The City of Milpitas will be hosting a series of meetings about affordable housing and to present the details of its Affordable Housing Nexus Study.

If you have any questions or requests about the meeting, input or comments regarding the Affordable Housing Nexus Study, please do not hesitate to contact Tim Wong, Housing and Neighborhood Services Manager at (408) 586-3286 or send him an email at twong@ci.milpitas.ca.gov

In case you weren’t aware, Milpitas Little League and Bobby Sox sign-ups are underway, where there is an Early Bird sign-up special to take advantage of this month for both leagues, and there is a big registration day this Saturday for both leagues.
 
Milpitas National Little League registrations will be happening at Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Great Mall from 12-2.  Please see the attached flyer or go to their website, Little League Registration, to learn more.  You can register online, but you will still need to drop off forms in person.
 
North Valley Milpitas Bobby Sox will be having in-person registrations at the Round Table Pizza at Landess & Morrill from 12-2.  See this site for more information, Bobby Sox Registration.  They do not offer online registration, so you will need to go in person to register your daughter(s).

The Milpitas Unified School District is offering a free series of parent meetings open to all parents and caregivers.  Join Project Cornerstone’s engaging workshop - Take It Personally, starting Thursday, January 11th from 6:30pm - 8:00pm at Rancho Middle School. You do not need to be a parent from Russell, just an adult who cares about all kids.

We know that your strong family is the best predictor of your children's success. Parents and caregivers need fresh ideas that work to keep families close, as children grow. Come learn new tools for strengthening your relationships with children and youth in this 6-week workshop facilitated by Project Cornerstone. Each week we will share, discuss, and practice ways to show caring, give support, set boundaries, and build strong relationships that help youth succeed in school, friendships and life!
 
Learn tools you can use now- to strengthen your family connections and help young people thrive.
 
Class Title: Take It Personally
Dates:  Thursdays: 1/11, 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Place/Host: Rancho Middle School (Library)
Workshop paid for by District
Free childcare and snacks will be provided.
Sign Up today:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0945aba72d6-take
Questions? Contact Ziem Neubert at Ziem@projectcornerstone.org

Please come to our community open house so that we can get your feedback on our proposed new affordable development at 355 Sango Court. It will have 101 affordable apartments & some will be for formerly homeless veterans and other families in Milpitas.

Date: Monday, December 18th, 2017
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: Pearl Zanker Elementary School

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of adults in the Silicon Valley who do not hold a high school diploma is well into the double digits in some communities, prompting the South Bay Consortium for Adult Education (SBCAE) to launch Open Doors, a regional campaign that brings to the forefront the diverse adult education programs that put adults lacking language, literacy or technical skills on a solid path to work, school and/or career training.

In the area served by SBCAE, a partnership of five adult schools and four community colleges in Santa Clara County, the percentage of adults without a high school diploma is as high as 17.7 percent in San Jose, the consortium’s largest city, followed by 14.2 percent in Milpitas, 13.5 percent in Santa Clara and 12.9 percent in Morgan Hill, according to census data. Statewide, 18 percent of the population aged 25 and older does not have a high school diploma or equivalency, according to census data. 

“People often think of the Silicon Valley as a place of affluent tech workers, which is true, but it’s more diverse than that, with many low-income residents who cannot live on the wages they make and are looking for opportunities to livable wages and a better future,” said Kishan Vujjeni, co-chair of the SBCAE. “Our consortium members provide programs throughout the valley that can help this population attain the skills they need, no matter where they are in their educational journey, and transition into a career or postsecondary education.”

SBCAE member organizations offer English-language classes, apprenticeship opportunities, career education courses, basic math and literacy classes and support services for adults with disabilities, with many of these programs being free. The consortium has nine transition specialists, representing each school and college, who help students identify their educational and career goals and develop a concrete path to achieving them. Adults age 18 and older are eligible to enroll in classes.

Those interested can visit the campaign website to explore options and complete a short form so a transition specialist may contact them. The website includes a map that shows the location and contact information for each transition specialist. For more information, visit www.OpenDoorsSouthBay.org or call 408-918-5100. ​

​by Casey McMurray

Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) first came to my attention at a professional conference I attended earlier this year in Sacramento. I heard great things about the work that happened as they partnered with the secondary school to increase the level of parent involvement. I looked up PIQE’s website and their mission statement is “to provide families with the knowledge and skills to partner with schools and communities to ensure their children achieve their full potential.” I called the local PIQE office in San Jose in early March and soon after that we signed an agreement to offer the nine-week signature workshop series to our Spanish and Vietnamese-speaking parents at Rancho.

PIQE was on-site for our Back-to-School night on Aug. 30, sharing information with our parents as we began to promote this opportunity. Thursday, Sept. 7 was our introductory session, during which I presented the PIQE staff to our combined group of Spanish and Vietnamese-speaking parents in the Rancho library. The initial turnout was promising. After my remarks, we divided the parents into two groups to receive the workshops in their own language. I was very excited as I saw them begin their path towards understanding and empowerment.

The PIQE facilitators began to establish relationships with their respective parent cohorts, texting and calling them weekly with any updates and reminders of the next meeting date. PIQE staff members were dynamic, and their presentations were “parent-centered” and engaging. I was impressed that the PIQE parents were given assignments that would encourage them to follow up and act on what they had discussed at the workshops. One particular “parent homework” was to make an appointment with our counselor to discuss their child’s grades, work completion, courses, and possibly other concerns.

In my experience of over 13 years working at the secondary level, I have never seen so many Spanish-speaking parents—nearly 20—come in to the office, make an appointment, and meet with the counselor as I interpreted and joined the discussion when appropriate. It was such a positive experience to see this “awakening” of sorts for this relatively small group of parents and to hear them express how thankful they were for this opportunity to obtain the “knowledge and skills to partner with [Rancho] to ensure their children achieve their full potential.”

At the conclusion of the workshop series, we had an insightful Principal’s Forum during which they asked a number of questions ranging from how EL students are reclassified, to how to access the Aeries Parent Portal to check work completion, to how to stay involved in the school once PIQE was completed. At the conclusion of our Q & A session we had a memorable parent “graduation” celebration. As I looked upon the parents who were in attendance, dressed for this special occasion and many with their children looking on, I saw what I had envisioned back in March when I made that first outreach to PIQE. This was the experience I had hoped to provide for these parents.

As an epilogue to the above, I met with the PIQE directors two weeks after the graduation celebration and we agreed to offer PIQE again next year in Spanish and English. I look forward to our continued collaboration with PIQE for the benefit of our parents and ultimately, our students.

​On November 7, students from Calaveras Hills High School and the Adult Education program were treated to a dynamic and engaging Map Your Future (MYF) career pathways conference, a service of Silicon Valley Career Pathways. Map Your Future is a collection of programs and services intended to provide students with the resources to explore, identify, and develop academic and career options. They offer services for students interested in earning a college degree or certificate, or in transferring to a four-year college. They also assist students with resume writing, preparing for interviews, and job search. Key partners from Silicon Valley Career Pathways and San Jose City College campus in Milpitas helped organize and provide this valuable opportunity. 

​Calaveras Hills High School and Milpitas Adult Education students received information and career guidance from five panel members, who shared their professional and personal journeys that led them to where they are today as innovators in their respective fields. A Q&A session was followed by a pizza lunch with a lot of mingling. After lunch, attendees split up into five breakout sessions focused on Medical Science, Engineering, Public Services, Advanced Manufacturing, and Information Communication Technology. This allowed students to drill deeper into the career fields that most attracted them.