Blog Archives

Milpitas HS chosen as top school in town

10/25/2019

The Milpitas Unified School District Board of Education and Executive cabinet recognize Milpitas High School, Principal Francis Rojas and teacher Nick Pham for all being named the best at what they do in the 2019 Milpitas Post Readers' Choice Awards.

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 reminds us to be aware of school bus rules

10/24/2019

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

MUSD colleagues learn best practices from colleagues at second annual C2C conference

10/12/2019

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.

UPDATE: All schools remain open today

10/9/2019

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

District schools prepared for potential of PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff

10/8/2019

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:

Update contact information at pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers through automated calls, texts, and emails, when possible, prior to, and during, a PSPS.
Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration or devices that need power.
Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers.
Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies and cash.
Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at pge.com/wildfiresafety
For more information on what to do during and after a Public Safety Power Shutoff, visit the PG&E outage readiness page

If there is a shutoff, PG&E is advising customers that it may take as much as 5 days to restore power after the extreme weather event ends (currently scheduled to end Thursday afternoon). This is a conservative estimate and many customers will have their power restored much more quickly. If there is a PSPS, the community can expect to see PG&E and PG&E contractors out in the field making repairs and inspecting power lines on foot, in helicopters, or via drones.
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

MILPITAS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MEASURE C PARCEL TAX

10/2/2019

ABOUT MEASURE C
Voters approved Milpitas Unified School District (District) parcel tax, Measure C, in June 2014. Measure C, an eight-year parcel tax, renewed Measure B and maintained the same tax of $84 per parcel per year. Measure C, commenced on July 1, 2015 and will expire on June 30, 2023.

The purpose for the parcel tax is to maintain strong core academic programs in math, science, reading, and writing; prepare students for college and 21st Century careers; continue teaching programs in science, technology, engineering, and math to help graduates succeed; and attract and retain highly qualified and experienced teachers, with no proceeds used for administrative salaries and benefits.

PARCEL TAX EXEMPTION
Any Milpitas owner of a parcel used solely for owner-occupied, single-family residential purposes and who are:
(a) 65 years of age or older on or before June 30 of the fiscal year immediately preceding the year in which the tax would apply, or
(b) receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for a disability, regardless of age, or
(c) property owners who own parcels that are contiguous and held under identical ownership**
may obtain an exemption from the parcel tax by submitting an application, by June 15 of any year, to the District.

**Contiguous Parcel Exemption: The contiguous parcel exemption allows a Milpitas property owner to combine adjacent parcels (parcels that share a common border) into one taxable unit. These combined parcels must also be used solely for owner-occupied, single-family residential purposes and held under identical ownership.

PREVIOUS APPLICANTS
Homeowners who have previously been exempted from the District’s parcel tax will be automatically exempted for the remainder of Measure C without having to file a new application.

HOW CAN I APPLY?
Complete the application and provide copies of the required documents. Mail or drop off paperwork to Milpitas Unified School District, Business Services, 1331 E. Calaveras Blvd., Bldg. 200, Room 205, Milpitas, CA 95035. For questions, call (408) 635-2600 ext. 6022.
Or click here to apply online

Required Documents for Homeowners who turn 65 on or before June 30 of the fiscal year immediately preceding the year in which the tax would apply: (Link to application)
Proof of Ownership (Current property tax bill)
Proof of Residency (Current Calif. I.D. or Calif. Driver’s License or recent utility bill)
Age Verification (Current Calif. I.D. or Calif. Driver’s License or Passport or Medicare card)

Required Documents for Homeowners with Contiguous Parcels: (Link to application)
Proof of Ownership (Current property tax bill for both parcels)
Proof of Residency (Current Calif. I.D. or Calif. Driver’s License or recent utility bill)

Required Documents for Homeowners receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for a Disability:
(Link to application)
Proof of Ownership (Current property tax bill)
Provide a Benefits Verification Letter issued by the Social Security Administration receiving Supplemental Income for a Disability.
Proof of Residency (Current Calif. I.D. or Calif. Driver’s License or recent utility bill)

WHERE CAN I APPLY?
You may mail or drop off paperwork:
Milpitas Unified School District
Attn: Business Services Dept.– Bldg. 200, Rm. 205
1331 E. Calaveras Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035

9:00AM – 11:00AM & 1:00PM – 4:00PM / For questions call (408) 635-2600 x6022

Applications are available at the following locations:
- Milpitas Unified School District Website www.musd.org
- Milpitas Unified School District – Business Services Department
1331 E. Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035 or call to have an application mailed to you
(408) 635-2600 ext. 6022
- Milpitas Sports Center 1325 E Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035
- Milpitas Senior Center 40 N Milpitas Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035
- Milpitas Public Library 160 N Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035

DEADLINE TO APPLY
Applications must be submitted to the Milpitas Unified School District by June 15th. If the requested material is not received by the due date, the tax will appear on your tax bill. No refunds will be provided.

Click here to apply online

Milpitas HS chosen as top school in town

National School Bus Safety Week reminds us to be aware of school bus rules

MUSD colleagues learn best practices from colleagues at second annual C2C conference

UPDATE: All schools remain open today

District schools prepared for potential of PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff

MILPITAS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MEASURE C PARCEL TAX

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