Volume 7, Issue 6 | June 2, 2022 | |
If this email is clipped—or photos are not displayed—click the "View entire message" link at the bottom of the email. School LIFE 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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Ingenuity, compassion drive our community of learners | |
Education is about what's possible in the increments of time between now and the future. Learning builds on knowledge and skills we have acquired through prior discovery, discussion, and practice. Learning with purpose is what guides us towards our future pathways.
In MUSD there are students who have discovered how to advocate for themselves and others such as 8th grader Nia who has firmly established herself as a leader in environmental science with CliMatters. High school students Annabelle and Jaina collaborated with their teachers on the Milpitas Elementary Science Olympiad to assure our students are exposed to the joy of innovation through scientific practice. Aditi, a 4th grade student, published her book for younger students about life lessons, Dino Morals. Charu, a student in our MUSD Middle College High School, presented her project to the teachers at Weller where she shared with them how much more meaningful learning is when students feel represented in what they study.
Charmaine seized the opportunity of attending an in person learning lab last year where her teachers wove a tapestry of community with she and her peers at the center. From there Charmaine forged a new pathway which will lead her to a career in sports psychology where she will do the same for her patients. Jubilation in education is when our learners see themselves as capable individuals who matter in our world.
There are times when learning is easy, and others when it comes through productive struggle. All of us are learners, and we have braved through tremendous change and at times, heartache. As a community of learners in MUSD, we value diverse thought, cultures, and experiences. We've learned that we make things possible through ingenuity and compassion for one another.
As we cheer on our graduates towards making extraordinary possibilities a part of their futures, let's also remember that it is both our own purpose and theirs that brings our Culture of We to life.
We thrived through this year together MUSD!
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State Board Member of Year's blog
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Finding new ways to survive and thrive | |
What are you going to do with your life today? You've survived what appears to be the brunt of the COVID19 Pandemic. You've survived becoming a healthcare professional at school and in your home. You've survived working from home under challenging circumstances to working at a school site under even more challenging circumstances. You've survived disagreements and struggles with colleagues and family members.
I believe life will always include "surviving something" and to counteract survival mode only, we must commit to finding new ways of thriving at the same time.
You've thrived in new ways to effectively communicate with each other, families, friends and students. You've thrived in becoming more resourceful in your day to day lives. You've thrived in recognizing the value of your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.
What are you going to do with your life today? What about tomorrow?
As you prepare for summer, I hope a part of your life includes peaceful rest. I hope it includes the opportunity to dance like nobody's watching. I hope it includes time with the most important people. Congratulations MUSD for a stellar year of surviving and thriving.
#ForeverGrateful
#CultureOfWe
#MUSD4Life
In community,
Chris Norwood
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Milpitas Unified School District was one of only nine districts in Santa Clara County and among only 121 of 1,000 districts in the state named as a winner of the 2022 California Pivotal Practice (CAPP) Award Program, which highlights school and district practices that supported students during the 2020-21 academic year when distance learning was in effect.
The MUSD EducatEveryWhere online learning initiative was implemented almost immediately following the shift to 100% distance learning in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. MUSD EducatEveryWhere, which used a phased-in, hybrid approach, was the culmination of more than 11,050 planning minutes among 62 meetings along with input from 6,000+ survey responses and 2,495 parent Q&A sessions.
“We formed 14 different subcommittees involving hundreds of district and community stakeholders and created a 260-member COVID-19 Advisory Task Force composed of student, parent, staff, and community representatives from elementary, middle, high school, and district operations teams,” recalled MUSD Superintendent Cheryl Jordan. “We are very proud of the work that was done in shaping our distance learning initiative.”
Click to read more about Pivotal Practice Award
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Ribbon-cutting ceremony for Rancho MS Track and Field
Rancho MS principal Casey McMurray, the Rancho team and students were joined by District leaders, Board of Education, and community members for the May 31 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Measure AA bond-funded track and field project.
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Ribbon-cutting ceremony for Russell MS Track and Field
Russell MS principal Sean Anglon, the Russell team and students were joined by District leaders, Board of Education, and community members for the May 31 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Measure AA bond-funded track and field project.
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Burnett's early academic language acquisition instruction
introduces kindergartners to different biomes
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Kindergartners in Ms. Dixon, Ms. Gong and Ms. Dawson’s classes at Burnett Elementary School were having an absolute blast learning about biomes and the creatures that live within each distinct habitat and ecosystem.
On this particular Tuesday morning, students were selecting their favorite animal, mammal, insect, bird, reptile, or arachnid; then identifying the corresponding biome; drawing a picture of their selection; and finally pasting them into their Habitat Lapbook.
Popping from desk to desk, “The _____ lives in the _____,” is what teachers asked their students. Responses included meerkat, scorpion, arctic fox, jellyfish, toucan, penguin, jaguar, rattlesnake, sea turtle, lobster, octopus, and beluga whale. Then, they named one of the five major types of biomes (aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra).
“The SEAL, or early academic language acquisition, strategies that our teachers use are so engaging and fun to be a part of,” said Principal Hanna Asrat. “I love walking into classrooms when students are learning new academic vocabulary or singing one of their chants; the “buzz” of learning in those moments is palpable."
Click to read more about SEAL
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Burnett's transitional kindergartners grow sunflowers from seedlings |
In Ms. Huynh’s Transitional Kindergarten class at Burnett, young learners scurry outside to locate their sunflower seedlings that have been growing for about a month.
Each student brings their CD case of seedlings inside along with a small pot filled with soil. This is part of TK’s early academic language acquisition lesson in learning the different parts of a plant.
“We are going to move the seeds into the pot today,” Ms. Huynh instructs her class. “The roots are very fragile so be extra gentle when you move them to the pot.”
Students, who will take home their sprouting sunflower at the end of the school year, have been taking notes in their Observation Log Book while learning about the lifecycle of a sunflower and plant parts in different ways such as a fun song they sing together as a class.
“The roots they hold the plant in place. And soak up water and food,” the lyrics read. “The leaves soak up the rays of sun. And help the plant make food.”
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Sinnott Elementary School fourth grader authors children's book |
School 4th grade student, Aditi Sharma, authored her first published book, The Dino Morals, which is now for sale on Amazon! Aditi said she was inspired by her younger brother who is fascinated by dinosaurs.
Book summary: “Join the Dino gang as they embark on the many lessons of teamwork, kindness, cooperation, and friendship. Through every obstacle the Dinos face, they learn to work together to solve every problem, believing in themselves and each other."
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MUSD Alumni Profile: Maria Guardado, MHS Class of 2010 | |
As the San Francisco Giants beat writer for MLB.com, Milpitas High School Class of 2010 alumna Maria Guardado has conversed with the likes of Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey.
“I write breaking news, game recaps, features, trend pieces and more on the Giants, providing daily coverage throughout the regular season, offseason and Spring Training,” said the 29-year-old professional journalist.
Guardado’s journey to landing a gig with Major League Baseball started in Milpitas at Weller Elementary School, Thomas Russell Middle School and MHS. Guardado then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History from Yale University.
“I feel fortunate to have spent my most formative years in MUSD schools, which not only provided the foundation of my education, but also exposed me to a multicultural environment that valued diversity and placed no limitations on my ambitions,” Guardado said.
Some of her fondest memories were competing on the MHS track and field team, as well as attending science camp in Santa Cruz during elementary school.
Click to read more about MHS alumna Maria Guardado
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Students collaborate on science projects as part of inaugural April Academy over Spring Break | |
Nearly 150 first, third and fifth grade students explored science through Project-based Learning as part of Milpitas Unified School District’s inaugural April Academy, which was held during Spring Break April 11-15 at Spangler Elementary School.
“All week the students were collaborating, planning, writing, researching, problem solving, and working with each other on a focused science unit,” said April Academy Principal Andrew Dinh.
Goals of the April Academy were to provide student access to rigorous and engaging instructional content; promote collaborative teamwork in researching and designing a product that is accessible to the community; and building self-efficacy in student motivation to be proactive in their learning.
“As a program, it went great,” said Dinh, noting that nearly 90 percent of parent survey respondents said they would return next year. “I can imagine this program growing and expanding.”
The Academy consisted of three first-grade teachers, two third-grade teachers, one fifth-grade teacher, and a specialty teacher who concentrated on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), physical education and art. Students went through a slightly modified school day from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch were provided at no cost to families.
Click to read more about April Academy
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Rancho Milpitas MS educator featured in educational podcast
Rancho Milpitas Middle School's Pennie Perkins shared her work in a recent educational podcast, "Pennie Perkins and the Wild Robot Project," as a segment on the Think or Thwin podcast with Jenna Kamp. The podcast features one educator to discuss one lesson that harnesses and elevates critical and creative thinking in the classroom.
Listen in here.
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Sinnott, Curtner embrace Girls On the Run program | |
Sinnott and Curtner Elementary School's Girls on the Run (GOTR) student members completed a practice 5K Run earlier this month, in preparation for the official GOTR 5K Run at Vasona Park, which was held on May 21.
This is the seventh year Sinnott has participated in the afterschool program, which is celebrating its 20th year. Girls on the Run has trained volunteer coaches who lead girls through lessons about standing up for yourself and others, managing emotions, setting goals, stopping gossip and bullying, and so much more.
Curtner School's GOTR club members grew to 14 students this school year and trained for six weeks to run the 5K.
"We are incredibly proud of these students who have been practicing for six weeks, pushing themselves a little more each practice to complete their goal," said Curtner GOTR coach Vidhya Balasubramanian. "We had strong support from parents who helped arrange and encourage the team. We also had support from [Curtner teacher] Ms. Phung who also ran with the girls."
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Spangler Elementary School students showcase environmental projects on Earth Day 2022 |
Spangler Elementary School students presented their Earth Day 2022 projects to their schoolmates on April 22.
Students researched different ways to help preserve the earth, tackling subjects such as Global Warming, Climate Change, Recycling and more.
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Student Perspectives: Benefits of ACE Mentor Program | |
By Akhil Ramkumar
MHS Student
In my eyes, the program is for high schoolers that have a great interest in architecture, construction, and engineering. I enrolled in the program after finding a passion for architecture through my computer-aided design classes.
Through the program, I'm able to socialize with other students who share the same passion as me, as well as connecting to the mentors there to help me in the future. The mentors are giving me college advice, career pathway advice, and such related information.
I am also able to gain a general understanding of the architectural industry. Since day one, I have learned a lot. Every session, a mentor specializing in a specific field in architecture such as structural engineering gives a 1-hour presentation about what they do, and how it’s used in the real world.
I'm currently working on a huge project. My team and I are designing a recreational center. My responsibilities are to create a floor plan, design the exterior, select materials, and to bring this building to life by replicating it in a BIM software. By collaborating with the mentors on the project, I’m learning a lot of things that I would have never known if I never joined the program. I’m incredibly happy with my experience in the Mentorship program due to the amount of information and connections I’m able to develop.
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By Katrina Lima Guan
MHS Student
The ACE Mentor Program is a program in which mentors with different areas of the architectural, construction, or engineering background or paths introduce their careers to encourage students to learn about their choices as possible career paths.
There are weekly meetings where we learn about a particular career from a mentor and then move on to the group activities that involves the lesson learned that day and eventually into the group project.
The mentors are always fun and they are always there trying to guide us into the right path, and help us work on this project through the MIRO board, a collaborative whiteboard.
The program is really inclusive and it teaches the students many traits which would be used later on in our future career, along with encouraging us to incorporate our own innovative ideas and learn to interact and communicate well with our teammates.
I was able to learn about the different types of paths and careers I would be able to follow or do, in which I knew little to none about before.
Overall, I think that it is an amazing program that gives students many opportunities to learn, whether it is about their careers or the skills that would be used daily during our future workplaces.
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Pair of MUSD student artists selected as winners in 2022 SCCOE Young Artist Showcase
Zanker Elementary School sixth grader Joanna Lee and Thomas Russell Middle School seventh grader Anita Kwong were among the winning student artists announced May 19 at the Santa Clara County Office of Education annual Young Artist Showcase.
Joanna Lee received the People's Choice Award (6th grade) for her piece, "Connecting through Knowledge," while Anita Kwong received the People's Choice Award (7th grade) for her piece, "Let's Catch Up!"
Click to read more about Young Artist Showcase
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Burnett Elementary School Principal Hanna Asrat, Milpitas High School Assistant Principal Skyler Draeger, Calaveras Hills High School Principal Carl Stice and Assistant Superintendent of Human Relations Jonathon Brunson were selected as 2022 Administrators of the Year by the Region 8 Association of California School Administrators.
Asrat was named the 2022 Elementary Principal of the Year; Draeger was selected as the Secondary Co-Administrator of the Year; Stice was chosen for Continuation/Ed Options Administrator of the Year; and Brunson was honored with the Marcus Foster Memorial Award.
“Congratulations to our administrators who are well-deserving of this exceptional honor,” said MUSD Superintendent Cheryl Jordan. “These leaders have been integral in supporting our MUSD learners, team members and school communities. Particularly as they demonstrated resilience and innovative thinking throughout these last two years.”
Click to read more about 2022 Administrators of Year
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MUSD Team Members honored for years of service, retirement
At a May 25 Employee Recognition Ceremony, those MUSD Team Members with 25, 30 and 35 years of service, as well as our 2022 retirees, were honored by District leadership and Board of Education.
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MUSD Schools:
Enroll Today and Discover What's Possible!
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Milpitas High School
Class of 2022
College Destinations
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MUSD COVID-19 Testing Clinics for All | |
Latest community activities from our District Calendar
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Have a look at our District Calendar for information on more upcoming events, meetings and more. Here's the link.
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MUSD | Phone: (408) 635-2600
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