Milpitas Unified School District

Over at Zanker Elementary School, a new tradition is burgeoning that connects current 6th graders with former Zanker students who are now Milpitas High School seniors to offer guidance and advice as they prepare for the transition to middle school.

“The (high school) seniors were thoughtful in their responses, provided some great advice, and eased some of the anxiety that the sixth graders have before they move into secondary education,” shared Zanker Elementary School Principal Hetal Patel of the inaugural Zanker Senior Breakfast on June 2.

Those current Milpitas HS seniors who attended Zanker returned to their elementary alma mater for a special reunion with staff, along with leading the 6th grade assembly.  They connected with staff over breakfast and then did a Q&A/advice session. In between, the seniors snuck in some handball games. 

Some advice passed along during the session were:

• “Don’t change yourself for others. Real friends will accept you for who you are”. 
• “Other people will have opinions about you, both good and bad, but the most important opinion is the one you have about yourself. Be kind to yourself.”
• “Use the planner they give you in middle school.”
• “If you have regrets and made mistakes, that’s ok, it’s just important what you learn from it and how you grow.”