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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
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Use real life experiences as teachable summer lessons
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Summer learning possibilities exist where they are least expected. Research shows that our kids experience an academic slump over the summer months when their skills aren’t stretched. Textbook math and reading are not the only strategies for challenging our children’s academic skills. Our creativity and complex thinking skills develop more as we are exposed to new thoughts, experiences, and essential information about who we are as individuals and collectively as a family and community. This is why exploring nature, taking an urban adventure, visiting points of interest, learning to cook a family favorite, reading about one’s culture and history, or spending time talking with relatives or community elders are all excellent learning experiences.
Learning about their cultural backgrounds adds to our youth’s self-confidence and provides them with high interest learning opportunities. For example, the history of math can take a youngster on a cultural journey to South Africa, the Middle East, China, or India. Delving into history from the perspective of one’s heritage will provide a teen with fuel for critical thinking around how history is written and why perspective is an important part of analyzing it. These last two weeks of summer are prime time for tapping into out of school learning options.
Before the first day of school on August 16 ushers in the close of summer, let’s take advantage of these last two weeks to learn something together with our kids!
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Board approves bond to be placed on November ballot
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At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, Trustees unanimously approved adopting a resolution to place a local facilities bond measure on the November 2018 ballot.
“Thank you for coming out tonight to support us,” Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said to those in attendance at the meeting. “I am definitely grateful and also very excited about this effort that we have before us.”
Leading up to the decision, Jordan said there was a great amount of input and discussion with community groups and staff members in addition to two polls, the latest one being in June 2018. According to those polling results, 60 percent of the public would be in favor of a $284 million bond measure, levying $60 per $100,000 of assessed value. Additionally, polling revealed that residents want to see additional classrooms, a modernized high school campus, safe schools, and upgraded infrastructures. The bond will need 55 percent voter approval in order to pass.
The passage of a bond will provide the District with funds to address the top priorities that were mentioned, including safety concerns, necessary infrastructure improvements that will facilitate the drive to create 22nd Century teaching and learning environments, and overcrowding at Milpitas High School and the District’s elementary schools
Districtwide enrollment is expected to increase by 467 students by 2022 and potentially by nearly 800 students total by 2027, with most of the increase in the elementary grades. It is imperative that the District completes the building of Mabel Mattos Elementary School and remodels and upgrades Randall Elementary School (the District’s Dual Language school open to all MUSD residents) to accommodate the growth at the elementary level. While the high school enrollment projection forecasts an additional 40 to 50 students by 2030, the Milpitas High School Campus has great need for upgrades and modernization to accommodate the 3,200+ student body.
“I’m very excited to begin the effort in ensuring that the community stands behind us in November and votes yes on our future measure,” Jordan said.
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Volunteers sought for Kohl's Cares for Kids event Sunday
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One hundred and fifty Milpitas Unified School District elementary students will be shopping for school clothes on Sunday, August 5 thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Milpitas and Kohl's during Kohl's Cares for Kids. Chaperones are needed to escort and assist each child as they shop. Children have been pre-selected by MUSD based on their need. The Kiwanis Club of Milpitas will supply gift cards for shopping.
Volunteers will report at 6:15 a.m. to the parking lot entrance to Kohl's at the Great Mall in Milpitas. Coffee and snacks will be provided. Volunteers already include MUSD staff, local elected officials, Milpitas Police and Fire, Cal Fire, City of Milpitas staff, Milpitas High School Key Club, Kohl's employees, and Kiwanis members.
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MHS teacher Kaila Schwartz selected as a county candidate for State Teacher of the Year competition
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Milpitas High School Theater and English teacher Kaila Schwartz was selected as one of three Santa Clara County educators to become county candidates for the 2019 State Teacher of the Year Competition.
She has been teaching at Milpitas High School for 17 years, after a 10-year career as an actor.
"...around the time I turned 30, my dad reminded me that, when I graduated from Syracuse, I had promised myself that I would give full-time acting 10 years and that if at the end of those 10 years I wasn’t happy with where I was in my life, then I would reevaluate everything,” she recalled. “And, well, my 30th birthday was that 10-year mark. I discovered that I really wasn’t happy. I was not feeling fulfilled. I felt like I had lost my creative spark.”
So Schwartz applied to the four most competitive Master of Fine Arts programs in the country, got rejected from all of them, and was offered a job teaching fourth graders how to read Hebrew at a temple in Cleveland, Ohio.
“That’s the job that changed my life,” she said. “I fell in love with teaching, then got my Master’s in education. All of my inspiration came back. All of my creativity came back. My feeling of satisfaction was never higher.”
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Apply for Free and Reduced Price School Meals today
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As the start of the new school year is approaching, get a head start on applying for school meals! Student Nutrition Services is now accepting meal applications for the 2018-19 school year! You may qualify for free or reduced-priced meals.
Apply ONLINE
- it is easy, paperless, and confidential! Only one application needed per household. The Paper application is also available at school sites. Don’t wait, apply today!
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Stay up to date: Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook
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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
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Love 4 Literacy Kinder Camp equips families with knowledge to be successful in school
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This summer Milpitas Unified School District offered a Love 4 Literacy Kinder Camp to families with children entering Kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year. Students and their families were invited to attend an eight-day program to learn the necessary skills to help them be successful in Kindergarten. During the program, students practiced with letter sounds, completed early literacy activities, and participated in hands-on learning and play. Family members were able to view the lessons and discussed how to bring in learning to their homes. Families also benefited from a daily Parent University where they were able to ask questions and talk with the teachers.
The program was a huge success! I believe that this first summer of implementing the program will also help to close those opportunity gaps for the families that attended. I was able to witness a beautiful partnership between the students, teachers, and families.
--Deanna Sainten, Elementary Summer School Principal
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Milpitas students give back to their community through Weller 'Jumpstart Kindergarten'
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This summer, students participated in the Jumpstart Kindergarten program at Weller, ending June 22.
Kindergarten teachers Sue VonTersch and Kristi Hirano started the program over 10 years ago in an effort to help close the achievement gap.
Students from Thomas Russell Middle School and Milpitas High School volunteering as classroom helpers, known as "Big Buddies" to the kinders. The approximately 20 volunteers help with 1:1 support to the incoming kinder, teaching them how to hold a pencil, follow school rules, and play respectfully at the playground as a few examples. Other Big Buddies enjoy preparing supplies for the teachers for the upcoming year by making copies and laminating.
"The program has given me a different perspective on teacher's behalf," said senior Tiffany Hernandez, who has volunteered with the program for three years. "I have learned a variety of things from maintaining a large group of children to teaching a child the different of patterns and random colors. This program has become very important to me and every year I look forward to volunteering for the program. I thank Mrs. VT and Ms. Hirano for this amazing opportunity and for teaching now only the children but me."
Many Big Buddies begin volunteering in seventh grade and continue every year until high school. They enjoy the kinders so much that they comment that they will miss them when the program ends. Some even contemplate the possibilities of becoming a teacher.
As teachers, VonTersch said they mentor these young volunteers, allowing them to see their strengths to pursue their dreams wherever their paths may lead them.
In the end, the Weller Jumpstart program is a win-win for all involved. Kinders come ready to learn the first day of school and big buddies prepare themselves for their future through giving back to their community. Kinder teachers build classroom community - the family of WE for Weller.
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Milpitas students attend college classes this summer
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This summer 196 Milpitas High School students started at least one college class at San Jose City College’s Milpitas Extension and 192 finished their classes, most of which are UC transferable. This continues a remarkable trend among MHS students. To date, 450 MHS students have taken a class at the Extension with a 95 percent passing rate. The college classes are free for high school students and the Extension supplies the books. Please check out the
fall schedule
to see if any of the classes are of interest. For more information, contact Michael Castro at
michael.castro@sjcc.edu
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Adult Education supports Summer Enrichment Program and Extended School Year at Rose Elementary
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by Giuliana Brahim, Adult Education Principal
Milpitas Adult Education successfully coordinated the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) at Rose Elementary School as well as partnered with the District’s Student Services department to oversee Extended School Year (ESY), the summer program for students enrolled in Special Education.
We recruited youth from Milpitas High School and Calaveras Hills to volunteer this summer working in both the SEP and ESY programs. Youth Volunteers worked for up to six weeks in our programs to provide support and guidance to all our students. Altogether we had 41 youth who volunteered over 200 hours. In addition, we had two Youth Coordinators to help supervise our youth volunteers. Both volunteers are currently focused on long-term careers in education. Stephanie Dang will be an elementary school teacher next school year in the Evergreen School District and Ida Julissa Rivera is currently attending school focusing on Early Childhood Education. Their knowledge in Education was an asset to our success of the Youth Volunteer Program this summer at Rose Elementary School.
Our SEP program had two three-week sessions. Students were combined by grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-8 and were given specialized academic instruction in common core English Language Arts and Mathematics at their grade levels. We were able to give many MUSD teacher an opportunity to work in our SEP program. We were also able to partner with the University of San Francisco to support a student teacher who worked with our SEP staff for six weeks. In addition, MUSD through Learning and Development supported some foster youth families with a SEP sponsorship.
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Students participate in CyberPatriot Summer Camp
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Students from around the Bay Area participated in CyberPatriot Summer Camp July 18 -22. Hosted on Cisco’s Campus, 30 students from Milpitas, grades 6-11, developed cyber skills and cyber language as well as competed in cyber challenges. Cisco’s cybersecurity engineers were joined by instructional Bay Area diversity coaches to excite students new to cybersecurity about STEM career opportunities and teach them important cyber defense skills through hands-on instruction and activities.
“The Cisco Cybersecurity Camp opened my eyes to a new world of computing and internet safety,” one student said.
Cisco is a sponsor of CyberPatriot, the National Youth Cyber Education Program, founded by Air Force Association. If you are interested in learning more about CyberPatriot, visit
www.uscyberpatriot.org
or contact Dr. Cynthia Temesi, Cisco Education Advisor, at
ctemesi@cisco.com
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Mabel Mattos Elementary Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Due to community support, Milpitas Unified School District's long-awaited dream of a new elementary school has become a reality. Mabel Mattos Elementary School, the District's 10th elementary school, will open its doors with the start of the new school year August 16. Join District staff for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 4-5:30 p.m. at 1750 McCandless Drive in Milpitas. For more information,
read the Media Advisory
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Step into Teaching
The Santa Clara County Office of Education is hosting "Step into Teaching" in an effort to increase qualified teaching candidates. On August 25, event attendees will learn what is needed to become a teacher, how to navigate the credentialing process, and information about compensation, benefits, and retirement. "Step into Teaching" will also provide networking opportunities with potential employers and the opportunity to interact with classroom educators and experts from Santa Clara University, San Jose State University, National University, UC Santa Cruz, and the Santa Clara County Office of Education's EPIC program. For more information, visit the
Step into Teaching website.
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Launch your career in early childhood education
Start by taking four core classes, FCS 70, ECE 107, ECE 101, and 102, over two semesters at the San Jose Evergreen Community College District Milpitas Extension, located at 1450 Escuela Parkway. After completing the four core classes, you will earn the Associate Teacher Certificate of achievement - level 1 at San Jose City College, and become eligible for the Associate Teacher ECE permit issued by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, call (408) 947-5354,
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MUSD | Phone: (408) 635-2600
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