Sequoia High School
Monday Focus
March 9, 2020
Si Se Pudo!!! Yes It Could be Done!! (VUSD Board Member Dr. Vasquez and VUSD Director of Facilities Gerry Lemus taking a tour of new SHS)
Peek at the Week
Tuesday: YES meeting; SSIP Meeting; Joven Noble; STRONG 1; Board Meeting Student Awards;
Wednesday: Site Visit from Mr. Waters.
Thursday: School Site Council Meeting.
Friday: TSI Award Ceremony.
From the Desk of the Superintendent Dr. Ravalin
Good Morning VUSD!
Please join me in this week’s VUSD Connectivity Challenge.
Sometimes we judge a situation before we have all the facts.
This is especially true when someone has hurt our feelings.
This week, I challenge you to step back and view the whole picture before passing judgment.
Try to understand what the other person is feeling.
Grace is a refreshing gift to others and to ourselves.
Best wishes for a beautiful week,
Tamara
"The Problem is not the problem. The problem is how we respond to the problem" J. Reyes
Principal Corner
Graduates: Sequoia High School is an amazing, rigorous, place of hope and relationship building for the students that we serve. This past week we graduated a 11 more students. These students overcame many challenges but through their hard work and SHS staff, these students earned their diploma and will soon be on the path to higher education.
Foster Youth: This past week Mr. Manivanh and Mrs. Cavasos took a group of our foster youth to Bakersfield for a YES conference. Students go to take part in motivational activities, educational programs, support options, and the space to build relationships with many other foster youths in the valley.
The SHS Basketball team is on a roll. They took another victory this past week putting them at 4 and 1. Good job Coach Chapa.
Ms. Pacheco led our first-ever Sequoia High School science team to the Tulare County Science Olympiad competition that was held at Mission Oak High School. Our victory came in the ability to compete and overcome the opticals of self-doubt. Ms. Pacheco thank you so much for guiding and motivating our students to compete on the same playing field as all other schools in our county. Much support also came from Mr. Morton at the event on Saturday.
SSIP students took part in another day of volunteering at the Tulare County Food Bank.
The SHS Jiu-Jitsu team is getting ready for the annual statewide tournament. Keep up the good fight.
STRONG 1 met this past week to review behavior data and to make recommendations of the students that will be placed in Tier 2 supports under the STRONG 2 team. STRONG 2 identified the needs and interventions that these students will receive.
Equity Leaders: Mrs. Tarango and Mr. Manivanh bot have been representing Sequoia at the VUSD Equity training that has been going on all year. They have done an excellent job and I am extremely proud of their work and dedication.
Key Goals for Session 5:
All WASC Goal implantation plans and proposals for resources complete
- School Site Council receives proposals for 20-21 school site plans.
- Seniors get a huge push to complete the year
- Testing plans in place
- SHS 90% complete packing
- PBIS/STRONG manuals all done
- Student Hand Book Complete
- Graduation plan complete
- Secure a Library Tech for new school site
- Complete revised course New Student Orientation and College/Careers.
- The complete revised PE and Weightlifting course syllabus for 2020-2021
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Sequoia High School Academic Updates
From the desk of SHS Assistant Principal: Yolanda Monsivaiz
The English Department has finished testing all students for reading level Session 5. We still have a couple of stragglers we will reassess this session due to lack of effort on the assessment (we have our ways of determining who wasn’t feelin’ it that day J). If you doubt any particular score, let me know and we will see if that student is on schedule to reassess. To access the data, go to T-Share>Course>ELA>STAR Assessment. We have created two reports: Ranking and Last Name. As always, please keep student data confidential.
We highly encourage you to review this student data in your PLCs. As we ask more students to read independently in class, building those literacy skills, it is very important to consider the student Instructional Reading Level. This is the level on which students should be able to read and comprehend the text independently while challenging them enough to continue building their reading skills. While providing reading material at grade level (10, 11, or 12) is also very important, your struggling readers will require significant scaffolding to access the concepts and main ideas presented in grade-level text. If you have any questions or would like some strategies to help your struggling readers, please reach out to the English Department. We would be happy to assist with any lessons which require these intensive supports. Here is the campus-wide GE (Grade Equivalency) distribution.
Flip Grid Recordings by Students
From the desk of SHS Academic Counselor: Salud Cobarruvias
Things to Know:
· 250 Students enrolled
· 5 Students met their Credits on Edgenuity in ALA, 4 Students are very close (3 Senior Portfolios Completed)
Class Change Request Forms have been completed. Tuesday was the deadline for teachers to submit their final grades. Once the transcripts are updated. I will review the transcripts and ensure students are in the correct courses.
There are 22 students assigned to the Orientation class. I Reviewed transcripts with each student. The student was provided with a Graduation Progress, this personalized document identifies the individual breakdown of the student's credits. Each student is aware of the credits he or she is behind by the subject.
The student was also given March's calendar of events, Saturday School dates, Senior Portfolio info (google doc: code) & community service information. Students were also encouraged to voice interest in being enrolled in Edgenuity.
There are a total of 57 students in Civics & 57 students in Econ Courses (total 114 students). All students were provided with a copy of their “Quick Look-Up,” of Session 4. Students were also provided a copy of their transcript & a copy of their Edgenuity credits needing to be completed. All students were provided with DUE DATES, Senior Portfolio (google doc code), login information for Edgenuity and were to seek Academic Support. Explained the multi-purpose role of Saturday School and the benefits of participating. Reminded the students of how to earn electives through community services and participating in sports. Students are well aware that there is only 2 session left of the school year and of the credits they can earn by passing their classes.
March 9-14, 2020
· After School Senior Portfolio Assistance through XL
· Edgenuity/Tutorial Services Available during lunchtime RM 22 and after School RM 15
· March 11: Jostens’s will be on campus at lunchtime for students to place orders
· March 12: Career Day
· March 13: COS Registrations
· March 14: Saturday School
Sequoia XL Academic Intervention: From the A.I Pit Crew
- Teachers submit the Academic Intervention Referral
- Mr. Ludwig will be in contact with the teacher who made the AI Referral work out the details of the required help for the student. He will also inform the student's Homeroom Teacher to obtain extra motivation for the student.
- Mr. Ludwig will provide a confirmed list of students who are cleared to attend AI support to XL Director Cabrera.
- XL Director Cabrera will make contact with students to inform them they will need to report to Lunch Time Learning Center.
- Mr. Ludwig will work with the student to meet the expectations set by both the teacher who referred the student and Roy.
- Once the student has completed their assignments, Roy will inform the teacher and XL Director.
- If the student fails to comply with the requested support, the referral will be forward to AP Monsiviaz.
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Sequoia High School Social and Emotional Updates
From the desk of SHS Social Worker: Theb Manivanh
“What if today we are grateful for everything” Anonymous.
The tragic fire and loss of lives in Porterville this past week has reminded me to be grateful for the many blessings that I have. Research has shown that “gratitude” is one of the key ingredients for happiness. There are many issues and concerns that we have to overcome at Sequoia but we have to be grateful. Students can be rude, disrespectful and outright obnoxious but we have to be grateful. As we have an attitude of gratitude we will be happier.
From the desk of SHS Psychologist: Kelley Wasnick
Welcome to session 5, to the best staff around. I hope your weekends went well and you are back rested and ready to take on session 5.
To my knowledge we may have one new special education student who is transferring to become a Sequoia Mountaineer. If they enroll we will make sure to share with you. THE current SPED enrollment is 12. Sylvia and Alice will work to make sure you have current IEP’s and any additional needed per student(s).
If you have any questions please feel free to call me or stop by my office on the days when I am on site.
From the desk of SHS Gang Interventionist/BIT: Kellen Kennedy
BIT – We are excited to get started with finials week even though it’s going to be better sweet, as we will be having one of our S.S.I.P. students graduating and she has been with us sense it started. We have been impress with her growth and all she accomplished and hope to see her finishing her journey walking across that stage at the end of the year.
- “Many have started fast but only a select few have finish strong”
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Sequoia STRONG Updates
From the desk of the STRONG Team: Megan Tarango
"Hi Team Sequoia! We are set to celebrate positive referrals on Wednesday, February 26th during the last 20 minutes of 4th period. If you still want to submit a positive referral, please do so by the end of the day today so that I can finish making all the certificates. The students do greatly appreciate the recognition (and the treats!). Please discuss with your PLC today the idea of celebrating students twice a session for positive referrals instead of once. This could allow us to recognize more students for doing the right things and upholding the 3R's, possibly during weeks 3 and 6 of each session.
A presentation on session 4 behavior data will be shared with all SHS staff members by Friday, February 28th at 3 pm. In order to make our next gathering more productive, please review this data with your PLC and document any comments/concerns/questions. "
From the desk of XL After School Director: Adriana Cabrera
XL has been very busy getting everything ready for the Career Fair this upcoming Thursday. We have a bunch of goodies we will be raffling out for those students who visit every vendor, “passports” will be distributed during the 3rd period for students. This passport will be their entryway for the raffle. I will be going into Homerooms Monday to spread the word. We hope to make this last Career Fair on this campus the best one yet!
Sequoia High School Building Project
Board Members Mr. Guerrero and Mr. Foster take a tour of the new Sequoia Campus along with SHS Staff
Building Project Updates
This past couple of weeks our VUSD Board members had the opportunity to take a tour of the new Sequoia High School campus. I personally got to take the tour with Board members Dr. Vasquez, Mr. Foster, and Mr. Guerrero. The beauty of the tour was seeing the looks of major accomplishment, pride, and genuine love our board members have for Sequoia and the students we serve. To the VUSD School Board, thank you so much for making this dream a reality and for believing in us.
Sequoia High School
Yolanda Monsiviaz, Assistant Principal
Salud Cobarruvias, Counselor
Emily Ramirez, Lead Administrative Assistant
Kelly Wasnick, School Psychologist
Theb Manivanh, Social Worker
Adriana Cabrera, XL Director
Kellen Kennedy, Gang/Behavior Interventionist
Email: areyes@vusd.org
Website: http://www.vusd.org/Sequoia.cfm
Location: 901 N Mooney Blvd, Visalia, CA, United States
Phone: 559-730-7649