A National Blue

Ribbon, A+ school

Tidings

from Taylor A monthly newsletter brought

to you by PFTSTA Publications.

December 2014/January 2015

Upcoming Dates:

Dec. 8

Blood Drive

PFTSTA Conference Room

8 am – 3 pm

HS Girls Soccer @ Fischer

MS Boys Basketball @ St. Paul’s

Dec. 9

Academic Games

John Ehret HS

8:30 am – 1 pm

Dec. 10

English III EOC Day 1 (Writing)

7:30 – 9:30 am

Senior Project Panel

10:30 am – 12 pm

HS Girls and Boys Soccer vs.

Houma Christian @ LaSalle

Parent Meeting on Spain Trip

6 – 7 pm

PFTSTA Night out at Papa

John’s

Dec. 11 English III EOC Day 2

7:30 am

Lifetouch Senior Pictures

8 – 11 am

MS Girls Basketball vs.

Concordia @ Avondale

4 pm

MS Soccer vs. Concorida @

LaSalle

4 pm

From the Principal’s Pen by Jaime Zapico

The first semester of the 2014 – 2015 is drawing to a close. We have had a great

first semester and I’m looking forward to what the rest of this school year will

bring. We have two weeks left of the second nine week period and final exams,

which count for 25% of the students’ final averages, will be given on December 18

and December 19. Please make sure your child is aware of the importance of these

exams and how much they are counted for in the final average. As always, you can

check the status of your child’s progress 24 hours a day, seven days a week

at http://echo.newtechnetwork.org.

Exam days are early release days this year. Students will be dismissed at 12:40.

Last, but not least, I would like to wish all of my Patrick Taylor families a wonderful

holiday season and a happy new year! I’m looking forward to bringing in 2015 with

all of you!

A Holiday Mouse created

by NJHS. See story

below.

Boys Basketball @ Fischer

6 pm

Dec. 11 – 12 Science Extravaganza

9:30 – 11:30 am

Dec. 11 – 13 School Play: Fascination

7 – 10 pm

Dec. 12 American History EOC (Pd. 1)

7:30 am

NHS Field Trip NO/AIDS Task

Force

11:50 am – 2:40 pm (Students

will not return to school at the

end of this trip.)

Boys Basketball @ First Baptist

5 pm

Dec. 15

Geometry EOC (Pd. 2)

7:30 am

Geometry EOC (Pd. 3)

9:30 am

Co-op Teacher Appreciation

Dessert

11:30 am – 1 pm

College Visit: Xavier University

Room 104

12:30 – 1:10 pm

MS. Girls Basketball vs. Kenner

Discovery @ Arden Cahill

5 pm

HS Boys Soccer vs. Lutheran @

Atonement

Dec. 16

American History EOC (Pd. 2)

7:30 am

MS Soccer vs. St. Edward

Dec. 18 - 19

Final Exams (Early Release)

Dec. 19

End of 2nd Marking Period

Boys Basketball Thomas

Jefferson

6 pm

Lines from the Librarian by Elizabeth Kahn, Librarian

Thanks to everyone who participated in the library’s middle school fundraiser. All

orders placed through the catalog will be delivered in 2015 and payment is due

when the items are delivered. If you did not have a chance to place an order, you

can still order online to support the library. Find gifts and magazines here:

www.gaschoolstore.com. Click “Shop Now” and enter the school ID # 1479302.

The WINTER Reading Challenge has begun and closes on January 8th. With 47

students reading five books in five weeks and completing the FALL challenge, we

decided that an incentive would be given if 75 or more students completed the

WINTER challenge. For this incentive Mrs. Zapico has agreed to be taped to the wall

outside of the cafeteria during a lunch period in January. Yes, you heard that right.

Encourage your child to read seven books by the end of winter break so that we can

get lots of pictures of the students “hanging out” with our principal. You can find the

criteria here for each of the seven books that must be read for the challenge:

http://bit.ly/WiNTERreadingchallenge.

I can’t believe the holidays are around the corner and of course that means

shopping for gifts. As you may have guessed, many of the young people on my gift

list receive a book this time of year. If you are looking for a good read for a middle

school student, the New York Times bestseller list has some wonderful titles

including Wonder, by R. J. Palacio, and The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine

Applegate. Find the list for middle school here: http://nyti.ms/1w0B2U1. The young

adult list of best sellers from the New York Times includes some John Green titles

that always seem popular and the non-fiction Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, which

is being made into a movie. Find the list for older teens here:

http://nyti.ms/1CBFdsv. When a movie comes out based on a book, the book seems

to get lots more interest and

more people asking to check

it out. Many books for teens

have recently been found on

the silver screen including If

I Stay, Fault in our Stars,

The Maze Runner, The Giver,

and Divergent. I have read

all of those books and

recommend them highly;

these are titles that your

child might really want to

read before seeing the movie

or afterwards to find out

what was missing from the

movie. I plan to plow

through a stack of books

over the two week break,

and I hope you and your

children plan to do the same.

On November 17th, the members of Bookmarked had a chance to visit virtually over

Skype with the prolific author Ellen Hopkins. She writes novels in verse that are

rooted in gritty realism. The students love her work because of the themes, but also

for the fact that her books are fast reads.

Dec. 22 – Jan. 2 Winter Break

(Student/Employee Holiday)

Jan. 5 Teacher Professional

Development (No school for

students)

MS Boys Basketball vs. St.

Matthew’s @ Little Farms

Jan. 6 MS Soccer vs. Kehoe-France

4 pm

MS Boys Basketball vs. Arden

Cahill

5 pm

Boys Basketball @ Haynes

6 pm

Jan. 7 HS Girls Soccer vs. Ecole

MS Boys Basketball vs. Kehoe-

France @ Avondale

4:30 pm

Jan. 8

HS Boys and Girls Soccer vs.

Houma Christian @ Houma

Christian

Jan. 9

Report Cards Issued

Boys Basketball @ Lutheran

6 pm

Jan 10. MAO Tournament

Jan. 12 Boys Basketball @ Bishop

McManus

6 pm

HS Boys Soccer vs. Lutheran @

LaSalle

HS Girls Soccer vs. Fisher @

LaSalle

Jan. 13 After School Parent

Conferences

Boys Basketball – Lutheran

6 pm

Counselor’s Corner by Jasmine Hernandez

On Thursday Nov. 13th, twenty-one students from the

junior class had the opportunity to participate in the

Engineering U event at LSU. Students were able to learn

about LSU's senior college programs as well as take a

glimpse at the groundbreaking research being done in the

engineering, computer science, and construction

management departments. The tour proved to be a very

fun and exciting experience for all who attended. Our

juniors who are considering careers in engineering and

technology had an especially enlightening and informative

experience.

The tour first started

at the petroleum

engineering facility,

where students were

able to tour LSU's

PERTT Laboratory,

an industrial-scale

facility with

equipment and

instrumentation for

conducting training

and research related

to borehole

technology. Students

were able to

experience what it’s

actually like to work

in an offshore

petroleum facility.

For the next stop on the tour,

we visited the LAHouse, a

state of the art model home

built on campus that

showcases research-based

environmentally conscious

home building materials and

construction. LAHouse is part

of an educational outreach

program to help shape the

future of home building to

include better environmental

quality by using less energy

and water, as well as using

technology to improve health

and quality of life.

Jan. 13 - 15 MS Girls Basketball Tournament

@ Atonement

Jan. 14 HS Girls Soccer vs. Bonnabel

Jan. 15 HS Honor Roll Breakfast

7:30 – 8:30 am

Boys Basketball @ Ecole

6 pm

Co-op Meeting

6:30 pm

Jan. 16 Middle School Honor Roll

Breakfast

7:30 – 8:30 am

Grandparents’ Bake Sale

Jan. 17

MAO Tournament

Brother Martin HS

Jan. 17 - 18

LSCL Team League Tournament

Haynes Academy

Jan. 19

MLK Holiday

(Student/Employee Holiday)

Jan. 20

MS Boys Basketball vs. Kenner

Discovery @ Avondale

4 pm

HS Girls Soccer vs. Haynes

Jan. 20 - 22 MS Soccer Tournament

LaSalle Park

Jan. 21 HS Boys and Girls Soccer vs.

Thomas Jefferson @ LaSalle

Jan. 23 Academic Games: Equations

Tournament

Jan. 26 Co-Op Staff Appreciation

Jan. 28

HS Boys and Girls Soccer vs.

Thomas Jefferson @ West

Jefferson

Next, we headed to the

mechanical engineering

department. Students were

able to watch a

demonstration of LSU’s 3D

printers and custom built

racing karts. Our students

were particularly impressed

by all the 3D printing

techniques used by

mechanical engineering

students and were seen

taking notes on ideas they’d

like to try out on the 3D

printers at school.

As a special treat, the students were given a

surprise tour of the LSU locker room and

stadium! Needless to say, everyone on tour

took advantage of all the iconic photo ops,

including some of the chaperones.

Jan. 20 Veterans’ Day Program

7:30 – 8:30 am

Boys Basketball @ First Baptist

6 pm

Jan. 31 MAO Tournament

Baton Rouge

Jan. 31 – Feb. 1 LSCL Team League Tournament

Haynes Academy

Contact Us:

701 Churchill Parkway

Avondale, LA 70094

(504)-838-2249 – phone

(504)-436-0257 – fax

Principal – Jaime Zapico

jzapico@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us

Questions – Kathy Guzman

kguzman@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us

------

PFTSTA Web-site

pftsta.com

PFTSTA is on Twitter

twitter.com/pftsta

Jefferson Parish Public

School System Web-site

www.jppss.k12.la.us

Overall, it was a truly wonderful and unique learning experience. Patrick Taylor

would like to thank the LSU engineering department for having us and being so

gracious with our students!

NJHS Gets into the Holiday Spirit by Elizabeth Duckworth, Faculty Advisor

National Junior Honor Society members participated in two activities in November:

“Orange You Glad it’s Fall” candy grams and “Christmas in the Oaks.” Thanks to

advisory teachers, staff, parents, and students who celebrated the spirit of

Thanksgiving and helped with this fundraiser. Many students worked to create the

candy grams and help with the organization of the project, but students of note who

assisted with this project include Virginia Steinkamp and Macy Laurent.

NJHS also represented Patrick Taylor by

participating in City Park’s celebration,

“Christmas in the Oaks.” Many members

helped with this project which included

collecting and painting the computer mice,

adding felt ears and wire whiskers, adding

ribbons, and snipping the tails just right.

Students who joined Mrs. Zapico in

decorating the Christmas tree were Macy

Laurent, Molly Gaffney, Shawn Anderson,

Emily Gibbons, and Gary Ramee.

Afterwards, the group enjoyed Café du

Monde doughnuts in the park. Special

thanks to Ms. Valence for her creativity and

help, Ms. Bordelon and her mom for the

beautiful ribbons, and the Scheurer family

for painting the mice. Patrick Taylor is, as

always, artfully represented!

Science Notes by Janell Simpson

Forty students from the AP Environmental Science class and club recently planted

150 cypress trees in Couturie Forest, City Park as part of the Coastal Roots program

through LSU. This is the fourth year Taylor students have participated in the

restoration of this large

urban forest, bring the

total trees planted in the

park to 600. In addition

to planting trees,

students also located and

measured trees that were

planted in past years.

Each spring the AP

Environmental Science

class plants the seeds,

cares for the seedlings

that will be planted the

following year. The

planting trip coordinates

with the APES curriculum

unit on forestry and land

use. Participation in the

Coastal Roots program

has been supported

through the years by a

grant from the Louisiana

Environmental Education

Council. Joye Pate, Cameron Granger, and Ariel Walker are pictured

installing tree protector around the cypress tree.

Student Edward Johnson is pictured demonstrating how to use a dibble while Dr. Blanchard

(LSU Coastal Roots), Ms. Lartigue, and Kristen Stamp observe.

An addition to the field trip this year was an educational paddle along Bayou St.

John. Students learned about the early history of Bayou St. John as a major

commercial waterway in the early days of New Orleans. The trip was supported in

part by funding from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation grant to the science

department in support of student research and educational activities.

Academic Games by Maggie Grindstaff

Patrick Taylor’s Academic Games teams are continuing to excel at the Parish

tournaments. In November, they competed in LinguiSHTIKS, a language and

grammar game, and in December they will compete in Presidents, a social studies

game.

The Senior Team –

Abdullah Syed,

Alexandra Miserendino,

Dylan Vasquez, Edward

Johnson and Kayla Tarr

– took fourth place in

LinguiSHTIKS.

Eighth grader Keanu

Bartolome is currently

ranked first in the Parish

in Middle School, and

Dylan Vasquez (eleventh

grade) is ranked fourth

in the high school level.

Sixth Grade Science News

by Natalie Lartigue

How many students does it take to make a light bulb work?

The sixth graders in Mrs. Lartigue’s class have been doing some electrifying

activities! Each group was given a basic set of materials and was faced with the task

of making circuits with varying wattage in the lights. How many groups were

successful? All five of them, as you can tell from these happy faces. Thomas Edison

and Nikola Tesla could learn a thing or two from these “bright” kids.

Smiling

sixth

graders:

Cayden

William

Landrum,

Devin

Johnson,

Hawkings,

and Alex

Nguyen

Sixth

graders

deep in

thought:

Jalen Xia,

Walker

Grisbaum,

Isabella

Franchina,

and

Desi

Bourgeois

4-H News by Lisa Valence

The 4-H Club held its third annual Cooking Contest at its last meeting. The

photograph shows Chefs Brian Sasso (Pumpkin Pie), Gary Ramee (Pecan Pie Bites),

Ethan LeBlanc (Peanut Butter Fudge), Julian Simmons (Cinnamon Roll Sugar

Cookies), Brittini Crawford (Rotel with a Twist), Corrin Emmons (Seafood Pasta),

Hannah Withrow (Paprika Chicken), Olivia Sonnier (Acorn Squash Casserole),

Maverick Becnel (Kickin’ Chicken Salad), and Sarah Le (Egg Rolls). The entire club

enjoyed devouring the great food! 4-H would also like to thank everyone who

contributed over 600 cans to the food drive for needy people. It was a huge success!

In January we hope to sponsor a blanket drive, so keep us in mind as you clean out

your closets!

QSM Grants Awarded to Taylor Teachers

Maggie Grindstaff and Lisa Valence were both awarded a QSM (Quality Science and

Math) grant through the LSU system. Ms. Grindstaff was awarded money to

purchase 3 mini iPads for her math class, and Ms. Valence received just under $750

to purchase electric circuits and parts for creating mini machines or robotics. These

will be used, along with a mini 3D printer, to form an after school MakerSpace Club

with Ms. Klusendorf.

Talented in the Arts by Linda Patrick

Upper level Talent Art students (grades 8 – 12) went to the New Orleans Museum of

Art recently to view the extensive exhibit of Photorealism artworks currently on

display. It is an astounding and varied exhibit, and it amazed us all. We also saw the

companion exhibit of Photos: Unrealism. The field trip gave us a lot to think about

regarding the relationship of art, photography, and reality. We enjoyed the

Sculpture Garden beforehand and wonderful fall weather!

A Musical Note

Greetings everyone,

Things are hectic as usual, and we are having a blast making music. We can’t

believe it is already the end of the first semester. That means honor band auditions

are fast approaching.

If you remember, we asked for students to register for honor band in the last

newsletter, and thank you to those who let Mr. McCloskey know they were

interested.

Honor Band registration has been completed for Junior and Senior High Concert

Honor Band. Auditions are Saturday, December, 13, 2014 and will all take place at

Holy Cross School. Students, please arrive 45 minutes early so you have time to

check in and warm up. There may be opportunities for students to go early if they

are ready, which would really help. A map for the audition location is on

www.district6la.org. Audition times will be posted there soon as well. Mr. McCloskey

has the audition times for students as well.

Upon our return from semester break, we will begin preparations for the Excalibur

parade. Look for more details in the next newsletter.

Anyone interested in chaperoning, marching with the band, or joining the band in

general should talk to Mr. McCloskey as soon as possible to make plans.

We are all very proud of the new band members and their musical progress. They

are working hard and have come quite a long way since September. There is never a

dull moment in beginner band class, and we always have fun. As a side note, the

beginner band will be joining the parade band this Mardi Gras season.

Best wishes to everyone during the holiday season.

Sincerely,

John J. McCloskey, Band Director and Tyler Libert, Band President

Beginning band class: 1st row - Logan B, Elizabeth M, Vicky W, Shelby R, Dennis P 2nd row -

Julia R, Nia E, John M, Austin M, Johnny T, 3rd row – Aliceon C

Tidings from TechBytes

by Kelly Maher

Coding is the New Superpower

“Computer science is a liberal art, it’s something that everyone should be exposed

to, everybody should have a mastery of to some extent.”

—Steve Jobs

As the world continues to become more and more digital, the number of computer

science jobs in this country is rising three times faster than the number of computer

science graduates. The problem-solving and logical reasoning skills involved in

computer programming, as well as the ability to think critically and algorithmically,

provide a foundation for virtually every career. It’s no wonder that there has been a

surge of interest in having students, particularly those in grades K through 12, learn

computer science. This has led to the development of many new and exciting

programs and tools. For example, last year, code.org introduced the first annual

Hour of Code. More than 15 million students in 170 countries participated in the first

event, and Code.org hoped to get 100 million students coding this year during

Computer Science Education Week, December 8 -12. Students at Patrick F. Taylor

Science & Technology Academy were proud to participate.

There are numerous Hour of Code Tutorials available year round at code.org. The

lessons stand alone and do not require the teacher, facilitator, or students to have

any prior knowledge of coding. Resources include tutorials in a variety of

programming languages for all ages. Beyond an Hour provides resources that allow

interested students to continue to explore coding. Following is a list of resources

suggested on code.org.

Coding resources for younger students

Code Studio offers a 20 hour-long coding course for elementary school

students.

Scratch is a free programming language, developed at the MIT Media Lab.

Scratch helps young people develop essential 21st century skills such as

creative thinking, logical reasoning and collaboration, by programming and

sharing interactive stories, games, and animations.

Tynker is similar to Scratch and also recently launched an iPad app.

CS is Fun (also includes resources for older students)

Code Maven Offers an simple interactive tutorial, that is perfect for younger

students

Coding resources for older students

Project GUTS: Code.org and Project Growing Up Thinking

Scientifically (GUTS) developed a middle school program that focuses on

computer science, modeling, and simulation.

Bootstrap offers a nine unit course that teaches math concepts through

computer programming.

Make School, formerly Make Games with Us is always a favorite; the

beginner tutorial is free.

Touch Develop is an app creator, as is App Inventor

Code Academy offers HTML & CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Python, Ruby, and

PHP tutorials.

Crunchzilla offers a series of JavaScript tutorials, including Code Monster,

for pre-teens, Code Maven for teens and adults, and Game Maven, for

advanced users age sixteen plus.

Exploring Computer Science: “A k-12 university partnership committed to

democratizing=zing computer science.”

Code Avengers: Students can learn to build web sites, apps, and games

Game Maker offers a game maker studio for novice and professional game

developers

Amplify is a free College Board-approved AP Computer Science massive

open online course (MOOC).

Coding Across the Curriculum

“In 15 years we’ll be teaching programming just like reading and

writing and wondering why we didn’t do it sooner.”

—Mark Zuckerberg

Coding isn’t just for Computer Science class. Below are some ideas

for integrating coding into traditional content areas.

Mathematics

Math skills are essential in computer science and game

development. Students could create a variety of arithmetic games

using random numbers and variables, as well as probability

experiments. The use of trigonometry in gaming is also prevalent.

Science

Physics is a fundamental concept in game design and coding.

Newton’s laws of motion, projectile physics and aerodynamics can

all be integrated into games in order to make them more realistic.

Students can create simulations to model a variety of scientific

principles.

ELA

English isn’t a content area that is normally associated with coding.

However an increasing number of authors are writing storylines for

computer games. Students could write the storyline for a game

that they will later create. Students could also animate or gamify

the stories and characters from novels that they would traditionally

read in an ELA class. Finally, younger students could code spelling

games for themselves and others.

Social Studies

Students could animate or gamify historical characters, stories, and

situations. They could also create geography jigsaw puzzles.

Foreign Language

Students can program and create animated and/or interactive

conversations and stories in any language.

Art

Art, specifically 2D and 3D animation, are vital to game design.

Students could produce art work that would then be incorporated

into a game. The art could be created digitally or in another

medium and then scanned.

Music

Music and sound effects are also important elements in

game/animation development. Most modern games include original

music and sound effects to fully engage the player. Again, students

could be asked to create original audio that could be incorporated

into a game or animation.

General

Students in any course could code a simple drill and practice or a

“20 Questions” style game. Using an If…Then…Else block allows

simple or more complex branching databases to be constructed.

Despite staggering statistics proving the value of learning to code, only nine states

recognize computer science as a math or science credit. Louisiana is not one of

those states, and fewer than 10% of schools offer computer programming courses.

If you’re still not convinced that computer programming is a critical skill, please read

the quotes below. For more quotes and inspiration, visit code.org and CSEdWeek.org

Steve Jobs

“Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer… because it

teaches you how to think.”

Bill Gates - Chairman, Microsoft

“Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and helps you think better,

creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.”

President Bill Clinton

“At a time when people are saying "I want a good job - I got out of college, and I

couldn’t find one," every single year in America there is a standing demand for

120,000 people who are training in computer science.”

Jack Dorsey - Creator, Twitter. Founder and CEO, Square

“I think that great programming is not all that dissimilar to great art. Once you start

thinking in concepts of programming it makes you a better person...as does learning

a foreign language, as does learning math, as does learning how to read.”

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder, Facebook

“Our policy at Facebook is literally to hire as many talented engineers as we can

find. There just aren't enough people who are trained and have these skills today.”

will.i.am - Musician/The Black Eyed Peas and Entrepreneur

“Here we are, 2013, we ALL depend on technology to communicate, to bank, and

none of us know how to read and write code. It's important for these kids, right

now, starting at 8 years old, to read and write code.”

John Thune - U.S. Senator, South Dakota

“Whether our children want to become farmers, doctors, teachers, or entrepreneurs,

it’ll be easier for them to achieve their dreams in the digital age if they have some

background in computer science. We need our children to learn 21st century skills

for a 21st century world, and coding teaches them the creativity and problem-

solving skills that are necessary for success.“

Ashton Kutcher - Actor

“I'd like to advocate for computer coding to be an institution in the public school

systems right next to biology, chemistry, physics, etc. If we want to spur job growth

in the US we have to educate ourselves in the disciplines where jobs are available

and where economic growth is feasible.”

Chris Bosh - NBA All-star, Miami Heat

Coding is very important when you think about the future, where everything is

going. With more phones and tablets and computers being made, and more people

having access to everything and information being shared, I think it's very important

to be able to learn the language of coding and programming.

Richard Branson - Founder, Virgin Group

“Whether we're fighting climate change or going to space, everything is moved

forward by computers, and we don't have enough people who can code. Teaching

young people to code early on can help build skills and confidence and energize the

classroom with learning-by-doing opportunities. I learned how to fly a hot air balloon

when I was 30,000 feet up and my life was in the balance: you can learn skills at

any age but why wait when we can teach everyone to code now!“

Key Club News

Hello Everybody,

The month of November was a prosperous month for Key Club.

Our recruiting effort ended November 1st. When all was said

and done, we enrolled thirty members. Great job! We have a

very strong group of Key Clubbers, and we are all excited about carrying on the

mission of Key Club International.

We are looking forward to the New Year. The spring semester is always extremely

busy (just like every other one). In addition to service activities and community

building activities, the spring is a time for leadership development. We attend the

new officer training and the district convention. In 2015, both events will be held in

Baton Rouge.

One very important international project that the student body can participate in is

The Eliminate Project. The Eliminate Project’s goal is to raise money to eliminate

maternal and neonatal tetanus, which is fatal in underdeveloped countries. For only

$1.80 we can save a mother and her children from this disease. In order for Key

Club International to meet their goal, we need to raise as much money as we can,

so be on the lookout for Key Club’s request for help with The Eliminate Project. We

can donate and pool our resources with students from all over the world! For more

information on The Eliminate Project here’s the link:

http://www.keyclub.org/service/TheEliminateProject.aspx.

A message from Key Club International:

November and December are two of the most popular months to volunteer. That’s a

good thing—it’s a time when many people and groups need the most help. Here’s

the link for some community service ideas: http://www.keyclub.org/kcn/14-11-

24/Give_back_this_holiday_season.aspx

Until next time!

- Harris Dorado, Secretary and Mr. McCloskey, Faculty Advisor

Senior Project Update by Janell Simpson

Students enrolled in Senior Project are preparing for the final presentation of their

results to a panel of judges from the community on December 10. The students and

their projects are listed here:

Morgan Brown: What method most reliably isolates the presence of sand from

false alarms within an acoustic signal sent from an oil well during production?

Mentor: Ben Dugas

Edward Johnson: What are the best data protection and recovery options for

small businesses? Mentor: Bob Oster

Dillon Nguyen: How is water transported from a water treatment facility to a

water tower that serves two thousand people? Mentor: Bill Thomassie

Rachelle Bold: How do age and gender impact a child's science inquiry skills?

Mentors: Tracy Mackie and Dr. Calvin Mackie

Destiny Burnett: How do authors’ personal lives affect their writing? Mentor:

Susan Larson

Courtney Cooper: How does the incidence of mass shootings change when a

state implements the Duty to Warn Law? Mentor: Dr. James Arey

Ali Kirkland: What sports are associated with hip injuries? Mentor: Carol Craig

Madison Berard: How do variances in temperature and precipitation

affect Cyrtobagous salviniae density patterns? Mentor: Dr. Julie Whitbeck

Brittany Lehmann: What preparations for hip replacement surgery and post-

operative recovery improve patient outcomes? Mentor: Chelsea Martinez

Sydney Monix: What factors influence the physiological responses to opioids in

the immediate post-operative period? Mentor: Dr. Christina DeLucca

Kayla Tarr: What is the effect of genetically modified mesenchymal stem cells on

the growth of mouse renal cells under stress conditions? Mentor: Dr. Himanshu

Vashistha

High School SGA by Katie Higgins

SGA loves their teachers! To show their love, each month SGA designates three

teachers to give a “Heart Attack.” During a “Heart Attack,” paper hearts are taped

all over the teacher’s classroom door. Each paper heart has a personalized message

from a high school SGA member expressing his or her appreciation for that teacher.

Pictured below are our most recent teachers who have had “Heart Attacks.”

Top Row: Ms. Valence, Ms. Kelley, and Mr. Curran; Bottom Row: Ms. Butler, Ms. Ritter and Ms.

Hampton.

Chi Alpha Mu and Mu Alpha Theta:

Taylor Tigers Participate in Ben Franklin High School MAO

Mathematics Tournament and Plan for LaMAO District II Game Day by Kay Butler

Twelve Taylor Tiger Mathletes spent several hours working

mathematics problems at Ben Franklin High School MAO

Mathematics Tournament on Saturday, November 15th:

Bailey Andras, Logan Barrios, Nia Evangeloulis, Alex Gelpi,

Jacob LeBLanc, Alexandra Miserendino, Chau Nguyen, Chris

Otero, Zoey Prado, Kayla Tarr, Judy Vu, and Maryann

Yacoub. They all worked hard and made us proud! Jacob

LeBlanc earned 2nd place individual in Geometry, and Zoey

Prado earned 3rd place individual in Algebra 1. Jacob

LeBlanc and Chau Nguyen (our only two geometry students

in attendance) scored high enough to qualify as a team of

two in Geometry Math Bowl. They earned 3rd place,

competing against schools with teams of four! The four

highest-scoring Algebra 1 students from Taylor were Bailey

Andras, Alex Gelpi, Chris Otero, and Zoey Prado. They, too,

scored high enough to earn a team spot in Math Bowl! Their

team earned 1st place in Algebra 1 Math Bowl! Special

thanks to Ms. Kelley and Ms. Guthrie for preparing our

Algebra 1 and Geometry Tigers so well! Although we only

had one student from each of the higher level math courses

participating in this tournament, we hope to have more at

future competitions.

Although many of our mathletes are members of Chi Alpha Mu (CAM) or Mu Alpha

Theta (MAO), these inter-school competitions are open to all Taylor students at the

Algebra 1 level or above, so if you are interested in participating in these events and

/ or joining CAM (for high-achieving Algebra 1 and Geometry students) or MAO (for

high-achieving students who have completed Geometry and are enrolled in higher

level

mathematic

s courses),

contact Ms.

Kelley or

Ms. Butler.

We’ll be

happy to

add you to

the

appropriate

mailing list

so you can

receive

information

about future

competitions

as it

becomes

available.

We only have one more tournament this semester (at Lafayette High School on

December 6), but there will be three more in January, one in February, and two in

March -- plus the on-campus Rocket City Math League Mathematics Competitions

and the State Convention!

Kayla Tarr, Taylor’s MAO President, is the LaMAO District II Governor, so our CAM

and MAO members have been busy planning our district game day to be held in the

spring. Students have been writing math questions and organizing related activities.

Kayla and Ms. Butler attended the LaMAO Executive State Board Meeting in Baton

Rouge last month where they worked on plans for the 2015 LaMAO State

Convention. The theme for this year’s convention is “Super Heroes!” Now, it’s time

for our members to get busy designing Taylor’s t-shirt and banner for this year’s

convention!

PowerSkills Kelly Maher

If you believe, as I do, that coding is the new superpower, then the students in

PowerSkills have been busy earning their superhero status. In addition to

participating in the Hour of Code, they created a variety of programs in Scratch.

Students also completed a Stock Market Project in Excel and will finish up the

semester with a Movie Maker project. This year’s sixth grade has been a pleasure to

teach and I will miss them next semester.

Co-Op News by Jodi Wittliff

We missed many of you at our November meeting, and hope that you will join us for

the next meeting on January 20! Many thanks to our counselor (and school

counselor of the year), Ms. Jasmine Hernandez, for her informative presentation at

the meeting about testing and college preparation, including ACT and SAT, AP

classes, and Naviance. Thank you, Ms. Hernandez!

We had great success with our fundraising nights at Vincent’s, Rotolo’s, and Party

Planet Xtreme! On December 10, please treat your family to a pizza or two from

Papa John’s (“Raising the Dough”). Papa John’s will donate 20% of what we spend

back to the Co-op!

On December 15, we will host a holiday themed luncheon for our Taylor staff, and

hope for many delicious contributions. We will use any cash contributions to

purchase ham, turkey, and/or roast as the centerpiece. Our hope is that many of

you will contribute a side dish that you associate with your personal traditional

holiday family dinner. Please go to our “signupgenius.com” to let us know what you

will bring. If you are able to donate a dish, please bring it to school warmed (we

have access to food warmers in the cafeteria), and in disposable containers. We also

need a few parents to help with set-up (9-11am) and clean up (1:30-2).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Sixth Graders Build Patriotism by Lisa Valence

Sixth grade students just

read the novel Wednesday

Wars by Gary Schmidt, which

was set in America during

the time of the Vietnam War.

Students interviewed family

members about what they

remembered during that

time in our country. Mrs.

Grindstaff’s English classes

then interviewed three

Vietnam veterans about their

experiences in the war. The

students worked in teams to

develop relevant questions

for their interviews as well as

research and video. Thank

you to our three veterans,

who also volunteer their time

at the World War II museum,

for giving their time to visit

with our students.

Pictured left to right: Rosie

Rosato, Bob Mckey, and Ross

Gamble.

Friends of Patrick Taylor by Patricia Morrow

Currently, the election for the Board of Friends of PFTSTA is in full swing! On Friday,

December 5th, voting for the President, Treasurer, and Secretary will begin and

nominations for the two general Board of Director positions will end. Members of

Friends of PFTSTA who turned in their forms by December 3rd will be able to vote in

the first round. Members who turn in their forms by December 10th will be able to

vote for the two general Board of Director positions on December 12th.

For this school year, member dues will be waived for anyone who has paid Co-Op

dues. You must fill out a membership form to join Friends of PFTSTA. Forms can be

found in the PFTSTA office or can be emailed to you. Once filled out, please return to

the PFTSTA office or email to friendsofpatricktaylor@gmail.com.

Make sure to purchase your tickets for the 3rd Annual Gala! It will be held this year

on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at Southport Hall from 7pm to 11pm. Tickets are $40

per person if purchased prior to February 13th and $50 thereafter. With each ticket,

you will receive a special spirit monkey and includes entry to the event, delicious

food, drinks, live music by Imaginary Frenz, and opportunities to bid on silent

auction items and win great prizes! Tickets can be purchased at the PFTSTA front

office. Bonus: if you purchase your tickets by December 19th, your name will be

entered into a drawing to have your child’s academic fees waived for the 2015-2016

school year or your senior’s AP fees paid for this year!

Each grade level will sponsor a basket that will be auctioned at the Gala. Gala

Basket Coordinators will send out information soon about the theme of your grade’s

basket and items that will be needed to make it a big seller! Look for information on

the Gala in Paw Prints and Co-Op emails. Thank you for the donations that we have

received so far and tickets and sponsorships purchased! Please contact

friendsofpatricktaylor@gmail.com with any questions or if you would like to make a

donation of food, gift cards, or items.

Introducing Middle School Girls’ Basketball by Natalie Lartigue

Patrick F. Taylor is now home to the Lady Tigers Middle School Girls Basketball

team! We have a small but dedicated group of girls in grades sixth through eighth.

Our coach is Mr. Blanchard Lartigue. The girls came in on weekends to practice and

played back to back games during their first week. Although they have come up a

little short when competing, they have managed to keep all of the teams in check

and no one has scored more than 25 points when playing our mighty Tigers.

Amiaya Williams has the distinct honor of being the first middle school girl basketball

player ever to score a point for Patrick F. Taylor!

Spirit Shirts Update

Parents, Thank you for your continued patience with the spirit shirts order. We had a

bit of trouble with our vendor and had to restart our ordering process with a new

one. We have been assured that we will be able to get the spirit shirts before the

winter holiday. This is highly unusual, and we do apologize profusely. Thanks again

for your understanding!

Tiger Athletics by Brad Womack and Danielle White

Winter sports are in full swing at Taylor! The boys Varsity Basketball team has

started the season strong with a 3 and 3 record against some tough competition.

The middle school boys’ and girls’ teams have also started their seasons. For soccer,

there has been a successful start, and great improvements for the boys’ and girls’

Varsity and middle school teams. Winter Track will be starting on December 15th.

Congratulations and good luck to all the teams this season.

Teacher Spotlight by Sandra Mesa

Since Thanksgiving has passed, I can’t help but be thankful for many things. Now

the holidays are upon us and, because it’s the season of giving, what better way is

there to give than with a kind encouraging word about our teachers? In this

newsletter we’re going to recognize the teachers of the month for October and

November.

In October Mrs. Patricia Morrow nominated Coach Womack for bringing middle

school sports to Taylor. So many students are benefiting from participating in these

activities. This addition to the athletics program has brought an enormous amount

of positive feedback from parents. “[Coach Womack] is always there to encourage

students and push them to their full potential,” Mrs. Morrow said.

In November Dr. Simpson nominated Ms. Jasmine Hernandez for her support to

seniors as they apply to college. She pushes them to choose beyond comfort. “She’s

a wonderful asset and encourages them to keep applying for scholarships,” Dr.

Simpson said.

Coach Womack and Ms. Hernandez came into education by different routes. Coach

Womack was born into a family of educators. He gained even more of a passion for

coaching when he was asked to coach his sisters’ middle school basketball team. Ms.

Hernandez, on the other hand, was in college working on her Master’s degree in

clinical mental health and school counseling. Only after an internship at a high

school did she decide to go into the education field. Both educators had interesting

routes that led them to where they are today.

When asked what he liked best about Patrick Taylor School, Coach Womack said he

loves the family atmosphere on campus. He’s also looking forward to getting a gym

in the near future. In response to the same question, Ms. Hernandez discussed how

likes the camaraderie among the students, and is especially impressed with how well

they collaborate together.

I think we can all agree that these educators and their respective content areas

have contributed to Taylor’s success. Their passion for improving and educating our

students is very important. We just want to say thank you for committing to

ensuring the success of our students.

Dandridge Town Hall Meeting Dates Announced

This year's Dandridge Town Hall meetings will be held at the following dates/times:

Monday, December 1, 2014 at G. T. Woods from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at L. W. Higgins from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

The PFTSTA Family wishes you a happy and healthy

holiday season. See you next year!