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.

Academic Data thru Pandemic Indicates Community and School Partnership is Key to Educational Gains

Stanford Researcher Sean Reardon and Thomas Kane of Harvard developed this national Education Recovery Scorecard to measure learning outcomes during COVID. They used state scores as well as the Nation's Report Card (NAEP) to develop the database with a focus on how economic disparity impacts student achievement. MUSD saw a -.06 school year decline in overall math scores compared to 2019 standardized assessments and a school year gain of +.21 in reading scores. Breaking the data down however, shows that for our MUSD learners living in low-income households, they experienced a school year decline of -.53, while those in higher socioeconomic households saw an increase of +.09 school years in math. Economics and opportunity cost impacts learning. 

As educators, we are dedicated to improving conditions of learning for all of our students. MUSD team member convenings outside of school hours, such as our professional development days or Professional Learning Community time, allow us to examine the data and implications for instruction. Research provides tangential evidence that high dose tutoring, intercession and extended school year learning opportunities can increase learner gains. These are strategies MUSD is implementing already or has in process for the near future. Our capacity to elevate all learners is greatly enhanced when we are working in concert with our students' families and other partners throughout Milpitas. 

Strategic Goal #1 --Build a Culture of We-- requires listening to different perspectives, being present with one another, and engaging our community in solutions and possibilities for learners. The District provides our parents/caregivers and team members with opportunities to understand better what the data around learner progress says for MUSD. Some examples are our Local Control Accountability Plan Advisory Committee, the Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services Plan, the Calaveras Hills High School Transformation Committee, and every school’s Parent Teacher Student Organization. 

The Sinnott PTA for example has partnered with the MHS student Extreme Robotix Team and Odyssey of the Mind to provide learners with after and in school opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise. The Randall PTA provides the Project Cornerstone Los Dichos reading series, and the Zanker PTA has developed culturally responsive units of study for Black History Month and Latinex Heritage Month. Parent advocates like Michelle and Spike Jones, Jim Zhang and Meenal Honap, in concert with teacher leaders such as MHS Math teacher Wai Lan Tsang and Curtner teacher Naomi Patner, provide learners with experiences as mathletes in team competitions. Accelerating strides in student achievement takes a community and school district working together.

In community,

Together, WE accomplished the extra extraordinary

We have learned what our government and community expect from our public education systems and their governing boards during a lockdown global health crisis. 

We are expected to be extra extraordinary in our knowledge, health, commitment to work, family, internet teaching, and usability skills. 

We are expected to immediately shift the focus of our mindset from education to the societal need and common good of all; health and well-being.

Over the course of the two-year span, our Milpitas schools became more than places of work, education, teaching, adult camaraderie, exercise, socialization and student nutrition. They also became hubs of safety, internet access points, food distribution centers, testing and vaccination sites for tens of thousands.

Our educators (teachers, managers and classified employees) inside the classroom and out had to find new ways to work, think, and reinvent themselves to be more safe, efficient and effective. Our district leaders and board had to navigate the unknown. And we did it together. Thank you! 

To our families, community and staff, please do all that you can to protect yourselves, others, loved ones and our elderly this winter and holiday season. There are more opportunities and challenges on the horizon.

Happy Thanksgiving. I appreciate you.

Chris Norwood

Annual Jack Emery Drive about 'Comm-UNITY'

Hi everyone, I’m Vicky Ly, this year’s Milpitas High School Associated Student Body (ASB) President and Jack Emery District Coordinator!

The Jack Emery drive is a food and money drive where all the schools work together to raise money for our local Milpitas Food Pantry. The Jack Emery drive will be going on from November 7 - December 9, so keep an eye out for any non-perishable goods in your home! Our theme for the drive is comm-UNITY, and our district goal is to bring together our schools and Milpitas comm-UNITY through the Jack Emery Drive!

This drive is so important because it helps the pantry and those in need, and it also unifies our schools as well. It’s a time where we bring the entire Milpitas community together for a great cause. To kick our drive, we hosted our Jack Emery kick-off brunch in person! All the school sites and some members of our Milpitas Unified District got together at Milpitas High to kick off our drive.

I love that I get to coordinate the drive because I have the opportunity to be involved in something as impactful as the Jack Emery Drive as a high school student. Last year, I led the Milpitas High drive, and we were able to raise 48,000 cans (with $1 = 2 cans), far exceeding our goal of 22,000. This year, I will be overseeing the drive for the district and helping the school sites with their drives! I’m excited to see how well we’re going to do this Jack Emery season. I'm rooting for Gavin Heraldo, the lead for the MHS drive, to surpass the total amount of cans that were donated last year :) 

High school students learn financial literacy

Economics teacher Teresa Zesati reminds her students everyday that in a few short months they will be finished with high school and off to make their marks in the real world.

Her goal for each of those students is for them to have a 10-year plan, mapping out where they want to be and how they will accomplish that. 

“I tell them that in six months you will be out in the real world, and how many of you have a plan?,” said the first-year instructor at Calaveras Hills High School where she teaches economics, government and cultural history classes. “They need to know the steps it takes to get them where they want to be.”

Senior Ethan Tan, 17, understands the importance of financial literacy as he maps out his future after high school. “It’s definitely something every student should learn,” Tan said. “We are learning how we should be saving, building up our credit scores, and putting money aside for other things."

Click to read more about Financial Literacy

TRMS 7th grader Eunice Lee wins gold medal at National Jump Rope Championships

Inspired by her participation in the Milpitas Elementary Olympics, Thomas Russell Middle School seventh grader Eunice Lee has earned 2 gold medals and 1 bronze medal at the U.S. National Jump Rope Championships.

“My jump rope passion started from the Milpitas Elementary Olympics,” said Lee, who also formed her own Milpitas Jump Rope Team to compete at the National Jump Rope Championship “because I would like to represent the City of Milpitas.”

Lee is already repping her hometown on a national level. She is a 3-time U.S. National Champion for 3-minute Speed Jump Rope (2021,2022) and Individual Freestyle Jump Rope (2022). Additionally, The 2-time U.S. National Jump Rope Team Athlete (2021, 2022) took 2nd place in the U.S. Grand National Championship (regardless of age group) for the 3-minute Speed Jump Rope (2022).

Click to read more about Eunice Lee

MHS scholar-athlete Linh Le signs letter of intent to play

at Duke University

Milpitas HS senior softball player Linh Le inked her national letter of intent to play at Duke University next season in front of family, friends, #MUSD staff and MHS students inside the gymnasium. The scholar-athlete holds a 4.1 GPA and is the reigning league MVP heading into her senior year with the #MHSTrojans.

"It means the world to me to get to be with the people I love and celebrate my accomplishment," said Linh, who was discovered by the Duke Blue Devils coach while playing in a tournament in Huntington Beach. "I want to tell every little girl out there that it really is possible."

MHS softball coach Deana Querubin said: "It means a lot because she's worked so hard to get here. It's such a big moment for Linh. She is so deserving. She is such a great kid."

Congratulations to Linh for this amazing achievement and good luck this season at MHS and ahead at Duke!

Expanding Math Club competing against top in nation

By Isaac Jones and Greg Jones

Ten Milpitas High School students traveled to UC Berkeley to compete in a math tournament, which was open to students all across the USA. Teams of five competed, and MHS had two teams compete. Michigan sent their all-star competition math players, and many STEM-oriented private schools were represented such as Alpha Star Academy.

Milpitas High has a very active and competitive math team, achieving two individual honorable mentions and one distinguished honorable mention, which is commendable indeed for this level of competition.

Our team is young, with only one senior this year. We have a bright future with great competitive math talent forming in the elementary schools, as demonstrated by our Curtner Elementary fourth-grade team achieving national recognition last year in the Noetic Math Contest.  At MHS, four students achieved scores on the American Math Competition to qualify for the American Invitational Math Exam, a national level test from which a team is chosen to represent the USA in the International Math Olympiad.

In addition, Milpitas High plays in weekly Math Madness tournaments competing against other high schools across the country and in the California Math League.  Any students interested in training to play competition math, should contact Math Club President Isaac Jones at MilpitasHighMathClub@gmail.com. The teacher sponsor for MHS competition is Mrs. Tsang.  The adult advisor is Greg “Spike” Jones. We can see we have a lot of young talent in our city. Our future in competition math is bright!

Dual Enrollment offers college credits

to MUSD high school students

A growing number of students from Milpitas High School, Calaveras Hills High School and Milpitas Middle College High School are taking advantage of what Milpitas Unified School District’s Dual Enrollment program with San Jose Evergreen Community College District has to offer: earning a high school diploma and college credits simultaneously. 

“It is about getting a headstart,” said 16-year-old MHS junior Damian Elizondo, who is taking college courses for the first time this semester. “Overall, it has been a great experience.”

On a typical school day, a Dual Enrollment student will take four high school classes in the morning and then head to the SJCC-Milpitas Extension for two Dual Enrollment classes, which are the equivalent of 20 (each class is worth 10) high school credits. For students needing transportation from one school to the other, SJCC-Milpitas Extension Director Michael Mooney was able to get them Eco-bus passes, and Principal Karisa Scott assures that they are connected.

“To graduate high school and start off college already having units it’s a deal that I could not pass up,” said 17-year-old CHHS senior Aeries Xiong. “The administration here is amazing and so supportive. The teachers allow us to be more independent in doing our work. I love it.”

Click to read more about Dual Enrollment

AP Biology students learn about cell structure

while campaigning for the Most Important Organelle

Let the Organelle Games begin!

Students in Karen Truesdell’s AP Biology Class were on point when arguing why their assigned cell organelle was “The Most Important Organelle” in the cell and the organism.

Some created catchy slogans for their campaign such as “Remember to vote Chloroplast because they make life last,” or “[Lysosomes] we digest the best and remove the rest,” or “[Nucleus] we are all about you before us,” or “[Ribosomes], we make the most beautiful human a human can be.”

With much vigor and knowledge of their organelle, students campaigned in front of their class and sought to convince their peers that they were the most important element in a cell. Posters championing the greatness of their specific organelles hung from the ceiling and the walls as students stated their case in Ms. Truesdell’s classroom.

Click to read more about AP Biology class

Calif. Dairy Council brings special guests to Rose Elementary

Farmer Brandon from the California Dairy Council brought his Mobile Dairy Classroom to Alexander Rose Elementary School to teach TK-6th graders about dairy farming and healthy food choices.

Our MUSD students were able to meet Buttercup, a 3,000-lb. Holstein, and Bruno,

a 3-month old baby calf.

Annual Career Fair hosted by Milpitas Adult Education

More than 15 employers participated in the October 19 community-wide Milpitas Adult Education (MAE) Annual Career Fair.

Participating employers included Ranch 99, USPS, Trades Orientation Program (TOP), Bright View, More Than a Resume, Nothing Bundt Cakes, American Swim Academy, Amazon, Trader Joe's, CVS, SlingShot connections, MUSD, CSC, See's Candies and the City of Milpitas.

A Salute to MUSD Veterans

MUSD Innovation Campus

MUSD COVID-19 Testing Clinics for All