by ViAnna Anderson
Each year, with special permission from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, several classes of second and third Graders at Rose Elementary Schools became ichthyologists, fish scientists. For weeks, students watch trout eggs provided from a local hatchery develop to become alevin and then fryling. This is all designed to allow students an opportunity to view nature up close and so they have a personal connection to their environment. Students observed eggs hatching into alevin with their yolk sac. An exciting part of their discovery was recognizing parr marks and emerging fins on their tiny trout. The students recorded water temperature, fish size, and stage of development in journals. They collaborated with the other students from Lucille Lai, Ramon Vijil, and ViAnna Anderson’s classes in art projects, stories, and lessons about the watershed, water cycle, landforms, fish anatomy, and conservation. Finally, the fish were big enough to survive on their own. On April 2, students released 46 baby fryling rainbow trout into Ed Levin Park’s Spring Valley Pond. Students were proud of the accomplishment that they were able to make a difference in their world by helping a species of fish survive and then go back into nature to thrive. By Vivek Chotai, MHS Student Board Representative
Before the Neolithic Revolution, men and women were living in hunter and gathering societies, with little or no social inequality. However, due to the introduction of agriculture, humans worldwide found more time and began to specialize in different types of labor. This formed social classes, leading to social inequality. With this social inequality also came gender inequality, with men being valued over women, both physically and mentally for some tasks, while the opposite for others. Although this injustice began more than three thousand years ago, these social inequalities and classes continue to exist today. With problems always come solutions; students from our district have found ways to combat gender inequality, manifesting their passions and time to take action. Some prime examples of student efforts related to this cause include the five different clubs from Milpitas High School: GirlUp, She’s the First, STEMgirls, I am that girl, and Girls Who Code. It is important to note that even though these clubs have been centered in Milpitas High School, many of them branch out to elementary and middle school through various programs. These students are putting in much of their time and effort, and it is important to know their rationale. Why is gender equality important? Why should we be aware of the problem, and try to prevent it? How can I help fight for gender equality? I decided to ask the students themselves the questions. Here are some of their responses: Loan-Anh Pham (grade 12), president of GirlUp shared her thoughts: “Working to prevent gender inequality can equate to a girl in Afghanistan receiving her education, which in turn will brighten her future! Or it could mean a woman seeking opportunity and fulfillment outside of her home, a woman pursuing a career in STEM or literature. Working to prevent gender inequality simply means bringing more opportunities for women and girls to reach their potential everywhere: it's time for more SHEROES out there!” Shivali Gulati (grade 10), president of Girls Who Code voiced her concerns: “A lack of gender equality can negatively affect imperative parts of a female’s life, such as increased discrimination in the workplace. We should be aware of the problem because increased gender inequality stops women from accessing the same opportunities as men, which prevents women from contributing to modern society both academically and socially. You can help fight for gender equality [by] promoting the cause on social media, supporting female organizations in your community, like Girls Who Code, and standing up if you know women in your community are facing gender inequality.” Tran Le (grade 11), president of STEMgirls described the social need for gender equality: “With half of the world population being female, it is crucial that every aspect of society receives the same representation. Gender equality is imperative for a society where both genders enjoy the same opportunities and rights. You can help create this society by joining STEMgirls' mission to empower more girls to pursue a future in STEM.” Vibha Sastry (grade 11), president of She’s the First contributed her opinion: “Gender equality is important because the equal participation of both genders is important in a balanced society. Gender equality is essential in order for society to progress and has been linked to many benefits in society such as less violence, economic growth, etc. It is important to be aware of gender inequality so that we can move away from outdated, restrictive, and sexist traditions that continue to persist within our society. Anyone can fight for gender equality simply by thinking more about their actions and words. Keeping an open mind and being a little more pensive about daily interactions can contribute to achieving gender equality.” Merilyn Kuo (grade 11), officer of I am that girl responded with a logical approach: “Especially today, in the modern world, since both men and women are capable of performing the same tasks at the same level of skill, biological differences should not determine one gender’s inferiority to another. Throughout history, gender roles and stereotypes have been enforced, but we are living in a new society where women are transcending gender roles and breaking gender stereotypes. In order to become a more inclusive society, we should be aware that a person’s gender does not limit their ability and that inside the outward appearance we see, is a human, with the potential to make an impact in this world and thriving just like everybody else. ” After reading through these responses, I want to conclude the article by saying we are very lucky to be a stakeholder in the Milpitas Unified School District. What other district has five clubs dedicated to gender equity? Our district has an excess amount of students willing to challenge ideas and stand up to injustice. Our students are fighting to eliminate social and gender norms, proving they are upstanders, changing society for the better. They are doing their part. Are you? by Gerry Lopez
We concluded our 2019 Parent University and it was a great success, thanks to the efforts of so many. We had a total of 174 participants present at the event and their evaluations show that they found the workshops well worth the time they invested with us. Seventy parents along with 44 of their children were hosted by 26 MHS student volunteers and 16 MUSD staff members. Eleven incredible presentations were carried out by 18 energetic and engaged presenters We had representation of parent attendees from ALL MUSD sites (including Calaveras Hills High School and Adult Education (THANKS FOR JOINING US GUYS!) and as far as number of parents present, RANDALL WAS THE WINNER!!!, with a total of 22 parents present!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Many thanks for Padres Unidos (a Spanish-speaking parent volunteer group at MUSD) who not only ran the registration process but also provided some very well-attended workshops. Thank you all for your great recruitment efforts and your support. And thanks you for the members of Learning and Development, Student Services, the Child Development Centers, Print Shop, and Cabinet who provided support leading up to and on the day of the event. We welcome your comments and perspectives to help improve next year’s Parent University. On March 29 Rancho Milpitas Middle School held a GolDON breakfast, an event that gave members of the school community the chance to recognize students outside of the traditional areas of academics, test scores, and athleticism.
Each Rancho staff member was allowed to invite one student to be their honorary guest, and get the chance to know them a little bit better outside the traditional classroom setting. They gave the student a personalized certificate at the breakfast. "The GolDON Breakfast was started two years ago at Rancho as a way to recognize and celebrate students in a very significant and personalized way," said Rancho Principal Casey McMurray. "ASB Adviser Amrun Singh, ASB students, our custodian, Jr., Kumi, and I work together to set up the tables/chairs/decorations/music/food/certificates and other important details to make this event special for all who are present." After everyone had breakfast during the event, staff members had the opportunity to briefly share why they invited their student to the breakfast. "It is so inspiring to hear the stories and see the smiles!" McMurray said. " It is an event that we all look forward to each year." Several engineers from Intel Corp. visited fifth graders at Robert Randall Elementary School to teach a lesson on self-driving cars March 29.
Students learned words such as CPU, sensors, chargers, circuits, motors, cables, remote, wires, devices, programming, assembling, microprocessor chip and silicon. Students were engaged for two whole hours, asking rigorous questions of inquiry. One student said at the end of the experience, "I didn't know what I wanted to be, but now I know I want to be an engineer." First graders in Adrienne Barber’s class at John Sinnott Elementary held a film festival on March 11, where they showed off their cinematic work. Parents and students walked down the red carpet, viewed 30 student created films, and all students were awarded Oscars for outstanding film-making.
Students created individual green screen and collaborative fairy tales. For the green screen films, students researched a science or social studies topic (ranging from potatoes to guinea pigs to Angel Falls in South America). They then wrote a top 10 list and created art to be used in the film. Students uploaded a background and used a green screen app for filming. Students read and listened to a variety of fairy tales for the collaborative film. They chose groups, focused on telling a new version of a traditional tale (“Three Little Pigs” or “Little Red Riding Hood”). Students worked together to create a background, create a storyline, act, direct, and produce a short film. Parent quotes: “The film festival is so much fun!!!! I am sure kids would have had lots of fun making props and acting in it. Anvitha loved the mini oscar gift that you gave. Thank you very much!!!!” “It was a great learning experience for the kids. I think it supported the regular instruction and training they get with reading and narrating and helped them develop self confidence while using creativity to visualize and be explicit in story telling. The kids were all so proud of what they did and that’s great and credit goes to you. I think it also opened up a new bonding experience for us as parents with our kids to understand their thinking and being more open to share stories and experiences effectively. Thank you for it. I enjoyed being there.” “Great Project by first graders. It really helps them to work as a team helping each other, helps the kids to come up with sentences on a topic or how to extend a story with some flow and enact with toys. I have never seen this kind of project before to expose their skills. Very thoughtful idea. Kudos to Mrs. Barber." Student quotes: “It was fun. Our families got to come. We got to enjoy spending time with our families.” “We ate popcorn!” “Some of the videos are actually funny.” “It was funny!”
To learn about additional Training Opportunities, please contact Rachel Gonzalez , Director of Training & Capacity Building at (213) 201-3924 or [email protected].
by Vivek Chotai, MHS Student Board Representative
On March 1, I had the privilege of participating in Joseph Weller Elementary School’s annual “Read Across Weller” event, where community members are invited to read books to students on Dr. Seuss day. My day started off with reading “Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!” by Dr. Seuss to a group of first graders for my first group. The first graders were very excited, constantly interrupting the story with bursts of laughter, and telling stories of their own. Although we did not get to finish the book, the students enjoyed the experience (even more than me!) and were especially amused by a picture of Miss Bonkers kissing the principal, Mr. Lowe, on the forehead. My second group included another cluster of first graders, who had heard the hysterical laughter from my previous group, wanting to read the same book. These students were particularly interested in the pictures, and noticed details that even I had not seen. Again, the picture of Miss Bonkers kissing Mr. Lowe’s forehead was a popular page, where the students pointed out Mr. Lowe’s shoes had fallen off as a result of his shock and happiness. My last group was inside a classroom, where the students seemed introverted and patiently quiet. However, after bargaining with them to reveal their names in exchange for the knowledge of my name AND favorite color, the children were more comfortable and talkative. By the end of my twenty minute reading, I was surrounded by students hugging me with all their might, pleading that I come in as their substitute teacher the next day, to which I replied, “It’s Saturday tomorrow!” I had a wonderful time interacting with Weller’s first graders. I hope to participate in this event again next year. Eleven classes ranging from kindergarten to firth grade participated in the San Jose Sharks Sticks in Hands program on February 25. They set up an inflatable rink in the front parking lots of the school, provided all the necessary gear, instructed students about safety, and how to play street hockey -- for free! This P.E. takeover style event is created around a safe, non-competitive experience. At the end of the day, the Sharks left behind a complete set of street hockey gear (sticks, balls and goals) to allow staff to continue hockey instruction through the year. by PaulJunver Soriano, MHS student
Current Milpitas High School Trojans welcomed the newest members of their family, the Class of 2023 on January 30. Students volunteered to tour the upcoming freshmen around the MHS campus in order to familiarize them with their future home for the next four years. They also hosted presentations to provide insight on the life of a high school student, and games to break the ice. In the end, both volunteers and eight-grade students had fun and a chance to bond with each other, providing unity between students of Russell and Rancho middle schools and MHS. |
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The governing board of Milpitas Unified School District will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Media ResourcesArchives
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