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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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Together WE will ensure every student is successful
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The morning of May 11 there was a radiance of light emanating from the students we recognized for the 2018 MUSD Every Student Succeeding Awards. Their stories of success in the face of challenges that would be too great for some to overcome illuminated the hearts of those who listened. Each school leader described the triumphs that these students experienced through persistence, grit, and hope. Their hope and belief in themselves inspires us to push on towards our own excellence as individuals and as a school community.
One of
our strategic goals
is to
focus services and support systems to ensure that all students are engaged in their learning and are making social, emotional, and academic gains
. At each of our schools and as a district, our staff has been engaging with our parents, students, and community members to analyze the work we’ve done this year to determine what supports are working so that students like those recognized at our awards will continue to thrive. Together these school and district committees are revising our
Local Control Accountability Plan
and School Plans for Student Achievement. These plans will be discussed at our May 22 Board Meeting during a special Study Session at 4:30 p.m. in the MUSD Board Room; you are invited to attend.
We are excited about the growth our students are making, and are determined to see that each one exceeds expectations for grade level progress. Currently our students are wrapping up the
CA Assessment of Student Performance and Progress
(CAASPP) that will provide us with data on where to focus our efforts for the future. Education is a partnership between staff, student, and family. That is why it is crucial that we engage with all of our stakeholders on these annual cycles of inquiry and improvement. No matter what challenges and struggles our students may face, together WE will ensure that everyone is successful!
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Every Student Succeeding Breakfast highlights those who have overcome great obstacles
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by Shannon Carr
The Milpitas Management Association hosted its annual Every Student Succeeding Breakfast on May 11, honoring students who exceed expectations and the adults who support
them along the way.
Each school designated at least one student that embodies the spirit of the event and, that morning, they were introduced and their stories were shared out by Principals as they were called forward to receive their award.
“Today, we are proud to highlight these young men and women who have overcome great obstacles to succeed. Their stories are remarkable and their futures are bright,” MMA President Damon James said.
This year’s honorees were:
-Curtner Elementary: Annie Riordan
-Pomeroy Elementary: Thomas Woneis
-Randall Elementary: Josiah Billing
-Rose Elementary: Allyson Sepulveda
-Sinnott Elementary: Nathan Garcia
-Spangler Elementary: Jesus Samiento
-Weller Elementary: Michael Ryan Rogers
-Zanker Elementary: Mary Nguyen
-Thomas Russell Middle School: Alejandra Guardado and Sabrina Garvin
-Calaveras Hills High School: Jamina Williams
-Milpitas High School: Zachary Garmany, Travis Lloyd, Julian Nguyen, and Helen Zewdu
“You are all examples of something called the audacity of hope, because hope is what keeps us going,” Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said in closing the ceremony. “And I think what each person who spoke about you sees in you is that light that comes from hope. So always continue to go out through life being the person you are meant to be and sharing that hope with others so they that have the courage to do the same.”
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Register today for Milpitas Table Talks - Community, Schools, and Firearms Safety
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Milpitas Unified School District in collaboration with the City of Milpitas is hosting "Milpitas Table Talks - Community, Schools, and Firearms Safety" 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 2 at the Milpitas Community Center, located at 457 E. Calaveras Blvd. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. The event
will explore a variety of perspectives and allow for open conversation about the topics. It is open to the public but those who are interested need to register ahead of time at
http://qrs.ly/tm6zp4m
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More than 330 students compete in Milpitas Elementary Olympics
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by Shannon Carr
Milpitas Unified School District and the City of Milpitas teamed up to bring back the Milpitas Elementary Olympics (MEO) on Saturday, May 5.
The event kicked off with an opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m., and approximately 337 students representing nine Milpitas Unified elementary schools participated in eight different events throughout the day ranging from the 50 yard dash to a ball throw, basketball shoot, jump rope, and school relay.
“I honestly feel like the event exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Raquel Kusunoki, Director of Learning and Development. “Bringing nine elementary schools together with over 300 student athletes was no easy feat.”
The day was filled with support from the community, including 107 Milpitas High School students who volunteered alongside approximately 15 adults.
“Milpitas community became the epitome of the quote, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ The community celebrated all children but bonded, creating an atmosphere of unity,” Kusunoki said. “There were many highlights of the day. But to see children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles...everyone come together to cheer the children on was the best part of it all.”
City and school district dignitaries showed up to share their support, including Board President Daniel Bobay; Board Vice President Chris Norwood; Board Clerk Hon Lien; Trustee Robert Jung; Trustee Amin Fazal; Superintendent Cheryl Jordan; Norma Rodriguez, Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Development; Wendy Zhang, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services; Vice Mayor Marsha Grilli; City Manager Julie Edmonds-Mares; Council Member Garry Barbadillo; and Renee Lorentzen, Recreation and Community Services Director.
“Many adults expressed their gratitude for the wonderful experience,” Kusunoki said. “Many felt the positive energy of a true community coming together and enjoying themselves. Someone commented on the fact that while there were nine different elementary schools competing, no one became exclusive. Instead people felt a sense of oneness.”
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Rose students giving more food for thought about fruit, vegetable consumption thanks to new salad bar
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by Shannon Carr
Students at Rose elementary are quite literally giving more food for thought about eating fruits and vegetables thanks to the installation of a salad bar, which had a soft opening at the school on April 9.
“Throughout the week, students will always see a rainbow color of fruits and vegetables offered in the salad bar,” said Sandy Huynh, Director of Student Nutrition Services.
Each day, students have the opportunity to choose from six items at the salad bar, including vegetables, fresh whole fruit, and an assortment of self-service components, such as garbanzo beans, frozen strawberries, celery sticks, and corn. These options will change periodically to offer new, seasonal produce as they become available.
Food waste in school meal programs has been a nation-wide topic, with students taking the required fruits and/or vegetables and throwing it directly into the trash can.
“Evaluating the way and the types of fruits and vegetables are being presented during lunch time can help attract students to actually consume it,” Huynh said. “What we learned is that they (students) tend to not eat something if they’re not familiar with it. So we want to start slow and put something out that they know and like already. So the strawberries were a hit.”
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Building strong foundations for Milpitas students -
Tell us what you think
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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.
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MUSD, City join to offer free summer lunch for kids
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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
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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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Scholarship available for incoming college freshmen
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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.
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Entries sought for educational art contest
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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.
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Having fun never gets old with Milpitas Recreation and Community Services
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by Ruby General
Having fun never gets old with Milpitas Recreation and Community Services! Our Department has been providing the City of Milpitas with fun events, activities and a variety of recreation opportunities for 54 years!
This Summer we’re bringing you over 20
NEW
classes, including the Sensational Summertime Sports Camp, Cooking Camp, Guitar and Piano Lessons, Coding with Robots, Slime Squad Camp, Youth Cricket and so much more! A Milpitas Summer isn’t Summer without our favorite camps, Camp Golden Arrow and Camp Winnemucca! This Summer is filled with enough classes and camps in this Summer Activity Guide to keep children of all ages busy throughout the season. Sign-up early and don’t miss out on the extremely popular swimming lessons available for ages 6 months to 80+.
And don’t miss out on the great Summer events we have planned for the Milpitas community! The Summer Concert Series is a summer favorite with free live music at Murphy Park. There will be four Movie Night Out events throughout the summer showing Beauty & The Beast, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Despicable Me 3, and Thor: Ragnarok. Be sure to buy your tickets early and skip the lines for the biggest event in Milpitas, the 4th of July Celebration!
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My journey towards robotics - Avishkrita Nakka
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I am part of Girl Scouts Nor Cal and a Cadet from Milpitas team. I am in Rancho Middle school in 7th Grade. We were exploring STEM events and found about Vex Robotics which is hosted by Google and supported by Girl Scouts. I was fortunate to be part of a team from Las Altos middle schoolers. I am the only one from Milpitas.
Our journey started in September of 2017. It was a great learning yet fun filled experience. Our parents decided that they will drive us to Google twice a week for 3 hours each and will advise only. We have to build the robot, program it and keep writing everything in the Engineering Design Book so we know what we did, how we did and how to improve.
This year’s Vex theme was “In the Zone”. There is a zone set up and the robot has to pick up what is called as Mobile Goals and drop them at either a 20 or 10 or 5 point zone. In addition, the robot can also stack the cones either on Mobile Goals or specific Goal Posts. There are two alliances competing each time with two teams each. So in any given zone there will be four robots.
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Cal Hills Mustangs rock the track to fight cancer
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by
Tabitha Kappeler-Hurley
April 28 and 29 found over 20 Cal Hills Mustangs out on the track at the Santa Clara Relay for Life. These students raised $4,392 to fight cancer, provide services to survivors, and increase awareness on cancer prevention topics.
The Mustangs were joined by nearly all Cal Hills Classified and Certificated staff members throughout the 24-hour event. Throughout the 24 hours, team members walked the track, assisted in the snack bar, helped with all types of logistical tasks and had fun as they fought cancer in this great community event. Their enthusiastic presence was noted by several long-time participants as a great addition to this year’s event.
As an event, Relay in Santa Clara raised $103,151 and continues to raise funds for this important cause. The team wishes to thank all of its generous sponsors in helping them exceed their financial goal of $4,000.
“We were really impressed with how our students participated in both the fundraising as well as the 24-hour event," Principal Carl Stice said. "It was amazing to see them feel the joy of volunteering and contributing to a great cause. As a cancer survivor, it meant the world to me to have our students there supporting the event.”
The fantastic efforts of the this team of students will be celebrated by the Milpitas Unified Board of Education on Tuesday, May 22 at its regularly scheduled meeting.
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Russell science department takes science to new heights
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by Russell Science Department
On May 11, 2018, Russell science teacher Jonathan Mulcock took the classic engineering “egg drop” project to a new height, literally. Students had a unique opportunity to test their Mars landing device from a 45 foot telescopic boom lift, made possible by the heavy equipment rental company Porter Rents in Newark. Will the raw egg crack inside their landing device? Will the device disintegrate at landing? For the past week students have been testing and improving their designs with a 10-foot ladder, but jaws dropped when students witnessed the “real test.”
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DeAnza College hosts Info Session for Cal Hills students
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Calaveras Hills High School had a DeAnza College Info Session hosted by Nubia Sanchez from the Office of Outreach on May 4. Twelve students attended the session, and seven seniors completed their applications to begin their studies this fall as full-time college students. They will be completing their placement exams and student orientations in the coming weeks, also to be held at Cal Hills.
We're so grateful for the opportunity to bring these important steps of the matriculation process to our students here on campus.
--Submitted by Diana Carty
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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.
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Sunset Festival
The end of the school year is quickly approaching! What better way to end the year than coming to the Sunset Festival. This event is free and open to the public; everyone is welcome. It will be held on May 25, 2018 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Milpitas High School green/stage area. There will be food trucks, bouncy inflatables, activities, an XBOX game room, live performances, music and more! Stop by for a great time with your kids, families, and friends.
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Milpitas LGBTQ Pride Celebration
City of Milpitas is hosting its first LGBTQ Pride Celebration 7-9 p.m. June 1 at the Milpitas Civic Center, located at 457 E. Calaveras Blvd. The event will include light refreshments, performances, resource booths, music, and more. For more information, visit www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov or call (408) 586-3225.
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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 rwdmilpitas@gmail.com, or visit
www.readwritediscover.org.
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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.
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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 pgairaud@musd.org or (408) 635-2692.
The photo above depicts ECE 104 "Art and Creativity for Children," with instructor Ranjana Bhatnagar.
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MUSD | Phone: (408) 635-2600
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