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
Paramount Unified School District Celebrates Teacher of the Year
On May 13, 2015, school and district staff and members of the Board of Education met to celebrate each school’s Teacher of the Year. The Teacher of the Year recognition honors the positive effect teachers have on the lives of students each day. The Board of Education awarded each of the 20 recipients a plaque to honor their contribution to Paramount’s students and community. Schools select one outstanding teacher to represent their school for this honor. In making this selection, teachers give careful consideration to the person who best meets all of the following criteria:
June 2015
A Mathemagical Night!
The Graciano family (with Lakeshore representative, Jessica Thudium) poses with their raffle winnings at Family Math Night.
• Shows commitment to professional growth • Supports his/her colleagues to develop their skills • Pursues educational activities beyond the school day • Delivers high quality instruction • Communicates positively with students and parents After a selection committee chooses the District-wide Teacher of the Year, he or she has the opportunity to apply for the Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year competition. This year Michelle Soto, Special Education Teacher from Paramount Park Middle School was selected to represent PUSD as the district wide Teacher of the Year. We congratulate Ms. Soto, her students and her school for this outstanding honor!
Paramount Unified School District’s 2015-16 Teachers of the Year Early Childhood Education Alondra Middle School Collins School Gaines School Hollydale School Jackson School Jefferson School Keppel School Lincoln School Los Cerritos School
- Belen Cabral - Andrea Carr - Lashonda Toston - Sofia Silva - Vanessa A. Mabini - Maria Lourdes Gamez - Maria Angela M. Parkin - Hakeem Davies - Yessenia Orozco - Marysol Renteria Rivera
Mokler School - Lori Stahl Paramount Park Middle School - Michelle Soto Roosevelt School - Eric Martin Varela Tanner School - Sheri Wilson Wirtz School - Teresa Reno Zamboni Middle School - Mandy Butler Paramount High School-West - Michael Almada Paramount High School - Andrew Yonaki Buena Vista High School - Hector Ramos Paramount Adult School - Renee M. Aguilar
A Gold Star Battalion This spring, Paramount High School select JROTC members entered into the Sonora Sports competition and earned 1st place in overall competition. Team members, under the guidance of Colonel Guild and Sergeant Brayboy, diligently practiced countless hours to prepare for the intense team sport competitions. Larry Porter, a member of the competing battalion, stated, “…we all had fun playing the sports we love… we brought a lot of energy to each event.” The squad’s energy paid off when they received first place awards in volleyball, soccer and tug of war with 2nd place awards in football and basketball. The most challenging part of preparing for the competition was concurrently preparing for a program formal inspection. Dr. Buckner, principal at Paramount High School, gave feedback to students as they practiced pre-
sentations that aimed to explain all leadership roles within the program. Mr. Kosareff, principal at West Campus and Dr. Dragos, assistant principal at senior campus, along with the 8th Brigade commander conducted the overall inspection. The full day inspection began with a PowerPoint presentation that explained all of the roles and duties of cadets within the Brigade. The panel members were able to ask questions which led to the Student Learning presentation. In this segment of the inspection, students presented the mission of the JROTC program and provided details of studentdriven community service projects such as campus-wide clean ups. Next, the panel individually interviewed all cadets to verify that their work in the battalion was as reported and supported by the instructors. Through all of the prepara-
tion involved, the results yielded were impressive. A final score of 98.75% was announced and Paramount obtained the highest score achieved throughout the 8th Brigade which is responsible for ROTC programs in Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. This high honor in the Paramount Brigade allowed the program to transition from blue star to gold star honors. With 1st place honors and gold star inspection earnings, the true service from the Paramount High School must be recognized. The hearts of gold in each member who dedicates countless hours of service at all of the Paramount High School events is exemplary. Congratulations to the Paramount High School JROTC program for their accomplishments and kudos to the program for continued service to the community.
Ms. Yessenia Orozco plays Rush Hour with Lincoln students at Family Math Night. Abraham Lincoln Elementary School’s Annual Family Math Night was a phenomenal success! Over 125 students and families came out to enjoy the games and fun. PTA supported the event and families by selling pizza and drinks. Over twenty-five raffle prizes were given away, and children and adults alike had a fantastic experience! Lincoln Family Math Night featured sixteen stations that offered math games and fun for the entire community! Lincoln teachers and staff pulled together and volunteered their evening to help man the different stations. Activities included games such as Shut the Box and I Sea 10! (addition and number sense games), an estimation activity to guess Principal Jones’ height in Tootsie Rolls, and the student favorite, Rush Hour (a logic game to help a trapped car escape traffic gridlock). Lincoln families enthusiastically came out to support the event! With dinner taken care of by the PTA pizza sale, families were free to enjoy the activities without worries. Students received raffle tickets at each station and a game log to mark their participation. Parents were encouraged to play alongside their children. Throughout the night, prizes generously donated by Lakeshore and Lincoln teachers were given away in random drawings. Excitement grew as winning names were called out every 15 minutes and students took home gift cards, various math games, and even a Minecraft Lego set! Volunteers, students, and parents all felt jubilance at the success of Family Math Night and are already looking forward to next year’s event! Joyce Taylor, Math Coach
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATE
June 10, 2015 * June 24, 2015
Board of Education meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. and are open to the public