tidings from taylor april 2013
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Tidings from Taylor April 2013TRANSCRIPT
a National Blue
Ribbon, A+ school
TIDINGS
from TAYLOR A monthly newsletter brought
to you by PFTSTA Publications.
April 2013
Upcoming Dates:
April 3, 4
JPPSS Band Festival
April 5
Activity Schedule / Pep Rally
April 5—7
Key Club Convention
April 8—11
iLEAP/LEAP Testing Week!
April 11
PAC Meeting, 6:30—7:30pm
PFTSTA Cafeteria
April 18—22
Spring Break – no school
April 20
State Literary Rally at LSU
April 23
Senior Dinner, 6:00—7:00pm
Commander’s Palace
April 26
First Annual PFTSTA GALA,
7:00—10:00 pm
Contact Us:
2012 Jefferson Highway
Jefferson, LA 70121
504 838 2249 – phone
504 838 7029 – fax
Principal – Jaime Zapico
Questions – Kathy Guzman
------
From the Principal’s Pen…Mrs. Jaime Zapico:
The end of the school year is approaching quickly but students still need to be mindful of their
grades and standardized testing. Remember, grades can be accessed 24 hours a day by
going to http://echo.newtechnetwork.org.
Phase II testing will be the week of April 8 through April 11. Please make sure your child is
at school each day and on time. Make sure they get a good night's sleep and a healthy
breakfast each morning. I know they are all going to do great! Their teachers have been
prepping them for these major assessments all year.
Ms. Hernandez will be meeting with students throughout the month of April on scheduling for
next year. Please review these sheets with your child. If you have any questions please
don't hesitate to contact Ms. Hernandez.
The Gala is just around the corner! Thank you for to all of the parents who have bought
tickets and have donated items for the event. We will have some great donations up for bid
that night. Please check them out by going to http://www.pftsta.com/Gala.html. Look
for the column titled "DONATE" and click on AUCTION ITEMS.
The Class of 2013 and their parents will celebrate their approaching graduation with Mrs.
Taylor on Tuesday, April 23 at Commander's Palace. Mrs. Taylor started this tradition with
our first graduating class in 2009. We are very grateful for this opportunity each year with
her. See all of you there at 6:00 pm.
The Class of 2013 will be graduating on Saturday, May 11 at 9:30 am at
the Alario Center. Seniors will need to be at the Alario Center by 8:30 am. Parents please
make sure all family members are on time for this special event. The doors will be closing at
9:25 am to prepare for the entrance of our graduates. The doors will re-open after the
National Anthem. No exceptions will be made. Thank you for your cooperation!
Senior awards night will be on Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 pm in Monroe Hall which is located
in Ochsner Hospital. Every senior is recognized at this event. Many awards will be given to
the seniors that night and we hope all of you can make it.
Taylor Tigers School-Wide Expectations:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
Thoughtfulness of others
Independence
Global thinking
Engagement in learning
Responsibility
Seriousness in using technology
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…Mrs. Elizabeth Kahn: First, I want to thank everyone who helped the PFTSTA Library by voting in the Follett
Challenge. A special shout out needs to go to Lucy Tran, a Taylor Tiger mom, who spent
hours recruiting votes for our school. The library ended the voting portion of the Challenge in
5th place with over 19,000 votes. Considering the size of our school, that is amazing. We are
now waiting to hear if we are one of the winning schools. The announcement will be made on
April 5th at noon. You can go to this website on April 5 to watch live:
www.follettchallenge.com.
Voting results for Follett Challenge at midnight on March 18
During the second week of March, the students filled the library every day at lunch to
celebrate Teen Tech Week. Bookmarked help plan a special event for each day of the week.
We had a Research Riddle game that students could play daily. The two grand prize winners
of the Research Riddles were Zoey Prado in middle school and Vy Mai in high school. You can
find lots of photos of each and every event posted on the library website here:
http://bit.ly/XQrvvo.
At left, Sophomore Saraya Sibley shows off the duct tape
phone case she made during Teen Tech Week
Students using Google Chrome on their laptops no
longer start their searches with the Library OPAC.
This resource was designed to assist students in
finding what they needed on the web to complete
school assignments. You can add the Library OPAC to
your bookmarks and/or favorites on your home
computer here: www.tiny.cc/TaylorLibraryOPAC.
Upcoming events:
Hidden Poetry event in April for National Poetry Month – Date to be determined
SCHOOL COLORS, HEAD TO TOES…SHIRTS TUCKED IN, SPIRIT SHOWS!
Purchase a PFTSTA sweater from Mrs. Kathy Hill, Account Clerk, for $35!
National Honor Society: On Wednesday, March 6, twelve new members were inducted into the honor society. To be eligible
to join, students need to be at least a sophomore and have an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher as
well as a recommendation by the faculty. The ceremony was held in the Taylor cafeteria.
Lieutenant Colonel Gavin Guidry was the keynote speaker. LTC Guidry is a retired army Lieutenant
Colonel and an Iraq Veteran and currently is a senior Army Instructor for the JROTC at Bogalusa
High School. His message to the students was thought-provoking as he encouraged them to
develop leadership skills that could propel them through life. The newest members of the PFTSTA
Chapter of NHS are Seniors: Courtney Beamer and Linda Tran and Sophomores: Quentin
Andrus, Madison Berard, Destiny Burnett, Edward Johnson, Sydney Monix, Kristen Stamp,
Abdullah Syed, Kayla Tarr, John Tran and Jazmine Wells. New officers were also inducted
during the ceremony including Lauren Tran as president, Alicia Tran as vice president, Micqel
Downs as secretary, and David Burns as historian.
NHS officers for 2013-14 from left to
right are current juniors David Burns,
Lauren Tran, Alicia Tran and
Micquel Downs.
Outgoing officers Sara Adoue (vice president)
on the left and Tiffany Lou (president) join
Mrs. Srygley who has been one of the NHS
faculty advisors since the chapter was founded
in 2007.
Mrs. Srylgley will be retiring at the end of this
school year.
Dandridge Task Force Community Meetings:
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 –
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
L.W. Higgins High School library
7201 Lapalco Boulevard
Marrero, Louisiana 70072
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 –
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
G. T. Woods Elementary School library
1037 31st Street
Kenner, Louisiana 70065
Two Juniors Participate in TAAC Leadership Program:
Every year, PFTSTA is
invited to participate in the
Teen Ambassadors
Against Crime (TAAC)
Leadership Program
through the Crimestoppers
organization. The goal of
the TAAC Program is to
give students an
opportunity to directly
engage with law enforcement and other community partners while becoming
educated and empowered to serve as crime prevention role models in their
communities. This year, PFTSTA juniors, Nick Dang and Micquel Downs, were
selected as ambassadors. They were honored at the Crimestoppers luncheon and
award ceremony that took place on March 12 at the downtown Hilton. The luncheon
was extra special this year because Nick was asked to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Above, Nick Dang and Jefferson Parish Sheriff, Newell Normand, at the Crimestoppers luncheon.
Spotlight on Science, from Dr. Janell Simpson:
At left: AP Environmental Science students planted
seeds of swamp red maple trees in honor of
International Day of the Forest on March 21. The tree
seedlings will be planted at the new school site next
year. Students pictured in the photo are juniors
Carson Chauvin, Dylan DePriest, Thomas
Sostarics, Ricky Nguyen, and Nick Melara.
At right: Chemistry students
are surprised to discover the
adhesive and cohesive
properties of water: Zachary
Hughes, Morgan Brown,
Quentin Andrus, Kristen
Stamp, Da’Nesha Tally,
Tyler Nguyen, and Abdullah
Syed.
Music Musings…John J. McCloskey, Band Director: Hello everyone,
The band has been firing on all cylinders and staying busy! I truly appreciate the cooperation
I have been getting from parents and students. Our rehearsal schedule is very heavy and I
understand the challenges this creates with rides, planning, homework, etc. Thank you for
your support and understanding.
The rehearsals are going well and we are having fun working on this festival music. This
music is the most challenging yet and our students are up for it. Patrick F. Taylor’s
performance day for the Superintendent’s Band Festival is Thursday April 4, 2013 at Bonnabel
High School.
Coming up in our schedule is the spring concert and graduation. I will send out more detailed
information to the band students concerning these performances. I am very proud of all of
our band students, and know we will finish up the year on a good note (pun intended).
I look forward to the busy month ahead and working with each and every band student. If
you have any questions please contact me. Have a wonderful April.
Sincerely,
John J. McCloskey
7th graders take a Reading Field-Trip to the Ninth Ward:
The seventh graders read the novel
Ninth Ward by Jewel Parker Rhodes
earlier this year. As a follow up,
these students walked in the
footsteps of the main character,
Lanesha, when they took a field trip
to the ninth ward this past month.
They visited the levee that was breeched
during Katrina, the Make It Right houses,
the Musician’s Village, the Martin Luther
King Library, and the L9 Art Gallery. While
there, they also visited with a group of
high school students who attend a
NewTech school in Indiana. Those
students were here wiring a house for
Habitat for Humanity. The seventh
graders are creating videos to document
their journey. Above: 7th graders interview Katrina survivor at the MLK library
Key Club Clippings…John J. McCloskey, Sponsor: The spring semester has just flown by and it is time to welcome our new club officers. Our
new officers are Darla Nguyen – president, Paris Evans – vice president, Alicia Tran –
secretary, and Zachary Nelson – Treasurer.
On March 15 and 16 three of our new officers
attended the New Officer Training workshop in
Baton Rouge – they are pictured at left. The
workshop was held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Attendees learned about their new office
positions and what will be expected of them
when they take over. They also met other Key
Club students from all over our district, which
includes Louisiana, Mississippi, and Western
Tennessee.
Darla Nguyen, Alicia Tran, and Paris Evans pose with
Mr. McCloskey at the New Officer Training last month.
The following weekend, the Key Club worked
on a cooperative project with the Kiwanis Club
of New Orleans. The project consisted of
making no sew knot blankets for families
staying at the Ronald McDonald House. The
blankets are made of fleece and very
comfortable. Our club made forty blankets
and sleeping bags. This was our third
cooperative project with the Kiwanis this year.
Previous projects were Boo at the Zoo and
making holiday cards and care packages. We
should be proud of our Key Clubbers and the
service they do for our community.
Crystal Suggs, Darla Nguyen, A.J. McGee and model
their no sew knot blankets.
Everyone is welcome to join us. Key Club is an international student-led organization that
provides its members with opportunities to provide service, build character and develop
leadership. We also have a great time doing it. If you want to join us and are in High School,
see Darla Nguyen our new club president; you can also check us out at www.keyclub.org.
Come join us,
Mr. McCloskey
Faculty Advisor
Second Application Period for ASA Schools:
On Wednesday, March 5, the JPPSS School Board approved a second application
period for the Advanced Study Academies. This application period (April 1 - April
17) will be available for families who missed the initial application phase and for
grade levels with open seats and no waiting lists only.
Applications will be made available on March 29 at all JPPSS schools, at 501
Manhattan, and on the district website. As always, you may refer any admissions
questions to JPPSS at 349-7792.
Snippets from Your Student Government Association:
Throughout the past couple of months, the student body at Patrick Taylor has been keeping
busy with lots of student-run activities. The high school SGA hosted the 3rd annual Mardi
Gras Float Competition on Thursday, February 7. Each Study Hall came up with their own
theme and design for their float. Students painstakingly worked on their floats during study
hall and lunch for over a month. Thank you to all the teachers and student who gave up time
and donated supplies to make sure the floats were completed on time. Thank you to our
judges, Jasmine Hernandez (counselor), Kathy Guzman (secretary), and Ed Debiew (janitor),
who had the difficult task of selecting our winners.
Congratulations to the following grade winners:
Most Mardi Gras Spirit: 7th grade and 10th grade
Best Float Theme: 8th grade and 10th grade
1st place Float Design: 6th grade and 11th grade
2nd place Float Design: 8th grade and 9th grade
3rd place Float Design: 7th grade and 12th grade
On Saturday, March 9, SGA put on the 3rd annual Patrick F. Taylor Talent Show. This year’s
show was quite impressive with a total of 16 acts. We were fortunate to have three local
celebrities as our guest judges this year, Mr. Hank Allen from “Good Morning New Orleans!,”
Mr. Kevin George from Bag of Donuts, and Mr. Chris Perkins from Epic. This year, the acts
were divided into two categories: variety acts and vocal acts, creating 5 possible winners.
Congratulations to the following Talented Tigers:
Seth Vicknair-Piano, Overall Winner
Sara Adoue- Irish Dancing, 1st place Variety
Saraya Sibley- Singing, 1st place Vocals
--
Sarah Rogers- Monologue, Honorable Mention Variety
Young Bloods- Band, Honorable Mention Vocals
But the year’s not over yet! This coming Friday, April 5, SGA will hold another pep rally. At
this pep rally, we will recognize all of our athletic teams. In addition, we will hold the viewing
and judging for the Harlem Shake videos. Make sure to get everything for your videos
finalized and get excited for Friday!
--Submitted by Allie Baldassaro, Class of 2013
4H Club Members Ring in Spring:
The 4H Club sold concessions last month to raise money to purchase flowers.
The middle schoolers planted these flowers in the pots in front of the school.
District Rally Results:
Congratulations to the following students who represented PFTSTA at the recent
District Rally. Teachers select their top students to take a test to prove their content
knowledge. Students in eighth through twelfth grades, from both public and private
institutions, are eligible to compete. State Rally is next!
Adv Math-Funct & Stats: Carson Chauvin----------1st Place
Adv. math-Pre-Calc: Abrania Marrero---------- 1st Place
Algebra 1: Henry Hazlett---------- 1st Place
Biology: Alexandra Miserendino---------- 1st Place
Calculus: Allie Baldassaro---------- 1st Place
Chemistry: Warren Abadie---------- 2nd Place
Civics: Quentin Andrus---------- 1st Place
English 1: Stefan Suazo---------- 2nd Place
English 2: Sarah Rogers---------- 1st Place
English 3: Louis Messina---------- 4th Place
English 4: Nick Dang---------- 2nd Place
Env. Science: Paris Evans---------- 1st Place
Geometry: Tyler Libert---------- 1st Place
Physical Science: Julia Rosato---------- 3rd Place
Physics: Celia Zaeringer---------- 3rd Place
Spanish 1: Vy Mai---------- 4th Place
Spanish 2: Gavin Stevens---------- 4th Place
Spanish 3: Kiara Horton---------- 2nd Place
Us History: Lauren Tran---------- 1st Place
World Geography: Madison Pierce---------- 2nd Place
World History: Tiffany Lou---------- 1st Place
Sports Shorts…from Vicki Foster and Coach Elmo Steinert:
Boys & Girls Track Schedule
Date Event Place Time
April 5 Mike Conlin Yenni 4:00
April 10 East Bank Yenni 3:30
April 16 District Baton Rouge TBA
April 24 Regional Welsh TBA
May 2/3 State LSU TBA
Girls Track Roster:
1. Bold, Rachelle
2. Cooper, Courtney
3. Horton, Kiara
4. Lehmann, Britney
5. Moise, Ashley
6. Monix, Sydney
7. Morrison, Sarah
8. Ordonez, Isabelle
9. Pierce, Madison
10. Rolig, Madison
11. Tran, Kaylynn
12. Walsh, Alex
13. Zaeringer, Celia
Head Coach – Vicki Foster
Asst Coach – Warren Donley
Boys Track Roster:
1. Alexander, Jose’
2. Brown, Morgan
3. Burns, David
4. Chauvin, Carson
5. Cole, Jack
6. Colosino, Daniel
7. French, Noah
8. Gothard, Ben
9. Gutierrez, Daniel
10. Lumar, Cameron
11. Melara, Nicholas
12. Montgomery, Lee
13. Morrow, Gavin
14. Nguyen, Dillon
15. Parfait, Mark
16. Suazo, Stefan
17. Sturcke, Jeffrey
18. Torry, Stephen
19. Tran, Anthony
20. Varuso, Mason
Head Coach – Elmo Steinert
Asst Coach – Brad Womack