Dear Community:
In an academic year that feels like it began years ago, it is hard to believe that we have finally reached the end of the 2019-20 academic year. To the graduating class of 2020, on behalf of the Sequoia Union High School District, congratulations on finishing your high school careers. We can all agree that this will be a memorable year for you, and I want to recognize the grace, maturity, tenacity, and resilience that you have demonstrated during this unprecedented time.
I also want to thank our entire Sequoia family. By working together, we created as much stability as possible for our students.
As we look to the future, the path forward requires that we continue our joint efforts in order to overcome future obstacles. In that spirit, the District has established an Academic Operations Task Force that consists of over 100 staff, parents, students, administrators and other local partners comprising 10 working groups to make recommendations as to how we will reopen in the fall. The working groups cover a myriad of logistics required for the reopening of our schools such as: learning environment, health and safety, instruction, assessment, and student services. Each is driven by the goal of providing the best possible educational experiences within the highest levels of safety protocols and procedures established by the San Mateo County Health Department and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
We ask you to help inform and guide the “big lift” that the task force has before it, by filling out
THIS SURVEY
. Please take the time to fill it out, as your response will allow the Academic Operations Task Force the opportunity to take your feedback into account during its deliberations.
Through this task force, we will establish a road map that will assist us, as we continue navigating through uncharted waters. Although we are optimistic about “opening” in the fall, the reality is that, as a result of COVID-19, “open for business” takes on more than one meaning as the landscape continues to be dynamic and nebulous. We will absolutely be educating our teens this fall in enriched, innovative instructional platforms, but in what capacity students will access our campus and classrooms will continue to be confined and defined by evolving county health orders and state guidelines.
It’s been a bumpy ride, so please reach out to your teachers and end the year strong. Make sure to get some “non-screen time rest” this summer, but don’t forget to stay safe and continue adhering to social distancing guidelines!
Sincerely,
Mary E. Streshly, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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SUHSD's Board of Trustees invites you to learn more about community interest topics:
- Measure "A" Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee Report
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Update, Year I
- Discussion of LCAP Proposed Goals and Action Plan
- Career Technical Education and Pathway Progress at all Sites
- Update on English Learner Newcomers
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- Board of Trustees Meeting, May 27, 2020, 6:00pm, District Office
- Board of Trustees Meeting, June 10, 2020, 6:00pm, District Office
- Board of Trustees Meeting, June 24, 2020, 6:00pm, District Office
View the full district calendar
here
.
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Congratulations to Our
Award-Winning Principals
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The Sequoia Union High School District would like to congratulate two of our incredible principals for being recipients of this year's Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 5 awards. ACSA Region 5, comprising 25 school districts in the Bay Area, is widely considered one of the most prestigious and competitive regions in California.
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Menlo-Atherton High School Principal Simone Kennel was awarded the Secondary Principal of the Year
Award.
According to the Nomination Committee:
“Ms. Kennel is an excellent leader and administrator for Menlo-Atherton High School. She is an outstanding communicator, creates a clear vision for the school, and works to support staff in following through with that vision. Ms. Kennel also builds and sustains strong relationships within the community, supporting ideas that staff bring forward and supporting each person's personal growth.”
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East Palo Alto Academy Principal Amika Guillaume was awarded the Valuing Diversity Award and the Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence.
According to the Nomination Committee:
“Amika is unafraid to make bold decisions to seek better results. Understanding the context of East Palo Alto youth, Amika restructured the Summer Bridge program from focusing on academics - as conventional programs do - to mindset, community context, and fresh starts. Using this approach, we have seen freshmen more engaged in class, form strong relationships with their teachers more quickly, and return to positive mindsets when facing challenges.”
Simone and Amika are both bold, passionate, and dedicated trailblazers for equity whose lives are committed to serving the students and school communities that they lead.
The caliber of administrators in SUHSD is truly something to celebrate, and we are thrilled that both our comprehensive and small school leadership has been recognized by ACSA.
We are fortunate to have their leadership within our district.
Congratulations, Simone and Amika!
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TIDE Magnet Academy Accredited by WASC!
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We are excited to announce that
the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges
(
WASC) Accreditation Committee has accredited TIDE Academy! In its
committee report,
TIDE’s leadership and culture of community and team building was recognized.
A special thank you and
congratulations to Principal Allison Silvestri, and her entire team, for the amazing work they have done to make this a reality.
As the newest member of our school portfolio, TIDE Academy is already forging a new path for our district, and is quickly becoming a national model for what the classroom of the future will look like for students.
Congratulations, TIDE Academy! Our district and community is proud to have you as a member of the Sequoia Union High School District family.
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Saying Goodbye: Retirement Announcements
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The end of each school year is filled with bittersweet emotions as we celebrate the graduating senior class and say goodbye to valuable members of our Sequoia family who are retiring. This year is no different, as staff members leave our district and begin a new chapter in their lives.
Though we are sad to see them leave, we are equally elated to know that they will have the opportunity to pursue other passions and enjoy the company of friends and family.
Thank you for your outstanding service and the valuable contributions to our schools, you will be missed!
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- Guillermo Acevido
- Milsa Barco
- James Beacom
- Denis Castro
- Cameron Dodge
- John DaBaldo
- Robert Hampton Sr.
- Brandon Lee
- David Low
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- Eva-Lena Lyssand
- Jon Marlowe
- Martha Martinez
- Enrique Navas
- Steven Nicolopulos
- Linda Patience
- Carole Pierce
- Greg Richardson
- Sandra Rick
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Student Trustees Pass the Baton
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A big thank you to Andres Raddavero and Kylie Wong who served as student trustees on the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees. Andres and Kylie provided exceptional contributions to the Board, and were true champions of equity and inclusion. They both have made an imprint for future student trustees.
We would also like to congratulate Andres, for his acceptance into
California State University, Chico
, and Kylie, for her acceptance to the University of Oregon.
Additionally, we welcome our new trustee for the 2020-21 school year: Menlo-Atherton High School student, Sathvik Nori.
Sathvik comes with government experience as he is currently a Youth Commissioner for the San Mateo Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission and the Chairman of the Civic Engagement Committee for the San Mateo County Youth Commission.
We can’t wait to begin working with Sathvik!
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SUHSD Community Resource Page
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Since the beginning of the Shelter-in-Place Order, the District has shared an array of food, mental health, and educational resources. To further assist our community, we have compiled the various available resources onto our new
COVID-19 Resource Webpage
. Updated information, such as the information listed below, will be available.
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While we were hopeful that we'd be able to bring small groups of students on to campuses for some in-person instruction this summer, the safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. Given the on-going public health crisis and the unknowns about when and if changes to the shelter in place orders will occur, we have determined that all summer programs will be online through distance learning.
If your student(s) will need a school-issued Chromebook, a hotspot for summer school online courses and/or a quiet workstation to access our district internet, please be sure to inform school officials during summer school registration and contact Chief Technology Director Rick Alva at
[email protected]
.
During our summer programming, meal pick-up time and locations will be as follows:
- District Central Kitchen: M, W, F from 11:00am to 1:00pm
- East Palo Alto Academy: M, W from 11:00am to 1:00pm
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Emergency Text Messaging Service
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Our district utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to deliver text messages, straight to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety alerts and more.
If you are a parent or guardian, you can participate in this free service just by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587.
You can also opt-out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”.
SchoolMessenger is compliant with the Student Privacy PledgeTM, so you can rest assured that your information is safe and will never be given or sold to anyone.
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Revised 2019-20 Instructional Calendar
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the District modified the end of the 2019-20 instructional year cancelling our traditional finals week.
The modification includes ending instruction on Friday, May 29, 2020 to provide students time during the first week of June to submit missing assignments, as well as to supply our teachers with four additional workdays to jointly redesign and enrich courses for the 2020-2021 school year.
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Are you interested in joining the Sequoia Union High School District faculty?
If so, we are looking for substitute teachers!
Substitute teachers play a vital role in our district in ensuring our students do not lose critical instruction time. It also offers candidates flexible schedules, supplemental income and allows you to explore careers in education.
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We are always looking for stories to highlight and we know there are many incredible stories that are waiting to be told throughout the District. Whether we promote your stories for press opportunities, social media, and/or newsletters, we invite you to submit your narratives, videos, or pictures.
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Goal #1: Strengthen quality instruction by improving engagement and rigor for all students.
Goal #2: Use an equity lens to bolster student outcomes by addressing institutional and instructional practices which perpetuate inequities in student outcomes.
Goal #3: Ensure all students receive appropriate academic, behavioral and socio-emotional supports by initiating steps to full implementation of Multi-Tiered System of Support at all sites in the District
Goal #4: Support and promote successful student outcomes at the District's small sc
hools and alternative programs.
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Sequoia Union High School District |
Website
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