Union Middle Weekly Update V5.11!

Hello Union Middle School Families,

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. Just a few notes this week.

1) The UMS Counselors are presenting tomorrow (Monday) morning in the library on how to support your student successfully navigate middle school. This is a really good, straight-forward presentation that I strongly recommend for families, even if everything is going well right now for your student. The presentation starts around 9 am in our UMS library. The HSC meeting starts at 8:30 am - you are encouraged to join for both events!

2) We have our UMS Fall Concert starting at 6:30 tomorrow. It's held outside in the UMS Quad. It might/will be a bit cold so bring a blanket and dress warmly. This should be a quick concert, just about an hour or so, and should be a lot of fun.

3) Thank you to all of the families who helped make the UMS blast a positive experience for everyone. There's a lot of planning that goes into putting on such an event. Whether it is overseeing the entire event, running the book fair, scheduling the musical acts, handling the coordination of the food trucks et al, setting up booths, cleaning up afterwards... there's just a lot that goes into this community event. I hope you were able to stop by Friday and enjoy the event.

4) Please do take a minute to re-read the expectations regarding Halloween. We are looking forward to a fun Thursday.

5) Just as another reminder, please do not allow your student to visit the Safeway Shopping Center after school. As I've shared many times previously (and it sounds like the Nextdoor community can confirm this as well), nothing good happens at the Safeway Shopping Center. I realize that your student may beg/plead/trick/negotiate/etc to get you (the parent/adult) to agree to let them go to Safeway/Starbucks after school. Please remain firm and have them avoid the shopping center altogether. I would also like to encourage our families to not use the Safeway parking lot as a place to drop off and pick up your student. We would like to continue to be good neighbors for our surrounding community, both homes and business, and need your support in ensuring that this happens.

Some quick reminders...

-Do you have a UMS athlete living under your roof? Get your athlete yard sign today!! Show your Tiger pride and support UMS Sports Boosters at the same time. The yard sign will be delivered directly to your home and installed. Order Your UMS Athlete Yard Sign Here

-Looking to show your UMS pride at upcoming sporting events. Check out the new Tiger gear here! Order UMS Spirit Wear Here

-The *NEW* UMS Store is available at bit.ly/umstigers. I am very hopeful that this version of the UMS Store is a bit more seamless for our UMS community. Feedback always welcome.

-We are looking for more lunchtime supervisors. It's just a half hour daily and is a paid position. You can sign up for one to five days a week - it's up to you! No experience necessary. If interested, please email Mrs. Mantell at mantellA@unionsd.org. Thank you!

-If you haven't purchase school pictures yet this year (retakes or otherwise), please consider doing so. All of the recent photo day portraits are now ready to view and order. To view your child's gallery,, click on the link provided and enter your child’s student ID number for their online code HERE. Questions? Contact Generations School Photography at: orders@gsp-photos.com.

-Our staff member profile this week is Catie Wilcox, one of our 7th grade social studies teachers at UMS, not to mention the Yearbook Advisor as well. I hope you enjoy it!

Todd Feinberg, Principal

• October 28, 2024 - October HSC Meeting @ UMS Library (8:45-10:15am) NEW DATE
• October 28, 2024 - Halloween Concert @ UMS Quad (6:30-8pm) NEW DATE
• November 1, 2024 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Staff Professional Development Day
• November 11, 2024 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
• November 14, 2024 - Fire Drill
• November 18, 2024 - November HSC Meeting @ UMS Teacher's Lounge (6:30pm)
• November 19, 2024 - Mid Quarter Reports - Check PowerSchool!
• November 19, 2024 - Special Assembly Tuesday (See Bell Schedule)
• November 25-29, 2024 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL
• December 6, 2024 - 7th & 8th Grade Winter Dance @ UMS Gym (6-8pm)
• December 10, 2024 - Special Assembly Tuesday (See Bell Schedule)
• December 10, 2024 - Fire Drill
• December 13, 2024 - Girls Basketball Tryouts Begin (check sports website for more information)
• January 29, 2024 - Lockdown Drill
• February 14, 2024 - Earthquake Drill
• March 20, 2024 - Fire Drill
• April 17, 2024 - Earthquake Drill
• May 16, 2024 - Fire Drill
• June 2, 2024 - Earthquake Drill

Catie Wilcox has been at Union Middle School for the past 18 years. She currently serves as one of our 7th grade social studies teachers. Enjoy the following Q&A below as we get to meet Catie Wilcox!

How long have you been at UMS? What do you love about being an educator at UMS? This will be my 18th year at Union. I love being a teacher at UMS because of our amazing community. Our students are kind, driven and friendly. Our staff is hard-working and so supportive of our students and of one another. I feel so lucky to have so many friends at Union, which makes going to work each day that much more fun!

What, if anything, are you currently binge-watching? Or reading? I just finished watching The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which was great but also heartbreaking. One of my favorite books I've read recently was The Women.

What's one thing your students don't know about you that they would be surprised to find out? I used to teach math and it was always one of my favorite subjects in school growing up (along with History of course).

What’s one thing on your bucket list? Safari in Kenya and while there visit Sabore (our Maasai friend) and The Naretu Academy (a school in Kenya we have helped fundraise for over many years).

What is your favorite lesson/curriculum to teach each year? Why? Meso America! I've been to so many of the places in this region, so I have a lot of unique information to share with my students, as well as fun pictures from my travels.

What is the most challenging topic/lesson to teach? Why? Current events can be tough because I don't have all of the answers and the topics can be so sensitive for students. It can be very difficult to navigate tough conversations with 12 and 13 year olds.

What's one instructional practice that you've adopted for your classroom that you now cannot live without? Asking students, "why do you think that?". It shows me how students make connections from one topic to the next and I love hearing that from them.

What is Measure V?

Measure V is a local annual parcel tax measure on the November 5, 2024 ballot which would renew Measure B with a $52 increase, for a total of $148 per/parcel, for seven years. Measure V funding will be used to support students in grades TK-8 by maintaining high-quality educational programs, including math, reading, and writing, and hands-on science instruction, technology and engineering; attract and retain highly qualified teachers and instructional support staff; provide high quality programs in music, visual, and performing arts and more for a well-rounded education. Click here for more information.

What happens if Measure V does not pass?

Without the renewal of the Measure B funding and increase through Measure V on the November 5th ballot, some existing local school funding, about 1.3 million dollars will disappear from USD school budgets. Our local TK-8 schools will have to make cuts to academic programs and increase class sizes. USD depends on local revenue to supplement limited State funding. Renewing Measure B won’t address all funding needs, but it will help retain exceptional teachers and protect core programs.

Look for Measure V on the Ballot! Voter Registration Info available here.

Do you, or someone you know, have a business or organization and would like to support Union Middle School? We invite you to donate to the Union Middle School Home and School Club’s Community Sponsorship program. UMS Home & School Club is a registered charitable trust and a non-profit association under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Community Sponsors donate ONCE, and in exchange, receive visibility to the Union Middle School community. Sponsors receive recognition on our Home and School Club website, in our multiple Music programs throughout the year, our Drama production, our Dodgeball tournament, as well as our biggest community event, coming up in a few short weeks on October 25th, The Blast. To learn more and donate please go to www.unionhsc.org/community-sponsorships.html

There are many ways to get involved at Union Middle School. From leading Art Vistas lessons or helping at the Scholastic Book Fair to participating in fundraisers or supporting music, drama, or athletics, there’s definitely an opportunity to fit your schedule and interests. Sign up here: www.unionhsc.org/volunteer.html.

This year, our primary way to fundraise will be through the Annual Membership Drive. We rely on your generous donations to hit our fundraising goals. If your employer provides Corporate Matching, this is another way for you to double your donation and help support Union Middle School students, teachers, and school programs. Please follow the steps below and donate online today!

Donate online now: bit.ly/umstigers

Your HSC Membership donations support:

• HSC donates approximately $175 per student each year

• Art Vistas, Athletics, Music, Drama, Technology, and Cheer programs

• All of our teachers, who receive $500 each for teaching and classroom supplies, resources, and online education subscriptions

• Grants made available to faculty to fund one-time expenses

• A wide range of student resources and support programs including orientation for new 6th graders (WEB), mentoring, UMS Reads, and leadership training.

Donate online now: bit.ly/umstigers

Bridge the Gap is a principal discretionary fund that enables the principal and staff to provide the best possible educational experience for the students at Union Middle School. Your Bridge the Gap donations support:

• Teacher development and teacher recognition events

• Existing programs that may have been drastically cut or risk cancellation

• Student clubs and student recognition events.

You can easily double your donation via Corporate Matching. Find more information here: www.unionhsc.org/corporate-matching.html

All are welcome at our monthly HSC meetings. Visit the HSC website for updates and information all year long: www.unionhsc.org.

Our morning clinics have begun!

If your student needs extra support, homework help, and/or test preparation, our UMS clinics can help! Whether they are struggling with the curriculum or just want to sharpen their academic skills, our staff (and high school tutors) are ready to assist them. Please encourage your student to take advantage of these opportunities, available throughout the week. Students should arrive with work to do and/or questions to ask - Clinics aren't necessarily 1:1 tutoring; they're a place where students can get extra help with their academic questions.

Math Clinic: Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:05 am to 8:25 am in Room 3

ELA Clinic: Mondays and Thursdays from 8:05 to 8:25 am in Room 4

Science Clinic: Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:05 to 8:25 am in Room 30

Teacher Team Links included below and are available through Teams & Staff on our homepage (via unionms.unionsd.org). Your student should know which team they're on. And of course, please bookmark the below link for usage throughout the school year.

6th Grade Happy Campers

6th Grade Avengers

7th Grade Otters

7th Grade Firefly

8th Grade Mustangs

8th Grade Penguins

As the seasons progress, more information will be added for whatever after-school sports become available. Please visit the website for tryout information and other key topics. Questions: Mrs. Moore is our athletic director and is available to answer any questions not already shared on the UMS Athletics website.

Dale Jones, former Guadalupe principal and parenting guru, will lead a mini-parenting workshop series titled "Intentional Parenting". The second presentation will be on November 22nd at UMS.

he Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program is hosting two engaging and informative evenings, packed with tips on talking to your teens about vaping, cannabis, and tobacco. Available in both English and Spanish, you’ll leave with the knowledge and resources to guide your family towards a safer, healthier future.

When & Where:

• Tuesday, October 29 | 6-7:30 PM
  South County Annex Gilroy, CA 95020
  (English: Conference Room | Spanish: Multi-Purpose Room)

Registration: sccoe.to/parentSCA

Email: feinbergt@unionsd.org
Website: Unionms.Unionsd.org
Location: 2130 Los Gatos Almaden Road, San Jose, CA, USA
Phone: (408) 371-0366
Twitter: @goteamums