THUNDERBIRD PRESS...Est.2006
MAY-JUNE NEWSLETTER
SYNERGY: Together Is Better!
SEQUOYAH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
OUR VISION:
We will help ALL students reach their social, emotional, and academic potential.
OUR MISSION:
BELIEVE * ACHIEVE * SUCCEED
Last Message From Mr. Zotos...
Dear Sequoyah Family,
Someone once told me: “wear out, don’t rust out.” There are those who think we should never stop working, lest we deteriorate fast! So, we should keep going as long as possible. Since announcing my retirement, I knew that I wasn’t retiring ‘from something’ but ‘to something.’ There are many years of excitement and fun ahead of me as a Realtor and Leadership Coach… www.mirealteam.com (see 'Our Team') and www.realtedtalk.com (sorry for the shameless advertisement). That’s right, just retiring from education NOT working…I’m too young, LOL!
I want to express my sincere gratitude and love to the entire Sequoyah community (students, staff, and parents) for these past 16 years of joy. I think of the ‘Parable of the Pencil,’ which fits this memorable occasion in so many ways. The pencil maker took the pencil aside just before placing it in the box. "There are five things you need to know," he told the pencil…"before I send you out into the world, always remember these five things and you will become the best pencil that you can be."
1. You will be able to do many remarkable things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone else’s hand.
2. You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need that in order to become a “perfect” pencil.
3. You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
4. The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.
5. On every surface, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write and make your life memorable.
The pencil understood and went into the box with purpose in his heart. The one sum that can never be calculated so easily is measuring the contribution each of you has made on me and Sequoyah. Being Sequoyah’s principal has been a wonderful position of great trust, love, and responsibility.
I do not believe retirement is the end of a line. Retirement should be a happy time - a creative time like every other stage of life. It is a period when you can do the things you always wanted to do but hadn’t time to do because of “work.” It is a time for enjoying family and reviving friendships – it is a time for talking, thinking, and reflecting. A colleague sarcastically told me that, “when some people retire, it’s very hard to be able to tell the difference.” And while that may be true…the person who can’t figure out what to do on a Sunday afternoon is often the same person who can’t wait for retirement.
The Indian philosopher Tagore had wise words which echo and challenge this experience for each of us. "I thought that my voyage had come to its end at the last limit of my power, - that the path before me was closed, that provisions were exhausted, and the time had come to take shelter in silent obscurity. But I find that they will not end in me when old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the heart; and where the old tracks are lost, new country is revealed with its wonders."
You can tell a lot about a person when you know what his or her attitude to time is. There is no past really, except in our memories. And because the future only exists in our imagination, all we really have is the present. From now on, I can drink coffee on my own time!
I’m blessed and honored to have served our Sequoyah community for the past 16 years and 24 years in Chippewa Valley. The Sequoyah staff is truly the backbone and cornerstone to our Sequoyah foundation and unsung heroes to so MANY Thunderbirds that need daily guidance, a listening ear, and love. I respect you GREATLY as dear friends and cherished colleagues. Your tireless work ethic and dedication to excellence are admirable and respected traits.
Lastly, please protect, care, and support each other as a Sequoyah community...LOVE yourself, others, and what you do...have the COURAGE to challenge the practice or process...SERVE by helping and adding value to others!
With great admiration, love, and prayers!
XO
Ted
Founding Sequoyah PrinciPAL Forever
IMPORTANT EVENTS...see bolded items below for additions/changes every Monday after 5PM, so please check back weekly!
- Summer Learning Resources 1 & 2 (look above at the great summer learning fun)...
- Senior Farewell on 6/13/22 @ 2:00PM-3:30PM.
- 5th Grade Completion Ceremony on 6/14/22 @ 7:00PM (doors open at 6:30PM).
- Kindergarten Completion Ceremony on 6/15/22 @ 10:30AM (doors open at 10:00AM).
- Report cards sent home on 6/15/22.
- Welcome to Sequoyah Elementary Mrs. Gabriel...where all your dreams come true!
- Zotos out! Thank you for the wonderful and lasting memories...you all have enriched my life and made me a better person in so MANY ways!
PTO News and Events
Science Olympiad County Championship Results
7th Place-Crime Busters- Claire V. and Maddie B.
6th Place-A is for Anatomy-Avery B.
5th Place-Zowie Estimation- Caroline B. and Jack N.
3rd Place-Rock Hound- Zoe C. and Alaura P.
2nd Place-Water Bottle Rockets- Riley S. and Owen M.
1st Place County Champs-Reflection Relay- Sofia D., Paige H., and Grayson M.
1st Place County Champs-Simple Machines-Caroline B. and Jack N.
Congrats to all of our team members, Teegan T., Paige H., Owen M., Allison N., Avery B., Vinnie M., Claire V., Zoe C., Caroline B., Sean R., Sofia D., Maddie B., Alaura P., Grayson M., and Riley S. We would also like to thank our coach, Mrs. Flemming, and all of the parent volunteer coaches who put in countless hours towards the team's success. Thunderbirds are the best!
Thunderbird Three Heroes-MAY 2022
Thunderbird Three Heroes-APRIL 2022
2022 Bookmark Contest Winners
Moley Candy Limo Ride Winners
Register now for the 2022-2023 school year
Register early to secure a spot at your neighborhood school. Please remind any new neighbors that it’s time to register. If your child is already enrolled in our schools, there is no action needed. Should you have any questions about our online process, please call our Central Registration Department at (586) 723-2007.
Welcome new Sequoyah Thunderbirds!
FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AVAILABLE FOR ALL CV STUDENTS and CVVA STUDENTS!
FREE breakfast and lunch for ALL Chippewa Valley Students!!!
Thanks to a program extension from the USDA, Chippewa Valley Schools will now feed all children 18 years and younger for FREE through the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
Distribution will not take place during holiday breaks.
To see if your family qualifies for additional benefits,
please fill out a free/reduced application at www.lunchapp.com
Family Guides: Supporting Math & Literacy Learning in 2021-2022...Click Blue Link Below
Seek Common Ground and 'Student Achievement Partners' created grade level guides to help support your child's learning in the 2021-2022 school year. Learn more about what your child(ren) should know and be able to do in math and literacy. In addition, how to reinforce learning with everyday activities, tips for talking to teachers, and online resources/games.