Volume 4, Issue 1 | September 24, 2018
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 .
Superintendent's Message
Milpitas, together, WE unfold passions for student leaders
  “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” This quote by George Eliot is written prominently for students to see when they visit the office of Karisa Scott, Milpitas and Cal Hills High School Assistant Principal. It is both a message of hope and a reminder to all of us that our potential continues to unfold within us. As parents and educators (every one of us in our school community is an educator) we have this most amazing gift of time together with our students, our children. As we look back at our younger selves, do we remember what we wanted to become? Who made the difference for each of us? Most likely, it was not a single person, but a cadre of adults who mentored, coached, and cared about us as we journeyed towards adulthood. Providing pathways for students to discover what ignites them and will propel them towards realizing their goals is the core of our fourth Strategic Goal .

Four dynamic students come to mind as I think about this quote and our role in nurturing their development this year. Christian is a senior in the Digital Business Academy at Milpitas High School who I first met at a Milpitas general planning advisory committee. He spoke earnestly to the committee about providing places for youth to congregate in our community.  Chloe, also a MHS student, is leading the Milpitas Robotics Club initiative to extend beyond the school to our middle and elementary schools. MHS junior, Vivek, is partnering with us to enhance our outreach to students who need mental health support. Jeda is our first Cal Hills High School student board representative; she is dedicated to being a voice for her fellow classmates. Each of these young leaders is driven and enthusiastic about being who s/he wants to be. It is our role to ensure that their pathways are clear, and their passions are fueled by opportunity.

As we journey together, let us always remember that it is never too late for us to envision and create the possible for our children and youth. Together we can ensure that our learning environments are safe, intriguing, and relevant for the future of work in the 22nd century. Together, we can realize our vision, that MUSD is a place of innovation preparing students to make a difference in the world where they are passionate about life and learning.

Highlights
Board Meeting will be streamed live on YouTube tomorrow
The Board Meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, September 25) at Milpitas High School will be streamed live on our YouTube channel, available here.

View the Board agenda online now.
MUSD employees, families invited to college game day
Join friends, families, and fellow colleagues in watching San Jose State University's football team take on Army West Point 12 p.m. Saturday, October 13 at Levi's Stadium, located at 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way in Santa Clara.

Tickets are $15 each, and are available online now. For more information, visit the website.
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month resources available
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Americans and among the top five causes of death for those ages 10 to 54, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. All month, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members are uniting to promote suicide prevention awareness.

Visit resources on our District website here.
Sinnott PTA named National PTA School of Excellence
John Sinnott Elementary School's Parent Teacher Association was recently chosen as one of 11 schools recognized as a 2018-20 National PTA School of Excellence. They are being honored for their incredible work as leaders in developing strong family-school partnerships and making the school environment and education experience better for every child. 
VTA provides tips to stay safe around buses, light rail
September is Rail Safety Month in California, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has issued materials including safety tips and a link to a short video (left) which illustrates safe behavior around light rail train tracks and stations.

"Lately, our rail operators are noticing an increase in students looking at their smart phones, wearing ear buds of headsets, and not paying attention as they approach VTA light rail platforms or as they cross light rail tracks," Angelique Gaeta, Chief of Staff/Interim Director of Safety and Compliance wrote in a letter.

View the tips online and safety brochures in English and Spanish online now.
MUSD joins SCCOE in 'My Name, My Identity' campaign
Milpitas Unified School District has joined the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in the "My Name, My Identity" campaign. This campaign is an opportunity to build  an inclusive respectful culture in our schools and communities valuing diversity and promoting global awareness. 

It is focused on sharing stories about names within cultural contexts, taking actions to create a respectful and inclusive environment in school communities, and inspiring individuals to make pledges to pronounce students' names correctly and to learn the stories behind those names. 

We are so fortunate in Milpitas with at least 52 languages spoken by more than 5,213 of our students. This year we invite you to join us !  As you start the new year begin by sharing your name story and invite others to do the same! In the Culture of WE, here is an MUSD Menu of Ideas
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:

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,
Superintendent Cheryl Jordan
News
Back to School Nights a success across MUSD
Back to School Nights ended September 18 with Milpitas Unified School District's Adult Education Program. They had a great turnout, with many families visiting and it was heartwarming to see the children support their parents. Previously, Back to School Nights were a success at Mattos, Rose, Sinnott, Randall and Zanker elementary schools on September 6. Rancho and Russell held their Back to School Nights August 29 following the kickoff for the year August 23 at Burnett, Curtner, Pomeroy, Spangler, and Weller elementary schools!

Students honor those who sacrificed their lives on 9/11
Milpitas High School students made roses out of tissue paper in order to honor those who sacrificed their lives in the brutal September 11 attack. Not only did students learn how to make crafts, they also socialized and talked about the tragedy, demonstrating and spreading unity among the students. Through the daily announcements, the high school’s principal, Francis Rojas, also talked about the importance of commemorating this day and how it inspires unity, strength, and indivisibility in a one, Trojan community. 

Thomas Russell Middle School
In Stephanie Woodhams' eighth grade U.S. history classes at Thomas Russell Middle School, she briefly acknowledged Patriot Day in the first 10 minutes of class. I explained that even though this event happened 17 years ago and before they were born, for many of the adults in their life, this day sometimes feels like just a few years ago.

She showed the YouTube  read aloud  of the "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers," which explains how Philippe Petit walked between the towers in 1974 and it also connects to how the towers no longer exist, but the last pages are, "Now the towers are gone. But in memory, as if imprinted on the sky, the towers are still there. And part of that memory is the joyful morning, August 7, 1974, when Philippe Petit walked between them in the air."

Woodhams also asked her students to talk to the adults in their life, asking what they remember, maybe give them a hug because the memory of that day is still very painful. She also pulls some books from her class library for them to be able to read if they'd like to learn more about that day.
William Burnett Elementary School
Kristian Lecours' fifth/sixth grade combination class at William Burnett Elementary School did some activities in remembrance of September 11. They first did a K-W-L chart -- which tracks what a student knows (K), wants to know (W), and has learned (L) about a topic -- to activate students's background knowledge. They then read two sources in which students completed their K-W-L chart with new information and answered the questions they had. They then jigsawed a book titled "Heroes of 9/11." Students were assigned a hero and they read the chapter and created a presentation to highlight their hero.


The class also analyzed the lyrics of " Believe"   by Yellowcard, a tribute song to those that rescued others and sacrificed themselves on 9/11.
ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy comes to Curtner
On September 4, Curtner Elementary had a rare and exciting opportunity to have the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy showcased on site. The trophy is traveling across five continents, 21 countries and over 60 cities before debuting at the World Cup Tournament in England. 
Zanker Elementary rolls out Passport assembly
Late August, Zanker rolled out its second year of the Passport assembly to support positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). Passports gives the students an opportunity to tour campus and learn from the custodian, yard duty and lunch supervisors, office staff, and teachers about school wide expectations. Zanker is in Year 1 of PBIS implementation in which R.O.A.R. will teach students to be respectful, open-minded, always safe, and responsible. Students and all staff are involved in ensuring safety throughout the day, and students are demonstrating great behavior early in the year!
New digital resources available courtesy of the California State Library
California public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade have new digital resources available to them courtesy of the California State Library. Why is this significant? California is one of the last states to offer these types of resources to every student. Until now, individual schools and districts paid for students to access quality digital resources appropriate for academic use.

What are these resources? They are commonly referred to as Databases.
"A library database is an indexed collection of magazine, journal, newspaper articles, abstracts, and other information, which has been checked for accuracy and reliability by publishers and then licensed for distribution in online/electronic format. Many of the sources included in the database come from known print sources that publishers sell to the databases.” (CSL - California’s K-12 Online Content Project  http://bit.ly/2C5UOa1 )

Milpitas High School preparing for homecoming week
Although the leaves are beginning to fall from the branches, the spirit in Milpitas High School is through the roof as the students prepare for Homecoming. Students are occupied with making decorations and planning events such as the Homecoming Dance, which will be held on October 13 at the school’s large gym, and of course the Homecoming game on October 19 — where all students, staff, parents, and alumni gather to show their support to the Milpitas High School Trojans!
MUSD | Phone: (408) 635-2600