A National Blue

Ribbon, A+ school

Tidings

from Taylor A monthly newsletter brought

to you by PFTSTA Publications.

February 2013

Upcoming Dates:

Feb. 5

Digital Learning Day

Interim Reports Issued

Feb. 7 Seventh Grade Field Trip to

World War II Museum

Talent Show Auditions

12 pm

Feb. 8 PFTSTA Gala

Southport Hall

7 pm

Feb. 14 Blood Drive

Conference Room

8 am – 1 pm

Talent Show Auditions

12 pm

Feb. 17

Science Fair Exhibits

Feb. 18

Night Out at Vincent’s

Vincent’s Restaurant (Metairie)

7:30 pm

Feb. 18 - 20

Greater New Orleans

Engineering and Science Fair

UNO Performance Center

Feb. 21

PFTSTA Band Marches in

Excalibur Parade

From the Principal’s Pen by Jaime Zapico

We are already halfway through the third nine weeks. Parents, please make sure

you are checking your child’s grades on ECHO on a regular basis. The web address

to ECHO is http://echo.newtechnetwork.org. When you log on you will be able to see

your child’s courses with assignments, projects, homework assignments, and current

grades for each class taken.

Congratulations to all of our students who made the honor roll for the second nine

week period (see list at the end of this newsletter). We had a great time celebrating

at both of the honor roll ceremonies in January. I am looking forward to the third

nine week celebration and hoping to see all of the students who made the second

nine weeks honor roll there -- and some new faces, too!

Interims will be going home February 5. Please ask your child to show you this very

important document. This will let you know how well your child is doing through the

first half of the third nine weeks.

Good luck to all of our students representing Patrick Taylor at District Rally this

month. A list of the students participating is highlighted below.

I’m proud to announce that Mr. John McCloskey has not only been selected as

Patrick Taylor's teacher of the year for 2014, but the Jefferson Parish Teacher of the

Year as well. Mr. McCloskey is such an asset to our students, staff, and faculty. His

students have placed in numerous band competitions and competed across the state

bringing in awards. Please look for him in the upcoming Excalibur parade in Metairie

on February 21. The Taylor band and cheerleaders will be marching. It is always a

great night to show off our Taylor talent!

A big thank you to all of the parents who have bought tickets and raffle tickets for

our second annual GALA on February 8 at Southport Hall. We couldn't accomplish

this without all of your help and support. Don’t forget that this is the only fundraiser

that Co-op sponsors all year! I’m looking forward to a great night and seeing all of

you there!

Patrick Taylor's Night out at Vincent's Restaurant - On Tuesday, February 18 take

the night off of cooking and drive the family over to Vincent's Restaurant in Metairie

for dinner. Vincent's will donate 20% of all sales that night back to Patrick Taylor!

Please have your child bring in the receipt from dinner that night to Ms. Patricia in

the front office the next morning. Spread the word! What an easy way to raise

money for our Taylor Tigers!

Academic Games – Linguishtik

7:30 am – 12:30 pm

Feb. 22

District Rally

Feb. 26

Louisiana HS Technology

Challenge

Early Dismissal Day (Teacher

Professional Development)

Feb. 27 Co-op Appreciation – Coffee

and Desserts

Co-op Planet Party Extreme

4:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Feb. 28 – March 5

Mardi Gras Holiday

March 1

District Literary Rally

Senior parents –Believe it or not, it is getting closer to graduation! I’m sure if you

asked your son or daughter, he or she could tell you how many days there are left of

school, probably down to the last second. Please put the following dates on your

calendars. We hope to see all of you at these big events for the Class of 2014!

Senior brunch with Mrs. Taylor - Saturday, April 12 at 11:00

Senior award night: Monday, May 1 – 6:30—8:00pm (Monroe Hall in Ochsner

Hospital)

Graduation* Saturday, May 10 – 9:30 am (Alario Center)

*Doors to the arena will close at 9:20 and will not open again until after the National

Anthem. Please make sure all family is there ahead of time and in their seats.

District Rally Participants

Science:

Chemistry - Alexandra Miserendino Environmental Science - Morgan Brown

Biology-Michaela Brown Physical Science- Marco Flores

Math:

Algebra I--Tiffany Quach Geometry--Gavin Morrow

Algebra II--Dylan Vasquez Advanced Math (Precalculus)--Edward Johnson

Advanced Math (Funct. & Stat)--Sydney Monix Calculus--Abrania Marrero

Social Studies:

Civics- Justin Lightsey-

US HISTORY-Quentin Andrus- World History-Julia Rosato-

World Geography- Maryann Yacoub-

ELA:

English I - Grayce Mores English II-Stefan Suazo

English III - Madison Pierce English IV- Kayla Tarr

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

Lines from the Librarian by Elizabeth Kahn

Library Fundraiser Information:

All items ordered during the November library fundraiser will be delivered February

12. Some of you have already prepaid for these items. If you have not paid, then

students will collect the money from you when they deliver the items that you

ordered. All items are guaranteed. If you are unhappy with any order, just return

the item(s) to school without payment or for reimbursement -- no questions asked.

If you would like to support the PFTSTA library, you may order all year long. Visit

this website: http://store.gafundraising.com, enter the school code: 1479302 and

go shopping!

Importance of Reading:

For years Stephen Krashen has been conducting national studies that show the

power of reading in improving children’s lives. He states that there is much evidence

illustrating the value of free voluntary reading or recreational reading. Over the past

20 years, research has shown that students who read independently and freely

perform better in school with reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. No matter

what path our students choose in life, be it science, technology, math, humanities,

or the arts, they will need to be able to read critically to succeed and perform at

their job. Since the beginning of 2014, I have added many new books to the shelves

of the PFTSTA Library. Some students have walked through the doors to find these

books and check them out, yet even with the influx of new books, I am not seeing a

rise in circulations. Maybe this is because your child has an electronic device and is

reading books on a Kindle, Nook, or iPad. Maybe your child visits the public library

often or likes to own the books he/she reads and buys books at Barnes and Noble.

Whatever the case, your children should be reading daily. They should always have

a book to read at their bedside and in their backpack when time allows. If your

children need something good to read, please encourage them to visit the library at

Taylor to see what is new and what might interest them. The door is open for 7th-

12th graders every morning before school and at both lunches.

Read what you love so

that you will learn to

love reading. Here is a

quote to think about:

“Any book that helps a

child to form a habit of

reading, to make

reading one of his deep

and continuing needs,

is good for him.” - Maya

Angelou

Upcoming Library

Events:

February 10:

Bookmarked Skypes

with author, Deb Caletti

February 26: BRiMS

meets and reads,

Howl’s Moving Castle,

by Dianna Wynne Jones

March 10-14: Teen

TECH Week

PFTSTA Library --- All Readers Welcome

Literary Magazine Debut by Meghan Ritter Thanks to the support of the PFTSTA

Grandparents’ Club, the first edition of Veni Vidi

Scripsi, Taylor’s own literature and arts

magazine, is out! It features student writing in a

variety of genres along with original student

artwork and photography. Purchase a copy for

only $2.00 from Ms. Ritter or head editors

Jackson Nieto and Jamie Summers. The literary

club always welcomes new members. Anyone

who would like his or her work featured in the

next issue should attend a meeting! In addition

to generating content for the magazine, literary

club members also participate in creative writing

workshops. (This is more fun than it sounds,

kids; trust.) Want to learn how to write a Six

Word Memoir? Come to a meeting! Want to read

some Six Word Memoirs by our very own Taylor students? Pick up a copy of Veni

Vidi Scripsi today!

High School SGA by Katie Higgins

The high school SGA is busy, busy, busy this Spring! In addition to planning pep

rallies, dances, and fundraising events, the SGA is planning two major activities for

this semester. Our first activity is the annual Mardi Gras Float competition. Study

Halls will create a Mardi Gras float for a student to wear in the school parade on

February 21. Judges will decide which study hall float is the best. Let’s see if anyone

can top last year’s Transformer floats from the class of 2014!

The next big activity is our TALENT SHOW. The talent show is scheduled for

Saturday, March 15 from 4-6pm at Riverdale Middle School. Auditions for the talent

show will take place during lunch on Friday, February 7 and Friday, February 14.

Local celebrity judges will judge our talent show participants and the top three

performers will win a cash prize! Tickets for the talent show will go on sale soon.

Please come out to support our students!

Model United Nations by Andrew Johnson

On December 7 and 8th, our Model United Nations delegation of 11 went to the

state conference in Baton Rouge. The students were very engaged and learned

much as well as connecting with other students from around our state. Quentin

Andrus, Hayley Hughes, Nuri Melancon, and Celia Zaeringer captured best

delegation by representing the former Soviet Republic of Belarus.

Grant Awarded to Mrs. Valence

Lisa Valence, sixth grade math teacher, received a grant for $740 from an LSU

Quality Science and Math Grant to purchase two mini iPads and some iPad

accessories. This is Mrs. Valence’s third consecutive grant of about $750 to purchase

materials for students to use in her math class. Way to go, Mrs. Valence!

7th Grade and Biology News by Katie Higgins

Mrs. Higgins is back from maternity leave! Although she misses snuggling with her

brand new baby boy all day long, she is happy to finally meet her 7th grade science

students for this semester. Her students have already started planning their Science

Extravaganza projects that will be presented to the advanced academies elementary

schools later this spring. In addition to the Science Extravaganza, the 7th grade is

looking forward to a field trip to the Ochsner iLAB and a frog dissection.

Mrs. Higgins would like to congratulate her Biology students for scoring so well on

the Biology EOC exam in December. 100% of the students scored Good or Excellent

on the exam. Way to go!

News from 4H by Lisa Valence

On Friday, January 10, members of the Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology

Academy 4H-Club planted trees at their new school site to celebrate Arbor Day. The

trees were grown by students in Dr. Janell Simpson's Advanced Placement

Environmental Science class as part of the Coastal Roots program. These native

trees will be monitored by students to learn how native trees contribute to the local

habitat.

Counselor’s Corner by Jasmine Hernandez

This has been a very exciting time for our seniors as they have begun receiving their

college acceptance letters and scholarship awards. Recently, four of our well

deserving students were awarded with the highly selective POSSE scholarships.

Micquel Downs and Nuri Melancon have been selected to attend Tulane University,

and Jose Alexander and Kaylynn Tran have been selected to attend Bard College in

New York. The POSSE Foundation uses a very specific selection process that not only

includes traditional academic achievements such as GPA and standardized test

scores, but also takes into account the students’ leadership skills, ability to work in

team settings, and, most importantly, their motivation to succeed. The POSSE

scholarship not only awards students with full tuition to some of the top rated

universities in the country, but students are also given continuing support and

resources throughout their college careers and even after graduation. It is an honor

for Micquel, Jose, Kaylynn, and Nuri to have earned this prestigious award, and it

truly is an honor that these magnificent students are members of the Patrick Taylor

family. We are incredibly proud of this great achievement that they have earned and

we wish them all the best on their continued success.

Micquel, Jose, Kaylynn, and Nuri at the POSSE Foundation awards ceremony on January 2nd

Key Club News by Alicia Tran, Key Club Secretary

Key Club has been busy this month kicking off their second

fundraiser for Project Eliminate called “Name That Baby.” During

lunch, students are shown a baby picture of one of our Taylor teachers, and they

pay for a chance to guess who it is for a special prize. For two weeks, our Key Club

members have been playing music and giving out candy to participants outside of

the cafeteria. The fundraiser has been a great success so far!

On Sunday February 2, 2014, Key Club members volunteered at the Rock N Roll

Marathon in uptown New Orleans by handing out water to runners and walkers at

Water Stations along the course. Key Club has a packed month for February with

events such as the Race to Eliminate, the Ceiling Tile Project at Children’s Hospital,

and the Mission Ignition T-Shirt Contest.

Race to Eliminate is an event hosted by Haynes Academy that invites all Key Clubs

in the district to walk to raise money for Project Eliminate. Key Club has also been

invited by the Kiwanis Club to partake in designing ceiling tiles for Children’s

Hospital, which is also a district-wide service opportunity. Along with other clubs

that are service-oriented such as the National Honor Society and Student

Government Association, Key Club is participating in Mission Ignition, an event

hosted by United Way New Orleans and Greater New Orleans schools. This two-week

event, in April, is meant to encourage the eight participating schools to give back to

their community through friendly competition with each other.

Right now there is a contest to create the best T-shirt design for all participants to

wear throughout the event, and members are definitely excited to put their creative

skills to the test. As you can see, Key Club stays active in their school and

community!

Talented in Theater by Scott Theriot

The Patrick Taylor Talented Theatre program will be presenting ALICE, an adaptation of the

classic story Alice in Wonderland. See all your favorite characters such as The Mad Hatter, The

Queen of Hearts, and The Cheshire Cat in this retelling of Lewis Carroll's famous book. Join

Alice on her journey as she attempts to answer the question, "Who are you?" Performances will

take place May 15th, 16th, and 17th at Patrick Taylor. Mark your calendars now!

Taylor Students Collect Items for Ronald McDonald House by Traci Bourgeois In memory of Johnny Nides, the HOSA club (Health Occupation Student Association)

is collecting items for the Ronald McDonald House in New Orleans. Johnny is the son

of Karen Kelley Nides, a teacher here at Patrick F. Taylor. Johnny passed away due

to complications from a rare blood disorder. In memory of Johnny, HOSA is helping

the Patrick Taylor family collect items for the Ronald McDonald House of New

Orleans. Ronald McDonald house provides a place to stay for families of children

battling health conditions. Items for the Wish List can be found at this link:

http://rmhc-nola.org/wish-list/#.Uu-_WT1dWuI

Items can be placed in the box outside of the office or given to any HOSA club

member or Ms. Bourgeois.

In March, HOSA will be selling chocolate dipped pretzels as a benefit for Ronald

McDonald House in memory of Johnny Nides. The first 100 orders will receive a

complimentary St. Patrick’s Day Spirit Monkey! Watch for more information on how

to place your candy order.

Sophomores recognized for Technology Aspirations by Lisa Valence

Kiara Horton, a Patrick Taylor sophomore, has been selected by the NCWIT (National

Center for Women & Information Technology) as an Affiliate Award Winner of the

NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. In addition, Ariel Walker, sophomore,

will be recognized as a state runner up. They are being recognized for their

computing-related aspirations and for demonstrated, outstanding aptitude and

interest in information technology/computing; solid leadership ability; good

academic history; and plans for post-secondary education.

Both girls are invited to the Awards Banquet at Louisiana Tech in Ruston this April.

Taylor is very proud of their accomplishments!

Kiara Horton and Ariel Walker

Les Aventures du Club Français by Alicia Hampton

This year at Patrick Taylor we have been able to start a French Club for the Middle

School students. We have been meeting about twice a month to learn a little

français (French). Students have been studying the basics of French, such as the

alphabet, numbers, and simple greetings. The meetings are very student centered

and the topics covered

are generally those

requested by the

students themselves.

In future meetings, we

will be studying the

names of animals,

various jobs, and (since

it is the season) the

history of Mardi Gras

and King Cakes (les

galettes des rois) in

France.

Students practicing their

conversation skills during a

meeting

TALENTED IN THE ARTS by Linda Patrick

Art students have been busy with a variety of projects. Some students are painting

and drawing, entering contests, and others are working with bead mosaics. We are

putting out a request for more Mardi Gras beads! We really need only more of the

rarer colors, such as orange, light green, black, and especially any blues. Thanks in

advance for any of these!

Talent Art students also want to thank Tina Bonner in our cafeteria. She donated

mugs for the students to design and decorate, giving them a real world project in

the applied arts, and they really enjoyed it. For some, they were nice holiday gifts.

STAR TIGERS by Linda Patrick

Our School-Wide Positive Behavior System, usually shortened to PBS, focuses

on encouraging the ideals expressed in our TIGERS acronym. T-I-G-E-R-S ideal

behaviors are: being Thoughtful of others, Independence, thinking Globally,

being Engaged in learning, Responsibility, and Seriousness when using

technology.

Every week faculty and staff members nominate students who are deserving of

recognition for demonstrating these behaviors. These students are entered into a

drawing to select one Middle School and one High School Star Tiger for that week.

All nominees are announced and given a dollar coupon they may use at the

concession stand. The Star Tigers are given a special treat bag with a Star Student

“spirit monkey” and star tag. They are also given a ribbon sash to wear that day,

and may go to the front of the lunch line.

PBS also holds a quarterly Nachos Reward celebration, when all the Star Tiger

nominees from that quarter have nachos and downtime at the end of one school

day.

We have two Big Prize drawings, when all the Star Tiger nominees of the semester

are placed in a drawing at semester’s end. One Middle School and one High School

winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card each semester.

Taylor PBS seeks contributions and/or business partners to support these

endeavors! We are fortunate to have many students with positive behaviors, and

they appreciate these recognitions.

Students Will Represent Taylor at Metro Area Science Fair by Janell Simpson

Twenty- four high school students will compete in the Greater New Orleans Science

& Engineering Fair on February 19, 2014. Participants and their project titles follow:

9th Grade

Marco Flores - What is the effect of programming language choice on computer

memory usage?

Mason Varuso - What is the effect of porosity of rocks on the amount of oil stored

in rocks?

10th Grade

Justin Brown - What is the effect of the type of light bulb on temperature and

brightness?

Cameron Granger - What is the effect of colored light on the photosynthesis of

spinach leaves?

Jason Hall - What is the effect of latitude on the amount of erythemal radiation an

area receives?

Kiara Horton - What is the effect of voltage on the pH of an electrolyte?

Vy Mai - What is the effect of fat content of food on the calories produced when

food is burned?

Alexandra Miserendino - What is the effect of pH on the rate of fermentation of

grape juice?

Marissa Nguyen - What is the effect of greywater on the growth of Phaseolis

vulgaris?

Samuel Tejeda - What is the effect of materials used to block radio waves on the

distance traveled by a remote-controlled car?

Ariel Walker - What is the effect of the number of students on the amount of

carbon dioxide in a room?

Alexandra Walsh - What is the effect of riprap modification on erosion caused by

water?

11th Grade

Jose Alexander - How do insect populations differ on Bald Cypress and Swamp Red

Maples?

Quentin Andrus - What is the effect of a change in voltage on the temperature

gradient caused by the thermoelectric effect?

Madison Berard - What is the effect of facial symmetry on perceived traits of

human faces?

Morgan Brown - What is the effect of sea level rise on salinity levels of coastal

Louisiana?

Destiny Burnett - What is the effect of human development on vegetation health

as measured by LANsat imagery and spectroradiometric measurements?

Edward Johnson - What is the effect of electric current on magnetic field?

Alexandra Kirkland - What is the effect of microclimates surrounding a building on

insect populations?

Saraya Sibley - How do populations of Chinese tallow trees differ from populations

of native trees in disturbed and undisturbed environments?

John Tran - How have hurricanes affected the fishing industry in coastal Louisiana?

12th Grade

Imani Bell - How has the forensic science community responded to the epidemic of

synthetic marijuana use?

Paris Evans – How does canopy cover affect Salvinia spp. in Jean Lafitte National

Park?

Thomas Sostarics - What settings should a small business utilize for anti-spam

technologies?

ACT Prep by Kelly Maher

If you are college bound, you will almost certainly be required to take the ACT

Assessment. Almost all undergraduate colleges and universities require that

prospective students take either the ACT or the SAT, and most students take both.

There are a plethora of free and paid online tools available to help students prepare.

Below are a few of the free tools:

ACT Prep Resources

ACT TEST DATES and REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Test Dates and Registration Deadlines:

http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html.

Register for the test online at: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/index.html

The ACT also administers a separate test for Louisiana public schools in March. All

juniors and seniors will take the ACT in March at no cost to them. Louisiana test

dates can be found at: http://www.act.org/aap/louisiana/act.html

DAILY ACT TEST PREP

Number2.com: http://www.number2.com is a free service that provides students

with tutorials, practice questions and a vocabulary builder.

March to Success: https://www.march2success.com

McGraw-Hill Practice Plus: http://www.mhpracticeplus.com/act.php

OTHER RESOURCES

Ms. Kahn's ACT Prep Live

Binder: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?present=true&id=270535

Varsity Tutors: http://www.varsitytutors.com/practice-tests

Peterson’s Test Preparation ACT

http://www.petersons.com/testprep/default.asp?id=897&path=ug.pft.act

ACT

http://www.actstudent.org/

Sparknotes Online ACT Test Prep

http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/act/

Free Practice Questions provided by Barron’s Educational Series

http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=13

Test Prep Practice.net

http://www.testpreppractice.net/ACT/Free-Online-ACT-Practice-Tests.aspx

Learning Express (Jefferson Parish Public Library Card required)

http://www.learnatest.com/LEL/index.cfm/general

A Note from Maestro McCloskey

Greetings Everyone,

The second semester is off and running with a new group of beginning band

students. We have a very enthusiastic group who are showing a lot of promise in a

very short time.

The beginners are benefitting from the student leadership of Celia Zaeringer. As

many of you know Celia is an All-State trombone player and a fantastic musician.

She is a senior and has decided to enroll in band at the same time as the beginners

so she can help them with their new instruments. I truly appreciate Celia’s help and

willingness to mentor these young student musicians.

We have also been very busy with the District VI honor band tryouts. These

auditions are extremely competitive. I am pleased to announce that Quint Adkins

was named as the District VI Junior High Jazz Band drummer. He is the only

drummer in the jazz band and will be playing drum set and congas. This is a great

accomplishment, and we are all very proud of him. He will be performing with the

honor jazz band on Sunday February 9, 2014 at 2:00 pm at the Jesuit High School

auditorium. Everyone is welcome to attend!

PARADE TIME!

I’m sure that all the band parents are looking for the details for the parade…well

here they are.

Practices and Parade:

Tuesday 2/11/14 Drumline only

Wednesday 2/12/14 Full band and cheerleaders

Thursday 2/13/14 Full band and cheerleaders

Tuesday 2/18/14 Drumline only

Wednesday 2/19/14 Full band and cheerleaders

Thursday 2/20/14 Full band and cheerleaders

Friday 2/21/14 Excalibur Parade Rolls in Metairie

• All marchers, cheerleaders, chaperones, etc. meet in the band room (RM 103) at

4:00 pm for roll call.

• Band students will need a dress white button up shirt to wear as part of their

uniform (not a polo type). This year, students will be allowed to wear white athletic

shoes with their uniform instead of the white marching shoes.

• Sixth grade band students are strongly encouraged to march with us, but not

required to.

• We will ride to and from the parade in school busses. For safety reasons, all

students will be picked up from school.

I will be handing out parade packets this week, so be sure to ask your band student

about it! I am really looking forward to the parade and hope to see you all there.

Joyeux Mardi Gras,

Jean McCloskey

Directeur de Bande

Please Pardon my French!

Tidings from TechBytes by Ms. Kelly Maher

TED-Ed Clubs http://ed.ted.com/clubs

“Right now, there are countless young minds forming the ideas that will define our

future. TED-Ed Clubs invites and celebrates that future by providing teachers a tool

to nurture their students’ passions, and by providing students a platform to practice

presenting their ever-evolving ideas.

“Do you know a student with ‘big ideas’? TED-Ed Clubs provides an opportunity for

students to collaborate, explore, and deliver those thoughts. The goal is to young

people present their own short, TED-style talks, while their peers record and edit the

video.

“In today’s world, a person’s ability to effectively and creatively communicate their

ideas can be the difference between endless opportunities opened, and endless

opportunities missed,” said TED-Ed Director Logan Smalley in a press release

(eSchoolnews).

TED-Ed Clubs are open to students ages 8 through 18. Exceptional student talks

could potentially be nominated to be featured on the TED-Ed website, and these

students may be invited to attend and present at TED Youth conferences taking

place around the world.

If you are a student or you have a student who is interested, please contact, Kelly

Maher at: mailto:kmaher@pftsta.jppss.k12.la.us.

Some of my favorite TED Talks

TED Education

John McWhorter: Txtng is killing language.

JK!!!: http://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk.html

Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the Cloud:

http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud.html

Sugata Mitra's 5 favorite education talks:

http://www.ted.com/playlists/89/sugata_mitra_s_5_favorite_educ.html

Re-imagining school (12 talks):

http://www.ted.com/playlists/24/re_imagining_school.html

Ken Robinson: 10 talks on education:

http://www.ted.com/playlists/124/ken_robinson_10_talks_on_educ.html

TED Technology

Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology:

http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_tech

nology.html

Regina Dugan: From mach-20 glider to humming bird drone:

http://www.ted.com/talks/regina_dugan_from_mach_20_glider_to_humming_bird_

drone.html

Abha Dawesar: Life in the "digital now”:

http://www.ted.com/talks/abha_dawesar_life_in_the_digital_now.html

Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles”:

http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html

Gary Kovacs: Tracking our online trackers:

http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_kovacs_tracking_the_trackers.html

Avi Rubin: All your devices can be hacked

http://www.ted.com/talks/avi_rubin_all_your_devices_can_be_hacked.html

Danny Hillis: The Internet could crash. We need a Plan B:

http://www.ted.com/talks/danny_hillis_the_internet_could_crash_we_need_a_plan_

b.html

Yves Rossy: Fly with the Jetman:

http://www.ted.com/talks/yves_rossy_fly_with_the_jetman.html

Bruno Maisonnier: Dance, tiny robots!:

http://www.ted.com/talks/bruno_maisonnier_dance_tiny_robots.html

Kevin Allocca: Why videos go viral:

http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_allocca_why_videos_go_viral.html

Jay Silver: Hack a banana, make a keyboard!:

http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_silver_hack_a_banana_make_a_keyboard.html

David Pogue: 10 top time-saving tech tips:

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_pogue_10_top_time_saving_tech_tips.html

Juan Enriquez: Your online life, permanent as a tattoo:

http://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_how_to_think_about_digital_tattoos.html

Juan Enriquez: Will our kids be a different species?:

http://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_will_our_kids_be_a_different_species.html

Web Mastering by Kelly Maher

The Web Mastering students

have been studying digital

images, and creating their own

optimized original digital

graphics. I would like to thank

Mary Beth Oliver for helping us

connect with Andres Lugo, a

graphic designer and former

student of mine. Andres is

originally from New Orleans and

is currently based in Houston,

TX. Through a shared Google

Doc and Skype, he was able to

share his stories and his work.

The students were able to ask

questions about where he gets

his inspiration, his education,

development process, etc.

Andres also shared a plethora of

graphic design resources after

the event. Thank you, also, to Ms. Kahn for allowing us to invade the

library and for sharing her photo.

This month we will be shifting to the coding aspects of Web Mastering as students

learn HTML and CSS through Code Academy: http://www.codecademy.com/ and

other resources. Students will then learn and use a web authoring tool, such as

Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web, to create a Digital Portfolio.

Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 is currently installed on the students’ laptops. However,

Microsoft offers more current software, such as Visual Studio Professional 2013

Release Candidate to students at no cost on DreamSpark.com. With Visual Studio

Pro 2013, you can create amazing apps on Windows, Windows Phone, Office, the

web, or the cloud. If you are interested, please go to https://www.dreamspark.com/

to verify your student status.

Sixth Grade Field Trip by Lisa Valence

The sixth graders are studying propaganda in the language arts classes and bias in

math. As a real world activity, students visited the National World War II Museum to

study the propaganda posters of that era with Mrs. Bordelon, Mrs. Grindstaff, and

Mrs. Valence. Students had a docent led tour of the home front section, watched the

movie “Beyond All Boundaries,” and toured the propaganda exhibit.

National Honor Society by Nick Dang

The PFTSTA chapter of the National Honor Society has already gotten the ball rolling

on events in 2014. During the Martin Luther King break, several members

volunteered their afternoon off at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New

Orleans and Acadiana. The food bank is among the largest in the nation and has

served more than 22 million meals to those in need. At the warehouse, NHS

members helped to package food into boxes for distribution to more than 300

member agencies. Coming up on March 13 will be the National Honor Society

induction ceremony, where students who have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher will be

recognized and inducted into the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society. The

chapter is excited to welcome its new members. National Honor Society also has

events lined up for later in the year including Mission Ignition, a competition

between several schools in the Greater New Orleans area to promote service. Last

year, the event was able to donate service hours in equivalence to nearly $17,000

dollars and aims to triple that this year. Be on the lookout in Paw Prints for more

about this exciting event.

Taylor Athletes Join All-Star Team by Brad Womack

Each year the New Orleans Area Cross-Country team is assembled from the best

male and female high school runners in the area. This year, Seniors Stephen Torry

and Celia Zaeringer were named to the team -- a first for Patrick Taylor cross

country runners. Stephen won his first individual state championship at the state

championships in Natchitoches in November. He was also the leader of the school’s

first state championship team. Celia finished a successful high school cross-country

career with a Class B runner up finish. Both runners hope to continue to running on

the college level.

Community Service at Taylor by Lisa Valence

Many clubs are collecting to help others in our community. Wouldn't it be nice if

each family supported at least one cause!

Teens for Jeans - Donate old jeans for homeless youth.

Children's Books - NJHS is collecting books for a ninth ward school.

Ronald McDonald House - Small toiletries are needed.

Key Club - Money for Project Eliminate (Isn't that what they are doing pictures for?)

Blood Drive - February 14

Blood Drive by Kathy Guzman

Parents and Students,

What better way to show your LOVE to those in need, than donating blood?

Save the date! Our next Blood Drive is on Valentine’s Day from 8am-1pm. This

blood drive is open to anyone 16yrs and up. Please see the flyer at the end of this

newsletter for more information.

Co-op News by Jodi Wittliff, Co-op President

This Saturday, February 8th, join us for our huge party at Southport Hall! Doors open

at 7pm and the party will last until 11pm. This year we are holding a draw down

raffle with the chance of winning $10,000! Each raffle ticket is $100 and provides

entry for 1 person. Raffle tickets will be available until 8pm the day of the event.

Pre-sale of tickets to the party are only $40 and must be purchased by Friday,

February 7th. Tickets for the event only will be $50 at the door that night. There

will be opportunities to win terrific prizes and a Live Auction will be held at 9pm.

Each ticket includes delicious food, great drinks, and a live performance by the band

EPIC! I hope to see everyone there! For more information, please contact Ann

Harold at annharold7216@gmail.com or visit the school website at pftsta.com for

details about the Gala.

Join us on Tuesday, February 18th for a delicious way to raise money for our school!

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine in Metairie will donate 20% of what you spend that evening

back to the school. Please call the restaurant for a reservation at 504-885-2984.

Save your receipt and bring it to Mrs. Patricia in the school office so we can get

credit for it after your wonderful evening out!

Our next Co-op meeting is on March 20th. We will be electing the Co-op board for

the 2014-2015 school year. We are currently accepting nominations for all positions.

Please e-mail your nominations to pftstacoop@gmail.com. Now is your opportunity

to step up and assist in leading our school. Represent your kids, and leave your

legacy by taking on a leadership role!

As always, your input and comments are welcome. Many thanks to those of you who

have helped with the Gala. We look forward to the upcoming year and the many

new faces who get involved in helping enhance our children’s academic experiences.

Student Spotlight by Meghan Ritter

Eighth grade student Mahree Houston serves as an ambassador for Girl Up NOLA.

Girl Up NOLA is an organization developed by Cheryl Landrieu in 2012 who says on

the Girl Up NOLA website: “As First Lady of the City of New Orleans, I have been

given the opportunity to spend time with community leaders, teachers, families, and

children in neighborhoods across New Orleans. No matter where I go, I am most

encouraged by you, the girls of our city. You are our daughters and nieces, our

neighbors and students. Your spirit is contagious and your resilience is inspiring.

More than anything, your dreams and hopes are significant, and they deserve to be

heard, recognized, and supported.” Its goal is to empower young women from the

fifth to twelfth grades to achieve their goals through mentorship, service projects,

social events, and team-building activities. Mahree was selected to speak at the

United Healthcare's Phenomenal Women's Luncheon on December 11at the Ritz

Carlton where she shared her experiences of being part of Girl Up NOLA. We are so

proud of Mahree!

Honor Roll Students Middle School

PRINCIPAL

6th Grade

Yacoub Abdelbaqi

Ava Arabie

Hope Bass

Madison Bertucci

Carl Howell

Lindsey Laforge

Anthony Le

Naija Nelson

Bruce Quach

Chance Rodriguez

James Westman

Victoria Wilches

Sarah Yacoub

7th Grade

Jasmine McGowan

Judy Vu

8th Grade

Tiffany Quach

Shelby Ruiz

Johnny Thai

A HONOR ROLL

6th Grade

Shawn Anderson

Charles Bass

Nevaeh Bonck

Andrew Dinh

Kya Dykes

Kaitlyn Esneault

Ahmed Farhoud

Alexander Fryer

Emily Gibbons

Andrew Gironda

Ella Grindstaff

A'Maya Hill

Eduardo Jarquin

Ryunn Naquin

Ahmad Ottallah

Mackenzie Pierce

Gary Ramee

Alisa Salame

Colton Schnabel

Julian Simmons

Olivia Sonnier

William Warrick

Hannah Withrow

Elizabeth Womack

7th Grade

Yahya Abdelbaqi

Anjelika Adraneda

Hien Au

Ryan Boudreaux

Jameel Brown

Aliceon Clemmensen

Kathleen Dinh

Metaxenia Evangeloulis

Madeline Fryer

Alex Gelpi

Catherine Lam

Macy Laurent

Elizabeth Matthews

Austin McDonnell

Joshua Nguyen

Christian Otero

Hannah Porta

Zoey Prado

Christopher Totten

Liem Tran

Dustin Vo

Cameron Vo

8th Grade

Caudle Adkins

Taylor Andras

Paige Bass

Joseph Blanco

Gerald Blank

Bailey Bourgeois

Madeleine Brown

Elizabeth Bundick

Austin Burroughs

Charlie Clerk

Bryce Dillon

Joel Gabourel

Andres Gallardo

John Grindstaff

Colin Hebert

Claire Hudson

Jake Leblanc

Cameron Lumar

Devin Marque

Grayce Mores

Eduardo Paternostro

Harrison Reiner

Ozzie Ross

Dominic Scheurer

Brennan Silva

Laura Smith

Dylan Vo

B HONOR ROLL

6th Grade

David Abadie

Nadiya Clarke

Raven Hillard

Victoria Mordica

Ana Nacianceno

Logan Neese

Andreas Palmer

Kamryn Roane

Trevor Smith-James

Ibrahim Wehbe

Amaiya Williams

7th Grade

Bailey Andras

Keanu Bartolome

Haley Benoit

Ahmad Bradley

Ethan Bui

Dairon Diaz

Jackson Grisbaum

Rye Hazlett

Ayree Johnson

Domenic Mesa

Lauren Morrow

Khanh Tuong Nguyen

Hailey Parker

Betty Reyes

Virginia Steinkamp

Benjamin Tran

Andrew Varuso

Wyatt Wittliff

Jada Woodard

8th Grade

Andrew Demoulette

Lane Gagnard

Samantha Herman

Treyvor Hughes

Gavin Mahl

Corianna McDonald

Jackson Nieto

Marilyn Pati

Alexis Plunkett

Harrison Rosato

Willem VanderMeulen

Holly Wilkinson

High School

Principal

9th Grade

Michaela Brown

Kristen Clement

Marco Flores

Mustafa Hamed

Henry Hazlett

Hilary Keyes

Jessica Laurent

Meaghan Leonard

Gavin Morrow

Devin Nguyen

Stefan Suazo

Mason Varuso

Maryann Yacoub

10th Grade

Justin Brown

Brandon Bui

Darian Bunch

Gorium Bush

George Evangeloulis

Cameron Granger

Suliman Hamed

Kiara Horton

Justin Lightsey

Vy Mai

Solomon Mansfield

Alexandra Miserendino

Marissa Nguyen

Madison Pierce

Bill Romero

Rayne Torry

Ariel Walker

11th Grade

Madison Berard

Sydney Monix

Kayla Tarr

12th Grade

Nicklas Dang

Jacob Hebert

Mariam Kudsy

Melina Liriano

Abrania Marrero

Thomas Sostarics

Stephen Torry

Lauren Tran

Celia Zaeringer

A Honor Roll

9th Grade

Doanh Au

Kihren Campbell

Harris Dorado

Noah French

Benjamin Gagneaux

Olivia Gegenheimer

Rachel Indest

Raeven Mataya

Isabelle Ordonez

Dareana Roy

Soheil Saneei

Matthew Trochez

Nicholas Vo

Gabrielle Young

10th Grade

Alexander DuVernay

Jason Hall

Tyler Libert

Valerie Ruiz

Samuel Tejeda

11th Grade

Sarah Allred

Quentin Andrus

Destiny Burnett

Claire Commagere

Edward Johnson

Kirsten LeCompte

Brittany Lehmann

Dillon Nguyen

Tyler Nguyen

Kristen Stamp

Abdullah Syed

John Tran

Jazmine Wells

12th Grade

Jose Alexander

Imani Bell

Benny Boudreaux

Carson Chauvin

Micquel Downs

Paris Evans

Jasmyn Hall

Arielle Laurent

Kathleen McShane

Nicholas Melara

Louis Messina

Lee Montgomery

Ricky Nguyen

Mary Oliver

Alicia Tran

B Honor Roll

9th Grade

Elizabeth Baudoin

Michael Modica

10th Grade

Alexandra Compagno

Johann DeJesus

Ty Dugas

Baylor Evans

Keegan Falanga

Hayley Hughes

Tyson Kauffman

Chase LaPrime

Drew Ordoyne

Mark Parfait

Joye Pate

Thanh Pham

William Phillips

Dylan Vasquez

Terrance Williams

11th Grade

Warren Abadie

Colin Bardwell

Rachelle Bold

Courtney Cooper

Victoria Frentz

Jonathan Griffith

Alexandra Kirkland

Da'Nesha Tally

Erionne Walker

12th Grade

David Burns

Brandon Clancey

Nuri Melancon

Evan Michel

Sarah Morrison

Darla Nguyen

Alexandra Pollard

Madison Rolig

Kaylynn Tran