Principal's Message

134 full-time and part-time teachers assigned to

205 "active" courses in

106 classrooms (plus gyms, dance studios, woodshops, etc.)

 

Those are the essential building blocks.  From there, the following key priorities are (among those) considered:

• Student course requests (Elective and Core Academic)
• Graduation requirements
• Remediation for students below grade-level in Math and English (e.g., students who read at a 3rd-grade level)
• English Language Development for newcomer students
• IB Diploma requirements

For the schedule to function in practice, it must:

• Have balanced class sizes
• Minimize the number of students with "open" periods
• Provide all teachers with at least one free period per day

This is the puzzle we tackle each year: a schedule for every student that sets them up for success.  It's not an easy or quick project. Building the master schedule is a year-long process, but begins to eclipse other aspects of IVP Kristin Stout's job around March.  The puzzle must be completed in a way that maximizes our resources, satisfies as large a number of interests as possible, and stays true to the mission of Sequoia .  Ms. Stout, over the last two years, has proven to be more than up to the challenge.

 

Like any puzzle, there is software that simplifies the computational tasks.  From there, consensus-building and relationships fuel the process.  Problems with multiple solutions and diverse stakeholders require a clear set of guiding principles and shared vision.  Fortunately, we have broadly-shared leadership contributing to the endeavor in the form of department chairs, counselors, and district support.  A school's master schedule is its DNA or, as one colleague once said to me, "Show me your school's master schedule and I'll tell you what your core values are."

I've always appreciated the extent to which our students and parents have understood the complexity and fragility of the master schedule -- how moving one or two students from one class to another can really throw a whole bunch of things out of whack.  I hope folks understand that this balance is maintained not for some sort of bureaucratic end, but instead to make our master schedule at Sequoia reflect what we value as a school and community.

Despite the scope and complexity of the endeavor, it's one we embrace as a school.  As we approach the end of May, it's a good feeling to watch the pieces falling into place for next year.

Have a great week!

Best,

Sean

We need your help with scanning-in the tidal wave of textbooks during the last two weeks of school.  Depending on teachers' schedules, we may also need "runners" who can go to classrooms to help scan books.  Additional tasks may include sorting, boxing and/or shelving books along with whatever other Media Center tasks arise in real-time.  Thanks in advance for "going with the flow"!

Shifts will be from 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. every school day starting on May 28, 2019 through June 7, 2019. 

Refreshments will be provided to thank volunteers for supporting our successful new Media Center during the school year!

Non-Grad Families:

Help at 2019 Graduation Ceremony

 

 

SHSEF  is grateful to our business partners.  Thanks to their generosity, we've raised over $30,000.

All seniors who have taken one or more IB classes during their time at Sequoia are invited, along with all  their families and friends, to the 2019 IB Ceremony on Thursday, May 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Carrington Hall.  View the invitation here.  This is a wonderful evening to celebrate all the students who challenged themselves with IB classes.  Students will take the stage to announce their plans for college and give shout-outs to all the Sequoia teachers who inspired them along the way.  Light refreshments will be served.

Student speakers will also share why "We Are IB!" and some students will earn awards.  IB stoles to be worn at their graduation ceremony will be distributed.    

Todos los seniors que han tomado una clase de IB durante su tiempo en Sequoia están cordialmente invitados junto con su familia a la ceremonia de IB 2019: jueves, 30 de mayo, 5.30 a 7.30 p.m. en el Auditorio Carrington Hall.  Invitación aquí­.

 

	John Horan broke the oldest Track and Field record at Sequoia (set in 1956).

There was much excitement and energy in the room last Friday at Sequoia's Second Annual College Signing Day for senior AVID students.  AVID students from all four grades, as well as their teachers and guidance counselors, were in Carrington Hall to cheer and applaud Ms. Yeager's and Mr. Stalder's 42 graduating seniors.  The majority are first-generation college-bound students.  As students' names were called, they walked up to the podium where they were presented with a College Signing Day certificate and the pennant of the college they will be attending.  Then each student took the mic to announce where they would attend in the fall and signed a display on the stage, which was decorated with the logos and pennants from each of the colleges. 

For the second year in a row, all Sequoia AVID seniors were admitted to a 4-year college, and all will be heading to college next fall.  We are so proud of these students' hard work and accomplishments!  A huge shout-out to Sequoia teachers, counselors, and administrators for supporting their efforts, and congratulations to their proud parents.

 

 

SHS Academy Mentor Program just wrapped up another successful year!

 

This year, we had over 80 volunteers from our community who worked one-on-one with students from the Digital Arts and Health Careers Academies as mentors.  Mentors and students met once a month over a seven month period.  Each mentor's goal was to provide support and guidance to their student for a future beyond high school.  The themes of the sessions included Mentor Bio/Interview, Personal Inventory, Resume Development, Mock Interviews, Career Share-out, and Goal Setting.

 

Mentoring responsibilities included structured activities with their student and responding to student emails.  The mentors worked hard to impart the career skills students need to succeed in life.  Even though teachers demonstrate these skills daily, it is impossible for them to give all 30 students in each class the same one-on-one attention that a mentor can provide.  As an invested adult from the community, these dedicated mentors helped our students learn how to be successful in following their path, and motivated them to continue on to higher education.

 

Please refer to our website o r contact our coordinators, Victoria Mitchell or Gregory Schmid, for more information about how to participate in this program in 2019-2020.