Union Middle Weekly Update V5.14!

Hello Union Middle School Families,

We are officially in the mad dash / final push of 2024 with just four full school weeks until our winter break. This week, we have a full, five-day week, followed by a full week off for Thanksgiving break. After that, it's three school weeks and then two weeks off for winter break. The last day of 2024 at UMS will be on Friday, December 20th with students returning Monday, January 6th. Here's to a wonderful Thanksgiving week off - I hope everyone enjoys their time together.

If you've ever had to call in an absence or picked up your student early, there's a good chance you've met our front office attendance clerk (the amazing) Mrs. Valerie. As a gentle reminder, we have changed a few protocols in how we communicate with families when their student is absent, all in the interest of student safety. Now, if your student is absent, you will receive a Parent Square notification informing you that they are absent. Here comes the tricky part: you will receive these messages even if you already left a message on the Attendance Line. When you get this Parent Square ping, you do NOT need to respond to the message nor call the school IF (and only if) you have already left a message or talked with Mrs. Valerie. If you forgot to already call, the Parent Square notification can serve as your reminder to do so. Again, no need to respond if you've already informed Mrs. Valerie of your student's absence.

We are looking for a few parent volunteers for the upcoming 7th & 8th grade UMS dance on December 6th. If you are interested in chaperoning the upcoming UMS dance, please be on the lookout in the announcements this week for how to sign up. If you are selected by Mrs. Utley, she will reach out to confirm your availability. More information below.

UMS HSC is partnering again with the Cupertino De Anza Lions Club in its community-based Thanksgiving food drive to provide 180 boxes filled with Thanksgiving food items for local families experiencing hunger or need this holiday season. Please see the HSC information below on how you can help!

8th Grade Families - The deadline to purchase an ad for your promoting student in the 2024-25 UMS Yearbook is rapidly approaching. Here is a link with all of the information. Please ping Catie Wilcox (wilcoxc@unionsd.org) if you have any questions. Please note that this is for 8th grade families only.

Also, for all families, if you have not ordered a yearbook yet, you will be receiving a separate message on how to do so, as we will be re-adding the yearbook (sans the "kit" items) to our student store for the school days between Thanksgiving and the winter break. This will likely be your last chance to order a yearbook for 2024-25 as we are nearing the end of our print run based on yearbooks already sold.

Todd

Some quick reminders...

-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.

-Our staff member profile this week is Roy (AJ) Pippin, one of our6th grade Social Studies / ELA teachers at UMS. I hope you enjoy it!

Todd Feinberg, Principal

• November 18, 2024 - USD Board Meeting
• November 19, 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 5, 2024 - Winter Concert/Clubs/UMS Gym - (6:30-8:00pm)
• 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)
• December 13, 2024 - Winter Concert/Bands/UMS Gym (6:30-8:00pm)
• December 16, 2024 - USD Board Meeting - UMS Presents!
• January 10, 2024 - UMS Reads - Library (6:00-7:15pm)
• January 13, 2024 - USD Board Meeting
• January 20, 2024 - Martin Luther King Jr Day - No School
• January 22, 2024 - HSC Meeting w/ Leigh Principal (8:30am-10:15am)
• January 29, 2024 - Fire Drill
• February 7, 2024 - 6th Grade Dance (4-6pm)
• February 14, 2024 - Earthquake Drill
• March 20, 2024 - Fire Drill
• March 28, 2024 - UMS-DMS Spirit Game @ Branham
• April 17, 2024 - Earthquake Drill
• May 16, 2024 - Fire Drill
• June 2, 2024 - Earthquake Drill

This is Mr. Roy (AJ) Pippin's second year at Union Middle School. He currently serves as one of our 6th grade Social Studies / ELA teachers. AJ also teaches one of our 6th grade debate wheel classes. Enjoy the following Q&A below as we get to meet AJ!

How long have you been at UMS? What do you love about being an educator at UMS? This is my second year teaching at UMS, and I adore the level of academic strength the students consistently display. If they continue to seek out challenges, remain comfortable in uncomfortable situations, and learn from their mistakes, I am certain that brilliant things are in store for each student here at UMS.

What, if anything, are you currently binge-watching? Or reading? I am binge-watching The Mandalorian, and I am reading To Kill A Mockingbird (always).

What's one thing your students don't know about you that they would be surprised to find out? They might be surprised to know that I was once on America's Funniest Home Videos. I shot a basketball and knocked a camera out of my cousin's hands. We won a free shirt to commemorate the experience. To this day, I am still not sure how that was deemed funny enough to make it on national television.

What are you most proud of in your career so far? Whenever my students are learning and smiling at the same time.

What’s one thing on your bucket list? Sitting court side at an NBA basketball game.

What makes you proud to be a UMS tiger? The energy at the Spirit Game. I was lost for words last year when I saw how interconnected the students were as they cheered. I saw smiles, laughter, and students making memories with their favorite classmates.

What is your favorite lesson/curriculum to teach each year? Why? I love social studies. It brings so much discussion to the table for my students, and helps them realize that they can make meaningful change.

What made you want to become a teacher? I took a course in college on Women's History, and it helped me realize that equity is something achievable. It simply takes a lot of work, and a ton of people who are willing to be the change.

Explain why your subject is important for your students to learn. How will they use this information in their future / "real world"? Simple: Social studies teaches you everything about human interaction.

What's one instructional practice that you've adopted for your classroom that you now cannot live without? Probably the collective silence challenge I give them. All my students will know what that means.

UMS is partnering again with the Cupertino De Anza Lions Club in its community-based Thanksgiving Food Drive to provide 180 boxes filled with Thanksgiving food items and pantry staples for local families experiencing hunger or need this holiday season. Here is how you can help:

Donate non-perishable items. Please drop off donations of the following items to bins outside the office from November 12-22: 1) 1 lb bags of rice, 2) canned vegetables, 3) canned soup, 4) boxed mac and cheese, 5) peanut butter, 6) cranberry sauce, 7) pasta, 8) stuffing or 9) 1lb bags of dried beans.

Sponsor a Family. Our popular Sponsor a Family program is back this year, where for a $50 tax-deductible donation you can provide enough funds for us to create, assemble and deliver a large box of turkey, all the fixings and lots of staples that will feed a family of 4 for Thanksgiving dinner and to fill their pantry for the coming weeks.

Volunteer. We need volunteers for the weekend of the Food Drive, November 23-25. We will be outside Lunardi’s asking shoppers for donations and assembling and delivering boxes from our Cupertino headquarters. Supervised children are welcome. Please sign up here.

Thank you for your support in providing much-needed food items to local families this Thanksgiving. Questions? clairekalia at gmail dot com

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

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

We have a NEW location for UMS Athletics: bit.ly/unionathletics!

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.

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