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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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Learning from a distance together
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Dear MUSD Families and Community,
Four weeks ago we were plunged into a new way of learning, working, and communicating. To some degree we may be mourning life as we lived it before March 16, 2020. Life at times seems surreal. As learners we are defining new routines and systems which serve to bring a sense of normalcy. For our students they are figuring out distance learning with
MUSD EducatEveryWhere
. There are challenges for them, and for us.
Parents have shared gratitude for the time and effort our teachers, principals, and team members have invested in assuring every student has what they need to engage in distance learning. They have also expressed how difficult this transition is as they try to navigate the roles of parent and teacher. While it is often easier for youth to quickly adapt, that isn’t always the case for those of us with more years of life behind us.
Anxiety and worry are common feelings, and while the graphic
What Can I Do if I’m Feeling Worried?
is designed to help our students navigate these feelings, it is helpful for us to use ourselves. Naming emotions allows us to feel them and then move on. Getting outside provides us with time to notice the world beyond ourselves. Being present and consciously using our senses rejuvenates us. This 2-min. video offers insight on
How to Clear Your Head
.
Our
emotional well-being
is essential to our physical and spiritual health, and our ability to think creatively.
Every advancement starts with the power of creativity. Creativity inspires joy and passion in what we do. Thriving in this new state of being is fueled by our sense of purpose. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” a question that can cause anxiety or spur imagination. It’s not really a question of
what
we want to be, it is a question of
how
we want to be, a question about
purpose
. Sheltering in place offers us opportunity to
talk about purpose with our teens
, and more so, it offers us a chance to think about our own purpose.
The world has had historic eras where humanity has made great gains. The Fourth Industrial Revolution that was softly disrupting many aspects of work, has been accelerated in this time of sheltering in place. The sudden halt to the busyness of life allows us time to fully realize the importance of community.
#WeRMilpitas
Cheryl Jordan
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BSU President creates nonprofit to promote African American culture through virtual story-time
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Milpitas High School student leader Nyla Choates has turned the Shelter in Place circumstance into an opportunity to promote African American culture and close the literacy gap around the world.
The Black Student Union President developed her own nonprofit, ‘My Roots Are Rich,’ in order to “empower, inspire, and educate people by reinforcing the rich culture of African Americans and their contributions to America.”
Choates’ first project is called ‘Read For A Cause,’ in which she produces and posts videos of volunteers reading select short stories.
“The mission of ‘My Roots Are Rich’ is to help close this literacy gap, one book at a time with pre-recorded videos reading short stories,” Choates explained. “These videos will then be posted on the ‘My Roots Are Rich’ social media pages and YouTube channel, where children of color can be reached globally.”
Each weekday at noon, Choates will post a story-time video on the following:
- Instagram: @myrootsarerich
- Facebook: @myrootsarerich
- Youtube Channel: Read For A Cause
Choates already has two dozen readers lined up, but she is recruiting more. Anyone interested can sign up to read
here
.
“Reading for enjoyment, historical context, and factual knowledge builds social, literacy, and language skills,” Choates said. “But sadly, due to the current Covid-19 outbreak, many young children of color will not have the opportunity to improve or expand their reading and reading comprehension skills. Reasons include finances, resources, academic skill level, and more.”
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Student-run nonprofit produces 250 masks for healthcare workers in one week, with more on the way
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After reading a news article about the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) equipment for health care workers, Milpitas High School junior Amy Stanley got inspired to make a difference.
So, the 16-year-old student recently founded her nonprofit, ProjectMaskify, and then enlisted several of her Trojan classmates, as well as student ambassadors from high schools throughout the Bay Area, to be part of the humanitarian effort.
“ProjectMaskify is a local youth-led organization that strives to equip our first-line of defense, our healthcare workers, with PPEs to protect them against Covid-19,” said Stanley, who began making cotton-fabric cloth masks with elastic bands along with fellow MHS juniors and her co-leads, Rachel Pham and Aditi Hariharan.
On April 8,
ProjectMaskify
completed 250 masks in only one week’s time. They were then donated to the Valley Medical Center Foundation to provide them for their healthcare workers.
Stanley and her ambassadors are not stopping there, however.
They plan to make 500 more masks, after receiving a $250 donation from the Rotary Club of Milpitas and another $100 donation from MUSD Board Clerk Kelly Yip-Chuan, to buy the needed materials. To accomplish this, Stanley is looking for five more volunteer ambassadors to help with production. Her nonprofit also plans to team up with the Silicon Valley Modern Quilt Guild.
“It is really important that we address the need and that we accomplish our mission as quickly as possible,” said Stanley, who plans to donate masks to the Santa Clara Kaiser Foundation Hospital as well as to local first responders.
In addition to forming ProjectMaskify, Stanley is the co-chairperson of the Silicon Valley American Red Cross chapter, where she is a leader and mentor for more than 800 youth.
“I’m passionate about speaking and using my interest for advocacy to make a difference in the world,” Stanley said.
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MHS students raise funds to deliver groceries and supplies to most vulnerable population
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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a trio of local students is taking action and has formed a new nonprofit, they are calling Corona-Covery, to help deliver groceries and supplies to our most vulnerable population.
It’s a student-led project “dedicated towards making essential items more accessible to the disabled and elderly during this difficult time.”
According to the group’s
GoFundMe page
, they have raised $335 of its $500 goal as of April 14. Milpitas High School junior Brandyn Huynh, 16, is the organizer of the GoFundMe page.
“This project was curated by a few junior students of Milpitas High School - currently studying from home and constantly thinking about how to make the world a nicer place!” wrote Huynh on the Corona-Covery web page.
Huynh, along with juniors Isabella Kellas and Kate Le, formed Corona-Covery. They are currently seeking volunteers to help purchase items and deliver them.
"The three of us understand how this pandemic has made it difficult for individuals to leave their homes to get groceries, so our non-profit was created to alleviate that burden off of the elderly and disabled specifically," said Huynh.
Once contacted, the student volunteers will go shopping and purchase items such as toilet paper, paper towels, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer and diapers, and then bring them, packaged and sanitized, to the homes of our local senior citizens and disabled individuals.
“Not only has acquiring bare necessities become an increasingly difficult process, leaving home to scour these public areas also poses a great risk for those with compromised health,” Huynh said. “In these unfortunate, strange times, we must strive to uplift our community as a whole and preserve the unique relationships intertwined within it.”
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MUSD staff develops EducatEverywhere website to support families in distance learning
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The new site is easy to navigate with sections for Home Learning Resources, Suggested Activities, English Language Learners, Students With Exceptional Needs, Wellness & Mental / Social, Technology Information & How To’s, and COVID-19 Information & Updates. In addition, parents can access information on Sample Daily Schedules, Free Student Meals, Learning Space, Materials and Tools, Sharing Learning With Teachers, and Monitoring Learning.
MUSD will continue to update and upgrade the site with useful tools and information as they become available to us.
In addition, MUSD has developed:
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County Supervisor Dave Cortese commends MUSD for continuing education
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Assemblymember Kansen Chu shares gratitude for community effort in crisis
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Congressman Ro Khanna admires Milpitas' collective voice to slow virus spread
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Sinnott empowers girls with pair of afterschool clubs
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In a continued initiative to empower its female students, the Girls on the Run and Heart & Sole Programs started up last month at Sinnott Elementary School.
This is the fifth year that the Girls on the Run (GOTR) program has been organized at Sinnott. While the GOTR is designed for second through fourth grade students, the inaugural Heart & Soles (H&S) was developed for fifth and sixth grade girls.
The afterschool program has trained coaches (volunteers) that lead girls through lessons about standing up for yourself and others, managing emotions, setting goals, stopping gossip and bullying, and so much more. Teachers say they see the positive effects of GOTR girls' performance in the classroom.
The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete the celebratory Girls on the Run / Heart & Sole 5K event at Vasona Park.
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Rancho MS recognized among 2020 Schools To Watch
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Rancho Milpitas Middle School was one of 167 exemplary middle-grades schools from 17 states to be named “Schools to Watch” as part of a recognition and improvement program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.
Each school was selected by state leaders for its academic excellence, its responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents, and its commitment to helping all students achieve at high levels. In addition, each school has strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement.
Rancho submitted a written application to show how they met criteria developed by the Forum. A state team then observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and looked at achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work.
Schools are recognized for a three-year period; and at the end of three years, schools must repeat the process in order to be re-designated. Along with Rancho, 119 schools of the 167 recognized have maintained or increased their levels of excellence and are being redesignated. The schools vary in size from several hundred to several thousand students and represent urban, suburban, and rural communities.
A complete list of 2020 Schools to Watch schools can be found
here
.
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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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