PUSD Education News A Publication of the Paramount Unified School District
15110 California Ave., Paramount, CA 90723 • Tel: 562-602-6000 • Fax: 562-634-6029
December 2014
Transitional Kindergarten: An Early Start to Life-long Learning Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is an exciting, educational opportunity for children in California who were born in the Fall. TK is the first of a two year kindergarten experience for those students who are born between September and December. It offers children developmentally appropriate curriculum aligned with the Preschool Learning Foundations and the Kindergarten standards. TK was established by a new California law called the Kindergarten Readiness Act. This law changed the kindergarten entry date from December 2 to September 1 so that children enter kindergarten at age 5. Thus, TK was created to provide a developmentally appropriate grade level to serve younger school children with
birthdays between September and December. TK bridges the path between preschool and kindergarten and gives students a jump start that will yield huge payoffs in future academic success. It provides the gift of time that will help students build a strong foundation for success in elementary school. In the TK classrooms, students develop early literacy and math skills by engaging in fun, hands-on activities. The TK students also develop social and decision-making skills while they play in the different learning areas of the classroom. TK benefits children, families and schools as our youngest learners are better prepared
with maturity, confidence and skills for their educational journey. The District implemented the TK program in the 2012-13 school year, and today the District has TK classrooms at a total of ten schools in the District with over 200 students. The District offers TK at Collins, Gaines, Hollydale, Keppel, Lincoln, Los Cerritos, Mokler, Roosevelt, Tanner and Wirtz School. Jefferson School TK students attend Lincoln School for TK only. Dr. Elida Garcia and Rita Cruz Program Director and Curriculum Specialist
Eye on Paramount Athletics Wirtz Celebrates Reading As the fall sport seasons come to an end at Paramount High School, the Pirate family is proud of the accomplishments of all the athletes and teams. We had an outstanding fall season with four of our five sports qualifying for or having an opportunity to qualify for the CIF Southern Section playoffs. In girls’ sports, our tennis team had a great season. They finished second in league and will play Walnut High School in the first round of the division three playoffs. Our number one doubles team of Amy Ochoa and Jessica Martinez finished fourth in the individual portion of the San Gabriel League finals. Good luck to the team as they enter playoffs. Our girls volleyball team finished tied for 2nd place with a league record of 6-4 in the tough San Gabriel Valley (SGV) League. They finished the season with an overall record of 12-11 and played one of the toughest schedules in many years. They will now enter the CIF playoffs with a goal of advancing into the later rounds. Girls
Student Matthew Cobian
Cross Country had an excellent season. They finish second in both league meets only behind Warren. They will now run in the league finals with the hopes of advancing into the playoffs. In boys’ sports, our water polo team showed tremendous improvement from the previous two years. They won six matches this season which is three times more then in years past. With a very young squad the future of boys Pirate water polo is bright. Boys Cross Country also had an excellent season. They finished second in both of their league meets. They now will run in the SGV league finals with the goal of
qualifying for the playoffs. Our football team is currently 5-4 and tied for third place. A win in their last game of the season will qualify them for the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Paramount High School would also like to give special recognition to one of their students. Sophomore Matthew Cobian has qualified for the Special Olympics in track and field and will represent the USA in China. He will run the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes and is a member of the relay team. The Pirate family wishes Matthew the best of luck and we are all proud of him. As the fall seasons come to an end we are looking forward to winter sports. With girls and boys basketball and soccer, wrestling, and girls water polo, winter season promises to be fun and exciting. On behalf of the Administration, faculty and students the Pirates would like to thank the community for your support and hope to see you at some of our sporting events. GO PIRATES!!!
Winter Break Schedule - December 15, 2014 – January 2, 2015 School will resume January 5, 2015
and Math Wizards
Wirtz Elementary School is rewarding student Reading and Math Wizards. It’s one of the many ways we promote student success at our school. Each month students are challenged to read at home on a daily basis and then complete a monthly reading log. All students with completed reading logs at the end of each month are invited to visit the Principal’s office to select a book of their choosing from the numerous titles offered. Students always have a difficult time deciding which book to select as their reward. Some of the more popular titles have been books from the Diary of a Whimpy Kid series as well as the Junie B. Jones books. To date, we have rewarded our Reading Wizards with well over 500 books. We are very proud of our Reading Wizards. With the success of our reading challenge, we began a Basic Math Facts Challenge at the beginning of this school year for our Fourth and Fifth grade students. Similar to our reading challenge, students are asked to study their basic math facts each day and keep a basic math facts log. Students who complete their logs are also rewarded by the Principal. Students have once again risen to the challenge as our first quarter basic math facts scores reflect. Both fourth and fifth grade saw strong gains from last school year’s first quarter results in all areas, especially subtraction, multiplication and division.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATE December 10, 2014 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