The Sequoia Spotlight
March 6, 2018
Principal's Message
Thank you to the parents who attended the Principal Coffee Talk last month! I was proud to showcase our students as they spoke about our progress on our school goals! Our student presenters did an amazing job speaking eloquently about their experiences. Thank you to Mrs. Stevenson and her digital production students for creating videos that align with our goals as well. I would also like to thank our PTA for sponsoring this event!
February was an outstanding month for Sequoia with several students and staff that I would like to recognize! Our debate team, consisting of Adalia L., Prasheetha K., and David C. won several rounds of debate and earned many accolades at a recent debate tournament at Chaminade. In addition, we had the following students, Mei-Chinh H. and Jason P. who were selected to play in the California All-State Honor Band. Congratulations to Olivia C. for representing Sequoia in the county spelling bee! Our Odyssey of the Mind team, The Emo-Gs, made up by Jocelyn B., Lindsay F., Cole G., Kenshin L., and Kate T., is moving on to state in March! Congratulations to the following teachers on being awarded Conejo Schools Foundation (CSF) grants: Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Hancock, Mr. Sakuma, and Mrs. Stevenson. Thank you to the CSF for providing these grant opportunities for our classrooms!
Several of our staff members participated in a training on mindfulness that was presented by CVUSD's Mental Health Coordinator, Dr. Chamberlin. We learned about some of the research behind mindfulness and strategies to implement. A training on Fluence, an online database of standards aligned questions, was also offered as a professional development opportunity in February.
Save the date for state testing... the SBAC math and English tests will be administered on Tuesday, May 1, Wednesday, May 2, Tuesday, May 8, and Wednesday, May 9. There will be special schedules on these days as all students will be testing in the morning. 8th grade students will be taking the CAST (state science test) on Tuesday, May 15 and Wednesday, May 16 during their science classes. More information will be sent out about testing.
I wanted to update you on a few safety related items. We discussed safety at our School Site Council (SSC) and PTA meetings in February and will be doing another safety update at the SSC meeting on March 21. As a staff, we are reviewing our school safety plan and emergency protocols. On our morning announcements, we will be providing students with safety tips and reminders having to do with a wide variety of topics such as bike safety, danger on campus, walking to and from school, etc. We have a few different emergency drills scheduled for the remainder of the year. In addition, we added another lockdown that will be scheduled during unstructured time (at the end of lunch). We will be letting students know about the drill prior to it happening so that we may practice being safe.
Thank you for all of your support and I am looking forward to a great remaining few months of the school year!
Mrs. Chambers
Student Connections
Although February was a short month, it was packed full of activities! ASB sponsored several lunchtime activities including the Valentine heart scramble and gigantic tic-tac-toe. Our annual Sequoia Idol singing competition was also held in February. We have some amazing singers at our school! A job well done to all of our performers with a huge congratulations to our winner, Angelina P. Our clubs continue to meet on a weekly basis with the new addition of a Robotics Club which will be meeting on Mondays during lunch. We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with this. Please contact Mrs. Chambers if you are interested. I hosted a Principal Lunch for 6th grade students in February as well. I got great feedback and lots of excitement regarding the activities that happen on campus. We also launched a new podcast, KA19 this month. A group of students, under the direction of Mrs. Stevenson, will be hosting our podcast with plans for live broadcasting. The podcast interviewed me, did a segment on school lunches and have many exciting ideas for the future. You can follow Sequoia's podcast on the following social media forums: Twitter: KA19_SMS, Instagram: KA19_SMS, SoundCloud: KA19_SMS, iTunes Podcast: KA19_SMS and YouTube: KA19_SMS. As part of our GATE ACES program, we learned about Chinese New Year complete with Chopstick races and traditional lion dancing. Our student athletes competed in girls' basketball and boys' volleyball as part of the Thousand Oaks Teen Center league. Speaking of the Thousand Oaks Teen Center, our Outreach Workers led a workshop on bullying prevention to a group of 6th grade students. This month, two Sequoia teams competed in the Odyssey of the Mind Tournament. We also sent a group of four students to the Ventura County Office of Education "Kick Ash" symposium where student leaders learned about educating youth on tobacco related health risks.
Student Learning
There is a Chinese proverb that states, "Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." Here is a snapshot from some of the treasures this month. Students in 7th grade participated in a biotech lab in their science classes. Our 8th grade scientists created rockets out of soda bottles. In 6th grade math students learned about volume and surface area. In social studies, students researched and presented on different Chinese inventions. Our 8th grade DISCOVER students went on a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance and the entire 8th grade class attended a presentation by Henry Oster, a survivor of the Holocaust. Our English Language Learners visited the Newbury Park library and our 6th grade students read Tuck Everlasting. In physical education, students learned to perfect their golf swing. In electives, students did an activity using coordinates to find different locations on campus.
Student Supports
Support our School
Several of our teachers have accounts set up online at Donors Choose. Help support our garden and flexible seating arrangements by clicking here.
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with the Robotics Club on Mondays during lunch. Please email Mrs. Chambers if you are interested in volunteering.
Upcoming Events
- Abilities Awareness Week: Monday, March 5 - Friday, March 9
- WEB 6th Grade Lunch Activity: Tuesday, March 6
- Choir Dessert Concert: Wednesday, March 7
- ACES GATE Activity - Bristle Bots: Friday, March 9 @ 3:00 PM Auditorium
- COTY Crazy Sock Day: Monday, March 12
- Non-COTY Pattern Dress Day: Monday, March 13
- Minimum Day/Early Dismissal: Tuesday, March 13
- COTY Braids and Shades Day: Wednesday, March 14
- NPHS 8th Grade Registration Visit at Sequoia: Wednesday, March 14
- Band Frankfurter Pi Day Lunch: Wednesday, March 14
- Non-COTY Tie Dye Dress Day: Thursday, March 15
- Band Concert: Thursday, March 15
- COTY Green Dress Day: Friday, March 16
- ASB Sponsored Shamrock Social: Friday, March 16
- 8th Grade Principal Lunch: Tuesday, March 20
- ASB Lunchtime Activity: Tuesday, March 20
- School Site Council: Wednesday, March 21
- ASB Lunchtime Activity: Wednesday, March 21
- NPHS 8th Grade Registration Visit at Sequoia: Wednesday, March 21
- Choir Dessert Concert: Thursday, March 22
- Choir Competition: Thursday, March 22
- Minimum Day/Early Dismissal: Friday, March 23
- No School - Spring Break: Monday, March 26 - Monday, April 2