EVENT REMINDER: Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony

It’s that time of year when students move from Middle to High School! To celebrate this rite of passage, MSA-SC and MSA-SC PTO would like to invite all Eighth Graders and their families to the 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony.

CONGRATULATIONS to all the Eighth Graders!

WHAT: Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony

WHEN: Thursday, May 28 2015

Ceremony 5:30- 6:30 pm

Refreshments & Mingling 6:30- 7:30 pm

WHERE: MSA-SC, 2720 Sonoma Pl, Santa Clara CA

A special THANK YOU to all the teachers, the PTO members and parents working hard to put this day together for the students.

8th Grade Promotion Ceremony

PTO ELECTION time! Forms included

Link to PTO Board Nomination Form: http://goo.gl/forms/EJaaOiUVRw

Hello Magnolians,

As the 2014-15 school year draws to an end, it is time to start preparing for next years school programs and activities.

We are looking for nominations for the following PTO Board positions; President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor. The current PTO board members’ term concludes on May 31, 2015. With the MSA-SC PTO infrastructure already in place, we are looking for parents to step up and move us forward next year with the responsibility of enriching the lives of our children and contributing to the quality education they deserve. In accordance with By-laws of the MSA-SC  PTO the nomination committee is soliciting members for each PTO board position. The nominees should represent parents with interests’ experience and expertise with the position nominated and show a strong commitment to the purpose of the PTO.

You may nominate yourself or someone you think will honorably represent the position. Brief job descriptions for each position are included in the Nomination Form. Feel free to contact a current board member for additional information. The new board members will be selected from nominations elicited from the general membership. Additionally Committee heads and volunteer members are needed.

QUALIFICATIONS: The nomination process will be open to anyone who is a current parent in MSA-SC at the time when school re-opens for academic year 2015-16. If appointed, board members must comply with the approved by-laws. Current Board members will help you learn ‘on the job’ as they transition out.

TERM OF APPOINTMENT: From first day of school to last day of school of academic year 2015-16

NOMINATION FORMS: Any MSA-SC parent may nominate a person or persons, including him or herself. Click the form link below to submit online. There will also be paper forms available at the Thursday April 30 meeting.

Link to PTO Board Nomination Form: http://goo.gl/forms/EJaaOiUVRw

Regards,

Jaya Gautam
Vice President, MSA-SC PTO

Why get involved? Research show that parental involvement affects a child’s life positively. Parent involvement is most effective when a true partnership exists between schools and families. The PTO Board works as a liaison between the parents, the teachers and the school to build that partnership, ultimately benefiting each child in the school.

Thank you, teachers: Teacher Appreciation Week

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Thank you to all the teachers who make a difference in students’ lives. You have helped a young person positively in his/ her path in life.

Also, thank you to all the generous parents who brought in food for the Teacher Appreciation Breakfast yesterday and the Teacher Appreciation Lunch today!
The teachers and the PTO appreciate your generosity and support.

Teacher Appreciation Week: Thank you Teachers

 

EVENT REMINDER: Science STEAM Expo, this Friday, May 8

Dear Parents,

Friday May 8th is a short day and school will be over at 12:30. All parents are welcome to see student work from 8:30 to 12:30. The schedule for the day is below:

STEAM EXPO  Friday, May 8	8:30-9:30	9:30-10:30	10:30-11:30	11:30-12:30
ENGINEERING	6th Grade Popsicle Bridge PLAYGROUND BEHIND ROOM A&B	7th Grade Popsicle Bridge PLAYGROUND BEHIND ROOM A&B	8th Grade Popsicle Bridge PLAYGROUND BEHIND ROOM A&B	SubmarinesBLACKTOP
ENGINEERING	Telescope Presentations ROOM A	Marble Rollercoaster CAFETERIA	TrebuchetsFIELD	Egg DropBLACKTOP
SCIENCE	Bio Model Presentations ROOM B	Ecosystem Presentations ROOM B
SCIENCE	High School Science  Demonstrations HALLWAY	High School Science  Demonstrations HALLWAY	High School Science  Demonstrations HALLWAY	High School Science  Demonstrations HALLWAY
TECHNOLOGY	Computer Lab- Open	Computer Lab- Open	Computer Lab- Open	Computer Lab- Open
MATH	Math Activity ROOMS 2 & 3	Math Activity ROOMS 2 & 3	Math Activity ROOMS 2 & 3	Math Activity ROOMS 2 & 3
ART Art Display-ROOM 1	6th, 7th, 8th Grade Science Standards Based Art	6th, 7th, 8th Grade Science Standards Based Art	6th, 7th, 8th Grade Science Standards Based Art	6th, 7th, 8th Grade Science Standards Based Art

MSA-SC Science Expo: May 8, 2015

EVENT REMINDER: Town Hall Meeting, Fri May 8, 7- 8 pm

You are cordially invited to a town hall meeting on Friday, May 8th with Magnolia Public Schools’ Board President Dr. Umit Yapanel and CEO Dr. Caprice Young. Dr. Young will be discussing updates on the school facilities for 2015-2016 and ongoing efforts to ensure that our program continues uninterrupted in the fall. We look forward to seeing you Friday night.

Town Hall Meeting

When: Friday, May 8, 2015
Time: 7:00 PM ~ 8:00 PM
Where: MSASC Cafeteria, 2720 Sonoma Place, Santa Clara
Subject: Update on school facilities

Town Hall Meeting

Update: Apr 23, SCUSD meeting || Thank you for YOUR support || Photos

Thank you to all the parents and students who came to the SCUSD Meeting last week! You DID make a difference!

Some photos on the MSA-SC PTO Facebook page: Click HERE . And if you haven’t done so already, please  ‘LIKE’  the Facebook page while you’re there.

The principal, Mr. Ak’s update on the SCUSD Board Meeting and its decision:

“Dear MSA Santa Clara Parents and Students,

Last night the Santa Clara Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to not extend our lease at our current campus for the upcoming school year. While we are disappointed in the board’s decision, I would like to assure you that we are committed to remaining open, and we are actively exploring alternative campuses that meet our educational needs for next year.
The district’s board approved a motion that directs the district’s superintendent and staff to work with us to find an alternate site on a district campus. We plan on meeting with the district as soon as possible to explore this option.
Additionally, we are currently engaging in negotiations for a temporary campus that is not on district grounds, and which would serve us in the upcoming school year. As we explore both of these options, we plan to dedicate our time and resources to make sure that we choose a campus that best serves our community, as we continue to provide a rigorous, STEM-focused education to our students.
We will keep you posted on our efforts to secure a campus, and I am confident our high-quality program will continue uninterrupted in the coming years.
I would like to personally thank our parents, students, teachers and staff for their ongoing support and efforts to secure a campus for next year. I am so proud to call MSA Santa Clara my home and look forward to graduating our very first class next year.
Warmest regards,
Yilmaz Ak
Principal”

IMP: MSA-SC PTO Board Nominations + Elections this Thursday, April 30, 7- 8 pm

Hello Magnolians,

As the 2014-15 school year draws to an end, it is time to start preparing for next years school programs and activities.

We are looking for nominations for the following PTO Board positions; President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor. The current PTO board members’ term concludes on May 31, 2015. With the MSA-SC PTO infrastructure already in place, we are looking for parents to step up and move us forward next year with the responsibility of enriching the lives of our children and contributing to the quality education they deserve. In accordance with By-laws of the MSA-SC  PTO the nomination committee is soliciting members for each PTO board position. The nominees should represent parents with interests’ experience and expertise with the position nominated and show a strong commitment to the purpose of the PTO.

You may nominate yourself or someone you think will honorably represent the position. Brief job descriptions for each position are included in the Nomination Form. Feel free to contact a current board member for additional information. The new board members will be selected from nominations elicited from the general membership. Additionally Committee heads and volunteer members are needed.

QUALIFICATIONS: The nomination process will be open to anyone who is a current parent in MSA-SC at the time when school re-opens for academic year 2015-16. If appointed, board members must comply with the approved by-laws. Current Board members will help you learn ‘on the job’ as they transition out.

TERM OF APPOINTMENT: From first day of school to last day of school of academic year 2015-16

NOMINATION FORMS: Any MSA-SC parent may nominate a person or persons, including him or herself. Click the form link below to submit online. There will also be paper forms available at the Thursday April 30 meeting.

Link to PTO Board Nomination Form: http://goo.gl/forms/EJaaOiUVRw

Link to PTO Meeting Agenda: http://bit.ly/1HO4fov

Regards,

Jaya Gautam
Vice President, MSA-SC PTO

Why get involved? Research show that parental involvement affects a child’s life positively. Parent involvement is most effective when a true partnership exists between schools and families. The PTO Board works as a liaison between the parents, the teachers and the school to build that partnership, ultimately benefiting each child in the school.

PTO Elections

V. IMP: Come to SCUSD Meeting TONIGHT || Protests, Petitions, Politics || Put children FIRST!

TONIGHT is the night! After a long, frustrating, hard fought struggle- in the course of which we Magnolians learned a lot: support, solidarity, tears, ‘together we can’, protests, petitions, politics and the unfortunate fact that often the children are not placed FIRST but LAST; it comes down to this, we need to show up for the SCUSD board meeting TONIGHT. It could be the ‘Make or Break’ moment!! Let’s remind the SCUSD that our ‘Kids Count‘, too!

The last couple of board meetings, the Magnolia students and parents have asked the SCUSD board to put the Magnolia school lease extension on the agenda, and at the last meeting President Gonzalez said that MSA-SC would be on the Agenda for tonight. Click for Agenda

So, show up tonight, stand together tonight, speak up tonight! Let us make our presence count, let us show our support.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
– Margaret Mead

WHAT: SCUSD Board Meeting

WHEN: Thursday, April 23, 2015. Meeting runs from 5 pm onward. Please come by 6:15 pm at the latest. You’re welcome to come earlier.

WHERE: Board Room, Santa Clara Unified School District Office (Google Maps), 1889 Lawrence Road, Santa Clara 95051

WHAT TO DO/ BRING: Please come prepared with a 1 minute speech. (If you do not want to talk, show up for support! ) Have a good snack before to make sure you have the energy to speak and to stay till the end 🙂 Bring another small snack, some water, a book or something to do as we may have to wait till the end of the meeting. Bring your positive attitude 🙂 Wear your UNIFORM! 

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

Kids count!

IMP: MSA-SC is on the SCUSD meeting agenda this Thursday, April 23! We need YOU to be present to show your support

Hello Magnolians,

MSA-SC is finally officially on the agenda this Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30 pm.

We, the Magnolian community, current and future students, need YOU to be there to show your support for the requested one year school lease extension at the current facility.

In the end, it’s as simple as that- just SHOW UP!

Thank you!

SOS_Save Our School

MSASC students and parents unitedly wait at a board meeting

SCUSD needs to show, as the BOTTOM LINE of their existence, they care about CHILDREN!! Board Meeting TONIGHT!

Never Give Up! The new/ old motto for Magnolians fighting to keep MSA-SC up and running next academic year- to keep a high quality educational choice open for their kids, and other kids, now and down the road…. children who would not get the chance to attend a school which lets them stretch their boundaries, STEM or otherwise.

The children look forward to YOUR support TONIGHT! We will be there at every SCUSD meeting till they put the MSA-SC lease extension on the agenda AND then extend the lease- it’s NOT about SCUSD POLITICS, it’s NOT about POWER BLOCS, it’s NOT about Various LOBBYISTS, it’s about the LIVES of OUR CHILDREN!!

SCUSD needs to show that they care about EDUCATION, they care about parents; eventually, as the BOTTOM LINE of their existence, that they care about the CHILDREN!!

Thank you to the speakers who spoke at the SCUSD March 5th meeting

MSA-SC community speaking at SCUSD meeting, March 5, 2015

WHAT: SCUSD Board Meeting

WHEN: Thursday, April 9, 2015. Meeting runs from 5 pm onward. Please come by 6:15 pm at the latest. You’re welcome to come earlier.

WHERE: Board Room, Santa Clara Unified School District Office (Google Maps), 1889 Lawrence Road, Santa Clara 95051

WHAT TO DO/ BRING: Please come prepared with a 1 minute speech. (If you do not want to talk, show up for support! ) Have a good snack before to make sure you have the energy to speak and to stay till the end 🙂 Bring another small snack, some water, a book or something to do as we may have to wait till the end of the meeting. Bring your positive attitude 🙂 Wear your UNIFORM! 

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

Kids count!

Mercury News article talks about MSA-SC’s Fight for Facilities

Read the Mercury News article on how charters including MSA-SC are being squeezed out of  San Francisco Bay Area facilities: Click here

Excerpt from the article:

Santa Clara Unified spokeswoman Jennifer Dericco , “….. We need to take care of Santa Clara Unified students first,” she said.

But charter parents point out that they, too, are district parents — who simply have chosen an alternative permitted under state law.

Please take a moment to share this article (http://bit.ly/charterSF) by Sharon Noguchi of the Mercury News with your mailing lists (friends, families, other people interested in education), corporate distribution lists and social networks (Facebook, Twitter etc) and also ask them to sign and then share our PETITION:  http://bit.ly/extendMSASCpetition

Let’s work together to make this happen!!

Students from the Magnolia Science Academy rally outside the Santa Clara Unified School District Board Meeting, March 5, 2015. Magnolia hopes to get an extension for its lease so that they can find a permanent facility. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

REMINDER: SCUSD Board Meeting TONIGHT| The students & the school need YOU!

Time to wade out into the breach again. MSA-SC community members, thank you for your support in trying to keep the school and the community intact, alive and existing. Your support has and will make a difference. Many of you have asked what else you can do or when you should show up again at SCUSD  (Santa Clara Unified School District) meetings.

Well, the time is here again! We invite you to come stand with all of us, together, to show our solidarity. Again, every person, parent, student, teacher who shows up does make a difference!

“One person can make a difference, and every person should try.”
― Thomas E. Cronin

WHAT: SCUSD Board Meeting

WHEN: Thursday, March 26, 2015. Meeting runs from 5 pm onward. Please come by 6:15 pm at the latest. You’re welcome to come earlier.

WHERE: Board Room, Santa Clara Unified School District Office (Google Maps), 1889 Lawrence Road, Santa Clara 95051

WHAT TO DO/ BRING: Please come prepared with a 1 minute speech. (If you do not want to talk, show up for support! ) Have a good snack before to make sure you have the energy to speak and to stay till the end 🙂 Bring another small snack, some water, a book or something to do as we may have to wait till the end of the meeting. Bring your positive attitude 🙂 Wear your UNIFORM! 

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

EVENT REMINDER: Town Hall Meeting Tuesday, Mar 17 at 7 pm

MSA-SC will be holding a Town Hall Meeting with Dr. Caprice Young, CEO Magnolia Public Schools, TOMORROW, Tues, March 17.

What: Town Hall Meeting with Dr. Young

Where: MSA-SC Cafeteria

When: 7 pm-  8 pm

Message from Mr. Ak:

“You are cordially invited to a town hall meeting tomorrow with Magnolia Public Schools CEO, Dr. Caprice Young. Dr. Young will be discussing the campaign to extend the lease at our current school site, as well as ongoing efforts to find alternate campuses to ensure that our program will continue uninterrupted in the fall. Your continued support and involvement will be critical in the coming weeks as we make our case to the district to keep the doors of MSA Santa Clara—one of the highest-performing schools in the district—open. We will discuss what the campaign will look like and how you can help us get our voice heard. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.”

Town Hall Meeting

Save MSA-SC: SIGN and SHARE Change.org PETITION

It was inspiring and humbling to see your support for your school at the SCCOE board meeting a couple of days ago. 300+ MSA-SC students, parents and teachers turned out to show their solidarity and to urge elected officials to find a solution to the situation facing us: closure of the school. It was this show of community spirit which made the SCCOE board members urge the SCUSD to consider the ‘human factor’ in the situation while considering the school closure- the human factor which involves a life changing school closure for ~500 students, their parents and staff.

We are asking for a one year school lease extension. The SCUSD plans to leave the campus empty for the next year- we are urging them to let our students stay! Please sign our Change.org PETITION and share it with your whole friend circle, your extended family, everybody you know! It doesn’t matter if they are local or not, if they believe in EDUCATION and CHOICES, then it is an easy decision to sign our Petition.

Click to sign Change.org petition

We’ve come so far together, let’s continue this journey to make our children’s lives better!

Thank you for reading, signing and sharing with as many people as you can via email, facebook, Twitter and other social media.

 

MSASC students and parents wait at a SCCOE board meeting

IMP: SCCOE Meeting TONIGHT at 7 pm | Show YOUR Support!

Thank you for your presence at the SCUSD board meeting last week. More than 100 students and parents showed up and stayed to support MSA-SC. It was a wonderful feeling , especially for the children who spoke about their love for MSA-SC and how they have grown in confidence and knowledge while in the school. Listening to them brought a tear to the eye and a lump to many people’s throats.

WE need YOU to show up again tonight at the SCCOE (Santa Clara County Office of Education).  The new charter is the ONLY item on the agenda and we should flood the room before they start deliberating on it. Thanks to the SCCOE board which agreed to convene this special meeting for us. Let us NOT waste this special opportunity! The SCCOE needs to see that our school community is committed, not just the staff and 5-6 parents. Like I said last week, if we stand TOGETHER, we can move mountains (or at least do our best to). Please rally around the school again. I hope to see 200 people tonight at 7 pm!!!

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

WHAT: SCCOE Board Meeting

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: 1290 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95131 (Google Maps)

WHAT TO DO/ BRING: Please come prepared with a 1 minute speech. (If you do not want to talk, show up for support! ) Have a good snack before to make sure you have the energy to speak and to stay till the end 🙂 Bring another small snack, some water, a book or something to do as we have to wait till the end of the meeting. Bring your positive attitude 🙂 Wear your UNIFORM! There will be some pizza at the end of the meeting.

SEE YOU TONIGHT!