Zamboni- A School to Watch
On Friday, February 22, 2013 more than 1,000 students, teachers, staff, parents, and guests celebrated Frank J. Zamboni Middle School as it received one of only twelve “Schools to Watch” awards in California this year. Zamboni, or “the Mighty Z” as proud staff and
teachers sometimes call it, received the award from The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.
Donis Kelly, a Special Education Instructional Aide said it was fascinating to hear that Zamboni was one of seventy schools nationwide to receive this award.
The Schools to Watch award is given to schools after a rigorous process including a detailed application, a committee visit to every classroom, and interviews with teachers, staff, students, parents, district leaders, and community members. The criteria include academic excellence, responsiveness to the challenges
Zamboni Middle School Receives State Recognition!
Schools to Watch is a recognition program, similar to California Distinguished Schools, that recognizes middle schools that are academically excellent, socially equitable and have a culture of strong collaborative leadership. It is a highly selective process and few middle schools are given the Schools to Watch status.
In September, 2012 Zamboni Middle School submitted an application to be considered for the State’s Schools to Watch – Taking Center Stage recognition program. Zamboni was visited by the California Department of Education as the second phase of the application process. The CDE sent a team of five educators who spent a full day observing classrooms and interviewing students, parents, community members, administrators and teachers.
As the result of the high quality educational programs that Zamboni Middle School provides students they earned the award of being a middle
School to Watch. Zamboni is one of only twelve middle schools in California and the only middle school in Los Angeles County to receive this award this year.
On February 22, 3013 the school held a ceremony to honor their accomplishment which was attended by all 900 students, many parents, Zamboni staff, Board of Education members, city officials and Mr. Richard Zamboni. In late February Zamboni
principal Elizabeth Salcido and her team received an award presented at the National Middle School Conference held in Sacramento. In addition, they gave a presentation on their work which was attended by teachers and administrators from schools throughout the state.
Zamboni Middle School’s recent accomplishment is one of the many great things that are happening in Paramount!
of adolescent development, and social equity. Deb Meyers, Teachers Association of Paramount President, commented that many schools in Paramount are striving to meet these criteria, but that the lower class sizes at Zamboni due to the Quality Education Investment Act allow Zamboni teachers and staff to implement them effectively across the board.
Additional guests included representatives of the Zamboni family and corporation, community leaders, and all five members of the Paramount Unified School District’s Board of Education. Dean Vogel, President of the California Teachers’ Association attended and visited classrooms after the event. Many parents, PUSD administrators, and others were present as well. Two former Principals of Zamboni School were also in attendance; Delores Stephens and Richard Morgan.
Eighth grader Paola Silva led the Pledge of Allegiance and the celebration’s Master of Ceremonies was Eloisa Carlos, a 7th grade student. Music was provided by the excellent Zamboni band and choir directed by Randall Reza. Zamboni cheerleaders and the Paramount High School JROTC added to the excitement felt by students who waved red and blue pompoms and applauded at every opportunity. PUSD Superintendent David Verdugo welcomed the
enthusiastic audience and Board of Education President Vivian Hansen also offered her congratulations. Speakers included Student Council President Elisa Gallardo, parent Angela Betton, and PreAlgebra teacher Marya Hughes. Also representing parents was Alberto Villegas whose 8th grade son Daniel translated for him. Elisa pointed out that teachers gave credit to the students and students gave credit to the teachers for earning the Schools to Watch award. RSP teacher Ashley Luchessi said of Elisa “her speech was touchingespecially everything she said about family.”
The award was officially presented by Dr. Irvin Howard, the President of the National Forum who, according to Erick Duarte, 7th grader, “was so proud he almost started to cry.” Dr. Howard told the crowd that the whole Schools to Watch team knew immediately after the visit in December that Zamboni would be selected, and that the only question they asked was “why didn’t we know about this sooner?” Elizabeth Salcido, Principal of Zamboni Middle School, accepted the award and expressed her appreciation for all the hard work of teachers, staff, and students. Presenters and invited guests enjoyed a reception catered by PUSD food services after the ceremony.
Teresa Kugler Teacher
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATES
Visual and Performing Arts are a Grand Success
Major Lynn Mokler School has had a busy month in regards to the arts. With the 18th Traditional Artist Guild (TAG) student art show, The Music Centers’ third grade dance program, and an Earth Day assembly; students at Mokler School had multiple opportunities to shine.
The TAG art show is a District-wide program in which students from kindergarten through the adult school submit original artwork in a variety of mediums for recognition in several categories. This year of the 1486 entries, forty-two were from Mokler students. Third grade students Miranda Orozco and Leilani Breshers earned honorable mentions for their efforts.
AnnMarie Medina was the recipient of the Principal’s Award for her entry of the Giant Elephant. Fifth grader David Sainz earned fourth place at his grade level for Starry Night. Ashley Alvarez, a third grade student was recognized as a second place finisher for her piece inspired by Pablo Picasso. And finally, fifth grade student Melissa Yepez was honored as the overall third place winner of the Chairman’s Award with her version of Bamboo.
Third grade students were fortunate enough to participate in a dance program provided through The Music Center. With performance instructor, Lynnanne HansonMiller, our third grade teachers and students learned dances from around the world. Their culminating event was a performance for parents in which all third grade students performed two dances and then danced with
their parents. This was a well-attended event that was enjoyed by all involved.
Lastly, The Music Center provided our entire student population with three performances of We Tell Stories. Students became members of the performing group as they helped to solve problems involving the Earth and its resources. The lessons learned included the need to give back to the Earth in order to maintain our natural resources for future generations. Students in grades K-5 were entertained, and best of all… made keenly aware of current issues facing our environment.
Thanks to all of the support we have received from TAG, The Music Center and the Paramount Unified School District; the students from Major Lynn Mokler School have enjoyed the experiences of art, dance, and theatre with fond memories of each.
Michele Dutton, Principal
Learning Center Parent Conferences at Jefferson
Forty-one parents attended the Learning Center Parent Conferences to meet with Ms. Teng, Instructional/Intervention Coach; Mrs. Calvert, RSP Teacher; Ms. Vazquez, Intervention Teacher; Mrs. Mio, Principal; the classroom Teacher; and other support staff as needed. Parents had the opportunity to learn about their child’s mid-year progress in the Learning Center and in their regular classroom, and what support they could provide from home. Students’ academic and social strengths and needs were discussed, and student work was shared. There was powerful collaborative support as the classroom teacher, parent, and
Learning Center Team made a commitment to goals and next steps for the child.
Some of the students have attended the Learning Center for three years, and there is a strong sense of trust between the parents and our teachers. As students strengthen their fluency, spelling, and comprehension skills, they have also gained self-confidence and motivation. The communication and collective efforts between school and home are making a difference for our students’ progress and success!
Yuki Mio, Principal
West Campus JROTC Out Shines the Rest at Rookie Drill Competition
In December of 2012, 40 freshmen JROTC cadets competed at a Rookie Drill Competition at Katella High School in Anaheim. These 40 Paramount High School West Campus students made up the majority of the JRTOC rookie Pirate team. These Pirate rookies dominated the competition by placing in five of the nine events.
Master Sergeant Dannie Brayboy, the ninth grade instructor, was very proud of his freshmen. He stated, “Throughout their training we always stressed and impressed upon them the importance of teamwork. ‘One team, one drill’ is our motto and on the day of competition, they truly lived up to our motto.” Brayboy went on to state that every command was executed to perfection by the Pirate rookie team. Principal Mr. Kosareff had this to say about the ninth grade JROTC instructor, “The work that Sargent Brayboy does with our freshman cadets amazes me on an almost daily basis. He is an important member of our school community and is helping to transform our students into dedicated and disciplined young men and women.”
West Campus cadets placed in the following events:
Unarmed Drill Team (10 Students)
Inspection Drill 1st
Regulation Drill 2nd
Armed Drill Team (13 Students)
Regulation Drill 2nd
Inspection Drill 3rd
Free Style Drill Team (12 Students) 2nd
As part of the Unarmed Drill Team and Armed Drill Team, the marching units perform routines based on basic military drills. The Freestyle Drill Team, has cadets marching routines in a rhythmic manner by creating beats with their hands and feet.
Earlier this year at the Troy High School JROTC Athletic Meet in October, the Pirates earned trophies in seven of eight events and placed sixth out of 26 schools in the overall competition. Seventy percent of the cadets competing at Troy were West Campus freshmen. According to Brayboy, the JROTC freshmen made history in placing at the meet’s events as PHS had never previously earned an award at Troy. Brayboy commented, “When it comes to the freshmen I’m always surprised as they are new to the JROTC regiment.” He went on to comment that the freshmen had only been in JROTC for six weeks when they competed and placed at Troy.
Paramount Unified School District
Registration for the 2013-14 school year began on March 18, 2013 for Pre-School/Transitional Kindergarten(TK)/Kindergarten Students
Pre-School Program
Children are eligible for Preschool if their fourth birthday is on or before October 1, 2013. Call (562) 602-6900 for more information.
Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
Children are eligible for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) if their fifth birthday falls between October 2 and December 2 for the 2013-14 school year. The Transitional Kindergarten program will be offered at five locations: Collins, Gaines, Lincoln, Tanner and Roosevelt.
Traditional Kindergarten
Do you have a child who will be five years old on or before October 1, 2013? If so, registration began March 18, 2013 at your designated school.
Collins K-5 (562) 602-8008
Gaines K-3 (562) 602-8012
Jefferson K-5 (562) 602-8024
Keppel K-5 (562) 602-8028
Lincoln K-5 (562) 602-8036
Los Cerritos K-5 (562) 602-8040
Mokler K-5 (562) 602-8044
Roosevelt K-5 (562) 602-8056
Tanner K-5 (562) 602-8060
Wirtz K-5 (562) 602-8068
Hollydale K-8 (562) 602-8016
To enroll in our Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten program, you will need verification of residency within the Paramount Unified School District boundaries, original documentation of birth certificate, current immunizations and parent will need to provide current identification.
Pirates Shine at the Rotary Club Contest
PHS seniors Brandon DeSiqueira, Benjamin Rocha, along with sophomore Josh Flores will be advancing to the next round of the Rotary Club Student Contest. The Rotary Club is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Locally our Paramount Rotary Club provides consistent support of PHS students and annually contributes many scholarships to members of the Senior Class. This contest served as another example of their constant support of PHS students.
The local student contest series is hosted each year by the Rotary Club of Paramount. Along with advancing to the next level, the winning students also receive a cash prize. There are three different areas that the students may enter: art, music and speech. The Music competition is an open forum and the students may choose any piece. Josh chose to play his guitar and performed an
amazing version of the song, Hallelujah. The audience was captivated by his voice and stage presence. The art and speech contest students were asked to choose a challenge within their community and tie it to the Rotary Four-Way Test: Of the things we the things we think, say, and do is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and better friendships? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Benjamin sparked great interest from the group with his art piece, which could best be described as an amazing display of composition and theme. In the speech contest, Brandon spoke out about the current government stale mate and won the judges over with his strong voice and flawless delivery. All three gentlemen will move on to the next round of competition which will be held at Loyola Marymount University later this month.
Autumn Lovin-Bignami, PHS Activities Director
Paving the Road to Common Core Implementation in Mathematics
The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, the product of a major, state-led initiative, present an extraordinary opportunity for districts across the country to move to higher levels of achievement for all students. These rigorous standards will require that districts reevaluate how students engage with, learn and demonstrate understanding of mathematics in order to prepare them for success in college and careers in a quickly changing world.
This school year, the Paramount Unified School District has taken some initial steps toward its Common Core journey. Lead teachers throughout the district have begun piloting lessons and strategies in their mathematics classes that align to the Common Core’s Standards for Mathematical Practice. These standards describe ways in which developing “practitioners” of mathematics should increasingly engage with the math content as they grow in their expertise throughout their educational careers. They enable students to apply mathematics to practical situations and build on processes and proficiencies that provide students with opportunities to persevere in problem solving, construct viable arguments, critique the reasoning of others and attend to precision.
Selected teachers representing grades 3-5 in all elementary schools in the District have begun implementing Problem of the Day. This instructional component of the math lesson involves a structured and predictable learning process. The teacher begins by modeling a math problem utilizing the Understand-Plan-Solve-Check
Superintendent’s Message:
American Cancer Society Relay For Life
The American Cancer Society will be coordinating and facilitating this years Annual Paramount “Relay For Life” on Saturday and Sunday May 18th and 19th at Paramount Park near the corner of Paramount Blvd. and Rosecrans Ave. The program will begin on Saturday at 9:00 a.m.
with relays, events, programs and special presentations ending on Sunday.
This wonderful and very important “Relay For Life” program helps raise funds that support American Cancer Society’s life-saving mission. It also provides our community to come together for fun-filled, overnight activities that educate people about cancer and healthy behaviors.
Please plan on joining me as we celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost and fight back this disease. Participants walk or run around a track or path to raise funds that help the American Cancer Society save lives and
create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.
Please watch for more information from your child’s school site about how you can get involved and become part of our team dedicated to saving lives.
On behalf of our Board of Education and myself, I want to say thank you for your commitment to making a difference.
Please consider participating. For more information, please visit www. RelayForLife.org/ParamountCA.
David J. Verdugo, Ed.D. Superintendent
Los Cerritos Hosts a Dr.
Seuss Birthday Celebration
(UPSC) strategy, a structure that facilitates comprehension of key and relevant information. Students proceed to work independently to solve a similar problem using the UPSC strategy, collaborate with a partner to verify their thinking and solution, and then share their responses with the class. Next year, the plan is for pilot teachers to share their knowledge and expertise in Problem of the Day with their grade-level peers so all grades 3-5 teachers will begin implementation. During this time, the pilot teachers will also begin the next phase of implementation which includes guided note-taking and a cooperative learning model.
Also this year, the District’s 6-12 Common Core math lead teachers will teach a Common Core-aligned instructional unit. These lessons promote a problem-solving approach that engages students in inquiry, prompting them to build on and improve their knowledge as they construct explanations and engage in student discussions. The teacher’s skillful questioning plays a vital role in this context, helping students to identify thinking processes, to see the connections between ideas, and to build new understanding as they attempt to solve problems logically and reasonably.
Paramount Unified School District is excited about the progress teachers are making towards instructing students to become proficient mathematical thinkers in order to prepare them for the 21st century.
Kelly Morales Curriculum Specialist
Los Cerritos’ students and staff hosted a birthday celebration in honor of Dr. Seuss on March 7th. Invited guests included The Cat in The Hat, Thing I and Thing II, and even The Grinch made a special appearance. It was a day full of exciting activities to promote the joy of reading.
The day began with a delicious breakfast of “green eggs and ham”(a Cat in The Hat favorite) prepared by our wonderful food services staff. After breakfast, students returned to their classrooms and a day full of reading activities began. In the morning, students were read
Dr. Seuss classics such as Fox in Socks, Hop on Pop, Horton Hears a Who, The
Lorax, and many other great stories. Guest readers included The Cat in The Hat, Thing I and Thing II and The Grinch.
In the afternoon, all students participated in the “All Read”. Each upper grade student was partnered with a lower grade student. They then read one of the many Dr. Seuss’ classics to their partners. Students used their great fluency skills to bring each story to life. All students did a great job and had lots of fun.
The day ended with all students receiving a gift bag of Dr. Seuss items including a book, bookmark and reading log. It was a great day filled with lots of activities to help promote the joy of reading.
WALKING SAFELY
These student safety guidelines were developed by Paramount Unified School District. Please review the following safety precautions with your children:
• Do not speak to strangers.
• Do not walk alone, particularly in isolated areas not intended for walking, especially along the railroad tracks.
• Use the appropriate dismissal gates, ones where there is supervision.
• Walk in areas where you can be seen by others.
• Travel in groups whenever possible.
• Report any suspicious behavior school authorities and the Paramount Sheriff Station at (562) 220-2002, Lakewood Sheriff Station at (562) 623-3500, Long Beach Police at (562) 570-9800 (Collins School) or South Gate Police at (323) 563-5400.
Please remind your children to be careful and constantly aware of their surroundings.
Fifth grade students in Mrs. Hammond’s class were reading partners to the first grade students in Mrs. Wood’s class during a day long celebration of Dr. Seuss’ Birthday at Los Cerritos Elementary School.
PHS Teacher Presents at a International Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorder
My name is Alexander Mario Blum, and I am a special education language arts teacher at Paramount High School. I also recently graduated with my Masters in Special Education from California State University, Los Angeles. Throughout my graduate program I was constantly trying to apply what I was learning to my teaching practices. One area I focused particularly on was reading comprehension skills for students, particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I wrote a thesis that suggested evidence for using comic strips, or graphic novels, as a tool for reading comprehension. I then took my findings and presented it at the Hawaii International Conference on Education. It was an amazing experience where I had the opportunity to meet and talk with people who work in all sorts of areas of education; anything from principals, special education teachers, general education teachers, and so on. I was able to see innovative practices being developed and motivated minds ready to share.
I had the opportunity to present information on how comic strips can be an effective tool for reading comprehension for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Students struggle with reading comprehension for a variety of reasons. It can be anything from the difficulty of the text, to the interest and enjoyment one has when reading. In either event, students will face challenges throughout their progress in their educational career. For the population of learners with ASD, there must be alternative means of educating these students in order for them to succeed in reading comprehension and motivate
them to learn. Every student is unique, and thus no one student learns the same as the other. We cannot rely on outdated traditional instructional techniques to keep up with the ever-changing population of students.
Comics can help motivate readers, and change negative perceptions towards reading. Since it has been suggested that comics are enjoyable, easier to understand, and elicits more correctly answered comprehension questions comics can be an excellent tool to differentiate instruction to bridge the gap for students with ASD who are performing below their grade level in reading comprehension.
Alexander Blum Teacher
Celebrating Paramount Athletics
It’s time to celebrate Paramount Athletics and the accomplishments of the Paramount pirate athletes!
Congratulations to the Varsity Girls’ Tennis team who took league championships and were powered by their #1 doubles team Bianca Felix and Mayra Briones who ended league with a 69-0 record and were granted First Team honors by the Press Telegram and included on the Girls’ Tennis Press Telegram Dream Team.
Paramount Football League Champs propelled to the first round of CIF playoffs and Deonte Dixon, Devonte Dixon, Junior Gallardo, Alex Turner, Tyrell Davis, Brian Fineanganofo, Jeneum Toalipai, and Manny Vega received San Gabriel Valley All League honors. The San Gabriel Valley League Defensive Player of the Year was given to Joe Brown and Offensive Player of the Year was awarded to Chris Borrayo. Senior, Chris Borrayo, has verbally committed to the University of California, Berkeley on a full athletic scholarship and he has earned many honors for his talents including 1st team All Area in the Press Telegram.
Kudos to the Girls’ Volleyball team who qualified for CIF playoffs and congrats to seniors Tanayri Novoa, Paramount Most Valuable Player, and Monica Caporal, Paramount Best Defensive Player of the Year, who were selected to the All League team. In Boys’ Water Polo, Luis Lazcano was voted as a member of the All League team and in Cross Country Justine Padilla served as pivotal runner for the season and we look forward to future contributions from this up-and-coming freshman athlete.
In winter sports, congratulations to senior, Ana Garcia, and junior, Margarita Borrayo, who placed 3rd in weight class in both the Megatron and South Hills Tournaments. In Girls’ Soccer, both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams were the 2012 San Pedro Tournament Champions! Way to Go Pirates!
On the Boys’ Basketball team, champions of the Century Tournament, Most Valuable Player was awarded to Greg Moore and both Kenneth Woods and Brian Fineanganofo earned All Tournament honors. The Boys’ Basketball team took 3rd place in the Valley Christian Tournament and All Tournament honors were awarded to Jonathan Fleming and Greg Moore.
With so much success from the Paramount High School athletic programs, we look forward to future spring competition including Baseball, Softball, Track & Field, Swim, Boys’ Volleyball and Boys’ Tennis. Thank you for your continued support of Paramount Athletics and go pirates!
Annual Rotary Student Forum
The Annual Rotary Student Forum, sponsored by the Paramount Rotary Club, Paramount Unified School District and Paramount Petroleum took place on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Students from Paramount High School and Buena Vista High School came together and were provided an opportunity to discuss their opinions about debatable topics taking place in today’s world.
This year’s topics for discussion included Gun Control, Woman in Combat,
National Debt, Illegal Immigration, and Ethics. Each question was to be discussed for fifteen minutes and the judging was based on three categories that included Best Creative Idea, Most Distinguished Leader, and Most Inspirational. Each Category consisted of one grand prize cash winner of $50 and this year’s winners were: Seraina Aguilar-Best Creative Idea, Kevin McKown-Most Distinguished Leader, and Jacob Guzman- Most Inspirational.
PHS Pirate Success
Winter sports at Paramount High School have come to an end. The Pirates experienced great success in both boys and girls soccer and in wrestling. This season saw our boys soccer team capture the San Gabriel Valley League Championship and advance to quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs. Our girls soccer team finished in third place and advanced to the CIF playoffs, winning their first round game. Wrestling captured the league title for the first time since 1995. With all these great team accomplishments a number of individual athletes were honored with All League selections.
Despite not making the playoffs our girls and boys basketball teams saw one of their players honored on the San Gabriel Valley All League team. In girls basketball junior Tracy Shumpert was named first team. In boys basketball senior Brian Fineangonofo was named first team All League. In boys soccer, seniors Brian Velez and Juan Ortega were named CoMost Valuable players of the league. First team selections were Sophomore Alfredo Garcia and seniors Tyrone Pitter, Edgar Lopez, Danny Garcia, Daniel Romero,
and Frank Perez. In girls soccer, first team selections went to Sophomore Jackie Garcia, Junior Kelsey Rosas, and seniors Stephanie Estrada and Stephanie Pech. In wrestling, eight members of the team captured individual league championships. 120 pounds went to Steve De Leon, 145 went to Jose Estrada, 160 went to Alfonso Robles, 170 went to Jaycob Martinez, 182 went to Kevin Uriarte, 195 went to Michael Alvarenga, 220 went to Noe Sandoval and 285 went to Chris Borrayo. All advanced to the CIF individual championships. In the CIF championships, senior Chris Borrayo captured the 285 pound division 4 title and Sophomore Noe Sandoval finished in the top 8. Both advanced to the Masters meet and finished in the top 8. They both have advanced to the state championships. This year also saw two Paramount girl wrestlers advance to CIF. Senior Ana Garcia was the CIF runner up and Junior Margarita Borrayo finished 7th. Both advanced to the state tournament. Congratulations to all these athletes. You have made Paramount High School proud. GO PIRATES!!