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EYE ON EDUCATION A Publication of the Paramount Uniﬁed School District

15110 CALIFORNIA AVE., PARAMOUNT, CA 90723 • TEL: 562-602-6000 • FAX: 562-634-6029

AUGUST 2009

Talented 8th Grade Class of 2009

amily, friends and staff members gathered on the front lawn of Captain Raymond Collins School, on the morning of June 18, to celebrate the achievements of the multi-talented Collins 8th Grade Class of 2009. Medals and certiﬁcates of achievement were presented as follows: • Language Arts: Tori Harris, Janine Juarez, Valentino Luafalemana, Yesenia Padilla, Kristian Santos • Mathematics: Xavier Aldana, Valentino Laufalemana, Yesenia Padilla, Lexie Sullivan • Science: Tori Harris, Janine Juarez, Valentino Laufalemana, Marleny Partida, Kristian Santos, Lexie Sullivan • Social Science: Tori Harris, Janine Juarez, Valentino

Laufalemana, Yesenia Padilla Osbeli Salazar, Lexie Sullivan • Physical Education: Ronald Armstrong, Janine Juarez, Vanity Lebeau, Valentino Luafalemana • Workability Program: Johnny Allen, Roberto Picazo, Jesus Valdez • Super Reader: Mariel Alarcon, Xavier Aldana, Diego Alvarado, Ronnie Amascual, Racine Arguello Ronald Armstrong, Elizabeth Barraza, Genesis Beltran, Erika Brambila, Essence Brown, Michael Clark, Valerie Delgadillo, Noemi Delgado, Eric Ellis, Dulce Felix, Erica Ferrel, Eduardo Gomez, Tori Harris, Kevin Henriquez, Jovita Hernandez, Janine Juarez, DeAndre Knighten, Annel Labrador, Vanity Lebeau, Valentino Luafalemana, Ju-

lizna Maidana, Alex Melendez, Jose Miranda, Nohely Olvera, Kasandra Padilla, Yesenia Padillo, Marleny Partida, Darshan Patel, Jessica Perea, Ramon Peraza, Daniel Ramirez, Jesus Ramos, Kendale rice, Alexandra Rodriguez, Paul Rubio, Osbeli Salazar, Eberardo Sanchez, Martin Sanchez, Kristian Santos, Vantashia Smith, Lexie Sullivan, Edson Torres, Arturo Trejo, Christine Weisberger, Annastia Williams • Great Strides: Eric Ellis, Alexandra Rodriguez • Perfect Attendance: Ronnie Amascual, Janine Juarez, Valentino Laufalemana, Juliana Maidana • Outstanding Citizenship: Yesenia Padilla • Academic Honor Roll: Mariel Alarcon, Valerie Del-

GATE Olympics

Paramount Unified School District’s Gifted and Talented Education program is designed to meet students’ educational needs through differentiated instruction and program enhancement. GATE students have been identified as having heightened abilities in leadership, intelligence, academic aptitude, creativity, or visual, musical, or performing arts. On June 9th, Lincoln School held its 1st annual GATE Olympics. About 100 GATE students in grades 3 through 8 put their talents together as they worked in teams to solve logic puzzles, answer general knowledge questions, and build the tallest free standing structure

using only paper and scotch tape. With only minutes allowed per question, each team tallied up points by correctly answering as many questions as they could. After the ﬁnal round of events, gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the three teams with the most points. Teamwork, organization, and diligence were the keys to a fun-ﬁlled and successful competition. Lincoln School looks forward to more exciting and challenging activities to stimulate the GATE students next year. Michael Naruko Lincoln Coach

gadillo, Eric Ellis, Alexandra Rodriguez, Xavier Aldana, Ronald Armstrong, Tori Harris, Janine Juarez, Annel Labrador, Vanity Lebeau, Valentino Luafalemana, Kasandra Padilla, Yesenia Padilla, Marleny Partida, Osbeli Salazar, Kristian Santos, Lexie Sullivan • Principal’s Awards: Valentino Luafalemana, Kristian Santos, Janine Juarez The highlight of the event was the presentation of the President’s Education Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement and Outstanding Academic Excellence. These were historic awards in that the 2009 President’s Education

Awards were the ﬁrst awarded in President Barack Obama’s presidency. The following students received certiﬁcates with embossed presidential seals, presidential pins, and letters from President Barack Obama congratulating them on receiving the President’s Education Award. • President’s Education Awards: Tori Harris, Osbeli Salazar, Yesenia Padilla, Kasandra Padilla, Lexie Sullivan, Janine Juarez, Ronald Armstrong, Xavier Aldana, Valentino Luafalemana, Vanity Lebeau, Kristian Santos, Christine Weisberger, Marleny Partida, Valerie Delgadillo.

A New Day A Paramount Park School

Established in 1998, Paramount Park School educated and serviced students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Through the collaborative efforts of the staff and community, a positive school culture was established and sustained for the past eleven years. The students of Paramount Park exhibited pride in their school as they ﬂourished academically and socially. In August 2009, our commitment to excellence will continue as we ofﬁcially convert to Paramount Park Middle School. Our new middle school will service students in grades six through eight. As we embark on this new journey, we will remain committed to the characteristics that contributed to our school’s success for over ten years. We will continue to establish and uphold high academic and behavioral expectations for all students and staff members. We will maintain a clean and safe learning environment that will allow students to focus on

academics. Most of all, we will continue to collaborate with parents and the community in order to promote open communication and teamwork. Paramount Park Middle School will offer increased opportunities for the students to get involved academically and socially. Students will have the chance to expand their knowledge in areas of interest by enrolling in elective classes such as: band, art, music, foreign language, and technology. In addition, students will be encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities such as: organized sports, cheerleading, science club, and MESA. At Park Middle School, we will continue the tradition of striving for excellence in everything we do. The administration and experienced faculty members will work endlessly to make the “Home of the Panthers” a great place to acquire the skills needed to ensure success in high school and beyond.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATES August 25, 2009 - September 8, 2009 Board of Education meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the District Ofﬁce, 15110 California Avenue, Paramount, and are open to the public

Eye On Education

Survey Says… Top 4 Reasons Los Cerritos’ End o f Year Bash Hit the Jackpot

Two hours on the clock as Los Cerritos set out to celebrate as a K-8 staff for the very last time. Anticipation, excitement, sadness and a little healthy competition were all bottled together as staff members walked into a Family Feud themed multipurpose room, complete with a game show set. Over 50 teachers were surveyed and the top 4 reasons given for the success of the event were as follows: Enrique’s catering, video montage, Family Feud game, and retirement ceremony honoring Deborah Baughman. So now let’s start the Los Cerritos Family Feud Luncheon recap! Beginning the event meant playing and not passing up on the fabulous Mexican ﬁesta catered by our local Enrique’s restaurant. Staff members, famished from foregoing their usual lunch time, dug into cheese and chicken enchiladas, rice and beans, chips and salsa, and salad with the famous cilantro dressing. The room quieted down for a brief moment with the sounds of forks fastidiously

scooping and scraping. Amid bites, 6-8 teacher Stephanie Alexis summed it up best by saying, “Man deﬁnitely cannot survive on cafeteria food alone.” Then as quickly as the quiet came, it was gone with the premiere of the Los Cerritos video montage. Not a strike on the board as OCR coach Jill Hammond debuted her now celebrated video montage. The movie featured a compilation of memorable events throughout the years such as Read Night, Dunk Tank, Teacher vs. Student softball, Holiday program, and Teacher Idol performance and karaoke which honored Teacher of the Year Art Luna. No staff member was safe and dare I say no administrator, with the video culmination of what could only be called a very “spirited” dance performance by Mrs. Hammond behind the unsuspecting back of Principal Liz Salcido. “I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. We truly are our own reality show,” said third grade teacher Monica

SCHOOL STARTS AUGUST 26 Do you have a child who will be ﬁve years old on or before December 2? If so, have you registered him for Kindergarten? All of our schools are now accepting registration packets for new students, at any grade. You will need proof of residency and personal identiﬁcation to register. If you have questions as to which school you belong or you need a school address or phone number, please call Student Services at 602-6035 for information.

Sanchez. The laughs kept coming as staff members were directed to the front of the room to begin our last ever K-8 “feud”. The feud game opened up to much applause with Los Cerritos “families”, the K-3 Lil Pups pitted against the 4-8 Big Dogs. Jill Hammond, channeling former Family Feud host Richard Dawson, made her way around the tables greeting, kissing and questioning the ten teacher volunteers. All questions were centered around a teaching/school theme, such as, “name an item teachers can’t live without” and the favorite, “name a staff member who should be on a reality show.” 6-8 teacher, John Otte, brought down the house with his timeless response to the question, “Who’s late to school?” by saying, “I don’t know because I’m always the last one to get here!” The winning team, the 4-8 Big Dogs, found themselves in the Fast Money round with 15 seconds on the clock and a slew of questions focused solely on retiring teacher Deborah Baughman. They came up

short, but it was a hilarious lead into our retirement ceremony to honor Mrs. Baughman. After 23 years of service, Los Cerritos staff bid adieu to Deborah Baughman in a touching ceremony. Principal Liz Salcido presented Deborah Baughman with the district retirement bell and certiﬁcate and ﬁrst grade teacher Elaine Lopez gifted her with a memory book from staff and students. Funny tidbits were shared about Deborah by close colleagues, such as Janet Wardell who said, “Deborah is so helpful. She’ll come over and help you even if you don’t know you need the help.” Even Mrs. Baughman’s family, her two daughters, son in law and grandkids, joined in on the fun by sharing family anecdotes. Deborah closed by saying a few words about her joy at working with staff members. Cake was served and the party came to a close. Our “feud” was over and Los Cerritos was a family once more. Lisa Wood

Paramount High School’s Boys Varsity Swimming Team

We’ll see you on the 25th of August.

Eye On Education is a monthly Publication of the Paramount Uniﬁed School District Board of Education Sonya Cuellar, President Alicia Linden-Anderson, VP/Clerk Linda Garcia, Member Vivian Hansen, Member Tony Peña, Member District Superintendent David J. Verdugo, Ed.D.

Good things are happening in Paramount Schools

Eye On Education Editor-Nancy Smith Paramount Uniﬁed School District 15110 California Ave., Paramount, CA (562) 602-6000 • Fax (562) 634-6029

At a recent Board of Education meeting, Superintendent David Verdugo introduced Coach Roberto Guerrero who highlighted the Varsity Boys Swim Team’s past season winning their second San Gabriel Valley League Title. Superintendent Verdugo and the Board members congratulated the team on their accomplishments: Cesar Barrera, Joel Bautista, Jose Duenas, Edwin Escamilla, Isaiah Fairbanks, Michael Figueroa, Edgar Garcia, Sergio Garcia, Ethan Gilham, Luis Gomez, Timothy Goodner, Andrew Juhasz, William Lagos, Jorge Montoya, Bryan Nettles, Hugo Nunez, Edsson Paz, Fausto Perez, Gustavo Perez, and Oscar Rendon.

Eye On Education

Superintendent’s Message:

2009-10 Administrator Assignments and Counselors It gives me a great deal of pleasure to announce the school site principal and Assistant Principal assignments for the 2009-10 school year. Since this year is the year that K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 reconﬁguration took place it established an opportunity to assign personnel which will continue to support and enrich our students

and schools. In addition, I am happy to announce that the school district will once again provide a school site coun-

selor at all school sites. Our Board of Education clearly recognizes the value and support that our counselors bring to each school site. Their work with

our children is truly appreciated. David J. Verdugo, Ed.D. Superintendent

Congressional Arts Competition Winners

Jackson School Student Writing Award

Three Paramount High School students from Mr. Yakubovsky’s photography class participated in a recent Congressional Arts competition sponsored by Senator Linda Sanchez. Over 150 entries were submitted from the 39th Congressional District

Interim Principal Lisa Nunley introduced Ilene Calderon, Jackson School student at a recent Board of Education meeting. Ilene participated in the NCTE Promising Young Writers Program. Schools nominated 487 students for the 2009 program and 163

and Paramount High School students Brenda Zambrano, 2nd place; Elizabeth Collazo, 3rd place; and Alfonzo Peña, honorable mention were recognized. The Superintendent and Board members congratulated the students on their achievement.

Attendance Counts Dear Parents, Students usually begin each new school year with excitement and enthusiasm, even if they don’t show it to adults. The anticipation of new classes, new friendships and renewing old friendships provides real motivation for daily attendance at school during those ﬁrst few weeks. Unfortunately, after a brief time some students, particularly those in the middle school grades and those who are having dif-

ficulty with lessons, become careless about regular school attendance. Missing a few classes does not seem to be a big “deal” to them. Sometimes it might seem insigniﬁcant to parents as well. However, regular attendance at school is important for every student. It is difﬁcult for young students to learn if they are not in class. The teaching/learning process builds upon itself – each lesson presented to students is based upon or related to the les-

sons that were taught earlier. Just as we can never regain a moment of time wasted, the child who misses a day of school also misses a day of education that cannot be retrieved. Indeed, all research shows that those children who attend school regularly are more likely to be successful during their school years. From experience, most educators know that students’ success in their school years is directly related to the importance that parents

were chosen as outstanding writers. Ilene was one of only four California students to be honored as a promising young writer. The Superintendent and Board of Education members congratulated Ilene and given a Certiﬁcate of Achievement.

attach to education. When parents believe that consistent attendance is important and communicate that belief to their children, unnecessary absences from school will be drastically reduced. Students should attend school everyday, unless illness or emergency prevents them from doing so. Please encourage your children to attend school and actively participate in the learning opportunities provided in their classroom.

Eye On Education

Varsity Men’s Tennis Team

The Board of Education and Superintendent recognized and congratulated the members of the Men’s Varsity Tennis Team. This year’s team won the San Gabriel Valley League (SGVL) championship and also two players won the SGVL Doubles title. Coach Curtis Mu introduced the players: Alex

Quezada, Chrisna Uong, Robert Breidenthal, Luis Urrutia, Carlos Munoz, Marco Sedano, Mark Carmona, Ivan Rodriguez, Eric Lim, Abram Ly, Alijah Ly, Johnny Huynh, and Tomas Mora. Superintendent Verdugo acknowledged the members parents on their sons’ achievement.

MESA WinnersParamount High School

At a recent Board of Education meeting, Paramount High School Instructor Kevin Reed introduced the students who participated in the recent MESA preliminary competition at California State University, Long Beach. The MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) program provides academic assistance and educational opportunities in math, engineering and science. The PHS winners were: Priscilla Figueroa, Civil Structures Section ﬁrst place design and second place strength; Lizbeth Figueroa, Manila Mechanics second

place; Krisha Fredeluces, Abram Ly and Miguel Gonzalez, third place in Team Math Quest math analysis, precalculus or trigonometry; Jose Rodriguez, Jor-El Thompson and Gabriel Ramirez, ﬁrst place in calculus; and Andrew Juhasz, Solo Algebra/Trigonometry, ﬁrst place. Andrew Juhasz also placed second in the Solo Algebra/Trigonometry at the Los Angeles Regional Finals at California State University, Los Angeles. Superintendent Verdugo and the Board members congratulated the students on their achievement.

Don’t Forget – Fill Out Your Student Meal Benefits Application The Student Nutrition Services Department encourages all families who have students enrolled in Paramount schools to complete a new 2009-10 meal benefits application and immediately return the application to school. A new meal benefits application must be filled out each new school year. Families only need to fill out one family application even if they have children at more than one school. Your student’s current lunch/breakfast pin number will continue to work in the 2009-10 school year, whether they stay at the same school or transfer to another Paramount school.

Meal Benefit applications for 200910 will be included in the student information packet students receive on the first day of school. The cafeteria manager will be glad to answer any questions or assist with filling out the application. School meal benefits are offered to all families who qualify. If you have any questions or need assistance in completing the application, please contact Student Nutrition Services at 562-602-6031. Remember to make healthy food choices. Chris Stamm, Director, SNS

Dear Parents, The Paramount Unified School District’s mission is to ensure learning and success for each student by providing a quality education. In order to promote learning, the District has revised the grading policy to include effective practices that support student learning with the goal of increased student achievement and student success. Beginning in fall, 2009, the District’s grading policy will include the A-F grading system for students in grades 6-12 and continues with the rubric system 4-1 for students in grades K-5. A District Task Force was formed of 9-12 teachers, 6-12 administrators, department chairs, counselors, academic leaders and curriculum and program specialists with representatives from the Teachers’ Organization, TAP. The Task Force met in the months of January and February. The first meeting reviewed effective grading practices and the Task Force identified practices that would guide the revision of the grade policy. A subcommittee of the task force met and gave input into the first revision of the grade policy. The District Task Force reviewed the first draft of the revised grading policy and gave input on the revised policy and the new administrative regulations. The next step was sharing the revised grading policy and administrative regulations with all the 9-12 teachers. The final revised grading policy and administrative regulations reflects teachers’ input and the research on effective grading practices. What are the changes? • For students in grades 6-12, A-F will be used as the marking system. This change will make it possible for struggling students to earn credits to receive a diploma if they pass the California High School Exist Exam. • The grading policy is based on the premise that the purpose for reporting student performance is to promote student learning while establishing ongoing communication among the school, the student and the home. • Teachers instructing the same course will establish common grading practices and criteria. This will allow all students taking a course to be graded on the same criteria. • Students will be provided multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency of the content standards for a course such as retaking exams and completing additional assignments as established by the teachers instructing the same course. This allows students to continue improving and demonstrating proficiency during the entire semester and not be penalized by one grade on one test or assignment. • The report card will depict student academic achievement for the grading period according to the rubric or grade criteria and separate marks will reflect the students’ effort/work habits and citizenship. Students’ academic performance, rather than citizenship or effort, is the basis of the academic grade and not citizenship and effort. Students will receive acknowledgement for these areas separately. • At the beginning of each semester, students and parents will receive a written explanation of the grading policy and classroom management procedures for each class. As teachers are working together to create common grading practices that promote student learning, we ask for the cooperation of parents and urge you to contact the school if you have any questions. Students will also need to understand the new grading practices. Grading practices may change as teachers refine and adjust the practices to ensure the best possible grading policy for the course.

WALKING SAFELY These student safety guidelines were developed early last year by Paramount Uniﬁed School District. Please review the following safety precautions with your children as soon as practically possible: • 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 to school authorities and the Paramount Sheriff Station at (562) 220-2002, Lakewood Sheriff Station at (562) 623-3500, Long Beach Police at (562) 570-7260 (Collins and Lakewood Schools) or South Gate Police at (323) 563-5400 (Hollydale School). Please remind your children to be careful and constantly aware of their surroundings.