From the Principal’s Pen Jaime Zapico

Tidings from Taylor A U G U S T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

Upcoming Events

Sept. 8-9

Grace King/Haynes Volley-

ball Tournament

Grace King HS

Sept. 9

Mt. Carmel Cross-Country

Invitational

City Park

Sept. 15

Grandparents’ Bake Sale

Middle School Back-to-

School Dance

PFTSTA

7-10 pm

Sept. 15-16

Riverdale Volleyball Tourna-

ment

Riverdale HS

Sept. 16

Math Tournament

Saint Paul’s School

(Covington)

Rummel/Chapelle Cross-

Country Invitational

City Park

Sept. 21

PTO Meeting

6-7 pm

Sept. 22

Smoothie King Day

Interim Reports Issued

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back all of our returning Taylor

students, parents, faculty, staff, and, further, all those new to the Taylor family! I know

the summer flew by for many of our students, but we are anxious to get to work and

hit the ground running! If there is anything the administration can do to assist you or if

you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the front office. I look forward to

building relationships with all of you and having a productive and fulfilling school year!

Thank you to all of the parents and students who attended the Back to School Social

on Saturday, August 5 and Open House on Thursday, August 17. We had a huge turn-

out for both events. The Back to School Social was another great success, and I’d like

to extend special thanks to the PTO for hosting the event, the parents who helped us

make it so successful, PTO president Maria Thomas, and past PTO president Tamara

Fryer for all the time they put in to make the day so special. We couldn’t have done it

without all of you!

I hope to see you all on Thursday, September 21 for our first PTO meeting at 6 pm in

the common area outside of the library. We will discuss our upcoming Open House for

prospective students, scheduled for Thursday, October 12 from 4—6 pm. Please pick

up a yard sign if you are coming to the meeting to help us promote the event. If you

are new to Patrick Taylor, Open House is the night when we welcome all families to

campus who are considering becoming Taylor Tigers in the near future. Many of our

Taylor students and parents assist us on this night. We will be asking for your help

again! Also, since this is always such a late night, the wonderful Taylor teachers do not

assign homework.

Interim reports for the first nine week period will go home on Friday, September 22.

Please ask your child for this important document so you can review it together. You

can access grades and assignments any time of the day through ECHO.

Thank you again for your patience with us during carpool both in the morning and in

the afternoon. Just one last reminder that students can’t be dropped off earlier than the

6:50 am bell and must be picked up by 3 pm.

Our first grandparents’ bake sale is scheduled for Friday, September 15 during all three

lunches. Our grandparents’ club helps us out in many ways. We love the special treats

they make for us!! Don’t forget your money!

Upcoming Events

Sept. 27

Early Release for Students

12:10 dismissal

PFTSTA Spirit Shirt Day

Sept. 30

Math Tournament

Cabrini HS

Oct. 2-5

Library Book Fair

Oct. 3

Grandparents’ Breakfast

(8th-12th grades)

FAFSA Night

Oct. 4

Grandparents’ Breakfast

(6th-7th grades)

Oct. 9-13

Teen Read Week

Oct. 11

PSAT Testing

Oct. 13

End of 1st Marking Period

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

Act No. 50 of the Louisiana Legislature House Bill No. 718 requires that within the

first 30 days of each school year, each school shall conduct a safety drill to rehearse

the components of the crisis management and response plan. Our first lock

down drill took place on Wednesday, September 6 during first period. First period

teachers reviewed all procedures with the students to prepare them. To ease any

fears or anxiety, we reminded the students before the drill took place that this was

a practice drill. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact school.

Patrick Taylor Text Messages

If you would like to receive text messages to remind you of big events or important

documentation coming home, please see the flyer below.

Subscribe to Our Email List

If you would like to receive email communications from school, including

newsletters, daily Paw Prints, messages from the administration, special announce-

ments, etc., please use this link to subscribe to our list. NOTE: Even if you received

emails last year, you will need to subscribe again to receive emails this year. Once you

submit the form, you will be emailed a confirmation, and you will be asked to verify

your subscription.

Ms. Zapico would like you to join Patrick F. Taylor

Science & Technology Academy

Lines from the Librarian

Ms. Elizabeth Kahn

The library is a happening place at PFTSTA. Students line up before school until the library

opens at 7am and fill it up during all three scheduled lunch periods. If you want to know

what goes on in the library, follow us on Facebook or Instagram. You will see students

caught reading in the library and making wonderful creations with all the makerspace

materials. You will also get to see

all three book groups in action,

along with all the authors who

visit school in person or virtually.

Students can access all library

resources 24/7 on the library

website: pftstalibrary.com. Links

to the databases can be found on

the website, but if you need user

names and passwords for access,

pick up a sheet in the library with

that information. For ease in

finding all links related to the

school and the library, Ms. Kahn

has created a Symbaloo for the

students to use: symbaloo.com/

mix/pftstastudents. Saving this link

as the homepage to your

computer’s browser makes

getting around the web very easy.

The first planned event of the year is a visit from author, Nancy Cavanaugh on Monday,

September 25th. She will be talking to all 6th and 7th grade students. Students can order a

book and have it signed. Please understand that Octavia Books and the publishers send

the authors to us for free. In return, we sell copies of the author’s books to the students.

Your support means that they will continue to send authors to our school.

Another scheduled event is the annual book fair that will open on Monday, October 2.

This is the only fundraiser for the library for the year. Volunteers for the fair are needed,

and you can sign up to help by opening this link.

PFTSTA

Library

All Readers

Welcome Remember you can

visit the library 24/7

on the library website

On Facebook:

&

On Instagram:

Jacob Morris, Paris Jackson, and Tyler Barrios, who are all

members of the high school book group, Bookmarked, can

be found in the library at lunch almost every day.

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

We had a bit of a bumpy road with opening the library this

year. It took a couple of weeks for the district to figure out

how to add the new students to the library’s circulation

program, but all students may now check out books from the

library. Since May, I have added almost 400 new books to the

collection. Please note the following library policies:

The loan period for books from the general collection

(fiction and non-fiction) is 2 weeks and renewed if needed

Late fines are 10¢ a day not counting weekends and holi-

days

Students are responsible for paying for lost or damaged

books.

Reference materials and magazines may be checked out

overnight only and late fines are 50¢ a day.

Overdue notices are sent to students in their study hall

every other week.

Sophomore Logan Neese was the first student to

check out a book this year.

Strong Start for Mu Alpha Theta

Kay Butler

We are proud to announce our new slate of officers for the 2017-18 school year:

President - Bailey Andras

Vice President - Nia Evangeloulis

Secretary - Maddie Fryer

Treasurer - Logan Barrios

Reporter - Hanna Porta

Historian - August Steinkamp

Photographer - Alex Walker

We are also extremely proud of Jacob LeBlanc, who will be serving as this year’s National MAO Secretary as

well as his second term on the Louisiana MAO Executive Board as District II Governor.

This group of highly motivated students held their first meeting of the year on Tuesday, August 29th. Their

excitement was so contagious that Ms. Butler’s room had standing room only! It was filled with high school

students who are interested in mathematics and in making the 2017-18 school year the best year yet for MAO!

More than 50 students showed interest in our first MAO tournament this year! It will be hosted by St. Paul’s in

Mandeville on September 16th. Mu Alpha Theta will be meeting during HS lunch, every 2nd, 4th, and 5th Tuesday

of the month throughout the year. Any high school students who are interested in joining Mu Alpha Theta or

participating in mathematics tournaments this year should see Ms. Butler, Ms. Kelley, or Ms. Strong – or just

come to our next meeting!

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

Counselor’s Corner Welcome Back Taylor Tigers!

It has been a great month so far getting everyone settled in! I am excited that many of our

Juniors and Seniors have taken advantage of the extra Dual Enrollment and AP courses

this year. Because Patrick Taylor is an Advanced Studies Academy, we encourage all

students to take courses that will challenge them. Taking advanced level courses in high

school can help students earn college credit early on, and it looks great during the college

admissions process. Many of our seniors have already begun their admissions and

scholarship applications, but preparing for this process can begin as early as middle school.

While some schools do not begin Carnegie credit courses until 9th grade, our students

begin in 8th grade. It is important for them to know those English and Math courses will be

on their high school transcript, and can affect college admissions later down the road.

Another way to boost your resume is to stay involved throughout high school. Joining

clubs and participating in extracurricular activities is a great way to show your school

spirit, take on leadership roles, and help the community.

I post events/opportunities in Paw Prints and send out information to students through

email often, so it is important that students are checking their emails, Paw Prints, and

Echo daily. My website is another helpful resource for students and parents. Please reach

out to me if you have questions or concerns at crivera@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us.

A few important events are coming up:

September 8th: Last day to register for the October 7th SAT. You can register for the

SAT at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/

September 19th: New Orleans NACAC College Fair 6:00-8:00 PM @ the Pontchar-

train Center in Kenner. I highly encourage all students to attend. You can register for the

fair here.

September 22nd: Last day to register for the October 28th ACT. You can register for

the ACT at www.ACT.org

September 28th: Student/Parent Information Session with Duke, Georgetown, Har-

vard, Penn, and Stanford. RSVP at www.exploringcollegeoptions.org

The Westin New Orleans, Canal Place

100 Iberville Street

New Orleans, La 70130

October 3rd: FAFSA Night (Seniors only) 6:00-7:00 PM – Students and Parents please

register for this event on my website. As of this school year, completing the FAFSA is a

state graduation requirement. The FAFSA opens October 1st, however you can begin the

process by completing your FSA ID. Both the student and the parent must create a sepa-

rate FSA ID at fafsa.gov

October 11th: All 9th through 11th grade students will be taking the PSAT at school.

A U G U S T - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

Student Spotlight

Congratulations to Alex Gelpi for winning the Kelly Gibson Foundation Cox Communications Scholarship!

We are very proud of you!

Good Luck to all of our POSSE Students in their upcoming interviews!

Community Service Hour Information

Community Service opportunities are available through school, community, and government agencies. Many

students will volunteer to help at school events and for community-organized events and organizations such as

Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank, animal shelters, local churches, local fairs/festivals, hospitals,

law offices, Open House, summer camp, etc. It is the student's responsibility to find these opportunities and

complete the hours before April of their graduation year.

Reminder: You need at least 50 service hours to graduate.

You need at least 80 service hours to receive the community service endorsement.

Required for High School Students Only (hours can be counted starting the summer after 8th grade year)

Community service hours completed in past school years cannot be submitted in later school years.

Make sure you turn in all service hours within the school year you completed them. Service Hours from

the summer count toward the upcoming school year.

The Community Service Hour form must be completed, even if you have a letter from the organization;

the form must accompany the letter.

The Community Service Hour Forms can be found in the front office, or outside of my office.

If the student is also involved in National Honor Society, the required 50 hours of service each year cannot be

used for both NHS and your graduation requirement.

Upcoming Community Service Opportunities

The following activities are put on by United Way of Southeast Louisiana. In order to attend, you must

register online first to make sure they have enough spots.

Saturday, September 9th

9 a.m. - Noon

Eisenhower Academy of Global Studies

3700 Tall Pines Drive, New Orleans, LA 70131

More Information/Register here.

Saturday, September 16th

9 a.m. - Noon

Greenville Park Leadership Academy

(former Hammond Jr. High)

111 J W Davis Dr., Hammond, LA 70403

More Information/Register here.

If you wish to know how many service hours you have, please email me at crivera@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us.

Thank you for always being so committed to helping the community!

Have a wonderful school year!

Cheri Rivera, PLPC, M.A., NCC

High School Counselor and Community Service Hour Coordinator

It’s all about reading! Amanda Ingargiola

In middle school Gifted ELA, we are kicking the year off with

READING! In the TIME magazine article, “Reading Literature Makes

us Smarter and Nicer,” author Annie Murphy Paul presents a convinc-

ing argument about the necessity - and benefit- of reading. She insists,

“If we allow our offspring to believe carnal reading is all there is — if

we don’t open the door to spiritual reading, through an early insistence

on discipline and practice — we will have cheated them of an enjoya-

ble, even ecstatic experience they would not otherwise encounter.

And we will have deprived them of an elevating and enlightening expe-

rience that will enlarge them as people.” Paul argues that the act of

“deep reading”, or connecting intimately with a text and its characters

and plot, teaches students empathy. I agree. In an effort to build a com-

munity of more empathetic kids and readers, I started the year by ask-

ing each of my students to set a personal reading goal for this school

year; the results were beautiful and inspiring. Collectively, the sixth and

seventh grade Gifted ELA students have promised to read hundreds of

pages across dozens of genres - including nonfiction! Our school librar-

ian, Ms. Kahn, has been instrumental in helping the students get started

on their goals; the Patrick Taylor library is the perfect place to find

both great books and a cozy place to read them. I hope you’ll join us

and set a personal reading goal yourself. See what adventures await in

the stories you choose. Happy Reading!

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

6th and 7th Grade Science News Michelle Leonard

In 7th grade science students have been learning about cells and the functions of the organelles in a cell. The

class has made cell models, looked at paramecium under the microscope, and determined different types of

cells by observing slides under the microscope. They have also completed a cell analogy project. We will learn

about osmosis, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration next month.

The 6th graders have been busy learning about the sun, Earth,

and moon. The class made pinhole projectors for the solar

eclipse, designed their own procedure for demonstrating lunar

phases, and created a scale model of the distance of planets

from the sun.. We will learn about the cell and its organelles in

September.

Pictured above: Victoria Hanke, Srija Tamidela, and Delina Tewelde

Right: Zoe Samuel and Joseph Wells

Pictured above: Mason Mackie and Sajiv Patel

Right: Larry Cole, Luke Santopadre, and

Morgan Loup

7th Grade Math

Ms. Klusendorf

Ms. Klusendorf’s

Pre-Algebra classes are

off to a great start!

Right: Amairi Ashford,

Emily Do, and Abby Ev-

ans use a Sphero SPRK+

to explore geometric

translations.

Below: Logan Salas and

Miguel Wilches take a

break from program-

ming geometric transfor-

mations to pose with

their Sphero SPRK+

robot.

Strategies for Success Greetings,

As we have moved well into the start of a new school year and I’m finally getting some of the beach sand out of

my car after Labor Day, now would be a good time to make sure that all stakeholders are aware of the best

methods and expectations to support our students in their studies of World Geography or Civics. Below, I have

listed some suggestions to help support your scholar’s performance for the remainder of the semester.

1. Review notes daily. Each week, we will be going through a significant amount of information through class

lectures, projects, and/or readings in the textbook. This means that in order to stay with the course, your student

should take at least 20 minutes daily to review what was covered in the reading and/or lecture. A suggestion

would be to use our unit overview guides to review the vocabulary and essential questions covered from the lec-

ture or reading. Another suggestion is to have your student complete “quizlets,” “kahoots,” and other supporting

online materials made available through Echo.

2. Stay organized. I cannot emphasize enough the correlation between success and organizational habits. Most

important among these is using a 3-ring binder with dividers as well as a written agenda. Pedagogical science is

unequivocal in its consensus on the higher retention of writing down information instead of recording it electroni-

cally. Consequently, when students write down their upcoming assignments on a daily basis, they have a much

greater sense of buy-in to remember completing it since they have already invested some time and energy to

write it down. Even when students don’t have homework, they should reinforce this habit by writing down “no

homework” for that course.

3. Preview. It is extremely helpful for students to preview their lectures and consider the information using their

unit overviews before beginning these in class. By previewing the notes, students can devote more time and ener-

gy in class to critically thinking about the ideas they are hearing and filling in extra explanations, examples and/or

diagrams in the margins of their class notes. As such, they are able to consider how and why the term is significant

instead of simply listening for the term’s details concerning who, what, where, and/or when.

I am always available if families would like clarification on these suggestions or any further ones. As always, thank

you again for the opportunity to help develop your sons and daughters into educated young men and women of

character. I always feel very lucky that the goal of my job at the end of the day is to help people grow into think-

ing and reflective leaders of society. I am always available by email at gwebster@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us.

Sincerely,

Greg Webster

Social Studies Teacher; Lady Tigers Soccer Coach

Tidings from TechBytes

Kelly Maher

Parenting digital natives can be a challenge, especially when you might not have grown up with all the technology

that is available today. Along with the many benefits of a connected, digital world come some very real concerns,

Internet safety and online privacy among them. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s NetSmartz in-

cludes wonderful age-appropriate resources for students, parents, and educators on topics such as Internet Safe-

ty, Social Media, Cyberbullying, and Online Privacy. Common Sense Media also offers a variety of resources about

online safety and digital citizenship. Awareness, communication, and supervision are key in raising safe, responsible

digital citizens.

Need Help with Echo?

Try the Echo Help Center for Parents and Observers.

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

A Seuss-tacular School Year! Ayree Johnson, Student Government President

So far, SGA is off to a great start! The club hosted its first school pep rally on August 25.

Students went head to head to show off their creativity and spirit in the banner drop, and

new and veteran faculty members competed to see who was really the best. That night,

SGA also hosted the first high school dance in the common area. If the rest of the year is

anything like back to school week, everyone is in for a treat!

Coming Soon:

HASC: September 30

Homecoming Spirit Week: October 16-21

Homecoming Volleyball Game vs. Cohen: October 20 at the

Alario Center

Homecoming Dance: October 21, 7pm-10pm at PFTSTA

Middle school banners: Fox in Socks

(8th), Green Eggs and Ham (7th), and

Horton Hears a Who (6th)

High school banners:

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

(12th), The Cat in the

Hat (11th), The Lorax

(10th), and One Fish,

Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue

Fish (9th)

Pictured left: PFTSGA’s first meeting of the school year.

The annual Back-to-School Week Club Fair

7th graders go head to head during lunchtime activities

8th graders Faith Kelley and Emily Kreller

won the Thing 1 and Thing 2 Best Friend

Challenge

Juniors Logan Barrios, Alyssa Barrios (foreground),

Nia Evangeloulis, August Steinkamp, and Jada

Woodard (rear) fully embrace their class theme at

the back-to-school dance.

Ms. Roberson and Mrs. Higgins join in the fun.

7th Grade News Ms. Klusendorf

Our class theme this year is Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss. The 7th grade Banner & Pep

Rally Committee did a fantastic job creating our banner! The other grades are green with

envy!

NHS News Elizabeth Kahn, faculty advisor

The NHS executive board has met to plan many great service opportunities for its

members this year. Tutoring sessions offer benefits to those who tutor and those being

tutored. NHS members surrender their lunch to assist students in 8th grade and up. Tutor-

ing is going to be scheduled every Tuesday and Thursday from 12-12:30 and will begin on

September 12th. Students do not have to sign up ahead of time to be tutored. Watch Paw

Prints for tutoring location.

Top row: Olivia

Commagere, Iyana

Long, Arren Murphy,

Senora Rodgers,

Kwesi Blanchett,

Marcus Monistere, and

Christina Watson

Bottom row: Penelope

Blonidau, Lucy

Broussard, and

Madeline Monistere

Biology students make models of cells Dr. Worthylake

Honors Biology and AP Biology students both created models of special-

ized cells, including ciliated epithelial cells, pancreatic secretory cells and

neurons. Models were evaluated based on both accuracy and originality.

Biology students used

edible materials to

model different

specialized cells,

while AP Biology

students used arts

and crafts materials

to construct their cell

models.

Above: Honors Biology students Jennie

Longwell and Devin Johnson evaluate a

model of a goblet cell.

AP Biology student’s model of a macrophage. AP Biology student’s model of a plant mesophyll cell.

Right: Honors Biology

students Bella Crab-

tree, Lili Tran, Chris

Ngo, and Fernandos

Magee evaluated a

model of a neuron.

Chemistry’s on Fire! Amanda Godshaw

Honors Chemistry and Chemistry are off to a great start this year. We just completed our second unit in Honors

Chemistry and will be moving onto periodic trends in September, where we will experiment with lighting various

elemental solutions on fire to observe the colors they emit. AP Chemistry just wrapped up their first unit and will

be moving onto Gas Laws for the next few weeks. We have several experiments planned for that class as well!

Web Mastering

Kelly Maher

The Web Mastering course gives students a brief overview of the potential jobs related to

web site development, most of which can be roughly classified into either the design or

coding category. We began with a brief introduction to HTML and CSS, which was fol-

lowed by an overview of design, specifically a study of web appropriate graphics and how

to optimize graphics for the Internet.

Students have started to work in Adobe Dreamweaver and at the end of the semester will

have an opportunity to earn an Adobe Dreamweaver CC Adobe Certified Associate Cer-

tification. The Adobe Certified Associate program is an industry-recognized credential that

demonstrates proficiency in Adobe digital skills.

If you would like to learn to create web sites, there are a plethora of online tutorials.

Some of my favorites are listed below:

Codecademy HTML & CSS

Khan Academy: Intro to HTML/CSS: Making webpages

W3Schools HTML Tutorial and Reference

W3Schools CSS Tutorial and Reference

Shay Howe’s, Beginners Guide to HTML & CSS

In addition to the W3School’s references above, below are a few web master tools for

those of you who already know the basics:

HTML5 Cheat Sheet

CSS Cheat Sheet

HTML5 Please

W3C Markup Validator

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

PowerSkills

Kelly Maher

The PowerSkills class is pleasure to teach. They

approach each task with a positive attitude and

endless enthusiasm. So far, students have collabo-

rated on several Google docs and presentations,

and are also learning about and practicing some

real-world skills such as using proper email eti-

quette and complying with copyright laws.

Students have also started coding using SCRATCH,

(a programming language created at MIT and

geared specifically toward 8-13 year olds). Instruc-

tions and journal prompts can be found in the SCRATCH Workshop document, while all deadlines, as well as links

to the Studios, are posted under "Deadlines, Tests, and Quizzes" on the Echo Agenda. Finally, the SCRATCH Nuts

& Bolts videos are always available on Google Drive. After this introduction to computer programming, students

will be learning Swift using Swift Playgrounds, an innovative app for iPads that makes coding interactive and engaging.

As we move through the first quarter, students can look

forward to 3D printing, learning Adobe Illustrator in

order to create designs for laser cutting, and an intro-

duction to electronics using MaKey MaKeys.

Please remember that your child’s assignments and

grades are always accessible on Echo.

Athletics News

Brad Womack

The new school year is upon us and athletics is in full

swing. Cross-country, varsity volleyball, swimming

and middle school track are in full swing.

Our latest addition to the program, wrestling will be

kicking off in September.

Additionally, parents can now complete all required

athletic paperwork online. Visit our web-

site, www.patricktaylorathletics.org, and use the

FamilyID link to access forms. Our site can be your

go-to resource for all athletic information.

We hope to see all parents out there supporting our

athletes.

Greetings from 6th and 8th Grade Science!

The school year is off to a wonderful start. The students are eager to learn and willing to

help each other out to collaborate in science. All students have finally settled into a great

routine.

The fantastic 8th graders have used their scientific inquiry skills to review their previous

science classes and recall all they know from last year in life science. We are going to be

working on Earth’s systems and other fascinating topics this year.

The 6th graders will be making a cell model to show what life is made up of. We are

going to be busy with many different topics and ideas. I hope everyone has a fantastic

year!

Mrs. Caulfield

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

A Musical Note

Hi and welcome back.

Welcome to the beginning of the school year! We are off to a great start. Our first performance will

be on September 23 at Tulane Stadium as we will be performing at the Marching Band Day at Yulman

Stadium. This is always a very fun day.

The week after are All-State auditions. We have two students trying to get into that prestigious group:

Quint Adkins (drums) and Julia Hutto (baritone saxophone.) Wish them well on their auditions when

you see them.

District level honor band will be happening a little late. All those interested in auditioning please see

me. The deadline is late October with auditions in early December.

If you haven’t heard yet, I have instituted a new communication tool for band. It is called “Charms Of-

fice Assistant,” and I will be using it for many different reasons. It is web-based, so parents and students

will be able to access all information 24/7.

Charms will host our calendar, digitized sheet music, practice logs, announcements, and much more. I

will be able to send email and text blasts, as well as take attendance for practices and field trips with a

small scanner. I can keep track of a lot more than that, and I’m sure as I learn the software, I will use it

even more. Please be patient; we are still learning it!

Students will receive a code to access the account.

I am really looking forward to this school year, and as we embark on the journey, I would like to re-

mind you that the benefits of music study extend far beyond the performance.

Please join me in encouraging any interested student or any former music students to get involved with

band. As for all the young musicians already in our program, I am very appreciative of your steadfast

support and look forward to your continuing involvement.

Sincerely,

John J. McCloskey

Director

In the Art Room

Elizabeth Faucheux

In Fine Arts Survey students are learning about the

elements of art and different ways to incorporate

math into art making. Students discussed the work of

M. C. Escher and used math to create tessellations.

(Tessellations are shapes repeating on a page with no

overlaps and no gaps.) Students had to design a tessel-

lation, then creatively render it for artistic appeal.

Students created tessellations of frogs, ducks, butter-

flies, and a variety of creatures.

Students studied Op Art and the artist Bridget Riley

to create optical illusions and artwork using parabolic

curves. Students used rulers, protractors, and com-

passes to create intricate works of art.

Students recently visited the Fab Lab to use Pho-

toshop to edit photographs for a lesson about value.

Value refers to the lightness and darkness of a color.

Students transformed their photographs into paintings

using hues, tints, and shades. Students will continue to

explore art-making in creative ways and grow in their

understanding of math and technology.

Daniel Cressy with his Op Art

design

Trina Lewis with her butterfly

tessellation.

Tyler Tran with his posterized

value painting.

Jennifer Tran with her parabolic curve design.

T I D I N G S F R O M T A Y L O R

Theater Spotlight

Robert Cheramie, Monica Kiefer, and Scott Theriot

This semester, the theatre department will be performing The Election, by Don Zolidis:

After an embattled student body presi-

dent resigns in disgrace, Mark Davenport

figures he will cruise to victory in the spe-

cial election. After all, his only opponent is

nerdy Christy Martin, who wants to elimi-

nate football. But when a mysterious Su-

per PAC gives her an unlimited budget,

things start to get very ugly. Mark must

face total annihilation or accept the ser-

vices of a slick professional campaign

manager with questionable ethics and a

million-dollar Super PAC of his own. A

hilarious and timely satire on the contem-

porary political scene.

Auditions were held on August 19th and the cast includes students from both the middle and high schools:

Taylor Andras, Patrick Grindstaff, Claire Hudson, Catherine Wertz, Holly Wilkinson (Seniors)

Angel Thompson Askew (Junior)

Kaitlyn Esneault, Julie Ledet, Olivia Sonnier (Sophomores)

Jasmine Garrison, Aiden Morriss (Freshmen)

Jazzy Conforto (8th Grade)

Zoe Samuel (7th Grade)

Sasha Durta (6th Grade)

Ella Grindstaff (Sophomore) will serve as the production Stage Manager

Mr. Scott Theriot will Direct

In the Spring, Mrs. Monica Kiefer will be directing an adaptation of The Time Machine, by Kathryn Shultz Miller with

her middle school theatre resource groups. Mr. Robert Cheramie will serve as technical director for both shows.

Theatre resource groups this semester continue to study Stanislavsky method using various scripted monologues

and scenes.

In this photo from last week’s rehearsal,

Mark (Aiden Morriss; left) and Christy

(Jazzy Conforto; right) face off in one of

four debates moderated by Kyli (Taylor

Andras; center).

Contact Us:

701 Churchill Parkway

Avondale, LA 70094

Phone: 504-838-2249

Fax: 504-436-0257

Questions - Stephanie Roberson

sroberson@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us

or

Amy Poole

apoole@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us

Jefferson Parish Public School System

jpschools.org

Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy

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