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Joaquin Miller Middle School (San Jose, California)

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Joaquin Miller Middle School
Location
San Jose, California
Information
Motto"Pursuing Excellence in a Caring Environment"
PrincipalSal Gumina (current)
Grades6-8
Color(s)Black and Yellow
MascotMustangs
Information408-252-3755
WebsiteMiller Mustangs on TeacherWeb

Joaquin Miller Middle School, commonly referred to as Miller Middle School, is a co-educational, public middle school which teaches grades 6-8 in the West San Jose area of San Jose, California, USA. Miller Middle School is part of the Cupertino Union School District. Its official mascot is the Mustang. It was named after 19th century poet Joaquin Miller.

Most students come from Murdock-Portal, Blue Hills, John Muir, Meyerholz, Dilworth, Eaton, De Vargas, Faria and McAuliffe elementary schools. Most graduates of Miller Middle School go on to attend Lynbrook High School, in the Fremont Union High School District, the neighboring secondary school.

Miller is a California Distinguished School.

In the 08-09 year, principal Richard Taylor retired.


History

Miller was named after the 19th Century poet Joaquin Miller. Miller started in 1959 with a couple classrooms, quad, and library with orchards in the background. The 2009-2010 school year marks MILLER'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY.

Current Events

  • 6/8 GREAT AMERICA
  • 6/9 YEARBOOKS
  • 6/11 AND 6/12 12:03 DAY
  • 6/12 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL; GRADUATION @ 4; DANCE AT 7:30

The School Itself

Electives

Miller's Electives include:

  • Exploratory Wheel (art, cooking, woodshop, drama, and music)
  • Art
  • Drama
  • Yearbook
  • Journalism
  • Communication Arts (morning announcements) (New for 2008-09)+
  • Concert band (Beginning, Mustang, Advanced)
  • Choir (Beginning, Advanced)
  • Songwriting and Garageband (New for 2009-10)+
  • Woodshop
  • Drafting
  • Foods and Nutrition
  • Beginning Sewing and Fashion Design
  • Survival Skills+
  • Leadership
  • Study Skills
  • Chinese 1A, French 1A & 1B, Japanese 1A & 1B, Spanish 1A & 1B
  • Chinese 2: Literacy
  • Mathematics Enrichment
  • Science Enrichment
  • Teacher Aide
  • Office Aide

+Denotes newly acquired

Daily Life

6th Grade

Time Period
8:38 - 9:30 am 1st Period
9:33 - 10:30 am 2nd Period
10:30 - 10:50 am 3rd Period
10:50 - 11:42 am Brunch
1:45 - 12:37 pm 4th Period
12:37 - 1:08 pm Lunch
1:13 - 2:05pm 5th period
2:08 - 3:00pm 6th Period-Dismissal
3 - 4pm MPH (M-R) Miller Power Hour (Optional)


The required courses for all sixth grade students are: language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, and P.E. Sixth grade electives are band (except Adv.), choir, or the wheel. Sixth graders can only choose one elective. Math classes available are Math 6 and Math 6/7.

6th grade events include Rainbow Park picnic, W.E.B. carnival, and much more.

7th and 8th Grade

Time Period
7:45-8:35 am 0 period (Optional)
8:38 - 9:30 am 1st Period
9:33 - 10:30 am 2nd Period
10:30 - 10:50 am 3rd Period
10:50 - 11:42 am Brunch
1:45 - 12:37 pm 4th Period
12:37 - 1:08 pm Lunch
1:13 - 2:05pm 5th period
2:08 - 3:00pm 6th Period-Dismissal
3 - 4pm MPH (M-R) Miller Power Hour (Optional)

7th and 8th grade students are required to take language arts, social studies, math, science, and P.E. They have a choice of one or two electives. If they choose 2 electives, they will have a 0 period. If they only choose one, school will start at 8:38. Electives are semester long or year long. 8th graders are allowed to take every elective except the Wheel and 7th graders can take every elective excluding the Wheel and aides. Math classes available are Math 7 A, Math 7 B, Math 7 A/B (grade level), Algebra, and Geometry. It is possible for a 7th grade student to be in Geometry and an 8th grade student to be in Math 7 classes.

Grade Events: 7th grade gets to go to the Tech Museum and a mosque. 8th grade gets the Graduation Dance, Yosemite, and much more!

Wednesdays

Every Wednesday, Miller follows the late start schedule. (9:05 - 9:45 am - Zero Period – Optional); 9:48 - 10:28 am - First Period; 10:31 - 11:18 am - Second Period; 11:18 - 11:38 am – Brunch; 11:38 - 12:18 pm - Third Period; 12:21 - 1:01 pm - Fourth Period; 1:01 - 1:32 pm – Lunch; 1:37 - 2:17 pm - Fifth Period; 2:17 - 3:00 pm - Sixth Period – Dismissal; 3-4 pm - MPH (Mon,Tues,Wed, Thurs) Miller Power Hour;

Social Life

Dances

Miller holds school dances throughout the year on Friday nights. Only seventh and eighth grade students currently enrolled at Miller are permitted in the dances.

WEB and Corrals

WEB is “Where Everyone Belongs”. Each student is assigned a WEB Group and two WEB Leaders, who were originally in the first year 6th grade students, but now eighth grade student volunteers. This program is designed to help sixth grade students transition from elementary school to middle school. The school additionally hosts a "W.E.B. carnival" for sixth graders mid-year and two "Mustang corrals" each year, in which the entire student body can participate in various games and activities. Corrals include dancing, dunk tank, mountain climbing, food, jump house, and much more! The school began to host Mustang corrals again in the 2004-2005 school year. The 6th graders can also enjoy the W.E.B. Movies.

Lunch Time Events

Miller also holds Miller Idol (based on American Idol) and So You Think You Can Dance, two events that take place during lunch during the second semester of the school year. There is also music in the quad every Friday.

Student Council

The Student Council includes the President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc… with representatives from each grade and a representative from each classroom. Basically, the class reps. talk to the grade rep. which talks to the officers. The Student Council organizes dances and socials, controls the school budget, holds events, and helps make major decisions to fit the interests of the school.

Talent Show

The Talent Show is held at the end of the year, where students show off their skills and talents. However, the Talent show for the 08-09 was canceled due to too much “musical talent”. There are 3 parts to the talent show, one for each grade. Each part is about 1 hour long.

School Trips

Students must maintain good citizenship to attend school trips. Each trip has its own specific requirements.

Yosemite

Eligible eighth graders are invited to go to Yosemite at the end of March every year. To be eligible, the student must maintain his or her grade, not receive any Us, and no more than one N in citizenship. Students will need to make up the week’s worth of assignments when he/she comes back.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is a trip that takes place in the summer after the school year has ended and is for eighth graders. Sign-ups are early in the year. The number of students who take this trip varies year to year. Miller 8th graders have attended this trip each year for over 30 years.

Foreign Language

Students taking French 1B have the opportunity to travel to Montreal during the summer. Starting the 2007-2008 school year, the trip has been expanded to allow seventh graders in French 1A as well. In addition to the French language, students can also take Spanish 1A-1B and Japanese 1A-1B.

Great America

In mid-June, students in all grades go to Great America if their report card permits it. The trip is one day and is usually from the mornings to about 5 P.M. Students who have maintained good grades and have demonstrated good citizenship throughout the year will be eligible to attend the Reward Day in June. Students, who receive six or more Discipline Reports or more than 3 "U’s” throughout the year, lose the privilege of participating in this activity. Any students who are in danger of failing a class, according to the May Progress Report and their grades two weeks prior to the event, may not be eligible to attend. Participation is at the discretion of the administration. Students who decide not to go or are not allowed to go must attend school on reward day.

Choir and Band

Choir, Advanced Choir, Mustang (intermediate) Band, and Advanced Band have trips not only to other schools to compete or perform, but also around the state, and sometimes even the country. In April 2008, the Advanced Choir traveled to Orlando, Florida and will travel to Hawaii next. The Mustang Band has performed in the past at American High School in Fremont, and traveled to Six Flags in Vallejo. The Advanced Band also travels to and performs at Disneyland, and has performed at Santa Monica College and California Adventure, and records a soundtrack session backstage at Disneyland in April of each year. The Advanced Band also goes to Medieval Times for a “medieval dinner” and show.

Discipline

Order* Warning; Trash Duty; Friday Reflection; CBR; Conference at Teacher’s Discretion; (Saturday School); DR; Expulsion;

  • Teachers will not always go by the list, as they might have their own set of behavioral punishment.

Students who commit minor offenses usually get trash duties and Classroom Behavior Reports, often referred to as "CBRs". CBRs are erased after the student leaves Miller. Friday Reflections (where the student goes to a classroom during Friday lunch to reflect) is where an offense is to major for a trash duty but too minor for a CBR. Also, students caught chewing gum str often given 'gum duties', where they have to clean the undersides of desks from old gum. Chewing gum is not allowed at Miller Middle Schools. Saturday School is assigned for truancy cases and excessive tardiness. In more severe cases, discipline reports are given, which go on the permanent record (called 'DR's by students). Offenses such as stealing and vandalism result in suspension. The most serious offenses will result in expulsion and the student will have to attend a special school for expelled students.

Demographics

Annual enrollment at Miller Middle School is approximately 1,200 students (about 400 in each grade), in contrast to the district average of 661.4 and state average of 687.3. The majority of Miller's student body is Asian-American, with over 76.9% being Asian and 19.6% being white. 5% of the school is in the Special Education program for students with disabilities. 50 teachers have full credentials and 3 do not. The school investment for each student is $6,907 while the state average is $4743.[1]

Academics

Mathematics

Miller has a good reputation for the strong math department. 6 teachers teach math ranging from Math 7 to Geometry (excluding 6th grade). Tests and homework are frequent. Students are expected to review and complete homework each night. Over the summer of any year, students may take a challenge test to skip a course in mathematics. Eighth graders will be assigned classes based on their seventh grade mathematics class, and their performance in it. Most Math 7 students advance to Algebra IA, while Math 7 A/B students advance mostly to Algebra I. Algebra I students will advance to Geometry in eighth grade. Books: Houghton Mifflin, McDougal Littell

Language Arts

Miller is also known for its great writing programs. Technology from EETT (enhancing education through technology) allowed every L.A. classroom to have a full set of iBooks. In 6th grade, projects include book reports, reading assignments, and most of all, the I-Search. 7th grade includes making iMovies and Garageband songs, Literature circles, and many fun stuff. 7th and 8th grades are required to participate in the Wordmasters challenge held 3 times a year. Books: Houghton Mifflin, McDougal Littell

Physical Education

Miller has a great P.E. department. P.E. students are required to wear their P.E. uniform (with their name printed clearly) during P.E. class. They have about the first 7 minutes and the last 7 minutes of the period to change. Lockers are assigned to each student. The Girl’s Room provides locks for the student, given that the student needs to return in at the end of the year (or pay a fee), while the Boy’s Room requires boys to have their own locks or buy one from the teachers. **The male teachers do not provide locks. The most famous thing at Miller is Mile Club and is held every Friday. This is a graded 20 minute run where you run as many Super Laps (0.56 miles) as you can. The average laps for 6th grade is 4 laps, 7th grade is 5, and 8th grade is 5 or 6. Incentives are awarded at 50 miles (t-shirt) and after that every 25 miles (iron on patch). Miles carry over to the next year if the student ran more than 50 miles in one school year (but you need to keep your card for proof!). If the student ran less, they will have to start from 0.

Science

Miller’s science classes engage students in labs and hands on experiments. Students in 6th grade make models, while 7th grade students dissect rats, and 8th grade build roller coasters. The curriculum for sixth grade is earth science, life science for 7th, and physical science for 8th. In the 4th quarter, each grade participates in Human Growth and Development. Book: CPO Focus

Social Studies

Miller has a Social Studies program designed to prepare students for today's global world. It teaches different cultures, histories, and geographies. The classes are filled with simulations, activities, and educational curriculum related PG-13 movies (for 7th and 8th grades). Students enjoy these simulations and learn at the same time. 6th grade learns about Ancient History, 7th grade learns about Medieval History, and 8th grade learns about the US (add-on from 5th grade). Book: History Alive! Workbook: History Alive Notebook (students can keep)

Electives

Miller has a wide range of electives.

Technology

Miller has a Technology Lab with up to date Mac computers. There enough to fit a classroom of students. The old version of Macs are available for use in the library area. Teachers and staff use MacBooks and students use iBooks.

Athletics and Extracurriculars

Sports and Teams

There are softball, volleyball, soccer, and basketball teams which students must try out for. Track and field, wrestling, cross-country are teams that any student may participate in with no tryouts or cuts. Miller has had notable volleyball and basketball teams. From the 2005-2007 school year, the boys 7th and 8th grade volleyball teams won back-to-back championships. The girls basketball in the same years won back-to-back undefeated championships as well.

Miller Clubs/Groups

Miller has many clubs and groups. Any student is allowed to create a club as long as they have a teacher adviser, permission from the student council (voting), and interest.

  • Jazz choir
  • Marching band
  • Color guard
  • Jazz Band
  • Miller Musical once a year in November
  • Chess
  • Card Club
  • Christian's Club (every Thursday)
  • Lego Robotics
  • Builders' club
  • Red Cross Club
  • Future Business Leaders of America
  • Mathletes (Math olympiad team, Math Counts team, etc)
  • W.E.B. (Where Everyone Belongs/Welcome Everybody: sixth grade orientation club)
  • Science Fair
  • Student Council
  • Miller Math Marathon (annually)
  • Miller "wool works" (Linus club)
  • Fish Club
  • After School Math
  • Miller Power Hour (after school quiet study time)

School publications include:

+Denotes newly acquired

Awards/Accomplishments

Edyth May Sliffe Award

Two Miller Middle School math teachers have received the prestigious Edyth May Sliffe Award, given annually to approximately fifty math teachers nationally: Ingrid Lu (2001) and Pallavi Rajendra Shah (2002). Shah has met President George W. Bush with her team in Washington D.C.. [2]

California Distinguished School Award

In the 2008-2009 school year, Miller Middle School was awarded the California Distinguished School Award. This is the 4th time Miller has received this award.

API Scores

The 2007-2008 API scores allowed Miller to rank 1st in the county and 2nd in the state.

CMEA Awards

The Miller Bands and Choirs go to CMEA festivals every year to receive ratings from three judges. In 2007-2008, the Mustang Bands earned Superior and Unanimous Superior, and Advanced Band earned Unanimous Superior. This year, 2008-2009, the combined Mustang Band earned Excellent, while Advanced Band earned Superior.

In February 2009, the Miller Jazz Band went to West Valley College for the CMEA Jazz Festival and earned Unanimous Superior.

Miller's Choirs have earned Unanimous Superior ratings at CMEA Festivals every year since 2004.

Miller Middle School's Band Department runs the CMEA VB Solo and Ensemble Festival held in March at SJSU every year. Many Miller band students perform in the festival.

Wordmasters

For the 08-09 school year, Miller ranked among the top 10 schools for WordMasters.

Spelling Bee

Ramya A., from Miller, went to DC to perform in the National Scripps Spelling Bee and earned 5th place. She was sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Miscellaneous Facts/Information

  • If you are caught walking during P.E. at Miller, you could say, "I'm showing school spirit; I'm "Walkin' (Joaquin) Miller!"
  • 2009-10 marks Miller's 50th anniversary: alumni band, food, fun, etc... See Miller homepage for details.

School Information


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