If this email is clipped—or photos are not displayed—click the "View entire message" link at the bottom of the email. Campus Connections is the newsletter of the Milpitas Unified School District. If you have stories for our next issue, please send them to  Shannon Carr .

Join in the celebration of the Milpitas Elementary Olympics on Saturday, May 5

Milpitas Unified School District and The City of Milpitas has teamed up to bring back the Milpitas Elementary Olympics (MEO) on Saturday, May 5. The event will kick off with an opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m., and events are expected to run through 4 p.m. at the Milpitas High School field, located at 1285 Escuela Parkway. If you are within walking distance, we strongly recommend that you walk to MHS as parking will be limited. Otherwise, parking spaces will be available at the following locations:

-Russell Middle School- 1500 Escuela Parkway

-Pomeroy Elementary School- 1505 Escuela Parkway

-Weller Elementary School- 345 Boulder Street

About 200 student athletes from Milpitas elementary schools will participate in friendly competition of Olympic style activities and games, including 50- and 100-yard dashes, ball-throwing, and jump roping, according to Raquel Kusunoki, Director of Learning and Development. Students were chosen during tryouts in physical education classes. MEO inspires and promotes fitness, goal setting and comradery amongst the students, teachers, and parents of the Milpitas community.

“Working alongside the City of Milpitas to help bring the vision of the ‘Culture of We’ to fruition has certainly been a lot of work and yet exciting!” Kusunoki said. “To witness community members pitch in to help make the Olympics a reality for our elementary students serves as a reminder that it truly takes a village to raise our children. From the MHS advisors who enlisted over 100 student volunteers to the generous contributions of local organizations and families (KLA-Tencor, Rotary, Kiwanis, MPOA, Luu Family) is a testament to the longstanding appreciation of the community.”

The event was founded by the city’s first recreation director, Bob McGuire, as a joint effort with Milpitas and MUSD more than 40 years ago.

“The City of Milpitas is excited to work in partnership with the Milpitas Unified School District to bring back a Milpitas classic!” said Renee Lorentzen, Director of Recreation and Community Services. “We are honored to be a part of an event that celebrates the community and is steeped in tradition.”

Building strong foundations for Milpitas students -

Tell us what you think

Please keep an eye out for a community survey that was recently sent to your home. We want to hear your comments and questions!

Our District is seeking feedback from the community as we evaluate the needs of our schools and potential options for repairs and upgrades. We are talking with parents, teachers, staff, and the community to develop a plan for moving forward. 

Our District offers an outstanding education that provides empowering learning opportunities to all students, but our schools need repairs and upgrades. For example, we need to repair and replace leaky roofs and windows, upgrade lighting, and improve earthquake safety to ensure students have a safe and healthy learning environment. Updates to school security, such as fencing and security cameras, are also needed. 

In addition, the current enrollment at Milpitas High School is 3,210 students, which is far more than it was originally built for. Additional classrooms, labs, and facilities are needed to relieve overcrowding. Our elementary and middle schools also need additional classrooms and school facilities to ensure students can continue to attend their neighborhood school.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey about your priorities for our schools. You can complete the survey by clicking here: www.musd.org/survey

Your feedback is essential to developing a plan for our schools. 

Camp Everytown allows Milpitas students to heal, grow

by Shannon Carr

Before Camp Everytown, Milpitas High School junior Eigen Edward Gacho was full of negativity and traumatic experiences. But attending the four-day residential, intensive leadership development program based on core values - respect, acceptance, and responsibility - allowed him to not only open up in a way he never has before but share his experiences about being bullied, and truly heal and grow.

Gacho was one of 44 Milpitas High School and Calaveras Hills High School students, accompanied by six staff members, who headed up the hill March 28 to Camp Harmond in Boulder Creek.

“ The tenets of the program are for those attending to be willing to openly share their prejudices, views and beliefs surrounding race, religion, social position, gender, religion, culture, law enforcement,” said MHS Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera, who has attended the camp since approximately 1999. “Those attending must be willing to ‘hear’ and ‘empathize’ with what's being shared and discuss strategies to ameliorate bullying, sexism, and other campus concerns.”

Students participated in activities that identify opportunities, obstacles, and solutions to human relations issues specific to their school, according to Silicon Valley FACES, which runs the program.

Seniors Tariq Bracy, Verenice Gomez, Lanazia Greene, and Brianna Williams; juniors Travis Lloyd and Gacho; sophomore Carlson Cabatotan and Josue Torres; and freshman Lailani Esparza recently met to discuss the camp, and the impact it made on them.

Read the full story, with more photos, here.

MUSD, City of Milpitas will offer free lunch for kids

When school is out during the summer, many students will not have access to the free and reduced-priced meals that they usually rely on during the school year. Summer break can pose a challenge to fill the nutrition gap. Fortunately, Milpitas Unified School District will open three feeding sites that will allow any youth under the age of 18 to receive free, wholesome lunches. Under the Seamless Summer Option funded by the California Department of Education, this effort helps alleviate child hunger and help parents stretch their food dollars. Milpitas Unified School District in partnership with the City of Milpitas is offering lunch for kids from June 18 through July 27.

“We served about 8,000 meals last summer,” said Sandy Huynh, Director of Student Nutrition Services with Milpitas Unified School District.

She anticipates the meal participation to exceed this year, because the team had a head start and wider spread on outreach. 

“One of our goals is to utilize our partnership and all communication channels to ensure the information reach the families and the community,” she said.

The program will be housed at the following locations during the noted days and times:

Robert Randall Elementary , 1300 Edsel Drive

10:30-11 a.m.

Monday through Thursday*

*Site will be open on the following Fridays: June 22, June 29, and July 6.

Alexander Rose Elementary , 250 Roswell Drive

10:30-11:15 a.m.

Monday-Friday

Milpitas Sports Center , 1325 E. Calaveras Blvd.

12-12:30 p.m.

Monday-Friday

All sites will be closed on Wednesday, July 4.

No application or registration is required, and meals will be served on a first come first serve basis. All meals must be picked up by the youth and eaten on site. Visit the California Department of Education Food Program website for additional sites in other counties: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sh/sn/summersites.asp

Stay up to date: Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook

We would like to take a moment to invite you to the District’s Facebook and Twitter platforms to help us better connect with you.

Our goal with these social media platforms is to provide parents and community members with important information about the District, our schools and the exciting educational initiatives that are helping to improve learning and academic performance for all students. We also hope to highlight some of our outstanding students and their achievements, as well as teachers, specialists, classified staff, and administrators who are working to prepare our students for lifelong academic and career success.



We believe that social media will provide a valuable, free exchange of ideas that will help strengthen our services to students and their families, build a stronger school-family connection, and move our District forward to continued success.

Please take a moment to LIKE and follow us:

www.facebook.com/MilpitasUnified

www.twitter.com/MUSDFamily

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Superintendent Cheryl Jordan

Scholarship available for incoming college freshmen

The California School Employees Association Chapter 281 is seeking applications for scholarships. To be eligible, you must be the son/daughter, grandson/granddaughter, stepchild, or legal dependent of a CSEA Chapter 281 member; a Class of 2018 graduating high school student; maintain a GPA of 2.75 or above; include an official transcript; be an outstanding member of his/her school and community; be accepted to a post-secondary institution; complete the attached CSEA Chapter 281 scholarship application and attach all additional requested information. A copy of the application and other requirements are available HERE.

Entries sought for educational art contest

The California Department of Education and the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento is seeking entries for the 2018 Children's Drawing Contest, “Éste es mi México,” with the topic: “History, Traditions, Gastronomy, Beaches, Music.” The contest is open to children of all nationalities between the ages of six and 14. The contest motivates children to draw and learn about Mexico, its history, traditions,

food, beaches, and music. Drawings must be mailed or hand-delivered to a Mexican Consulate by May 31, 2018. For more information, view the flier now.

Having fun never gets old with Milpitas Recreation and Community Services

News and Events

Students bring 'Buddy Bench' to Rose Elementary School

by Shannon Carr

On the primary playground at Rose Elementary School, there is a new place for students to go when they are looking for friends thanks to fourth graders Eva Saucedo and Alexis Tritton. If a kid is lonely, they can sit on a bench that reads “Buddy Bench,” which will provide a signal to other kids to ask them to play. 

“We hope that the buddy bench brings out kindness and acceptance in our students,” Assistant Principal Lori Nuno said. “The buddy bench encourages our primary students to take risks and get to know someone they may not have met or maybe only know because they have seen them playing on the playground.”

Tritton said she got the idea for the project from a school one of her friends attends. Saucedo said when she joined Rose in second grade, having a buddy bench would have helped her develop friendships sooner and she is excited to see students making new friends because of it.

“I think it makes the school a better place,” Tritton said.

Saucedo and Tritton approached Principal Nanci Pass and Nuno with the idea of purchasing a buddy bench last school year. They discussed how to get the funding and encouraged them to bring it to the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. The girls researched the specific bench and color they wanted, along with the cost then they used their lunchtime to draw up a plan to present to the PTO. Saucedo and Tritton approached the organization at its September 21 meeting.

“The most intriguing thing I found with it was the fact that they came up with such a great idea on their own, and presented it to us,” PTO President Valerie Negrito said. “They were prepared with an actual company that we can purchase from. They did the homework on something they felt strongly about beforehand.”

Read the full story here.

Cal Hills students visit San Jose City College

Sixteen 10th and 11th grade students from Calaveras Hills High School went on a field trip to San Jose City College's main campus on April 25. Xiomara Martinez was the host, and she began the morning with a fabulous presentation of information about all the programs and services offered at SJCC for students.

After the informational session, the students had the chance to participate in the Major Fair that was on campus at the Student Center. This was where current students could chat with professors and advisors from the various programs available to SJCC students. Cal Hills students completed "passports" by stopping at different info booths, and were treated to a pizza lunch.

After the fair, they had two Student Ambassadors (Fidel and Lionell) -- also student athletes preparing to transfer to San Jose State University this fall -- give an extensive campus tour, showing students around the school and answering lots of questions about the student experience.

The Cal Hills students were actively engaged in the day's activities and we are so grateful to our hosts!

View more photos here.

--Submitted by Diana Carty

Students earn grand prize at TheatreWorks competition

Eight Milpitas High School theater students competed at this year’s seventh annual 1440 Countdown at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley on April 21. For this competition, they had to write a play on a given theme with specific requirements and then perform it - all in just 24 hours. The team was comprised of six seniors and two sophomores.

They not only took home an award for best dialogue, but they also won the grand prize. This means that they will be performing their play, Open Up , on the TheatreWorks stage this summer as part of their New Works Festival. The performance will be scheduled at a later date.

Comcast Cares Day a success at Spangler Elementary

Volunteers came out in full force on Saturday, April 21 for an amazing day at Anthony Spangler Elementary School.

"With over 200 volunteers at Spangler, our Comcast Cares Day was a huge success," Principal Catherine Waslif said.

That day, volunteers were able to complete many schoolwide improvement projects, including gardening, library shelving, window washing, planting, painting, and organizing. Waslif wished a special thank you to Comcast cares coordinators Amin Fazal, Nadya Smith, and Janaye Cooper; Mike and Nancy Mendizabal of Kiwanis; the Board of Education; Silvia, Tania, and Stephanie of the Spangler PTA; the Maintenance, Operations, Transportation Department; MUSD volunteers; Spangler staff Katie McClure, Benjamin Vallejo, Tam Hoang, Teresa Starr, Nicole King, Lydia Adidjaja, Amber Blanco, Gina Sainten and Liz Gutierrez; and the Milpitas High School and local community volunteers.

View more photos here.

NASA Embassador visits Milpitas Adult Education

Matthew Hewes, M.S. Astrophysics (U.C. Santa Cruz), NASA Education Embassador gave a presentation to Milpitas Adult Education learners. Students learned about NASA’s Kepler mission and the techniques that scientists use to look for planets outside our solar system.

The presentation included hands-on demonstrations to illustrate centripetal motion and other physical properties related to controlling the satellite in space. Students also looked for potential planets by scanning Kepler data, marking points of interest given a set of parameters, and reporting these to NASA via www.planethunters.org.

View more photos online.

--Submitted by Giuliana Brahim

MOT Department hard at work during spring break

While most staff were enjoying well deserved rest during Spring Break, the District's Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Department was hard at work making some critical repairs. At Curtner Elementary, some portables had exterior siding replaced while Randall had a main water backflow and underground piping replaced and Milpitas High School's main electrical 3000 amp circuit breaker along with a 600 amp sub panel circuit breaker were replaced.

 

Additional maintenance tasks performed included fire alarm testing at all the school sites, playground equipment repair, and HVAC maintenance along with major school bus repairs. The grounds crew also helped with freshening up Spangler Elementary School during Comcast Cares Day.

A special thanks to the entire department for working behind the scenes to keep our schools up and running!

--Submitted by Brian Shreve

Rose participates in national campaign 'Good Four'

Sixth-grade students at Rose Elementary participated in "Good Four"- a national campaign to complete four hours of community service on April 4 (4/4). Students served teachers and staff on campus by organizing libraries, updating Chromebooks, counting fliers, teaching Kindergarten students letters, prepping teaching supplies, cleaning and organizing the Learning Center, picking up trash, and much more!

The big project of the day was writing letters to local businesses on behalf of the student lunch money debt (pictured). Students divided up the amounts owed by grade, chose businesses with a personal connection, and requested donations to settle the accounts. Performing acts of service, such as participating in the "Good Four" campaign, is one of the many ways Rose encourages its students to be involved citizens and agents for change in their community.

--Submitted by Sybra Dacy

Lawrence Hall of Science presents Curtner Science Night

Curtner Elementary School's PTA hosted Science Night on April 9. This year’s event was presented by the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) of the University of California at Berkeley.

Each exhibit station needed volunteers to help understand how to use the exhibits, and engage kids to ensure everyone had a chance to experiment and make their own discoveries and conclusions. Parents of Curtner stepped up to volunteer and made the event meaningful for our children.

The event was broken into two sessions to accommodate all interested students. During the event, parents and students got an opportunity to explore the exhibits in areas of Mechanics, Electricity, Optics, and Magnetism. In addition to exhibits, there were live demonstrations for students to enjoy which provided an excellent start to a life-long practice to master the laws of physics.

--Submitted by Srabasti Gupta

Milpitas High School hosts Battle of the Cupcakes

Rosemary Keith and the Culinary Heroes Club put on the 6th Annual Battle of the Cupcakes on March 28, where 12 teams/individuals made cupcakes and frosting from scratch. They were judged on multiple levels from originality to taste of the cake itself and frosting. The people who won individual categories walked away with certificates for those categories. The overall winner took home $100. Before awards were given out, the amazingly enthusiastic Suzanne Moffett auctioned off boxes of cupcakes made by the students to a room filled of students, friends, and family. This was a fantastic event. Great job to all those people who participated and put this on.  

--Submitted by Jennifer Garcia

Upcoming Events

Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Tour

Do you want to prepare your child for a global future? Are you interested in an enriched learning environment that blends academics and cultural proficiency? Come join us at Randall Elementary School to learn about and see our Two-Way Bilingual Immersion/Dual language program in action from 8:15 - 9:30 a.m. on May 10. For more information, call (408) 635-2662.

Russell Middle School Spring Concert

Thomas Russell Middle School will hold its Spring Concert 6-8 p.m. tonight (May 4) in the multi-use room. The performance will have two string orchestras and three bands.

Milpitas Business and Community Monthly Breakfast will highlight one of the district's 2018-21 Strategic Plan Goals

Superintendent Cheryl Jordan with Milpitas High School Principal Francis Rojas, Calaveras Hills High School Principal Carl Stice, and Milpitas Adult Education Principal Giuliana Brahim will share how the team is working to d evelop educational pathways that allow Milpitas Unified School District's high school and adult learners to apply their passion in learning for their future careers during the Milpitas Business and Community Monthly Breakfast 7:30-9 a.m. Tuesday, May 8 at the Milpitas Senior Center, located at 40 N. Milpitas Blvd. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door (if available). Purchase tickets online now or at Milpitas Chamber, located at 828 N. Hillview Drive in Milpitas.

Weller Multicultural Celebration Day May 11

Joseph Weller Elementary School will hold its Multicultural Celebration Day 5:30-7 p.m. next Friday, May 11 in the multipurpose room. The event will include a potluck and multicultural performances, including the school's chorus singing songs in different languages. Everyone is invited to attend.

Fireside Chat with two agents of social change

San Jose City College and Silicon Valley Latino will present a very special Fireside Chat featuring Dr. David Lopez and Council member Bob Nuñez 4-6 p.m. May 12 at the San Jose City College Milpitas Extension, located at 1450 Escuela Parkway.

Mindful Book Club

The Mindful Book Club invites all MUSD parents and the community at large to its meeting 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, May 14 in the Learning Center at John Sinnott Elementary School, 2025 Yellowstone Avenue. The club will discuss "The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults," written by Francis E. Hensen, MD.

The Leader in Me event

Weller Elementary School is a Leader in Me School. Weller families, MUSD staff members, and the community at large are invited to attend the school's first Leader in me Leadership Day event 8-10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 17 in the multipurpose room. Students will be showcasing their leadership skills and talents, and how they incorporate the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People principles each day. Come and enjoy refreshments, see student presentations, hear a performance by the chorus, tour classrooms, and more. For more information, contact Principal Alicia Padilla at [email protected] or (408) 635-2876.

Senior Awards Night

Milpitas High School will hold its Senior Awards Night 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 23 in the Large Gym. That evening, 3 43 students will receive either a maroon cord, gold cord, or both. The list will grow in the next month as students will be receiving notices of scholarship awards and additional students will be added for maroon cord (150+ hours of community service). This event is open to the public, and no ticket is required. 

Free Summer English Tutoring

Read Write Discover, a student-run organization seeking to combat illiteracy through free summer tutoring programs, is holding free summer English tutoring at the Milpitas Library June 11, 18, and 25 and July 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 (all Mondays). There are two sessions available, 1:30-3 p.m. and 3:30-5 p.m. Sign up for a session in the Milpitas Library auditorium on May 12 or the Milpitas Library Study Room A on May 19. The Milpitas Library is located at 160 N. Main Street in Milpitas. For more information, view the flier, email [email protected], or visit www.readwritediscover.org.

Adult Ed offers Summer Enrichment, ESL, ECE classes

Milpitas Unified School District, in partnership with Milpitas Adult Education, announces “Summer Enrichment 2018,” open to all Bay Area students entering grades 1-8. Registration, which began Thursday, Mar. 1 is now open at adulted.musd.org.

The program will offer multiple sessions, with the first starting June 18, to be held at Rose Elementary School, 250 Roswell Drive, Milpitas. See the flier on MUSD’s Google Drive for more info.

Free ESL Classes

Also, for those who do not speak English fluently... Do you need a better job? Want more education? Want to help your kids with school work? Want to become an American citizen? We offer six levels of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, serving adults who wish to make a successful transition into American society and develop the skills needed to reach their professional and personal goals. For more information, call (408) 635-2692, Ext. 4555.

Early Childhood Education career pathway

Are you interested in opening your own daycare? Is it your dream to work as a teacher, assistant teacher, or special needs teacher? Milpitas Adult Education has joined with San Jose City College to offer an Early Childhood Education (ECE) career pathway. MAE students have the option to also co-enroll in ECE classes held on the MAE school site or enroll in core ECE classes at the SJCC Extension site on Escuela Parkway. This semester, two ECE elective classes are available at MAE and two core classes are available at the extension. For more information, view the flier or contact Patti Gairaud at [email protected] or (408) 635-2692.

The photo above depicts ECE 104 "Art and Creativity for Children," with instructor Ranjana Bhatnagar.