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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
Scott Forstner
.
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MUSD shines today and into the future
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Dear MUSD Community,
I have been committed to Milpitas Unified since 1989, and in these 30 years I've had the honor of working with our team in creating, refining and building successful programs and practices. I take pride in knowing that I had a part in hiring a great number of our district’s current employees who have contributed to our academic and community success, and many of whom are our MUSD graduates. Forever learning is a way of life in MUSD, affording us the ability to be the first in many aspects of education.
MUSD is an exceptional district where innovation is nurtured by a community of learners willing to take risks that will propel us in our quest to be the best in the nation. Since becoming Superintendent in 2016, WE as a community have established
five Strategic Goals
that have resulted in more personalized pathways for learners such as
dual enrollment
, the
Mattos
Learning Community model, MHS 9
th
grade transition program, Bio-tech,
Cal Hills PLTW engineering & robotics
, and elementary school Project Based Learning teams. We have garnered over $20.6 million in federal, state, and local grants, and established partnerships to further students’ learning experiences such as:
Manufacturing Day
with the City of Milpitas and Chamber of Commerce; NextFlex and Evergreen Community College; KLA,
GirlStart
and
Facing History
; Silicon Valley Education Foundation; South Bay Consortium for Adult Education; and our Milpitas service groups – Lions, Rotary, and Kiwanis. Our students, clubs, team members, and schools have won awards such as the MHS Thespian Award in Edinburgh, Milpitas Science Olympiad, Speech & Debate, two CA State Football Championships, WBA Grand Champion Band Finalist, Rose and Curtner Elementary CA Distinguished Schools, Cal Hills CA Model Continuation School, Rancho Blue Ribbon and National Schools to Watch awards, and the CA School Boards Golden Bell Award for our
Love 4 Literacy
program.
I look forward to the fruition of the seeds of evolution that have begun, WE have so much more to accomplish in meeting our Strategic Goals. These are a few of our projects we are working on this year: a middle college high school; Stanford Model for Virtual Design Construction Engineering; implementation of the K12 Computer Science standards; a new ethnic studies pathway with Facing History and Ourselves; more internships through our bond work, the City, and business partners; and furthering our Love 4 Literacy work.
How we hold the cultures, histories, and experiences of our students and team members in our work enables us to make greater strides in achieving success. WE have made a commitment to deepening Cultural Sustainability in MUSD through
accountability
, professional learning, community discussions, restorative practices, inclusion, and ethnic celebrations. Establishing a community of learners is not easy, and through perseverance, trust, and our commitment to one another WE are building a
Culture of WE
.
In community,
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Milpitas High School student leader Karrington Kenney delivers powerful speech at the 2020 Womxn's March
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Milpitas High School student leader Karrington Kenney, Vice President of the high school’s Black Student Union, delivered a powerful speech at the 2020 Womxn’s March in San Jose, as one of only a select few invited to address the thousands in attendance for the January 18 event.
Kenney was joined at the march by many of her MHS schoolmates, as well as by Milpitas Unified School District administrators, teachers, staff, and Board of Education trustees. Leading up to the march, City of Milpitas Councilmember Karina Dominguez hosted a Womxn’s March sign-making event on the MHS campus.
"We were proud to have one of our student leaders take such a central role in the 2020 Womxn's March in San Jose," said Superintendent Cheryl Jordan, who attended the march as well. "Karrington was very courageous in accepting the invitation to speak, and touched many of us in attendance with her words."
Kenney’s speech offered insights into the plight of being an African American living into today’s society.
“Now as a Millennial living in this time in age, please take a moment and hear my thoughts. I’m tired. My life has barely begun, and I’m already tired. EVERY SINGLE DAY black men and women have to constantly bite their tongue to ignorance and uneducated comments on what is or is not appropriate to say or do to our black community,” said Kenney in her speech.
This year’s march, which went from San Jose City Hall to the Arena Green, was themed, “Our Power Counts,” with a dual meaning of promoting inclusivity within the movement for women of color and recognizing the importance of the 2020 Census.
Kenney stressed the importance of standing up for inequality as well as gaining a deeper understanding of black history. She cited the contributions of “hidden figures” such as engineer Mary Jackson, who was the first black woman to work at NASA; Katherine Johnson, a mathematician and engineer at NASA known for her mission critical computations; and Dorothy Vaughn, also a mathematician and engineer at NASA
“We shouldn’t have to come to school for 12 years and ONLY learn about Martin Luther King and slavery, although these are very important pieces to our history,” Kenney continued. “We have SO many more brilliant black legacies unmentioned. Not only does everyone need to know about our greatness and achievements, but black kids especially, because we are more than deserving of learning about our rich history.”
Kenney concluded her speech with a Call for Action: “STAND UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT. USE YOUR VOICE. SPEAK YOUR TRUTH. Your voice, your choice, your conviction to the change YOU want to see in this world. Too often when women of color verbalize their thoughts it is taken out of context, it is misunderstood, and misconstrued. As if we’re angry when all we want is to be understood. But we all have a voice, we all have opinions, and opinions count no matter what race, creed or nationality you are. So don’t let anyone take away your voice, because it matters.”
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Ethnic Studies elective engages Thomas Russell students
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A January 30 discussion on the significance of the Harlem Renaissance engages students in Mr. Royelo Palacios’ Ethnic Studies Class at Thomas Russell Middle School.
The teacher explains how inequality and racial stereotypes were still prevalent nearly a quarter century after the 13th amendment abolished slavery. The Harlem Renaissance, a period from 1918-1937, was a turning point in African American culture, promoting artistic expression and cultural identity, Palacios continues.
He then introduces students to some influential African American figures from that era, such as W.E.B. DuBois, who had founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909, and Dizzy Gillespie, an American jazz trumpeter, composer and singer. Palacios explains the next project is to make a video on the Harlem Renaissance, focusing on a prominent individual, and to publish them on Good Morning Thomas Russell (GMTR).
“It’s fun because it is an interactive course. We are always having a class discussion,” said 13-year-old seventh grader Abdul Aburwein, who especially enjoyed the African American and Native American lessons
Palacios, who teaches five sections of the first-year Ethnic Studies elective to about 150 seventh and eighth graders, uses the “Facing History in Ourselves” curriculum, covering African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American culture and history.
“The goal is to make the class really reflect the students. I use a reflective history approach, not so eurocentric,” said Palacios. “I really try to expose them to a college learning atmosphere as much as possible.”
Vihaan Khandelwal, 13, an eighth grader, wasn’t sure about the Ethnic Studies elective at first, but now considers himself to be “kind of a history buff.”
“Our teacher is very excited to teach. He makes it fun and it’s interactive. I really like that aspect,” Khandelwal said. “There’s been a lot of untouched topics that have been looked at by this class.”
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MUSD leaders host Milpitas 'On the Table' Conversation
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Superintendent Cheryl Jordan was joined by Board of Education President Hon Lien and Vice President Chris Norwood as well as Mayor Rich Tran and Vice Mayor Bob
Nuñez
, in hosting the Milpitas “On the Table” Conversation Part 2 on January 27.
More than 70 community members from public officials such as Assemblymember Kansen Chu and Santa Clara County Board of Education President Claudia Rossi, to City and School District staff such as City Manager Steven McHarris, Police Chief Armando Corpuz and Milpitas HS Principal Francis Rojas, to active parents, students and others filled the Denny Weisgerber Room at the Barbara Lee Senior Center.
The goal of the “On the Table” Conversation, developed by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in 2017, is to increase community engagement and create gathering spaces where community leaders and residents can tell stories, share resources, discuss community issues and collaborate to solve critical local challenges.
After introductions from the entire room and some opening remarks from the hosts, each table was given five questions to spark discussion: 1)
What do you appreciate as a community member in Milpitas? Why? 2) How do you see Milpitas residents engaged in the issues? How do you see them coming together, leading efforts, recommending, and/or advocating in Milpitas? 3) What are the obstacles you face as a community member of Milpitas? How could those obstacles be removed? 4) What issues do you care about in Milpitas? Do you see those reflected in the Milpitas leadership decision making? What solutions do you see? 5) Education and economic prosperity includes workforce development; what life and career skills do you want our youth to have?
After conversation with one another at their tables, each group was then invited to share the highlights from their discussions with the entire room. One person from each group also took notes on their discussion which will be shared with participants, Superintendent Jordan and City and District leaders.
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MUSD showcases fleet of new electric-powered buses
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Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) showcased its new fleet of 100 percent electric-powered school buses at a January 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The District
purchased a half dozen electric-powered buses
funded by a more than $2 million grant from the Bay Area Quality Management District (BAAQMD) under the ‘Carl Moyer Program’. The District also received additional funding through the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) program under California Air Resources Board.
With the completed CHP certification, MUSD became the first school district in the Greater Bay Area to utilize these buses for student transportation.
The buses are capable of up to 120 miles of range and will be recharged in approximately eight hours using a standard SAE J1772 Level 2 charger.
“These buses help us to replace our aging fleet which on average is over 25 years old. It also provides our school bus drivers with the latest driver safety features,” according to Director Brian Shreve. “This allows us to provide transportation for some of our students with special needs, athletic groups and school sites for field trips.”
MUSD and A-Z Bus Sales, in collaboration with Blue Bird, Micro Bird, and Cummins Electrified, co-hosted t
he Electric Bus Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the MUSD Corporate Yard.
Attendees were treated to a ride-along on one of the new electric buses.
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2nd grader Charlotte Truong wins Curtner Spelling Bee
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Charlotte Truong took first-place in Curtner Elementary School’s school-wide Spelling Bee and advanced to the Scripps Bay Area Bee.
Truong’s winning word was “slovenly.”
Sixth grader Amuktha Perugupalli placed second while fifth-grade student Anvi Gadkari took 3rd place.
One hundred and fifty three students participated in the Curtner Bee, with 33 students reaching the finals. Curtner held grade level spelling bees throughout the day with the top 5 from each grade invited to participate in the Curtner Spelling Bee Finals.
Principal Maria Hartman-Hernandez pronounced each word aloud, gave its meaning, and offered alternative pronunciations. Student competitors could ask her to repeat the word and ask specific questions about their word such as its origin to help them out.
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Councilmember Karina Dominguez hosts
Womxn's March sign-making event at Milpitas HS
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Leading into the 2020 Womxn's March in San Jose, City of Milpitas Councilmember Karina Dominguez hosted a sign-making event on the Milpitas High School campus.
Students, parents, staff and Board of Education Trustees all participated in the sign-making event.
The Womxn's March was held of January 18 in San Jose as attendees marched from City Hall to the Arena Green.
Milpitas was well-represented at the annual march.
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Check out our District Calendar
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Have a look at our District Calendar for information on upcoming events, meetings and more. Here's the
link
.
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MUSD | Phone: (408) 635-2600
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