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

April 30

Athletic Breakfast

7:30am, PFTSTA cafeteria

Contact Us:

2012 Jefferson Highway

Jefferson, LA 70121

504 838 2249 – phone

504 838 7029 – fax

Principal – Jaime Zapico

jzapico@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us

Questions – Kathy Guzman

kguzman@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us

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

Upcoming Events: Ring Ceremony

Date: Thursday, May 9, 2013 Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Place: Kenner Pavilion 3800 Loyola Drive Kenner, LA 70065

Parents and Grandparents are welcome!

Athletic Sports Breakfast

Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Time: 7:30 am

Place: School Cafeteria

Parents are welcome!

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

Is Coding the New Super Power? …submitted by Kelly Maher:

Despite the statistics below, only nine states recognize computer science as a math or science credit and fewer than 10% of schools offer computer

programming courses. If you’re still not convinced that computer programming is a critical skill, please continue reading and see the quotes below.

Sources: the College Board, Bureau of Labor Statistics, via the Huffington Post

Sources: National Science Foundation, Bureau of Labor Statistics, via the Huffington Post

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.”

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!“

Learn to Code Resources

Code.org: http://www.code.org/

Code HS: http://www.code.org/learn/codehs

Code Academy: http://www.code.org/learn/khan-academy or

https://www.khanacademy.org/

SCRATCH: http://scratch.mit.edu/

Works Cited

"Code.org." Code. Code.org, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.