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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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Innovation is Transformative
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“Change, alteration, novelty, a break with tradition, a shift in emphasis, transformation.” These are descriptors in the Google definition of “innovation.” When we pause to think about how innovation has impacted our lives, we realize it allows for more options in how we spend our time. For example, youth tend to favor Venmo over regular banking, a service where funds can be transferred with a click on the phone from one person to another in a Venmo account. Instead of three bank tellers, there is only one on the rare occasion that a person does her banking in person instead of via ATM or online. Checking in at the airport can be done on a mobile device, and checking bags can be a simple tag and drop, with a quick flash of an ID for the ticketing agent. These changes have altered how we live life. They make more time for learning from one another, which allows us to build deeper connections.
The seeds of transformation in MUSD are in various developmental stages. Our learning communities model is established at Mabel Mattos Elementary School, and was the focus of a visit by Innovate education leaders last month. We have piloted our personalized learning platform in ninth grade at Milpitas High School and fourth grade at Pomeroy Elementary School. Since the Milpitas Extension doors opened in the spring of 2017, MUSD students have participated 1,967 times in dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment SJCC courses, adult education opportunities, and/or extracurricular events-many of them multiple times! Our ninth grade transition pilot, “Operation Freshman,” will foster a culture of inclusion, as well as skills in mindfulness, stress management, and career success as our students progress through MHS this year. Calaveras Hills High School students have stretched themselves through engineering and robotics as well as leadership pathways. We are the first district in Santa Clara County to have a partnership with NAF Future Ready, providing our MHS academy students with internships and exposure to engineering and business careers. We have the framework for our Middle College High School educator pathway ready for cultivation over the next school year.
Transformation happens through community and opportunities to create together. Our MUSD team members are striving for excellence in learning, and that includes themselves. On May 1 we launched our first Colleague 2 Colleague for MUSD event where teachers, principals, and support team members become leaders of learning together. Our arts are thriving as associates of the Arts Commission and Rotary come to know our students and teachers through their photography, ceramics, music, and performances. On May 18 at MHS, our second annual Milpitas Elementary Olympics will showcase authentic family, staff, and community engagement with students in the spotlight. Innovation is transformative work that happens through relationship, which is the essence of human learning and growth. Thank you for being an essential member of our MUSD Community; together WE provide pathways for every one of our students to realize his/her learning passion.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Jordan
Superintendent
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Every Student Succeeding Breakfast highlights inspirational students
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by Shannon Carr, Board Support and Communications Specialist
The Milpitas Management Association hosted its annual Every Student Succeeding Breakfast on May 3, honoring students who exceed expectations and the adults who support them along the way.
Luis Lopez, co-MMA president, opened up the event by saying the event was created several years ago and “really embodies and represents the spirit of perseverance of the district’s beliefs of every student being valued, challenged, and successful.”
Each school celebrated at least one student, and Principals shared their stories of success before they received an award.
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They face life’s challenges head on, and today we are proud to highlight these young men and women who have already overcome great obstacles to succeed,” Lopez said. “Their stories are remarkable and their futures are bright.”
For Nanci Pass, Principal of Rose Elementary School, her student was sixth grader Shabana Baigzad, who started this year.
“One of things she told me very early in the school year is, ‘I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. This is who I am, and I am proud of who I am,’ and that is who Shabana is,’” Pass said of Baigzad, who uses a wheelchair.
“She is the fiercest advocate I’ve ever seen for a student who knows how to speak up, say what she speaks, articulates extremely well; I’ve never seen a sixth grader who can articulate what she’s thinking, what her needs are, and her desire for independence,” Pass added.
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Pomeroy's Club 6 developing school, community leaders
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by Shannon Carr, Board Support and Communications Specialist
Pomeroy Elementary School is instilling important life skills for some of its sixth graders by allowing them to lead and complete community service projects. After-school program Club 6 was founded by Assistant Principal Deanna Sainten, then a teacher, and former Paraeducator Reynard Elzey 11 years ago with the intention of having a safe place for students to go and do homework after school, and with a purpose of her own.
“Community service has always been a passion for me and part of my life. Teaching is a really demanding job, and Club 6 became something I looked forward to every week. It was mine, it had never been done here before, and seeing the students’ dedication has always been a source of inspiration,” Sainten explained. “Club 6 provides balance for me in my career.”
Sainten said it was only natural to form the club into one centered around civic engagement in order to instill leadership, teamwork, and build camaraderie among the students.
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“I enjoy Club 6 because we get to help the people in need and when those are happy, I am happy,” said sixth grader Chloe Kwan. “Ms. Sainten and Coach Rey are kind and joyful leaders that I admire. This makes Club 6 a better place for everyone.”
Every Wednesday throughout the year, the approximately 60 sixth graders take the initiative to develop, organize, and complete service projects to benefit the local community. Sainten emphasized that while she and Elzey are present each week during the club time to provide guidance and supervision, Club 6’s service projects are entirely student run.
The club is tied directly to one of Milpitas Unified School District’s Strategic Goals, to “Develop educational pathways that allow students to apply their passion in learning for their future careers.”
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Milpitas High School seniors among 3,000 students to participate in first-ever 'National Signing Day'
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by Shannon Carr, Board Support and Communications Specialist
Milpitas High School seniors Vincente Gonzales and Jose Cabrera were two of 3,000 students at 300 high schools across the country that participated in the first ever National Signing Day May 8 at Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE).
Similar to “National Signing Day” events for high school student athletes, SVCTE seniors went up in groups of 10 to sign letters of intent (a promissory note to themselves) and announce their career plans to pursue a career in the skilled trades.
“I’ve been in Career Technical Education for over 26 years,” said Alyssa Lynch, Superintendent of the Metropolitan Education District, which operates SVCTE. “This is a day that is really heartwarming for me, to recognize how important careers are to students.”
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Gonzales and Cabrera announced their plans to work in construction following their work at SVCTE. Gonzales said he wants to continue on the path his father has laid while Cabrera said it’s a career he’s looking into due to his interest in having such a hands-on job. They both said being in the program has allowed them to tools they have never used before, including a jigsaw, circular saw, and miter saw. And during their year with the program, they have learned how to build windows and do floors.
The event was sponsored by
SkillsUSA
and
Klein Tools
, and San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took part in the festivities along with his father Tony Garoppolo, a recently retired electrician.
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Sinnott Elementary School hosting 'Girls on the Run'
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Sinnott Elementary School is participating in the Girls on the Run Program for the fourth year in a row! The 10-week program gets girls physically and emotionally ready for a celebratory 5K at Vasona Park on May 18. Over the course of the program, girls in third through sixth grades develop essential skills to help them face social pressures and conflicting messages about how they should act and who they should be.
Through dynamic discussions, activities, and running games they learn to navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. This program wouldn’t be possible without the team’s volunteer coaches: Keri Clemente (head coach), Ai-Fen Shieu, Patricia Tan, Gayle Constantino, Georgette Feutren, Christine Eugenio, and Jeannie Lam.
There’s a middle school version of the program called Heart & Sole (7th-8th graders). The program considers the whole girl (body, brain, heart, spirit and social connection) in a positive, structured space where girls can learn. You can learn more at
https://www.gotrsv.org.
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Randall elementary holds first-ever Multicultural Festival
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Randall Elementary School held its first-ever Multicultural Festival May 3. They
had performances from each grade level representing different countries (i.e. China, the Philippines, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Hawaii). Among the performances were a Merungue dance from Puerto Rico, a hula dance from Hawaii, a ribbon dance from China, and the transitional kindergarten students sang "Un Poco Loco" from Coco!
Teachers and parents ran food sales including pupusas, egg rolls, horchata, and pozole. Students showcased their cultural artwork along the patio and by their classrooms.
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Zanker elementary holds family digital literacy night
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Zanker Elementary School hosted "Be Internet Awesome," a family digital literacy night on April 8.
It was an event where the Zanker PTA and the parent education teacher committee partnered together to host. It was made possible by a National PTA and Google grant. The idea was to have a teacher-led, parent-to-parent conversation about Internet safety and digital citizenship guided by toolkits developed by Google and online safety experts.
Dinner was served and the workshop began with an icebreaker activity for parents. It was followed by breakout sessions to take a deeper dive into the different ways we can exhibit good digital citizenship. The kids also got to play a computer game that enforces good Internet behavior. Everyone then came back together and shared the highlights of each topic.
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MHS Athletic Director Jeff Lamb honored by Central Coast Section of CIF for 42 years of service
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The week before Spring Break, Jeff Lamb, the Milpitas High School Athletic Director who will be retiring at the end of this school year, received a great honor and recognition from the Central Coast Section of the CIF for his 42 years in education and leadership in high school athletics. Below are some pictures from the CCS Board of Managers meeting on April 10, 2019 of the presentation of the award and announcement of the scholarship in his honor. Attached is the memo from the CCS of the presentation.
For more information about Lamb, read
this article
in The Milpitas Beat.
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The Power of Mentoring at Russell Middle School
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by
Kam Hothi, Russell Science Teacher and Curriculum Lead
For the last two years, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor up to 40 students from our team at Thomas Russell Middle School as part of the Summit Learning program. Mentoring is a key element in Summit’s personalized instruction online platform that is being used in 4 out of 5 teams at Russell. I truly feel that the support of a mentor in these critical middle school years will impact the success of some of these students as they enter high school next year.
During this time, I have dedicated one on one check ins every two weeks to academic and personal development. This has focused on individualized goal setting (academic, personal, behavioral) as well as reflecting on progress that has been made. In addition, whole group check ins cultivate 16 habits of success (college and career readiness skills):
self direction, curiosity, purpose, resilience, agency, academic tenacity, growth mindset, self efficacy, sense of belonging, relevance of school, self awareness, empathy/relationship skills, executive functions, attachment, stress management and self regulation.
In the first few sessions, students were reluctant to open up to a teacher about personal concerns; it was easier to focus on academics. After getting to know them for two years, they are more willing to share concerns in any aspect of their lives. They are also able to identify their strengths and weaknesses using Summit Learning terminology as they experience more check ins with their mentor. The mentor/mentee relationship is built on trust and honesty.
The program has also empowered students to challenge themselves. My eighth grade students who are academically and socially excelling have been mentoring 7th grade students this year. They have one on one check ins every 2 weeks and follow the same procedures as I do.
When I tell some of my mentees “Wow, you’re doing great, I don’t think you need me right now,” the response I get most is “It’s still nice to talk to you.” These are the kinds of moments that make teaching so meaningful and rewarding.
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2019 TedxMilpitasHighSchool Conference May 25 - Tickets on Sale Now
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TEDxMilpitasHighSchool is hosting a 2019 TEDxMilpitasHighSchool conference 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. May 25 at Milpitas High School! The event hopes to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoke conversations that matter. Event organizers believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and, ultimately, the world.
The 2019 TEDxMilpitasHighSchool event will have the theme “Bursting Bubbles.” Bubbles are symbolic of the stereotypes and societal constricts that we, as members of society, often feel limited by. They hope to encourage attendees to "burst" these "bubbles" and think beyond norms.
The event will feature:
CHRIS NORWOOD
DR. CINDY HUYNH
MOONLIT BESHIMOV
DR. TRACY THOMAS
LUKE REN
RIYA KATARIA
NATALIE LATA
Find out more about the speakers
online
.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! $5 for students and $8 for non-students.
Due to TED license regulations, seating is limited to 100 and will be first come first serve. Tickets can be purchased the following ways.
- Online
- Message @tedxmhs on Instagram or Facebook to arrange a date to buy tickets in person.
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MUSD | Phone: (408) 635-2600
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