The latest news, photos and announcements
Zachary Police have lifted the lockdown of 4 Zachary Schools as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The district placed the schools in lockdown mode out of an abudance of caution. All students had been kept inside on the campuses and police officers were on site.
Zachary Early Learning Center, Northwestern Elementary School, Northwestern Middle School and Zachary High School are currently in lockdown as a precaution after a home invasion in the area. Police officials requested students be kept inside and access to the campuses remain restricted as they search for suspects in the area. Zachary Community Schools officials stress theyare operating out of an abundance of caution.
When the Louisiana Department of Education conducted the fall 2011 Accountability release Wednesday afternoon, there were a few changes to how the School and District Performance Scores were provided. For the first time, the star rating system previously used to indicate a school’s performance was replaced by a letter grade. The Zachary Community School District was the only district in the state to receive a letter grade of “A”. Zachary Community School District also ranked as the top performing school district in the state for the seventh year in a row.
“I am extremely proud of our students, teachers and staff for the unprecedented accomplishment of achieving an ‘A’ rating. This is evidence of the quality education taking place in our schools on a daily basis. Our community and staff have high expectations of our students and they continue to excel,” Superintendent Warren Drake said.
School and District Performance Scores provide the most widely accepted data on how students are meeting state accountability measures. The district achieved a District Performance Score of 121.3 growing 1.5 points from last year’s score of 119.8. This surpasses the state’s 2014 goal of 120 for all schools and districts.
Drake attributes the district’s continued success to an atmosphere of discipline, rigorous curriculum, first-rate educators and phenomenal community support.
In addition to the performance score rating changes, the Louisiana Department of Education has also introduced a School Performance Report. This streamlined document has a clear focus on a school’s School Performance Score, corresponding letter grade, and student performance on state tests. It also identifies a school’s selective admissions classification.
Under the current accountability system alternative schools are evaluated using the same system as traditional schools. The Louisiana Department of Education is studying the system to determine a more appropriate measure for these schools.
More information on the state accountability release data can be found at www.louisianaschools.net.
The Zachary Community School District recently unveiled a new energy management website as a part of the district’s conservation efforts. The site provides information on the district’s energy management plan and resources for students and teachers. The site is located at http://energy.zacharyschools.org
Zachary Elementary Teachers Bianca Deliberto, Magean LaBorde, Danye Pelichet and Demetria Scott had the opportunity of a lifetime this summer when the Rural and Community Trust Fund Funds for Teachers Grant selected their proposal and awarded them a $10,000 grant to fund a trip to Hawaii to explore the unique geology the islands offer and enhance their curriculum. Now, the four third grade science teachers have used their experiences to help impact the geology curriculum for all Zachary third graders and the students are reaping the benefits. Whether it is core-drilling demonstrations using cupcakes or discussions of plate tectonics and volcanic activity, the real-world experiences of their teachers are bringing the science to life for these students.
While travelling, the teachers blogged about their experiences so students back home were able to keep up with their adventures.
“There are no words to describe the wonders of the volcanic crater. As we left our footprints on the rocks, we couldn’t help but imagine what the flowing lava would have looked like during the eruption. It was amazing to see how plants not only emerged from the lava, but flourished. We even got to taste the berries from Ohelo shrubs inside of the crater,” the teachers blogged. For a full account of their travels, visit the Geology Rocks blog at http://geologyrocksschool4.blogspot.com/.
This amazing experience will continue to pay off for Zachary students in the years to come as the activities and knowledge gained by the teachers in this in depth program are woven into the district’s science curriculum.
Take a look at some beautiful images of their trip here.
Zachary has gone to the dogs! The blue dogs. Although the 2011-2012 school year is just a few weeks old, hundreds of students attending Zachary Elementary and Copper Mill Elementary are becoming inspired in a new way by viewing the works of world renowned Louisiana artist, George Rodrigue at the LSU Museum of Art in the Shaw Center. Rodrigue is famous for his paintings of the blackened oak tree against vibrantly colored backgrounds and most importantly, his multiple paintings of Blue Dog.
To get the students and community excited and talking about the exhibit, Zachary Art Teacher Darryl Alello, created a contest called, “Where I Saw the Blue Dog”. Alello painted and cutout a 3 foot tall version of Rodrigue’s Blue Dog and contacted local business owners to help with the contest. Area businesses place the Blue Dog in the window of their establishment, and the students then must find his secret location and keep a log. The Blue Dog moves every few days to another undisclosed location for the students to find once more until the end of the contest on September 16. Zachary schools officials are receiving reports of parents driving their students around town on the hunt for the Blue Dog and the buzz on social media is growing. The district is even tweeting hints to followers at @zacharyschools.
The LSU Museum of Art, located at the Shaw Center in Baton Rouge, is currently exhibiting Blue Dogs and Cajuns on the River. After all students have seen Rodrigue’s work, each student will create their own piece of artwork in their art class and share what inspired them about the art.
This effort is evidence of the Zachary Community School District’s strong commitment to providing a rich and meaningful arts curriculum as a part of its diverse program offerings. The exposure of elementary students to visual arts has been expanded in recent years. In 2008, the entire 4th and 5th grade students from Copper Mill Elementary had a once in a lifetime opportunity to view the sculptures of world renowned, French sculptor, Auguste Rodin at the LSU Museum of Art. Each student created an inspirational sculpture in clay from what they had seen and learned after attending the exhibit.
Due to an extended power outage, Zachary High School has been closed for the day. All students have been dismissed and bus transportation will be provided. We apologize for the inconvenience.
If you can’t make it out to watch the Broncos in person, be sure to log on to the Zachary Schools website to catch live feed of the Broncos in action. This year our stream will continue to have the great commentary you have come to love, but will once again feature video coverage of the game. You will need to have quicktime player installed on your computer to access the live feed which will begin approximately 10 minutes before game time.