Twenty student actors, one student stage manager and a three-student stage crew make up the cast and crew for Milpitas High School Theater Department’s latest production entitled, “The Madwoman of Chaillot,” a play written by Jean Giraudoux in 1943. MHS senior Megan Hutchison stars as the title character in director Kaila J. Schwartz’s rendition of the poetic satire set during the Nazi occupation of France. However, the MHS version takes place in Year 2025, and Schwartz noted the play has strong undertones of corporate greed and environmental blindness. “It’s definitely rich with commentary,” said Schwartz. “I’m seeing a lot of growth (from our student actors). Many of the play’s messages seem to resonate with them rather strongly.” Three performances, all beginning at 7 p.m., are set for this Thursday, November 21-23 at the MHS Theater on the 1285 Escuela Parkway campus. Advance tickets can be purchased in person (from any cast member) for $10; $11.25 online at our.show/mhs/chaillot; or $12 at the door. “It’s coming along quite well,” said MHS senior Kat Templeton, the play’s lighting designer. Students have been rehearsing over the last six-to-seven weeks, since open auditions took place in early September, according to Schwartz. “Our kids are so very committed,” said Schwartz, noting that a majority of the cast members incorporated elements of garbage in their costumes to go along with the environmental theme. Schwartz designed the set based on an actual cafe in Paris. Brian Knitter, a social studies teacher, did the set construction. CSEA, Nuñez Foundation invest in local students, present donation checks for MUSD programs11/14/2019
The California School Employees Association and the Nuñez Community Foundation presented Milpitas Unified School District with welcomed donations to several programs offered at each of its high schools to open the November 12 Board of Education meeting.
After advocating to her Board of Directors, CSEA President Machelle Kessinger issued a $500 donation to Milpitas High School Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera for the school’s continued participation in Camp Everytown. “I’ve witnessed the students going to Camp Everytown and coming back. To me, I can see just a transformation,” said Kessinger during the presentation. About 1,600 students at Milpitas High School have attended Camp Everytown over the years, with a group of 40 hand-selected each term, according to Rivera. “We look for leaders on campus. Students who can influence other students,” said Rivera, who has been at MHS for more than two decades. “We look for students that have leadership abilities. A lot of our kids don’t even know they have that.” The Silicon Valley FACES initiative is an intensive youth leadership program based on core values of respect, acceptance, and responsibility that promote non-violent campus communities. Students experience group exercises and discussion about self-identity; racial, ethnic, and cultural issues; family relationships; gender roles and violence; peer relationships; and conflict resolution. “They come back with a plan for our campus,” Rivera added. Jill Nuñez, representing the Nuñez Community Foundation, offered up a pair of donations to benefit the Cal Hills school community. The first, a $13,000 check, went to Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), a third-year program with a goal of preventing juvenile crime and incarceration. “This is a special night for Cal Hills,” said Nuñez, noting that the Foundation has supported FLY since its inception. “(Cal Hills) has wonderful programs, wonderful staff and wonderful kids go there.” Nuñez did not stop there. She also issued a $2,700 check to author and at-risk advocate Enrique Flores so he can provide 180 copies of his book, “Barrio Side Hero,” to every student at Cal Hills. Flores and MUSD have also formed a mentoring partnership for Cal Hills students. Are you ready for some playoff football? The Milpitas High School football team earned the top seed in the Central Coast Section Division IV Playoffs and will host Overfelt this Friday night, November 15 with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Although the game is on the Trojans’ home turf at Milpitas High School, ASB Cards, Booster Passes and League Passes are NOT accepted. Only CCS and CIF State Passes are accepted at all CCS contests. To purchase tickets online, please click on this link. Ticket prices are as follows: Adults $10; Students/Senior Citizens/Children 5 & over $5; and Family Pass (2 adults/2 students/children) $28. If you plan to purchase tickets at the game, please bring cash as credit cards will NOT be accepted at the ticket window. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. A contingent of African Ancestry students from Milpitas High School and Calaveras High School attended a college-readiness summit at San Jose State University on November 7.
The students were accompanied by Milpitas High School Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera, Calaveras Hills High School counselor Jonathan Payne, and MHS teacher/advisor Herman Wilson. SJSU President Mary Papazian, the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators, 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley, California Alliance of African American Educators, Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Santa Clara County Office of Education hosted the annual African American College-Readiness Summit. This Summit is an educational alliance dedicated to the growth and expansion of a college-going culture among our African American youth. Milpitas Unified School District will host the first of its four-part series, titled “Parent Champions: Empowering Parents with Children of African Ancestry,” starting on December 4 at the Milpitas High School Library. Here are those event details: Parent Champions: Empowering Parents with Children of African Ancestry Attend our FREE 4-part series designed to empower parents with children of African ancestry in Milpitas Unified School District! Let's work together to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for our children. The Parent Champions Program has a mission to increase college-going and academic achievement of the students we serve by working with both parents and school personnel to increase family engagement. The program uses a working text for teaching and reference, Be A Parent Champion: A Guide to Becoming a Partner with Your Child’s School, and is intentionally designed as an empowerment model of reflections and action steps. WORKSHOP #1 Date: December 4, 2019 Time: 5:45pm – 7:45pm Location: Milpitas High School Library Register: www.tinyurl.com/parentchamp Future workshop dates: Wednesday, January 8; Wednesday, March 3; and Wednesday, May 13. *Child care will be provided for children 2 and up Student leaders at Milpitas High School hosted the 2019 Jack Emery Brunch on Nov. 5 to kick off the annual district-wide canned food drive that helps to feed about 4,000 local families throughout the year at the Milpitas Food Pantry.
“This has really made such a huge difference in our community,” said Executive Director Karen Kolander, who shared that these donations help stock the Pantry with enough canned goods to feed needy families for “almost the entire year.” MHS Associated Student Body President Jessica Uyehara instructed staff and students representing each of the school sites on how the food drive works. A packet was handed out to help guide participants through the process. The drive runs from November 18 through December 11. “I’m really proud of how everything turned out. The decorations are nice and the food tastes good. We have more guests this year than we had last year,” said Uyehara of the kickoff event that served 120 guests from school sites, the district office, board of education and local business community. “This (brunch) is a way for our student leaders to connect with all the different schools to kick off the Jack Emery food drive,” said MHS Activities Director Jerell Maneja of the well-attended brunch. “They share the procedures, important calendar dates and how it should look at each of the sites.” Key Point Credit Union jump-started the festivities with a $150 donation toward the food drive. Senior Tanya Saharan is MHS’s Student Site Leader for the food drive, setting a goal to eclipse 20,000 cans this year. “Right now, I’m a little nervous. I’ve been preparing for this for a long time,” said Saharan, who noted that each school site sets their own goals for the food drive. Brian Shreve, Director of Maintenance, Operations & Transportation, explained that his employees volunteer their time to collect the donated cans from each site and deliver them to the Pantry. They will collect more than 1,000 boxes from the various sites by the end of the drive. Milpitas High School was showered with accolades from the 2019 Best of the Best Milpitas Post Readers’ Choice Awards announced last month by The Milpitas Post in the newspaper’s 29th annual special edition.
Milpitas Post readers nominated their Milpitas’ favorites in over 100 categories. When the votes were tabulated, Milpitas High School, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this school term, was selected as the “Best Public School.” Principal Francis Rojas, who is in his third year at the helm at MHS, was recognized as the city’s “Best Principal,” while MHS mathematics teacher Nick Pham was honored as “Best Teacher” by Milpitas Post readers. So what makes MHS so special? Let’s ask the award-winners: FRANCIS ROJAS Principal, Milpitas High School How many years have you been working at MHS? This is my 3rd year at MHS. What makes MHS so special? As the largest high school in Santa Clara County and the Silicon Valley, MHS provides our diverse students with a wide breadth of learning opportunities and pathways to become career ready. With the support of our community, civic and district leadership, partnerships with industry and higher education leaders, we are living in the unexplored and innovative frontier of educational possibilities for our all in our school community. What does it say about the work being done at MHS that the school has won a trifecta of 2019 Best of the Best Milpitas Post Readers' Choice awards (Best Principal, Best Teacher, Best School)? This trifecta of recognition validates the positive internal and external perception we have revived at our school. We have worked hard to build relationships of trust and collaboration within our school community over the last 2 years and can now focus more of our efforts in building upon the great aspects established at MHS, innovate and improve rigor to ensure all of our students can reach their career and college goals. What is your favorite part about coming to work every day at MHS? The people. We have an awesome, hardworking, dedicated and knowledgeable certificated and classified staff, and even more, we have amazing students who are actively engaged in learning and leading. NICK PHAM Math Teacher, Milpitas High School How many years have you been working at MHS? 5 years What makes MHS so special? I'm an alumni (1994) and returned to MHS because of the diverse student population and the amazing kids from Milpitas. I have taught at Cal Hills, Russell Middle School, and now MHS for the past 12 years, and I'm always impressed by the quality of the students that enter my classroom year after year. If I made it from MHS, anyone can make it:) What does it say about the work being done at MHS that the school has won a trifecta of 2019 Best of the Best Milpitas Post Readers' Choice awards (Best Principal, Best Teacher, Best School)? The culture and community at MHS has really improved over the last few years under the leadership of Francis Rojas and the teachers who work tirelessly in the classroom. It is also a testament to the elementary and middle school teachers who have prepared our students to succeed at the high school. What is your favorite part about coming to work every day at MHS? I thrive off the energy and enthusiasm the students bring everyday to class. National School Bus Safety Week gives us an opportunity to review safety precautions with students, parents, and employees, as well as show appreciation for all of our Milpitas Unified School District bus drivers who are transporting our precious cargo. Drivers should use caution and be aware of school buses on the roadways, especially during early morning pickup and afternoon dropoff times, since school buses make regular stops on their routes to load and unload students. To review the state’s school bus laws, please click here. For more school bus safety tips from the National Association for Pupil Transportation, please click here. #SchoolBusSafetyWeek #ThankYouSchoolBusDrivers Weller Elementary School teacher Peter Salazar, above left, details his Growth Mindset lesson Oct. 9 during the second annual C2C conference at Pomeroy Elementary School. Twenty-eight teacher presenters shared their best practices with dozens of their Milpitas Unified School District’s colleagues at the second annual C2C conference, held October 8 at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School. “We want to be the first professional development school district, where teachers from other districts come to Milpitas to learn how to deliver high-quality instruction,” said Norma Rodriguez, MUSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Learning & Development. Each of the 28 presenters, up from eight in C2C’s inaugural conference, set up shop in classrooms throughout the Pomeroy campus. Teachers from each MUSD site were able to stop in and listen to a 10-minute presentation on various approaches to instruction. “These are all MUSD employees who have come to share best practices,” Rodriguez added. “It is challenging to present best practices and skills to colleagues. It takes courage to do that.” Some presented as individuals such as Christina Ojeda, a Resource Specialist at Weller Elementary School, who showcased “Math Fluency Games” in which she has students roll dice or draw from a deck of cards. Ojeda provided a game bag to any teachers who came to watch her presentation. Detailing his “Growth Mindset to Dreams” lesson, which centers around the children’s book “Catching the Moon,” was Weller teacher Peter Salazar. The story follows the life of Marcenia Lyle Stone, who fulfills her childhood dream and becomes one of the first women to play professional baseball. “We get to know most of our students through testing and data. But that really doesn’t allow us to get to know who they are as a person,” Salazar explained. “This exercise helps us to get to know our students better by finding out what their dreams are.” Other presenters teamed up like Rose Elementary instructors Ashley Grilli and Peggy Bowen, who offered insight into Botball-Robotics coding and programming; and Weller teachers Juhi Sharma and Gerald Kervin, who detailed how students navigate through the Summit Learning Platform. Colleagues who also presented at C2C were: Krista Davis (Guided Reading Groups); Debbie Salcedo (Grant Writing); Wendy Lundeen and Jenny Katzen (Technology & Coding); Ken Chiu (Change the Path-Math Prep); Jackie Do (Building Relationships with Families); Samantha Brasil, Naomi Newstrom and Sonia Hingrajia (Number Talks & Math Tasks); Corinne Fedalizo and Kathryn Hutchinson (Teaching Tolerance Resource for Teaching Social Justice Standards); Sappho Chow and Lynn Lafayette (5E Inquiry Lesson); Amanda Montoro (Literacy in Content Areas); McKenzie Macdonald (Integrating Engineering Practices); Vanessa Lorenzana and Lynn Tran (SEAL); Ashley DeOliveira and Jennifer Bick (SEAL Mini Units); Quyen Han and Meera Ramchanfdran (Science Summit Learning); and Snemer Anand (Next Generation Science Standards). Weller Elementary School teachers Juhi Sharma and Gerald Kervin detail the Summit Learning Platform Oct. 9 during the second annual C2C conference at Pomeroy Elementary School.
Attention MUSD Families and Team Members,
UPDATE: All Milpitas Unified School District schools will remain open, are fully staffed and will continue with regular class schedules today. PG&E has informed us this morning October 9, that our Airpoint facility remains the only school site that may potentially be impacted by the PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). If the status changes for any of our school sites, we will update everyone as soon as that information becomes available. But rest assured we have specific plans and procedures in place to manage the school day in the event of a prolonged outage should it occur. Sincerely, MUSD Leadership Team Good afternoon MUSD Families and Team Members, We are aware of the potential PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), which may occur starting early Wednesday morning due to high wind weather conditions. Please be assured we have specific plans and procedures in place to prepare for this outage, should it occur. Student and campus safety is of utmost importance to everyone in the Milpitas Unified School District. We will provide further updates from PG&E as they become available. In the meantime, all MUSD schools will remain open and plan to follow their regular school schedule. If necessary, schools will be equipped with lanterns and small wattage generators; students will travel in buddy systems. Currently, the only confirmed MUSD site that may potentially be affected by the PSPS is 3001 E. Calaveras Blvd (Airpoint facility across from Ed Levin Park). However, this is subject to change as new information becomes available. We are staying in contact with PG&E to receive any new updates. Please make sure your child’s Emergency Form includes up-to-date contact information. You can check online by logging into the parent portal. If you have not filled out an Emergency Form or need to update your home address, please notify your child’s school secretary. This is important so that in the event there is an emergency in which you need to be reached, we will have emergency numbers and contact names that will assist us in reaching you. Please remember schools may only release students to those listed on the emergency contact form. PG&E has provided a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) map on its website so residents can enter their home addresses to see if they live in an area that may be a part of the possible shutoff. As part of PSPS preparedness efforts, PG&E has provided the following message:
PSPS information is available in multiple languages on the PG&E website: For additional updates please monitor your Parent Square, www.musd.org, or www.facebook.com/MilpitasUnified. We welcome any suggestions you may have for future planned power outages, and thank you for your support in ensuring a safe school community. Sincerely, Cheryl Jordan Superintendent |
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