If this email is clipped—or photos are not displayed—click the "View entire message" link at the bottom of the email. 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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Safety and Security Deepen Our Culture of We |
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J anuary 24, 2020 was an exceptional staff in-service day as it was the first time every MUSD team member assembled together for a day of reflection and inquiry in conversation about the multifaceted aspects of Strategic Goal #1, Build a Culture of We. We established three commitments that day:
1. Be an Upstander
2. Learn about and recognize our own biases
3. Be culturally inclusive so our students see themselves in what they learn
Earnest dedication to furthering what it means to live a Culture of We in MUSD illuminated the outlook for a year of promise. That promise is being realized in the way we have come together in spite of the disruption of nearly every aspect of how we live our lives. Our MUSD milestones are indicators of this: Continuity of learning since March 16th; Digital devices and WiFi provided for every student; Early Childhood Development Centers in operation since June; Black Lives Matter Community March; 260 person COVID19 Task Force work; Phase 2 of MUSD EducatEveryWhere with Learning Labs, Learning Pods, educators and community partnerships for in-person student support; Parent/Guardian/Staff support networks; City School COVID19 Partnership; Milpitas Alliance Partners for Future Ready Learners launch; Student produced Board Resolutions recognizing different cultures and needs; Milpitas Safety First Campaign; and more.
November 2, 2020 established our second all team Culture of We Sustainability learning day where our 3 commitments were explored more deeply resulting in equity work around policies and practices that hinder learner opportunities. Safety and security are upheld when we, as upstanders, identify actions, words or practices that erode the learning environment. Physical and emotional safety are vulnerable with COVID19, and they are paramount in our ability to launch Phase 3 of MUSD EducatEveryWhere.
Our teachers, classified team members, principals, district leaders, board trustees, our students and their families -- all who are a part of our WE, have sacrificed and invested an astounding amount of time to develop meaningful learning experiences for all. WE want to see each other in person for instruction at all levels, and we can by assuring conditions are safe to do so. It takes steady progress, understanding, and continued communication to develop trust that every one of us is committed to doing our part. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance, together WE make possible reality.
On November 4, watch for surveys from your school or department, these will inform our planning for Phase 3, scheduled to begin mid-January 2021.
#WeRMilpitas
Cheryl Jordan
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Magana takes on role as MUSD's COVID-19 Designee |
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Aven Magana, Assistant Principal of Adult Education and Corrections with 24 years of education experience including the last three with MUSD, recently took on the role of the Superintendent's designee as liaison to the County Public Health Department for COVID-19 for the 2020-21 school year.
“My role as Covid Designee consists of a variety of functions,” said Magana. “I monitor the student and staff daily health screenings, follow up with anyone who may not feel well, report any confirmed positive cases of a student or staff member, determine close contacts, and report and monitor any student, staff member, or cohort that may be affected.”
Magana, who is the first person all employees call if they suspect a case of potential COVID-19 exposure, acts as the liaison between MUSD and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. As the Designee, she works with the MUSD Reporting team of an Alternative Designee/Human Relations, a Second Alternate/Communications, Supervisors of Maintenance and Operations, Site Administrators and District Managers, and School Nurses. She gathers details and reports cases through the SCCPHD portal.
In addition, Magana—a co-lead on the MUSD SafetyFirst Team who has trained with Public Health experts on safety procedure—provides appropriate scenario letters to site administrators and nurses; monitors the quarantine / isolation periods for cohort groups; and assists in monitoring MUSD health screenings.
Magana attends weekly COVID Designee meetings with Public Health Officials to obtain the latest information released. In addition, Magana, who is certified in CPR and First Aid, is trained in Standardized Emergency Management Systems, and organizes MUSD site drills such as earthquake and Intruder.
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MXR offers insights into robotics, engineering, programming and much more for students |
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Milpitas High School senior S’ven Morley loves to fly drones. Milpitas Xtreme Robotics Club President Kalino Ruiz enjoys combat robotics. Trojans’ junior Kathan Sheth relishes a good challenge, and Club Secretary Aisha Jaffrey appreciates the intra-club battles.
Every member of MXR eventually finds their niché within the official robotics club of Milpitas HS, and all of them savor the camaraderie amongst members.
“To be honest, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college while in high school. I just knew it was something in engineering and MXR gave me the opportunity to explore them,” said MXR co-Vice President Nicholas Azpeitia. “It gave me an outlet and community of people I love. ...It’s really great to see everyone learning from and helping each other.”
MXR recently launched a free virtual App Development Class, which has attracted nearly 50 Milpitas Unified School District 6th through 8th grade students. Some will be the future leaders of MXR who will continue “to discover, create, or nurture a passion for what Silicon Valley is famed for—technology.”
“Many kids like using apps, so we thought why not teach them how to do it themselves,” said Kathan, who will help introduce middle schoolers to block coding, the basics of robotics, and other programming. “We will take a beginner’s approach to app development using ‘MIT App Inventor’ to create apps.”
In addition to this, MXR—which produced about 300 face shield braces on 3D printers that were distributed to front-line workers battling the pandemic—is in the early stages of creating a technology literacy workshop for students, teachers and parents.
“I’ve been involved in MXR for the past four years. I was introduced to it my freshman year, and instantly I got hooked,” said Kalino, whose interest in robots began as early as age 3. “I’ve just really always been into robots and engineering, so MXR was a real good fit for me. ...I’ve just grown to love the club.”
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Six MUSD students selected as 2020 Community Heroes |
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A half dozen Milpitas Unified School District students were among the 2020 honorees at Assemblymember Kansen Chu’s 6th Annual Community Heroes Awards for their service and dedication to the local community.
Nima Bhavansikar, Nyla Choates, Chloe Wang, Amy Stanley, Rachel Wu and Amy Zheng exemplified MUSD’s Culture of WE in their humanitarian efforts. They received their recognitions during a drive-through ceremony held outside the San Jose City College-Milpitas Extension.
“Throughout all the unfortunate events, it has been inspiring and heartwarming to witness members in our community work together to help those in need,” Assemblymember Chu said. “These heroes were nominated and picked by the people living in our community for their acts of kindness.”
Bhavansikar, a Thomas Russell Middle School student, started a fund to support the Milpitas Food Pantry through her Shirts for Smiles endeavor. She designed shirts with all proceeds benefiting the pantry. In addition, she teaches kindergarteners and first graders in the Brain Builders Program.
Nyla Choates, a senior at Milpitas High School, founded the nonprofit My Roots are Rich, which works to show all people the culture and historical achievements of African Americans. The MHS Black Student Union President was the lead organizer of the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Milpitas earlier this year.
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MHS teacher utilizes Swivl device to enhance instruction |
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Brett Webber, an English teacher at Milpitas High School, loves his Swivl—and his students are reaping the benefits.
“With Distance Learning, teachers have been chained to our desks, stuck behind a screen, wearing headphones and talking to a microphone, making teaching a rather static and impersonal activity,” Webber said. “But the Swivl has changed that for me—it has liberated me from my chair, and taken me back to where and what I do best: in front of my students as a live, walking, talking teacher!”
A Swivl is a robotic mount for an Ipad, camera, or smartphone that comes with a remote control Marker. It is designed to track and, with the video capture abilities of the other device, record videos of a moving person. It was designed to capture presentations. Teachers can record their lectures and make them available for students online; either for review or to help an ill student catch up. MUSD was able to purchase the device thanks to a COVID-19 Education Partnership Grant through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
“I can move around, walk to the whiteboard to draw pictures, write up vocabulary, and act out my lessons for my students, just as I would have if they were in front of me,” Webber said. “The ability of the Swivl to follow me around has re-energized my teaching, and I am much more animated and active than before—back to the way teaching should be!”
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MUSD provides hotspots, Chromebooks to improve connectivity for most vulnerable students |
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A COVID-19 Education Partnership Grant, through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, continues to impact the lives of many Milpitas Unified School District students in different ways from providing wifi hotspots and Chromebook laptops to purchasing gift cards for everyday essentials.
Up in the hills next to Felter Road, MUSD’s Tech Team, led by Director Chin Song and Network Manager Thao Xiong, provided a reliable connection, as well as devices, for three MUSD students who were unable to log-in for their classes.
“We initially tested with a hotspot, followed with a directional antenna to find a better signal strength, then finally settling with a higher-powered cellular modem to optimize the signal around the hills,” Song explained. “It provided a stable connection for the students to complete their learning.”
MUSD has provided more than 200 hotspots to families since March.
Earlier this month, Secondary Community Liaison Norma Morales and Board of Education President Hon Lien hand-delivered wifi hotspots to a pair of Milpitas Unified School District families in need of internet access for distance learning.
Both MUSD families resided in multiple-family, shared dwellings while experiencing economic hardships and added stress due to job loss amid the pandemic. This forced them to prioritize their financial needs, with internet access not at the top of that list.
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Thoughts on a safe and successful return to campuses |
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Mehak Garg
I think when the county decides that it’s okay for students to return, Milpitas High School should give all students the opportunity to come back although online learning should still be available at that point for those who have an increased risk of acquiring COVID to ensure everyone’s safety.
At school, lunch tables and seating areas should be sectioned off to ensure social distancing and students should wipe down desks before leaving for their next class. Additionally, desks in classrooms should be spaced out and class sizes should be reduced which can be achieved by separating students by first or last name to certify fewer students are on campus at one time.
I’d love to go back in-person second semester but only when it’s safe for all students and faculty.
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Matthew Nguyen
The obvious first step in my opinion is to put students back into classes extremely slowly. The students going back should not have any relatives at home who are in bad physical condition or are over a certain age. Depending on the results of the first set of students, you can start trickling in more starting by graduation year. First, the seniors can go, then the juniors, and so on.
Every desk should have a surrounding plastic screen as well as be 6-feet apart. Temperature checks should be taken before and after class. The mingling around during the passing period should be kept to a minimum. This means that people must be socially distanced during breaks as well.
To reiterate my point, going back to school is not a smart move especially considering the great job EducatEveryWhere has been doing.
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Emma Whitmer
I'm no expert on proper COVID-19 safety protocol, but I do have some suggestions on the reopening of schools.
To start, I think students should wear masks and practice social distancing if we were to return to school. Masks control the spread of the virus, so I think they are vital for reopening campuses. The district could send out surveys, asking if they have had any exposure to the virus or if they have any concerns.
Also, temperatures can be taken by teachers to ensure no one is sick. People who want to stay home and people who are more susceptible to the virus can continue learning online.
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Cody Lejang
It is of utmost importance that the school administration figures out how to transition students back into hybrid and potentially in-person learning.
However, for this to occur, safety precautions must be taken. For example, a mask requirement, daily temperature screenings, regular sanitation, and social distancing mandates are paramount methods of preventing and reducing the spread of COVID.
Most importantly, the enforcement of these regulations must be strict and efficient, in order to ensure the safety of MHS’s students and staff. Students, along with their parents, should closely observe, obey, and understand the safety protocols.
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MUSD Phasing In 2020-21 Guide now available in four languages on www.musd.org website |
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MUSD presents the 2020 Latinx Awards |
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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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