a grade A+ Blue Ribbon school TIDINGS from TAYLOR A monthly newsletter brought to you by PFTSTA Publications. April 2012 Upcoming Dates: April 4 Superintendent’s Band Festival April 4 Seniors pick up graduation supplies April 6 No School April 12—13, 16—17 Standardized Testing April 13 PAC Crawfish Boil PFTSTA café, 4:30—7:30 April 20 Senior Extravaganza April 23—27 Spring Break (No School) Contact Us: 2012 Jefferson Highway Jefferson, LA 70121 504 838 2249 – phone 504 838 7029 – fax Principal – Jaime Zapico [email protected]Questions – Barbara Harney [email protected]------- PFTSTA Web-site http://ptsta.jppss.k12.la.us PFTSTA Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/pftsta From the Principal’s Pen…Mrs. Jaime Zapico: Can you believe we’re in the 4 th 9 weeks already?!? Even though the end of the year is approaching quickly, 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. In order to keep our A+ status we have to at least grow two points in our overall school performance score. Phase II testing will begin April 12 and finish on April 17. Please make sure your child is at school each day and on time. We will have a big celebration for all of our students on April 20 with our annual senior extravaganza. A great time was had at the annual Senior Brunch with Mrs. Taylor at Mardi Gras World on April 1. The students were treated with great food and individual time with Mrs. Taylor. The students were also able to put on their dancing shoes since Mrs. Taylor had a D.J. playing some of their favorite songs at the event. Mrs. Taylor even showed off with some of her moves as well! Our annual PAC crawfish boil will be on Friday, April 13 from 4:30 – 7:30. More information about this event is in the newsletter. Come out for the last fundraiser of the year! The Class of 2012 will be graduating on Saturday, May 12 at 5:00 pm at the Alario Center. Seniors will need to be at the Alario Center by 4:00 pm. Parents please make sure all family members are on time for this special event. The doors will be closing at 4:55 pm 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 3 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
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Lines from the Librarian…Mrs. Elizabeth Kahn: Teen Tech Week (TTW) held in the library in early March was a big success. Photos of all
the events are posted on the library website: http://bit.ly/wT2k00. Two contests
were held during TTW. Every student who played the Research Riddles daily was eligible
to participate in the grand prize drawing. Jeremy Ward was the middle school winner,
and Kaylynn Tran was the high school winner. Each student received a $15 gift card for
iTunes. The other contest was for the best book spine poetry. All students and faculty
had a chance to vote on their favorite of the 16 entries. There was a tie for first place.
Here are pictures of the winning poems:
Believe It or Not!
The Last Dog on Earth
Tunnels
Holes
Justin Case
The Homework Machine
Flipped
The Secret
Notes From the Dog
Shine
Across the Universe
just in case
this world we live in
Burned
Joseph Blanco, 6th grade Carson Chauvin, 10th grade
The middle school now has its very own book group. Books Rule in Middle School or BRiMS
met for the first time on February 29, 2012 after school. All middle school students were invited to join. Mrs. Valence as a middle school teacher joined the group, too. At the first meeting the students and teachers all brought a book to share that they highly recommend. The group met for its second time on March 28, 2012. At this meeting, Tangerine by Edward Bloor was discussed, and tangerines were the snack of the day. If you want to find out what we will be reading next, visit the BRiMS webpage here: http://bit.ly/H1eM2m.
Parents, students, and faculty, it’s time to get ready for Spring Testing 2012!! 6th and 7th grade students will take the iLEAP test, 8th grade students will take Phase II of the LEAP test, and 11th students will complete Phase II of the GEE on April 12th-13th, and April 16th-17th. The iLEAP
assessment has both timed and untimed sections. Both the GEE and LEAP have recommended timeframes for each section, however
students can have extended time if needed. Parents and students, please try your hardest to get to school on time and avoid being absent during testing. Some studies suggest that students perform better on standardized testing when they are
able to test under normal testing conditions (with their peers) and not rushed because of entering the testing room late. A few additional tips for students to be successful on the test
includes:
Keep a positive attitude throughout the whole test and try to stay relaxed. If you start to feel nervous take a few deep breaths to relax.
Pace yourself, don't rush. Read the entire question and pay attention to the details. Write legibly. If the grader can't read what you wrote, they'll most likely mark it
wrong.
Always read the entire question carefully. Don't make assumptions about what the question might be.
If you don't know an answer, skip it. Go on with the rest of the test and come back to it later. Other parts of the test may have some information that will help you out with that question.
Don't worry if others finish before you. Focus on the test in front of you.
If you have time left when you are finished, look over your test. Make sure that you have answered all the questions. Only change an answer if you misread or misinterpreted the question because the first answer that you put is usually the correct one. Watch out for careless mistakes and proofread your essay and/or short answer questions.
8th grader Alyssa Duffourc Wins Writing Competition: Alyssa Duffourc, 8th grade, won $5,000 for PFTSTA on World Wetlands Day as a result
of America’s Wetland Foundation’s (AWF) 10th anniversary special “Keep Your Eye on
the Prize” contest. The $5,000 grant is going to be used for educational materials,
equipment, and a school wetlands restoration project coordinated by the Foundation.
According to the AWF web-site, “the awards are the largest in AWF history and come as
a result of the organization’s upcoming 10-year anniversary. Students were asked to
provide art, photography and essay submissions in response to the questions, ‘How can
Louisiana adapt to coastal land loss?’ and ‘Why should the area known as ‘America’s
WETLAND’ be saved?’”
Alyssa’s 1st place essay can be read here: http://www.americaswetland.com/contestEntryDetail.cfm?sID=403&cat=essay
A special thanks to Angela Giffin, Alyssa’ 8th grade LA History teacher, for encouraging participation in this contest!
Mark Davis (Tulane law professor and executive director of the Coalition to Restore
Coastal Louisiana), Alyssa Duffourc and Ms. Angela Giffin with the $5000 check.
Alyssa, Ms. Giffin, Mr. Davis with the PFTSTA 8th grade class.
Nicholas Melara, Louis Messina, Evan Michel, Ricky Nguyen, Mary Beth Oliver, Andrew
Roberts, Thomas Sostarics, Stephen Torry, Alicia Tran, Kaylynn Tran, Lauren Tran, and Celia
Zaeringer.
New officers were also inducted during the ceremony Tiffany Lou as president, Sara Adoue as
vice president, Allie Baldassaro as secretary, and Krishna Allam as historian.
NHS officers for 2012-13 from left to right are Lou, Allam, Adoue and Baldassaro.
NHS members graduating in May in the front row from left to right:
Caitlin Mitchell, Archit Shukla, Nikki Nguyen, Mohammad Chowdhury, Amy Olson
and Shannon Vitrano; in the back row: Jeffrey Prado, Hunter McDaniel (Mu Alpha
Theta member), Mohammed Samarra’e, and Jenna Zeringue
Star Students:
Congratulations to the following STAR STUDENTS – these students were recognized
by one (or more!) of their teachers during the 3rd 9 weeks. A Nachos Party was held
on March 30 to reward our stars. In order to be nominated, students must embody
the following ideals:
Thoughtfulness of others
Independence
Global thinking
Engagement in learning
Responsibility
Seriousness in using technology
Middle School Star Students: 6th grade
Paige Bass
Joseph Blanco
Gerald Blank
Madeleine Brown Joel Gabourel
Andres Gallardo Tyree Hackett
Samantha Herman Jake Leblanc
Harrison Reiner
Ozzie Ross Dominic Scheurer
Jeremy Ward Holly Wilkinson
7th grade
Elizabeth Baudoin Dylan Craigie
Henry Hazlett
Taijha Marshall Gavin Morrow
Isabelle Ordonez Claire Pantell
Alexcia Perilloux Daniel Pillai Rocky Rico
Soheil Saneei Andrew Souther
Stefan Suazo Matthew Trochez
Mason Varuso Nicholas Vo
8th grade Elias Carrier
Alexandra Compagno Alanah Cottingham
Alyssa Duffourc
Cameron Granger Jason Hall
Kiara Horton Hayley Hughes
Tyler Libert Solomon Mansfield
Marissa Nguyen
Drew Ordoyne Mark Parfait
William Phillips Madison Pierce
Valerie Ruiz Gavin Stevens Sierra Torres
Rayne Torry
Ariel Walker
Freshmen
Colin Bardwell
Claire Commagere
Jawan Fox Jonathan Griffith Edward Johnson
Brittany Lehmann Sydney Monix Tyler Nguyen
Derick Pillai
Saraya Sibley Kristen Stamp
Kayla Tarr Jazmine Wells
Sophomore Imani Bell
Benny Boudreaux David Burns
Brandon Clancey Daniel Colosino Nicklas Dang Jasmyn Hall
Joshua Henderson Arielle Laurent Melina Liriano
Kathleen McShane Nuri Melancon
Nicholas Melara Louis Messina
Lee Montgomery Sarah Morrison
Mary Beth Oliver Alexandra Pollard
Madison Rolig Thomas Sostarics
Stephen Torry Celia Zaeringer
Junior
Sarah Adoue
Nathalie Argueta
Courtney Beamer Daniel Gutierrez
A.J. McGee
Senior
Lorin Allen
Jezzett Anderson
Peyton Aubin Mohammed Chowdhury
Brennan Edler Ashley Laurent
Hunter McDaniel
Jaylen Parquet
My-Huyen Pham Jeffrey Prado Archit Shukla
Arlo Spear Darion Toups
Jenna Zeringue
State Science Fair Winners:
Congratulations to Linda Arellano for placing 1st in the Louisiana State Science Fair held at LSU in Baton Rouge. Linda
placed with her Senior Project titled “How do age, gender, and race correlate with the incidence of precancerous polyps?” Former PFTSTA student Brenna Gourgeot placed 3rd with a project done while at
Taylor titled “What is the effect of skyglow on the darkness of the night sky?”
Regional Social Studies Fair Winners:
Our students had a good showing at the Regional Social Studies Fair on Saturday,
March 31. All of our projects looked great and all of our students impressed the
judges! The following is a list of all of our winners. All 1st and 2nd place winners will
advance to the next level of competition, the Louisiana State Social Studies Fair.
Good Luck!
DIVISION 2 - Middle School
Alex Walsh & Valerie Ruiz – 1st place, LA History (How did Katrina affect education in New Orleans)
Madison Pierce & Rayne Torry – 1st place, Geography (Remembering 911: The National September 11th
Memorial)
Matthew Trochez –2nd place, Economics (What effect did Pol Pot have on the Cambodian Economy?)
Jake LeBlanc – 2nd place, History (How did Winston Churchill Affect Modern Warfare?)
Bailey Bourgeoois – 3rd place, Political Science (How did the Triangle Shirt-Waist Fire Change Working
Conditions for Factories?)
DIVISION 3 - High School
Amy Olson – 1st place, LA History (Huey P. Long Bridge)
Hunter McDaniel & Caitlin Mitchell – 1st place, Sociology (Socioeconomic, Legal, and Political Aspects of
Abortion)
Nick Dang – 1st place, Economics (The Effect of the European Union on its Member Countries)
Tiffany Lou & AJ McGee – 2nd place, History (Nazi Science: The 3rd Reich's experiments during the
Holocaust)
Quentin Andrus – 2nd place, Political Science (Democracy: Reality or the Great American Delusion)
Sara Adoue – 3rd place, Sociology (Desensitizing America One Sitcom at a Time)
Kashif Mustahsan & Jeffrey Sturcke – 3rd Place (The Doomsday Clock)
Addison Hinson – HM, Anthropology (How Does Greek Theatre Inspire American Theatre?)
Mary Beth Oliver – HM, Sociology (Hows the View? History of Pentecostal Christianity in a Nutshell
Yearbook Ads + Yearbooks for Sale: Mrs. Johnson’s Publications class is selling ads for the 2011-2012 yearbook.