Milken Community School

Congratulations to Milken's boys basketball team who won their playoff game last night. They traveled 3 hours to Oceano to play against Coastal Christian and won 63-40. Eitai Abutbul lead the team with 19 points and Coby Broukhim and Jake Tweed-Field each had 12 points. Their next game will be on Friday @ 4PM versus Jurupa Hills and it will be live streamed on Milken's Youtube. GO WILDCATS!

Meet the incredible team that enriches our students' lives every day. Our Student Services team helps students become better learners, overcome challenges, and thrive at school and beyond. We invite you to watch this video and find out why we're so enamored with them! Designed with the understanding that all students benefit from support in their academic, social, emotional, physical, and mental wellness - our Student Services team helps our students thrive throughout their time at Milken. To get in touch with Student Services, visit the resource board in myMilken.

Milken's head of security with the assist! Thanks Cody for lending a helping hand before yesterday’s prom and thank you to our administration and MPA Leadership for creating a magical and memorable prom night for our senior class.

What's Student Services? How can they help? What's Ms. Mamos' favorite part of the day? Mr. Greenberg used to skateboard? Starting next week, we invite you to Meet our Student Services team. Keep an eye out for some of our beloved Student Services members on our Facebook and Instagram and find out why we're SO lucky to have them on campus! Designed with the understanding that all students benefit from support in their academic, social, emotional, physical, and mental wellness - our Student Services team helps our students thrive throughout their time at Milken.

"Ongoing learning opportunities offer additional touch points with teachers and administrators, giving (hopefully) a positive feel and sense of connection, especially in a larger institution. Suddenly, in addition to the millions of emails about medical forms and athletic programs, parents themselves have a chance to talk with the people charged with their children’s education." - Rabbi Aaron Finkelstein, Division Rabbi, Grades 6-8 In his recent The Times of Israel blog post, Rabbi Aaron Finkelstein discusses the importance of educating the whole family - not just the students enrolled in a school.

Our incredibly talented Ayla Kattler '23, club leader of Milken Storytellers, has published three works as a staff writer for Fresh Ink for Teens, an online magazine written by, and for, Jewish students from high schools around the world. We - highly - encourage you to check out some of her work!

Enjoy the voices of Koleinu in this beautiful performance of "I Will Raise my Voice", words and music by Jim Papoulis.

Milken's Rabbinic Head, Rabbi Gordon Bernat-Kunin, shares these reflections on the past week. Shabbat Shalom.

'In the current events Oneg (breakout), we went beyond the headlines, discussing and debating our opinions with respect. I had the opportunity to hear powerful poetry exploring issues of personal identity that helped me to think about my own life!' - Rabbi Shawn Fields-Meyer This past Friday, January 29, there were many incredible Oneg options: a nature walk, learning about ethical consumerism, outdoor photography, open-mic poetry, a current events discussion, a plant show-an...d-tell, learning Covid facts, or exploring astronomy. Thank you to the wise and courageous poets who shared their art, the students who brought their expertise, and the teachers who led us! Thank you Rabbs Shawn FIelds-Meyer for sharing with us!

Our Milken Merch Store is live! We're selling out fast - now's the time to grab some if you'd like to get it first!

Here's to an incredible 2021! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Milken community!

#3 - Kol Echad: Go the Distance

Ever wondered what it's like to design a building? Our architecture students think about everything from aesthetic to function, sun movement to elevation when designing a building for the first time. Watch Jordan Kekst's Mini Milken Talk to hear more about the process! On #GivingTuesday, our community got together over zoom to hear from 6 of our students. Each student shared an experience that was impactful to them during their time at Milken. Through these Mini Milken Talks, we heard from a student who overcame their shyness, one who has learned to invest in the stock market, and from a number of students who discovered or deepened their passions for a number of different disciplines.

This mensch of the week was highly recommended by a number of teachers. His advisor finds him mature, mature, responsible, respectful and engaged in conversations and group projects. Other teachers note that he takes complete responsibility for his learning AND reviewing material in class and really shows a true desire to learn for the sake of learning . He asks for help and is very grateful to receive it. He has a positive energy that is infectious and makes our class brighter and more fun. Mazel tov Jason Lewin, Mensch of the Week!

'We talked at length about the Hebrew word (nitzchuny), which translates to surpass but also suggests eternalize, and how this complex meaning is deeply connected to the work of education. Our tradition imagines that when Adam and Eve stood in the Garden of Eden, they ate from the tree of knowledge not the tree of life; they knew, it was learning, the education of the future generations that would truly give them eternal life. Just look at our Milken alumni: Docto...rs on front lines battling the Covid-19 Pandemic, entrepreneurial leaders creating non-profits to serve the most vulnerable populations, innovators challenging the status quo in industries such as music, film, housing and technology. Our Milken graduates are creating a better world.' - Dr. Sarah Shulkind, Head of School and Lise Applebaum, Milken's Board of Trustees Chair We're proud to share our Annual Report for 2019-2020.

This week, our creative writing program held their first Spotlight Poetry Reading of the year featuring Leah Breskal! Please enjoy a sampling of Leah's beautiful poetry through the video below!

This 8th grade student is always engaged and participates and was originally nominated for his excellent behavior during virtual learning. He is described as a model classroom community contributor in Humanities. His honesty, awareness of self and others, and sense of responsibility show maturity beyond his years. Another teacher agreed that this person is quite a mensch not only because he’s the only one who laughs at that teacher’s jokes, but because he encourages the participation of others, brings a positive attitude and engages with the material, and is deeply considerate of his fellow classmates. Mazel tov to Ethan Gabayan, Mensch of the Week!

This Mensch of the week was originally nominated by a friend of hers because she is always so energetic and is very kind as well. Her teachers note that she has a warm smile and a positive attitude. She is very engaged and inquisitive with each lesson, and is never afraid to ask questions or share her work with others. Her positive energy is contagious to the rest of the class over zoom. This student is also patient and thoughtful, and extremely respectful of her teachers. Mazel tov to Ella Braitanbaum, Mensch of the Week!

On #GivingTuesday, our community got together over zoom to hear from 6 of our students. Each student shared an experience that was impactful to them during their time at Milken. We heard from a student who overcame their shyness, one who has learned to invest in the stock market, and from a number of students who discovered or deepened their passions for a number of different disciplines. Please enjoy our youngest speaker of the day, Shep Johnson '25, as he shares with us a project he's been working on as a part of our X-Learning curriculum. It's an inspiring idea that envisions a world where access to dental care is available to all.

This 8th grade student was nominated by both a teacher and a younger student because she is a role model in so many ways. This mensch chose to do an Xproject even though her friends were not in it. Her peers note that she stands up for what is right and they really admire her - she is an amazing person. Her teachers agree that this student is full of positive energy. She approaches every idea or assignment in class with full investment and positive energy. Mazel tov to Noa Foruzanfar, Mensch of the Week!

Join Maya for a tour of the areas where our students spend their time in between classes, and a quick glimpse at the college counseling office! For more tours, visit: https://www.milkenschool.org/admission/virtual-experience Make sure to sign up for our Open House this sunday!

Join recent alum Gabriel Cohen '20 for a tour of our middle and upper school makerspaces. In each space, our students learn to fabricate and design everything from positive psychology 'totems' and robots to electric skateboards. For more virtual tours, visit: https://www.milkenschool.org/admission/virtual-experience

'Don’t get me wrong shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Curb Your Enthusiasm are fantastic, hilarious, and make me proud to be Jewish. Yet, it is important to recognize that not all Jewishness looks the same, and there is certainly more diversity to American Judaism than the predominantly Ashkenazi representation that popular media implies.' Incredible words from alumna Britt Jacobson '17

Attending Jewish day schools is not just about learning about Judaism, but about being Jewish - so how do we continue that after months of remote learning? How ...do you get teens and children to see Judaism as a source of meaning and support? Join a timely conversation with Dr. Sarah Shulkind, Head of School at Milken Community Schools, and AJU’s Dr. Rachel Lerner, to discuss what Jewish education can uniquely provide right now. See more

Congrats Hanna Levy, class of 2023! We love it when a student doesn't just champion a cause so critical to the Jewish people, but add to it in such a special way. Well done Hanna!

Join Ethan Khorsandi '21 for a tour of our Architecture and Design Institute Building. He'll take you through the rooms our students fill with incredible fashion designs, brand packaging, pottery, paintings, and architectural models! For more virtual tours or to virtually visit our campus, visit: https://www.milkenschool.org/admission/virtual-experience

Admission Season is in full swing at Milken! Join us for our Virtual Open House to learn more about Milken’s curriculum, faculty, student life, college acceptances, athletics, and extracurricular activities! Make sure to ask about our brand new 6th Grade! Visit: https://www.milkenschool.org/admission/visit-us

Join recent alumna Emily Vanek '20 for a tour through our classrooms and science labs. If you have yet to visit our campus and see what it is like to learn in one of our classrooms, this is the perfect introduction to learning at Milken. Enjoyed this tour? Meet other Milken students and alumni while seeing what Milken has to offer on our virtual experience page! Visit: https://www.milkenschool.org/admission/virtual-experience

Join a timely conversation with our Head of School, Dr. Sarah Shulkind, and AJU’s Dr. Rachel Lerner, to discuss what Jewish education can uniquely provide right now.