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
July 2013
Hands Across the Grass Jackson Knights Make History Come Alive
Wesley Gaines School is in a unique situation. We are one grassy field away from a school full of mentors, tutors, and role models. Leona Jackson School and Wesley Gaines School are initiating an athletic program wherein 8th grade students from Jackson are volunteering their time to coach 2nd and 3rd grade students from Gaines in the finer points of varied sports. For three weeks now up to six student-coaches from Jackson have been running thirty plus Gaines students through basketball drills on dribbling, passing, and shooting. The Gaines students are more eager than ever to get out to recess. They readily line up and are attentive and responsive to all the directions that the coaches give. The Jackson student-coaches are just the type of role models
that are needed for the young Gaines students. They are a smart bunch of students that take initiative and follow through on what they begin. The studentcoaches are given the responsibility of creating the drills to improve the skills of their 2nd and 3rd grade charges. The Jackson student-coaches take on the challenge willingly and do a fantastic job of organizing the students, running the drills, and providing feedback to improve whatever skill is being worked on that day. The Gaines students are tired after their recess workout, but still are heard to exclaim, “That was fun!” A hearty thank you goes out to Mrs. Nunley-Macon and Coach Steve Sanperi from Leona Jackson for helping to organize our student-coaches. I would like to extend a special
thank you to Adrian Hernandez, Rudy Garcia, Allen Diaz, Aaron Washington, Ervin Allison, and Humberto Salazar for being great student-coaches and good role models for Wesley Gaines students. This year Wesley Gaines has been lucky to have student readers from Jackson involved in our Read Across America Events and now we have the student-coaches improving the level of basketball proficiency on our campus. These are just two examples of what we are calling, Hands Across the Grass- A plan to encourage cooperation between Leona Jackson and Wesley Gaines in the areas of academics and athletics to the benefit of students on each campus. So hooray for the Knights and hooray for the Grizzlies!
Summer Food Service Program According to a recently released report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of families struggling to put food on the table has skyrocketed. Children who eat nutritious meals and participate in safe activities during the summer are more creative and productive at school and at home. Paramount U.S.D. and the City of Paramount Parks and Recreation Department are collaborating in a joint effort to provide two nutritious
meals a day and two hours of recreational opportunities at no cost to the students or their families to combat hunger and the increase in childhood obesity. The program is available for students up to age 18. District and City staff will opened all elementary and middle school campuses (except Jackson) Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, June 17th through Friday, August 9th. The day will start with breakfast
and board games from 9:0010:00, Parks and Recreation staff will then take students to play areas where they will have a host of activities to choose from including, sports, arts and crafts and physical fitness from 10:00 to 12:00. Star Program staff and children will then return to the dining area for a sizzling BBQ from 12:00 to 1:00 and will then be released after a nutritious day full of healthy activities that enrich their summer day.
On April 25, 2013, famous historical figures, like Abraham Lincoln and Alexander the Great, walked onto Leona Jackson School’s campus to participate in the school’s annual Wax Museum. The Wax Museum was an intensive culminating social studies research project for all middle school students at Jackson School. Students were required to select a historical character from their social studies curriculum and research the details about their character’s background and accomplishments. Then, students wrote and memorized a speech pretending to be the character they chose. Finally, students literally stepped into the shoes of their characters by creating a historically accurate costume and delivering their speeches to parents and community members. In the weeks leading up to this event, there was a surge of energy on campus as students finished up their research, turned in their speeches for revisions, and nervously rehearsed their speeches in character. All of the hard work paid off on the evening of the event as students watched the enormous outpouring of support from their family and community who came out for this anticipated event. Hundreds of students lined up on the field in full costume and froze as statues as they waited for museum guests to wander down the walkways and tap on the presentation sign. It was the largest event of the year at Jackson School, bringing about a thousand proud visitors Heather Downs, teacher at Jackson School, described Jackson’s Wax Museum from the perspective of a visitor, “You can take a historical journey through the point of view of the characters that have shaped our history.” The Wax Museum was another Jackson School event that brought the school and community together for an exciting and memorable learning experience.
Graduation Dates Paramount High School * July 25, 2:00 p.m. Buena Vista High School * July 25, 2:00 p.m. Paramount Adult School * July 25, 6:00 p.m.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATE July 10, 2013 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