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
DECEMBER 2009
CPEC Improving Teacher Quality Grant On Monday, November 9, 2009, the California Postsecondary Education Commission in partnership with the University of Southern California awarded a $993,735 grant to the Paramount Unified School District. The USC and Paramount Unified School District Grant was one of only six grants awarded in the entire State of California. It is designed to provide Middle School Literacy Achievement in Health, Math and Science by strengthening
effective teaching practices that can help every student realize their educational potential. The District had to apply for the grant and go through a rigorous evaluation to demonstrate how this project can affect student achievement. We are all very proud to be a partner with such a prestigious University which will help us address the achievement gap in middle schools. Dr. David Verdugo Superintendent
Paramount High School Recognizes AP Scholars Sixteen students at Paramount High School have earned Advanced Placement Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the 2009 AP Exams. Paramount High currently offers thirteen AP courses, each providing motivated and academically prepared students the opportunity to earn college credit and stand out in the college admission process. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams (based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being highest) typically experience greater a c a d e m i c s u cces s in college than students who do not participate in AP. Three students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 on five or more of these exams. These students are Jose Ro-
driguez, Noe Rodriguez, and Victor Salcedo. Two students earned the AP Scholar with Honor Award by scoring an average of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Gabriela Robles and David Ramirez. Eleven students received the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Adriana Ascencio, Va n e s s a C a s t r o , I v a n Figueroa, Ana Gonza-
lez, Jessica Hernandez, Nidia Lopez, Adrian Madrigal, Juan Martinez, Dennis Ortiz, Nancy Pino, and Gabriel Ramirez. Of this year ’s award recipients, Ivan Figueroa and Juan Martinez are both juniors. These students have one more year in which to complete collegelevel work and possibly earn a higher-level AP S c h o l a r Aw a r d . I v a n and Juan are pictured above. Congratulations to all of Paramount High School’s AP Scholars. Jeff Beahn
Collins School STAR Breakfast
Collins School students were honored with their parents at the Annual STAR Breakfast on September 29th and 30th. Students that scored proficient in Language Arts and/or Mathematics received a certificate and special recognition by Dr. Pamela Houston, Principal. Many students felt a sense of achievement by attending the STAR Breakfast. According to Marijana Bowman and Marina Moran, “We felt honored when we received our STAR Certificate. All of our hard work and energy paid off”. Other students felt excited for achieving their educational goals. According to Jose Salazar and Brian Laimani, they will continue to strive to improve in all academic areas this year. The breakfast motivated students not only to focus on the STAR, but to improve on all assessments to prepare them in meeting future goals. There’s No Choice but Success at Collins School. Our students and teachers are dedicated to do their very best!
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATES December 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
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Student Council and PTSA’s Harvest Festival at Jefferson
Ready By Five brings families together at LAFF Night!
5th graders Kimberlyn Hernandez, Karina Rayon, and 4th grader Nancy Nava enjoy the festivities at Jefferson School’s Harvest Festival.
Jefferson School had an outstanding Harvest Carnival on October 29, 2009. The Student Council and PTSA joined together to organize festive activities and provide delectable food. Under the leadership of President Noel Renteria and VicePresident Jai Wright, the Student Council revealed their talents as they came up with a variety of games such as Tip the Can, Mummy Wrap, Pin the Mole on the Witch, Bowling, and many more. Students patiently spent a month designing a spooky maze with special effects. Our students not only planned the games, but as they managed their booths, they gave up their opportunity to win prizes. This is just another example of why the students at Jefferson are so great as they demonstrated leadership and responsibility to make the carnival such a success! The Harvest Carnival was made possible by the collaborative efforts of our students, parents, and staff.
The PTSA mothers provided support with delicious food – corn on the cob, pizza, and the Taco Man. Our dedicated staff dressed up whimsically and volunteered their time to help run the booths. We are grateful for all the donations that supported our event. Kohl’s department store donated 125 stuffed animals for prizes; Tip Top Towing made a generous donation of $150 to help fund the DJ for music and dancing; and Mrs. Batres’ father contributed corn on the cob. Raffle tickets were purchased, and 4th grader Keiven Beltran purchased twenty tickets to ensure that he would win the prize for Principal for the Day! It was a wonderful day for the community at Jefferson School. By Bonnie Slater 5th Grade Teacher and Student Council Co-Coordinator Jefferson School
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
On September 22, 2009, parents from the Los Cerritos Preschool attended LAFF Night, the abbreviated name for “Learning and Family Fun Night.” Parents and children came to join in fun activities that focused on the theme of “Family,” which paired with the current Open Court curriculum unit. One preschool parent stated, “I came to LAFF Night because I thought it would be fun to do activities with the whole family. I was able to bring my husband and all my children.” Families created framed family pictures, puppets of their family members, and made original artwork featuring their family trees, their homes, and what children like to do with their families. The activities let children build their language and fine
motor skills, as well as promote selfesteem and family connectedness. Parents were able to spend quality educational time with their child and saw their developing capabilities. One preschool parent stated, “I learned that we can enjoy doing arts and crafts as a family rather than watching TV.” Another parent stated, “I learned activities that I can do at home with my child and that it is important to spend time together as a family.” Join Ready By Five for one of our next LAFF Nights. They are held six times per year for preschool families. Activities, materials and raffle prizes are provided through funding by First Five Los Angeles. For more information about LAFF Night and other services provided by Ready By Five, call 562-602-6913.
Spooky Read Night - A Frightful Night of Fun! On Friday, October 30th, Mark Keppel held its annual Spooky Read Night. From ghosts and goblins to witches and zombies, Mark Keppel students and parents showed their support and made the night a true success. Students and family members were greeted at the front gate with a trick-ortreat bag and ghostly sounds over the loud speaker. Students and family then entered one of our classrooms to hear a spooky story read to them by teachers and staff. After hearing a ghoulish story, students were invited to go “trick-or-
treating” to various classrooms around the campus. Many sweet treats were handed out! A costume parade quickly followed! The evening ended with our spooky carnival full of fun games and prizes. We know a good time was had by all who attended! A big thank you to Christie Martin, our Spooky Read Night Coordinator, and to all of the students, staff and parents who volunteered their time and worked extra hard to put this event together. They helped to make our 2009 Spooky Read Night a night to remember!
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Hollydale Families Superintendent’s Message: Enjoy “Spooky Holiday Season’s Greetings Read Night” The families of Hollydale School were treated to a special night of fun, games, and spooky stories on Thursday, October 29th. At 4:30 p.m., Assistant Principal Maria Cervantes facilitated our annual Title 1 Parent Meeting which was well attended. Parents were informed about ways in which they could support their child at home and about the different programs we have in place at school to support student learning. Parents were encouraged to be actively involved in the life of the school by participating in school committees such as PTA, School Site Council, and English Learner Advisory Committee. At 5:00 p.m., teachers and parent volunteers enthralled children with Halloween stories. The readers created a spooky atmosphere with scary music and the magic of their words. Principal Mrs. Marilley was on hand just in case anyone
became overwhelmed with fright! From 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., the PTA hosted a Halloween carnival in the school cafeteria complete with games, prizes, contests, and lots of fun for all who attended. Mrs. Marilley judged costume parades and handed out prizes to everyone who participated. The cafeteria was filled with little goblins, beautiful princesses, and even a monster or two! Thank you to everyone who made our annual “Spooky Read Night” such a resounding success. A special word of appreciation to our literacy coach, Ms. Cecily Patterson for organizing the evening and to our PTA for all of their support in making this year’s event the best ever!
On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday and a very Happy New Year. As we all take a moment to pause and reflect during this Holiday Season, it is easy to understand that the best part of the season is remembering those who make the holidays meaningful. As we approach the Holidays and the New Year, it is very common for us to make important new commitments that will improve our lives and the lives of people around us. That spirit and magic has been a part of the Paramount Unified School District and our employees for generations. Our commitment and promise to serve our students
has never been stronger. I want to thank each teacher, counselor, staff member and administrator for their commitment and care of our most precious gift, our children. May you have a blessed Holiday and prosperous New Year. David J. Verdugo, Ed.D. Superintendent
Math can be Fun Pirate Ladies and Boys’ Especially at Cross Country Qualify Dodger Stadium Mrs. Marilley, Principal, Hollydale School
for CIF Playoffs Led by the Lady Pirate tennis program, PHS fall sports concluded their seasons in early November. The results of the fall campaign were clearly mixed, with great success coupled with disappointment. But Pirate athletes conducted themselves with heart and pride throughout the season. Lady Pirate tennis, led by coach Curtis Mu, again swept both league titles. The Varsity ladies finished their regular season 19-1, including an 11-1 league record. Downey proved to be the toughest competition in league play, defeating Paramount in the first round, but our ladies stormed back to win the next two contests to clinch the “back-to-back” title. Paramount then defeated La Palma Kennedy in the first round of the CIF playoffs before falling to second-seeded Valencia in the second round. Individually, Thuy Ta and Elizabeth Vega won their second straight doubles league title, while Jessica Ortiz qualified for the singles final for the second consecutive year. Paramount is justly proud of a great group of competitors who have grown as players and teammates under the careful leadership of Coach Mu. Lady Pirate volleyball also qualified for the CIF playoffs for the second straight season (following an eight-year playoff drought), this time as an “at-large” league entry. The ladies took their show on a long road trip to Santa Ynez, where they fell to their hosts in
straight sets. But it was another promising season for coach Anna Yasuhara and her charges, who are now building the expectation of being a playoff team every season. Paramount’s boys’ cross-country program also qualified for the CIF prelims, although the perennial league champs did not get it done this year. Led by senior Agustin Alva, who qualified individually for the CIF Finals, coach Joe Peterson’s squad missed a league title by a whisker to Warren. The alwayscompetitive and proud Pirate crosscountry program will work hard to bounce back next fall. Paramount football and boys’ water polo did not qualify for the playoffs this fall. After a promising 2-0 start, Pirate football dropped the rest of its games as injuries piled up. Lower-level teams showed promise and the Pirate freshmen team was in the hunt for a league title until late in the season. The JVs played with discipline and heart all season. Boys’ water polo took some strides forward this fall against tough competition, again defeating Gahr in league play and coming within one goal for beating always-tough Warren. What were losses by substantial margins last year became much closer matches this year. We c o n g r a t u l a t e a l l o u r f a l l athletes and coaches on their hard work and dedication while wishing the best of success to our Winter teams as they prepare for competition beginning in December.
On Friday evening 31 excited and well deserving Buena Vista High School students along with their teacher Mr. Yonaki and Ms. Lopez boarded the bus and headed for Dodger Stadium! Whoever thought math would be this much fun! Mr. Yonaki, our newest math teacher at Buena Vista, adduced students in his Math Applications classes with a creative, challenging, and captivating math project. The idea behind the project was to get his students to learn the importance of statistics and see the relationship between mathematics and real world situations. Each student was given the roster of Dodger player to create the appropriate formula, calculate, and analyze stats on their batting averages, hitting, speed, and pitchers’ performance. Senior, Gilbert Hernandez said,” I was really surprised to learn how to put formulas together and come up with the right stats. I taught my younger brother who plays baseball at Paramount High School and he was able to calculate his averages. That was really cool.” At the conclusion of this 2 week project, our students not only attended a Dodger vs. Rockies baseball game, they were able to show competency in their ability to grasp the concepts of basic statistics, data analysis, and probability. These concepts are embedded in the CAHSEE Test Strands for Mathematics. According to Mr. Yonaki, “This project will double as an incentive for doing well, and also as a tool for re-enforcing the learned concept”. I consider the project a home run event!!!! Gwen Yates, Assistant Principal
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Senior Antonio Flores is on a journey that has just begun
Through an athlete’s eyes, there is far much more beyond a defeat.
Every time an athlete steps on the ground, there is an urge to accomplish more than was done the day before. It’s about exceeding expectations on the field and striving to break through your potential. Senior soccer player Antonio Flores knows what it takes to be a true athlete. During the summer Antonio tried out with four-thousand other high school and college soccer players for a spot on the Los Angeles team, the majority of them being high school students, Antonio was one of eighteen players selected to represent Los Angeles County in an all-star team called Los Finalistas. The open tryouts were held across the nation searching for the most talented soccer players. As a goalie, Antonio’s hard work placed him as one of the top four of the eighteen to compete as a member of Los Finalistas. Coached by former America coach, Daniel Braivlosky, Los Finalistas all-star team has been formed to showcase the players in hopes that they will get scouted. For their first game, the team had the privilege of playing against the Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center. This upcoming
winter break the team is scheduled to hit the field and start playing again. Although Antonio is currently a fulltime goalie, that hasn’t always been his primary position. Antonio started playing soccer at age four as a midfielder. At age six, during a game, he volunteered to be the goalie. But, little did he know, that was the day that sparked his career. Since then, Antonio dedicated himself to mastering that position while playing club. There is no doubt that soccer is Antonio’s passion. After being asked what his goals are after high school, he stated that he wants to go to college and pursue his soccer career. The all-star soccer player would like to attend a University in the Midwest, preferably Colorado. While being a student-athlete in college, he would like to pursue a career in culinary arts. He has always had an interest in the art of food and plans to build on it. After completing college, he hopes to be drafted into the professional soccer league. “I am not that picky as to what team I would like to play for. But, I do think it would be cool to play for America or Madrid,”
states Antonio. If playing professional soccer does not work out for him, he wants to still be involved in soccer somehow. Antonio feels the need to have soccer in his life one way shape or form, whether it be playing it or coaching it. If he doesn’t pursue it as a player, he thrives on pursuing it from the sidelines. Antonio is currently studying to get a coaching license to eventually put it to use if he needs to. He hopes to coach his ten year-old little brother and teach him a thing or two. Antonio wants to take on the role of passing on all his knowledge and skills of the game to his brother. Antonio stated, “I like watching my little brother succeed.” From now on, it is uphill for the player himself. His main focus is to stay determined and accomplish his goals. When being involved in sports, there are a small percentage of athletes who will go on to play college and professional ball. His outstanding achievements speak for itself. Little does he know that this is the first step to a new beginning. By Melissa Martinez, Senior
Gathered Together as a Family As Thanksgiving Day approaches, we begin to reflect on the bounty of our harvest. Not the type that is grown from seed, but that which is nurtured through our dedication to family and friends. At Lincoln School, we believe that it is the dedication of parents, teachers, administrators, and staff members that determine the success of our students. We are united as one big family not only for academic achievement, but also for fun. The tradition of bringing families together is evident throughout the year at Lincoln School. To kick off the fall season, on October 6th, Lincoln School had a family movie night featuring Monsters vs Aliens. Several families came out to enjoy the big screen movie in the cafeteria. Inexpensive snacks were available. A fun time was had by all! Here are what some participants had to say: Derek said “ I went with my brothers Dashjone and Dionte. We had a nice time. We got a long licorice for 50 cents, some nachos and gummi bears. All tasted great. The movie was funny because of the part when the alien hit Bob in the eye and the eye bounced back and hit the alien in the face.” Osvaldo said: “ I went with my mom and my little brother. It was funny when the lady put her feet in the cars. When it was over, my brother wanted to watch it again.” The wholesome family event was followed by the annual Halloween Read Night on Oct. 22. Families gathered as teachers read their favorite Halloween stories and poems. Children enjoyed
the storytelling, music, and the yummy goodies that were given to all who came. Lincoln’s annual Harvest Festival, another community tradition had teachers, staff members, parents, and students working side by side with the PTA. It was an exciting afternoon filled with activities that included face painting, a cake walk, many games, dance performances by the Kimberly Dance Studio, and karate exhibitions by the Paramount Karate Center. A very popular booth was the Special Hollywood Effects Make Up by Richard Miranda. The food was also a hit. Everyone enjoyed the assortment of scrumptious carnival food such as hot dogs, hamburgers, tacos, posole, tamales, snow cones, and churros that melt in your mouth. The evening concluded with the annual Halloween costume contest. From shrieking witches and creepy goblins to magical princesses and handsome knights, the creativity was endless. Kalin McColery, a third grade student even came dressed as a tub of popcorn! Ariana Martinez was dressed as a beautiful Christmas present. Dahlia stated, “I love the food and the costume contest. I can’t wait until next year!” Lincoln community has done it again for the Lincoln Family! Good food, good fun, with family! Lincoln School thanks everyone for their hard work and dedication to our children. Michael Naruko & Mickie Hazlewood