Branciforte

Middle School

Summer, 2019 Dear Parents, Guardians and Students - There is so much to be excited about this upcoming school year and we look forward to meeting our new Bees and saying hello to those returning to the hive. We are also eager to introduce the Bee community to our newest and talented staff members and we welcome them to the beehive. The Branciforte team has been busy over the summer preparing for the arrival of our students on Wednesday, August 21st, as this year will be full of new opportunities for the entire community. Personally, I am beginning my second year at Branciforte Middle School and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the year ahead.

we are excited to see some of our Measure A facility upgrades happening that began this spring and have continued this summer. The following upgrades are in action or planned:

Every year at the end of the 7th grade social studies unit on the Maya, Aztec, and Inca, students are tasked with creating an artifact that represents a contribution made by one of these civilizations. The students then curate this artifact in a mini-museum that is visited by other classes on campus. The essential question students must research and answer is: What was an important contribution made by the Maya, Aztec, or Inca? The categories that students choose from include: Art and Architecture, Science and Technology, and Language and Writing. The photo above is of seventh grade student Mariana. This school year was Mariana’s first in the United States. One of the benefits of this unit was that it provided Mariana with a high level of cultural connection. Through the use of scaffolded notes, bilingual aides, library resources, and websites, Mariana was able to share her learning with the class and create a beautiful artifact that represented the Aztec contributions to architecture. Way to go Mariana! Erin Brandon - 7th Grade Core Teacher, Branciforte Middle School

For the last six years, Branciforte Middle School 8th grade CORE classes have enjoyed an amazing collaboration with Young Writers Program sponsored by Santa Cruz County Office of Education. Every year writing project assistants from the community are paired with small groups of student writers to work on ideas, literary elements and refinement with the ultimate product being a “Cornerstone” anthology full of student poetry and short stories. This year’s publication is titled Finding Home and is available for purchase at Bookshop Santa Cruz. In 2018-19 two classrooms also participated in a joint venture with the East Los Angeles Self-Help Graphics Art Program and Museo Eduardo Carrillo to write personal narratives inspired by student created art . The result is a beautiful full color book filled with emotion and creativity. These opportunities for our students bring a richness to the writing process that flows over into all aspects of writing for school and for life.