarded to Celia Zaeringer. The principal award
is given to by Mrs. Zapico to a student who represents Patrick Taylor in many
different ways, and this year’s recipient was Thomas Sostarics.
The class of 2014 poses with Mrs. Zapico at the conclusion of the evening.
4-H News by Lisa Valence
The 4-H Club is excited that sixth grader Olivia Sonnier will represent us again at the
state competition for the 4-H Cooking Contest, where she will present her famous
chili recipe. Good luck, Olivia! The club also appreciates the Grandparents’ Club and
says thank you to all of the grandparents who sent in cakes for our Cake Walk game
at the Senior Carnival! These funds will be put towards new plants for the second
floor garden that 4-H has been maintaining. Our last service project of the year is to
thank our Taylor teachers for all that they do for our students. The club will present
each teacher with a token of our appreciation on May 5th.
Taylor Teachers Win Funding
Five teachers from Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy successfully
collaborated to write a grant for $10,000 in funding from Fund for Teachers. As part
of the school leadership team, they wanted to travel to Boston during the summer to
attend the Building Learning Communities (BLC) conference held by Alan November.
The team consists of the media specialist and teachers in both middle and high
school teaching various curriculum areas. The team members, Cheryl Bordelon,
Elizabeth Kahn, Kelly Maher, Janell Simpson, and Lisa
Valence, along with Principal Jaime Zapico, are excited
to return from Boston and help refine the school’s
technology plan in terms of 21st century skills, as the
school rapidly grows in its new facility.
News From NHS by Jazmine Wells, Historian
The month of April marked a new beginning for the Patrick F. Taylor chapter of National
Honor Society. Recently, the chapter conducted its first meeting with the junior class
and the newly inducted National Honor Society members. Leading their first meeting of
the school year, the new officers enthusiastically shared potential goals to achieve in
the upcoming year. One goal of the new chapter is to have a cause for each quarter
term in which members volunteer and help raise awareness for domestic violence,
homelessness, disease, etc. Alongside expanding volunteer opportunities for members,
the National Honor Society chapter also hopes to encourage volunteering within the
school. Establishing an in school volunteer “competition” and partnering with the
National Junior Honor Society, the new chapter hopes to broaden Patrick F. Taylor’s
involvement in the community.
NHS monthly meeting for April
Newly elected president, Sydney Monix, along
with new vice president, Kayla Tarr, run the
meeting.
NJHS News by Lisa Valence and Cheryl Bordelon
The National Junior Honor Society inducted its newest members on April 24, 2014.
The 2014-15 officers are: President Dominic Scheurer and Vice President Elizabeth
Bundick, along with the Executive Board: Jasmine McGowan, Jake LeBlanc, Joshua
Nguyen, Eduardo Paternostro, Hannah Porta, Zoey Prado, and Laura Smith. The
latest service project this organization has been working on is collecting Pennies for
Patients to support research on leukemia. This project was led by outgoing officers
Stefan Suazo, Andrew Varuso, and Gavin Morrow.
8th Grade STEM Trip by Cheryl Bordelon
Gifted eighth graders participated in a hands-on STEM field trip on Friday, April 25,
2014, at the D-Day Museum. Students worked on a team project focused on reverse
engineering and toured the museum to do math and engineering activities based on
World War II aircraft design, penicillin, rations, and more.
Science Notes by Janell Simpson
AP Environmental Science students sponsored a booth at the Senior Carnival to
promote Project Clean Runway, a project in which students learned about
alternatives to fossil fuels by building fuel cell vehicles. This materials for this project
were provided by a grant from the Louisiana Environmental Education Commission.
Saraya Sibley, John Tran, Tyler Nguyen,
Morgan Brown, Ali Kirkland, Madison Berard,
Jose Alexander, Abdullah Syed, Kayla Tarr
Chemistry students
Johann DeJesus and
Bill Romero observe
a demonstration
given by LSU student
Caitlin Roberts
(daughter of Taylor
faculty member Kelly
Maher). Caitlin
performed several
demonstrations for
sophomore chemistry
students as part of
the requirements for
her study of nutrition
at LSU.
TALENTED IN THE ARTS by Linda Patrick
All Students, Family, Friends-- We Need Your Vote!
Alex Pollard entered the Congressional Art Competition and needs the public vote on
Facebook as part of the process to choose a winner. The 2014 theme is "Louisiana
Through My Eyes." Alex's work was titled "Louisiana: Both Vivid Color and Subtle
Beauty." The winner's artwork hangs in the Capitol for the year. There will also be a
public exhibition in the district.
Please look at the photos of the artwork which will be posted on Steve Scalise's
Facebook page the first few days of May, and vote for hers!
Tidings from TechBytes
by Kelly Maher
theJournal.com Highlights Three Resources for Help with Common Core
New Math Resources for Common Core from Khan Academy
Khan Academy recently launched their new math learning materials designed to
support Common Core: https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore. "This fall, the
new Common Core standards are rolling out to millions of teachers and students
across the country," said Khan in a prepared statement. "And while the standards
may be common, we know that students are not -- every student has their own
learning journey. This is why we are committed to personalized learning that lets
students practice what they most need help on and lets teachers see where each
student might need extra attention."
Students complete "missions" that are aligned with the Common Core standards.
The interactive exercises focus on "conceptual understanding, procedural fluency,
and real-world application -- the three components of rigor emphasized by the
Common Core." Every problem comes with a detailed explanation of the solution.
The missions are personalized for each learner, and the adaptive software identifies
gaps in knowledge, and shows student progress. Along the way, students can earn
fun badges, energy points, and avatars.
Khan Academy also offers a Common Core Map to help educators find math drills by
standard, as well as a coaching panel that allows the teacher to see real-time
reports that measure student performance against Common Core standards.
Additional information about the new math materials is available at Khan Academy's
web site: https://www.khanacademy.org/commoncore.
Graphite Releases 'Common Core Explorer' Search Tool
Common Sense Media recently unveiled their Common Core Explorer:
http://www.graphite.org/standards/common-core, a new search tool designed to
help educators, parents, and students find the best apps, games, and web sites that
are aligned to Common Core State Standards.
Start by clicking on your desired subject area and grade level. Then, choose from
the list of standards presented. Once you’ve targeted the chosen standard, toggle
the arrow to display all the digital resources that support that standard. The
Common Core Explorer also provides ratings, prices, platforms, and other pertinent
information about the products, as well as in-depth reviews.
Glean Insights
Glean: https://glean.co/ is a free website that allows teachers and students to
search for math and science video lessons from YouTube. The site recently launched
a new feature, Glean Insights: https://glean.co/insights, which allows teachers to
assign videos to their students and then track how students interact with each
lesson.
“Glean tags videos by Common Core State Standards and wraps them in interactive
tools, including Q&As and practice exercises.” The site also offers a number of
details about each lesson, including setting, pace, teaching style and grade level, in order to help educators and students choose the most appropriate video tutorials.
For more information on the latest in educational technology, visit T.H.E.
(transforming education through technology) Journal.
7th Grade Science News by Katie Higgins
On April 14 and 15 Mrs. Higgins’ 7th
grade Science students hosted their
annual Science Extravaganza. Fourth
grade students from Marrero Academy,
Gretna No. 2, Airline Park, and Metairie
Academy attended the event. They were
able to participate in science
demonstrations taught by Patrick Taylor
students. They also visited the library for
some “Science Story Time” and trivia
using the Promethean Activotes led by
Ms. Kahn. The fourth graders had a
phenomenal time and were anxious to try some of the demonstrations at home. The
parents and teachers of the fourth graders were very impressed with our Patrick
Taylor students’ knowledge and presentation skills. A great time was had by all and
Mrs. Higgins’ couldn’t be prouder. It was a DINO-mite event!
A Note from Maestro McCloskey
Greetings Taylor Tigers:
The school recently held the senior awards night. It was a wonderful event. It was
also an opportune time for me to reflect upon the graduating band students. I am
extremely proud of our seniors and have truly enjoyed working with them over the
years. I feel fortunate to have taught the same students over a five-year period. I
appreciate the young adults they have become, and I wish them well in their life’s
pursuits. Our future looks bright!
For those of you who don’t know the graduating band members, they are Tameka
Aych, Ashley Moise, Alexandra Pollard, Madison Rolig, Celia Zaeringer, and our
resident concert pianist Seth Vicknair. I am extremely excited for all of these
students and will miss them all very much.
Here is the last schedule for the year.
We will practice Monday 5/5 and Tuesday 5/6
Performances:
* May 7 6:30PM (Wednesday) Spring Concert at PFTSTA (beginning
students will perform)
5:30 PM for band students
* May 10 9:30 AM (Saturday) Graduation at the Alario Center
8:30 AM for band students
* Students are welcome to stay at school between dismissal and the concert. I will
be in the band room. If a student stays, make sure that concert clothes are brought
to school in the morning. Students should also bring something to eat after school.
* Students are to report at the Alario Center no later than 8:30 AM. Students are to
bring home everything they need for the performance: instrument, music, wire
music stand, etc. We will not go to the campus at all on Saturday.
All performances are in concert dress black and white: dress black pants, dress, or
skirt and dress white shirt or blouse. Black shoes and black socks (no socks with a
skirt). Please no jeans or tennis shoes.
If you would like a copy of the band calendar, band calendars have been handed out
to students and are available for pick up at the band room. For an electronic copy,
please email me [email protected]. I hope everyone has a terrific
summer, and see you in the fall!
Sincerely,
John J. McCloskey
Band Director
PFTSTA Athletics by Vicki Foster and Elmo Steinert
Congratulations to our Girls Gymnastics Team!
This past Saturday Ava Arabie, Lindsey Laforge, Jasmine McGowan, and Ryunn
Naquin competed in the LHSAA State Gymnastics Meet in Baton Rouge. The girls
won 2nd place for the Division II State Champs. Jasmine McGowan came in 1st
place as the All Around Gymnast for Division II.
Individual events results:
Jasmine McGowan - 1st place - uneven parallel bars
1st place - balance beam
4th place - floor routine
Lindsey Laforge - 5th place - balance beam
All four girls did a great job competing for our school! They represented Taylor with
great pride!
Congratulations to their coach, Mrs. Dugas!!!
Five Track Athletes qualified for the State Track meet being held at LSU on May 8:
Celia Zaeringer -- 1600 and 3200 meter run
Kiara Horton ------ 100 Meter Dash
Kaylynn Tran------ 100ater Hurdles
Gorium Bush------ 400 Meter Dash
Stephen Torry ---- 1600 , 3200 and 800 Meter Run
Stephen Torry was also the Regional 3-B Track Meet MVP
Celia Zaeringer signed an Athletic Scholarship with SouthEastern University for
Track
Co-Op News by Jodi Wittliff
Many thanks to all of you who supported the parents’ Co-op this school year! We
work hard throughout the year to keep our Taylor parents and grandparents
involved and in touch with what’s going on with our kids at school. Our primary goal
is fundraising, and we have done some great things with the money we’ve raised. As
you all know, this school year, Co-op funds paid for our middle school kids to have
access to ALEKS, the math website, which costs $35 per student. We purchased
much-needed textbooks for some of the high school AP classes. The new soccer
goals that we purchased have been enjoyed not only by our soccer players, but by
all students taking P.E. Wow!
There much more to come, though! This week, the board voted on the following:
*Co-op will host a breakfast for the parents of incoming middle school students on
June 2; we will also provide snacks for the incoming students who will be on campus
for testing June 2-4.
*We are donating $10 toward each sweatshirt especially designed for our new
Freshman class.
*We have established a $500 budget to purchase Spirit Monkeys for next school
year.
*The back to school Barbeque on August 2 will be funded and sponsored by the Co-
op.
*We will purchase an “ID Machine” for the office, enabling the staff to create ID’s for
every visitor to the campus, helping to keep our kids safe.
*Each academic department at school has submitted a Wish List to Mrs. Zapico; the
Co-op board has committed to spend several thousand dollars to provide a number
of the teaching resources that have been requested.
We have some exciting things planned for next year, including:
*We will be selling great baseball caps with the Taylor logo all year, beginning at the
Back to School Barbeque; they are only $15, and I know that everyone will want
one!
*A “Party Planet Xtreme” night in October
*Four awesome and entertaining Co-op meetings
*More grandparent involvement, including a “Grandparents’ Social” early in the
school year
*A hugely successful Auction/Gala on March 7, 2015, at which we will raise even
more money to enhance the academic resources available to our children!
Next week is “Staff Appreciation Week”. We will honor the staff on Monday with a
“Cinco de Mayo” lunch, and with a “Dessert Day” on Thursday. Please text Gina
Matthews at 628-4250 if you would like to contribute something. This is the time of
year for you to reach out to the teachers, administrators and support staff for whom
you are grateful! Let’s all make an effort to thank the staff for all that they do to
love, nurture, and educate our children!
Student Spotlight
Congratulations to Kiara Horton and Ariel Walker for being selected as an Affiliate
Award Winner of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing and runner-up,
respectively. These Taylor Sophomores were recognized by the National Center for
Women & Information Technology at an awards luncheon on Tuesday, April 15, at
Louisiana Tech in Ruston. They were invited to tour the college to learn about
programs in computer science, cyber engineering, electrical engineering, and
computer information services.
Ariel Walker is second from left and Kiara Horton is fifth from left.
Ms. Zapico and two students, sophomore Mark Parfait and freshman Mason Varuso,
were invited to a press conference JEDCO hosted on Thursday, April 24. The
Governor held the press conference to introduce a new technology company that will
be moving their headquarters to Jefferson Parish. Mason and Mark are pictured with
Governor Jindal below.
Teacher Spotlight by Sandra Mesa
This is our last “Teacher Spotlight” for this school year. It’s summer time. I can hear
your sighs and yells of excitement. I really can. Ms. Valence has done it again; she
nominated Ms. Bordelon for teacher of the month in March. Ms. Valence said Ms.
Bordelon’s dedication to her students is outstanding, not only because she’s an
excellent middle and high school teacher, but because she goes above and beyond
her job description.
Last year Ms. Bordelon wrote a grant so Patrick Taylor would have the budget to
purchase novels for students to read. Students followed-up with field experiences
and community service. Because of this, the sixth graders read about water
pollution, labeled drains that exit to the bayou, and visited Jean Lafitte National Park
to discuss pollution with the park ranger. The seventh grade went to the Ninth Ward
and visited with students at the MLK School. There, they read to students and
shared books. “I admire her for her wanting the kids to know the feeling of giving
back and the love of learning she exudes,” Ms. Valence said.
When Ms. Bordelon was asked what she admired about Patrick Taylor, she said she
appreciated the school-wide learning outcomes. She thinks they reflect the skills
students need in life. To her this means helping build Patrick Taylor students into
responsible, confident, well-rounded students by senior year. Ms. Bordelon’s passion
for the students’ life and college readiness is evident. She also makes sure they are
prepared for every phase of testing, whether it’s I-LEAP, LEAP, EOC, ACT or AP
testing. “She’s an expert when it comes to these things and English, she gives her
students what they need for success” Mrs. Zapico said.
When Ms. Bordelon was asked to tell us something interesting about herself, it
became apparent that she has some unseen talents. She attracts dachshund rescue
dogs. This parallels with her passion for community service. She has given much of
her time as well as her students’ time, to help write grants that they use for
community service at the middle school level.
Ms. Bordelon’s dedication has evidently touched many of our Patrick Taylor
Students’ lives in some way. Thank you Ms. Bordelon.
Ring Ceremony Class of 2015
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2014
Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Place: Kenner Pavilion
3800 Loyola Drive
Kenner, LA 70065
Parents and Grandparents are welcome!
