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"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
There’s a balance we strike in schools between directing students towards the phenomena around them and providing them the time and independence to discover it on their own. I recently dropped in on a meeting of our Social Studies Department to express my gratitude for the success they’ve had in this challenging year navigating this line. With Martin Luther King, Jr. day approaching, I continue to reflect on how our school — uniquely positioned as an IB school with a global outlook — empowers our students to engage with the world.
Across courses, from 9th-Grade Ethnic Studies to Explorations in Data Science, learning at Sequoia draws on and contextualizes real-world events – historical, current, and future. Just last semester, I witnessed a group of 11th-graders (semi-)successfully negotiate the Suez Canal crisis in a simulated United Nations activity as part of their US History Class. I likewise applauded one of Mr. Relator’s Geometry students for being among the top competitors in a nation-wide stock market simulation. Sequoia’s version of summer reading is an innovative model of passion-pursuing and multi-textual curation.
Access to global events in the digital age provides an endless stream of challenging topics for students to grapple with. As I like to say every June at commencement, if you’re as confident showing an inequality by using mathematical reasoning as you are by citing a primary historical source, you’ve earned the right to call yourself a Sequoia graduate. Knowledge and skills are powerful. Character is vital. Together they exert the force which bends Dr. King’s “long arc of the moral universe...towards justice.”
Thoughtful, questioning students will always look to their teachers to make sense of global events. The curriculum and standards themselves have driven powerful discussion about how students might define their generation’s role in the promotion of social justice and humanity. Uncertain or volatile times, seemingly perpetual in recent years, demand an even greater level of responsiveness. Our staff of professionals, like the aforementioned social studies teachers, take on this challenge in a manner both resolute and prudent, leaning not only on our shared values as a community but also foundational documents like the IB Learner Profile and SUHSD Policy.
Which brings us back to the words from Dr. King that led this message, just in time for Monday’s holiday. Sequoia, as an IB School, emphasizes the notion of student empowerment via the ability to critically read the world. Everything is text but not all text is equal. Fixed mindsets are antithetical to thriving in a democracy. As the Sequoia class of 2024 gets closer to graduating and sets about charting their own course, what will last from their time here is the confidence to surround themselves with the kinds of experiences, people, joy, and wisdom that are worthy of their unique gifts.
Have a wonderful week!
Sean
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PTSA meeting Tuesday, 1/16 | |
Happy New Year! Join us for the next PTSA / ELAC meeting at 7 p.m. on Tues., January 16 in the MPR. We will get the latest from Principal Priest, and get going with our 2024 plans. All welcome!
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Holiday lunch - thank you/Almuerzo por las festividades - ¡Gracias! | |
Just before winter break, the ELAC and PTSA celebrated the Sequoia staff and teachers with a holiday luncheon. ELAC families provided homemade dishes, including tamales, and community members donated salads, desserts, drinks, and gift cards for a holiday gift raffle.
So many community members came together to put on this event. Thanks to everyone who contributed and helped on the day of the event. A VERY special thank you to the ELAC family members who cooked and served the delicious food AND to Elvira Macias for her coordination and hard work. It was a very special event in honor of our very special Sequoia staff and teachers.
Antes del descanso del invierno, ELAC y PTSA les celebraron al personal y maestros con un almuerzo por las festividades. Unas familias de ELAC proveyeron comida casera, incluyendo tamales, y miembros de la comunidad donaron ensaladas, postres, bebidas y tarjetas de regalo para un sorteo.
Tantos miembros de la comunidad se juntaron para organizar este evento. Gracias a todos los que contribuyeron y ayudaron el día del evento. Mil gracias a las familias de ELAC quienes cocinaron y sirvieron la comida rica y a Elvira Macias por su coordinación y su arduo trabajo. Era un evento muy especial en honor a nuestro personal y maestros muy especiales.
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Thank you, Sequoia Business Partners! | |
SHSEF would like to thank and recognize our Gold Level Business Partners County Consumer Plumbing; Hassett Hardware; Hummingbird Music School; John McAfee, State Farm; Joyce & Tatum Real Estate Team; Rim Orthodontics; and 12M Recruiting and EdTech Recruiting for their generous support.
To learn more about how you can become a Business Partner, go to https://www.shsef.org/business-partners.
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Help SHSEF support our students, staff, and families | |
Did you know Sequoia High School Education Foundation (SHSEF) supports staff, projects and programs to ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their highest potential? We raise funds for college services, academic enrichment programs, staff professional development, and student and family support. Donate today.
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Audition for Sequoia Drama's Spring play: Community Garden | |
Auditions for Sequoia Drama's spring play, Community Garden, are Tues., Jan 16 and Wed., Jan 17 after school in M1. We will also be looking for students who are interested in joining the tech crew, which will start Tues., Jan. 23 at lunch. Go to our website, www.sequoiadrama.com, to learn more about how you can audition and/or get involved with this show.
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SUHSD Middle College accepting applications | |
The SUHSD Middle College program at Cañada College is now accepting applications for Fall 2024. All classes are held at Cañada College and there is no cost. Watch the video and see the flyer for all the details.
Current sophomores should speak to their counselor and attend one of our Parent/Student Info Sessions. There also is a limited amount of space for current juniors (rising seniors):
1/18 SUHSD Boardroom 6:30-7:30 p.m.
1/31 Via Zoom 6:30-7:30 p.m.
2/13 SUHSD Boardroom 6:30-7:30 p.m.
2/28 SUHSD Boardroom 6:30-7:30 p.m.
RSVP Here
All application components must be submitted by Friday, Mar. 15, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Email us with questions, visit the website for more information or call 650-306-3120.
¡Hablamos Español! Gracias
Thank you.
Cañada Middle College Team
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- 1/15 Boys Soccer vs Hillsdale - Frosh 6:00 pm
- 1/16 Boys & Girls Wrestling vs Mills - 3:30 pm
- 1/17 Boys Soccer vs Half Moon Bay - Varsity 4:30 pm, JV 6:00 pm
- 1/17 Girls Basketball vs Terra Nova - 6:00 pm
- 1/18 Boys Basketball vs Carlmont - Frosh 7:00 pm
- 1/19 Boys Basketball vs Oceana - Varsity 7:45 pm, JV 4:45 pm
- 1/20 Boys Soccer vs Carlmont - Frosh 11:00 am
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Trivia Night is Saturday! | |
Get your tickets now for the first ever Boosters Trivia Night with Director of Student Activities Corey Uhalde as MC! Registration includes bar snacks/small bites and a no-host bar. Prizes (and bragging rights) go to the top three teams. Proceeds benefit Sequoia Athletics.
Saturday, January 20, 2024
Obstacourse – 2636 Broadway, Redwood City
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. – Games begin at 7:00 p.m.
Register individually or form a team at https://sequoiaboosterclub.ejoinme.org/trivianight
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The Media Center is dedicated to designing and maintaining a library media program that supports, complements, and expands the instructional program of the school. Ms. Snow, a former teacher of English, digital photography, and journalism, is available to help you find resources for your research paper or she can help you build a digital project. Ms. Schadler knows the library catalog inside and out. Need to find a book? She can help! For the latest news, view the newsletter.
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Miércoles, 17 de enero, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., evento virtual (en vivo)
Cultivando rutinas conscientes para el año nuevo (inglés)
Carin Winter, LMSW, directora ejecutiva y fundadora de Mission Be
Registro: https://missionbe2024english.eventbrite.com
Jueves, 18 de enero, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., evento virtual (en vivo)
Cultivando rutinas conscientes para el año nuevo (español)
Corinne Cortes, educadora consciente, Mission Be
Registro: https://missionbe2024spanish.eventbrite.com
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Wednesday, January 17, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Virtual Event (Live)
Cultivating Mindful Routines for the New Year (English)
Carin Winter, LMSW, CEO and Founder, Mission Be
Register: https://missionbe2024english.eventbrite.com
Thursday, January 18, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Virtual Event (Live)
Cultivating Mindful Routines for the New Year (Spanish)
Corinne Cortes, Conscious Educator, Mission Be
Register: https://missionbe2024spanish.eventbrite.com
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The Sequoia Sentinel is emailed to 3,500 members of the Sequoia High School community on Sundays at 8 a.m. during the school year. Contributions are due on Wednesday — click the purple button below to submit. Email the editors or click here to subscribe. | |  |
Sentinel is a giant sequoia located within the Giant Forest Grove of Sequoia National Park, California. A sentinel is a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch. | | | | | |
