Sequoia Sentinel
Sequoia PTSA's weekly eNewsletter in partnership with the Sequoia High School Education Foundation
PTSA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Join us this Tuesday, October 4 at 7 p.m. in Carrington Hall for the first PTSA General Meeting. Our featured guest is Mr. Priest, who will provide the Principal’s Welcome. After, stay for a short meeting where we will vote on this school year’s PTSA budget.

Anticipating our official welcome to the school year from Mr. Priest reminds me that Fall is an exciting and busy time of year. For many of us, September can feel more like the ‘new year’ than January does. New schedule, new (and old) friends, new classes, new school for some, new opportunities. It can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Here’s a few tips for parents and guardians to stay on top of things at Sequoia:

  1. The Sequoia High School Calendar is the source for many events, including the ever-important Day. A Day? B Flex Day? Minimum day on a Tuesday? The Sequoia Calendar is so important, the Sentinel provides a link at the top and bottom of each edition. 
  2. The Sequoia High School website home page will remind you of the Bell Schedule - once you know what Day it is!
  3. Want a general overview of Sequoia? Sequoia 101 will provide a summary of what you need to know. 
  4. The Staff and Student Bulletin is everything from Student Announcements, the upcoming sports schedule, to all the available clubs. While I think the intent is for your students to hear/read it and get involved in what they’re interested in, it is a helpful source for parents and guardians to stay informed. Read it on the website, or subscribe to get it twice a week in your email.

There is so much more information on Sequoia’s website - go get a second Pumpkin Spice Latte, and dive in!

GO RAVENS!

Karen Gebhart
Sequoia PTSA President
PTSA
Last call for Mini-Grant applications -- deadline Oct. 8
Mini-grants
Students and staff: Mini-Grants are almost here!

Through the support of the Sequoia High School Education Foundation (SHSEF), the PTSA is able to offer financial grants to enhance education at Sequoia. The grants of up to $750 are designed to inspire creative initiatives to learning and/or to address a compelling need that might otherwise go unmet. Applications will be accepted through Oct. 8.

Students and staff who have an idea for a project that will benefit the school but need funding are encouraged to apply. Additional information can be found on the PTSA Mini-Grants page of the SHS website. If you have questions, please email the chairs.
Calling veteran Sequoia parents!
Sequoia Shadow Days and campus tours for potential incoming 8th graders and parents are here! To make these events successful, we need experienced parents to spread the good word about life at Sequoia - academics, music, sports, theater, social life! We have two opportunities and many dates to fill. Parent Information Sessions will take place on 8th grade Shadow Days.* Once 8th graders are off with Shadow Hosts, Corey Uhalde, Dir. of Student Activities, will lead Info Sessions for parents. We appreciate Sequoia parents willing to provide input from the parent perspective during this time. Saturday campus tours* will be led by ASB students but it is beneficial to have a Sequoia parent along so the “incoming” parents get another point of view. Click here to sign up for either event, one day or multiple days! *Dates listed in the sign up. Email sequoiaptsa@gmail.com or cuhalde@seq.org with questions.
Haven't joined Sequoia PTSA yet?
Click HERE to join online or fill out the membership form in English or Spanish. Put the form and your check in an envelope and drop it off at the school office. We'll take care of the rest! Ten minutes and $20 is all it takes to make our Unaliyi spirit stronger! Forgot if you joined or have questions? Contact Membership Lead, Dana Rechin for help.
EDUCATION FOUNDATION
SHSEF supports students in reaching highest potential
Did you know 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. 
HIGHLIGHTS
Sept. 26-Oct. 7: Sequoia student art show
Please stop by the Powell Art Gallery for Sequoia's beginning-of-the-semester art show, from Sept. 26-Oct. 7. The show will feature 2D and 3D work from 2nd and 3rd year art students. Come check out their fabulous creations!

Note: The Powell Art Gallery is open during school day lunch periods. All visitors to the campus during the school day (including visitors to the gallery) need to check in with the Assistant Vice Principal’s office for a visitor's pass.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Are you a computer graphics or video production professional? Please come speak to students.
We are looking for professionals to share their career pathways with students. We would love to hear from you if your current or past positions have included:
  • Graphic Design
  • Visual Design
  • UI/UX Design
  • Interior Design
  • Exhibition Design
  • Environmental Graphic Design
  • Fashion Design
  • Illustrator
  • Animation
  • Videographer/ Video Production / Editor
  • Motion Graphics Design

Class is offered Fridays from 8:45-10:10 a.m. or 1:30-2:40 p.m.; dates include Oct 7, 21, Nov 4, 18, and Dec 2. Email Faith Velschow with the dates & times that work best for you.
Sequoia's Academy Mentor Program looking for mentors!
Would you like to transform the trajectory of a Sequoia student? Become a Sequoia Academy mentor. For less than two hours a month from November - May, Sequoia High School Academy mentors work one-on-one with students from the Digital Arts Academy or Health Careers Academy on career-related skills. Adults can support a student by sharing their knowledge and experience about how to take steps towards a successful and rewarding career. Join our team! Whatever professional stage you are in, our students can learn from your career journey. Please refer to our website or contact our coordinators Greg Stein or Gregory Schmid for more information about how to participate in this year's hybrid program.
Be a part of Inspiring Connections Outdoors
Sierra Club Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) is actively looking for drivers/leaders to help make outdoor trips (camping, hiking, kayaking, river rafting) happen for ELD students at Sequoia High School. Due to the pandemic, we had to take a two-year break, and we are looking to rebuild our volunteer base.

ICO is completely run by volunteers. Volunteers drive students in their personal vehicles. No wilderness skills or experience necessary. You learn with the students. Volunteers complete a one-hour training session and online paperwork.

The Sequoia High School site liaisons are David Ortiz and Stacy Wenzel. If you are interested, please email Stacy Wenzel. Thanks!
Volunteer in the Media Center
Looking for an occasional volunteer opportunity on campus? Join the Media Center Volunteer crew. Duties include textbook and media check-out and check-in, lunchtime support, and other various library tasks in a welcoming, student-facing environment. Email Jessica Rosenberg to be added to the list.

Check out our most recent newsletter and click here to find out what’s happening at the Sequoia Media Center! We look forward to seeing you,
Ms. Snow.
SEQUOIA ATHLETICS
Come watch us play
Support the Ravens by attending this week’s home games. Check seqsports.com for complete home and away fall schedules.

Let’s go, Ravens!
Girls Tennis on a winning streak!
Come watch the undefeated Girls Tennis team take on Oceana High School at home on Tuesday Oct. 4 at 4:30 p.m. They are away at Terra Nova on Thursday Oct. 6. JV plays away at Woodside on Friday.
Home games this week
Oct. 3: Girls Water Polo vs. HMB - JV 3 p.m., Varsity 4 p.m.
Oct. 3: Boys Water Polo vs. HMB - JV 5 p.m., Varsity 6 p.m.
Oct. 4: Girls Volleyball vs. HMB - Frosh 4 p.m., JV 5 p.m., Varsity 6:15 p.m.
Oct. 5: Boys Water Polo vs. Mills - JV 3 p.m., Varsity 4 p.m. - SENIOR NIGHT!
Oct. 5: Girls Water Polo vs. Mills - JV 5 p.m., Varsity 6 p.m. - SENIOR NIGHT!
Oct. 6: Girls Volleyball vs. Aragon - Frosh 4 p.m., JV 5 p.m., Varsity 6:15 p.m.
Oct. 31: Winter sports tryouts – make sure your athlete is cleared to play!
Is your student interested in playing a winter sport at Sequoia? Tryouts for soccer, basketball and wrestling begin Monday, October 31. New and returning athletes must register on SportsNet and submit an updated Physical Form to be eligible. Contact the head coach for more details and follow individual SEQ sports teams on Instagram.
Membership donations make Boosters grants possible!
New uniforms and equipment for the boys water polo team and an upgraded utility cart for the athletic department were approved at our September Boosters meeting. The softball, boys tennis, track & field, badminton, and boys and girls lacrosse teams are still in need of uniforms for the 2022-23 season, which totals about $40,000. 

Please consider joining Boosters to help us fulfill these upcoming grants and keep our athletes playing safe and looking good out there!
THE PARENT EDUCATION SERIES
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Oct. 6: Learning by Heart: Creating “Innovation-Ready” Students for the Future. Tony Wagner, PhD, global expert in education and bestselling author of The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators, will discuss how we can prepare our students to bring the skills of innovation to whatever they do.

Aprender de memoria: crear estudiantes "listos para la innovación" para el futuro. Tony Wagner, PhD, experto mundial en educación y autor de éxitos de librería The Global Achievement Gap y Creating Innovators, analizará cómo podemos preparar a nuestros estudiantes para que incorporen las habilidades de innovación a cualquier cosa que hagan.
Oct. 13: The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, and Where We Go Now. The cost of closing our schools for so long during COVID, made with good intentions, has not yet been fully reckoned with. NPR education reporter Anya Kamenetz shows how the pandemic disrupted children’s lives—and how our country failed to put our children first.

El año robado: cómo el covid cambió la vida de los niños y hacia dónde vamos ahora. El costo de cerrar nuestras escuelas durante tanto tiempo durante COVID, hecho con buenas intenciones, aún no se ha calculado por completo. reportero de educación NPR Anya Kamenetz muestra cómo la pandemia interrumpió la vida de los niños y cómo nuestro país no puso a nuestros niños primero.
¡Padres/cuidadores, educadores, profesionales de la salud mental y miembros de la comunidad son bienvenidos! Habrá interpretación simultánea en español disponible. Enlace de zoom.
Oct. 19: Fentanyl Prevention Education: How to Help Teens Make Healthy Decisions. Join Stacey Wisniewski, Senior Prevention Specialist, Prevention Solutions, Hazeldon Betty Ford Foundation, to understand the risks of intentional and unintentional fentanyl use among adolescents.

Educación sobre la prevención del fentanilo: Cómo ayudar a los adolescentes a tomar decisiones saludables. Únase a Stacey Wisniewski, especialista sénior en prevención, Soluciones de Prevención, Fundación Hazeldon Betty Ford, para comprender los riesgos del uso intencional y no intencional de fentanilo entre los adolescentes. Enlace de zoom.
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Thank you for keeping the Sequoia High School community updated. Go Ravens!
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