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Notice is hereby given that at 7:00 p.m. on May 14, 2019 at Milpitas Unified School District, Board Room, 1331 E. Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas, California, the Governing Board of Milpitas Unified School District will hold a public hearing on the Compensation Disclosure of Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Milpitas California School Employees Association (CSEA).
Zanker Elementary School hosted "Be Internet Awesome" on April 8, a family digital literacy night hosted by the PTA and parent education teacher committee. The event 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. It was a wonderful night of community sharing and learning. by Vivek Chotai, MHS Student Board Representative Milpitas High School’s annual Trojan Olympics filled the large gym with students, staff, parents, and community leaders on March 22. Students complained about the heat, but were willing to sacrifice for their graduating class to win the 2019 Trojan Olympics and secure their legacy. It was Athletic Director Jeff Lamb’s last year, so this year's event was extra special. The classes (freshman 2023, sophomores 2021, juniors 2020, seniors 2019) participated in various competitions to earn points. The week started off with any student being able to participate and earn spirit points (which counted for the Trojan Olympics) for their graduating class simply by dressing up for spirit days. Themes included blue and gold day, city versus country day, converse versus vans day, dress down versus dress down day, and class color day. The seniors ended up taking first place for spirit week. However, anything could happen in Trojan Olympics; any class could end up on the top. Students competed in a variety of games, chants, dances, and even a challenge of which class could make the best human pyramid. After hours of deafening cheering, spending an abundant amount of joules to complete the physical tasks, and displaying their talents, the winner had to be chosen. However, every class is a winner for participating; although different years of graduation, every student is still a Trojan. It was a very difficult decision for the judges, as all students had given their best efforts after practicing for weeks. In the long run, the purpose of Trojan Olympics was to unite the community as a whole. The class of 2019 won the 2019 Trojan Olympics! The seniors flooded the floor, leaping ecstatically and showering each other in countless exuberant hugs. Regardless of the decision, the students of Milpitas High School were certainly united, which overcame any class differences.  by Edgar Dueñas, Supervisor of Custodial, Locks, and Painting Maintenance, and Curtner Elementary staff Curtner Elementary Custodian Jesus Chagolla is an employee that goes above and beyond each and every day. He treats everyone he encounters like his own family, with honesty and respect. Staff, students, administrators, parents and local community members all know Chagolla because of his dedication and hard work ethic. Chagolla has continually volunteered and been involved with many community events at Curtner. Chagolla takes pride and joy in upkeep of Curtner's gardens, and ensuring his school is clean and presentable. Chagolla has been with the district since August 2000 and has worked at Curtner the entirety of that. "I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon," Chagolla recently said with a big smile. Curtner Principal Maria Hartman-Hernandez shared her praises of Chagolla's work through the years, and the impact it has made on the school community. "Jesus dedicates his time and passion to the Curtner community with love, kindness, and a sense of grace that leaves you feeling empowered," she said. "Jesus tends Curtner's greenery with a personalized touch that speaks of his commitment and attention to detail. The students at Curtner vie for opportunities to work with Mr. Chagolla after lunch to organize recycling and leave the common areas 'as good or better' than they found it. Jesus is always ready with a quick tip for a cold remedy, or a specific way to cut a plant to get best growth. There is no part of Curtner that Jesus does not have deep knowledge about, or has not tended in some way. We are beyond blessed to have him and feel his love daily. Thank you Mr. Chagolla!"  Here are several other quotes from his proud Curtner family:
-Jesus is such an inspirational person who has such a positive outlook on life. He goes above and beyond to support our kids and he’s greatly appreciated! -Every day I am greeted with a smile from Jesus. No matter how busy he is, he always says hello and asks how my day is going. I really appreciate his positivity and love for the students. Curtner is a better place because of him. -Jesus will help with anything that needs to be done and always has something positive to say. -Jesus is a wonderful custodian! Whenever I need any type of help, he is always there to ensure that it gets done. Another nice thing about Jesus is that he stops by once in awhile after school to just talk story. I get good advice from him about my own kids because he shares with me his experiences that he has gone through with his own kids. I have enjoyed working with him for all these years. -Jesus really cares about the well being of our kids. He is always willing to give a helping hand and makes sure that our students are always safe. He is always putting others first and has displayed many selfless acts for my students this year! The Curtner community and MUSD is blessed to have such a dedicated and hardworking custodian like Jesus Chagolla.  by Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School staff
In addition to fulfilling his role as PE teacher, Coach Rey goes above and beyond and is willing to help out with extra duties that are outside of his job description, and he does so out of the goodness of his heart. He supports teachers by doing yard duty with the kindergarteners and he also helps to supervise students during lunch time in the multi-use Room. Outside of Pomeroy, Coach Rey also coaches varsity football at Milpitas High School, leading them to become state champions last year. Coach Rey co-founded a service club at Pomeroy called Club 6. Since the beginning of their service club, they have had over 600 student participants. Coach Rey finds creative ways to get students out into the community in order to improve the lives of others. They have done numerous food, clothing, book, and toy drives. Students have done park clean ups, written letters to soldiers overseas, gathered funds to have water wells built in Southern Sudan, and made animal blankets for the Humane Society. Outside of Pomeroy, Coach Rey also volunteers his time to work with youth in Oakland through the Big Brother and Big Sister program. Reynard does all of this for others without asking for recognition or credit. His generosity knows no bounds. He is actively empowering young lives and he is an inspirational educator. Coach Rey’s rapport with the students is evident. He makes students feel seen, heard, and valued on a daily basis. He does silly dances which instantly put a smile on students’ faces and he notices when students’ shoelaces are untied and doesn’t hesitate to help students tie them. He acknowledges when it’s a student’s birthday and has a special routine where the entire class sings happy birthday to that student while he makes them dance. Quotes from some students: “Coach Rey is very loving. I love when he gives me hugs when I walk by.” - Lina B. “Coach Rey is so funny! He always makes weird sounds to make us laugh and he always dances around. I love going to PE!” - Maya H. “Coach Rey is helpful because he teaches us PE and he helps us to exercise. It’s important to exercise and stay healthy.” - Kaashvi J. “Coach Rey is very nice. He helps me tie my shoes.” - Joanne L. “I don’t really like to run, but I love going to PE because Coach Rey is there.” - Shaurya M. “Coach Rey and I have secret hand signals. He is my best friend. - Kabir D.  The following letter was written by Assistant Principal Deanna Sainten about Coach Rey:
To Whom It May Concern: I am writing in reference to Reynard Elzey. Reynard is an exceptional educator and I am honored to write a letter on his behalf. I have known Reynard for twelve years. We have worked together at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary school and co-founded our school’s community service club, which has been in place for ten years. I believe that I am in a position to speak to Reynard’s character and I hope that you will take my letter into consideration. Reynard is a man of integrity. He leads by example and is a role model to others Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School. Reynard is also a varsity football coach at Milpitas High School, recently becoming state champions this year. Reynard is able to gain respect from students, guide them in positive decision-making, and establishes a mentor relationship with them that lasts for years and years. Reynard also spends time outside of school coaching young students in a recreational football league and attends numerous sporting events and recitals, when families extend invitations. I often tease Reynard about being the “King of Milpitas,” but the admiration that the community holds for him is so much more than that. Students literally chant his name when he enters the room and they attend school events, just because they know that he is going to be there. Families and students gravitate towards Reynard, because of his strong work ethic, he demonstrates how much he cares about the community, and he serves endlessly for the betterment of everyone. I am so grateful to be able to work with Reynard and I am fortunate to know that if I ever needed anything, he would be there for me without question. When I first began my teaching career, I know that I wanted to serve beyond my classroom walls. I wanted to start a service club and I enlisted Reynard’s help. He signed on with me right away and since the beginning of our service club, Club 6, we have had over 600 student participants. Reynard helps me to look for ways to get students out into the community to improve the lives of others. We have done numerous food, clothing, book, and toy drives. Students have done park clean-ups, written letters to soldiers overseas, gathered funds to have water wells built in Southern Sudan, and made animal blankets for the Humane Society, to name a few projects. Reynard decided to continue his service beyond the club and works with youth in Oakland through the Big Brother Big Sister Program. Reynard does all of this for others without asking for recognition or credit. His generosity knows no bounds. He is actively empowering young lives and he is an inspirational educator. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I cannot speak highly enough about Reynard. He is selfless, kind, strong, compassionate, intelligent, and a natural leader. Any student would be lucky to have him for a teacher and I trust him implicitly. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like more information. I look forward to any future opportunity to share about the amazing character that Reynard Elzey possesses. by Karen Muska, MUSD Ed Tech Specialist
The MUSD STEAM Showcase, held on March 9, was a tremendous success! This event highlighted and celebrated our students' journeys and their accomplishments in STEAM, which is the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics. We were overwhelmed by the quality of the projects and presentations and the number of participants and guests. This was not only the largest STEAM Showcase we have had, with over 100 projects and more than 250 students and lead teachers, there was also representation from all of our schools and all grade bands from kindergarteners through seniors in high school. Project topics included robotics, energy, 3D design and printing, arcade games built using math concepts and the engineering design process, pendulums and catapults, coding/programming, the science and math in art, space, wearable technology, and even Zombies! Congratulations to all of our participants and thank you to all of the teachers, parents, committee members and volunteers that helped make this event a success. We also extend a special Thank You to our San Jose Community College (SJCC)- Extension partners for your hard work and support and the use of the beautiful SJCC-ext campus. We have put together a folder of photos taken at the event, plus a video. Note that some of the files are quite large. Thank you again from the whole STEAM Committee: Karen Muska, MUSD Ed Tech Specialist; Brenda LeBeck, Burnett STEM teacher; Robert Jung and Yolie Garcia, Milpitas Community Educational Endowment (MCEE); Kimi Schmidt, Calaveras Hills High School science teacher; and Chin Song, Director of Technology Services. Calaveras Hills High School is competing in the Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s Bike to the Future competition. There are 20 teams from all over the county in this competition.
The Calaveras Hills Mustangs team is composed of Daniel Hoady, Manraj Bains, Angeline Salavador and Drew Macabinta and their mentor Terry Augustine. Students have to design and build an electric bike (e-bike) to compete in challenges to test the efficiency, innovation, and design of their e-bike. The bike must be built by the students. Direct help in the construction of the e-bike from people outside of the team is not allowed and can disqualify teams us participating in the competition. The students are so excited to have this opportunity to be in this contest. But, also they learning design and team work but they are learning about electricity and how we can use it differently in the future. So far the team has put in more than 35 hours building the e-bike. Come out and watch the team compete, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The contest will take place rain or shine. During the March 26 Board of Education meeting, Trustees adopted a resolution declaring the week of April 8-12, 2019 Adult Education Week. Adult Education is a vital community resource, providing training in English as a Second Language, high school diplomas, High School Equivalency preparation, and classes for parents, short term career training courses (CTE), and a wide variety of personal enrichment classes that add to the cultural and civic pride of Milpitas. MAE is also a member of the South Bay Consortium for Adult Education; this is a collaboration of four colleges and five adult schools in Santa Clara County, serving over 30,000 adult students every year.
Giuliana Brahim, Principal of Milpitas Adult Education Programs, wrote the following historical article about Adult Education and its impact in Milpitas, and the community at large: The first recorded adult education class in California was held in the basement of St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco in 1856. The class was authorized by the San Francisco Board of Education to teach English to Irish, Italian, and Chinese immigrants. John Swett, who was the first volunteer teacher for the class, later became a State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Since then, Adult Education has made tremendous progress through perseverance and persistence. Not too long ago Adult Ed was considered the odd relative we don’t want to associate with and as I once heard “the story of Adult Ed is like Cinderella without a prince.” I am thrilled to say that it is not the case anymore. Every person that believes in Adult Education has a powerful story that it is worth sharing. In doing so, we are intentionally bringing awareness to the importance of Adult Education and its place at the table in the public educational system. In 1968, Malcolm Knowles - the father of Adult Education - built the Theory of Adult Learning. Knowles and others developed the Andragogical model based on the six assumptions. Andragogy in Greek means Man-Leading opposed to Pedagogy which means Child-Leading. Here are the six assumptions and or characteristics of the adult learner; can you identify some of these traits in your own students, in yourself? The need to know – Adults need to know why they need to learn something before undertaking to learn it. The learner’s self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions, for their own lives is present. Learner’s prior experience and knowledge are invaluable, adults come into educational activity with both a greater volume a different quality of experience either formal or informal. Impressively, adults come to our programs ready to learn those things they need to know and be able to do in order to cope effectively with their current real-life situation. Most importantly, adults orientation to learning is life, adults apply learning when focusing on tasks geared to solve problem-situations. While adults are responsive to some external motivators like better jobs, promotions, higher salaries, the most convincing motivators are the internal pressures, the desire for increased job satisfaction, self-esteem, and quality of life. Adult learners want to do best for themselves, their families and their community. Adult Education Week is the prime opportunity to draw the attention of the public, legislators and education decision-makers about the importance of Adult Education as an engine that supports the economic growth of the state, the region, and our communities. In the past, Adult Schools have been called upon on numerous occasions to assist the state as it dealt with significant social, political, and economic issues. Examples include job training programs during the Great Depression; training skilled and under-skilled workers during World War II; and preparing millions of residents for citizenship. In 1982 when the Ford Motor Company announced that it was closing its San Jose Assembly Plant, Ford and the UAW (United Automobile Workers Union) signed several provisions in the form of letters of agreement to respond to the needs of the displaced workers. The company, among other services, provided space at the plant to allow on-site delivery of services by the California EDD (vocational counseling) and Milpitas Adult Education, which provided basic skills courses. In today’s world, Adult Education is shaped by needs of the industry, access to career and post-secondary education pathways. Our responsibility is to provide access to these opportunities for the adult learner in an inclusive way. This year the California Council for Adult Education CCAE celebrates its 75th anniversary. Last month, several colleagues throughout the state attended the Regional CCAE Conference at Fremont Adult School, where we were given a direct charge. Adult Education is all about three words: Advocate!, Advocate! and Advocate! I invite you to learn more about Adult Education and visit our school sites. You will not be disappointed, you too will become an advocate. Knowles' Theory of Andragogy A Brief History of Adult Education in California by ViAnna Anderson
Each year, with special permission from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, several classes of second and third Graders at Rose Elementary Schools became ichthyologists, fish scientists. For weeks, students watch trout eggs provided from a local hatchery develop to become alevin and then fryling. This is all designed to allow students an opportunity to view nature up close and so they have a personal connection to their environment. Students observed eggs hatching into alevin with their yolk sac. An exciting part of their discovery was recognizing parr marks and emerging fins on their tiny trout. The students recorded water temperature, fish size, and stage of development in journals. They collaborated with the other students from Lucille Lai, Ramon Vijil, and ViAnna Anderson’s classes in art projects, stories, and lessons about the watershed, water cycle, landforms, fish anatomy, and conservation. Finally, the fish were big enough to survive on their own. On April 2, students released 46 baby fryling rainbow trout into Ed Levin Park’s Spring Valley Pond. Students were proud of the accomplishment that they were able to make a difference in their world by helping a species of fish survive and then go back into nature to thrive. By Vivek Chotai, MHS Student Board Representative
Before the Neolithic Revolution, men and women were living in hunter and gathering societies, with little or no social inequality. However, due to the introduction of agriculture, humans worldwide found more time and began to specialize in different types of labor. This formed social classes, leading to social inequality. With this social inequality also came gender inequality, with men being valued over women, both physically and mentally for some tasks, while the opposite for others. Although this injustice began more than three thousand years ago, these social inequalities and classes continue to exist today. With problems always come solutions; students from our district have found ways to combat gender inequality, manifesting their passions and time to take action. Some prime examples of student efforts related to this cause include the five different clubs from Milpitas High School: GirlUp, She’s the First, STEMgirls, I am that girl, and Girls Who Code. It is important to note that even though these clubs have been centered in Milpitas High School, many of them branch out to elementary and middle school through various programs. These students are putting in much of their time and effort, and it is important to know their rationale. Why is gender equality important? Why should we be aware of the problem, and try to prevent it? How can I help fight for gender equality? I decided to ask the students themselves the questions. Here are some of their responses: Loan-Anh Pham (grade 12), president of GirlUp shared her thoughts: “Working to prevent gender inequality can equate to a girl in Afghanistan receiving her education, which in turn will brighten her future! Or it could mean a woman seeking opportunity and fulfillment outside of her home, a woman pursuing a career in STEM or literature. Working to prevent gender inequality simply means bringing more opportunities for women and girls to reach their potential everywhere: it's time for more SHEROES out there!” Shivali Gulati (grade 10), president of Girls Who Code voiced her concerns: “A lack of gender equality can negatively affect imperative parts of a female’s life, such as increased discrimination in the workplace. We should be aware of the problem because increased gender inequality stops women from accessing the same opportunities as men, which prevents women from contributing to modern society both academically and socially. You can help fight for gender equality [by] promoting the cause on social media, supporting female organizations in your community, like Girls Who Code, and standing up if you know women in your community are facing gender inequality.” Tran Le (grade 11), president of STEMgirls described the social need for gender equality: “With half of the world population being female, it is crucial that every aspect of society receives the same representation. Gender equality is imperative for a society where both genders enjoy the same opportunities and rights. You can help create this society by joining STEMgirls' mission to empower more girls to pursue a future in STEM.” Vibha Sastry (grade 11), president of She’s the First contributed her opinion: “Gender equality is important because the equal participation of both genders is important in a balanced society. Gender equality is essential in order for society to progress and has been linked to many benefits in society such as less violence, economic growth, etc. It is important to be aware of gender inequality so that we can move away from outdated, restrictive, and sexist traditions that continue to persist within our society. Anyone can fight for gender equality simply by thinking more about their actions and words. Keeping an open mind and being a little more pensive about daily interactions can contribute to achieving gender equality.” Merilyn Kuo (grade 11), officer of I am that girl responded with a logical approach: “Especially today, in the modern world, since both men and women are capable of performing the same tasks at the same level of skill, biological differences should not determine one gender’s inferiority to another. Throughout history, gender roles and stereotypes have been enforced, but we are living in a new society where women are transcending gender roles and breaking gender stereotypes. In order to become a more inclusive society, we should be aware that a person’s gender does not limit their ability and that inside the outward appearance we see, is a human, with the potential to make an impact in this world and thriving just like everybody else. ” After reading through these responses, I want to conclude the article by saying we are very lucky to be a stakeholder in the Milpitas Unified School District. What other district has five clubs dedicated to gender equity? Our district has an excess amount of students willing to challenge ideas and stand up to injustice. Our students are fighting to eliminate social and gender norms, proving they are upstanders, changing society for the better. They are doing their part. Are you? |
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING:
The governing board of Milpitas Unified School District will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Media ResourcesArchives
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