Welcome to the 26-27 School Year
Dear Jaguar Families,
Welcome back students and families and welcome to our new families who are joining Zanker Elementary this year! Zanker is a school with amazing students, a staff that is passionate about student learning, and a community of families that is dedicated to their students and this school. I am ready to kick off the 26-27 school year and excited to see the students on the first day of school (August 13th)!
I have been an educator for 21 years, beginning as a social studies teacher at Willow Glen High School, where I taught Geography, World History, and AP World History and being an administrator in middle and high school before coming to Milpitas Unified. As the first in my family to attend college, I was underprepared my first year at UC Santa Barbara, even though I graduated at the top of my high school class. As an educator, I am committed to preparing our students for success—academically and beyond—by encouraging leadership, cultural awareness, and access to rigorous coursework.
This will be my fourth year as principal at Zanker Elementary. After working across all levels of TK-12 education, I have found joy in the elementary setting and the Zanker community, where I have built strong relationships with staff, students, and families. I am excited to get to know the new students and families that are joining our school this year and excited to welcome back the students who will be returning. In order to capture the thoughts of all of our Zanker families, please take some time to fill out this brief survey so I can learn more about your wishes for Zanker and for your student’s education for this school year. Here is the link to the survey: https://forms.gle/qa2u6CvjfRyvcKbs9
We have many opportunities for parent involvement that I hope you will consider as your student starts their educational journey with us. We are looking for parents to join the School Site Council, the District English Language Learner Advisory Committee, participate in PTA and are always looking for parent volunteers for different things (HERE is their website). We encourage families to become members as funds go directly back to our students. I will send more information out about this in the coming weeks.
At Zanker this year, we will continue working to support our students' social emotional needs, and strengthening peer to peer relationships. We will continue to focus on high-quality instruction that meets the needs of our diverse student population, and we will deepen our work in inclusive practices to support students with diverse learning needs. This year we have many new staff joining us that I will highlight in my weekly newsletter.
To kick off the school year, we will be hosting a Meet the Teacher/Back to School Event on August 12th from 3-4:30pm on campus for all grades (Tk-6th). Class lists will not be finalized until then and will be posted then. At the event you will be able to get questions answered by our front office team, the PTA will be running a membership drive, and there will be a uniform swap. Meet the Principals will be from 3pm-3:30pm in the multi-use where you will get to meet the admin team and learn more about Zanker. From 3:30-4:30pm classrooms will be opened so students and parents can meet their teachers. Teachers will give one presentation at 3:30pm and a second one at 4pm. Our campus will be closed by 4:30 so we can be ready to welcome students the next morning.
I will be sending out more information about the start of the school year within the next week. Parentsquare is the main method of communication staff uses to communicate with families so please ensure your account is set up. Please take some time to do the data confirmation on Aeries and to do the Student Nutrition meal application: mealapp.musd.org
I am spending the last remaining time of summer making memories with my three little ones, Armaan (10), Aari (almost 7 if you ask him) and Zaiyaan (4). I hope you enjoy the last week and a half of summer with your student and find some time to relax and rejuvenate.
Sincerely,
Hetal Patel
Principal
Pearl Zanker Elementary
